Scroll down to read about how to nominate a public school Teacher of the Year, how to promote your business to a new market--and a whole lot more!

 
Frost Fest is an annual winter celebration held in Bucksport over February school vacation. Activities this year will be on Saturday, February 18, 2017. An old fashioned ice-skating party at the ice-skating rink will kick it off at 11am. Other activities include a snow sculpture competition already sponsored by Seaboard Federal Credit Union and miniature golf in a course made of SNOW!

By sponsoring this event you can help us:

Provide a healthy, invigorating cold weather experience in our community.
Demonstrate that our multi-faceted communities are active destinations for those looking for exciting and diverse activities during the winter months.
Help raise funds and awareness for the local Chamber of Commerce, Our Community PTO, and the Recreation Department.

We invite you to contribute anywhere from $50 to $500. All sponsors get recognition at the event, on the website, Facebook and in the e-newsletter. $500 dollars gets you the exclusive hold on any particular event during Frost Fest, e.g. "Snow Sculpture Competition Brought to you by Seaboard Federal Credit Union."

For more information please call the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at 207.469.6818 or email office@bucksportbaychamber.com
Please send your checks to: BBACC, P.O. Box 1676, Bucksport, ME 04416

The Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce this year's Bucksport Bay Festival dates! Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, 2017. 

This year the Town of Bucksport is celebrating their 225th year, the Buck Memorial Library's 130th, and the Bay Festival's 20th. With a multitude of Bucksport milestones to commemorate, the plan is to throw one big party to celebrate them all! The organizers of the Bay Festival are making this year's festival a true community effort with many additional activities on the schedule for the weekend.

We are actively seeking many volunteers and sponsors for all the different event planning committees. Parade, Entertainment, 5K Fun Run, Kid's Center, Bass tournament-etc. all have needs to fill. Local businesses, civic groups, and organizations are particularly encouraged to get involved in festival planning. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved please contact the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and let us know your level of commitment.

We invite you to #thinksummer and join us for #bayfest2017! For more information please contact the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at 207.469.6818. www.bucksportbayfestival.com

What is soap? Why Lye? How do they compare to commercial products and why did I refer to them as detergents? 

GREAT questions! Let's see if I can help you understand a little better. 

Soap is a combination of liquid, oil and yes, lye. Have you ever tried to mix water or other liquids with oil? If so, you know they do not blend well and quickly separate, hence the lye also know as sodium  hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. The reaction created when combining liquid, oil and lye is call saponification. Recently a friend told me she purchased soap that was "lye free." Curious I asked her to read me the ingredients and the first ingredient listed was, "saponified oils;" she, in fact ,purchased soap made with lye. Mis-labeling products or omitting ingredients is a big NO NO and sadly seen often with new or small scale soap-makers. All "soap" contains lye; you do not have soap, if you do not have lye. 

Soap needs to cure, the length of time depends on the process used to make the soap and the ingredients in the soap, it can take as little as a week to as long as six months. This curing time allows the lye to continue to process and become safe to use even on the most delicate skin. You should NEVER buy soap that is labeled do not use until xx/xx/xx. Soap should be safely cured before it is marketed for sale. One never knows when someone will be too excited to wait until it is safe or overlook the safe-to-use date. 

How soap works! Oils used to make soap bind with oils and dirt on your skin, then water washes them away. It's a rather simple process. But every ingredient in your soap offers something in return! From olive oil, shea butter, safflower oil, mango butter, almond oil to beeswax all giving back to your skin. My Maine Soap offers many different recipes, so there is always something for everyone!

Commercial products are produced with the lowest cost in mind. The product is stripped of things like the glycerin it produces, to be sold as a by product, when the glycerin is a key part to a keeping your skin moist. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin. I continue to refer to store soap as a commercial product or detergent as you will not find it labeled as "soap" because it is a detergent, mostly chemically based. Next time your in the grocery store look at the soaps. You'll not find them labeled as "soap" and you'd be surprised at how many ingredients you can't even pronounce. And let's face it, who wants to buy a bar of detergent to use on their skin or that of their children. 

I hope this sheds some light on what soap is, how it works, why soap contains lye and how the commercial products compare. 

Thanks for your interest and questions!!!

New listing! This 3BR ranch located on Verona Island, offers heated basement, newly installed living room flooring, a 20x20 bonus room, 3 car heated garage with  a metal roof and storage above! 

Give Damon Holmes a call at 207-460-1600 to see this home.

• Hold the appropriate professional certification for their teaching position;
• Be employed by a Maine public school, including a Career and Technical Education center, public charter school; or be employed by a publicly supported secondary school (a private school that enrolls 60 percent or more publicly funded students, sometimes referred to as "town academies" and
• Have been teaching for a minimum of 5 years; 
• Be actively teaching students at least fifty percent of full-time employment at the time of nomination and during the year of recognition.

