NORTH BERWICK
Land trust to offer first Wednesday Wandering event
Great Works Regional Land Trust will offer its first Wednesday Wandering on Oct. 5 with a hike at Bauneg Beg Mountain Conservation Area at 281 Fox Farm Hill Road.
This mountaintop preserve features views of the White Mountains, Sanford, and views of the foliage. All hikes are open to the public and free of charge to GWRLT members. A $5 donation per person or $10 donation per family is suggested for non-members. Pre-registration is required for all hikes by calling 646-3604 or emailing info@gwrlt.org.

BIDDEFORD
Library celebrates new learning platform
McArthur Library will host a kick-off launch party from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday for the new learning platform Bendable Maine, including music, entertainment, food, games and Bendable tutorials.
The indoor and (weather permitting) outdoor event will include music and entertainment by local musicians Amanda and Rob Duquette. Snacks will be provided by Biddeford cheese shop Nibblesford. A Bendable Maine Fellow will also be demonstrating Bendable and the many ways our community can use this new resource.
The event is free to all and welcomes all ages.
Check out Bendable at maine.bendable.com.

BRUNSWICK
Series features owners and restorers of Lemont Hall
The Brunswick Downtown Association’s Speaker Series will host its fall event from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the newly refurbished Lemont Hall at 2 Pleasant St.
The event will feature Aaron Turkel and Cleo Vauban, owners and restorers of the newly restored hall, originally the Knights of Pythias Hall, located on the second floor of the Lemont Block (corner of Maine and Pleasant Streets). According to the Pejepscot History Center, the room – with its original dais and catwalk – served as the venue for many compelling speeches and events in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Frederick Douglass spoke there during his visit to town. Joshua Chamberlain spoke there several times in his later life, including as president of Bowdoin College.
Preservation Awards will be presented to the Lemont Building, The Tontine, and the Village Improvement Association.
The Downtown Preservation Awards are presented annually in recognition of people and organizations that have created tangible value in the heart of the community through renovation or restoration of existing buildings or through new construction that restores and enhances the traditional streetscape.
The cost of admission is $20 per person and includes light refreshment and appetizers, a cash bar, a ribbon cutting ceremony and live music provided after the presentation.
Registration and networking begins at 5 p.m.
To register, go to brunswickdowntown.org/events/bda-whats-old-is-new-again.

Astronomy club to screen film at monthly meeting
The Southern Maine Astronomers will hold its monthly club meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday via Zoom.
The meeting will feature a talk by Tara Roberts Zabriskie, producer and director of a new short film on the effects of light pollution, especially in Maine.
The meeting will include the showing of the 35 minute film, “Defending the Dark,” followed by a discussion with Zabriskie on the making of the film. A tour of the constellations Lyra and Lacerta also will be included.
To get the Zoom link, click the “Contact Us” form on the website at southernmaineastronomers.org.
The second event, “An Evening of Astronomical Exploration,” will included a trip to the Southern Maine Astronomers’ monthly Star Party from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 179 Neptune Dr. Enjoy an evening fraternizing with amateur astronomers, hobbyists and beginners alike, and observe the stars. There is no equipment required as the club will have several telescopes set up for your viewing pleasure, though feel free to bring your own. The event will include a laser pointer tour of constellations. The event will occur rain or shine.
For more details, call 751-4651 or visit our website at southernmaineastronomers.org.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY
Pie makers sought for book sale fundraiser
Carrabassett Valley Public Library will host a homecoming book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at 3209 Carrabassett Dr. No. 3.
Organizers also are seeking donations of homemade pies to sell for the event fundraiser. Baked goods can be dropped off at the library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday or on Saturday morning.
Sponsored by the CV Public Library and Sugarloaf Area Christian Ministry, proceeds are shared among local food pantries and the library. Volunteers are needed to help sort and set-up. Donations are appreciated.
For more details, call the library at 237-3535.

