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.

The state with the most black bears on the East Coast might change the way it manages its growing population of the animals, and hunters and environmentalists alike are keeping a watchful eye to see if there's trouble brewing for bruins. Maine is home to more than 35,000 of the bears, up from just 23,000 less than 15 years ago, and the state wants to better manage that population growth to minimize the potential for conflicts between the bears and people. While bear populations are also growing in Vermont and New Hampshire, Maine's has grown to be among the largest in the United States.

December Students of the Month at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford are, from left, freshman Jessie Mayberry, sophomore . Meagan Lemieux, and junior Megan McLaughlin.

A recent book review in the Piscataquis Observer concerning the first steamboat on Moosehead Lake and a man named Moses Burnham who settled in The Forks in 1836 piqued my interest. There had been some controversy over the years regarding this steamboat, aptly named The Moosehead, and whether she was truly the first to ply the waters of the lake.

Bishop Robert P. Deeley welcomed the winners of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland’s Christmas Card Art Contest, conducted by the diocese’s Office of Development, to the diocesan offices on Dec. 19

The General Federal of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)/Miosac Club celebrated the season with a gifting party. Fourteen members met at the beautifully decorated home of Barb Austin for the annual event. Members brought sweet or savory dishes to share.

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.

Early on the morning of Dec. 15, Dexter Regional High School student government and Key Club members, along with several Dexter Sunrise Kiwanis members, gathered at P&L Country Market to assemble and wrap 52 Christmas food boxes to be given to area families.

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.

About two dozen area residents (including Bangor and Ellsworth) gathered this past Saturday morning. Dec. 15 at the Abbott Memorial Library to hear Brownville’s Felix Blinn discuss “Being Prepared.” how to take practical steps to anticipate likely disruptive events in a hopeful instead of fearful manner.

On Jan. 14 Mayo Regional Hospital is bringing on-line a system-wide overhaul of its patient record system. The new software, CERNER, is an integrated database of patient health records that provides a comprehensive set of capabilities to electronically store, capture and access patient health information in both the acute and ambulatory care setting.

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.

At the annual Christmas party at the Sebec Village Reading Room. Eliza Cary of Bowerbank had the opportunity to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas.

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.”