Next Thursday, Nov. 21 the Anah Shriners open the doors at 1404 Broadway for the eighth annual Feztival of Trees. Over the next two weekends the Feztival of Trees will host thousands of guests to visit the 62 trees sponsored by generous local businesses.

There are deer hunters and, then, there are big buck hunters. Which are you? Of course, you say, we are all buck hunters, one way or another. Any Maine deer hunter who does not have a doe tag is a buck hunter, right? True, but there are a few stalwart deer hunters in Maine who – like the famous Benoit brothers in Vermont -- are "the fast guns of the deer woods," when it comes to putting record deer on the game pole.

Surrounded by a crowd of friends and colleagues, Randy Cross soaked in the praise for a career well spent at a ceremony held in the town of Waldo. The state’s bear management and monitoring program will never be the same.

After much consideration, Wilson saw an option he believed to be the most logical. The town of Guilford would retain the C.H. Lightbody Medical Building, relocate the municipal offices there and provide the existing town office space on School Street to the fire/EMS service already housed there. Wilson made the recommendation and the select board endorsed the decision.

The Maine Bicentennial Commission (Maine200) recently awarded the first round of Bicentennial Community Grants. Out of 44 applications from organizations and municipalities across the state, the commission chose a total of 30 grant recipients: 21 large grants and nine small grants at varying amounts. Among those are a Bicentennial Birthday Bash in Rockland, theatrical productions in Portland and Dover-Foxcroft, as well as conferences, educational curriculum, art exhibits, lecture series and more, spanning several Maine counties.

Two corporate foundation grants have catapulted the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation’s campaign for a waterfront park in downtown Greenville over the $100,000 mark. Grants totaling $10,000 from both Machias Savings Bank and the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund now bring the campaign total to $111,000 on the way toward the $250,000 fundraising goal.

Gov. Janet Mills has appointed four new commissioners to Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, including Dexter resident Mathison Deering. A student at Thomas College in Waterville, Deering joins the Volunteer Maine commission to represent an individual age 16 to 25 who is a participant in a service program for youth.

The school district’s near $745,000 share of a $2.4 million funding package to upgrade the heating system at the Penquis Valley School will be $200,000 less than anticipated thanks to a grant from the East Millinocket-based Gloria C. MacKenzie Foundation, which through its mission and vision hopes to improve economic growth and enhance the quality of life for the people of Maine.

Citing what they feel is a non-proportional expense and lack of benefits, the Piscataquis County Commissioners are considering ending membership in the Maine County Commissioners Association. The commissioners discussed the possibility during a Nov. 5 meeting and plan to attend a meeting with officials from other Maine counties also pondering an exit to learn more.

Here’s your chance to own a little piece of Baxter State Park. Historic signs from the park are up for bid in an annual online auction and fundraiser organized by the nonprofit organization Friends of Baxter State Park.

Dexter residents went to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to vote on races for the town council, SAD 46 school board, HAD 4 board of directors and seats on the Dexter Utility District board of trustees.

Anyone who suspects someone they know may be a victim of elder abuse or would like to know more about the topic and how to help is invited to a free elder abuse awareness and response workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 15 at The Commons at Central Hall, 152 East Main Street.

For nearly a decade Will’s Shop ‘n Save has been a fixture in Dover-Foxcroft, as a downtown grocery store and through the numerous ways the business has given back to the community. During National Veteran Small Business Week leading up to Veterans Day, the establishment was recognized as a success story by the U.S. Small Business Administration during an afternoon presentation on Monday, Nov. 4.

Most of us who spend time deer hunting have had encounters with deer ticks, the bad ones, or know someone with Lyme disease. Earlier this fall, University of Maine Professor Jim Dill, a tick expert, appeared as a guest on my Sunday night call-in radio program, Maine Outdoors. The phones rang constantly the entire hour as listeners cued up to ask their questions of Professor Dill. Dill heads up a new diagnostics research facility at the University of Maine that opened this past April.

Students and staff throughout the SeDoMoCha School have been busy bringing in items for community resident in need by gathering warm clothing accessories and raising funds for Thanksgiving meals.

Growing up in Dover-Foxcroft, Carlson Williams’ family often told stories about local history around the dinner table. One of his favorite tales to hear was also among the most gruesome: the story of the murder of Alvin Watson in the nearby town of Parkman in June 1881.

Piscataquis County winners of the 2019 Spirit of America Foundation Tribute for outstanding community service will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 15 starting at 7 p.m. at the Valley Grange Hall (172 Guilford Center Road). The event is open to the public.

Jeremy Loguercio, program and marketing director at The Commons at Central Hall, recently announced the special schedule of events for November