Tina Gerickont of Cambridge is the grand prize winner in the Piscataquis Observer’s annual Find the Whoopie Pie Contest. Gerickont was chosen from a pool of 10 weekly winners in which entrants successfully located a whoopie pie hidden in one of that week’s advertisements.

Upcoming events around the region.

The Center Theatre has announced the schedule for the 2018 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival being held on Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Dover-Foxcroft. The 10th annual festival opens at 10 a.m. with 25 bakers from across the state, including lead sponsor Shaw's Supermarkets, bringing over 40,000 whoopie pies to share with hungry whoopie pie fans. The full schedule and more information about the festival can be found at www.MaineWhoopiePieFestival.com.

Following a successful pilot project during the summer of 2017, the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation (MLREDC) will launch the first full summer season of the festive Artisan Village at 35 Pritham Avenue on the Moosehead lakefront in Greenville. Four colorful cottages will house different artists from all over Maine beginning the weekend of June 23-24 and then Thursday through Monday from June 28 through Sunday, Sept. 10.

Lately, high profile suicides have blanketed the news – the shocking deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain make people wonder, how can someone who appears to have everything do this kind of thing? Why would they leave their family in tatters, especially impacting their young children left behind? The JD Foundation in Abbot, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this October, is working to address this each and every day.

The Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society’s Observer Building Museum will be opening for the season on the day of the 2018 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday June 23. This year the museum have a new display about East Dover.

The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department, Center Theatre and the Commons at Central Hall have announced an opportunity for the public to own one of a limited edition set of the new Dover-Foxcroft Police patches. The patches, designed by high school and middle school students, will be framed by Green Door Gallery and will be the first opportunity for the member of the public to own one of the new patches.

Leslie Lizotte, aging and disability resource center specialist from the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, will be holding a Medicare 101 presentation in the Sebec Room at Mayo Regional Hospital at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 21.

The Shaw Public Library has been selected by the Maine Humanities Council to offer “Let’s Talk About It,” a free reading and discussion group with copies of the books available through the library. This program is provided by the Maine Humanities Council’s Maine Center for the Book in cooperation with the Maine State Library.

Upcoming events around the region.

It is not uncommon for landowners in Piscataquis County to own several acres of woodland. There are a variety of options for these residents to manage their woodlots and over the years, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) has worked to provide educational programming on techniques and practices that can be used to better and profit from their woodlots. District staff are excited to be offering a low impact forestry workshop at the Law Farm public land, offering yet another informative session to help landowners better manage their woodlots.

Summer is in the air … and the annual Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Auction is right around the corner. The auction will be held Thursday, July 26 to Sunday, July 29 at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds with all the old traditions and exciting events attendees look forward to each year.

On Friday, June 22 the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) will host a gravel road maintenance workshop from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building, 48 Morton Avenue.

The Center Theatre hosted the first preliminary event for the Central Maine Talent Search on June 2. By the end of the evening, the three-judge panel and the 120-person audience had chosen Aidan Manning and Parker Kelley as the winners of the event. Both will continue on to the grand finale Sept. 15 where they will be eligible to win $500 and other prizes.

Upcoming events around the region.

Allen Monroe from the Milo Historical Society spoke about the early history of Milo and presented a brief slide show at the May meeting of the Milo Garden Club. On Tuesday, June 12, planning for the August club fair will take place at Three Rivers Kiwanis Headquarters at noon.

The Friends of Maine State Parks, in cooperation with the Bureau of Parks and Lands, are pleased to announce a pilot program to provide Maine State Park Vehicle Passes for day-use at Maine State Parks to 10 community libraries across the state.

June marks a new chapter for Dover-Foxcroft’s 120-year-old Thompson Free Library. Director Helen Fogler retired after 21 years and has passed the torch to Orono native Greta Schroeder, who has worked in various libraries, most recently, McArthur in Biddeford and has a MS degree in Library and Information Science.