What certainly can be considered one of the highlights of Orono’s Bicentennial Celebration will be a presentation by James Sapier and James Francis, who will recount the history of the Penobscot Nation in our area.

Sapier, chief of the Penobscot Nation, and Francis, its tribal historian, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in the Orono Town Council chambers.

The free, public lecture will address the history of the lower Penobscot River area after the arrival of Europeans in this part of North America.

The program is one of a monthly lecture series sponsored by the Orono Historical Society and supported, financially, by the Maine Humanities Council.

Planners note the significance of the fact that those who founded the community in 1806 chose to name the town for the chief of the Penobscot Indians.

Virginia Whitaker and John Hackney are co-chairmen of the Orono bicentennial committee.

“We are really delighted that Sherman Hasbrouck, historical society president, was instrumental in inviting the Penobscots to be a part of the celebration of what is essentially a community settled by white Europeans,” Whitaker said.

After all, she added, “the Penobscots lived here long before we did,” adding that Chief Joseph Orono, a Penobscot, died a few years before the town of Orono was founded.

“We know the history of the Penobscots and the Orono settlement was intertwined, down through the years, and that the town was named in honor of him,” Whitaker said.

“We really honor and respect the roll of the Penobscots in this region.

“There are good and sufficient reasons when you name your town after the Penobscot chief, and there are still descendants of Chief Orono living on Indian Island,” she added.

Whitaker believes this presentation is “going to be a great program.”

“In fact,” she said, “the whole series of lectures, one a month, are going to give people new insight into Orono, which is their own history.”

Obviously, the topic of this month’s lecture should appeal to Orono residents, but it also should appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of this region, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Joan Shelton of Knox reports that Waldo County TRIAD is hosting a Spaghetti Supper and Auction from 4 to 6 p.m. today, at Troy Howard Middle School on Route 52 in Belfast.

Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.

Nearly 60 items will be up for bid during the auction, which begins at 6:30 p.m., and all proceeds benefit the work of Waldo County TRIAD.

TRIAD is a cooperative, countywide program of law enforcement personnel, senior citizens, and service providers who work to improve the safety of older citizens through education and crime prevention.

Low-income taxpayers who need assistance filing income taxes can receive it from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on three dates: Monday, Feb. 13; Monday, Feb. 27; and Monday, March 6, at Penquis Community Action Program, 262 Harlow St., Bangor.

To schedule an appointment, call Marie Durant at Penquis CAP, 973-3576.

You must bring your federal and state form packets, your W-2 forms from employers, Form 1099 if you received one, a copy of last year’s tax return if you filed last year, and your Social Security card or record of your Social Security number.

Last December, through the cooperation of United Way of Eastern Maine, the Department of Health and Human Services, the city of Bangor, DASH Network, Penquis Community Action Program, and Washington Hancock Community Agency, “Getting By This Winter,” 2005 Fuel Assistance Community Forums, were aired on public access television.

DVDs of those forums are available with information specific to residents of Washington and Hancock counties, but applicable to all other areas of the state.

Information on the DVDs includes everything from knowing your resources to how to safely reduce energy consumption and become more energy efficient.

The DVD lasts approximately one hour, and is helpful for consumers and those who work with them.

Suggestions have been made that the DVD could be played in waiting rooms or common rooms.

Copies of this informational DVD are available, free, to anyone in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington or Hancock counties. People living outside the area can obtain a copy for $3.75.

To get a copy, contact Alicia McCarthy at UWEM, 941-2800, or e-mail aliciam@unitedwayem.org.

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