RUM, RIOT AND MURDER

Martin Luther King Day will be a day on, not a day off for Waldo County residents who participate in The Game Loft's annual “Issues on Trial” program. This year's trial will focus on ethnic diversity and discrimination in the 1850's. The trial focuses on fictional rum-seller Patrick Dolan who is accused of murdering Constable Hiram Ruggles after a political rally erupts into a riot in New Salem, Maine. Although the facts of the trial are mythical, the issues of immigration, ethnic tensions, temperance, and politics are important issues in Maine history. More than 40 teen and adult volunteers representing different sectors of the community will participate in bringing history to life. Volunteers are needed to act as jury members or observers and to express their views on non-violence and diversity during a reflection period after the trial. This trial is the culmination of a 30-hour learning enrichment program for high school students run by The Game Loft.

The event will be held from 1-4:30 pm at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship hall on Miller Street in Belfast. There is no cost and refreshments will be served.

The event is sponsored by The Game Loft, the Maine Commission for Community Service, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, and sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank. For more information please call Patricia Estabrook at 338-3800.