Look, most of us who love to fish Maine in early June expect to be swatting a few bugs, right? When I was a lad fishing with Dad he always lathered me up with that black, foul-smelling Old Woodsman fly dope. I’d complain about the stinky stuff and whine about the buzzing hordes and he would say, “It’s part of the deal, son, bugs and trout. You can’t have one without the other.”

The 2019 Penquis Rec Girls Softball League playoffs and championship games were held on Saturday, June 22 at Veterans Memorial Park in Sangerville. In the grade 3-4 division, Palmyra defeated the hometown Pirates from Guilford/Sangerville.

Again in 2019 the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival kicked off on Saturday morning, June 22, with the Piscataquis Regional YMCA’s Earn Your Whoopie Pie 3K, along with a 1K kids fun run. The 10th annual races took place on a new course, both starting and ending at the PRYMCA on Park Street with the older runners covering portions of Park Street, Autumn Avenue and Summer and North streets.

Senior Gage Stone of Dexter Regional High School and Foxcroft Academy senior Enrico Ayala have been selected along with 16 other of Maine’s top wrestlers for the 34th annual Maine–Nebraska Wrestling Exchange. Foxcroft head coach Luis Ayala has also been selected along with three other coaches for the trip.

Some days, any angler will tell you, the fishing seems pretty simple, and the fish nearly hop into the boat. And other days, that’s just not the case. The fish are just plain finicky, and an outing turns into a guessing game of “what do they really want to eat?”

A week after a $11,784,238 RSU 68 budget for the 2019-20 academic year was approved by a combined count of 249-50 across the four district communities, the school board set the assessments for Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft and Monson and Sebec during a June 18 meeting at the SeDoMoCha School.

This is the time of year when Maine’s state regional wildlife biologists examine their deer data in each of their wildlife management districts (WMDs) and make recommendations for the issuance of any-deer or doe permits in their respective districts.

An entirely new camping experience will be offered at state parks throughout Maine this summer, and it involves spacious canvas tents, stylish picnic areas and tiny wood stoves that will keep campers warm on chilly nights.

The Penobscot Valley High School softball team did some extra preparation to face ace Greenville pitcher Halle Pelletier in Saturday’s Class D softball state championship game.

The Bulldogs received a combined five-hitter from junior lefty Lauria LeBlanc and freshman right Brooke McKenney en route to a 7-1 victory.

Most players would be elated about being chosen to an all-conference second team as a freshman. Not Dexter High School softball pitcher Avery Herrick, who was a Penobscot Valley Conference Class C all-star selection a year ago.

On Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. the Portland Sea Dogs will take Hadlock Field as The Maine Whoopie Pies to kick off Maine Whoopie Pie Weekend. The weekend, which was recently recognized by the Maine Legislature, celebrates the taste of Maine's Official State Treat, the whoopie pie.

Pre-Halloween snow last fall turned many of Maine high schools’ grass athletic fields into slippery, muddy messes by the time the soccer playoffs began.

Avery Herrick got a second chance to swing the bat in the eighth inning of Dexter’s Class C North championship game against Narraguagus of Harrington after the catcher couldn’t snare her high, foul popup behind the plate. The sophomore pitcher took full advantage.

A number of spring athletes from across the region received postseason recognition from the Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC).

Unlike many of the hundreds of eager hunters in the crowd on Saturday afternoon, Alan Baron of Sanford wasn’t too nervous about hearing his name read aloud during the Maine Moose Permit Lottery, which was held at Cabela’s.

Penquis Valley High School senior Cymeria Robshaw concluded her prep track career by taking part in the long and triple jumps for the second year in a row, along with the other top performers from the six states, at the 74th New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championship on June 8 at Thornton Academy.

Class B and C North and Class D South baseball and softball postseason results.