RUMFORD — The Dempsey Challenge, a bike/run/walk event to raise money in support of the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing at Central Maine Medical Center, will be held Sunday, Oct. 4.

In addition to providing services for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers in Lewiston, the Dempsey Center reaches out to the other hospitals of the Central Maine Medical Family. The center provides a part-time social worker, a support group and educational programs at Rumford Hospital. 

That’s one reason why the hospital Dempsey Challenge team is 50 riders and runners strong. They are not only asking friends and family to sponsor them individually in the challenge, they are also sponsoring several fundraisers to benefit the team’s donation to the center. 

The team will hold a spaghetti supper from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Eagles Club. The menu will include spaghetti and homemade meatballs, coleslaw, bread and assorted desserts for $5 a person. Following the supper, from 8 p.m. to midnight, the Hooligans will play. The dance is $10 a person. There will also be a silent auction and raffles, with prizes donated by local merchants. 

A cow chip bingo is also being sponsored by the hospital team. Players will buy a square, or portion of a cow pasture, for $5. When the cow is let into the pasture (probably on Sept. 13), the person who owns the square where the first “chip” drops will win $250. Call Becky Hall at 369-1145 or Maria Merrill at 562-7796 for more information.