Bring blankets, lawn chairs and a picnic to enjoy this special event for all ages. (In case of rain, the concert will be in the Town Hall auditorium.)

The five musicians, who have more than 150 years of collective study and performance spanning three continents, have performed together in Maine and New Hampshire since 2008. They play everything from Bach to Basin Street Blues, including music for weddings, dinner parties, holiday parties, and concerts for adults or children. They even play with a literary theme! Come hear selections about “The Bremen Town Musicians,” “Curious George,” and more.

Pavement Poetry —  Saturday, July 17 – 6:30 at the new library site — sponsored by the Children’s Leadership Council.

The South Berwick Children’s Leadership Council is inviting kids of all ages (ages 0-99) to come to the PAVEMENT POETRY KICK OFF!  This sidewalk chalk collaborative art event will be held Saturday, July 17 at 6:30 PM at the parking lot of the future library site on Young Street. This is a FREE event for everyone to enjoy.

Bring your favorite poems, quotes, beloved titles, excerpts from favorite books and stories — written by you or a favorite author — and write them with chalk on the parking lot, as big and as creatively as you wish. We hope to see the whole lot filled with words and decorations — and show how this site is already alive with our community’s words and thoughts.

Chalk will be provided, or bring your own.  Freezepops will be available.

Even if you can’t make it to the event be sure to come by the next day to see the result, and to add your own contribution — we plan to keep a box of chalk stashed under a nearby bush. We hope that people will continue to refresh the site with new words and ideas after every rain.

Will the idea catch on? Will it be spoiled by innappropriate writing or political statements?– we hope not, but it’s washable. Please help make it a success by claiming the space for beautiful words and a celebration of reading and writing.

Rather than park in the Young Street parking lot, we recommend that Poets and Artists park behind Central School and use the connecting path to the new library lot.

The raindate for our Pavement Poetry kick off is Monday, July 19.

Contact Sue Godel (384-5493 or s.godel@comcast.net) with questions, and watch for more info on the Children’s Leadership Council Facebook page.

RSVPs (384-5493 ors.godel@comcast.net) are appreciated so that we may be sure to have enough chalk and refreshments.

Artists' murals are beginning to fill the windows of the future library.

It’s a good time to take a walk by the Young Street building that is slated to become the new South Berwick Public Library to see the first signs of the new life the building will soon enjoy.

John Klossner is coordinating the project.

Creative townspeople have stepped forward to spiff up the building, formerly St. Michael’s Catholic Church, as it awaits the transformation from a building in need of tender loving care to an energy efficient, modern library. South Berwick resident John Klossner, with support from the Friends of the Library, has organized a project to cover up the boarded up windows with murals, collages and sculptures created by local artists.

The first three murals have gone up. One, by South Berwick’s Gordon Carlisle, is a tribute to Melvil Dewey, the inventor of the Dewey Decimal system. Two others were painted by Katie Robb, a Berwick Academy student.  Fifteen artists have come forward to create windows that will be installed over the next year. Mr. Klossner sought and received a grant from NH Charitable Foundation to support the project and got donations of left over paint from townspeople at the annual Friends of the South Berwick Library book sale in May.

This outdoor art exhibit will last throughout the renovation project, and artists have been invited to donate their work to the library for future exhibitions.

SAD 35 School Board members recently approved a proposal by Terrence Parker to make changes to the grounds behind the school to create a beautiful and sustainable landscape with natural elements for play, social interaction, and preservation of nature. Beyond the school day, the area behind Central School is used for a wide variety of community events and is a destination for children and families looking for a place to recreate in the center of town so the improvements will be enjoyed by many.

Mr. Parker and his firm, Terra Firma Landscape Architecture Company of Portsmouth, N.H. will be donating design services and coordinating donations and volunteers to complete the project. The completed design will include the following:

-Walking Trail: a perimeter path that will meander through various forest, meadow and plant communities.  This trail will link the children to the school entrance and surrounding neighborhood paths.

-Natural Play elements will include a rain garden, a log walk composed of tree trunks and limbs, boulder walks, sculpted earth mounds for climbing, paved areas for play, and relocation of the smaller play structures.

-A “re-wilding” or naturalizing of the existing landscape areas. This will include a meadow, seeded with native grasses and some wild flowers from the edge of the existing forest into the existing athletic field.

Mr. Parker is seeking volunteers for the first stage of the project to help clear invasive plant from the areas. Mr. Parker is asking people to bring hand saws/ chain saws, shovels, gloves, etc. to assist in the removal of all of the existing invasive shrubs, trees and vines on the ground of the school. Work will consist of cutting, digging and grubbing out root masses of shrubs and clearing trees (Norway Maples) from the campus grounds. Those who wish to help should go to the rear parking lot at Central School on July 17th. Work will take place between 9:30 and 3:30.   Volunteers should bring water, food, and friends….

