Virtual Talk with Author Kelley OPA Announces March Sunday Classic Films

YORK -

The York Public Library is honored to host author Margot Anne Kelley on Tuesday, March 14, 7-8 p.m. in a virtual author talk about her latest book.

Many these days are looking for more sustainable ways to live, work, and eat. Kelley’s new book, “Foodtopia,” details the evolution of food-centric utopian movements fueled by deep yearnings for clean water and air, racial and gender equality, community sustainability, a simpler, less consumerist lifestyle, a sense of authenticity, healthy local food, a smaller carbon footprint, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

“Foodtopia” tells the story of five “back-to-the-land” movements, from 1840 to present day, when large numbers of utopianminded people in the United States established small-scale farming as an alternative to mainstream agriculture.

Millennials who jettisoned cities for rural life form the core of America’s current “back-to-theland” movement. Their forebears were, of course, the hippies who chose to forgo modern comforts in pursuit of a simpler life back in the 1970s. Prior to that, people decamped to the countryside during the Great Depression. At the turn of the last century, pioneering single-taxers created self-suffi- cient communities. Beginning in the 1840s, tens of thousands of people, including cultural icons such as Henry David Thoreau, participated in more than eighty food-centric utopian communities. Today, food is no longer just about what we eat, but about how food is raised, processed and transported, and who profits along the way. Kelley looks closely at the efforts of young farmers now growing heirloom pigs, culturally appropriate foods, and newly bred vegetables, along with others working in coalitions, advocacy groups, and educational programs to extend the reach of this era’s Good Food Movement.

Kelley holds a PhD in American Literature and an MFA in Media and Performing Arts. She is the author of two books focused on people in relationship to the natural world: “Local Treasures: Geocaching Across America,” and “A Field Guide to Other People’s Trees.” She taught at the college level for nearly twenty-five years. Since leaving academia, she served as the editor of “The Maine Review,” and co-founded a community development corporation that runs a food pantry and community garden, among other programs. Kelley lives on the coast of downeast Maine.

Registration is required for this online event at www.yorkpubliclibrary.org.

Zapapa Handmade Pop-up and Clearance Sale!

Saturday 3/4, 11-4 • Sunday 3/5, 12-4 At Kittery Community Center, 120 Rogers Rd

Please come to a fantastic clearance and sample sale of beautiful handmade clothing and home goods!

Zapapa Handmade is a very small business based in Kittery that specializes in unique clothing designs and only uses 100% natural fabrics. Come see this hidden gem – we think you will fall in love with Zapapa.

All Zapapa’s 2022 Clothing will be 50-60%

For more information, email zapapausa@gmail.com.

OGUNQUIT -

As mud season fast approaches, Ogunquit Performing Arts (OPA) continues to offer its 21st Classic Film Festival. March’s film screenings will feature legendary screen siren Sophia Loren. In three of the four films featured at OPA for

. . . IRISH from page 1 peted in the All Ireland Championships, The European Championships and The World Irish Dance Championships. Students of the school are proud to have performed with many other dance troupes, most notably, Cherish the Ladies, Solas, The Trinity Irish Dance Company, Natalie MacMaster, and Eileen Ivers.

The School has also performed all over the state of Maine, from schools, nursing homes and private functions to weddings, corporate events, and even at the State House. The School has performed with the Portland Sea Dogs and Red Claws, on the Ellipse Lawn of the White House, and at Downtown Disney in Orlando. The School has performed for years at Ogunquit Performing Arts, and has become the organization’s annual season opening event.

Carlene Stillson began dancing at the age of four for her aunt, Patricia K. Lenihan, in Connecticut. Carlene has produced successful teams, figure choreographies, multiple New England Oireachtas Champions, topranking North American cham-

March, Loren is joined by her favorite leading men, Clark Gable and Marcello Mastroianni. The films’ genres span farce/drama, Greek tragedy, American romantic comedy, and an Italian comedy anthology.

Although Sophia Loren rose to fame largely due to her pion dancers, and World medal holders. In the past fifteen years, Carlene has adjudicated across North America and Australia.

Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with roots in tradition. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet, and can be performed solo or in groups. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world. In the late 1800s, when the Gaelic League began to organize cultural festivals, Irish step dance developed into a formal competition, with dedicated structures for the competitions built across the globe throughout the 20th Century. These competitions are often called “Feiseanna,” “Feis” for singular. In Irish dance culture, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival.

The curtain time for this event is 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. Admission is $5 and payable at the door. Dunaway Center is located at 23 School St., Ogunquit. Parking is free. For more information, visit www. ogunquitperformingarts.org.

Bo-Mar Hall

looks, she more than proved her acting chops with a series of international hits, and was the first performer to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film. She remains the only living actor named by the American Film Institute’s 100 greatest screen legends.

