Nordica Museum open for season

FARMINGTON — The Nordica Homestead Museum has opened for the season. The museum is the birthplace of internationally-famed opera diva Lillian Nordica (nee Norton). It is maintained by the Nordica Memorial Association and houses memorabilia of her stardom during the Golden Age of opera.

Included in the collection are costumes, concert gowns, stage jewelry, paintings and much more. One recent acquisition is Madame Nordica’s personal operatic score of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” It contains her hand-written notes as she was coached for the role of Elsa by Wagner’s widow, Cosima, daughter of Franz Liszt.

The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Group tours at other times can be arranged by calling tour leader/caretaker Bonnie Lander at 778-2042. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children, no charge under age 5. The museum is on Holley Road, a right turn almost two miles north on Route 4 from Farmington. The homestead is a half-mile on the right.

Free admission, new hatchery

GRAY — The Maine Wildlife Park is offering free admission Saturday, June 1, celebrating the finished construction of the new round pond and show fish pool at the adjacent Dry Mills Hatchery.

The new hatchery education building, with unique new fish display tanks, will be dedicated at 11:30 a.m. by Chandler Woodcock, commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The hatchery raises and stocks out about 90,000 brook trout annually.

There will be other ‘fishy’ displays and demonstrations for kids and adults from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Volunteers for beach cleanup

FREEPORT — Outdoor lifestyle brands Horny Toad and United By Blue have teamed up to preserve local waterways and are looking for community members to lend a hand during a beach cleanup on Saturday, June 8.

The cleanup will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Winslow Memorial Park. Volunteers will be provided with everything they need to give back  — free breakfast, gloves, bags, bug spray, sunscreen, water and retail giveaways to competition winners.

Lobster Ride registration

ROCKLAND — The 12th Annual Maine Lobster Ride will take place on Sunday, July 21. Produced by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the ride winds along idyllic country roads past swimming ponds and lighthouses, offering stunning views of the Maine coast.

Riders can choose from five distance options (15, 30, 50, 80 or 100 miles), with staggered start times beginning at 7:30 a.m. All routes begin and end at Oceanside High School in Rockland. The ride is fully supported, with maps, rest stops and support vehicles along with a freshly made lobster roll lunch (alternatives available) served at the conclusion of the ride.

Registration costs are $85 and $75 for seniors with a $20 discount for coalition members. Children ages 12 to 17 pay $25, and those under 12 ride free. All riders will receive the famous Lobster Ride bike socks and admission to local museums free with registration.

Proceeds from the Maine Lobster Ride support the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s work to improve bicycling in Maine.

To register or for more information, visit bikemaine.org or call 207-623-4511. Early registration will also be available at Oceanside High School from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 20.

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