Jim and Brenda Crane present a check for just over $10,000 to Events Manager Samantha Elliott of Make-A-Wish Maine. Funds were raised from the second annual Wings for Wishes on the Waterfront

Friday, Aug. 9 marked the opening of Gathering 4 Main Street, a community center in Dexter. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a lovely reception which included inspirational piano music and oral presentations. The community center, provided by the Dexter Seventh Day Adventist Church, will be a place for people in the area to meet for coffee or tea and/or a healthy vegetarian or vegan light lunch by mid-September.

Each year, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District recognizes and honors a cooperator (land manager) in Piscataquis County who has implemented exceptional conservation practices on their land. This year, the PCSWCD will be honoring Joel and Wendy Huff of Huff Family Farm as the 2019 Outstanding Cooperator of the Year.

One year after announcing new President & CEO Lee Umphrey, EMDC (Eastern Maine Development Corporation) continues to evolve with a brand refresh and new website at https://www.emdc.org/.

Improvements will be made to the athletic fields used by Piscataquis Community High School and Piscataquis Community Elementary School. The school board approved using up to $50,000 from the minor capital improvement fund for the track and surrounding field renovations and is working with the town of Guilford on projects to upgrade the baseball diamond on the municipal athletic field and softball field on the school campus.

The Dover and Foxcroft Water District was recognized by the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards for its safe and healthful workplace with a Safety and Health Award for Public Employees (SHAPE) Award. The honor was presented by department officials during the monthly district trustees meeting on Aug. 12 at the district office inside the Morton Avenue Municipal Building.

August is one of my favorite months, not only because it’s usually nice and warm for boating and swimming at beautiful Moosehead Lake, but also because of all the activities offered in and around Greenville. This August is an especially busy one – there are so many things to pick and choose from. Here’s a sampling to consider for the weekend of August 16-18

The Parkman Grange awarded three Parkman college students Minnie Welts Bridge Scholarships of $500 each for the 2019-20 school year. Winners this year are Bailey Lemieux, a sophomore in pre-Law at Husson University; Kolby Kain, a senior in elementary education at Husson University; and Adam Bagley, a sophomore in forestry at the University of Maine-Fort Kent.

To alleviate cramped conditions and lack of privacy inside the main sheriff’s office in the same larger complex as the Piscataquis County Jail on Court Street in Dover-Foxcroft, in the spring of 2018 the patrol and investigation divisions moved up Route 15 to Guilford at the former primary school building. The law enforcement space previously was the home of the SAD 4 administrative office suite. With the school building for sale county officials are working with the town of Guilford on an agreement to rent and then purchase, following an affirmative vote at the annual town meeting in mid-March, the C.H. Lightbody Medical Center on Park Street.

Two prestigious Foxcroft Academy alumni awards were presented during the 2019 alumni banquet on Saturday night, Aug. 3.

A journey three decades ago brought 9-year-old Truc Huynh and his family from Vietnam to Portland. Now Huynh is repaying all those who helped his family by “Trucking Across Maine” 600 miles via bicycle from Madawaska to Kittery over six days to raise money for five organizations.

The Maine Red Hot Festival will be back in downtown Dexter on Saturday, Aug. 10 as the fourth annual event will feature activities with free admission from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- rain or shine.

The 28th annual Maine Forest Heritage Days is scheduled for Aug. 8-11. 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.

Every five years Bowerbank Days returns to the community on the shores of Sebec Lake and in 2019 the festival features events in the village on the evening of Friday, Aug. 9 and throughout the day on Saturday, Aug. 10 with a theme of “We Love Bowerbank -- Hook, Line & Sinkah.”

Daniel O. Hurd Jr. served as parade marshal for the 2019 Dover-Foxcroft Shiretown Homecoming parade on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3, a “Home on the Range -- Take 2” procession rescheduled due to rain one year prior.

Kyle Ahern, 14, from Dexter, enjoys a thrilling ride on the Scrambler as his brother Brady Adams, 10, takes cover until the ride is over at the 2019 Bangor State Fair on Aug. 1.

The revitalization of downtown Greenville got another exciting boost this summer. On Friday, Aug. 2 the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation held a press briefing and public reception to announce its plan to launch a fundraising effort to acquire and redevelop the green space on the shorefront of Moosehead Lake in downtown Greenville to conserve it in perpetuity as a public park with direct access to Moosehead Lake.

Hardwood Products Company and Puritan Medical Products Company officials thank all individuals that volunteered to be active participants in the dunk tank during the annual Piscataquis River Festival on July 27.They also thank everyone that helped to man the table and collect money. All proceeds were donated to the Piscataquis County United Bikers of Maine Cancer Fund.