Fort lecture

AUGUSTA – Old Fort Western’s 20th-annual winter lecture series will continue at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11, in the learning gallery, city hall, 16 Cony St. The program will be “Maine-Made Guns and their Makers.”

The program is based on the 1997 edition of the book of the same name by Dwight B. Demeritt Jr., who will be the speaker. He will exhibit some of the guns. A retired lawyer who lives in Orono, Demeritt maintains an interest in American history.

The 10-program series schedule is available at www.oldfortwestern.org or by phoning 626-2385. Series admission is free. Refreshments will be served. Donations to help cover series expenses are encouraged.

Agriculture fair

PORTLAND – Slow Food Portland has announced its first community-supported agriculture fair from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at the Parish House, First Parish Church, corner of Temple and Congress streets.

Those attending can learn about community supported agriculture, connect with local seasonal foods, buy a share in a local farm’s weekly harvest and discover how to grow a relationship with a Maine farm. A farmer-to-farmer peer learning session will be moderated by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

Admission is free. For more information, visit www.slowfoodportland.org or contact Margaret Hathaway Schatz at 657-7880 or [email protected].

Legal round table

LEWISTON – Maine Kids-Kin, a program of Families And Children Together, will present a legal education round table from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, at the Lepage Conference Center, 99 Campus Ave.

The free event is an opportunity to talk to lawyers about guardianship, adoption, and child protective services.

The Maine Kids-Kin program assists extended family members who are stepping in to care for relatives’ children. Currently, there are more than 11,000 Maine children who live with their relatives.

Registration is required for the round table. For more information or to register by March 12, contact Janelle Wuoristo at 941-2347, 1-866-298-0896 or [email protected].

Families wanted

ORONO – Maine 4-H International Exchange, a program of University of Maine Cooperative Extension, is offering families the chance to host a Japanese student between July 27 and Aug. 22.

The program is open to families with same-gender children close in age to the Japanese students, who are between 12 and 18. Those who are interested are asked to contact Jill Coffren at 645-3248 or by e-mail at [email protected] for an application or for more information. Application deadline is Tuesday, April 1.

There will be an opportunity for host siblings to later travel to Japan for a month. Year-long exchanges are also available for the children of qualifying host families. Host families need not be involved with 4-H.

Host family applications include a background check and a visit from a representative in the home before approval.

International fair

PORTLAND – The Portland Public Market will open its doors from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 2, for a Bayside International Fair and Market. The event will include a flea market and a festival, where food, music, stories and crafts from a diverse range of cultures will be showcased. Classes for new Americans will take place on the second floor.

Hosted by the Bayside Neighborhood Association, the event will allow people to experience the international flavor of the urban neighborhood and celebrate the Portland Public Market, which the Libra Foundation sold to Guggenheim Real Estate LLC in the summer of 2006.

Flea market tables will rent for $20. Call Emily Koehn at 740-1008. Call Pirun Sen at 772-8780 to schedule a performance. Admission will be free.