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Save your bottles for the eighth grade Frog Squad team! A bottle drive will be taking place on April 3rd to help raise money for our end of the year trip. Times for pick up will be from 9:30 to late in the afternoon. If anyone would like to donate their bottles, they are free to call Mrs. Pen at 926-3255 to donate them ahead of time. You could also contribute your bottles and cans by bringing them to the Bottle Barns in Gray and New Gloucester. Please help us reach our financial goal to enjoy our trip to the YMCA and Canobie Lake Park! Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
The Frog Squad Class of 2008

Healthy Kids Day: On Saturday, April 3, the YMCA at Pineland will call special attention to the importance of children's safe and healthy development through the 2004 YMCA Healthy Kids Day. A day of healthy family activities and learning, Healthy Kids Day emphasizes the fact that attaining and maintaining good health can, and should be, enjoyable. The event will be held from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Cumberland County YMCA at Pineland in New Gloucester.

The YMCA will host games and activities for youth and families, as well as invite community organizations and practitioners to educate young people and their families about healthy living. In its 11th year, YMCA Healthy Kids Day is a national event of the YMCA of the USA, hosted by local Ys across the country. For the Cumberland County YMCA, all of its facilities will host similar Healthy Kids Day events, bringing the message of healthy living to children and families throughout the county. Nearly 600 individuals are expected to participate in this year's events.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on the YMCA Healthy Kids Day events at the YMCA at Pineland, call 688-2255. The YMCA at Pineland is located at 25 Campus Drive, New Gloucester, ME.

Gray Extension: The regular meeting of the Gray Extension will be at the Congregational Church Parish House on Brown Street, April 7, at 10:00 am. The program, which was cancelled in March, will be presented by Sheila Higgins of "Knifty Knitters". She will present information on the need for volunteers to make items for the pediatric and cancer units at local hospitals. Bring a bag lunch, coffee provided, and items for the white elephant table. In addition to the regular meeting, the North Yarmouth Extension has invited the Gray group to their meeting on April 1st, at the North Yarmouth Fire Barn. They will provide lunch, bring your own place setting. For more information call 428-3893.

An evening of music: The Hills Alive Chorale Presents "Shout with Joy", an evening of upbeat music, April 30 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the North Windham Union Church, 723 Roosevelt Trail, Windham. Adults $5, children 6-13 $3. Child care available. Free offers at local restaurants with purchase of adult ticket. For more information call Helen at 892-6557 or Diane at 892-8762.

Small Woodland Owners Meeting: The Southern Maine Chapter of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) is meeting on April 20, at 7:00 pm in Room 102, Bailey Hall, University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus. Mandy Farrar will be the guest speaker and will discuss Green Certification of woodlands. The American Tree Farm System has recently become an approved certifying agency. This will be an excellent opportunity for woodland owners to learn about the benefits of certification and to become involved in the process. Tom Doak, the recently hired Executive Director of SWOAM, will also be in attendance and will discuss his visions for the organization. The meeting is open to all without charge. For more information, please call Everett Towle at 929-6481 or Terry Walters at 324-3350.

Touring Maine's public gardens: Join the University of Maine Cooperative Extension for a tour of six of Maine's magnificent gardens located in central and southern Maine. Participants will learn about different plant materials, design techniques and have the opportunity to experience a variety of gardens. Gardens that will be toured include the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay, the McLaughlin Foundation and Horticulture Center in South Paris, Steeplebush Farm Herbs in Limington, and the Hamilton and Sarah Orne Jewett Gardens in South Berwick. The dates of the tours are Friday, June 4, Friday, June 18, Thursday July 15, Thursday, July 29, Friday, August 6, and Friday, August 13. An overview of these gardens will be presented Tuesday, May 18 at 5:30 pm at the Barron Center in Portland. The cost is $20 per person or $80 to visit all 6 gardens. Tours are limited to 20 participants. For more information and complete schedule call 1-800-287-1471. Information is also posted under Maine Gardening Series on the Extension's website www.umext.maine.edu.

Course in selecting, growing, using herbs: The University of Maine Cooperative Extension announces a six-session course titled "All About Herbs" to be held on 6 Thursday afternoons 1-4 pm at the North Yarmouth Firehouse, located on Routes 9 & 115 (Walnut Hill). Instructors for each session include Master Gardeners Amy Witt and Kathy Rogers, Herbalist Patrice Blake, Holistic Healthcare Practitioner Lucinda Babin, and herb historian Georgiana Chase. The first session is planned for Thursday, May 20. This course is designed for home gardeners and others who wish to learn more about growing and using herbs. The cost is $100 and includes a reference manual, an herb identification book and all supplies and materials. The course is limited to 20 participants. Call the Cumberland County Extension Office at 1-800-287-1471 or see Maine Gardening Series at www.umext.maine.edu.

Life, Death, and Dismemberment; A Look at Farming in the 19th Century: The Executive Secretary of the Androscoggin Historical Society is pleased to announce the next program in the Society's 2003-2004 lecture series. On Tuesday, April 27 at 7:00 pm, Mr. George Lyons of Norlands will present a slide show of Life, Death, and Dismemberment, A Look at Farming in the 19th Century. The meeting will be held on the third floor of the Androscoggin County Building on Court Street in Auburn. It is free, open to the public, and wheelchair accessible. Also, on Wednesday, April 7 at 1:00 pm there will be a reenactment of the first Androscoggin County Commissioner's Meeting, in the County Building.

Baldacci to speak: The Lake Region Development Council is pleased to announce that Governor John Baldacci will be the keynote speaker for the 1st LRDC Annual Dinner, April 26 at Montebello Ristorante in Raymond. To make your reservations early, please contact LRDC at 207.655.2700 or audramorton@lrdcmaine.org

AA Meetings:
Mondays 10:30-noon, Thursdays, 8-9 p.m.
Al-Anon meetings: Thursdays, 8-9 p.m.
All are held at St. Gregory's Parish hall, North Raymond Road, Gray. All are welcome.

Good Will-Hinckley's MapleCroft Sugaring Program Educates Area Students
HINCKLEY, ME (March 26, 2004)-The MapleCroft Sugar House on the Good Will campus welcomes area students to its annual community service and education program. Between Friday, March 26 and Friday, April 9 over 300 students from nine area schools and local home-schooling groups are expected to experience the sugaring process up close and personal.

The Sugar House was a 2002 gift from Brian Croft of MapleCroft Farms in Burnham, as well as his family and friends, to the Good Will-Hinckley Homes & Schools for Boys & Girls (GWH). The sugar house includes a modern, oil-fired evaporator pan and plenty of room to showcase the sugaring process. The gift allows Good Will youth to learn the maple syrup manufacturing process and teach it to students from visiting schools.

This year, 150 buckets were attached to trees spread throughout the Good Will campus. Scheduled field trips include a hay ride to collect sap from buckets, watching the boiling process, discussions with AMS students about the history of maple syrup, and a maple sundae at the end of the trip.
In addition, GWH youth realize a small financial reward from the fruit of their labors.

A fresh batch of syrup is currently on sale at AMS. All proceeds from the sale of both half pints ($5) and pints ($9) are earmarked to expand the middle school's science curriculum. Individuals interested in buying syrup to support this effort may call 207-238-4200or stop by the school or Visitors Center. Teachers interested in scheduling a field trip may contact LaPrade or Blanchet at the same number.