What better time than the delicious holiday season to start thinking about becoming part of the fabulous fourth annual Healthy Hancock Lose and Win Program?

Based on the book “The Town That Lost a Ton,” Iris Simon of Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth reported last year’s participants lost 2,646 pounds.

She said of this 10-week program that “teams are formed to challenge other teams to not only lose weight, but also develop a healthier lifestyle.”

Teams can include co-workers, family members, friends or neighbors.

The weekly programs all begin at 6 p.m. Thursdays, and are held at two locations: Ellsworth and Deer Isle-Stonington.

Simon reported team captain meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 6 in Deer Isle-Stonington, and Thursday, Dec. 13, in Ellsworth.

The Deer Isle-Stonington program kicks off Jan. 2, while Ellsworth holds its kickoff on Jan. 3.

You can obtain team captain registration forms at www.mainehospital.org; by calling Health-Link, MCMH, 667-2474; or e-mailing isimon@mainehospital.org.

Simon wants you to know, if you do participate, that “the winter will fly by, and you will go into spring having made healthful changes in your life and even weighing pounds lighter.”

Page Farm & Home Museum director Patricia Henner invites you to its annual, old-fashioned Holiday Party, 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

There you will enjoy trimming the tree, making ornaments, decorating gingerbread cookies and caroling.

Refreshments will be served at this free event, and children are welcome. For more information, call 581-4100.

For information about the museum, its activities, exhibits, events and hours, visit http://www.umaine.edu/pagefarm.

Cindy Gallant e-mailed Searsport Historical Society will hold its annual House Tour from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in that community.

“Some of Searsport’s finest homes will be decorated for the holiday season and open to the public,” Gallant wrote.

“Refreshments will be served, throughout the day, at the Crary-Carlin-Coleman house located on the Sears Island Road.”

The homes will be marked for you to easily locate them, and maps will be available at the Searsport Antique Mall and Left Bank Books.

The tour is free, and a list of participating homes can be found at www.searsporthistorical

society.org.

I’ve received so many individual announcements about appearances of the Mount View Chamber Singers I’ve decided to list their remaining schedule so everyone will know when and where these 16 high school a cappella singers from Mount View High School in Thorndike will make their holiday appearances.

The Mount View Chamber Singers will entertain beginning at 7 p.m. on the following dates at the following sites: Saturday, Dec. 8, Hampden Highlands United Methodist Church; Sunday, Dec. 9, Hammond Street Congregational Church, Bangor; Friday, Dec. 14, Congregational Church UCC, Frankfort: Tuesday, Dec. 18, First United Methodist Church, Essex Street, Bangor; and Thursday, Dec. 20, Stillwater Federated Church, Bennoch Road.

For more information, contact MVHS music teacher David Stevenson at dstevenson@msad3.org.

My co-worker Nancy Golding reports the free Bangor Noon Kiwanis benefit auction is noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the Bangor Conference Center, 701 Hogan Road.

The auction, featuring guest auctioneers Susan Farley and Alan Grover of WABI-TV Channel 5, includes more than 150 new and nearly new items ranging from hotel packages to University of Maine sports tickets, gift baskets, restaurant certificates and more.

The event also features complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

Proceeds will help the family of young Logan Severance purchase a wheelchair-accessible van.

Logan, the son of Stan and Terri Severance, of Brewer, has spinal muscular atrophy, which affects voluntary muscles that are needed for walking and head and neck control.

Proceeds also will help establish the Bud McEachern Kiwanis Key Club Scholarship Fund.

“Bud was a longtime Bangor Kiwanian totally devoted to the well-being of children,” Golding wrote.

For more information, call Golding at 990-8224.

Maxine Clements and members of the Monroe Community Church and the First Congregational Church of Brooks invite you a joint holiday cookie, candy and bar sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Monroe Church on Route 139.

Proceeds will benefit the Pastors’ Discretionary Fund.

Clements said that the fund enables pastors of those churches “to minister to those in need of emergency heating oil, food and gas money for doctors’ appointments” and other necessities throughout the year.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; javerill@bangordailynews.net or 990-8288.