NORWAY – Nathan Lipfert, curator and library director of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, will present a slide show program titled “The Rise and Fall of the Maine Ice Trade” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at Norway Memorial Library.

Lipfert will discuss the development of Maine’s ice trade in the worldwide shipping business, the places in Maine that shipped ice, the vessels which carried the cargo, the details of cutting and storing ice, the finances, and the eventual decline of the ice trade.

The program will be illustrated with slides made from photographs, paintings, maps, tool catalog illustrations, charts and other graphics. The public is welcome to attend and there is no charge for admission. Friends of the Norway Memorial Library is sponsoring this program that is intended to increase awareness of the Maine Maritime Museum in the Oxford Hills area.

Whether you love maritime art, wooden vessels, historic buildings, or an outing on the Kennebec River waterfront, there are myriad opportunities to relive Maine’s maritime past at this museum. There are extensive grounds to explore as well as an authentic wooden shipyard site and a restaurant and museum gift shop.

For more information about Maine Maritime Museum, check the Web site at www.bathmaine.com. Friends of Norway Library has purchased a season pass that allows one family per day to visit the Museum. Library patrons may reserve the pass for a particular day by phone or in person at the circulation desk. For more information call the library at 743-5309.