Unique Birdhouses Highlight Art Auction to Benefit Old Orr’s Island Schoolhouse

By Dan Dostie

June 18, 2015

A variety of birdhouses custom decorated by area artists will be among many unique items up for bid July 11 at the fifth annual An Evening of Art auction to benefit the historic old Orr’s Island Schoolhouse.

Blank birdhouse models were distributed to interested artists, including area residents and seasonal visitors, to transform in any creative way. In past years, the event included decorated lunchboxes and lobster buoys, which proved to be quite popular and the object of spirited bidding.

Dozens of other items, including paintings, prints, photographs, jewelry and more will also be auctioned off at the event, to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at the schoolhouse, located at 1594 Harpswell Island Road, Route 24, Orr’s Island. Preview will begin at 6 p.m.

Light hors d'oeuvres, desserts, soda and wine will be served.
Artists participating this year include Doug Bane, Steve Black, Tom Brudzinski, Gloria Doughty, Dan Dostie, Patricia Fuchs, Robert Gibson, Margaret Leonard, Karen Loftus, Tim McCreight, Brad McFadden, Abigail Sibley, John Wright, Sam Wright, and more.

Tim McCreight

Artwork on sale will include many original pieces, as well as other items donated from private collections.

An important part of Harpswell history, the old schoolhouse was originally a two-room school for island children. Located next to the Orr's and Bailey Islands Fire Department main station, the renovated building is used for a variety of community, public and private events.

The schoolhouse is self-supporting, depending on income from event rentals, fundraisers and donations to maintain the building and grounds and updating the aging structure.
For more information, please contact Brad McFadden at 833-6940 or Tim McCreight at 761-8217, or email artauction@orrsislandschoolhouse.com.

OBIFD Hosts Community Meeting on Wildfire Dangers

June 10, 2015

The Orr's and Bailey Islands Fire Department is hosting a community meeting on Monday to educate residents about wildfire dangers and how to protect homes and property during the high-risk summer months.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15, at the old Orr's Island Schoolhouse, located next to the Orr's Island fire station, 1600 Harpswell Islands Road, Route 24. People of all ages are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

According to the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Firewise Communities Program, the summer of 2015 is likely to present extremely dry and windy conditions, increasing the risk of wildfire activity. Preparation by property owners can help prevent fires from starting or spreading.

The meeting will offer advice on how to protect land and buildings from the potential of spreading fires.

Some of the advice includes:

• Clear leaves and other debris from gutters, eaves, porches and decks
• Keep lawns hydrated and maintained. Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for wildfire. If it is brown, cut it down to reduce fire intensity.
• Remove dead vegetation within 30 to 100 feet of a structure.
• Remove fuel within 3 to 5 feet of a home's foundation and outbuildings.
• Wildfires can spread to tree tops. If there are large trees, prune them so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet high.
• Don't let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of these items quickly to reduce fuel for fire.
• When planting, choose slow-growing, carefully placed shrubs and trees so the area can be more easily maintained.

To help keep fires from starting on open land, tips include:

• Obey outdoor burning bans. Don't burn trash or debris when conditions are dry or windy. Unsafe burning of leaves, brush, household trash and other debris is a main cause of wildfires.
• If camping or hunting, check local restrictions on campfires. Use an approved gas stove as an alternative for heating and cooking. If charcoal grills are permitted, use them only over fireproof surfaces such as asphalt or bare mineral soil.
• Dispose of smoking materials properly. Don't throw them out a window.
• Avoid parking and idling in dry grass. Catalytic converters can get hot enough to ignite the grass.
• Keep water available when using welding equipment or cutting torches around grass and brush. A five-gallon bucket of water with a tote sack in it could prove valuable if sparks or hot pieces of metal catch nearby grass on fire.
• Avoid setting hot chainsaws or other gas-powered equipment in dry grass, which could ignite after coming into contact with hot mufflers.

More tips and information is available from the Firewise Communities Program at www.firewise.org.

OBIFD is an all-volunteer department which provides fire and medical rescue services for Orr's and Bailey Islands and portions of Great Island south of Stevens Corner Road on Route 24, including Long Point, and Mountain Road east of the Ewing Narrows bridge.

More information about the department is available at www.obifd.org.

Harpswell's other fire and rescue departments are the Cundy's Harbor Volunteer Fire Department, which serves all of Great Island from the Brunswick line to Stevens Corner Road on Route 24, and the Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue, which serves all areas off of Route 123, including

Mountain Road west of the Ewing Narrows bridge.

More information about the three departments, including how to join as a volunteer, is available at www.harpswellfireandrescue.org.

OBIFD Open on Saturdays to Accept Donations for Annual Auction and Yard Sale

June 1, 2015

The Orr's & Bailey Islands Fire Department is looking for donations for its annual auction and yard sale to be held August 8 and 9 at the fire station on Orr's Island.

Items may be dropped off at the fire station at 1600 Harpswell Islands Road, Route 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays leading up to the big weekend. Donors can also call 833-5405 to arrange for free pickup of larger pieces or multiple items.

The fire department asks that no donations be left unattended at the station under any circumstances.

Over the years, the department has found that many items are difficult to sell or even give away and asks people not to donate microwave ovens, vacuums, dehumidifiers, electric stovetops, computer equipment, ski gear, golf clubs, couches or other stuffed furniture, mattresses and box springs, exercise equipment, aquariums, building materials, bath fixtures, appliances, lighting fixtures, metal bed frames, baby equipment, particleboard furniture, and plastic storage containers and cups.

Books are also not accepted, but can be donated to the Orr's Island Library for its August sale.

Items accepted for donation will be up for sale at either the yard sale held throughout the weekend or at the live auction on Sunday, August 10.

The yard sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, and again Sunday morning on the grounds of the fire station and inside the adjacent old Orr's Island Schoolhouse on Harpswell Islands Road, Route 24.

The live auction of some of the finer and fun items will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, with preview starting at 9 a.m. A wide variety of antique and fine furniture, historical artifacts, artwork and many other items will be up for bid as usual, with lots of interesting surprises along the way.

A silent auction of a variety of goods, services and experiences donated by area businesses will be open on both days. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be offered for sale.

All proceeds from the event help fund the nonprofit volunteer department, which provides fire and rescue services for Orr's and Bailey Islands and portions of Great Island east of the Mountain Road bridge and south of Stevens Corner Road on Route 24. 

For more information, visit www.obifd.org or call 833-5405.