The 133rd edition of the Piscataquis Valley Fair in Dover-Foxcroft has been postponed until next year due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair, originally scheduled for Aug. 27-30, will be held next on Aug. 26-29, 2021.

Extension staff will have seedlings available at several other locations while supplies last: Tradewinds in Milo, 7 to 11 a.m. on Friday, June 5; Smith’s Grocery and Lunch in Brownville, noon to 3 p.m. on June 5; Whitney’s Supermarket in Guilford, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 6; and the Piscataquis County Extension Office in Dover-Foxcroft, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, June 8.

The Abbott Memorial Library has reopened with limited hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The Center Theatre announced this week that registration is now open for the summer drama camp program. The camp, which brings kids of all ages and backgrounds together for a two-week day camp program, is the Theatre's longest running program. Because of the COVID 19 pandemic and necessary precautions to ensure the safety of campers and staff, Patrick Myers, the executive director of the Center Theatre, said that there would be some significant differences for this year's camps.

Behind the steady stream of shoppers entering Whitney’s Family Supermarket late Monday afternoon was an anticipation of what is to come Friday -- a visit to this quiet milltown of some 1,500 residents by President Donald Trump.

The 2020 Piscataquis River Festival, which was scheduled for Saturday, July 25, will not be happening.

The Thompson Free Library is collaborating with the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) and will be setting up a story walk at the Law Farm. What is a story walk, you ask? A story walk is a series of signs featuring sequential spreads from a children's picture book.

Curbside pickup begins at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft. While it won’t bring order to the current chaos, it may bring some comfort as books and movies often do. Get new picture books to read to your kids, the next in a series you love, a comedy that makes you LOL or non-fiction resources to motivate and inspire.

The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District is holding its monthly board meeting from 9-11 a.m. on Friday, June 12. This meeting is open to the public.

Valley Grange of Guilford recently announced that in a joint agreement with the administration of SAD 4, the Parade of Pirates scheduled for Wednesday, June 10 is being canceled. In announcing the cancelation, Valley Grange Program Director Walter Boomsma explained, “After reviewing the recent changes to Gov. Mills’ Executive Order, we made the unhappy decision to cancel the event in keeping with the spirit of the order and everyone’s safety.”

Foxcroft Academy Head of School Arnold Shorey is pleased to announce the honor parts for this year’s graduating class, the 197th class in school history.

Every person with PTSD has their own story. On Wednesday, June 17 at 1 p.m., NAMI Piscataquis County will host Nicole Foster, JD, who will relate her experience as a PTSD survivor. Foster is employed by NAMI Maine as the director of peer services and will offer her story as a message of hope to those with PTSD and their families and friends.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that HealthReach Community Health Centers, the Maine Hospital Association, Inc., the Penobscot Community Health Center, the Katahdin Valley Health Center -- which has a clinic in Brownville -- and the Maine Primary Care Association have been awarded a total of $5,794,031 to support their efforts to provide health care to Mainers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barely three weeks ago Matt Tibbetts awoke to the biggest snowstorm of the year in southern Piscataquis County. The weighty and wet dose of frozen precipitation left him and other homeowners in the area with considerable storm carnage to clear -- particularly broken branches from virtually every tree in every yard.

Seeking to bolster the workforce and provide additional support for employers, Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) is implementing a unique approach to the job search and placement process. Aiming to increase employment opportunities for job seekers and meet the needs of employers, EMDC’s new Young Mainer’s Workforce Academy promises benefits to the region’s economy by preparing young people to succeed in the labor market, while assisting businesses and organizations in filling job vacancies with motivated and capable new workers.

Tong “Edward” Wu, a John Bapst Memorial High School junior who recently won first place in the 2020 Penobscot County Bar Association (PCBA) Law Day Contest for his artwork commemorating the women’s rights movement, has donated his $500 cash prize to Partners for Peace -- a Maine organization focused on assisting members of the community affected by domestic abuse.

During the morning of Friday, June 5 staff from the SeDoMoCha School will be traveling throughout the RSU 68 district towns, waving to students and families as a way to say thank you for all their hard work --  staff miss them very much.

A step for bringing four questions concerning four Dover-Foxcroft land use ordinance items to a public vote was taken by the planning board during a May 28 meeting conducted via. Zoom. The planning board voted to move each question to the board of the selectmen, who would then make a decision to place some or all of the four items on an upcoming referendum ballot.