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Upcoming
Events
2022
Friday May 20, 2022
An Evening with Bernd Heinrich 7:30 p.m. On May 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m., internationally renowned author, field biologist, illustrator, and long distance runner Bernd Heinrich will appear at the Chesterville Center Meeting House. After a childhood in the forest of post-war northern Europe, then Weld and Fairfield, Maine, and an academic career spanning the continent, Heinrich has retired to his true home, a forest in Weld. He will reflect on the significance of Franklin County in his long life and entertain questions from the audience on any of his works. Having set numerous distance running records and authored 2 dozen books on various nature topics as well as on running, the conversation could range broadly. "The more unusual the question, the better," he smiled, when asked about potential topics.
Admission is free. We accept donations at the door. The building and outhouse are wheelchair accessible. The Chesterville Center Union Meeting House is a non-profit-run community events center supported by volunteers, located at 3 Borough Road in Chesterville. FMI call 778-3513. or 320-5022 Coming Soon June 2022  |
The Meeting House is maintained and owned by a non-profit organization called Chesterville Center Union Meeting House, Inc. This corporation was formed in the 1960's for the purpose of raising funds "to restore and maintain the Chesterville Union meeting house as a place of worship...without favor or discrimination...it being the purpose of the corporation to encourage religious activities of all creeds as first instituted by the Union Meeting House Society upon its organization in 1851."
In 2005 the Meeting House organization was revitalized and the corporate purposes were amended to include arts, culture and community-building. In 2013, the corporation received an IRS non-profit 501(c)3 designation and applied for a grant from the Davis Family Foundation of Falmouth, Maine. In April 2014 the Davis Family Foundation awarded the Chesterville Center Union Meeting House, Inc. a grant in the amount of $10,000 for construction of an accessible restroom facility and wheelchair ramp.
This Fall (2014) the Board and other community volunteers have spent approximately 200 hours on design and construction of the restroom, ramp, and entryway. The goal is to have the restroom structure closed in by winter. Further grant funds will be sought to complete this project and to add a heating system to make the building available during cold weather. It is hoped that this beautiful antique and historic building will be even more useful to not only current residents, but for generations to come.
Chesterville ConnectionsThe vision of the Board is that the Meeting House will be seen by Chesterville residents as a community resource - a place to hold events, from concerts to exhibits, to readings, presentations, movies, exhibits, children's shows and events, and other things yet to be thought of. Chesterville remains a tight-knit community despite its sprawling geography, and it is hoped that this commodious building will inspire more interaction among residents and serve as a common center for connecting with neighbors near and far, for bringing people together from all corners of town, and to encourage the strong sense of "community" in Chesterville.
