The Monument - Community News for Gray, New Gloucester, Cumberland, N. Yarmouth, Raymond and Windham Maine

Community News

Bob Leighton Memorial Gazebo Project Needs Your Help
New Gloucester--A group of local citizens is working on a project to build a gazebo behind the Library in New Gloucester's Lower Village in dedication of former Selectmen and community member Bob Leighton's service to the people of New Gloucester. The gazebo would be for concerts, story time, informal gatherings, lectures, and general overall fun.

The Gazebo Committee has made progress in determining a design, notifying residents, and raising funds. A goal of $30,000 has been established, and so far $5,500 has been donated from many generous citizens and organizations.

In addition to cash donations, the project will also gratefully accept donations of materials and services. Anyone wanting more information about the project and/or to make donations of goods and/or services should contact Jim Fitch at 926-4936.

The Town of New Gloucester is accounting for monetary donations, so checks may be made payable to the Town of New Gloucester Gazebo Fund and will be accepted at the New Gloucester Town Office, P.O. Box 82, 385 Intervale Road, New Gloucester, Maine, 04260. Thanks to all who have, or plan to contribute to this worthy project.

ChIME: Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

Portland, Maine: The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME), an intensive two-year educational program for students is now accepting applications for students seeking to deepen their spiritual growth and practice and/or seeking ordination as Interfaith Ministers.

ChIME was started in 2002 by Rev. Jacob Watson, D. Min. in response to a growing need for support and training of individuals who wish to place more emphasis on their spiritual lives, as well as to meet the needs for community Interfaith chaplains.

ChIME is a post-denominational wisdom school for the education, ordination and support of Interfaith community ministers and planetary chaplains, who are defined as spiritual leaders working for the alleviation of suffering.

The two-year, 500 hour program includes the following topics: World Religious Traditions, Art-as-Meditation, Harvesting the Dream World, Reinvention of Work, Naming Ceremonies, Expressive Arts as Healing Tools as well as a 300 hour service/intern component.

For more information and/or an application, contact: ChIME at 207-347-6740 or chime@gwi.net. Applications can also be downloaded form ChIME's website: chimeofmaine.org. The deadline for submitting applications is August 1, 2004.

Dunn Student of The Week - June 7th
Alex Hayden - Mr. Haskell
Nicole Tombarelli - Miss Wolfrom
Devan Kirk - Mr. Skilling
Katie Morency - Mr. Skilling
Nick Amergian - Mrs. Seymour
Tyler Auger - Mrs. Enaire
Tyler Bailey - Mrs. Enaire
Ryan Cogswell - Mr. Hodgkins
Bobby Anania - Mr. Hodgkins
Tyler Lavoie - Miss Gardner
Devin Judd - Miss Murray
Jaime Whitney - Miss Murray
Chelcey Vachon - Miss Murray
Alex Wood - Miss Murray
Brandon Merry - Miss Hilfrank
Tommy Belanger - Mrs. McFadden
Liam Cullins - Mrs. McFadden
Tracy Heffernan - Mrs. McFadden
Holly Rodge - Mrs. McFadden
Andrew Ward - Mrs. Staples
Jennifer Rubinstein - Mrs. Staples
Jesse Hahnel - Ms. Gamage
Karamon Davis - Mrs. Moorhead
Haylee Cote - Mrs. Beriau
Kyle Smith - Mrs. Beriau
Jeffrey Watson - Mrs. Beriau
Andrew Stitham - Mrs. Beriau
Cathy Agro - Mrs. Banton
Eliza Blenk - Mrs. Banton
Katie Hutchinson - Mrs. Banton
Tabitha Hamilton - Mrs. Banton
Robin Madore - Mrs. Banton
Jessica Roberts - Mrs. Banton

Golf Tourney winners
By Gray Fire-Rescue
Gray Fire-Rescue's fourth-annual Golf Classic saw competition among 17 teams Sunday on the links at the Spring Meadows Golf Club.
Money raised will go toward Gray F-R training needs. The department is looking to build a training facility at the Public Safety building on Shaker Road.

Taking top gross in the tournament was the Cumberland County Communications team of Bill Holmes of Westbrook, Don Mendell and Travis Bezio of New Gloucester, and Steve Wiley of Portland.

The second-highest gross came from a team made up of a father/son combination, Tony and Louie Bernardini of New Gloucester, along with Edison Doughty of Gray and A. Dean Neal of New Gloucester.
Top net honors went to the Hall's Storage/Cole Farms team of Peggy Pollard, Greg Rand, Jim Hall, and Kenny Webb, all from the Gray area.
Second place net went to perennial player Mark Hassett of New Gloucester and his Current Therapy team that included Peter Jankowiak of Portland, and Shawn and Amy White of New Gloucester.

