BIDDEFORD
Ring in Hanukkah with lighting
A community menorah lighting will be held from 5:30 to 6 p.m. nightly Tuesday through Sunday at Main and Lincoln streets in the downtown area.
The annual event, sponsored by the Heart of Biddeford, is open to all who wish to attend.

BRUNSWICK
Sing carols and give back at the same time
For the 20th year, All Saints Parish will host a Christmas Eve carol sing-along at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in front of the town gazebo, located in the park at Maine Street and Park Row.
Those gathered will sing traditional Christmas carols for 15 minutes at this family-friendly event. Organizers will provide the lyrics.
In addition, a family from the parish has pledged to donate $2 to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program for every person who comes to sing.
For more details, call the parish at 725-2624.

BUXTON
Church offering two holiday services
The First Congregational Church of Buxton will offer two Christmas Eve services on Saturday at the church, located at 1197 River Road in the Tory Hill Meeting House.
The first service will be at 5 p.m. and is family oriented, featuring Rachel Herzer playing piano/organ and Bryan Litchfield and Chris Clark playing guitars. The second service will begin at 11 p.m., featuring a wide range of music, including Eve Sawyer playing the organ, accompanied by Maddy Shimko on flute. The Rev. Steve Row will officiate both services. All are welcome to attend.

PORTLAND
Support, honor city’s homeless at vigil
The city’s annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil will be 4:30 p.m. Wednesday with a candlelight procession starting at the Preble Street-Maine Medical Center Learning Collaborative at 20 Portland St. and proceeding to Monument Square for a ceremony dedicated to those persons who have died. Everyone is welcome to attend. An ASL interpreter will be present for the ceremony.
For more details, go to preblestreet.org/vigil.

PORTLAND/BRUNSWICK/NEWCASTLE
Diocese offering grief support
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland will begin offering grief support services at churches in Portland, Brunswick, and Newcastle, where participants can find friendly, caring groups who will walk alongside them to offer support, comfort, and guidance as they navigate difficult experiences related to loss.
“Morning Retreats for the Grieving Soul” will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month in the Monsignor DiMingo Hall at St. Peter Parish in Portland, at 72 Federal St. For more information, contact the parish at 773-7746.
The group at All Saints Parish in Brunswick will meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, beginning Jan. 12 at St. Charles Borromeo Church, at 132 McKeen St. For more details, call Tricia Smith at 798-2371.
The session at St. Patrick Church community at Newcastle will be facilitated by John Nolan and Debby Carroll. Those interested in joining or know someone who could benefit are asked to contact Martha Corkery at martha.corkery@portlanddiocese.org or 725-2624 for more details on dates and times to be offered.

SCARBOROUGH
Donate winter gear at Kiwanis sock drive
The Scarborough Kiwanis Club is holding a sock drive to benefit Preble Street, which provides accessible barrier-free services to people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty.
The club will collect new adult-sized socks, hats, and gloves through Jan. 7.
Donations can be dropped off at the Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution at 41 Gorham Road or at Ron Forest & Sons Fence Company, at 354 Payne Road.
For more information, contact the club at scarboroughkiwanis2@gmail.com.

WELLS
Library updates weekly offering
The Friends of the Wells Public Library will sponsor the follow events this week at the library, located at 1434 Post Road:
• The Weekly Conversational French Language Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for an informal approach to practicing or re-learning French in person. For more details, contact Cindy Appleby at cappleby@wellstown.org
• The adult fiber arts group will meet online at 10:30 a.m. Friday via Zoom.
Members are invited to join in and show off any crafts they’ve been creating over the past few months or get tips on ongoing projects. All ages and levels of ability are encouraged to join us for ideas, inspiration, and lively conversation.
For more details or the Zoom link, contact Stefanie Claydon at sclaydon@wellstown.org or call the library at 646-8181.

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