Alton

Fall cleanup

The Alton Fall Clean-up will be held Saturday, Oct. 20. Acceptable material for disposal must be at curbside by 7 a.m. Pile metal items separately from bulky waste. Mixed debris will not be taken.

Unacceptable are metal gas containers, propane cylinders, any metal that contains a liquid, auto parts, TVs, computers, microwave ovens, mercury vapor tubes or wood waste.

Carpet must be cut into 4-foot sections, rolled and tied. Couches, mattresses and small amounts of sheet rock in bags will be accepted.

Freon must be removed from refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners before pickup.

For information, call Maine Waste Systems at 379-2031, or the town of Alton at 394-2601.

Bangor

Downtown Dog Wash

You and your friends with paws can have a great time for a great cause.

Maine’s only veterinary technician program is coming off campus to create community connections. Student members of the University College of Bangor’s Veterinary Technicians Organization will offer a Downtown Dog Wash noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14.

Aubuchon Hardware will provide a shampoo station outdoor beside its store in Penobscot Plaza on Washington Street, and SeaDog Brewing Co. will provide tents. Other activities include doggie manicures, tips about doggie dental care, face painting and more. Dogs will be washed with soap made locally by Brook Street Kitchen.

VTO’s objectives include bringing attention to UCB’s vet tech program and to promote “Save Our Strays,” a nonprofit network that finds homes for stray animals. Activities are free, and donations to Save Our Strays are welcome. VTO’s goal for donations is $2,000 in the form of cash, bleach, cat litter or paper towels.

For information, contact Jennifer Gallant at 262-7853, or student volunteer Nathan Beckett at 399-8119.

English-language tutors

Literacy Volunteers of Bangor is creating interesting opportunities for volunteers who want to help immigrant residents acclimate to the area.

Volunteers interested in being trained as English-language tutors are needed. As diversity in the area increases, so does the need for volunteers to help others adjust to customs, culture, systems and language. Everyday tasks, such as making a telephone call to 911, take on a whole new complexity for English-language learners.

LV-Bangor will host tutor training for volunteers interested in serving this diverse population from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, Oct. 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31, and Nov. 5 and 7, at United Technologies Center, Hogan Road. The cost is $25. Scholarships are available.

To obtain information or to register, call 947-8451.

Walk for dyslexia

The Brewer Kiwanis Club will walk to raise money to help children with dyslexia learn to read and write at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14. The public is invited to lace up their sneakers and raise funds by taking part in Dick’s Walk to Help Children with Dyslexia.

Walkers will meet at the Bangor City Forest on Tripp Drive off Stillwater Avenue, 1.6 miles from Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road. Registration is at 12:30 p.m. The walk begins at 1 p.m., rain or shine. Pledges will be collected on walk day.

Participants may choose the 3.1-mile walk or a 1-mile loop. Pledge sheets may be picked up at the Brewer Auditorium.

Dyslexia can’t be cured, but it can be overcome, organizers said. The program offered at the 32nd Degree Masonic Learning Centers for Children Inc. offers the most effective treatment in battling dyslexia.

Benefit day for KidsPeace

Empire Education Group, including Pierre School of Cosmetology in Bangor, will host the company’s third annual National Day of Beauty on Saturday, Oct. 13, with all proceeds going to KidsPeace, the National Center for Kids Overcoming Crisis.

Empire Education Group’s 87 schools in 18 states will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for hair, nail and beauty services, with every dollar raised going to KidsPeace. Senior level students, supervised by licensed teachers, will perform all services. Charges are based on the reasonable cost of materials only.

“KidsPeace and Empire Education Group are great partners, because we have a parallel mission and philosophy – to create opportunities for people to improve their lives,” says Franklin K. Schoeneman, Empire Education Group’s CEO.

To join the effort or to purchase a haircut for $5 in advance, visit 639 Broadway or call 942-0039.

Legal education session

Maine Kids-Kin, a program of Families And Children Together, will present a legal education round table from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Families And Children Together, 304 Hancock St.

The free event, with attorney Kerry Jordan, will focus on wills and how to plan ahead for your family. Those who are raising a relative’s child are invited to attend.

Free child care will be available onsite. To obtain information, or to register and reserve child care, call Janelle Wuoristo at 941-2347, 866-298-0896 or e-mail jwuoristo@mainekids-kin.org by Friday, Oct. 19.

The Maine Kids-Kin program assists extended family members who are stepping in to care for relatives’ children. More than 11,000 Maine children live with relatives. The agency offers legal, educational and financial information.

Religious education director

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor appointed Heidi Zwicker of Bangor as the director of Lifespan Religious Education as of Oct. 1.

