Commercial travelers

MECHANIC FALLS — Twin City Council 160 of the United Commercial Travelers of America will meet on Saturday, March 10, at Bucknam Oaks, at 5 p.m. Installation of officers for the ensuing year will be held. A potluck supper will follow the meeting. All members and guests are welcome to attend.

St. Patrick’s dance

HARRISON — The Harrison VFW Post on the Waterford Road will hold a BYOB dance on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Admission is $10 per person for 21 and over. The band will be Backroom Deal playing a country-rock mix. Call Ellen at 461-4558 for more info.

Finnish  language

PARIS — This March and April there will be a Finnish language course offered at the Western Maine University College Center. An intensive Finnish course for beginners will be taught by Marja-Leena Bailey, chair of the Foreign Languages Department at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts.

The classes will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on seven Saturdays, from March 17 through April 28. Students can attend at the college center in South Paris at 232 Main St. The cost of the class is $139. Contact Nikki Abbott, director of the center, at 743-9322 for more information.

Finnish immigrants came to Western Maine in the late 19th century in large numbers after a famine hit their country. Many settled in Oxford County in the towns of Norway, Greenwood and West Paris, as well as Portland.

The men were naturally drawn to jobs working in the woods and lumber camps – jobs that they had held in Finland. Through their willingness to work hard and survive, they were able to buy farms and became part of the social fabric of Oxford County.

Many Finnish families still live in the area today and the older generations still speak their native tongue. But as often happens with many immigrants, each succeeding generation loses some of the ability to speak and use their ancestral language.

Rotary buffet breakfast

BETHEL —  The Rotary Club of Bethel will hold the spring all-you-can-eat buffet from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday, March 18, at Ordway Dining Hall, Gould Academy, Church Street.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for children 12 or younger. Tickets in advance are $7 and can be purchased from club members or at the River View Resort, Rostay Inn, Dream Realty and Mt. Mann Jewelers. Proceeds benefit the club’s community projects and scholarships.

Food pantry

OTISFIELD — The Food Pantry will be open from from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, March 20, at Spurrs Corner Church, Route 121. The pantry is open the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 583-4780 or 627-4329.

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