Several dozen area residents braved four miles filled with obstacles to complete the 2017 Tough Mountain Challenge on July 29 at Sunday River.

When I first met the slender, dark-haired nursing home resident I was the home's 19-year-old dishwasher. The nursing home owner was showing me around. We stepped into a room where, to my right, the slender woman, in her mid-fifties, confined to an adult high chair, was eating food from a tray. She and I looked at each other while the owner said we were in a part of the home for residents, like this woman, who can neither speak, nor write.

Reminders of “back to school” and autumn bombard us, in stores and online, signaling the dog days of summer are ending. But don’t bury your head in the sand, take advantage of the interesting, informative, and entertaining programs at the Thompson Free Library.

In conjunction with Foxcroft Academy’s Alumni Weekend and the Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming, the 21st annual Pony Pride will be open to all and run at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. For the second year in a row, the event is starting and ending on the campus of Foxcroft Academy.

The Brownville–Brownville Junction Historical Society and Parish House Museum volunteers would like to thank all who contributed photos, negatives and offered artwork for use as a basis for the book cover contest announced last month.

Have you ever felt the urge to visit where your ancestor lived? Sometimes we are literally able to walk in our ancestor’s footsteps and I recommend it.

Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Jack Clukey thought it would be a good idea to get businesses more involved in the milestone anniversary as 95 years ago this summer the towns of Dover and Foxcroft became one.

Question: What’s more exciting than winning a million dollars in Powerball? Answer: Winning a moose hunting permit in the Maine Moose Lottery.

Upcoming July and August events

The 13th annual Piscataquis River Festival returns on Saturday, July 29 with a day of events in the downtown area. The 2017 festival features a theme of “Once Upon a Time.”