A meal and more: Thanksgiving Day tradition of food, fellowship continues at Messalonskee High School, elsewhere | The Morning Sentinel, Waterville, ME

A meal and more | The Morning Sentinel, Waterville, ME.

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Light show: Open Lighthouse Day offers rare chance to peek inside the towers, keepers’ houses at 25 of Maine’s lighthouses | Portland Press Herald

Living in Maine and never climbing a lighthouse is kind of like living in South Dakota and never seeing Mount Rushmore, or visiting Memphis and skipping the tour of Graceland.

You know you should do it, but somehow you just never get around to actually going.

Well, here’s your chance. On Saturday, 25 ocean, river and island lighthouses throughout Maine will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Some of these lighthouses aren’t normally open to the public, so this is a rare chance to peek inside their light towers and keepers’ houses.

Even if you’ve been to Portland Head Light a million times with visiting relatives, during Open Lighthouse Day, you’ll be able to climb the tower, which is usually closed.

“At the 25 sites that are going to be open, there will be people there staffing, and many of them will have guided tours,” said Bob Trapani Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation in Rockland, which is sponsoring the day along with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Maine Office of Tourism. “It’s an educational opportunity, not just a chance to climb.”

Click here for the rest of the story by Meredith Goad in the Portland Press Herald.

For more info and a complete list and map of lighthouses that will be open for Open Lighthouse Day, http://lighthousefoundation.org/ or www.lighthouseday.com.

Maine student volunteers to be honored at Fenway | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Maine student volunteers to be honored at Fenway | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Lewiston church group returns from mission trip to Haiti | Lewiston Sun Journal

LEWISTON — For two days after he returned from Haiti, Peter Geiger had trouble talking about his experience.

It was too emotional. Too intense. Simply too difficult to put into words.

“It was overwhelming,” he said.

Geiger had spent days as part of a rubble brigade, passing one bucket of debris after another down a line of volunteers working in 100-degree heat to clear a collapsed building that once housed a church and school. He had walked through the streets of a neighborhood built on trash, its water tainted brown. He had handed out soccer balls to children whose last play area was a sewer.

“Until you’re physically down there and you see it, smell it, hear it, it’s hard to describe,” Geiger said. “I knew it would be an emotional experience, but I didn’t realize, particularly until I came back, how emotionally I was affected by it. I’ve always been passionate about helping people, but this is a whole other level of need.”

Click on the link for the rest of today’s story by Lindsay Tice in the Lewiston Sun Journal. The story is accompanied by photos and video.

At last, Maine vessel Sea Hunter offloading Haiti relief supplies | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

At last, Sea Hunter offloading Haiti relief supplies | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Martins Point supports Haiti relief workers | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Martins Point supports Haiti relief workers | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Volunteers help students hunt for jobs

Volunteers help students hunt for jobs

Lewiston doctor, volunteer group postpone trip to Haiti

By Mark LaFlamme

Lewiston Sun Journal

January 15, 2010 12:01 am

Dr. Cynthia DeSoi’s first impulse told her she should go to Haiti as planned. Many people there are in desperate need of help. Several are children. Helping children in Haiti is what DeSoi has been doing for many years.

But common sense prevailed. DeSoi and her group, scheduled to fly to the quake-battered country Sunday, have decided to wait.

“The impulse is to go there. We all want to go,” DeSoi said. “But right now, it’s too chaotic. There are no roads. There’s no way for our volunteers to get in and out. There’s no way to feed them or get them a place to stay.”

Here’s a link to the rest of the story.

Volunteer opportunities maintaining Appalachian Trail in Maine

I spotted on GreenBiz.com a request for volunteers to work on the Appalachian Trail this summer and wanted to pass it along to my Maine friends and to those who might be looking for a volunteer vacation.

Everything I’ve read about the Appalachian Trail – and that hasn’t been nearly enough – indicated that the Appalachian Trail that runs through Maine some of the roughest of the rough hiking trail. The Appalachian Trail goes from Maine to Georgia.

If I was living nearby or had the opportunity to take a volunteer vacation, I certainly would consider it.

Here is the ad asking for volunteers.

Appalachian Trail volunteers  

Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Garland, ME (various trail locations)  

An Exceptional Volunteer Opportunity

Join the Maine Trail Crew and work on Maine’s Appalachian Trail. Help preserve this precious and wild resource for future generations of hikers. An Enthusiastic staff awaits your arrival and is looking forward to building trail with you.

Work, hike and live in some of the wildest places left in the Eastern U.S. Projects focus on rebuilding and restoring heavily impacted sections of the Appalachian Trail. Crews utilize Griphoist® rigging equipment, rock drills and hand tools to build stone steps, waterbars and retaining walls to repair the Appalachian Trail.

Persons of age 18 or older – of all backgrounds – are welcome. Enthusiasm, good health, energy and adaptability are vital. Willingness to follow instructions, comply with safety rules, and share camp chores is essential. Experience helps, but we teach trail skills here.

Benefits:

• Transportation to and from Bangor International Airport
• Tents and packs are provided if needed
• All meals are provided, including off time between work sessions
• Make new friends
• Learn new trail skills
• Lots of hiking on the AT
• Build works in stone to last for the ages
• Stay in mountain-side campsites
• See Maine moose and hear the loons
• Recreational trips to the mountains, ocean and lakes
• Receive a Maine Trail Crew t-shirt
• Feel great about what you have done for the AT.

Time Frame: One- to six-week sessions, June 26 to Aug. 18, 2010

You can apply for the opportunity by clicking on the link to the GreenBiz.com ad or going to the Maine Appalachian Trial Club website.