Sunday, March 5:

The Priest’s Wife (1970)

After being duped by a married man during a four-year affair, a suicidal Rock’n’Roll singer (Loren) on the rebound falls in love with a priest (Mastroianni), who succumbs to her charms and sets her up as his mistress. Will she be cuckolded again, as her lover is seduced by a rise to power within the Catholic Church?

Sunday, March 12:

Desire Under the Elms (1958)

Adapted from a highly controversial 1924 play of the same name by American playwright Eugene O’Neill, “Desire Under the Elms” had been banned for several years in multiple American states, and for more than 15 years in Great Britain. The movie reflects an attempt by O’Neill to adapt plot elements and themes of Greek Tragedy to an 1850sera rural New England setting, a story of forbidden love, desperation, greed and lust that leads to tragedy on a family farm.

Sunday, March 19:

It Started in Naples (1960)

Days before his wedding, a Philadelphia lawyer (Gable) travels to Italy to settle the estate of his estranged younger brother and his “common law” wife, who died in an accident, leaving behind an 8-year-old child. During a heated custody battle with the child’s maternal aunt (Loren), romance blossoms, and Gable decides to stay in Italy. This film is Gable’s last film released in his lifetime, and his last film in color.

Sunday, March 26: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)

This film is the seventh collaboration between Loren and Mastroianni. This Oscar-winning trio of comic tales, reflects three very different women, all played by Loren, using their sexuality to get what they want from three very different men, all played by Mastroianni. The film made a lasting impression on cinematic history in a cult classic scene, where one of Loren’s characters seduces one of the characters, using both her dream figure and her cheeky attitude. In 1965, the film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Films are screened at the Dunaway Center’s community auditorium, 23 School Street, Ogunquit, on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. Admission, parking, and popcorn are all free. For more information, visit www.ogunquitperformingarts.org.

St. Patrick’s Day Party Planning

St. Patrick’s Day is still a few weeks away, but it’s never too early to plan a fun party for it. Each March 17, and even in the days surrounding that date, the world is awash in kelly green. Once again, it is time to pay homage to the patron saint of Ireland, and perhaps engage in a little spirited revelry.

St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to honor St. Patrick, and to celebrate Irish culture. From lively bagpiping to delicious foods to spirited parades, St. Patrick’s Day features many chances for merriment, which can extend to private parties held at home. The event happens to fall on a Friday this year, all the more reason to host the ultimate party. The following are some party-planning ideas to ensure this St. Patrick’s Day is as jovial as ever.

Customize invitations. Get guests in the mood with themed party invitations. Whether paper invites or electronic ones, take advantage of the many designs available online and instore. Entertaining puns and plays on words can be the way to go with invitations, which also can showcase shamrocks and other symbols of St. Patrick’s Day.

Incorporate white and orange. The color green garners its share of attention on St. Patrick’s Day. However, the earliest accounts of St. Patrick associate him with the color blue. Green was later adopted, perhaps in homage to the Emerald Isle. But green is not the only color associated with Ireland, as the nation’s flag can attest. White and orange decorations also can round out displays on St. Patrick’s Day.

Corned Beef and St. Patrick’s Day

NATIONWIDE -

In the United States, consumption of corned beef is often associated with Saint Patrick’s Day. Oddly enough, corned beef is not considered a traditional national dish in Ireland. The connection with Saint Patrick’s Day is actually a part of IrishAmerican culture, when corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish immigrants in the late 19th century. Corned beef and cabbage is the Irish-American variant of the Irish dish of bacon and cabbage. A similar dish is the New England boiled dinner, consisting of corned beef, cabbage, and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Boiled dinners are popular wintertime meals throughout New England.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Serves 6-8

1, 4-5 lb corned beef brisket

1 tsp pickling spice

1 head cabbage

2 lbs potatoes

6 to 8 small carrots

Parsnips (optional)

Turnips (optional)

Place the corned beef in a pot that holds at least five quarts of water. Cover completely with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a simmer.

As soon as bubbles start to break on the surface of the water, adjust the heat so the water simmers very, very gently. With a slotted spoon, skim off the residue that accumulates on the surface. When the residue stops coming to the surface, add the pickling spices.

Continue to cook, with bubbles just gently breaking on the surface, for three to four hours, until fork tender. The meat can be safely held in its water for about two hours; reheat gently.

Cook the vegetables until fork tender in separate pots of boiling fresh water or, especially for the cabbage, use some of the water in which the corned beef was cooked.

Slice the corned beef and serve with mustard and/or horseradish on a platter, surrounded with some of the vegetables or with vegetables in a separate bowl.