The Komen Maine Race for the Cure celebrates its fifth anniversary this year when people from all over the state, and Canada, participate in the event scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 16, in Bangor.

“It’s the only Komen Race for the Cure in the state of Maine,” said 2001 race chairwoman Juanita Taylor of Dexter. “Last year, we raised $210,000. This year, we’re shooting for $350,000. I think we can do it. Maine people know how to give.”

The organizers are also hoping to exceed last year’s record 2,500 participants with 70 percent of the entrants participating as members of business and community teams.

However, due to the large number of teams expected to enter the event, Taylor reminds you that team registrations “must be postmarked by Friday, Aug. 17.”

That early team-entry deadline will enable organizers to have the necessary materials ready for race day.

However, you are also reminded that individuals can register up to 10 a.m. the day of the event.

Registration for the Komen Maine Race for the Cure begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, on Broad Street along the Bangor waterfront.

“The Survivors Ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m., the 1-K race begins at 10 a.m., and the 5-K race begins at 11 a.m., with race awards following the completion of that event,” Taylor said.

“And country singer Jenny Paquette, our Honorary Race Chair, will perform.”

Although Taylor is “excited, exhausted and exhilarated,” all at the same time, she is pleased with the progress being made, and looking forward to the most successful event to date.

The mission of the Komen Foundation is to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.

Questions or information about this event can be made by calling Taylor at 924-1068, or e-mailing her at race2001@midmaine.com.

You can also register online at www.komenmaine.com.

This announcement made me smile. It’s a great way to run a book sale.

Silas Yates wrote the Friends of the Witherle Memorial Library will hold their 31st annual Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at Smith Gymnasium on the campus of Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.

However, and this is most important, Yates wrote that “the sale will close for a brief lunch break from noon to 12:30.”

And then, when “the sale reopens,” he added, “most books will be half price.”

The Castine Women’s Club will provide food throughout the sale, which will benefit the Witherle Library renovation project.

Number, please.

It’s time for the New England Museum of Telephony’s 5th annual Telephone Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at 166 Winkumpaugh Road, which is off Route 1A, 10 miles north of downtown Ellsworth.

The fair will be held rain or shine, and is free to the public.

Two men, who were part of the history of the telephone, will be there to “talk” to you about their work with this marvelous invention.

Back in the days when every telephone call had to pass through the hands of an operator, Almon Strowger (in the person of Doug Arntzen of Ellsworth) will tell you how he invented a machine to switch calls automatically, eliminating the operator and providing confidential, impartial service.

And Sheldon Foster of Sangerville, acting as telephone lineman Angus MacDonald, will tell you how he braved the Blizzard of 1888 to keep open the only long-distance line between Boston and New York.

MacDonald was the subject of “The Spirit of Service,” a painting which became the emblem of devotion to duty within what was once the Bell Telephone System.

Photos of the early years of the telephone, a book sale, silent auction, snack bar and the museum’s working telephones and switchboards await your visit.

For more information about the NEMT, call Sandra Galley, 667-9491; Carl Sederquist, 664-0122; fax 664-0164 or e-mail info@questele.com.

Susan Smith, curator of the Bangor Historical Society, invites you to enjoy a “Guided Walking Twilight Tour” of Mount Hope Cemetery at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, and reminds you there won’t be another tour until October.

BHS staff and volunteers in historic costumes will accompany you, and another volunteer will present a small Civil War encampment.

The second-oldest garden cemetery in the United States, Mount Hope is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located at 1048 State St.

The site for some filming of Stephen King’s “Pet Semetary,” Mount Hope features period architecture, historical memorials, a variety of horticultural plants, several ponds and a brook.

Sharon Burrill, wife of Mount Hope superintendent Stephen Burrill, will drive a golf cart for those who find walking difficult. However, seating is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tour will take approximately one hour; the fee is $5 for adults but free for children; and you are to meet at the cemetery superintendent’s building.

If you have questions about the tour or the BHS, call at 942-5766 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.