FARMINGTON — The Western Mountains Alliance (WMA) will host an annual meeting and fundraiser
featuring presentations by five gubernatorial candidates and music by
the David Mello Blues Band. The event will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the University of
Maine Farmington Olsen Student Center.

A nonprofit community and economic development organization, WMA is
located in Farmington and serves the four western Maine counties of
Oxford, Piscataquis, Somerset and Franklin. Over the past several
years, WMA has worked to support local agriculture in the
region. The organization publishes local food directories promoting
farm products in all four counties and coordinates the Western Maine
Market, an online marketplace for local farm products with distribution
locations in the Farmington area and linked to the Progress Center’s
online market in the Oxford Hills area.

The event will open with the WMA board of directors
annual meeting at 5:30 p.m., followed by an evening of “dancing,
delicacies and civil discourse” starting at 6 p.m. Gubernatorial
candidates for 2010, Sen. Peter Mills, Les Otten, Sen. Libby Mitchell, Lynne
Williams and Steve Rowe will speak on their goals for western Maine.
Appetizers throughout the event will feature local cheeses, meats,
fruit and produce. Western Mountains Alliance members are invited to attend the board
meeting at 5:30 p.m.

Western Mountains Alliance celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007 and this year is
launching an endowment campaign. Proceeds from the event will help
build sustainable resources to support the organization’s work in the region. Three
baskets featuring local products will be raffled at the event. Winners do not have to be
present to win. Tickets for the 50/50 cash raffle will also be on sale.

Admittance for the Nov. 13 event is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers
and $10 for students. Tickets for the raffles can also be purchased
separately. Responses are requested by Tuesday, Nov. 10. For more information, call
778-3885 or visit www.westernmountainsalliance.org.