Calling all shy, lazy actors. A play reading of “A Flea in Her Ear” will be at the Wayside Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. No experience needed, no lines to memorize, no rehearsals, no stage directions or costumes. Just sit on the stage, read a part (or two or three depending) and have fun. Scripts provided at the reading.

Blood drives will be held in the region, on Friday, Aug. 23 from noon to 5 p.m. at Mayo Regional Hospital, 897 West Main Street, in Dover-Foxcroft and Friday, Aug. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Greenville American Legion, 218 Pritham Avenue.

The Parkman Grange needs the community’s help. The Grange well has run dry and a new one must be drilled immediately in order to carry on scheduled and planned activities, such as the upcoming Smoke Off (Sept. 14) and the annual Military Appreciation Supper (Oct. 19).

“Relocating the 100 Mile Wilderness,” a presentation by Dave Field, overseer of Lands for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and trail worker in Maine for 64 years, will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Monson Historical Society.

Upcoming events around the region.

The Parkman Grange will host its first Great Parkman Grange Smoke Off on Saturday, Sept. 14. Contestants can win up to $200 in prizes. Entry is free and you can get a discount on your meet purchase with Herring Brothers. Grange officials ask that you register by Aug. 31.

August is one of my favorite months, not only because it’s usually nice and warm for boating and swimming at beautiful Moosehead Lake, but also because of all the activities offered in and around Greenville. This August is an especially busy one – there are so many things to pick and choose from. Here’s a sampling to consider for the weekend of August 16-18

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts is presenting a live theatrical version of “Tuesdays With Morrie” in Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville between Aug. 17 and Sept. 8. The funny and heartwarming play was written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom and is based on the New York Times bestselling book written by Mitch Albom.

Upcoming events around the region.

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. 14 at 1 p.m. at The Commons at Central Hall, NAMI Piscataquis County will present the first in the Depression and Anxiety Secrets series entitled “SSRIs, Antidepressants, and Alternative Remedies: Understanding Your Options.”

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.”

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.

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.

Upcoming events around the region.