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Patti’s Aug. 7 “Inside New Gloucester”

disc golf

Kristina Sabasteanski displays a limited edition Pineland Farms disc after she and Brian Giggey cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Pineland Farms Disc Golf Course, July 25. Giggey, owner of Explore Disc Golf in Amherst, Mass., is the course designer. Sabasteanski is the director of the VAST (Veterans Adaptive Sports and Training) Program at Pineland Farms, a free program open to veterans with disabilities. A portion of the proceeds from disc golf sales benefit the VAST program.     Photo by Patti Mikkelsen

Disc Golf to Benefit Veterans

Flying disc sightings at Pineland Farms have been reported as of late. These round objects are not from outer space, but rather relate to a new sport available there – disc golf. This is the newest activity offered by the VAST (Veterans Adaptive Sports and Training) Program at Pineland Farms, a free program open to veterans with disabilities and veterans who volunteer to lend assistance.

At the July 25 grand opening of the nine-hole course, VAST Director Kristina Sabasteanski said, “We had applied for an adaptive sports grant from the VA, and it was decided to allocate part of the money for a disc golf course. We’re trying to include the younger veterans who can come out to play after work. Our programs normally take place on weekday mornings, so some can’t make it then. We’re having a free veterans’ night coming up. If we have success, maybe we’ll do it once or twice a month.”

Disc golf is open to the public. Sign up at the Outdoor Center, located directly below The Market and Welcome Center at Pineland Farms, 15 Farm Drive, New Gloucester. Hours of operation are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekends.

The charge is $5 per round per person and $8 to play all day. Disc rentals are $1 each. A portion of the proceeds from disc golf sales benefit the VAST program. For more information, call 688-6599, go to www.pinelandfarms.org, or check Pineland Farms’ Facebook page.

Patti Mikkelsen’s full column in the Lakes Region Weekly hasn’t been posted on Current Publishing’s website yet, so pick up a free paper at several locations around New Gloucester, such as convenience stores, post office, transfer station, Pineland Farms, and many other locales.