Sandi Dargi, left, and Rick Shinay, president of Scarborough Land Trust, during a trail-naming ceremony for the “Sandi’s Silver Brook Trail” honoring Dargi for her service to the trust.
SCARBOROUGH
Land trust honors administrator
Scarborough Land Trust honored its administrative coordinator Sandi Dargi for her many years of service by naming a trail in her honor during a ceremony led by Scarborough Land Trust president Rick Shinay at Broadturn Farm on Oct. 24.
The SLT Board of Directors and Sandi’s partner, son and sister were in attendance.
Scarborough residents and visitors are invited to come and walk the “Sandi’s Silver Brook Trail” by taking a left from Broadturn Road onto Hanson Road, just beyond the farm buildings and gardens and then left onto a dirt access road to park in the circular driveway behind the farm. For trail maps of Broadturn Farm and other SLT protected properties, visit: ScarboroughLandTrust.org.
PORTLAND
Parish selling festive face masks
The Our Lady of Hope Parish has come up with a way to spread some holiday cheer while promoting safety during the pandemic.
Some of the parish’s ladies have been meeting weekly at St. Pius X Church for a Christmas face mask campaign to help community members in need of some joy while raising funds for church programs.
To date, the group has created 200 of the masks and have already sold 100 of them.
The cotton blend face masks resemble N95 masks and feature various seasonal designs such as Christmas trees, holly, snowmen, and others. They are available in adult and children sizes.
Each mask costs $5, with all proceeds benefitting Our Lady of Hope Parish (St. Pius X Church, St. Joseph Church, St. Brigid School, all in Portland). The parish, like many across the country, are currently facing an operating deficit due to the pandemic and the cancellation of all group event fundraisers through at least the end of the year.
The last day to order one of the masks is Nov. 10. Those interested in purchasing may call Karen Welch at 767-4504 or Barbara Willey at 775-3343.
Creative Portland hires local artists for public health campaign
Creative Portland, the official arts agency for the City of Portland, is adding local flavor to the City’s “Stay the Course” public health campaign, funded by a Keep Maine Healthy Grant.
More than 18 Maine artists and graphic designers have been hired by Creative Portland to create images and designs that positively reinforce COVID-19 preventative safety measures like wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing. Most of the selected designs are impactful without words, with designs ranging from whimsical images to those targeted at retail shoppers, restaurant patrons and others who want to interact safely at downtown businesses.
To complement the campaign, Creative Portland adds local flavor and style with diverse artistic designs reproduced on large scale banners and signs that are applied to storefronts, building facades, flag pole banners, bus shelters and buses throughout downtown and painted murals on the exterior building walls. Creative Portland has posted a list of the art and locations on its website and will launch a scavenger hunt game to inspire kids and families to wear masks.
For more details, go to creativeportland.com/bearhunt.
FREEPORT
Arts and cultural alliance gets grant
The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Freeport (ACAF) has received a $100,000 Maine Economic Recovery Grant from the State of Maine. This grant was provided to offset the loss of income as a result of the current pandemic. At the time that the pandemic began, ACAF was in the midst of a campaign to raise funds for the renovation and opening of Meetinghouse Arts, a new public performance and artistic venue in Freeport. As a result of the economic slowdown and job losses, ACAF was not able to raise the funds necessary to complete renovations to that venue or to generate revenue from it.
Funds provided by this grant may be used to purchase equipment for Meetinghouse Arts and support the operating expenses and ACAF. In addition to ongoing fundraising efforts, this grant will help to support the renovation process and will expedite the opening of Meetinghouse Arts once the state’s guidelines for safe opening permit it.
Meetinghouse Arts will be home to a 200-seat performance and presentation space that will provide a venue for theatrical productions, concerts and other artistic and cultural presentations, and will include a gallery for the visual arts and other exhibits. Meetinghouse Arts will be used by both local organizations and touring shows and will provide a new creative focal point for the greater Freeport area and strengthen its creative economy.
For more about ACAF, visit freeportartsandculture.org.
CAPE PORPOISE
Habitat for Humanity seeks family to move into home
Habitat for Humanity York County is creating an affordable homeownership opportunity in Cape Porpoise where the median home price is $663,500. HFHYC is currently selecting a partner family for a three-bedroom house there with construction on the house set to begin in spring of 2021. Habitat partners with local, low-income families in York County who show a demonstrated need for safe, affordable housing, a willingness to partner by completing “sweat equity” in the building of their own homes or the homes of other Habitat families, and the ability to repay an affordable mortgage. Homes are constructed using volunteer labor, donated materials, and funds, and when completed the homeowners’ mortgage payments are recycled to support the construction of future Habitat for Humanity homes.
Low-income families who live or work in York County and whose annual incomes are between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income are eligible to apply for this new home. Monthly mortgage payments will be no more than 28 percent of the partner family’s household income. Habitat’s path to homeownership is an important and in-depth process, requiring hard work, time and dedication. But this helps to ensure the long-term success of Habitat homeowners.
Those interested in becoming the next Habitat Partner Family should go to habitatyorkcounty.org/homeownership to see the specific qualifications for homeownership and to learn more about the application process.
Applications must be completed by Nov. 13. For more details, email Habitat at program@habitatyorkcounty.org or call 985-4850.
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