WELLS/WASHINGTON, D.C.
Wildlife refuge part of national walking challenge
The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) will hold its 2nd annual 5K fundraiser to support America’s national wildlife refuges with a Walk for the Wild event that will include in-person and virtual nature walks across the country during National Wildlife Refuge Week Oct. 8-15.
The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge will participate in this year’s walk – with a team representing Maine – and joins forces with 31 other nonprofit refuges to get people active in nature and to increase refuge support.
Join Team Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and show support by donating funds, joining the self-guided À la Carte Walk for the Wild 5K and by spreading the word to make others aware of these efforts.
The À la Carte Walk for the Wild 5K encourages others to get out and visit the different trails of the refuge. You can visit just one (walking the loop more than once) or visit all three to get your steps in and explore parts of the refuge that may be new to you.
The Carson Trail in Wells is a 1-mile loop that passes through coastal forests and offers beautiful views of the salt marsh. It is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. Pets must be on a leash at all times and all waste must be removed.
The Cutts Island Trail in Kittery offers 1.8 miles of easy upland hiking and scenic views of the salt marsh. No dogs allowed at this site.
The 1.13-mile Timber Point Trail is located at the end of Granite Point Road in Biddeford and offers a scenic walk past a fresh water wetland and coastal shrubland with beautiful salt marsh, river and ocean views. No dogs allowed at this site.
Driving directions and maps for all trails can be found at fws.gov/refuge/rachel-carson/visit-us/trails.

WELLS
Library updates weekly offering
Wells Public Library will offer the following programs this week at 1434 Post Road:
• A Random Fandom “It’s In The Stars” session for teens in grades 5 and up, will be held at 1:15 p.m. to talk about astrology, inventing constellations, and creating galaxy art. Snacks will be provided.
• “How to Handle Seasonal Affective Disorder” will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday for adults. Ever wondered why your mood dips in the fall as the days get shorter? Find yourself wishing for sunlight in the darkest part of the winter? Licensed occupational therapist Rosanna Casavecchia will share about how to reduce the potential effects of this often-debilitating condition.
• The adult nonfiction book group will meet at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the book “Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism,” by Amanda Montell.
• Join other community members at the library at 10:30 a.m. Friday for an informative discussion on the major global issues of our time. Meetings center on topics outlined in the “Great Decisions” briefing book provided by the Foreign Policy Association. This month’s topic will be the “Quad Alliance, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.”
For more information, contact Stefanie Claydon at sclaydon@wellstown.org or call the library at 646-8181.

WESTBROOK
Get your pet blessed and help out others
Father Lou Phillips, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish at Windham, Westbrook, and Gorham, will oversee a blessing of the animals ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland’s Arthur P. Girard Adoption Center, at 217 Landing Road.
The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland is a nonprofit animal shelter serving more than 4,000 homeless and displaced animals annually.
A donation drive to collect dog and cat food, blankets, and toys benefitting the shelter, also may be brought at this time.
For more details, visit the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland at arlgp.org.

UNITY
Learn how to grow nut trees in Maine
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will offer the in-person workshop “Growing and Using Nuts in Maine” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at at MOFGA’s Education Center, located at 294 Crosby Brook Road.
Often overlooked, nuts are a high energy and nutritious food source that have a long shelf life, making nut trees valuable assets on a farm or homestead. Join Jesse Stevens, owner and operator of a tree nursery in Norway, to learn about growing healthy and productive nut trees in this climate, including selecting species to grow, choosing planting sites, propagating nuts and caring for trees. Species of focus will be hazelnut and hybrids, chestnuts, hickory, and walnuts. Stevens will also bring some seeds from his own trees to share with participants. Visit mature nut trees on the MOFGA grounds, crack nuts using several different methods and discuss the best ways to process various kinds of nuts for eating.
The class is priced on a sliding scale from $20 to $55. Free for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) and participants in MOFGA’s Journeyperson program
To register, go to mofga.org/event-calendar/growing-and-using-nuts-in-maine-2/ or email events@mofga.org for additional questions.

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