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Relive childhood memories with Charlie Brown and the gang - By Lorraine Glowczak
Happiness.
Who couldn’t use a little more of that in their life? Well, get your extra dose
of happiness while supporting community theater by attending this weekend’s
last performances of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the Windham Center
Stage Theater (WCST), 8 School Road in Windham.
Shelbi
Wassick, in her directorial debut, brings together the various aspect of this
musical production superbly. Additionally, the cast members’ extremely
impressive and successful performance of this Broadway musical based upon Charles
Schultz’s beloved classic comic is beyond remarkable.
The
performance opens with each character introducing their peculiar personalities
to the audience.
Each “friend” bluntly reminds Charlie Brown of his shortcomings.
But despite his imperfections, Charlie Brown has an enduring quality too. This
is made known when the Peanuts gang burst into the first musical score, “You’re
a good man, Charlie Brown”, accompanied by background piano music played by
music director Patrick Martin. This begins a vignette of moments that capture
instances of pure joy followed by flashes of utter hopelessness. In his attempt
to find happiness, blunder ridden Charlie Brown wonders why he was even born.
Lucy reminds him that although his life is full of missteps he’s not so bad,
and “for what it’s worth….you’re you!”
Experience
laughter, awe, and sweetness as Charlie Brown (Anthony DeRice) and the rest of
the Peanuts Gang live out their innocent childhood lives in the time span from
Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day. Witness bossy Lucy (Chloe Cyr) as she does
her best to win the love of piano prodigy Schroeder (Sean Arsenault), who seems
annoyed by her existence. Young Sally (Molly Calden) relentlessly teases
blanket toting Linus (William Alexander Wheaton II) who turns out to be a very
thoughtful lad. And, of course, there is Snoopy (Harmony Brown) who dreams of
being anything other than a dog. Peppermint Patty (Emily Libby) says very
little but remains a supporting character to “Chuck” and his quirky friends.
Scene
after scene captures the phenomenal talent of every actor and actress. Each adult
performer uniquely catches, gives life and remains true to Schultz’s eccentric 5-
to 7-year-old characters. Through song, dance, and comedic expression, the
audience is entertained fully and completely.
One
must not forget that every stage performance is also made successful with the talent
behind the scenes. Director and choreographer Shelbi Wassick has been a member
with WCST since 1998 and it shows. Her ability to bring together all the
complex aspects of this musical production that provides professional
entertainment is astonishing. Music director Patrick Martin has been acting and
music directing for WCST since 2009 and involved in theater since the sixth grade.
He is the musical talent behind Schroeder’s piano playing genius. Other
important contributors include Mary Wassick (producer and longtime board
member), Darnell Stuart (props and costumes), Charlene Stewart and Angela Cyr
(set painters), Giovan Corsetti and Timonty Burton (set builders.)
This is a must see small town performance by talented
community performers. There are three shows remaining. Friday, May 27th
and Saturday, May 28th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 29th at
4 p.m. Reserve your tickets now at: http://www.windhamtheater.org/boxoffice.htm. Tickets can also be purchased at the door which opens one
hour prior to the performance. Add a little happiness and laughter to your
weekend and head down to 8 School Road in Windham. You will not regret it!
Students visit the statehouse
AUGUSTA – Fourth graders from Windham
Middle School visited the State House last week.
Sen. Bill Diamond, Rep. Mark Bryant, and
Rep. Patrick Corey greeted the students, teachers and chaperones during their
tour. The students had an opportunity to view the Senate and House chambers,
ask their legislators questions, and learn more about the legislative process.
Local quilter receives Viewer's Choice award at quilt show
At the Calico Quilters Quilt Show in April, Marlee Carter
of New Gloucester received the most Viewers' Choice votes of all 35 exhibitors.
"Homage to Aunt Mamie" was the most popular of the five quilts she entered.
This show attracts about 375 attendees and is held in Yarmouth in even-numbered
years.
Marlee began stitching as a young girl, sitting with her
great Aunt Mamie as they listened to the "soaps" of the day on the
radio. She learned to embroider and hand sew and it has become a passion. A
member of the Pine Tree Quilters Guild, she participates in two chapters:
Calico Quilters and Crazty Quilters of Maine.
Marlee has taught quilting and stitching since 1975. Her
main goal as a teacher is to teach upbeat and positive classes where the
students not only learn the easiest way to get the job done but also have fun
doing it.
She can be found in a log cabin in New Gloucester with
her husband - and a needle will always be close by.
[photo taken by Mary Hodgkin]
The Tale of the Red Hat - By Sharon Ashley
There
is always something light-hearted that occurs during a gathering of Cumberland
County Extension Homemakers.
This
group of forty-nine intrepid ladies volunteered 5,474 hours in 2015 to the
needs and joys of Cumberland County residents. The details of the Extension Homemakers
programs were revealed at the recent Cumberland County Extension Homemakers Spring
Meeting in Gray on May 17 by County Chairperson Marie Temm along with news that
new Cumberland County Extension Homemaker groups are forming. On the state
level, Maine Extension Homemakers volunteered 28,781 hours; donated $14,796.00
to organizations, agencies, groups and citizens; organizational service hours
equal to $200,311. The 2016 beneficiary of Coins-for-Caring was EyeMax and ALS
Northern New England for necessary technical upgrades to the Maine Extension
Homemakers sponsored EyeMax computer used for communication by Mainers stricken
by ALS.
