The Commons at Central Hall is growing with programs and activities to serve the Piscataquis area. In order to fulfill the mission statement to “provide programs that create and preserve memories, build community, and enhance personal vitality by including people of all ages” successfully, a new program manager, Jeremy Loguercio, and a new volunteer coordinator, Jessica Brasier, were hired in September.

The Travis Mills Foundation has been providing support and respite to combat-wounded veterans and their families since 2013. Next month Bangor Savings Bank -- which has branches in Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville -- will put the foundation on a literal fast track for growth when it gifts its primary Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car sponsorship to the nonprofit for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.

Now, after decades of preparing and serving the county’s best food, the kitchen is in dire need of a serious renovation. Handed-down counters and boxes that are hung as cabinets without doors have become grossly inadequate -- the cement floor has become the scourge of volunteers’ backs.

For close to two decades nearly 3,000 third grade students across the region have each been given a dictionary thanks to the Valley Grange and the organization’s Words for Thirds Dictionary Project. The first batch of dictionaries for 2019 were given out on the afternoon of Oct. 15 to approximately 75 students from the four grade 3 classrooms at the SeDoMoCha Elementary School in Dover-Foxcroft. Pupils and teachers traveled to the Guilford Grange Hall to receive their books.

For the first time in three years, the Maine Teacher of the Year is from outside Piscataquis County. On Oct. 10 at Gorham Middle School the Maine Department of Education and Educate Maine named alternative education teacher Heather Whitaker Maine’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. She follows SeDoMoCha School music teacher Kaitlin Young in 2018 and Piscataquis Community High School English instructor Joseph Hennessey last year as recent honorees.

At a recent meeting the Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft inducted three new members. From left are Patty Davis with sponsor Paul Davis, Joy Gregory with sponsor Brian Woodworth and Kevin Sargent Sargent with sponsor Jack Clukey.

The Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association is proud to announce Will’s Shop ‘n Save of Dover-Foxcroft as the 2019 Grocer of the Year.

Andrew Torbett of Atkinson is formally announcing his intent to seek the Republican nomination to run for County Commissioner of Piscataquis County in District 2 -- which includes the towns of Bowerbank, Dover-Foxcroft, Medford, Orneville Twp and Sebec in addition to Atkinson Township.

Over 50 people gathered at Stutzman’s Farm Café in Sangerville on the evening of October 3 to observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Participants enjoyed soup, salad and wood-fired pizza while listening to the music of Craig Stutzman.

Plans are well underway for the Piscataquis County Democrats annual fall fundraising dinner. The True Blue North Fundraiser takes place at the East Sangerville Grange on Saturday, October 19 with a social hour beginning at 5 p.m.

Thirteen General Federal of Women’s Clubs/Miosac Club members gathered at Thayer Parkway for a "souper supper" prepared by the advisory committee Roxy McGlauflin, Brenda Quiet and Betsey Ryan; served with breads, pickles and cookies.

Valley Grange of Guilford notes that the fall event calendar includes plenty of opportunities for celebrating and strengthening American values and hometown roots.

Three winners were selected in the second annual “Storybook Pumpkin Patch” contest for SeDoMoCha Elementary students organized by Librarian Nicole Killam.

Members of the community are invited to attend the annual meeting of the board of directors of the Piscataquis Regional YMCA at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The meeting will be held at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA, 48 Park Street in Dover-Foxcroft.

When the Countryside Meat Market closed its doors last spring, the Dover-Foxcroft community lost a long-time source for meat and friendly local service. The owners had retired and the store was up for sale. But now Heartstone Farm is planning to reopen the market on Saturdays starting Oct. 19. The farm raises 100 percent grass fed beef on 500 acres in Charleston. The farm and has been renting the meat market for storage and distribution since June.

SeDoMoCha Elementary students celebrated autumn by filling a “Storybook Pumpkin Patch” in the school library through a contest featuring pumpkins decorated to resemble a character from the pupils’ favorite books.

The Maine Legislature may be out of session at the moment but like many of his colleagues, Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville is busy with important work that will help guide the next Legislative session when it begins in January. Sen. Davis has been appointed to the Working Group on Energy of the Maine Climate Change Council

A potential move of the patrol and investigation divisions of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office from the former primary school building in Guilford across town to the C.H. Lightbody Medical Center on Park Street could be up in the air as the Piscataquis County Commissioners opted to table a decision on signing a lease with the town of Guilford during an Oct. 1 meeting. The commissioners were a bit unsure of signing a 3-year contract with another site in Guilford having recently come to their attention.