Wakefield run

SOUTH PORTLAND – Southern Maine Community College will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 14. The day-long event will include duck boat tours of the campus and harbor, the Darcy Wakefield Fun Run/Walk/Roll, pancake breakfast, groundbreaking ceremony for the new residence hall, Seawolf soccer games, alumni reception, the Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony and a photo history of the campus.

Visit www.smccME.edu for a full schedule of the day’s events. All events are open to the public unless otherwise noted.

The Darcy Wakefield Scholarship 2K Fun Run/Walk/Roll will get under way at 8:30 a.m. Registration fee will be $25/$20 students and alumni and includes a T-shirt and breakfast. Registration will start at 8. Wakefield is a former Livermore resident who died of ALS.

For more information on the celebration, contact Brian Hamel in the Office of Communication at 741-5575.

All things wood

PORTLAND – Forests for Maine’s Future, a working group comprising representatives from four of Maine’s key forestry groups – the Maine Forest Service, University of Maine’s Forest Resource Programs, the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine and the Maine Tree Foundation – will host an All Things Woods Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Portland Exposition Building.

Maine forest-related and woods products companies, service providers and entertainers will gather at the free expo, which aims to bring attention to all aspects of Maine’s forests. It is designed as a fun, learning and retail experience for kids, families, recreational enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in Maine’s forests.

For more information, visit www.forestsformainesfuture.org.

Recovery walk

AUGUSTA – Advocacy Initiative Network of Maine will sponsor a “Great Strides for Mental Health” Recovery Walk on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Eastside Boat Landing behind Fort Western and Augusta City Center. The walk will start at 1 p.m. with registration beginning at noon.

All are invited to attend the walk. Registration pledge sheets can be obtained by calling 1-888-375-5969. People who obtain $10 or more in pledges will receive a T-shirt at the time of the walk.

Church conference

AUGUSTA – Nationally known speaker, radio commentator and author Bill Federer will speak to Christians from across the state at the Unleashing the Church Conference on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Augusta Civic Center.

Federer will join other Christian leaders from Concerned Women for America of Maine, Maine Jeremiah Project and others at the statewide conference. Federer has been a guest on radio and television interviews.

The goal of Unleashing the Church is to educate Mainers on their Godly heritage and to encourage Christians to pray and stand together in efforts to revive and preserve Biblical values in Maine.

The public is invited. Early registration is available at a discounted rate of $5 a person or $15 a family. For more information, go to www.unleashingthechurch.org or call 667-5476 or 257-3239.

Arboretum speaker

HALLOWELL – The Vaughan Homestead Foundation and the Pine Tree State Arboretum will co-sponsor “Allagash Wilderness Waterway: Personal Reflections and Lessons Learned in a Fight for Wilderness” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Viles Visitor Center, Pine Tree State Arboretum, 153 Hospital St.

The presentation is free and open to the public, but donations to the Pine Tree State Arboretum are welcome. For more information, call the arboretum at 621-0031. Refreshments will be served.

The presentation will be by Dean Bennett, Maine naturalist, author, photographer and illustrator, teacher and activist for the Allagash region.

Maine society seeks a princess

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., is seeking candidates for Maine’s Cherry Blossom Princess to represent the state and the society in the 60th annual National Cherry Blossom Festival from April 1 through 7, 2007.

Neither a beauty pageant nor talent competition, the festival is an opportunity for a young woman to represent Maine and the society.

Candidates must be at least 19 and not have reached their 25th birthday at the time of the festival; be a Maine native or be the daughter, granddaughter, sister or niece of a Maine native, or have other longtime, significant Maine connections; be at least a high school graduate and knowledgeable about Maine; have never been married and have no children; and be available for the entire festival week.

Information and applications may be obtained from the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., 3434 Upside Court, Falls Church, Va. 22042-4019 (703-237-1031). Completed applications must be received by the society not later than Dec. 20.