MARS HILL NEWS
By Tomi Henderson
There will be a concert by Heart of Praise on Sunday, March 20 at the Bridgewater Free Baptist Church at 5:30 p.m. A free will offering will be taken.
The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery
Ron Chase, author of “The Great Mars Hill Bank Robbery” will be at the Walter T. A. Hansen Memorial Library for a presentation and book signing on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Winterfest activities
Winterfest 2016 plans are set and everyone is anxious to spend a weekend having fun as winter winds its way to a close.
While most events are happening from March 17-20, there are alumni basketball games planned for Friday, March 11 at CAHS at 6 p.m. Admission will be $2 for adults and $1 for students. This is a Boosters Club fundraiser. For more details, contact Jocelyn at 540-2737.
Thursday, March 17 will see Bigrock open for skiing from noon-8 p.m. with Wing Night going from 5–8 p.m.
Friday, March 18 will feature grade 1 and 2 recreation basketball games from 4-6 p.m. at CAHS with Mars Hill taking on Easton. The Rotary Turkey Supper will run from 4:30-6:30 p.m. for $8 a plate. Boxes will also be delivered for folks unable to make it out by contacting Kathy at 540-6325.
At 7 p.m., the Mz. Mars Hill Pageant will take place at the Mars Hill and Blaine Community Center. This is a Project Graduation fundraiser put on by the parents. Bigrock will also be offering skiing from noon to 8 p.m. They will also have Pizza Night and music by Heath Bartley from 7-9 p.m.
The Saturday, March 19 schedule includes the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast by the Community Club from 6-9 a.m. for $5. The Penny Carnival will run from 9 a.m.-noon. A bake sale will be set up in the lobby from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
A cribbage tournament will start at 9:30 a.m. in the music room. Bring your boards. There will also be a special children’s table on the side if there is enough interest.
New this year will be a Whoopie Pie Contest in the cafeteria. Entries must be submitted by 9:30 a.m. Present six of your favorite whoopie pies, any flavor, on a white paper or Styrofoam plate. Judging will take place at 10 a.m. (The Winterfest Committee plans on confiscating any leftovers!!) The pies will be judged on the following criteria: Neatness (uniform size and shape), flavor and moistness. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. For further information, contact Sherri at 227-7777 or Kathy at 540-6325.
There will be FFA baked potatoes as well as hotdogs ready in the cafeteria from 11 a.m–3 p.m. There will be a 3 on 3 basketball tourney in the gym from 1-3 p.m., sponsored by the CAHS senior class.
Also new this year will be a Pixie and Pirate Party from 1-2 p.m. at Fort Street Elementary School, geared toward grades 2 and under. Pixies will be in the cafeteria and pirates will be in the gymnasium. All pixies and pirates must be accompanied by an adult.
Bingo this year will be at the Mars Hill American Legion from noon-2 p.m.
Bigrock will be open for skiing on Saturday and Sunday, March 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be no night skiing. There will be a gate fee of $3 for night events at Bigrock. They will be serving a ham supper from 4:30-6 p.m. The cost will be $10 per person, although the gate fee will be deducted from the meal price for those attending the supper. Saturday at 5 p.m., the Bite the Bullet and Battle Bigrock Snowmobile Hill climb, in memory of Dustin McCrum, will take place. Registration for the snowmobile race will be from 3-4:45 p.m. with an entry fee of $20 per class.
From 7-10 p.m., Bigrock will feature music by “Between Dead Stations” with a fireworks extravaganza firing off at 8:30 p.m. Special thanks to the towns of Mars Hill and Blaine for sponsoring the fireworks.
Sunday, March 20 will see a breakfast buffet set up at Bigrock from 8-10 a.m. for $8 per person. An invitational Youth Ski Race will take place at 10 a.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m.
Check around town for flyers with a list of events for the weekend.
Aroostook Health Center
Upcoming events for the week of March 9-15 include: Wednesday will feature Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., iPad Fun at 9:30 a.m., and Crossword Puzzles at 1:30 p.m. Thursday will feature Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m., Horse Racing at 1:30 p.m. and United Methodist at 6:30 p.m.
Friday will feature Five Card Bingo at 9:30 a.m. and Shamrock Shakes with music by The Countrymen at 1:30 p.m. Saturday will be a free day with movies, games and puzzles available in the Day Room. Sunday will have televised church available in the day room and Sunday Service with Jonathan at 1:30 p.m.
Monday will feature Cooking at 9:30 a.m., a Skip Bo Tournament at 1:30 p.m. and Gospel Group at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday will feature the Beauty Parlor at 8:30 a.m., Bingo at 9:30 a.m., and Cribbage Games at 1:30 p.m.
All of these activities are subject to change. If you would like to volunteer to help with any of these activities, call Connie or Vicki at 768-4915.
Rotary Club
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met Feb. 23 at the Aroostook Health Center. The special speaker was Jason Parent of the Aroostook County Action Program. ACAP provides services and resources that help individuals and families achieve greater economic independence. As a leader, or in partnership with others, ACAP provides guidance to the community in responding to emerging human needs.
ACAP is directed by a board made up of 21 members from the public and private sector as well as client reps. They employ around 140 county-wide with offices in Presque Isle, Houlton, Madawaska and Fort Kent. There were around 14,000 individuals helped by their programs in 2015 with a budget of 14 million.
There are four main divisions that ACAP provides services through — Family Services, Community Services, Workforce Development and Energy and Housing.
Family Services provides families with comprehensive and affordable high quality prenatal, infant, toddler and preschool education and child development programs. Services also include family and child health and nutrition services.
Community Services provides individuals and family programs that offer financial assistance and emergency services, case management and Healthy Aroostook, A Healthy Maine Partnership.
Workforce Development serves job seekers and employers County-wide. Individuals who are looking for a first job, a next job, a better job or a whole new career can meet with individual job counselors to help them plan their next steps. Local employers looking to attract and retain more skilled workers can access technical and funding assistance to support on-the-job training and formal apprenticeships.
Energy and Housing provides services and programs to assist renters and homeowners with safe and energy-efficient housing needs. A variety of services and benefits are offered to both low-income individuals and others.
For more information, contact ACAP at 764-3721 or go to www.acap-me.org.
Bingo
The William Cousins Post 118 of Mars Hill is hosting Bingo on Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m. at the Post. There are cash prizes and refreshments are available. Come on out and enjoy a fun evening with friends!
Tomi Henderson is the correspondent for Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater and Westfield. She can be reached at 551-6791 or e-mail tomihen@yahoo.com.
