According to Brewer City Manager Steve Bost, Deputy Mayor Michael Celli suggested that the City Council take a leadership position in helping 125 people affected by recent layoffs at Eastern Fine Paper.

Celli told me that the public is being asked to bring “nonperishable food items, and baby items such as food, formula and diapers,” to the Brewer Auditorium from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“We’re doing this for a two-week period, starting now,” he said Monday. “Afterwards, we will turn over [the collected donations] probably to the union, and let them dispense it.”

He added the city of Bangor also is doing this.

Celli explained that “this really is a regional event because, of the 125 employees, probably only 25 or so actually live in Brewer.”

The rest, he said, reside in surrounding communities, including Bangor.

City Manager Ed Barrett’s office confirmed that the Queen City is, indeed, participating in the food drive, and that nonperishable donations and baby items can be left at the Bangor Parks and Rec Building from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the facility on lower Main Street.

If you have questions about what donations are appropriate, call Brewer Parks and Rec at 989-5199.

The second performance of the River City Concert Series features the River City Salon Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6, at the historic Union Street Brick Church in Bangor.

The orchestra, composed of Cindy Brooks-Bastide, Ellie Shufro, Chris Fredenburg, Patricia Eames, Curt Brossmer, Susan Heath, Fred Heath, Jim Adams and John Haskell, will take you down a musical memory lane with tunes from the 1890s through the 1940s.

General admission is $5 per person or $4 for seniors and students, with children under age 12 admitted free. For more information, call 825-3782.

Due to the tremendous response we got last July, wrote Jerry Stanhope of the Hampden Historical Society, that organization “is hosting another Antique Appraisal Day” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Kinsley House, 83 Main Road South in Hampden.

Local antiques appraisers will verbally appraise your treasures for $5 for one item, an additional $3 for the second item and $2 more for the third item, she explained. Appraisals are limited to three per person.

Members of the HHS also will be serving beverages during the day, Stanhope wrote, and she hopes you will “come and enjoy this time with us, and tour our lovely old home.”

The HHS is raising money to renovate the facility’s porch and the “ell roof that houses our extensive archives,” Stanhope reported. “Your support in this endeavor will be greatly appreciated.”

Walkers are encouraged to obtain pledges for the annual American Red Cross Challenge 201-100 Trek, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 7, along Route 201 from Jackman to Waterville.

The event, which takes place in the heart of the area served by the Mid-Maine Unit of the American Red Cross, benefits the programs and services of that organization.

The trek features 5-mile stretches for each registered walker. Individuals wishing to participate can call Al Blouin at the ARC Mid-Maine Unit office, 872-5642.

Items of all prices, shapes and sizes will be available at the third annual Edgar Paradis Cancer Fund Charity Auction beginning at noon Saturday, June 7, at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Frenchville Road in Fort Kent.

CarolAnne Dube reports this year’s event features a new flea market, and that those arriving early can shop for items ranging in price from 50 cents to under $10 dollars.

That sounds to me like a great place to take the kids to shop for Father’s Day. I’ll just bet they’ll be able to find something really useful for Dad!

New and “gently used” equipment, furniture and appliances also are available, and you will even find a 1991 Chevrolet S10 long bed pickup donated by Martin Ford.

Proceeds benefit St. John Valley cancer survivors through the Paradis Fund, which offers financial assistance for those who need cancer treatment and therapy far from home. Additionally, the fund sponsors monthly support groups and an annual education seminar, and stocks a reference library.

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