Wildlife viewing abundant at Maine Wildlife Park

By Ed Pierce

The Maine Wildlife Park has been around since the 1990s, but for the 2026 season, visitors to the park will discover some distinct changes.

The newest animal at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray is a
1-year-old bobcat named Moxie who joined 30 different
Maine wildlife species there this spring after sustaining
an injury that didn't allow her to be returned to her
natural habitats.  COURTESY PHOTO 

Located at 56 Game Park Road in Gray, the park is home to 30 different Maine wildlife species, including its newest animal, a one-year-old bobcat named Moxie. The bobcat has tiny tufts of fur from the top of her ears to the black and white tip of her signature bobbed tail.

Moxie joined the wildlife park this spring after sustaining an injury that didn’t allow her to be returned to her natural habitats. Like all the other animals at the wildlife park, many are here because they were injured or orphaned, and others because they are human dependent having been raised in captivity.

The Maine Wildlife Park is owned and operated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is within the Division of Information and Education. Besides the animals, park visitors can enjoy wildlife gardens, nature trails, picnic areas, the park visitor center, a nature store, and other attractions.

Almost every species cared for at the wildlife park are native to Maine. Many animals in the park’s care are permanent, non-releasable residents that have been placed at the park for a variety of reasons, including human dependence, illegal human possession, as orphans, or with permanent injuries. Sources for these animals include wildlife rehabilitators, law enforcement, and other captive wildlife facilities. Most of the animals are not undergoing rehabilitation but are there because they cannot survive in the wild and should not be released. They are given a place to live safely at the wildlife park, while serving as ambassadors for their species, educating thousands annually about Maine’s native wildlife.

Park animals are herbivorous, omnivorous, and carnivorous animals and their diets range from browsing leaves, buds and twigs of woody shrubs and trees to red meat, chicken, and mice. Road-killed deer and moose are used for the carnivores whenever available. Most of the park’s wildlife is fed once a day but feeding times, quantities, and techniques vary considerably.

Among larger mammals to see are black bears, Canada lynx, cougars, white-tailed deer and a moose. There are also beavers, fisher cats, coyotes, raccoons, red foxes, skunks, grey foxes and bobcats. The park is home to porcupines, woodchucks, flying squirrels and small rodents, along with wood turtles, great horned owls, wild turkeys, bald eagles, and more.

The Maine Warden Museum is also on the grounds of the Maine Wildlife Park and features informative videos about the Maine Warden Service, memorabilia and equipment including a canoe, vintage snowmobile and an older model three-wheeler.

Visitors can tour the adjacent Dry Mills Fish Hatchery with a new interpretive building and trout pond there, trout observation tanks and thousands of brook trout which are raised at the hatchery every year.

This year the Maine Wildlife Park is allowing guests to use credit cards to pay for entry. And for the first time, visitors are now able to purchase Maine Wildlife Park passes online, either for the entire season or for single-day admission.

Through October, the Maine Wildlife Park is open seven days a week at 9:30 a.m. and the gate closes at 4:30 p.m. but visitors inside the park are welcome to stay until 6 p.m. The park does close during severe weather.

For more specific details, visit https://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife-park/ or find them on Facebook. <

St. Anthony's of Padua Parish Summer Festival getting ready to return to Windham

By Masha Yurkevich

If you are looking for a fun and affordable event with something for the whole family, mark your calendars for the 5th annual St. Anthony's Parish Summer Festival which is taking place later this month in Windham.

The Fifth annual St. Anthony of Padua Summer Festival will 
be held on the grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church in Windham on Saturday, June 27 and features live
music, vendor booths, a silent auction, a yard sale, a plant
sale, food, and raffles. FILE PHOTO 
    

The event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 27 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 919 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. The festival will consist of a large yard sale, live music, games for children, raffles, and a variety of Italian, Mexican, and American food, along with homemade baked goods and it serves as both a community gathering and a fundraiser supporting ministries of the parish and outreach efforts.

Admission and parking are free, and visitors can browse vendors, enjoy entertainment and purchase food and raffle tickets throughout the day leading to a 4 p.m. Mass, which will be followed by a free community dinner hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

Festival organizers say that food remains one of the biggest draws of the annual event. In addition to longtime favorites such as pizza, pasta and fried dough, this year's festival will feature authentic Salvadoran pupusas and homemade Thai egg rolls prepared by parishioners, as well as hamburgers and other classic American fare served by the Knights of Columbus. Homemade baked goods will also be available throughout the day.

