SUMNER – The Sumner Historical Society will host a talk by John Neff, speaking about his book, “Katahdin: An Historic Journey,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, at the East Sumner Congregational Church.

Neff will take the audience on a brief journey into the Katahdin region to explore the native kinship with the mountain, the colonial surveyors and early explorers, the lumbering and sporting camp eras and the people who were touched by the mountain’s spirit.

He will tell some of the lesser-known stories associated with Katahdin and will show slides. Books will be available.

Neff is a retired pastor of the United Methodist Church, living in Winthrop. He has hiked and backpacked in the Katahdin area for nearly 45 years and still maintains a five-mile section of the Appalachia Trail in Baxter State Park.

Neff is a past president of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and was a founding member and first president of the Friends of Baxter State Park.

The public is invited to the presentation. For more information, call 388-2820.