Cumberland
County Extension Homemakers donated to food programs, and members assisted in
the operation of several local programs. Extension Homemaker educational
programs included updates to home-prepared convenience mixes and food
preservation, gardening, scam alerts, and learning about other countries and
cultures. Various crafts were taught with many beautiful creations donated to
the smallest of newborns, to give a smile to a senior, or add some comfort to a
person in need at a hospital or at a shelter.
Back to the tale of the red hat -
Cumberland County Extension Homemakers end their Spring Meeting with an
auction. Auctioneer and Vice-Chair June O’Donnell often says something interesting
about the item to be auctioned. The red hat was packaged carefully in its round
box, not revealing its identity until the red felt came to light. So, there was
not much that June could say ahead of time to build interest. She was
encouraged to model the hat which brought a great smile to June. The bidding
was lively. When it was over, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Educator Michaele Bailey did not hesitate to don her new red felt hat with a
great contagious smile. A room of smiles is the lasting tale of the red hat.
New sustainability camp, one of the many unique offerings at Slovenski Camps in Raymond - By Elizabeth Richards
Tucked
away on a peninsula that juts out into Panther Pond is a hidden treasure. Though
the Lakes Region has no shortage of overnight summer camps for kids, Slovenki
Camps offers unique programs and, unlike many others, more than 50 percent of
the campers come from within the State of Maine.
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| Photo by Brian Beard |
The
camp, located on Betty’s Neck, has a waterfront on a mile of shoreline, a vast
playing field, trails and plenty of opportunities for exploring and enjoying
the Maine woods. Camps run in one-week sessions, allowing for flexibility to
meet the needs of all families. Typical enrollment is between 60 and 120
campers each week.
This
year marks Slovenski Camps seventh year in operation, but a children’s camp has
been run on the site since 1920. Owner/director Peter Slovenski has over 25
years of experience in summer camps. He is the founder of the Brunswick Day
Camp program and co-founder of the Dick Fosbury Track Camp at Bowdoin, where is
a track coach.
Slovenski
Camps is a family endeavor. Two of Peter’s children are educators who work
summers at the camp, and his brother, an athletic director during the school
year, is the waterfront director.
“A
lot of the leadership is Slovenski family members who are working in education
and have the summers to be working in camps,” said Slovenski. The camp employs
a staff of 40 high school and college students as junior counselors and
counselors.
The
education background of the leadership team is apparent in the structure and
content of the programs offered at Slovenski Camps. Each camp week has a
variety of specialty options to choose from – including A cappella, robotics,
SAT prep, cross country, and dodgeball, among others.
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| Photo by Brian Beard |
These
specialties were chosen based on interests Slovenski saw emerge in the
Brunswick Day Camps and the expertise of their camp leaders. “We noticed that
dodge ball is very popular, and we’re good at supervising dodge ball,” he said.
“We love music and we’ve always had a lot of singing, dancing and music in our
camp programs,” he added.
This
year, a Sustainability Camp is being offered for the first time. “Part of what we
do at the camps is to keep the facility in harmony with the setting and
environment of the Panther Pond shorefront,” Slovenski said. This includes
projects like planting native flowers, putting down mulch, and building an
anti-erosion wall.
“As
we do these things, the campers come by and they’re very interested in what
we’re doing and often interested in helping, so we started to think of how it
would be a good educational experience for campers to be here for a week
learning about the Maine woods,” Slovenki said.
Programming
will include learning how to prevent erosion, buying and eating local food, identifying
trees and plant species, and education on invasive species and how to combat
these.
The
camp day is structured in blocks that provide a nice balance of scheduled
activities and time for exploration and personal choice. The morning begins
with a dip in Panther Pond and all campers meet for breakfast before breaking
off into their first specialty period. Campers have free time before lunch,
then an hour of reading followed by more free time before the afternoon
specialty period.
After
dinner, the whole camp gathers for field games and then a campfire, which
features music, dance and limbo contests, and thoughts for the day.
In
addition to the wide variety of activities, being at camp allows children to
experience the Maine woods and native wildlife, including geese, loons,
porcupines, and a bald eagle that lives right off the shore.
“We
like to point out that summer camp is a great antidote to nature deficit
disorder,” Slovenski said. “Maine families have this great opportunity to
attend camps in Maine where there is a wonderful educational enrichment
experience that is affordable.”
Slovenski
said they keep their costs down by offering experiences that don’t require a
lot of expensive equipment. The cost of one week of camp is $595 to $695,
varying due to staffing required for the program.
Slovenski
Camps is currently running a local special for readers in The Windham Eagle
circulation area. “We appreciate
the great support that the greater Windham community gives to our camp
business,” said Slovenski. “It might be helpful to some families to use a camp
session for day care, but we also want local children to
have the kind of amazing Maine summer camp experience that so many campers come
from Boston and New York to have in Raymond.” With a coupon found in the
paper, there is a $100 discount available in the weeks beginning on June 2,
August 7 or August 14th.
For
more information or to register, visit www.slovenskicamps.com.