Rosiana Davis, co-chair of the festival alongside Carol Kennie, said the event is designed not only for parish members but for the entire community.

“We really try to gear this toward the community, not just our church community, but the entire community,” Davis said. “Everyone is invited.”

In addition to the food offerings, guests can enjoy a large rummage sale, plant sale, bake sale, jewelry table, silent auction and children’s activities including face painting and games.

A new roulette-style prize game will make its debut this year, giving participants the chance to win prizes for just a dollar per play. The yard sale portion of the festival will also be open from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, June 26 in the church hall.

Another returning favorite is the “Gift Tree” featuring about $500 worth of gift cards donated by parishioners and local businesses. Visitors can enter the raffle with tickets priced at $3 each, two for $5 or five for $10.

According to Davis, the festival has become increasingly popular in recent years because it offers families an inexpensive way to spend the day together while supporting the local community.

“I think people want to come because it is economical,” she said. “You can bring the whole family and not feel like it is an expensive event.”

She said organizers work hard to keep prices reasonable and affordable so that everyone has an opportunity to attend and take part in the festivities. Davis also emphasized the safe, welcoming atmosphere created by volunteers from across the three churches which make up St. Anthony of Padua Parish.

While proceeds from the event help support church maintenance and ministries, Davis said that the broader mission is strengthening connections throughout the community.

“This festival is put on with love and care for our community,” she said. “We want people to come together, have fun and feel welcome.”

Organizers encourage first-time visitors to stop by.

“Come check it out,” Davis said. “The food will be great, the people are very sweet, and it is a fun day for the whole family. With free admission, free parking and a full day of activities planned, organizers hope the community will come together once again to celebrate the start of summer while supporting the parish and its outreach efforts.” <

Author donates copies of new kids’ book to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

Acting together as a team, children’s book author Jeanine Deas, formerly of Windham and Oliver & Friends Bookshop owner Renee Cunningham have donated 10 free copies of Deas’ new children’s book, “ABC Ducks of Deering Oaks Park,” to MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.

Children's author Jeanine Deas, formerly of Windham, has
donated 10 free copies of her new children's book 'ABC
Ducks of Deering Oaks Park' to MaineHealth Barbara
Bush Children's Hospital in Portland. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The children’s hospital is a 15-minute walk from Deering Oaks Park and its much-beloved ducks and Victorian-style duck house.

According to Sharon Granville, the John D. Bancroft, M.D. Child Life Program Manager at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, the young readers often love a particular book so much they want to take it home with them, which is perfectly fine for the hospital.

“I’m passionate about children and children’s literature, so it delights me to have ‘ABC Ducks’ shared with the children at Barbara Bush Hospital,” said Deas, who collaborated on the popular picture book with Maine illustrator Andrew Bourassa, another former Windham resident.

Oliver & Friends Bookshop owner Renee Cunningham of Waterville agrees.

“Providing copies of this lovely picture book to the children at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital was a true community collaboration, and I'm so proud to have been a part of it,” Cunningham said.

Funds needed for the purchase and shipping of copies of “ABC Ducks of Deering Oaks Park” to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland were quickly raised by a half-dozen small-donation donors: friends, family members, and fellow church members of Jeanine’s Deas.

Jeanine (Belanger) Deas is a graduate of Windham High School and Andrew Bourassa lived in Windham from 2020 to 2024 as a Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, a coach with HomeStart, and a volunteer at the Maine State Correctional Institute.

Featuring whimsical, rib-tickling illustrations drawn by Bourassa, "ABC Ducks of Deering Oaks Park" has already been hailed by long-time Dish magazine book reviewer Rachel Gladstone as “a charming book for kiddos who get to learn their ABCs with help from their fine-feathered friends.”

It’s a playful alphabet book set in one of Portland, Maine’s most beloved green spaces. From waddling and quacking to splashing and zigzagging, 26 lively ducks introduce young readers to the alphabet through simple actions and engaging scenes.

Designed for pre-K through grade 3, this charming early reader supports letter recognition, vocabulary building, and early reading skills. Set around the real Deering Oaks Pond, the book also gently celebrates curiosity, individuality, and community.

With expressive illustrations and a warm sense of place, ABC Ducks of Deering Oaks Park is perfect for shared reading at home, classroom use, and young readers just beginning their reading journey.

The book is available through 12WillowsPress and supports letter recognition, vocabulary building, and early reading skills.

For more details about the “ABC Ducks of Deering Oaks Park” book, visit https://12willowspress.com/home/books/abc-ducks/ <