Recently I received a most informative letter from Marilyn Roper of Houlton.

Roper is a member of the newly formed “Women in Black” group in Houlton, she wrote, which made its public debut in mid-April in Memorial Park in that community.

Roper explained that “women of many faiths” would meet at noon every Saturday for a half-hour of “silent vigil,” thereby joining “the many Women in Black groups mushrooming in Maine.”

Area women are invited to become part of any Women in Black group.

According to information I obtained on the Internet, Women in Black “is a loose network of women, worldwide, committed to peace with justice, and actively opposed to war and other forms of violence. It is not an organization, but a means of mobilization and a formula for action.”

Women in Black demonstrations are for women only and, usually, the women wear black, stand in a public place, and participate in silent, nonviolent vigils at regular times and intervals.

According to the Internet, Women in Black vigils began “in Israel in 1988 by women protesting against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, demanding peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Those involved with Women in Black meet for a variety of purposes, but their aim is to help promote peace and eliminate violence in any form.

Roper thoughtfully provided information about other groups in our circulation area, and phone numbers to call if you are interested in learning more about Women in Black.

For those in the Houlton area, call Roper at 532-3797.

Other locations and numbers are Belfast, 338-4776; Rockland, 594-9575; Blue Hill, 326-4405; Bangor, 942-9343; Bucksport, 469-3946; Camden, 549-3061; and Ellsworth, 667-0268.

The public is invited to attend a dinner theater at 6 p.m. Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at All Souls Congregational Church on Broadway in Bangor.

The event is a fund-raiser for the All Souls Teen Mission Trip.

Dinner is beef burgundy over noodles, glazed baby carrots, green salad, rolls and dessert, and the production is “Telling Wilde Tales,” which is Oscar Wilde’s version of fairy tales.

Dinner theater tickets are $15 each, and can be obtained by calling Susan Hall at 990-5414.

The Harborside Players will conduct open auditions 3-8 p.m. Friday, May 10, and 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Union Street Brick Church on the corner of First and Union streets in Bangor.

The first production by this newly formed group was a Passion play before Easter. The production also was a first for the state of Maine, and was so well received that Harborside Players hope to make it an annual event.

The goal of the group is to produce four plays a year, including the Passion play, and it is hoped many will try out for the coming productions.

If you need information about this organization or about the open auditions, call 945-9798.

Books, books and more books are what you will find at the Simpson Memorial Library Book Sale 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 10, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the American Legion Hall adjacent to the library in Carmel Village.

Librarian Dixie Carr has amassed a collection that includes fiction and nonfiction as well as many children’s books, and she promises all books will be very reasonably priced.

Proceeds from the book sale will help support the library and its work.

Nikki Woodworth is a senior at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield.

“As a senior, I must create and present a project which is an accumulation of my high school career,” she wrote.

As that project, Woodworth chose to host a Race/Walk for the Cure, which begins with registration at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 11, on the front campus at MCI in Pittsfield.

Woodworth wrote that she chose this project because, in her freshman year, her grandmother died of breast cancer. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society and, specifically, helping find a cure for breast cancer.

The entry fee is $7 for adults and $5 for students, and refreshments will be given out along the way as well as beast cancer awareness ribbons and informative brochures.

If you have questions about his event, call Woodworth, evenings, at 487-2849, or e-mail chicky767@yahoo.com.

The Mount Desert Island Historical Society has come up with a “historic” way to raise funds: selling annual heirloom flower seeds.

Provided by the family-owned Pennsylvania company Heirloom Seeds, the older variety of these seeds are rarely found in nurseries today.

From the MDI Historical Society, you can purchase seeds for baby’s breath, calendula, floss flower, four o’clock, gloriosa daisy, Joseph’s coat, nasturtium, painted tongue, periwinkles and oriental poppy.

Also available are rocket larkspur, Rocky Mountain bee plant, dwarf sunflower and zinnias.

The price is $2.50 per package or $20 for 10 packages.

For information, or to order seeds, call the MDI Historical Society at 276-9323.

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