The University of Maine at Presque Isle celebrated the completion of $2 million in improvements and energy efficiencies to its major classroom building with an official Rededication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting at Noon on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The event provided community members with their first opportunity to view the renovation work that was done at Folsom Hall, which includes three floors of science labs, computer labs, traditional classrooms, and the University’s major lecture hall. Construction crews outfitted the building with new floors, windows, ceilings, ADA accessible bathrooms, exterior facades, and updated heating and ventilation systems. A&L Construction of Presque Isle served as the general contractor on the renovation project and North Peak Architecture of Presque Isle completed the architectural work. The renovations, the first significant improvements Folsom Hall has received since it was built in 1966, have provided vastly improved educational facilities for students and faculty.

The Apollo 8 mission. The Tet Offensive. The French Student Movement. The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. All of these were major events that happened in 1968 and all of them will be discussed during the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s 1968 Retrospective, to be held November 10-15. The public is invited to attend all activities connected with the Retrospective.

The week-long event commemorates the 40th anniversary of a transformational year in politics, education, science and culture and will include roundtable discussions, presentations, movie screenings, slideshows, musical performances, an art exhibit, and a conversation with journalist and Vietnam War correspondent Richard Dudman. The Retrospective will culminate in a day-long conference covering topics from student demonstrations to Second Wave Feminism to the Cinema of 1968. Event organizers believe this is the only event of its kind happening in Maine, if not New England.

Local kids will unknowingly be getting exercise while taking part in fun activities during the 8th semi-annual Fit and Fun Day, to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Gentile Hall and sponsored by the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Physical Education Majors Club.
The Club has organized the free play day for area children in grades 1-5 to teach them about health and fitness in a fun environment. Activities will include cup stacking, rhythm activities, parachute games, juggling, and ball handling games, and improving motor skill techniques through activities such as throwing with rubber chickens, frogs, and turtles.

Think late fall is a time to bundle up and start getting ready to sit out the winter? Think again. The University’s Outdoor Adventure Program International (OAPI) is offering a series of late fall adventures for campus and community members to enjoy, including rock climbing, backpacking and caving trips.
The fun starts Saturday, Nov. 8 with a rock climbing day trip to Clifton, Maine (rain date is Nov. 9). The group will depart from Gentile Hall at 5:30 a.m. and will return to Presque Isle by 10 p.m. No experience is required. OAPI will provide transportation, climbing equipment and a certified climbing instructor. Cost is $30 for students, $40 for non-students.

Folk singer David Mallett will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Wieden Auditorium to perform his newest work, “The Fable True,” as well as songs from his decades-long career.
Mallett, the quintessential Maine folk singer/songwriter whose work spans four decades, has released a dozen albums worth of songs he wrote and performed. His latest album takes a slightly different tack, setting new melodies to 22 stories in Henry David Thoreau’s book “The Maine Woods.” The album was created, in part, to mark the 150th anniversary of Thoreau’s trip to Maine in 1857.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a Rededication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting for Folsom Hall at Noon on Thursday, Oct. 30 at the building’s entrance. The community is invited to attend.
Folsom Hall, the University’s major classroom building, has received $2 million in improvements, including new floors, windows, ceilings, exterior work, improved ADA accessibility, updated heating and ventilation systems, and many new energy efficiencies. A&L Construction of Presque Isle served as the general contractor on the renovation project. The renovations, the first significant improvements Folsom Hall has received since it was built in 1966, have provided vastly improved educational facilities for students and faculty.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will hold its annual fall blood drive on Thursday, October 23, from noon to 6 p.m. in the Campus Center’s Multi-Purpose Room.
The blood drive is sponsored by the University’s Residence Life Office, the Brothers of Kappa Delta Phi and the Sisters of Kappa Delta Phi NAS. Walk-ins are welcome and door prizes will be given away during the drive.

If donors wish to reserve a time in advance, they should call 768-9585 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.