Strawberry Hulling Party

Friday, June 24th, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., at the Community Center,

This is the prep work for the selling of strawberry shortcakes on Saturday. This is a fun activity! Catch up with your friends or make new ones while hulling and slicing berries. The Community Center is located on Norton Street.

If interested, contact Scarlett Hanson at 384-4436 or by e-mail at  volunteer@southberwickstrawberryfestival.com
or drop by the Community Center and join us on Friday, June 24th 8:00-12:00

Strawberry Shortcake Tent

Saturday, June 25th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Central School

Volunteers are needed for two hour shifts: preparing and serving strawberry shortcakes and cheesecake, cashiers, kitchen crew or clean-up. Just come with a smile, we will provide you with aprons and instructions!

If interested, contact Jean Graunke at 384-2506 or by e-mail at volunteer@southberwickstrawberryfestival.com

During the October work day volunteers planted trees in Central School's Outdoor Classroom

The Central School Outdoor Classroom is a community effort to improve the grounds of Central School for outdoor learning.  The plan includes a custom-designed landscape architecture plan as well as an on-site hoop house for the school garden. South Berwick residents Terrence Parker, a landscape designer architect, and Kathy Gunst, chef and author, are joining with the Central School PTO to make the project happen.

The garden is being built by community volunteers during a series of work days. The second work day is coming up and the PTO has put out a call for help:

What: OUTDOOR CLASSROOM WORK DAY
When: Saturday Nov 13, 2010, from 10 am on
During the second volunteer work day, we will be building the hoop house and working on the stream bed for a rain garden, raking in grass seed and tackling other fun tasks. If you have an hour or two (or four) on Saturday the 13, come join us – we’d love your help!  Please email  cesoutdoors@gmail.com if you are able to help.

Find out more about the project at Central School’s Outdoor Classroom blog

For thirty-five consecutive years, hundreds of volunteers from South Berwick, have come together for  a South Berwick tradition. As always, official Festival activities will take place only on the grounds of Central School, on Main Street, in the center of town. A stop at the Strawberry Festival Information Booth is a must to find out more about the day’s schedule for the entertainers, as well as where all the various activities are located and to purchase strawberry festival memorabilia.

Preparation of the strawberries start on Friday, the morning before the Festival at the Community Center, where over a hundred and fifty volunteers get together for a good old fashioned social to hull, slice, and sugar the berries. Other volunteers slice the biscuits, prepare the whipped cream and move everything under the Strawberry Shortcake tent so all will be ready for the Festival goers when it opens at 9:00 am. Things stay pretty busy for the entire Festival that calls it quits at 4:00pm.
On the Friday before the Festival, there will be a roast beef supper hosted by our local First Parish Federated Church, which starts at 5:00pm

The Strawberry Festival Committee is pleased to announce that they we are continuing to serve Strawberry Shortcake and Cheesecake on biodegradable bowls, plates and spoons.  These items are made out sugar cane called Bagasse tableware.  Bagasse is the biomass remaining after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juices.  Additionally, we will be recycling all of the hulls from the berries for anyone who would like them for composting. The boxes and the plastic containers for the berries will also be recycled.

Old Fashion Trolleys.
Transportation to and from the Festival is FREE via an old fashion trolley ride. Running every 20mins, the trolleys will provide free transportation to the Festival from parking locations at Marshwood Great Works School on Rt 236, Community Center on Norton St, Powder House Hill, and Agamenticus Field.

Strawberry Tent and Food
Strawberry shortcakes have always been a favorite of the Festival. They will begin serving at 9:00am until we run out. Last year we served up over 250  cases of fresh strawberries, 85 gallons of whipped cream and over 330 dozen biscuits. Strawberry cheesecake has also been added to the menu and complimented with; you guessed it, strawberries. The costs of these items is still only $4.00.

In addition to shortcakes and cheesecakes there is also a huge Food Court. There will be a pancake breakfast from 6:00 – 10:00. Throughout the day there will be other various food items sold by local non-profit groups. The Fire Dept will be selling hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and cold drinks. The Community Pantry will be serving up frozen lemon aid.  Knights of Columbus –fried dough, Masons–chicken BBQ and other assorted non-profit groups serving sandwich wraps, teriyaki, nachos, fruit cups, cotton candy and water.

Road Race
The day’s activities begin at 8:00am, a 5 mile Road Race and 2.5 mile Fun Walk, sponsored by the South Berwick Recreation Department and local businesses, kick off from Marshwood Middle School on Academy St.

