This will be the 15th annual Thanksgiving dinner offered to the community, by the community. The meal is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22 at the Guilford United Methodist Church on the corner of North Main and School streets. Take-out meals are available. Delivered meals and rides to the event may be offered if enough volunteers are available.

We all need something to look forward to. Anticipation of moments big and small can motivate, create excitement, or ease anxiety. It can help us through a tough time or a long day. Your mouth waters just thinking about that special Thanksgiving dish, you perk up after making a lunch date with a friend, smile at the prospect of browsing that cute shop, and get psyched when your favorite author is writing a new book: “Put me on the list!” (the library patron’s favorite refrain!). November at the Thompson Free Library will give you plenty to look forward to and wanting more.

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts will be presenting a Pirate Dinner Theater at the Commons Event Center at Central Hall on Saturday, Nov. 10. There will be two shows on the 10th, a 2 p.m. show for kids and a 6 p.m. show for all ages which will include a cash bar by Pat's Pizza. Food and drinks are included in the ticket price for each show and a show-only ticket with no dinner is available for the evening performance.

Ed Hummel, retired meteorologist now living in Garland and a supporter of Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT), will once again present an overall look at how weather works on the planet, how it’s been changing recently, and implications for the area. This free public workshop is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 10 at the Abbott Memorial Library.

The Wassabec Genealogy Chapter members are pleased to have as a guest speaker Peter M. Smith of the Maine Genealogical Society and host of the Central Maine DNA Interest Group in Winslow. Smith will be at the next meeting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Mayo Regional Hospital conference rooms.

Advance care planning isn’t just for those with life-limiting illnesses – but for all of us. Pine Tree Hospice is offering a free informative seminar at the Thayer Parkway Community Room from 9:30 a.m. to noon. on Monday, Nov. 12.

The Commons at Central Hall would like to honor this body of knowledge that is passed down among members of our culture, and share a space that welcomes and celebrates everyone. This year, our first year after a long restoration, we will be hosting an annual Fall Folk Festival. Please join us this Saturday, Nov. 3 from 2-7 p.m. as we fill the building with educational demonstrations, vendors, live music, and tasty treats.

The students and staff of SAD 4 are inviting area veterans and the general public to attend their annual Veteran’s Day celebration at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9. “We’ve certainly created a tradition,” noted John Keane, Piscataquis Community High School principal. “We’ve been hosting these celebrations for over a decade. But it’s a tradition that seems to have more meaning every year and it’s anything but a habit -- every year we create some differences.”

As part of the development of a Lifelong Learning curriculum geared specifically to older learners who are interested in exploring new topics, The Commons at Central Hall is offering a six-session course that will help to answer some of these questions. If you are interested in figuring out a way to improve your life and health without giving up or buying in to the “medicalization” of your body, sign up now for “Taking Charge of Your Health” at The Commons at Central Hall in Dover-Foxcroft starting on Monday, Nov. 12, taught by local physician Dr. Lesley Fernow.

Pine Tree Hospice and AARP are sponsoring a free family movie, screening “The Bucket List,” with popcorn, water, tea, coffee ,and juice at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Center Theatre.

The Piscataquis County Extension Association will hold its annual meeting from 5-7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 at Dover Foxcroft Congregational Church, 824 West Main Street, There will be a brief business meeting before supper, featuring pork loins from Farm in the Woods in Monson, served by DKB Catering of Greenville.

The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) is co-hosting a “Climate Change: Forest & Ecosystem Impacts” presentation with the University of Maine’s Piscataquis County Extension Office, and the Natural Resource Education Center at Moosehead (NREC). It will be held Friday, Nov. 9 at the Center for Moosehead History, 6 Lakeview Street in downtown Greenville, and will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

Doors at the East Sangerville Grange open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 for its renowned annual Holiday Craft Fair.

Land is a valuable resource and asset to residents of Piscataquis County. Those that have land have passion for maintaining, using and protecting it. Additionally, most landowners have hopes and dreams for the future of their land. With all this in mind, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) has hosted several land future planning (succession) workshops over the past three years and are thrilled to be hosting speaker Jessica Leahy for an evening program from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Monson Arts Center to discuss planning a future for your land.

Upcoming events around the region.

On Friday, Nov. 2 Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT) will host Dexter Regional High School’s Key Club at the monthly free public discussion held every first Friday at 6 p.m. at the Abbott Memorial Library.

A number of events are planned for the weekend and on Halloween as part of the annual Dover-Foxcroft Halloween BooNanza. A full schedule and more information is available at http://www.boonanza.info/.

On Friday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. the Center Theatre will be hosting its second annual Pumpkin Jam Battle of the Bands Fall Fundraiser. The event brings three favorite local bands together to compete for a cash prize and bragging right for the year. This year, Troy Youngblood and Deb Maynard's Little Big Band will be trying to knock last year's winners the Doughty Hill Band off their pedestal.