Our annual Columbus Day weekend comes a bit early this year, but that doesn’t matter to folks planning Searsport’s Fling Into Fall. It just means everyone gets to have a lot of fun the first weekend of October rather than the second, and all activities and shows are free.

That annual celebration, e-mailed Cynthia Griffin, will be held, rain or shine, beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and continuing into the evening; then re-starting at 7 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 6, and continuing through that evening in this Waldo County community.

Among the event’s highlights will be the appearance of the Beecher Boys ‘n Girls Hillbilly Band from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at the Searsport Public Safety Building.

“The town will donate a check for $300” to the group, Griffin wrote, which it will, in turn, donate to The Salvation Army.

Friday’s events include everything from a scarecrow and carved pumpkin contest to children’s activities, an organ performance and a silent auction at the Penobscot Marine Museum Main Street Gallery.

You can start your Saturday Fling Into Fall with a Country Breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Masonic Hall on Main Street, where you can buy tickets at the door; then enjoy an arts and crafts show; a parade beginning at 11 a.m., featuring the 2007 Pumpkin Queen; hayrides; bed races; and field games.

For your evening meal, purchase tickets at the door for an Italian supper at 5 p.m. at the First Congregational Church vestry.

The fall celebration ends with the Fling Follies of 2007 at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Union Hall, featuring the high school choral group and drawing for a Florida vacation.

My friend, Susan Carlisle, who does such an outstanding job chairing the annual auction fundraiser to benefit Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, e-mailed to let readers know you can “head downtown to view this year’s offerings,” which will be on display in downtown Bangor business windows.

This year’s auction, which features clocks for children, is titled “It’s About Time,” and will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, at Spectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road.

“The pieces will be in the windows for about a month,” Sue wrote.

“There will be 56 clocks in all, and we’ll be putting them out as they come in.

“They will also be viewable, online, at our Web site, www.mainediscoverymuseum.org, and tickets will be available, online, or at the Museum,” 74 Main St. in Bangor.

For those who don’t know who the infamous gangster Al Brady was, here’s your chance to find out before the historical re-enactment of his unexpected demise 70 years ago in Bangor.

My former colleague, Dick Shaw, who plays the role of Brady, reports he and Gerry Palmer, as Dakin’s Sporting Goods store owner Shep Hurd, “will present historical talks on the Brady Gang at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Hammond Street Senior Center, 2 Hammond St. in Bangor.”

The talks are free and open to the public.

The presentation precedes the re-enactment of the event, “Flashes From the Past: The Day the Brady Gang Came to Bangor.”

That historic re-creation will begin with an antique auto parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, on Main Street in Bangor, and will be followed by the re-enactment at 3 p.m. on Central Street.

A public dance, featuring Wicked Blue bluegrass and the Skyliners Dance Orchestra, closes out the event at 4 p.m. in downtown Bangor.

For more information about this historical re-enactment, visit www.albradygang.com.

Maine’s animal welfare program will be the topic of discussion by Norma Worley, director of the state program, during Green Acres Kennel Shop’s 10th annual Pet Appreciation Day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1653 Union St., Bangor.

Information from professionals about grooming, training, behavior and nutrition will be available all day, and training clinics and informational sessions will be offered.

The Precious Pet Show for children and their dogs and cats will begin at noon.

Registration for activities is $5 per pet per event, and all registration fees benefit the Bangor Humane Society Shed and Emily Fund, established by kennel owners Don and Paula Hanson to assist dogs and cats in need at BHS.

Entry forms and information are available at www.greenacreskennel.com.

General information about the event may be obtained by calling the kennel at 945-6841.

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