October is a busy month, what with craft fairs, apple picking, Columbus Day weekend, and of course the best candy holiday, Halloween.

Here is one more thing to put on your calendar. The Penobscot County Triad annual meeting, to be held Thursday, Oct. 12, at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer, is an event not to be missed. It’s open to the public and offers seniors a varied selection of important information on safety.

It is not necessary to belong to Triad to attend; in fact, non-members are encouraged to come. For those unfamiliar with Triad, it’s an organization comprising law enforcement, social services organizations, including Eastern Agency on Aging, and seniors. The goal is simple: Protect seniors from crime and scams through education and special projects, many of which are geared to keeping them safe in their own homes.

A mere $10 for the day will get you not only a continental breakfast and delicious lunch, but an up-close-and-personal look at the gubernatorial candidates, who will discuss how they plan to deal with senior issues should they be elected.

The day begins at 7:30 a.m. with the candidates’ forum, moderated by WABI TV5’s assistant news director, Jon Small.

After a breakfast break, the keynote address will be made by Attorney General Steven Rowe, then Stacie Sparkman, Medicare D specialist from EAA, will speak about Medicare part D. Remember – open enrollment to get a prescription drug plan is Nov. 15 to Dec. 31.

But that’s not all. Because identity theft is such a huge problem and mail fraud can go hand in hand with it, Mike Desrosier, U.S. postal inspector, will make a presentation.

And just as an aside, recently I was with a friend at a crowded veterinary clinic. She witnessed an elderly woman place her credit card, face up on the counter, and then take a few steps away in order to comfortably dig through her purse in a vain attempt to locate her checkbook.

She was lucky. The very nice receptionist politely asked the woman if she wished to put her charges on the credit card, as the checkbook seemingly was nowhere in sight. All was well, but think what could have happened if this poor distracted woman was elsewhere and carelessly left her card lying around.

Anyway, back to the forum, which, again, is an excellent place to get simple, everyday tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Next up, Val Sauda, director of outreach at EAA, will give a presentation on “Being Safe at Home.” She will cover home safety and offer tips on the best protection to prevent home-based crimes. Think driveway paving scams. Sauda will explain how the EAA Eaa-Z Fix It minor home repair program can help thwart these schemes.

Then it’s a sumptuous lunch, and a chance to chat with table mates about all you have learned and compare notes.

And at 1:30 p.m., the actual annual meeting begins, with guest speaker Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Cantara.

If you would like to attend the informational and important event, write a $10 check to Triad Annual Meeting and send to: Triad, c/o EAA, 450 Essex St., Bangor, ME 04401. Make sure to include your full name and phone number.

For more information on Triad or the meeting, call EAA at 941-2865.

Be sure to tune in for Senior Talk with Carol Higgins at 6:30 a.m. Saturdays on WVOM, 103.9, at 8 a.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. Sundays on WABI AM 910. The half-hour show is designed with seniors in mind.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865, e-mail info@eaaa.org, or log on www.eaaa.org. For TTY, call 992-0150.