Rachel Carson and Climate Dots

TODAY!  USM is hosting a celebration of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking work and an inquiry into the "what next" for environmental health and safety.  I must admit, Sandra Steingraber's words to us 2 years ago are seared in my head -- we just don't get to choose not to care about this issue.

Rachel Carson: A Life in Perspective

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the publication of the groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, the USM Department of Environmental Science will celebrate Rachel Carson’s connections to Maine and her impact on contemporary society with a panel discussion highlighting the influence of Rachel Carson on the lives of current female environmental leaders in Maine, including:

Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director
Pattie Aho, DEP Commissioner
Michele Dionne, Wells National Estuarine Research Preserve
Melissa Walsh Innes, Maine State Representative (D-N. Yarmouth)
Amanda Sears, Environmental Health Strategy Center

Moderator: Naomi Schalit, Executive Director, Pinetree Watchdog

Thursday, April 19, 2012, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Hannaford Hall on the USM Portland campus
Co-sponsored by the USM Women & Gender Studies Program. FMI visit http://usm.maine.edu/environmental-science/rachel-carson

AND, if you then leave wishing for action, check out


a growing project to bring people (of all ages and sizes) together for a kayaking & land based fun event on 5/5 at the East End Beach -- more details to come - or sign up here!

March 3 - Women in Harmony Concert (Jessica Sings)

Saturday, March 3, 2012            7:30-11:30 pm   ITALIAN HERITAGE CENTER* PORTLAND Tickets $15 each Cash bar & light snacks DJ Thunder Special guests: Blueberry Pancakes Steel Drum Band Tickets available in advance from chorus members or make a $15 donation per person at the door! FMI: wihmaine@gwi.net  An annual fundraiser to benefit WOMEN IN HARMONY Portland's Chorus of Women's Voices *off Congress St., behind Shaw's Westgate

Come boogie with your favorite chorus: Women in Harmony!  http://www.wihmaine.org

Winter Kids & Fast & Female - holiday gift ideas

The WinterKids FunPass is now available online!

The FunPass gives kids in preschool through 4th grade the chance to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing  (for free!) at 20 winter recreation areas all over Maine.

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Fast and Female Kicks Off 2012 with Third Annual XC Ski Event in Maine on January 7
REGISTER NOW!

Bethel, Maine / Calgary, Alberta (December 8, 2011) - The countdown is on and in less than a month, 125 young female athletes between the ages of 9 to 19 years old will spend an afternoon of inspiration with cross-country skiing Olympian Holly Brooks and National Team member Jessie Diggins at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine.

Brooks and Diggins, who will already be in the area to compete in the 2012 National XC Ski Championships, have generously volunteered to lead the Fast and Female XC Ski Event on Saturday January 7. The highly unique event aimed at specifically motivating girls to stick to cross-country skiing will feature team building activities, a healthy snack, an inspirational presentation, dancing as well as an autograph signing session. The registration fee for the event is only $7 and includes a Fast and Female Buff, a snack, and access to the activities. Participants can secure a spot by visiting: http://ffjan7bethel.eventbrite.com The deadline to register online is January 5, 2012.

For more information concerning the event, please contact the local event coordinator: Abby Weissman at abby@nensa.net or (207) 944-4720.

ABOUT FAST AND FEMALE
Fast and Female is a not-for-profit society started in 2005 by Chandra Crawford - 2006 Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing. The organization's mission is to support, motivate, inspire, and empower girls to stick to sports and the healthy lifestyle. Fast and Female fulfills its mission of "Empowerment Through Sport" by hosting fun-filled, non-competitive initiatives all across North-America aimed at exposing young female athletes to inspiring female Olympians and elite level athletes. The young girls who attend Fast and Female events today will lead it in the future, may it be as athletes, coaches, volunteers, parents, and community leaders. For more information about Fast and Female, visit /

Farms and Fables -

"Of Farms and Fables combines the efforts of professional and non-professional artists by engaging artists in farm work and farm workers in storytelling and acting. The result will be an original performance in October of 2011 which will engage performers and audience in dialogue about local agriculture, farming, and the future of small family farms in Maine."

Farms & Fables
written by Cory Tamler
directed by Jennie Hahn
Preview:
    Thursday, October 27, 7 pm
Performances:
    Friday, October 28, 7 pm
    Saturday, October 29, 2 pm
    Saturday, October 29, 7 pm
    Sunday, October 30, 2 pm
Venue:
    Camp Ketcha
    336 Black Point Road
    Scarborouth, Maine  04074
Tickets and Reservations:
    Tickets are $15 or Pay-What-You-Can
    For Reservations, please visit: brownpapertickets.com
    For Information, please call:  (207) 200-6982

Fairy Houses in Portsmouth

20% G.Willikers! COUPON 



World’s largest Fairy Houses event!  Saturday & Sunday September 17 & 18 12 Noon till 4pm

Children (3-12) advance$4  day of tour $5
Adults  advance $10day of tour $15
Seniors (62+) advance $8 day of tour $10
Family  advance $20  day of tour Not Available
more info at http://www.fairyhouses.com

Ticket includes entrance to Strawbery Banke and the Wentworth-Gardner house. See many Fairy Houses inspired by children's literature and other fairy fantasies. Excerpts from Fairy Houses - The Ballet! An original work based on Fairy Flight, a book by Tracy Kane. Adapted and performed by The Southern New Hampshire Youth Ballet.

Meet Tracy Kane, author/illustrator of the multi- award winning Fairy Houses Series® of books and video.

Build your own fairy house on Peirce Island and help create a Fairy Houses Village!
All within walking distance

Enjoy the Amazing Bubble Machine!

