Even if you do not already have tickets, you can still attend the 10th annual Fall Festival Auction and Awards Night to benefit Rape Response Services, which assists people in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties affected by sexual assault.

The fundraiser begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Jeff’s Catering on Coffin Avenue in Brewer.

Tickets are $10 each or two for $15, and a reserved table of eight is $60. Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available, and cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance by calling 941-2980 or emailing rrsdir@raperesponse

services.com.

Popular volunteer auctioneer Sue McKay will once again be wielding her mighty gavel to get the highest bids for items such as a Stephen King-signed copy of “Hearts in Atlantis,” jewelry, household items from quilts to lamps, and artwork, crafts, lodging, sports items and much more.

You can also place bids in a silent auction, and an updated list of auction items is available at www.rape

response

services.com.

The event will also feature the presentation of the Janet Badger Volunteer Award and the Teal Ribbon Award.

It was nice to learn that flower store owner Wayne Lobley is hosting an FTD Good Neighbor Day beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Jordan Gardens, 34 Water St., Machias, and that this event means more than just flower-sharing.

Good Neighbor Day originated in 1994 in Mississippi, where a florist gave away a dozen roses to everyone who visited his shop, asking only that each recipient keep one rose and give the remaining 11 away to 11 different people to make new acquaintances or renew old friendships.

Today, Lobley is extending that Good Neighbor spirit with the assistance of several local business sponsors to help feed the needy in the Machias area.

When you visit Jordan Gardens to pick up your dozen flowers, which are free while the supply lasts, you are also encouraged to drop off a non-perishable food item or cash donation to benefit the Machias Area Food Pantry.

Remember, the flowers are free, but contributions to help feed the less fortunate in your area would be greatly appreciated.

For more information about the Jordan Gardens FTD Good Neighbor Day, call 255-3787.

For more information about the work of the Machias Area Food Pantry, call Helen Vose at 255-6665.

Volunteers are needed to assist with the upcoming season of Fields Pond Audubon Center Secrets of the Forest tours.

The volunteers will help staff school tour groups who come to the Center in Holden to explore and learn about plants and animals that live in our Maine forests.

To become a Secrets of the Forest volunteer, all that is needed is your love of the outdoors and your willingness to share that love with children.

Orientation sessions, during which you will walk the trail and learn what to look for and point out to the children, are planned for 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 and Friday, Sept. 8; 12:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11; and 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Center.

If you have questions about becoming a Fields Pond Audubon Center Secrets of the Forest volunteer, call Jane Rosinski at 989-2591.

Natalie Knox reports spaces are still available for anyone wishing to participate in the Searsport District High School Alumni Association third annual Hamilton Marine Amateur Golf Tournament.

The event, to benefit the SDHSAA Scholarship Fund, begins with registration at 7 a.m. and golf at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Searsport Pines Golf Course in Searsport.

For more information, call Knox at 266-9494.

You are invited to participate in a St. Joseph Healthcare Yard/Craft Sale to Feed the Hungry.

Sponsored by the SJH Mission and Employee Activity Committee, the event is planned for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, in the hospital parking lot at 360 Broadway in Bangor. The rain date is Saturday, Sept. 16.

You can take part by renting a 6-foot table for $25 and, if you wish, also by donating a portion of your sales to the benefit, which organizers hope will raise at least $1,000 for the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

To rent a table, call the SJH Public Affairs Department at 262-1720.

Good Shepherd Food-Bank provides food to more than 540 programs statewide, of which more than 100 serve people in this area.

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