RUMFORD – This is the last week to receive the extended early registration discount for the River Valley Expo 2003, being held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27. Businesses may receive a visit from a committee member if they have not yet registered. They will explain the advantages of participating in the expo. For information contact the chamber office at 364-3241.

Library story hours canceled

MEXICO – Story hours will be canceled at the Mexico Public Library Tuesday, July 1. Programs will resume July 8. Book Cafe at the Mexico Public Library will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 9. Any adult with a love for reading is invited and encouraged to attend. For more information phone 364-3281.

Group to meet Tuesday at hospital

RUMFORD – The monthly brain injury support group will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Rumford Community Hospital conference room on the second floor. For more information phone Deb Hanmer at 562-9260 or 795-6110.

Riders’ club

meets tonight

MEXICO – The River Valley Riders’ ATV club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Mexico Chicken Coop.

VFW Auxiliary

to meet at Post

RUMFORD – The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary No. 1641 will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the post.

Mason House opens for season

BETHEL – The Dr. Moses Mason House will open for the 2003 season Tuesday, July 1, and be open until Labor Day. Hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Volunteer guides are still needed. Those interested in learning about the history of the area and the Mason House should phone the office at 824-2908 or 1-800-824-2908. A training session was to be held Monday, June 30, at the Dr. Moses Mason House. A new exhibit, Middle Ground: Exploring the Need for Wood and Woods in Today’s Society, will open July 1 at the O’Neil Robinson House following the Fourth of July Community Picnic. The exhibit is free and open to anyone interested in learning about the concerns of those living and working in a forested environment in transition. Visitors are invited to share their opinions on how best to achieve a balance between the desire for wood and woods.

‘Meet a Tree’ program offered

BETHEL – The Androscoggin District of the White Mountain National Forest is offering “Meet a Tree & Leaf Rubbings” beginning Wednesday, July 2. Geared toward elementary and junior high youths, it will offer a brief introduction to some of the trees in this area. Participants will be able to make their own leaf identification booklets. It will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Androscoggin Ranger Station, 2.5 miles south on Route 16 in Gorham, N.H. The same program will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, at the Evans Notch Visitor Center, at the intersection of routes 2 and 26.

Ranger to discuss hiking safety

GORHAM, N.H. – The White Mountain National Forest is starting its summer Wednesday Night With a Ranger series on July 2 at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Backcountry Ranger Tim Yurkiewicz will present “Hike Safe There and Back,” a new mountain safety initiative by the Forest Service and New Hampshire Fish and Game. He will discuss important things hikers of all abilities and experiences can do to keep from becoming a search and rescue statistic. The programs begin at 8 p.m. every Wednesday. The visitor center is on Route 16, 11 miles south of Gorham. All of them are free and open to the public. The programs last about an hour, including time for questions. For more information, people may phone the Androscoggin Ranger Station at (603) 466-2713, TTY (603) 466-2856 or the Appalachian Mountain Club at (603)466-2721.

Talking in French

RUMFORD – The Acadian Society invites the public to attend “Conversational French” at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 3, at St. Athanasius and St. John Parish Center.

Community picnic

BETHEL – The 11th annual Community Picnic will be held on the grounds of the Bethel Historical Society’s Dr. Moses Mason House on the Fourth of July, beginning around noon. Those attending should bring a picnic lunch to enjoy while listening to a concert by the Portland Brass Quintet, which will play a variety of music during its two-hour concert. If the weather is rainy, the concert will be held at the historic Middle Intervale Meetinghouse on Intervale Road. There is no admission charge and the event is open to the public. Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to support the appearance of the Portland Brass Quintet are invited to do so by sending a gift to the Society at P.O. Box 12, Bethel ME 04217-0012.

Church plans strawberry festival Saturday

DIXFIELD – The Dixfield Congregational Church will hold a Strawberry Festival from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 5, at the church annex on High Street. Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. featuring waffles and strawberries or pancakes and sausage for $3.50. Lunch will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring chicken rolls or hot dogs and strawberry shortcake with homemade biscuits for $4. There will be strawberries, baked goods and raffles for sale.

Class reunion

RUMFORD – The Rumford High School Class of 1973 will hold a reunion Saturday, Aug. 2. Those who plan to attend and have not replied should do so by contacting Gloria Carter at 225 York St., Rumford, by Monday, July 7.

Cheerleading camp

RUMFORD – Area girls and boys entering grades one through eight are being invited to attend the M.J.T. summer cheerleading camp. The location will be the Mountain Valley Middle School gymnasium. The dates will be July 7-11 and July 14-16. The times will be 9-10 a.m. for grades one to five, and 10-11:30 a.m. for grades six to eight. For more information call Linda Burns at 364-7064.

Region 9 Learning Center sets summer hours

MEXICO – The Region 9 Learning Center summer schedule for adult education, from Tuesday, July 8, through Thursday, Aug. 14, will be: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon and Wednesday 6 to 9 p.m. The office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Concerts on common

BETHEL – The Mahoosuc Arts Council has announced the return of concerts on the Bethel Common this summer. The Libbie Goodridge Kneel and Memorial Summer Series will feature The Jerks of Grass at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 13, as the first of four Sunday afternoon shows. The Jerks of Grass are a bluegrass band featuring four lightning speed instrumentalists. Jason Phelps plays guitar, Carter Logan the banjo, Ronnie Gallant the mandolin and Tom Jacques on bass. Other concerts are: Bellamy Jazz Band, an eight piece traditional jazz band, on July 27, New York-based, Rumford raised, jazz vocalist Rebeca Martin on Aug. 3; and the barbershop harmonies of The Mollyockett Chorus on Aug. 24. All concerts begin at 4 p.m. and run 60 to 90 minutes. The rain site is Bingham Auditorium on Church Street at Gould Academy. The public is invited to attend. Sponsored by Mrs. Kneeland’s family, the series honors her life of teaching in the Bethel area and her work with children with learning differences. The series celebrates the teaching profession that she dearly loved and today’s teachers who care enough to make a difference in a child’s life.