The Monson Writers Alliance is a newly forming group of central Maine writers committed to mutual support and encouragement to all members. We will be meeting weekly on Monday evenings starting in December. Meetings are in Monson from 6-8:30 p.m. We meet to provide technical advice and editing suggestions on individual members’ writings.

Despite sub-zero wind chill temperatures, members of the Abbott Memorial Library book club recently gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving in Dexter.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft will host its 16th annual Procrastinator’s Holiday Fair, Bake Sale and Raffle from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Looking for the perfect homemade Christmas gift or a pair of mittens or a hat for yourself, then stop by Monson's Kris Kringle's Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Monson Gym.

Virgil Valente, chair of Three Rivers Kiwanis of Milo/Brownville Reading is Fundamental program, reads to Brownville Elementary students.

Laurie Sproul of Brownville recently returned from a lobbying trip to the nation’s capital. She was part of a nationwide effort where 600 volunteers met with 500 congressional offices. Not only did she meet with all four offices of the Maine delegation, but she also approached congressmen from California. Twenty Maine residents made this trip in early November, and that group included 10 students from southern Maine.

The Winkie people of Oz face the wrath of the Wicked Witch of the West during rehearsals for “A Wicked Christmas Carol.” Written by award-winning playwright Bobby Keniston, the show is a mash-up that faithfully blends the spirits of Charles Dickens and L. Frank Baum, author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

On Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. the Abbott Memorial Library hosts Andrew Bermudez, pastor of the First Free Baptist Church, who will present a program on the work camp which will be coming to Dexter in 2019.

The Piscataquis County USDA Local Working Group (LWG) will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 4 -- with a snow date of Friday, Dec. 7 -- at 10 a.m. at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building Gymnasium, 48 Morton Avenue.

Girl Scouts of Maine will host a Discover Girl Scout event at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at the Greenville Consolidated School for potential members and volunteers.

oe Siccardi, a recent mid-Maine transplant, has completed his second book “Wisdom from a Father.” The Dover-Foxcroft resident is a 52-year newspaper publishing veteran, most recently as publisher/editor of the Reveille/Between the Lakes, a community weekly newspaper in Seneca County of the Finger Lakes in New York. Siccardi credits the quiet of Maine as the impetus for completing the project. He moved to Dover-Foxcroft just over three years ago, commuting to and from upstate New York. He sold his publication and retired permanently to Piscataquis County in July 2017.

PCEDC is pleased to host a panel discussion and community conversation on Tuesday, Dec. 4, regarding challenges facing our workforce, resources for workforce development and training, and opportunities to assist residents and local business owners.

Upcoming events around the region.

Pirates invaded Dover-Foxcroft on Nov. 10 during the Death on Deck dinner theatre at The Commons at Central Hall. The production was presented by Center Theatre and the Slightly Off Center Players, and directed by Dan Sharrow with Grace Carlson in charge of sound and lighting.

The SeDoMoCha Middle School math team participated in its first competition of the year on Nov. 7 at the Ridge View Community School in Dexter.

The Center Theatre for the performing arts has announced it will be holding a holiday party for their members and guests at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30. The event will feature light appetizers, a sneak preview of the “Wicked Christmas Carol,” a celebration of the beginning of renovations nearly 20 years ago, and a chance to win free movie admissions for all of 2019.

A traditional tonic in Eastern Europe, beet kvass is tangy fermented beverage that is consumed regularly, in small doses, to promote good health. In recent years, this vibrant red liquid has become increasingly popular in the United States among those seeking for natural remedies and healthy whole foods.

Wesley McNair, Maine’s former poet laureate, will return to the Thompson Free Library at 5:30 p.m.o n Thursday, Nov. 29, to read from his latest volume of poems, “The Unfastening.” The event is free and open to the public.