FREEPORT ROTARY SPONSORS 17th ANNUAL ROAD RACE

Freeport, Maine, May 15, 2012  – The Freeport Rotary Club is sponsoring its 17th Annual Close to the Coast 5K and 10K Road Races. The races will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at Winslow Park in Freeport, Maine.   

The race is part of the Winslow Park Family Fun Day, a great time for families with all the events and park admission free of charge.  The events start with a Kids’ 1K Fun Run at 10 am with prizes for kids provided by Wilbur’s of Maine.  Additional, there is free admission to the Winslow Park for the day.  Hotdogs, ice cream, games, swimming, activities, playground and a moon bounce house will be available.

 Maine’s first annual Equestrian Open Barn Day will be held on May 27th and barns all over the State are participating!  The list of barns participating has been published in The Horse’s Maine, Maine’s equestrian newspaper, for the past several months, and the list has been steadily growing. 

Each participating equestrian barn has determined its own program for the day.  Possibilities include demo lessons, riding demos, pony (and horse!) petting, refreshments, meeting the equine residents, and other original ideas.  It is a day for families who would enjoy visiting with the horses to get out and meet them, or individuals who are interested in riding lessons, boarding or training to check out the different stables in their area.

Miss Maine 2011, Julia Furtado, traveled to Birmingham, Alabama the last weekend in April where she and other Duke of Edinburgh Award winners were honored during several planned events.   After her arrival on Friday, April 27, the guests were treated to a Southern Barbeque.  On Saturday, April 28, 2012, Julia met HRH The Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, during a Southern Garden Party and tea.  Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, and Miss America 2012, Laura Kaeppeler, also participated in the festivities. 

On Saturday, Julia was not only a guest but also a special performer at the black tie gala, singing an operatic piece “O Mio Babbino Caro” by Giacomo Puccini.   She had the opportunity to speak to the many sponsors of the event and HRH The Prince Edward during the six-course meal.  Of course, the Prince and Julia talked much about soccer since Julia traveled to Europe as part of a semi-professio