Read more about the project in the Portsmouth Herald:
Central School park to get overhaul:  New landscape to encourage creative play

The event will take place August 1 at 9 am at Marshwood High School.  To find out more and to register go to hrdforbreastcancer.blogspot.com/ or go to Team Laffalots Home Run Derby Facebook page

York Public Library will host the first screening, which is free, at 1 pm on Tuesday, July 6. That evening, at 9 pm, Buoy Gallery on Government Street in Kittery will host a screening. There is a $5 charge for this one, proceeds will go to GWRLT’s Farmland Protection Fund.

Wednesday, July 7: Reception and dinner at Clay Hill Farm with guest speakers and private screening of Chuck Schultz’s documentary The Last Crop. Reservations required, please call Christine at 646-3604. $75 per person, benefit for GWRLT’s Farmland Protection Fund and Deb-Tone Farm Campaign.

Currently in a campaign to conserve Deb-Tone Farm along Route 4 in North Berwick, GWRLT has a farmland protection program that is recognized statewide. Read more: Deb-Tone Campaign at the GWRLT website.

Harvey Reid kicks off the series on July 4. A well loved local musician, Reid has performed extensively and garnering national recognition as one of the true treasures of American acoustic music. Reid’s music includes a range of influences from folk to rockabilly and a vast repertoire of traditional and contemporary songs. This concert marks Mr. Reid’s 20th year performing in the Hamilton House Garden and the centennial year of Historic New England. Celebrate both on July 4 at Hamilton House!

The concert series continues on July 11 with a performance by Salt River. Salt River members Lee Hosack, Mike and Beverly Rogers and Cathy King perform traditional and original music reflecting the lifestyle and people of New England. Their folk/blues style is accented by their vocal harmonies and Mike’s signature harmonica. You won’t be able to keep your toes from tapping and your hands from clapping.

Cellist/singer-songwriter Kristen Miller returns to the garden on July 18. Miller electrifies her antique cello to redefine the instrument in the tradition of folk, rock, and world music. In her live performances, Miller uses digital recording to layer earthy cello timbres with percussion, spoken word, and singing. The result is a rich tapestry of harmony, rhythm, and deep melodic contour that Billboard writer Bobby Borg calls “hauntingly, charmingly, brilliant.”

The Sundays in the Garden Concert Series concludes on July 25 with the Maine Squeeze Accordion Ensemble. Enjoy a fun afternoon of eclectic ethnic music from around the world, from traditional foot-tapping polkas to waltzes to zydeco.

In celebration of Historic New England’s centennial, members receive free admission to all 2010 concerts. For information on how to become a Historic New England member please visit www.historicnewengland.org. Admission for non-members is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $4 for children over 12. This year’s concert series is sponsored in part by Kennebunk Savings Bank.

Hamilton House is open for tours Wednesday- Sunday until mid-October. Tours begin at the garden cottage on the hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. House tours are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $4 for children, and free to Historic New England members. The price of the house tour is not included with concert admission.

Hamilton House is located on Vaughan’s Lane, adjacent to Vaughan Woods State Park, a mile off Route 236 in South Berwick. The site is one of 36 house museums owned and operated by Historic New England, the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the country. For more information, please contact the South Berwick Office of Historic New England at (207) 384-2454 or visit www.historicnewengland.org.

The Landscape and Garden Tour leaves from the Visitor Center in the brown garden cottage at Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, on Thursday, July 8, at 10:30 a.m. Admission for Historic New England members is $8, $12 for non-members. Participants may tour the house the day of the Landscape and Garden Tour at no additional cost. Space on the tour is limited. Please register by calling the Historic New England Regional Office at 207-384-2454 or online at www.HistoricNewEngland.org.

Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the country. It offers a unique opportunity to experience the lives and stories of New Englanders through their homes and possessions.

