RANGELEY — Joanne Dunlap invites the public to her candidate-announcement reception from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 2614 Main St., Rangeley.

Dunlap, of Rangeley Plantation, will announce that she is running for the Maine Senate District 18 seat in the November 2012 election.

Senate District 18 encompasses all of Franklin County except Jay; the Kennebec County towns of Belgrade, Mount Vernon, Fayette, Vienna, Wayne and Readfield; and the Somerset County towns of Mercer and Smithfield. Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton, currently holds the seat.

At the event, people will have the opportunity to sign Dunlap’s nomination papers, to place her name on the ballot as a Democratic candidate, and to donate $5 to help her qualify as a Maine Clean Election candidate.

“I would love for people to contribute a bit to the Rangeley Food Pantry Fuel Fund. This is to help those who just can’t heat their homes this winter,” Dunlap said.

At the reception, there will be a donation box available for this fund.

Dunlap was born in 1943 in Newburgh, N.Y.

“My dad was serving in the Air Corps and we followed him around the country. My parents were a product of the Great Depression and very careful with money: I was taught to read the right column of the menu first. I was an ordinary kid, got in the usual amount of trouble, fought with my younger sister, hated piano lessons, sold Girl Scout cookies. And I spent every summer of my life at my grandmother’s in Rangeley. She was my favorite person and Rangeley was, and is, my favorite place,” she said.

A retired high school teacher, Dunlap keeps busy serving her community and running Mo’s Variety and her sheep farm. Her volunteer work includes serving on the board of the Rangeley Public Library. When pressed, she will admit that she can be seen on stage from time to time, since she’s an unabashed ham. Off the stage, she is a longtime Democrat and is active in the Church of the Good Shepherd.

For more information about the event, you can contact Dunlap at 864-9949 or [email protected]. Her campaign website is joannedunlapforsenate18.com.