Entertainment
Throughout the day, a variety of entertainers from around the area will be performing on two stages set up around the grounds.
•    At the Central School Field Stage, Marcus Gale gets things going at 9:00- 10:00; Northern Explosion Cloggers, a great group of cloggers, go on at 10:30,11:30, and 12:30. Funky Diva’s of Gospel at 2:00 – 4:00
•    At the Central School Front Court stage, Vic and sticks Recycled Rhythm Band at 9:00 and 10:00, Women of Note, an cappella group at 11:30 – 1:00; Rylie Harrod 1:30 – 2:00 and Seacoast Men of Harmony at 2:30 – 4:00
•    at 11:00,12:00 and 1:00;
•     In the Field Area from 9:00 – 4:00 Wildlife Encounters. For the kids there will be a climbing wall, pony rides, a giant tiger slide, dunking booth, exotic animals’ exhibition, pony rides, a bungee jumping setup and much more.

Crafts
Over 100 juried artisans will be on hand to display and sell their hand-made wares, including clothing, pottery, wood products, jewelry, paintings, photographs, candles, jams and dips, furniture, and much, much more. These crafters will be located both at the side of Central School and in the area around the food court.

Remember be kind to your pets and have them stay in the coolness of your home.

Find out more at  www.southberwickstrawberryfestival.com

Volunteers are welcome at Mt. Agamenticus for a Community Workday this Saturday, September 26th at 9:00 a.m.

If you have enjoyed Mt. A’s summit views and the area’s 40 miles of forested trail, then please consider giving back to the natural treasure in your backyard by participating in a Community Workday.  You can expect beautiful surroundings and rewarding work that will assist us in stewardship goals.  Volunteers may be asked to help with removing invasive plant species, caring for our native gardens, and assisting with various painting projects.

Everyone is invited to help. Work will begin at 9:00 am and continue until noon- rain or shine. Please bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, and food for a picnic lunch at the summit of Mount Agamenticus.

Volunteers are asked to confirm their attendance in advance.  Please register on or before Friday, September 25th by contacting Robin Kerr at 361-1102 or robin@agamenticus.org.

Can’t make this workday? There is one more opportunity to help this field season.  The last workday is scheduled on Saturday, October 24th.

To learn more about the Mount Agamenticus Conservation Program and additional opportunities to get involved, including information about the Adopt-A-Trail program, please visit our website:  www.agamenticus.org or contact the Conservation Coordinator at 207/361-1102.

LL
L
Hackmatack Playhouse is looking to trade tickets for handyperson carpentry work (fix screen doors, windows etc).  Please contact Hackplayhouse@aol.com or call 207-698-1807.

“This is an ideal opportunity for the community to come together to learn more about invasive plant species and how to identify and remove them,” said Pat Robinson, Conservation Commission chairperson. “At the same time, people will be working together to beautify a key location in town just in time for the Strawberry Festival.”

Invasive plants are non-native species that disrupt local ecosystems by crowding out native plants. Often imported for use in landscaping, invasive plants like Russian olive and oriental bittersweet grow rapidly and quickly spread to the natural environment. Species like Japanese barberry can form thorny, impenetrable thickets in forests, while purple loosestrife can degrade the wetlands we depend on to protect water quality and provide a habitat for birds and fish.

Individuals and groups are urged to come, learn about invasive plants, help with the plant removal and with mulching the area. Please bring shovels, pruning and weeding tools. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please call Pat Robinson at (207)384-4243 or Zelda Kenney @(207) 384-2650.

The Maine Education Foundation Kick-Off Dinner and Auction is coming up on Saturday.  I know the planning committee has put their heart and soul into it and hope it is a roaring success.  Go here to find more information, they may have a few tickets left.

South Berwick’s Kids Day is just over a week away.  Judging from the buzz it is going to be fun!  Go here for more details.

The Great Works River Watershed Coalition sponsored a river clean up along the Great Works on May 23.

Dave Gagnon, Mike Cannon, and John Branagan get ready for the river clean up. The point in the lower right is the front of my boat.

The good news was that we didn’t find much trash along the river for the first mile or so.  The bad news was that the big swimming tree by Agamenticus Estates went down this winter and was acting as a catch for all the trash coming from upriver.  Here Dave Gagnon and John Branagan fish some old tires out of the river.  We came home with bags of bottles and cans, fishing bobbers, oil containers, bits of plastic, rope and other sundries.

On May 19 South Berwick Networking, networking group for local business people met at the Full Circle Thrift Shop in Eliot for their monthly meeting.

Maggie McCauley, A New View, and Tony Lemmo, Financial Representative & Insurance Specialist were in attendance.  Tamre Steinhauer, owner of Breathing Space Massage Therapy gave chair massages.  I can attest to how relaxing and invigorating the massages were.  All I can say is “Ahhhhhhhh.”

