At this moment around the state, bear hunters and outfitters are erecting treestands and servicing their bait sites. The bear season opens officially the last week in August. Bears are about as plentiful as they have ever been. First-time bear hunters, and those they share their wild game with, invariably ask the question: “What does bear meat taste like?”

Starting in the 2020-21 school year, students from around the region will have the opportunity to take part in an early childhood education satellite program through the Tri-County Technical Center to be housed at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. The SAD 46 school board authorized the program during an Aug. 21 meeting in the Ridge View Community School cafeteria.

“We have a consultant on board, it’s Gorrill Palmer,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said during an Aug. 19 selectmen’s meeting about the South Portland-based firm. “We know them and they’re familiar with Dover-Foxcroft because they did our road study” as well as working with the MDOT elsewhere in the state.

This year marks the 132nd anniversary of the Piscataquis Valley Fair, which began in 1887. The 2019 fair will run from Thursday, Aug. 22 to Sunday, Aug. 25 at the fairgrounds located at 77 Fairview Avenue. The four days will feature exhibitions, rides, concerts and fun for all ages.

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.

According to a newspaper story that made the rounds earlier this week, those of us who choose to release fish that we would, by law, be allowed to keep are not being as helpful as we had thought. That’s the story some are telling, anyway.

Not surprisingly, it took some time for Maine’s fish and wildlife regulatory apparatus to loosen up when it came to accepting the crossbow as a legitimate and acceptable hunting device. Compared with other states, we have been a long time coming around.

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.

With students’ summer vacation nearing an end in several weeks, work continues on an upgrade to the heating system at the Penquis Valley School as well as an elevator installation for the building.

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.

This summer area Democrats undertook a “Write On” service project and collected 3,486 pencils for SAD 41 schools. Pencils came in from different areas of Maine as well as North Carolina and Washington.

Every five years the town of Bowerbank celebrates community with Bowerbank Days, held Aug. 9-10 in 2019 with a mid-morning parade on Saturday as the procession traveled down the Bowerbank Road past the town hall and fire station.

Recent Penquis Valley High School graduate Cymeria Robshaw, who will be attending the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, was recognized as a Red Sox Service Scholarship recipient during a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park before the Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game on July 30. The program awarded students from public high schools across New England with $1,000 scholarships toward their college education based on academic performance, financial aid eligibility and demonstrated community service.

A busy summer for the town of Dexter will continue into the fall, councilors learned from Town Manager Tramps King during an Aug. 8 meeting. “I would like to thank everyone for the great welcome we gave the Workcamp,” King said.

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