Zwicker will coordinate religious education classes, including adult and youth programs; work with the religious education committee and recruit volunteers for the various classes and programs.

The Rev. J. Bradbury Mitchell, interim minister, said her reputation for working with volunteers preceded her.

A lifelong UU member, Zwicker grew up in the UU church in Beverly, Mass. She holds a bachelor’s degree in German and music from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., and a master’s degree in labor studies from the University of Massachusetts.

Zwicker and her family have lived in Bangor for six months, moving to Maine from Denver, where she was executive director of Colorado Jobs with Justice. Zwicker can be reached at uubangorre@gmail.com.

Harvest auction

The Salvation Army will hold its annual Harvest Auction from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 12-13, at 65 South Park St. A presale of smaller items will take place at 5 p.m.

Many area businesses have donated items, including a new chain saw, windows, flooring, new furniture, gift certificates and more. Admission is free.

A light supper and snacks will be available for purchase. To donate items or to obtain more information, call 941-2990.

Brewer

Salute to working women

During National Business Women’s Week, the Uptown Business and Professional Women will present a salute to working women at its luncheon at noon Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Muddy Rudder restaurant.

Activities will highlight the impact working women have on the economy. The luncheon will give special recognition to four women who have been nominated by the community:

. Kelli Leighton, Hermon firefighter.

. Ramona Clark, graphic designer, mother and taxi service.

. Cindy Blodgett, head coach, University of Maine women’s basketball.

. Jane Searles, Women, Work and Community.

Those attending the luncheon will be asked to fill out a postcard naming a working woman they believe deserves recognition. The postcards, or “standing ovations,” will be mailed during National Business Women’s Week to further the recognition and appreciation of working women.

Hermon

Benefit 1950s Sock Hop

Slick back your hair, roll up your jeans or pull out that poodle skirt to dance for the dogs. Fast Dogs Mobile Entertainment and Morgan Hill Performing Arts will be the hosts of a 1950s Sock Hop from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 13, at Morgan Hill Event Center, Route 2. The event will benefit the Bangor Humane Society.

Prizes for the best 1950s outfits will be awarded and door prizes given every hour. Bring a pet picture for the Pet Display Table. The picture with the most votes will win a prize.

The cost is $10. Reserved tables for eight are available. A cash bar will be available.

For more information or advance tickets, call 848-7100.

For Girlfriends Unlimited

Girlfriends Unlimited of Hermon Baptist Church, 2496 Route 2, welcome women ages 18 and up to relax, have fun and connect with other women 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20.

Activities planned are food, a chocolate fountain, games, a craft, door prizes and vendors. An advance pass is $10. After Oct. 15, it costs $15. Passes are available at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Girlfriends Unlimited offers friendship, acceptance and more to women of all backgrounds. For information, visit www.hermonbaptistchurch.orgor call 848-5749.

Holden

Wild Theatre for kids

Local artists Nancy Tyndall and Holly Twining will lead children ages 8-12 through a workshop that encourages finding theatricality in the natural world via flora and fauna. Wild Theatre will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Fields Pond Audubon Center.

Children will be dropped off at the center at 1 p.m. to improvise and rehearse a short nature-based piece. The children will perform the material they worked on for their parents and friends at 4 p.m. A nature walk to discover the wonders of fall will be a fun break.

The cost is $18 for members, $22 others. Preregistration is required at 989-2591 or htwining@maineaudubon.org.

Old Town

Story and craft time

Do your children love books, stories and crafts? St. James’ Episcopal Church invites children ages 3 to 7, their parents, grandparents and caregivers to a new community monthly event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the church, Center and Main streets.

Statistics have found family literacy programs that work with parents and children are an effective approach to raising literacy and language levels of children, adults and families, said Paula Baines, outreach chairwoman.

“St. James’ is very family oriented and it was natural to extend its hospitality and offer a free family event in the greater Old Town area,” said Baines.

“Old Town Public Library’s librarians have been terrific in offering resources to us. They have kindly offered a place on their bulletin boards to promote the new story and craft time,” Baines said. “We hope to work with them to offer our story time and craft volunteers training in how to read to children in a captivating way. Perhaps other special activities will be offered in the New Year. We look forward to developing a great working partnership with Old Town Public Library.”

St. James’ Church also will offer story and craft time at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, with a Thanksgiving theme; and 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, with winter theme craft.

Orland

Fire department open house

In observance of Fire Prevention Week, the Orland Fire Department on Schoolhouse Road will hold an open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13.

There will be demonstrations for all ages, prizes and refreshments. Come meet all of Orland’s volunteer firefighters.