Sue Attianese of Gray hit the Women's Long Drive, with Peter Jankowiak taking the trophy for the Men's Long Drive. Jed Norman was closest-to-pin at 5-6.

Players were treated to dinner at the Spring Meadows banquet facility in the evening. They came off the course after a day that began with bright sun and ended in showers.

Gray Public Library Notes
Signup for Summer Reading will take place the week of June 22. Kathy George has a wonderful program planned around the theme "Discover New Trails @ Your Library. The first summer reading program will be held on June 29 at 10:30 am. Encourage your child to read throughout the summer by signing him or her up for a fantastic summer program. Toddler Time will continue through the summer at 10:30 am on Friday mornings. We will have lots of new books for your children's enjoyment.

Speaking of new books, there are many good offerings being published this spring and early summer. Here is a list of a few that you might want to get on the waiting list for.

Diane Amos (Maine Author) - Mixed Blessings, Mary Balogh-Slightly Dangerous, Lee Child-The Enemy, Stephen Coonts-Liars and Thieves, Janet Evanovich-Ten Big Ones, Helen Fielding-The Overactive Imagination, Kristin Hannah-The Things We Do For Love, John Sanford-Hidden Prey, Nicholas Sparks-Three Weeks With My Brother, Colin Woodard- The Lobster Coast (Maine), Robin Lee Hatcher-Legacy Lane, Robert B. Parker-Double Play.

Audiobooks scheduled to arrive the first of June are:
Janet Evanovich-Ten Big Ones (CD), Philip R. Craig-Murder at a Vineyard Mansion(CD), Jodi Picout-My Sister's Keeper(CD), Alexander McCall Smith-Full Cupboard of Life(CD), John Sanford-Hidden Prey (CD), Lee Child-The Enemy, Ridley Pearson-Body of David Hayes(CD), Joanna Lindsey-Loving Scoundrel (CD), Anne Perry-Shifting Tide (CD), Dean Koontz-The Watchers (CD), Stephen Coonts-Deep Black (Cass), Kathleen Woodiwiss-Season beyond a kiss (Cass.).

These will make good reads for summer travels or for listening while sunning on your deck!

New Videos that have arrived are:
Master and Commander, Calendar Girls, House of Sand and Fog, In America, The Last Samurai, Lord of the Rings : Return of the King, and To Serve Them All My Days (a six volume Masterpiece Theater series).
New releases coming later in the summer:

Cold Mountain, Ella Enchanted, The Human Stain, and Mystic River.
So get your summer entertainment at the Gray Public Library. Don't forget we have passes to the Maine Wildlife Park, The Children's Museum, The Portland Museum of Art and the Bath Maritime Museum. Take advantage of these to add some cultural and educational opportunities to your summer vacations. Just call ahead to reserve your pass.

Two Events Celebrate Peonies at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center
FALMOUTH-Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth will bloom indoors and out with a Peony Society of Maine show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, June 19 and Maine Audubon's annual ice-cream social to herald the blooming of its peony garden from 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, June 24. Left: Peony_magan: From the 1920s through the 1940s, Moulton made a gift of peonies an integral part of Portland High School's annual graduation ceremony, with red blossoms from the farm complementing the gowns of graduates. Photo by Martha Agan, courtesy of Maine Audubon

The Peony Society show will include how-to-grow information and publications as well as an extensive exhibit of different varieties of cut peonies in bloom, ranging in color from bright red and burgundy to white, purple, coral, yellow and more. Admission is free.

Maine Audubon's annual Peony Bloom and Ice Cream Social will feature tours of the peony garden, history of the peonies at Gilsland Farm, and plenty of ice cream. Admission is free for Maine Audubon members and $5 for nonmember adults. Reservations are necessary

The peonies at Gilsland Farm stem from China, where once only royalty was deemed worthy of them. Native to the central regions of Siberia and central to Eastern Asia, the flower was introduced to Europe in the mid-18th century.

David Moulton, who owned Gilsland Farm until 1951, was a well-known peony grower and member of the American Peony Society. He planted more than seven acres of peonies on the Gilsland property and cultivated for sale more than 400 varieties, receiving as much as $250 - an astounding price, at the time - for a single peony root. From the 1920s through the 1940s, Moulton made a gift of peonies an integral part of Portland High School's annual graduation ceremony, with red blossoms from the farm complementing the gowns of graduates

Though Moulton's fields of cultivated peonies no longer exist, descendents from their root stock still bloom magnificently there every year in formal and informal settings.

Gilsland Farm Audubon Center is located in Falmouth, immediately off Route 1. For reservations or more information, call (207) 781-2330 or visit www.maineaudubon.org.