Pinochle results

LEWISTON — Pinochle standings ending Dec. 31 are: wins, Cecille Letourneau 72, Richard Champagne 70, Stella Asselin 62; washes, Cecille Letourneau 12, Stella Asselin 7, Delice Blais 5.

Games are played at 1 p.m. every Thursday.

Pitch standings are: wins, Norm Bissonnette 66, John Smith 54, James Green 51; skunks, Norm Bissonnette 10, John Smith 9, James Green 9.

Games are played at 1 p.m. every Tuesday.

For more information, call Norm Bissonnette at 784-6636.

FAFSA help

POLAND — College Goal Maine will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Poland Regional High School.

The free workshop will provide parents and students of all ages with assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form required for all state and federal financial aid, including loans. There will be computer labs with online access. Sponsored by the Finance Authority of Maine in cooperation with Maine Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the Maine Educational Opportunity Association. Recent tax information or estimates will be helpful.

For more information, including directions, visit www.collegegoalsundaymaine.com or call FAME toll free at 1-800-228-3734.

Photographer talk

AUBURN — Auburn photographer Tim Amero will be at the Auburn Public Library at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, to showcase his wildlife photos and share the stories behind the pictures.

Dedicating his retirement to photography, particularly to Maine species, Amero hopes to give the viewer an appreciation of Maine wildlife. Featuring photographs of Maine’s birds, beasts and insects Amero has captured unique moments and provided a window to the great outdoors. Amero has used his photography to educate and open up discussions on the environmental impact our society has made on native wildlife.

Poetry workshops

LEWISTON — The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Maine Arts Commission will host a series of free poetry workshops open to all high school students in Maine with Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair. The workshops are being hosted in conjunction with the nation-wide poetry recitation competition Poetry Out Loud. They will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Franco-American Heritage Center.

“The Poetry Out Loud handbook warns against over-dramatizing your poems in performance, advising you to internalize the poetry you recite,” said McNair. “Through specific examples, this workshop will show you how to uncover and express your poem’s inner life.”

McNair’s workshop includes reading of his own award-winning poetry and poems from the Poetry Out Loud textbook, as well as a question-and-answer period. Maine poets Gibson Fay-LeBlanc and Megan Grumbling will then lead one-hour breakout sessions after McNair’s presentation, and offer guidance on how to use McNair’s advice.

For more information, visit mainearts.maine.gov/pol2010.aspx. To sign up, contact Joshua Vink at maineartscontractor@maine.gov or 592-2624.

These events are presented by the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

Got talent?

LEWISTON — A brand new event sure to dazzle Maine while featuring some of the best talent the state has to offer is actively seeking performers now. The first annual “Maine’s Got Talent!,” an exciting new talent competition and fundraiser for Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services in Lewiston, is accepting submissions from performance artists until Jan. 31. Cash prizes of $750, $300 and $150 will be awarded to the top three winners.

Interested performers may drop off or send in a CD, DVD or VHS of their “audition” performance to Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services, 72 Strawberry Ave., Lewiston, ME 04240, accompanied by their registration form and $25 nonrefundable registration processing fee. In lieu of a CD, DVD or VHS, the artist may choose to post a video to YouTube. After all entries have been received, 10 finalists will be chosen to compete on the grand finale evening, Saturday, March 31, at the Ramada Conference Center.

This event is open to all performing artists age 18 and over who live or work in Maine, including out-of-state students attending Maine schools. All proceeds will benefit Sandcastle Clinical and Educational Services, a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping Maine children.

For more information and to download registration forms and rules go to www.sandcastlemaine.org or call 782-2150.

Oxford Hills reunion

PARIS — The Oxford Hills High School class of 1972 is planning its 40-year reunion on July 7.

Class members are invited to provide current contact information to Paul Ricci at 515-6881 or paulricci@hotmail.com, or Lynn Hamper at 539-4586 or lhamper7@gmail.com.

Free Zumba

LEWISTON — The YWCA of Central Maine will host free Zumba Fitness classes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5.

Girl Power Fitness will bring all forms of Zumba to the YWCA for people to try. Several local instructors will keep the energy going all day with Zumba Fitness, Zumbatomic, Aqua Zumba , Zumba Toning and Zumba Gold.

There will be vendors, prizes and giveaways.

For further information, visit www.ywcamaine.org, contact the YWCA at 795-4050 or stop by the facility at 130 East Ave.

Copy the Story Link