Octoberfest
will take place on October 17th, and will move from the Buck’s Naked BBQ
parking lot off of Route 302 to Camp William Hinds in Raymond.
Allen
Faraday, event organizer and executive VP of Operations at Windham Weaponry said
that the event has outgrown its previous space.
“With
the tremendous facilities at Camp Hinds, it will more than make up for the lack
of high visibility on 302,” he said.
The
space at Camp Hinds will help to make the event more secure and safe, with room
for parking and traffic-- two significant problems at when the event was hosted
off of Route 302 in Windham.
“We
just want it to be a very safe, comfortable event, and not have to worry about
the traffic and the parking,” Faraday said. Faraday also said the facilities at
Camp Hinds, situated on over 300 acres of land on Panther Pond-- offer exciting
new opportunities for fun events.
“We
have beautiful waterfront property, we have a place where we can do a pancake
breakfast...I have a secure place across the street where I can do the
helicopter rides,” says Faraday.
Many
local businesses, and, most importantly, local food banks and food pantries, will
be represented with booths and fun activities at the event.
“We
probably have about 40 or so different businesses represented that are going to
offer some type of activity, food or music,” said
Aimee Senatore, executive director of the Sebago Lakes Chamber of
Commerce.
Faraday
said some of the new activities include a climbing wall, food booths set up
across the camp’s waterfront, zip-lining and a shooting range: The Boy Scouts
are providing Range Safety Officers and are offering the ability to shoot five
to 10 shots with .22 rifles at 25 yard targets for a donation, like all of the
other activities.
In
addition, Camp Hinds will provide canoe and kayaking trips up the Tenny
River, a
climbing
wall, nature walks and a huge fire pit for S’mores.
To
top off the fun, Matthew McFadden, owner of Naples Seaplane Adventure, will be
offering ten minute rides off of Panther Pond, with a donation of $40.
Octoberfest
is for a good cause with proceeds help raise cash for Feed the Need, a
fundraising initiative that aims to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in the
10 towns served by the Sebago Lakes Chamber
of Commerce.
“It’s
just shocking what the need is. How so many of our neighbors are in need of
extra food, or support,” said Faraday.
Octoberfest,
and other events hosted throughout the year by the initiative, like the
Community Coin Challenge, raise significant funds for area food banks.
“One
dollar. Just one dollar from a food pantry’s perspective can feed a family of
four for a day. If you look at the fact that we give most of our food pantries
over a $1,000...it goes a long way,” Senatore said.
The Daytime Players began at the
Schoolhouse Center in 2003, with four original members, including this show’s
director, Jerry Walker. Originally, he said, the group performed short plays
and excerpts from larger works in nursing homes, senior centers, and for church
and other groups. The Daytime Players had grown to include more than 20 people
before disbanding a few years ago. 
The group came back together last
winter, performing “The Days Are As Grass” at the Magic Lantern in Bridgton. They
decided to reprise the performance at the Schoolhouse Center for the Arts with
many of the same cast members, as well as a few new additions. Walker said that
since that first performance, with performers spending more time with the
pieces, the cast have grown in their roles. “It’s a delightful show,” he said.
“This is what’s great about the Daytime
players,” said Walker. “You don’t have to set up an eight week schedule and go
five nights a week. We depend upon the actors to come prepared and it really
works out quite well for all of us.”
The Windham Lions Club is raising money
to help with their programs which include purchasing glasses and hearing aids
for kids, eye screenings for all incoming kindergarteners and participating in
the “Speak-Out” student presentations. For the fourth year they will hold a
craft/vendor fair at the North Windham Union Church, 723 Roosevelt Trail. There
will be crocheted items, repurposed kitchen items, bird houses, tote bags, dog
treats, Avon, Halloween treats, jewelry, Scentsy, quilts, handmade cards and more,
a total of 14 vendors. 
There will also be a raffle for many
items and gift certificates from the community and the winners don’t have to be
present to win. There will also be a 50/50 raffle for that day. 
The event kicked off sharply at 1 p.m., and it wasn't
long before the first competitors navigated the 1-mile course and started to
cross the finish line. The race was held on the school's property, starting on
the soccer field, then moved to wooded trails before ending up back on the
field. So many volunteers lined the course to help out with water, snacks, and
of course--spraying the participants with color as they went through the
"splash zones". With ages ranging from pre-school kids to
grandparents, fun was had by all who were there to participate. 
"So wonderful to see the whole community come
together for this event. The funds will go to materials for our classrooms and
teachers,...just fills my heart, couldn't have been a better day," she
said. 
