Open house

SCARBOROUGH – Fiddlehead Center for the Arts will have an open house for its FiddleStarts Preschool program at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, 350 Rte. 1.

The program, for ages 3 to 5, is based on the Italian Reggio Emilia approach to education. Registration is open for fall. A FiddleStarts Sampler summer camp is also being offered on the weeks of June 19 to 30. For more information, call 883-5720 or visit www.fiddleheadcenter.org.

Veterans’ reunion

PORTLAND – Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and Desert Storm who served aboard the battleship USS Missouri BB-63 will hold their 33rd annual reunion from Aug. 31 through Sept. 4.

The crew will hold many events: tour Greater Portland, cruise Casco Bay, attend a Missouri Band concert, visit L.L. Bean, tour Kennebunkport and relax at a formal dinner/dance.

On Sept. 3, the group will hold memorial services, including the ringing of the bell ceremony, for shipmates that are deceased.

For more information, contact Herb Fahr, membership chairman, at 516-931-1759 or mobb63mo@aol.com.

Send postcards

FALMOUTH – The Blue Star Mothers Chapter in Southern Maine is initiating Operation Post Card. The goal is to provide tangible, positive support for the men and women serving in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The mothers are requesting interested people ask family, friends, schools, churches, businesses and organizations to write postcards with encouraging, positive and supportive messages to the troops. The messages can be on actual postcards or on paper the size of postcards. The postcards should not be stamped.

They should be forwarded to 18 Florida Ave., Portland, ME 04103 or call 232-8831 to ask if a representative from the group can pick up a collection of them. Monetary donations for postage or actual stamps would also be appreciated to support the effort.

The chapter meets at the Falmouth American Legion Hall, 65 Depot Road, at 10:30 a.m. the second Saturday of every month. All are welcome. For more information, contact Karen Connick at gconnick@maine.rr.com.

Cancer retreats

TOPSHAM – When one family member is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family is affected. The American Cancer Society’s We Can Weekend offers families the opportunity they need to step out of the rush of daily routines, come together and meet others who are also coping with cancer.

The society offers two weekends: June 2 to 4, Rivier College, Nashua, N.H., and June 9 to 11, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass.

Maine residents are welcome to register for one of the retreats. Family members eligible include spouses, children, parents, grandparents, significant others, close friends and caregivers. The event is facilitated by American Cancer Society volunteers and area health care professionals. The cost is $35 per family and scholarships are available.

For more information, call the American Cancer Society 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.