The meeting took place at Full Circle Thrift Store.  The store was opened by Laurel Vincentio and Ashley Kehrig and is a nonprofit that uses its profits to providing financial assistance to people who are living with cancer.  It is at 150 Dow Highway (Route 236), Eliot, Maine, across the street from Dunkin’ Donuts.  The store has gotten many donations so there is lots to choose from and the prices are truly thrift shop prices.  I got a whole bag of items for just over $4.00 and I’ve been back since to go through the great selection of books.

On May 9 the Friends of South Berwick Library held a book sale at the library.  Friends President Patti Mitchem sends this report and thanks to all of the people who helped:

“Thank you all who helped with the Book Sale – treasurer Kathy Landers reports the total taken at the Book Sale was just over $610. Very successful!

And what an energetic bunch of folks made it happen!

Library staff took in book donations all winter, pulling some for inclusion in the collection, and moving book sale books to the basement – a huge contribution of time and space.

Lori Medige took charge of the prep work – sorted books all week, then her husband Dave and son lugged them up those torturous stairs on Friday afternoon.

Nora Irvine sent out press releases.

Saturday morning, Annmarie Townsend, Molly Colman, Margaret Brentano, Sue Godel, Nina Maurer, Audrey Fortier, Kathy Landers, Mamie Ney and Jane Cowen Fletcher set up the sale – setting up tables, the tent, hauling books, making signs, etc..

Helping during the morning were Jan Clark, Lori Medige, Cari Quater, Liz Perry, Bobbi Beavers, Pat Laska.

And cleanup has never been so fast and thorough: Liz, Bobbi, Pat, Jane, Annmarie and Mamie stayed on, sorting and cleaning up. Jenifer Austin, son Brian and daughter Kate sorted books and made a dump run. Kathy Landers and Mark Comer did the same. Fred and Johanna Wildnauer helped with cleanup also.”

If you have picture or information about community activities, send them to me and I will post them.

The babies are coming and they need your help!

If you love animals and can spare a few hours each week this summer, the Center for Wildlife (CFW) is looking for you!

The CFW, the region’s largest wildlife rehab facility, treats over 1,600 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals each year. From April through September, the Center can be treating over 200 patients at a time, admitting up to 20 animals and fielding up to 50 phone calls a day, which takes a small army of volunteers.

“Summer is an exciting time at the Center because we have so many baby birds and mammals, and volunteers can have the experience of helping to raise an animal and preparing it for release back to the wild,” says CFW Education and Outreach Director, Kristen Lamb. In addition to animal care, volunteers are needed to help manage the public assistance hotline. With proper guidance and education, many animals can be safely returned to the wild with minimal human intervention.

The Center, which is located near the base on Mt. Agamenticus in Cape Neddick, ME, relies heavily on volunteers throughout the year to care for raptors (birds of prey), song birds, water birds, small mammals and reptiles. Extra help is especially needed right now to answer busy phones and help keep the babies fed on schedule. Training is provided and a minimum commitment of 4 hours per week for 3 months is preferred.

Volunteers are also needed to assist with cage building, facility maintenance, educational programs and other activities.

For more information on volunteering, visit the CFW’s “Volunteer” page at www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org and follow instructions to apply, or contact Education and Outreach Director, Kristen Lamb at 207-361-1400. Please indicate your area of interest on your application.

Kid’s Day 2009 is just around the corner.  We are excited and honored to have Vicki Stewart as our first annual Grand Marshall of everything wheel’s parade kicking off Saturday June 6, 2009 at 11:00pm.  Please make sure you come out to see our kid’s favorite teacher/principal ride by on stylish wheels.  We are also excited to be welcoming our very own local author and artist, Ryan T. Higgins.  Ryan will be doing a special reading of Twaddleton’s Cheese and signing copies of his book.  Children love Ryan and are thrilled to know he lives in South Berwick.

Local Groups generously supporting their time and efforts to make Kid’s Day 2009 1st annual event a huge success: Maine Stars, Seacoast Kiwanis, the236diner.com,  Sara Orne Jewett House, Friends of the Library, The Strawberry Festival Committee, SBRLL, Ski Team Boosters, Lacrosse Team, Powderhouse Hill, Sammie Haynes, Vaughn Woods State Park, Snoopy, Smokey The Bear, Abby Chic, Doodlebugz, Art To You,  OBHS and many other.

There is still time if you, your children, your group, or your business would like to be a part of this great event.  We are looking for a local company or group to sponsor Kid’s Day t’shirts with the official logo.

For more information or to take part in Kid’s Day please email jen@thelittlehatcompany.com

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Kid’s Day 2009 – South Berwick “A Great Staycation”

P.S. Teddy Bear and Doll Nurses are Needed!
The Sara Orne Jewett House is hosting a Teddy Bear & Doll Clinic for South Berwick’s first annual Kid’s Day this June 6th from 11-3:00pm.  They are looking for nurses to help take shifts in stitching up bears and dolls for little ones.