LIVERMORE FALLS – Residents and visitors of the Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls-Wayne area are invited to a community-wide reception for the Sharaf family descendants at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, in the third-floor hall of the bank building, Main Street. An elevator is available on the west side of the building.

Area groups are teaming up to honor the Sharaf family, early businessmen – pack peddlers observed in the 1880s in Wayne and Livermore. Ralph Myer “Mike” Sharaf was a welcome peddler in Wayne, and his brother, Israel Gershon “Joe” Sharaf, sold a red checkered tablecloth to Archie Richmond’s mother in Livermore in 1887.

Both came to Boston from Russia in 1882, peddled their wares north into Maine and studied to obtain their naturalization papers in 1889.

Descendants of the Sharaf family, which included father Gershon and mother Bertha (Levy), include a long list of American notables, including Ralph Sharaf ‘s great- grandson, Levon. Sergey i Sharafyan, classical opera star in Armenia and California, and Ralph’s daughter, Irene Sharaff, award-winning costume designer for Hollywood and Broadway musicals.

During the Aug. 7 reception, music from shows that included Irene’s costumes will be shared. Excerpts from the movie, “The King and I,” will be shown – Irene received top awards for both Hollywood and Broadway costumes.

The Rev. Richard Messana, “Tevye” in area productions of “Fiddler on the Roof,” will sing show favorites.

Refreshments will be served by the Livermore Falls Women’s Club. Historical displays will include photos of the Sharaf family members and the four stores they ran in Livermore Falls from 1890 to 1910.

Copies of the newly-released book, “A Happy Abundance; Tales, Memoirs, and More, Past and Present in Wayne, Maine,” will be on sale. The last chapter contains the “American Dream” story about the Sharaf family. An updated booklet is available at the Livermore Falls Town Office.

Other events on Aug. 7 include greetings about 1:30 p.m. at Maine’s Paper and Heritage Museum by Gary Knight, past president of Livermore Falls Trust Co. and Sturtevant descendant. A brief tour of the bank building will follow.

About 3 p.m., a re-enactment of Ralph Sharaf s pack peddling will take place in Wayne across the street from Tubby’s Ice Cream Shop. About 4 p.m. the group will visit the former Hinds Corner on Livermore’s River Road where Archie Richmond’s family lived in 1887. Red and white checkered tablecloths will be available at the evening reception, sewn by the Village Scrappers Club.

Everyone is welcome to the afternoon gatherings and evening reception. Informal summer attire is suggested.

For additional information, contact W. Dennis Stires, coordinator, at 897-4222.