This year marks the 131st anniversary of the Piscataquis Valley Fair, which began in 1887. The 2018 fair will run from Thursday, Aug. 23 to Sunday, Aug. 26 at the fairgrounds located at 77 Fairview Avenue. The four days will feature exhibitions, rides, concerts and fun for all ages.

The Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Food Mobile will be distributing food, including fresh produce, perishable and non-perishable items, to people in need in the Milo area from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 29 at the Three Rivers Kiwanis, 24 Gerrish Road.

NAMI Piscataquis County is pleased to announce a special program Basic Reflexology for Relaxation to be presented at The Commons at Central Hall by Tara Smith, BA, BSN, CMT at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5. This program is part of the NAMI Connections Senior Support program for older people experiencing the anxiety and/or depression that is so common to this age group.

The East Sangerville Grange is resurrecting its famed tradition of putting on a not-to-miss public dinner. The meal, a “Farm-to-Table Suppah,” is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with “suppah” starting at 6 p.m. Live old-time Americana sting-band music will be played by the local band Timberdoodle.

The Guilford Memorial Library is pleased to be hosting local educator and author Michele Maingot Cabral. She will be doing a presentation about her books series “Waking Up From the American Dream” at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28 the Abbot Historical Society will be meeting at the historic Washington School (pictured) located just outside of Abbot at the corner of Route 15 and the Howard Siding Road.

Upcoming events around the region.

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts recently announced that they updated their mission statement to more clearly reflect their community work. The theatre’s updated mission is “to make arts, culture, education, and entertainment accessible to our rural communities.”

Maine Gov. Paul LePage is waiving state park fees for residents as a show of appreciation. His office said that day use fees will be waived for residents at Maine State Parks and Historic Sites from Saturday, Aug. 11 through Labor Day.

The American Red Cross of Maine and the Brownville Fire Department are teaming up to make town residents safer by installing free smoke alarms in their homes and teaching them about fire safety on Saturday, Aug. 18.

The Maine Red Hot Festival will be back in downtown Dexter on Saturday, Aug. 11 as the third annual event will feature activities, with free admission, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. -- rain or shine.

The 27th annual Maine Forest Heritage Days is scheduled for Aug. 9-12. The weekend includes a bus tour through Maine’s working forest, a craft fair, carriage rides, chainsaw carving, a woodsman demonstration featuring chopping and ax throwing and the regional Game of Logging competition.

Leslie Lizotte, aging and disability resource center specialist from the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, will be holding a Medicare 101 class at the Piscataquis County office building (Peaks House) located at 163 East Main Street from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Aug. 15.

Bring your inner child and see a show for free. The Wayside Grange and Theatre is a proud sponsor of the free Frogtown Puppeteers show at the Maine Red Hot Dog Festival in downtown Dexter at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11. Great entertainment for all ages.

In August of 1818, a group of 15 settlers chartered a Baptist Church in Parkman. Soon thereafter, Zenas Hall was ordained at the home of Elias Merrill and became the church’s first minister. In 1831 the meeting house where Parkman Baptist Church currently gathers was built and in 1833 a bell was installed in the belfry.

The fourth annual Dexter Sunrise Kiwanis CRUISE-IN will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 (rain date is Aug. 5) in the parking lot at the Ridge View Community School on Fern Road off Route 94.

Upcoming events around the region.

This weekend the annual Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming and Foxcroft Academy’s 2018 Alumni Weekend together will feature a number of events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.