The Guilford Memorial 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 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. The series “Mysteries by Maine Authors” begins at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at the Guilford Memorial Library, and continues for five sessions through Tuesday, May 28.

There are lots of free programs being offered at the Abbott Memorial Makerspace in January.

Upcoming events around the region.

The Center Theatre and the Slightly Off-Center Players are looking for directors for two shows in 2019. The first, “Seussical Jr.,” is a magical musical romp through the land of Dr. Seuss. This kid's production will be performed the first two weekends in May.

The Center Theatre announced that it will be screening the award-winning film "Farmer of the Year" starting on Friday, Jan. 18. The comedy-drama, produced by Vermont-based Yellow House Films, has played festivals around the U.S. It has picked up honors such as the New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival and audiences have praised its authenticity and humor.

Being faced with loose ends after someone dies is the topic of Pine Tree Hospice’s Jan. 15 Lunch ‘N Learn, held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church. Donna Peterson, Piscataquis County register of probate, will present “Tying up Loose Ends.”

Soul loss and soul recovery of warriors following combat is the specialty of Edward Tick, PhD. His healing strategies to address these wounds and PTSD through psycho-spiritual therapy will be explored in a video presentation at NAMI’s Trauma Healing Session at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10 at The Commons at Central Hall. Normalizing the traumatic experience while passing through the healing transformational process leads to depathologizing PTSD.

January, the perennial fresh start, can feel a bit anticlimactic, even weighted with pressure from loose ends of the past year to the bright, uncertain promises of a new one. So, it’s the perfect time to visit the Thompson Free Library (TFL) in Dover-Foxcroft, where our programs, like our collection, feature plenty of your favorite elements mixed with new concepts and new faces -- all in a welcoming setting.

Upcoming events around the region.

Over 80 beautiful parrots will celebrate the holidays at a free open house on Saturday, Dec. 29 from noon to 4 p.m. at Siesta Sanctuary, 104 Brown Road. There is no snow date.

Upcoming events around the region.

Three Rivers Kiwanis will be serving Christmas dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 25 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Kiwanis Headquarters building, 15 Harris Pond Road, off Park Street. The Penquis Valley High School Key Club will be helping serve along with many volunteers from the community.

On Dec. 2 a dozen locals braved icy conditions to attend an informational meeting about the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Organizer Laurie Sproul explained the group’s mission to “put a price on carbon.” She described her most recent lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., and announced that a bipartisan bill has been sponsored in the House of Representatives.

Light, camera, action! On Monday, Dec. 17 the Center Theatre is proud to announce that it will be hosting an advance screening of the new action-packed Transformers movie "Bumblebee" nearly a week before it opens to the public nationwide. Thanks to the work of the Foxcroft Academy, Dexter Regional High School, and Greenville High School Key Clubs with the Thirst Project, Paramount Pictures has offered this movie, at no charge to the theatre and guests, to be screened at Center Theatre as a thank-you for the students' efforts.

On Sunday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. Susan Ramsey & The North Country Strings perform "A North Country Christmas" at the Center Theatre, 20 East Main Street. The program is rescheduled from Dec. 2.

On Friday night, Dec. 7, the Center Theatre and the Slightly Off-Center Players debuted a new work by award-winning playwright Bobby Keniston. His new work “A Wicked Christmas Carol” brings Dickens’ classic story “A Christmas Carol” to the land of Oz and casts it with characters from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Upcoming events around the region.

In your grief, do you feel that you haven’t been able to take time for you, for a walk, a ride, or to get a haircut? “Self-Care for the Bereaved,” presented by Sherry Corbin, R.N., M.S., is the topic of Pine Tree Hospice’s Lunch ‘n Learn Program from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church.