There’s nothing quite like sipping a cold craft beer, enjoying a soft homemade pretzel and watching goats play.

Thanks to the generosity of a number of community partners, no student at Piscataquis Community Elementary School will be lacking school supplies this new academic year as dozens of backpacks and hundreds of items for the classroom have been donated.

Once again in the 2018-19 school year SeDoMoCha Elementary School families will have the opportunity to read together as part of a shared reading experience through the ninth annual One Book, One School program. For about a month through early October students and family members will read and discuss Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House in the Big Woods” and then be able to attend an ending celebration on Thursday, Oct. 4.

Quilters of all experience levels are welcome to gather at The Commons at Central Hall from 1 to 3 p.m. each Tuesday. The Adult Quilting Group, facilitated by Cathy Flockton of Dover-Foxcroft and Roe O’Toole of Dexter, began in June, but “it seems like every two weeks a new person shows up, and that’s fine. The more the merrier,” O’Toole said.

Last month the Piscataquis County Commissioners gave approval to a radio system upgrade for the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office to replace antiquated dispatch equipment with components dating to the 1980s. County officials heard from Dispatch Sgt. Gary Grant who mentioned how he has been working for several years to upgrade the telecommunications division of the department through grants and funding sources -- totaling about $72,000 -- outside the county budget but said more money would be needed to complete the project.

The Piscataquis County Commissioners recently filed a motion to intervene in the state’s lawsuit against the owner of Moosehead Mountain Resort in the Greenville and Moosehead Lake region. The motion to intervene is the most recent significant development in ongoing legal proceedings of consequence to the future of the ski resort and the economic health of the region.

Each year the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) recognizes a cooperator in Piscataquis County who has implemented exceptional conservation practices on their land. This year, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Maine Woods Initiative will be honored for their outstanding on-the ground conservation efforts, educational outreach and overall excellence in sustainable management of the land.

Shaw Public Library in Greenville has been through some remarkable changes in the last five years. It has doubled its available space with the addition of a house adjacent to the original structure and become an invaluable destination for anyone looking to be enriched, entertained and enhanced by new learning experiences. It’s a delightful journey through this library from the Book Barn, where books are donated and shared, to the adult books and information in the original building.

On average, self-published authors sell 250 copies of their book over a lifetime. Emily Curtis -- a 2018 graduate of Foxcroft Academy -- has sold 14,000 in just over a year. Last June, Emily released her debut poetry collection “in the absence of the sun.” What started as a class project transformed into a publishing success.

A hard-hitting thunderstorm blew through the woods and lakes north of Moosehead Lake on Aug. 29, churning the air at speeds that reached nearly 70 mph and indicating to the National Weather Service that Maine may have seen its first tornado of the year.

Dover-Foxcroft Police Sgt. Todd Lyford was honored by the town for his response during a fiery car crash in late July, during an Aug. 27 selectmen’s meeting. Sgt. Lyford was presented with a formal award for valor recognizing his actions in getting the car driver out of the vehicle, at great risk to himself.

Three Maine teachers have been announced as state finalists for the 2019 Maine Teacher of the Year. Among the three is 2018 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year Joseph Hennessey who teaches American, World, AP Literature and Composition and Camden Conference Seminar for grades 11-12 at Piscataquis Community High School. He has been teaching for six years.

In the spring a near $11.6 million RSU 68 budget was approved across the four district towns with the respective annual meeting and referendum. After the two votes district officials noticed a clerical error in one article from the district budget meeting that needed to be corrected -- the near $11.6 million total was not affected nor were the assessments for Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson and Sebec. During a special town meeting on Aug 27 prior to a select meeting, the clerical error was fixed.

Three girls will reign as Miss Maple in three respective age groups for the next year after being crowned during the fourth annual Miss Maple Pageant on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 25 at the 131st Piscataquis Valley Fair.

The executive committee of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) is seeking nominations for the annual Warren "Pete" Myrick Community Service Award, to be presented at the annual meeting of PCEDC in December. Meeting date and location will be disclosed soon.

On Saturday, Sept. 1 the Moosehead Quilters will present the “Quilts in the Woods” quilt show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Union Evangelical Church (at the blinking light) in Greenville.

Pleasant Meadows Estates is sporting a brand new flagpole at Dover-Foxcroft assisted living facility. Rep Paul Stearns, R-Guilford presented Administrator Kellie Brazier with a flag that was flown above the Maine State Capitol in honor of the residents and staff.

On Thursday morning, Aug. 2 an unexpected visitor arrived at The Covered Bridge Motel which is located at 382 Water Street across from the famous Low’s Covered Bridge which spans the Piscataquis River. Linda Moon, the owner, was informed that the visitor was a health inspector. So Linda proceeded to take the inspector wherever she wanted to go.