Education Coordinator

GPMCT/Downeast Audubon
 
Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust (GPMCT) and Downeast Audubon (DEA) are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving Hancock County. GPMCT is the land trust for northwestern Hancock County, managing the 4,500-acre Wildlands property in Orland. DEA, a chapter of Maine Audubon, seeks to educate and engage people, focusing on birds, wildlife and their habitats. Sharing a mission of promoting outdoor environmental education, these two groups seek to hire an energetic, motivated individual to fill the role of Education Coordinator (EC).

The EC will work 20 hours/week to develop and grow GPMCT and DEA educational offerings for students on the Blue Hill peninsula plus RSU 25 (Bucksport, Orland, Verona, Prospect). The EC will be an employee of GPMCT and can work in GPMCT's office, or from home. The EC will split their time between GPMCT/DEA, and will report to GPMCT's Executive Director and DEA's Education Committee Chair.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Working with teachers and administrators to meet their environmental and science needs and the educational standards, and helping them to access resources
Coordinating and delivering environmental education programs to schools
Obtaining, maintaining and coordinating equipment to be loaned to educators
Recruiting and managing volunteers to deliver programs
Facilitating educator and volunteer training sessions
Organizing, planning and advertising outdoor events for all ages, especially in summer
Raising awareness of both groups' activities via social media, web and print
Work in partnership with DEA/GPMCT education committees and other staff and board members as necessary

Qualifications: Demonstrated leadership, education, communication, and task management capabilities. Experience teaching in both classroom and outdoor settings desired. Outstanding interpersonal skills with children and adults of all ages, and a demonstrated ability to work independently and form partnerships. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are critical, along with demonstrated proficiency with e-mail and social media (Wordpress a plus). Knowledge of natural sciences and natural resource management a plus. Must meet school requirements for background check and volunteer training. Current CPR and Basic First Aid or willingness to obtain. A Bachelor's degree (or higher) in a closely related field is preferred.

Compensation: Starting annual compensation for this half-time position will be $15,600

To apply:  By January 21, please e-mail your letter, resume, and contact information for 3 references to: info@greatpondtrust.org, with "Education Coordinator" as the subject. For more information on GPMCT or DEA, or to download this job description, www.greatpondtrust.org or www.downeastaudubon.org. GPMCT is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Sharing Economy Tax Center

The IRS encourages taxpayers working in these areas to understand the potential tax issues affecting them. The IRS is providing additional information to help people, and  many tax professionals  with tax issues and questions related to this emerging area. The tax software industry is also looking at this area, and many software programs can assist when you do your taxes in 2016. Learn more here.

In keeping with last year, Purple Fleece will be celebrating the holidays (past, present, and future) with an awesome potluck lunch on Saturday,  January 21st. You know that the Whorls & Purls ladies are fabulous cooks! Please email if you're coming.

Purple Fleece
103 School Street
Stockton Springs, ME 04981
207-323-1871
 info@PurpleFleece.com

Bucksport High School is proud to announce they have been selected to host the Class B State Wrestling Championships!!  Saturday, February 18 ! 

Providing your business information to the 112 wrestlers and their families benefits everyone! 

A Message to YOU from Ed Hatch, Athletic Director at BHS:

Bucksport High school is proud to announce we have been selected to host the Class B State Wrestling Championships which will take place Saturday, February 18, 2017. This means there will be at least 112 wrestlers and their families coming to town to participate in the tournament, and I am in hopes this tournament will create an opportunity for our local business community. Families will be looking for lodging, places to eat, and local shopping experiences.

As the host site, I am planning on sending out an informational flyer, February 4th, to each of the qualifying schools and I would like to share your business information. If you would like to be included please send me:

1.   Your business name
2.   Hours of operation during that weekend
3.   Contact information
4.   Any discounts you may be willing to offer 

You may send me this to me via email: ed.hatch@rsu25.org or you may call me at Bucksport High School 469-6650.  

Please have this information to me no later than January 31, 2017.


Cordially,

Ed Hatch
Athletic Administrator

 

Participants will learn to:

• Describe the roles and functions of a recovery coach
• List the components, core values & guiding principles of recovery
• Build skills to embrace relationships
• Explore many dimensions of recovery & recovery coaching
• Discover attitudes about self-disclosure & sharing your story
• Understand the stages of recovery
• Explore ethical and boundary issues
• Experience recovery wellness planning
• And more.

 

For more information about recovery coaching and the CCAR model visit www.ccar.us.

 

The course will be taught by certified CCAR trainers Denise Black and Terri Woodruff of Healthy Acadia. The tuition cost for the training is $100 per participant, which includes the course workbook and light refreshments. Advance registration and payment are required. 30 CEU's are available for full training completion. Financial scholarships are available upon request, and interested community members are encouraged to call Healthy Acadia for more details.

If you are interested in promoting recovery by removing barriers and obstacles to recovery and serving as a personal guide and mentor for others seeking or already in recovery, this training is for you! To register, please contact Denise by e-mail  denise@healthyacadia.org  or call 667-7171 x 15.