Recognizing that “following on the heels of September 11, this will be a hard year,” Dawn Edgecomb still hopes all goes well with the fifth annual Acadia Area ATVers’ Charity Ride, KISS 94.5 Christmas is for Kids campaign.

“Last year, we raised more than $5,000,” Edgecomb said when we spoke recently, “so we hope we get a lot of people out, but we do know it’s been a hard year for everyone.”

Because of the terrorist attacks on the United States one year ago, it became a year when people made different decisions about where they would put their charitable efforts and contributions, which is why Edgecomb is hoping people will, once again, turn out in good numbers for this fund-raiser.

This year’s two-day Acadia ATVers’ Charity Ride leaves at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, from the Airline Snack Bar on Route 9 in Beddington.

“Saturday is just a time to get together, and we ask people to bring their own lunch,” Edgecomb said. “Sunday is the big ride.”

That ride begins with a $5-per-person buffet breakfast at 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Airline Snack Bar.

“We will provide a barbecue lunch that day somewhere along the trail,” Edgecomb said.

In addition to the contributions riders are asked to raise and donations they are asked to make, “we will have 50-50 raffles we will be selling for $1 [per ticket] or seven for $5,” Edgecomb said.

She added that arrangements can be made with staff at the Airline Snack Bar to rent a room for either night. You can make reservations by calling the Snack Bar at 638-2301.

And Edgecomb wants to remind people that Route 9 is under extensive construction, so you should be prepared for a little slower and bumpier ride to the site than you might otherwise expect.

For more information about how you can participate in the Acadia ATVers’ KISS 94.5 Christmas is for Kids Charity Ride, call Pat Hamor, 276-3704; Beverly Sargent, 667-4079 or Christine Alley, 244-3393.

The public is invited to participate in a “Community Read” program presented by the Carver Memorial Library and the Penobscot Marine Museum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Congregational church on Church Street in Searsport.

The book to be discussed is “Letters From Sea, 1882-1901, Joanna and Lincoln Colcord’s Seafaring Childhood.”

Leading the discussion will be author and University of Southern Maine history professor Parker Albee Jr., who also will present material he used in writing the book.

Children who participated in the summer programs offered by the library and the museum will also participate in the discussion, as will young people who spent time on the schooner Summertime.

Together with sponsor Eastern Maine Medical Center, the Castine Women’s Golf Association will hold a coed “Rally for a Cure” golf tournament beginning with an 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, shotgun start at the Castine Golf Club.

“Rally for A Cure” benefits the Maine and New England Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which has headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

The entry fee for the four-person scramble is $40 per golfer. If you do not have a partner, you will be paired with another golfer.

The primary mission of the national “Rally for A Cure” fund-raiser is to promote early detection of breast cancer. The program has generated more than $5 million in six years.

Golfers will dine on salad and dessert, along with what organizers describe as “the best crabmeat rolls in the state of Maine.”

To register, or to receive more information, call Charleen Wiseman, 326-4105, or the Castine Golf Club, 326-8844.

All women who attended the former Oak Grove School in Vassalboro are invited to attend the school’s annual reunion, which is planned for noon Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Weathervane Restaurant in Waterville. The restaurant is located off Interstate 95, Exit 33.

Information about this event is available from Jeanine Gagnon Stewart at 942-7769.

Ricky Craven Charities will be the beneficiary of a fund-raiser from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Wal-Mart in Bangor.

The event will help raise money and awareness for the five organizations that the NASCAR Winston Cup driver supports through his annual Snowmobile Charity Ride held each year in Greenville.

Those organizations are Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Marrow Foundation, the Travis Roy Foundation and the Give Kids the World Foundation.

The Ricky Craven No. 32 Tide Ride car will be there, and Charity Ride volunteers will be cooking hot dogs and sharing fun-filled activities with all who attend.

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