FARMINGTON – Mountain Counties Heritage has been hidden on Main Street for 10 years, but with the new Maine Mountain Heritage Center in the Church Street Commons, it’s bound to be more visible.

“Our real mission is to make people in the region more aware of the history and the natural history of the Maine mountains,” said Director Bruce Hazard, adding that the organization covers mountains from the New Hampshire border to Katahdin. “Our long-term goal is community and economic development. We’re involved in projects with natural resources, conservation work, education work and tourism development.

“About two or three years ago, we started thinking about the possibility of having a space here in Farmington where we could put forward some of the information we’re gathering.”

He expects that the center will host three exhibits each year, starting with the fiber arts exhibit, “Wool Works: Fiber Arts in the Mountains of Maine,” which opens Aug. 4 and will remain until October when an exhibit about the history of skiing in Maine will be put on display.

“Some aspects of the exhibits will be permanent,” Hazard said. “The major, overarching theme is the relationship between people and the land. We shape the land through the ways we work it, and in turn, the land shapes us.”

Within that major theme will be a few sub-themes, including the natural landscape, making a living from the land, natural resources based industry, which builds strong communities, and how this remote place has a dynamic relationship with the rest of the world, Hazard said.

He expects to see locals as well as visitors pass through the center to view the exhibits. “Some will get a quick overview of the region, and others might be stimulated to find out more,” Hazard said.

The Maine Mountain Heritage Center is in Farmington because it is central to the mountains region, but Mountain Counties Heritage is looking at expanding and working with other groups to have similar centers across the state.

“I see in the near future that we will have a connected system of information centers to serve both residents and visitors of the region,” Hazard said.

For more information about Maine Mountain Heritage visit www.discovermainemountains.com.