The Maine Red Hot Festival will be back in downtown Dexter on Saturday, Aug. 10 as the fourth annual event will feature activities with free admission from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- rain or shine.

Every five years Bowerbank Days returns to the community on the shores of Sebec Lake and in 2019 the festival features events in the village on the evening of Friday, Aug. 9 and throughout the day on Saturday, Aug. 10 with a theme of “We Love Bowerbank -- Hook, Line & Sinkah.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter will be hosting one of the Chewonki’s Foundation’s most popular traveling natural history programs “Owls of Maine.”

Daniel O. Hurd Jr. served as parade marshal for the 2019 Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming parade on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3, a “Home on the Range -- Take 2” procession rescheduled due to rain one year prior.

The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District has opened registration for final sessions in its popular Families in the Outdoors series. Families in the Outdoors was started in 2018 from a grant received by the Davis Conservation Foundation. The goal of this program is to engage with families outdoors and provide fun, educational opportunities to learn and play together.

On Tuesday evening, July 30 nearly 40 people gathered at the Brownville Community Church to view home movies recorded in Brownville Junction and along both the Canadian Pacific and the Bangor & Aroostook rail lines by Sam Michaud and his son Andrew in the 1940s and 1950s.

Have you ever wondered about the stone wall you found when walking through the woods? Have you questioned why anyone would build a wall in the woods? Many of your questions will be answered on Thursday, Aug. 8 at the Abbott Museum on Church Street in Dexter. Kevin Gardner of Hopkinton, New Hampshire will present a program on the history of New England stone walls.

The peak months for shark activity in New England waters are August and September. To celebrate this annual event, the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter will be showing the 1975 classic film about a giant man-eating great white shark that attacks beachgoers in a New England summer resort town. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss.

Pollinators are vital to food production all over the world. In Maine, examples of well-known pollinators include butterflies, birds, beetles and of course, bees. In June, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) worked with local volunteers to plant its “Pollinator Sunflower Garden,” a garden space for the public to enjoy, observe and learn about native pollinators. In celebration of this new addition to the Law Farm, the PCSWCD will be holding a free Pollinators! event on Friday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Law Farm.

The annual Piscataquis River Festival returned to Guilford on Saturday with a morning parade celebrating the theme “Got Wood?”

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved book, the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft is producing “Little Women the Broadway Musical” (music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, book by Allan Knee.) The Center Theatre is seeking both a motivated director and music director, or someone with the energy and skills to do both.

The Tisbury Manor Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution welcomed a new member at the June meeting. Nancy Trogdon joined, proving her lineage to Revolutionary War veteran Thomas Taylor from North Carolina who provided civil service to the new nation by serving as a juror and overseer of the roads.

On Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. the Abbot Historical Society will host the H.J. Crosby Band at the Abbot Town Hall for an outdoor concert. In case of rain the band will play inside at 7 p.m. Following the concert there will be a free ice cream social.

“I’m going to open doors for you, doors you never dreamed existed.” Rosalind Russell utters those memorable words as she ascends her impossibly lavish and dramatic staircase in the final scene of the wonderful film “Auntie Mame.” This August promises to open new doors -- for all ages -- at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft.

Summertime in Maine is typified by fairs and festivals featuring fun, food and raffles. This year at Dexter’s Hot Dog Festival on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Dexter Public Health Association will raffle a summery quilt called “Sidewalk Chalk” by its creator, Rosemarie O’Toole.

The Center Theatre's first Summer Drama Camp in Monson came to a rousing conclusion on Saturday, July 20 during Monson Summerfest with a performance of “Bedbugs,” written by Leah Genuario. The cast of colorful kids and an audience of 70 onlookers ignored the high heat and celebrated the completion of camp.

One thing I noticed years ago after moving to Piscataquis County was the large presence of “crafters” and artists. Coming from New York City I thought at the time it was quaint, a feature of rural living. But I now see it not only as a part of rural culture, but also as a significant element in maintaining longevity and health.

David Dodson and The Lowdown will play their folk, rock, blues, jazz and country music at 7 p.m. at the Wayside Theatre at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 27. Tickets are $12. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. No reservations are needed.