Community Events Calendar

The Franco Center s Working. The Franco Center, filled not only with historical artifacts but with the activities of education, art, and participation, is a living museum. Our current work as an organization is a testament to all who worked to build this structure, and build its name and renown across the region. Our facility houses an impressive archive of objects that help older residents remember and younger residents understand the ways of life that dominated this area of Lewiston known as Little Canada. The museum was started in 2005 after the major construction and renovation had finished in our Performance Hall. Our collection includes roughly 1000 artifacts, and the Musee displays are changed 2-3 times annually. All of the items on display have been generously donated by the community. In fact, many of the artifacts have come from the younger generations of legacy Franco-families, established in the Lewiston/Auburn area for over 100 years. The museum is open during the operating hours of the Center, from 8:30am 4:30pm M-F. Everyone is invited to come and tour the display during those hours. Concert attendees can also enjoy touring the displays, especially during intermission, at all of our events. Our staff is always on hand to offer a tour of our phenomenal facility, talk about the history, and walk our guests through the museum displays.

A New Place to Skate this winter! There's a new place for ice skating this winter -- down by the Kennebec River in Waterfront Park! There's benches useful for changing shoes and a great area for a pick up hockey game, figure skating, or a quick break from work. Come on down and try it! Gardiner Main Street's own Jennifer Polley, of The Therapy Zone, helped to bring together the outreach committees at Grace Community Chapel and Church in Life to make this dream a reality. These groups worked with the City of Gardiner to create a wonderful skating area open to the public. Joe Gould with Church in Life was a leading force in construction and organizing, and is helping to keep up maintenance of the ice along with Gardiner Youth Hockey. This weekend the ice conditions will be varied with the warmer weather, but it looks like it will firm up again next week! Get out and enjoy the winter in Downtown Gardiner.

The Kennebec region has some surprises in store for hikers who might not want to tackle the state's higher peaks to the north and west. Riverside walks and small mountain's make for nice day trips from Augusta and beyond. You can search by region for trails around the state.

Miles of trails with portions in the City of Waterville and the surrounding towns of Benton, Winslow, Fairfield and Oakland.

The Viles Pond Loop is the best introductory walk in the Arboretum. It goes through the hosta garden, past the old piggery and out to Viles Pond. It is about a mile round trip. Dogs are allowed on arboretum grounds but must be leashed at all times. Dog waste must be picked up and removed from the Aboretum by the owner. Failure to do so may result in the loss of the priviledge to bring dogs onto the property. Dogs are NOT allowed in cultivated areas, including the quarry ledge rock garden. Bicycles are allowed on the trails. Cyclists must yield to visitors on foot. Courtesy, common sense, and safety for all are of paramount importance. The Arboretum offers what may be the best groomed ski trials in the area. Groomed trails are open to skiers only. Marked snowshoes trails are also available. The Arboretum is beautiful in winter. Please enjoy. Horses are allowed on all trails but the Hosta trail. Horses are not allowed on bridges and boardwalks. The grounds are open every day of the year from dawn to dusk. The Visitors Center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The 2013 Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Contest is open to Maine residents 18 years of age or older who have been domiciled in this state during the three months immediately preceding the entry deadline for the contest. Employees of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are ineligible. The Contest offers an "Open Category." One or more live waterfowl of the chosen species must appear prominently in the design. If background detail is included in the design it must be accurate and representative of the state of Maine. Designs will be judged on originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print. Choose one of the following ducks as your subject: Greater or Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, or Bufflehead. The painted image must be 13 inches vertically by 18 inches horizontally and centered on a surface no larger than 19 inches by 24 inches. The painting must be firmly (not permanently) attached to a single white mat 19 inches high by 24 inches wide, with a centered window of 13 inches by 18 inches. Entries for the 2013 Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Contest will be accepted from 9 a.m. March 1, 2013 through 4 p.m., March 22, 2013. All entries must be delivered to the Department's Augusta office or be received by the Department through the mail (or by U.P.S., FedEx, etc) before 4 p.m., March 22, 2013. Judging will take place on Friday, March 29, 2013 at 5 p.m. This is the first day of the annual Maine Sportsman's Show at the Augusta Civic Center. There is an admission fee to get into the Sportsmans Show, and the public viewing/contest will take place in the art room on the main floor of the Civic Center. Signs will direct you to the room. For more info call Kristina at (207) 287-5244 or email her at Kristina.R.Paulhus@maine.gov. Please mail or deliver entries to: Duck Stamp Contest, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, 41 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0041