Join us for dinner, stories, and fun family activities! In addition, each child will be able to take home a book each week! This free Parent and Child Together (PACT) activity meets at the Riverside United Methodist Church on Thursday evenings as designated. If you have questions regarding this FREE program or want to register, please call Renee at 625-3092 or email rpayeur@sad55.org. Bring the family and join us! Pre-registration is required due to space issues and to keep everyone updated on any changes.

No Class Nov. 23

Join local artist Sue Cannafarina for this two-hour class of monthly painting fun while learning techniques used by the impressionists and Bob Ross (Lol). Bring a beautiful image to life ranging from still lifes, landscapes, and object studies. No experience is necessary, and all materials are provided. These are great opportunities to spend time with friends or make new ones. Bring home a work of art each meeting! Classes run once a month through December. Pre-registration for each class is required as class size is limited to 12 people.

In just a few hours, you can learn enough secrets of the trade to give you years of musical enjoyment. Play the piano like a professional by using chords in the comfort of your own home. This course includes an online book, online follow-up video lessons, optional periodic online Q&A sessions, and a recording of the class - enough materials to continue your practice and study on your own! Cover how chords work, getting more out of sheet music by reading less of it, forming the three main types of chords, handling different keys and time signatures, avoiding counting, and simplifying over 12,000 complex chords. The course is part lecture/demonstration and part hands-on instruction. Please have a stable internet connection; a computer, tablet, or cellphone; and a piano or keyboard available during class. Pre-registration is required to receive online link. Registration closes on Oct. 11.

Craig Coffman, an experienced piano and guitar instructor, professional pianist, and music director, has over 30 years of experience teaching piano privately. His piano and guitar seminars, offered through Community Colleges and Community Education Programs, have been attended by more than 30,000 students throughout the US over the last 27 years. He has a degree in Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Illinois (where he also studied piano) and a Master of Divinity degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

he John Calvin Cottage was initially built for the local mill owner’s family. The quaint structure is picturesquely situated on a 1.8-acre island in the Ossipee River, just above a waterfall. Mature landscaping complements the simplicity of the architecture, certainly a John Calvin Stevens design. Cathedral ceilings and lovely stained glass windows, along with period doors and woodwork, all capture the essence of the time. An antique cook stove in the kitchen and a period fireplace in the living room further add to the cottage’s charm. Definitely a historic jewel! Please note: There is no charge for this tour. The $5 registration fee will be donated to the Porter-Parsonsfield Historical Society. If you would like to contribute other funds to the historical society, you may also do so at  the time of the tour. Parking is available at the cottage or the Parsonsfield Post Office. Pre-registration is required due to spacing and safety issues.

     Sat. Oct., 12-1, 1 Meeting

     Rain Date Sun. Oct. 15

     Note: Rain date is for heavy rain

Join us as the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society presents an unique art show that features Laura Barr Lougee’s watercolor paintings of Parsonsfield cemeteries. Learn more about the legacy of this amazing family that is rooted in our local history. Parking is limited. To be held at the “new barn” east of the corner of Elm Street and Route 160 in Parsonsfield. Proceeds to benefit the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society. Pre-registration is required. 

Have you ever wanted to learn the guitar but simply forund it difficult to find the time? In just a few hours, you can learn enough about playing the guitar to give you years of musical enjoyment, and you won’t have to take private lessons to do it. This crash course will teach you some basic chords and get you playing along with your favorite songs right away. Since this class is being held online via Zoom, you will be able to sit at home with your guitar and take this class without any pressure at all. And since the class includes an online book and online follow-up video lessons, you will be able to continue your practice and study on your own. An optional periodic online question and answer session and a recording of the class are included as well. Pre-registration is required for access to online link. Registration closes on Oct. 11.

Long before the days of television, weather apps, and live radar, Maine farmers, mariners, loggers, and Native Americans relied on nature clues for weather prediction. Their lives and livelihoods depended on it. In today’s modern technological society of instant information, these scientifically- proven, accurate natural weather indicators have been relegated to folklore and are being largely forgotten. Did you know that your morning cup of coffee can foretell if it’s going to snow or rain that day? How accurate are wooly bear caterpillars in determining a harsh or mild winter? What’s the science behind cattle lying down in a field before a storm or the saying, “Trace in the Sky the Painter’s Brush and the Winds Around You Soon Rush''? Discover how to determine the exact temperature through clouds, moon, sun, and all the signs within nature. Deb graciously volunteers her time and property. Donations in support of maintenance and set up are appreciated and can be made at the time of the course. The class will be held outdoors or, in case of intermittent weather, a small outdoor structure. Rain dates will be scheduled if needed. Bring a lawn chair and bug spray and dress for the outdoors. Please pre-register as we need a minimum of 4 people to run the course.  

In 2005, Deb became a registered Maine Guide, guiding people in Maine’s great outdoors. A former reserve police officer, EMT, firefighter, and crisis counselor, she was also part of the search and rescue team with the USAF and a member of its critical incident stress management team. She has spent her entire life as an amateur archeologist, historian, and naturalist. In 2014, she retired from farming in Aroostook County and moved to her 50-acre wooded lot, living off the grid and close to nature.

Yes, breathing is different for women! The field of science and research has predominantly focused on male subjects. However, gender differences do affect breathing control, vulnerability to illness, and other issues. Join Carole as she addresses issues that can affect women’s health to include dysfunctional breathing, anxiety disorders, pain conditions, hormones, pelvic floor dysfunctions, managing menopause, and much more. Pre-registration is required for access to online link.

Carole Freeman is a Respiratory Therapist and Breathing Specialist and holds a graduate degree in Health Sciences from Loma Linda University Medical Center. She focuses on the relatively new field of pulmonary medicine in recognizing and treating breathing disorders.