RUMFORD – The Rumford Historical Society members were told of the life and writing of Holman F. Day when they met Oct. 15. Day was a poet, fiction writer, movie producer and at one time editor of the Lewiston Journal. Jean Hersey told of his life, his choice of strong characters and the Maine venue of his stories. Many of the characters were based on people he actually knew. He researched his fiction – actually worked in a lumber camp, trod the line between Maine and Canada, and worked with sea men on the ocean before writing about those places. He ended his career as a movie writer, producing movies in Maine. But the Maine climate lost out to Hollywood’s balmier weather.

Marlin Thurston and Doug Hutchinson each commented on the books they had collected by Day. Bill Hersey gave a recitation of “Aunt Shaw’s Pet Jug” and the program finished with a slide program of Hersey’s pictures as “The Season for Fairs” was read.

Chicken pie supper planned

RUMFORD – A chicken pie supper will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Rumford United Methodist Church on Linnell Street. The cost will be $6 for adults and $3 for anyone under 12.

Stash of Cash

RUMFORD – The River Valley Chamber of Commerce is offering Stash of Cash for the month of November. One ticket, at the cost of $5, will buy 30 chances to win $100 a day in the month of November. All proceeds will benefit the River Valley Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are available at the chamber office or the following businesses; State Farm Insurance, Erik Designs, All That Jazz, Mexico Pet & Agway, Port to Port, Dan’s Automotive, Hannaford, Sam’s, Paradise Day Spa, Information Center and Sun Journal. For more information phone the chamber office at 364-3241.

Ski sale

BETHEL – The Bethel Outing Club’s 23rd annual ski sale will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25. Individuals and families can stock up on new and used alpine, telemark, cross-country and snowboard equipment and clothing. Boots, poles, bindings, boards and more than a thousand pairs of skis from over a dozen ski shops and individuals will be on sale.

Ski Depot and the Sunday River Cross Country Center will be available to mount bindings throughout the sale so that purchasers can leave with “hill-ready” equipment.

Individuals may also bring equipment to sell, subject to a 15 percent consignment fee, anytime after 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. Items must be priced on tickets provided by the Outing Club at the sale, or picked up at the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce (Bethel Station) and filled out in advance. Proceeds of the sale benefit area youth ski programs.

The sale will be held at the Gould Academy Field House, Church Street, in downtown Bethel. Sale hours are 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. Vendor information may be obtained from Ann Speth at 824-2586. For general inquiries about the Bethel Outing Club, contact club President Mike Cooper at [email protected].

Holiday fair

DIXFIELD – The Extension Homemaker groups of Oxford County will hold their annual holiday open house crafts and demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Dirigo Middle School.

Woods course

BETHEL – A fall course, Wood and Woods: Logging and Landscape in Northern New England, will be offered by the Bethel Historical Society’s Regional History Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4. The course is being offered in conjunction with the current exhibit at the society’s O’Neil Robinson House, “Wood and Woods: Finding a Middle Ground.” The first class will deal with the region’s logging heritage and include a visit to the exhibit by Bruce Towle, who organized and prepared it. Society Director Stanley R. Howe, who will coordinate the course, will also present the historic background of logging with a slide lecture.

The second class Nov. 10 will focus on a presentation by Wayne Millen, assistant director of the Resource Division of the White Mountain National Forest based in Gorham, N.H. He will discuss the history of the National Forest and its practices, procedures and goals through the years.

The third class Dec. 1 will feature a panel consisting of foresters, forest land owners and representatives of organizations that advocate limits on logging. This presents an opportunity for participants to hear a variety of viewpoints and to interact with some of those involved with this complex issue. The fee for the course will be $10 for nonmembers and $8 for society members. To register phone the society office at 824-2908 or (800) 824-2910.