FREE Parking available at Peirce Island

Peace Walk September 18 2pm

PEACE WALK COMES TO PORTLAND

In an effort to support and bring awareness to International Peace Day, Friends School of Portland, a preschool- 8th grade Quaker School, and Clark Insurance are sponsoring “Portland Walks for Peace” around Back Cove in Portland on Sunday, September 18th at 2:00 pm.

Four eighth grade students at Friends School, Madeline Curtis, Tristram Howard, Mel McClure-Chute, and Annie Gott, devised the idea for Portland Walks for Peace.

“When we watched a video on the history of International Peace Day, we realized as a group that nothing to bring the whole community together for this great cause was happening. We wanted to change that,” says Gott.

The students hope to raise money through donations for Peace One Day, an organization that uses Peace Day as a platform to help provide relief to poor and war-torn countries. These places would otherwise be unreachable and dangerous to approach without the cease-fire that controlling rebel groups agree to on that one day.

“There is nowhere else I would rather have this walk. Portland is made up of such a proactive group of caring people that I think will really support our cause. We hope that once people attend our walk they will be inspired to create their own acts of peace on the actual day [the 21st of September],” Gott says.

The walk will begin at the Preble Street parking lot across from Hannaford on Sunday, September 18TH at 2:00 pm. There is no fee to participate, but donations to Peace One Day are welcome.

Friends School of Portland is an independent preschool through 8th grade school that embraces the Quaker belief in the unique worth of each individual. Small, multi-age class structure nurtures inquiry, reflection and action. The school offers place-based curriculum with cooperative, hands-on learning in a close community where simplicity, service, stewardship, and peaceful resolution of conflict are practiced every day.

For more information on Friends School of Portland, please call the school at 781-6321 or visit www.friendsschoolofportland.org.

The Future of Marriage

The Bangor Theological Seminary Presents: An Evening of Illumination
The Future of Marriage: An Interactive Dialogue

Thursday, October 27, 2011
7:00pm
Hannaford Hall in the Abromson Center of the University of Southern Maine's Portland Campus (88 Bedford Street, Portland)

This event will provide thought provoking presentations and community discussion on the place of marriage in our lives and in our ever-evolving society.  Join us for an intruiguing, timely exploration.

Dessert, informal conversation, and book signings to follow!

Featuring:
Reverend Marvin M. Ellison, Ph.D.
The BTS Willard S. Bass Professor of Christian Ethics
Athor of Same Sex Marriage? A Christian Ethical Analysis; and Sexuality and the Sacred: Resources for the Theological Reflection.

Reverend Kate Braestrup
Author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Here if You Need Me, Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, and Beginner's Grace: Bringing Prayer to Life.

Free Admission
Open to the Public
Parking Available

Books as Bridges : Children's Literature and Anti-Racism Education

Save yourself a seat and preregister now - sponsors a teacher or community member to attend the afternoon workshop - introduce a friend or relation to FSP by bringing them to this event!

Telling Room announces fall workshops

The one for kids & dads looks especially sweet to me!

http://www.tellingroom.org/programs/workshops.html

Children's Lit Party for Marriage Equality

Facebook Event  Thursday,September 8 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location	Zero Station 222 Anderson Street Portland, Maine
Created By	Kirsten Cappy
More Info	Author/illustrator Charlotte Agell, Author Maria Testa, Curious City, and Zero Station invite you to-- A CHILDREN'S LIT PARTY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY Join your fellow children’s book creators, librarians, education advocates, and readers for wine and nibbles and to learn more about the effort to win the freedom to marry for LGBT families in Maine in 2012. Children's book creators will have their latest work on informal display. Our Children's Lit Party for Marriage Equality is one of more than 15 house parties taking place on September 8th where supporters at homes from all across the state will dial into a special conference call with EqualityMaine Executive Director Betsy Smith and special guest U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree to hear about our community’s plan to win marriage equality for LGBT families in Maine. WHY CHILDREN'S LIT? Opponents to marriage equality continue to use the picture book KING & KING (a fairy tale about two princes falling in love) as an indication that children are being inappropriately and dangerously educated. Children's books a danger to children? Is there a way we can work together reset that conversation? AUTHORS /ILLUSTRATORS BRING: A recent book, sketch, illustration, or project to display on the benches or pin to the wall as everyone will want to know what you have been working on. Yes, the evening will be about marriage equality, but also a time to catch-up and share.

Peace Action Maine - Encircle Back Cove w/Light - Sept 11

End The War: Sept. 11, 2011 " IT'S TIME FOR LIGHT" @ Back Cove in Portland--

We have lived ten years
with the dark fear of terror.
IT’S TIME FOR LIGHT!
Bring yours to Back Cove
September 11, 2011
Sunday from 6 to 8 PM
Peace Action Maine
Calls you to bring those you know
As we hold our lights for
a world of
humanity, justice and peace!
Questions: 774-1995

Fall Fun

HenryFest at Skyline Farm - Sunday September 11th - Benefit for 317 Main Music Center

The fun includes the legendary 317 Pie Table (fresh pies provided by members of the 317 community!); a Kid's Area including toys provided by Island Treasure Toys in Yarmouth, Face Painting, and a Story Corner; Food Vendors including Brunswick's El Camino, a bonfire, and or course, GREAT MUSIC all day long!

PunkinFiddle - September 25   Wells Reserve  

Come to our 8th annual Punkinfiddle festival. Our National Estuaries Day Celebration features traditional crafts, hands-on learning, lively music, old-fashioned games, fun food, farm animals, and lots of smiles in a historic seaside setting.

Common Ground Fair - Sept 23 - 25 in Unity 

Cumberland Fair - September 25 - Oct 1


Apple Day @ Audubon - October 2

Damriscotta PumpkinFest & Regatta - October 1 - 10


Wolfe's Neck Fall Festival - October 15