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.

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/.

Many times we are asked “what does the American Legion do?,” “why should I belong?,” and “what’s in it for me?” These questions hang out there because we do a poor job to telling our story. To answer the first question, the American Legion is the largest veterans service organization in the United States standing on four pillars of service -- veterans affairs & rehabilitation, national security, Americanism, and children & youth.

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, Oct. 24.

Members of the community are invited to attend the Piscataquis Regional YMCA annual meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25. The meeting will be held at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA at 48 Park Street.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that 17 community health centers in Maine will receive a total of $4,980,138 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Expanding Access to Quality Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services (SUD-MH) awards. This funding will better equip health centers to help individuals and families overcome substance use disorders and improve mental health.

To support those who are grieving, Pine Tree Hospice holds an adult evening bereavement support group on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month in Dover-Foxcroft. Many people seek and find comfort by sharing their feelings of pain, emotions and thoughts in a group setting. Others may never say a word but because the participants in the group have the shared experience of the death of a loved one, they are able to show understanding and empathy to one another.

The JD Foundation is setting up fall and winter classes and support groups. If interested in being a presenter for suicide awareness in the community or a co-facilitator for bereavement groups, please call 876-2295. There is always room for more people who want to help.

October in Maine has a cinematic feel. From the red, orange, and yellow-tinged backdrops to the fallen leaves swirling in the wind to the jack o’ lantern grinning from the porch. One minute a bittersweet Lifetime romance, the next the ominous foreshadowing of “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” before culminating in a tension building scene straight out of “Halloween.” Whatever lens you view the month through, the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft has programs to fit your shifting mood as autumn takes hold and All Hallow’s Eve approaches.

With so many struggling churches and businesses in our community, it is wonderful to see a ray of sunshine at the Guilford United Methodist Church.

The final Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society meeting of 2018 was held at the museum with seven members and one guest attending.

Jody Arno is no stranger to Dover-Foxcroft. At her very core, she is a lover of community who is often found supporting local non-profits through hours of volunteerism and has been involved in the creation of dozens of community-based events over the years such as Piscataquis Hometown Holidays and the Piscataquis Heritage Hot Air Balloon Festival. She has always been motivated by her deep desire to provide meaningful, memorable moments for families who live here, and by her deep appreciation for the history of Dover-Foxcroft.

The town of Guilford’s annual Harvest Fair will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 with many of the events taking place at the museum and Braeburn lot on North Main Street. The rain date will be Saturday, Oct. 6.

Tisbury Manor Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) was awarded a certificate for outstanding accomplishments in attaining Chapter Achievement Award Level 1 for 2017.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, a founding member of the Congressional Rural Hospitals Caucus and the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, has announced a grant to benefit several towns in the eastern Piscataquis County area served by Three Rivers Ambulance as part of the ongoing effort to combat the opioid epidemic.

This fall Mayo Regional Hospital, in collaboration with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system, based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, will begin offering TeleEmergency services to its patients, keeping quality health services close to home and increasing access to highly specialized care.