FARMINGTON – A three-day celebration, Northern Forest Days, to be held at Maine Mountain Heritage Center on Church Street will feature a double opening of exhibits and a forum on the economic future of the region.

A mobile museum, “Ways of the Woods: People and the Land in the Northern Forest,” will be set up in Franklin County’s courthouse parking lot on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. School children will visit the museum on Thursday and it will be open to the public from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. There is no charge to view the museum.

Fly-tying demonstrations and some music will take place during the Saturday exhibit, said Bruce Hazard, director of Mountain Counties Heritage Inc., who partnered with Western Mountain Alliance and the Northern Forest Center to bring the event to Farmington.

The exhibit, housed in a 53-foot semi-trailer, began touring last summer and visited Bethel, Mexico and Portland. This is the first showing in Farmington. The interior space of the truck has been decked out with photographs, displays and interactive elements. Logger’s spiked boots, vintage ski boots and 3,000-year-old stone tools will be on exhibit.

It also has flat-screen video stations that display profiles of people who live, work and play in the northern forest. A canopy extends from the truck, after it’s parked, that creates a sheltered space for kiosks that explore themes in northern forest history.

Maine Mountain Heritage Center will open a permanent exhibit that focuses on the natural landscape, development of community and the regional economy, said Hazard. The grand opening will be held during the Saturday hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“The exhibit, located at Church Street Commons, will tell the story of the region not only through text and images but through interactive games and demonstrations that engage the observer,” Hazard said.

Along with the exhibits, Northern Forest Center will host a workshop, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, on a sustainable economic initiative that involves people across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, he said. The forum will take place at the Maine Mountain Heritage Center.

“We’re excited to work with communities across the northern forest to hear their perspectives on the challenges they face and the opportunities they see for the future,” said Joe Short, SEI program director.

“This input will impact SEI’s work to create a long-term strategy for the region’s economic future.”

Space is limited. Call 778-3885 to check on available seating.