Here’s the line up:

PB & J
July 8, 2010- The three part harmonies of Brad Martin, Joe Long, and Pat Long will have you singing along with favorite songs from CSNY to Grateful Dead, and Sister Hazel to Los Lonely Boys! This trio appeals to all generations of music lovers! Don’t miss these amazing acoustic musicians! (Opener: John Malloy)

Marty England and friends
July 15, 2010- Singer/songwriter Martin England has fronted Pondering Judd for 17 years running. In spring 2009, he signed on with Lost Sailor Records and his debut solo album is set for release in fall 2010. England writes in the song-first tradition forged by the likes of Steve Earle, Gram Parsons and Johnny Cash. His songs are emotionally-charged, fueled by rich personal anecdotes, and his lyrics swarm the senses and rouse the imagination with their lucid imagery. (Opener: Molly Mugford)

Slaid Cleaves
July 23, 2010 (FRIDAY NIGHT!)- Grew up in Maine. Lives in Texas. Writes songs. Makes Records. Travels around. Tries to be good. This South Berwick native turned Texan, is an internationally known and respected songwriter and musician. Slaid’s latest CD, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away, was released last year. Come out and hear his much-anticipated, new songs! Discover why reviewers have called him “one of the best singer/songwriters in the country”. (Opener: James Gilmore)

Susie Burke and David Surette
July 29, 2010- Susie and David have made a name for themselves as one of the finest acts on the lively New England folk scene. Together since 1988, they have built a steady following for their own blend of contemporary, traditional, and original folk and acoustic music. Burke’s vocal style is at once stunning and heartfelt, and is matched by Surette’s fluid fretwork. Both are well-respected within the folk music community, as is demonstrated by the fact that they have appeared as backing musicians on numerous recordings. (Opener: Lisa Graichen and Alex Karosis)

Sobopalooza
Aug 5, 2010-It’s the third annual celebration of young musical talent on the HSN stage! This one-of-a-kind night of performances is by kids, for kids, of kids, and adults will love it. Come hear everything from rock to soul to folk to blues! You’ll be amazed by the talents of these young musicians! (Special time: 5pm- dark)

Rhythm Method
Aug 12, 2010-Rhythm Method has been entertaining a wide variety of audiences since 1997! The band’s success and longevity is due to the professionalism that they bring to each and every gig, as well as their commitment to the music they are performing. The band has played clubs, restaurants, theaters, festivals, wedding receptions, backyard parties, college functions, company parties, cruises, camps, ski- jumping exhibitions, fund raisers, pig roasts, motorcycle rallies, country bandstands/gazebos, and will play most any other occasion you can think of! (Opener: Rico Fabello)

Wooden Eye
Aug 19, 2010-Wooden Eye started out as a recording project, but turned into a band along the way. Wooden Eye is a collaboration of veteran musicians from the New England area. Turning out everything from beautiful traditional ballads to crash-and-burn roots rock, this band is pure Americana. Influenced by folks like the Tarbox Ramblers and Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bob Halperin and the Bullfrog intertwine Country and Blues licks to produce everything from the sublime to the nasty. All of this is supported by the rock solid rhythm section of Joe Rogers and Dan MacLellan. (Opener: Jamie Meader)

Maine’s newest winery opens
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Last month, 50 lucky guests were the first to sample and purchase the wines of Salmon Falls Winery in its inaugural commercial …

South Berwick, Kittery groups seek pot dispensary
Seacoastonline.com
Nonprofit organizations from South Berwick and Kittery are among six York County groups who met the June 25 application deadline to start …

Four people charged after underage drinking party in South Berwick ..
Fosters Daily Democrat
Four people were arrested Tuesday morning after police busted an alleged underage drinking … Berwick police officers assisted in the arrests.

Kittery’s Wiles wins Strawberry Run 5-miler
SeacoastOnline.com
Kittery’s Bob Wiles continued his memorable road racing season by picking up his eighth win in Saturday’s Strawberry Run 5-mile race. Wiles, 32, won the race in a time of 26 minutes, 23 seconds. …

Berrylicious: South Berwick Strawberry Festival praised for its sense of community
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Saturday was the 35th installment of the gala, which is held each year at Central School in downtown South Berwick as a way to bring the community together …

Strawberry Festival sweet time in South Berwick
SeacoastOnlinecom
There was something for everyone at Saturday’s 35th annual Strawberry Festival, but the signature strawberry shortcake with locally …

Sweet start: Volunteers hull 5000 pounds of strawberries for today’s festival
Foster’s Daily Democrat
The sight of more than 100 volunteers hulling 5000 pounds of strawberries Friday morning for today’s Strawberry …

Route 103 bridge in Eliot closed to all traffic
Foster’s Daily Democrat
The Sturgeon Creek Bridge on Route 103 is closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic for the next eight to 10 weeks, …

Council gives nod to $1.65m bond for new town library

Foster’s Daily Democrat
A new library gained an important funding endorsement from the Town Council this week. …

South Berwick council OKs referendum on library bond …
SeacoastOnline.com
After a public workshop and special Town Council meeting Monday night, the council unanimously approved a referendum vote for a $1.65 million bond…