Festival finally here
Gray’s End of Summer Fest – A Harvest Gathering takes place Saturday, Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 24 Main St. outside at the Henry Pennell Municipal Complex/Pennell Park. Plenty of convenient offsite parking is available at 33 Main St. in the grassy field and at Route 26 at the Stimson Hall and the former town properties.

The non-stop lineup of free activities includes: Kids ¼-mile Fun Run, signup 9 a.m./race 9:20 a.m.; Diaper Derby, signup 9 a.m.; Team Challenge (3-person team contests) signup, 9 a.m., three different heats at starting at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.; horse-drawn wagon rides starting at 10 a.m.; Watermelon Eating Contests, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Blue Ribbon Tomato Judging and Oddest Vegetable Contest, 1 p.m.

Ongoing activities include: Community Expo; Kids Activity Tent – Face Painting, Fairy House Building, Painting; Lawn Games; Dunk Tank; and appearances by alpacas and goats. Morning and afternoon presentations include: “Troubleshoot your Garden,” “Canning 101” and “Keeping Backyard Chickens.”

Gray’s End of Summer Fest is being held in conjunction with the Community Give-Away and the Youth Sports Equipment Swap, which start at 8 a.m.

For more information, go to Gray End of Summer Fest on Facebook, contact Lacy Antonson at 714-0143, or email Grayendofsummerfest@gmail.com. In case of severe rain, the Fest will be held in Newbegin Gym, also at 24 Main St.

Free movieAttend a movie and enjoy a tasty snack in the Gray Public Library’s theater. Showing Saturday, Aug. 27, will be “The Angry Birds Movie (PG),” at 10:30 a.m . and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” (PG) at 1 p.m. Visit www.gray.lib.me.us or phone 657-4110.

Honor Roll
The Town of Gray Honor Roll is intended to be awarded to persons who, during the course of their lifetimes, demonstrated exceptional dedication, service or other contribution to the Town of Gray. Nominations are only accepted for persons deceased a minimum of five years at the time of application. The honoree is required to have lived in Gray at some point in their lives. Submit a nomination by Oct. 1 at www.graymaine.org/honor-roll-nomination.

Youth soccer
Fall Youth Soccer, K-Grade 2, starts Saturday, Sept. 10. The deadline to register is Sept. 2 at noon. After that, there will be a $20 late fee and registrations will only be accepted if there is space available in that particular division. All games are played at Newbegin on Saturdays. For more information and programs go to www.greyrec.com or call 657-2323 ext. 117.

At the Wildlife Park
The Maine Wildlife Park will be feature Enchanted Forests on Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m. Bring the kids to visit a fabulous human-sized fairy house, meet and have photos taken with some “real” fairies, then work with all-natural materials to create miniature fairy habitats to take home.

On Thursday, Sept. 1, an Open House And Garden Tour will be held from 5- 8 p.m. Stroll around the park after hours to enjoy the gardens and wildlife. There will free admission from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. only.

Then on Saturday, Sept. 3, its Wildlife Enrichment Day. “Enrichments” are items that provide mental and physical stimulation and exercise to captive wildlife to encourage natural behaviors, activity and play. Starting at 10 a.m., then every hour on the hour to 3 p.m., watch a different species receive a new enrichment and enjoy the fun they’ll have with it.

Sponsored by the ‘Friends of the Maine Wildlife Park, most programs will run from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 657-4977, ext. 0 or go to www.mainewildlifepark.org

Haz waste collection
Beginning this year, there will be no “Clean-up Weekend” in the month of August. There will, however, be a Household Hazardous Waste collection on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town of Gray Sand and Salt Shed on Seagull Drive. There is no cost to residents for this service, but proof of residence is required. In deciding what items to bring to the collection, look for the words Caution, Warning, Danger, Poison, Corrosive, Toxic, Volatile, Flammable or Combustible on the product label. For more information go to www.graymaine.org or call 657-2343.

Labor Day
Gray Town Offices are closed on Monday, Sept. 5. These include: Town Office, Transfer Station, Public Works and the library.

Teens ‘Dance Across USA’
Two teen dancers who train at the Studio for Living Arts in Gray were chosen to take part in a national fundraising effort for National Parks and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Hope LeClair and Emily Thompson will participate in photo shoot Sept. 4-5 at Acadia National Park. Photographer and project founder Jonathan Givins is traveling to all 50 states in 90 days to take photos of dancers at national and state parks at at historic sites. The photographs will be collected into a book that will be sold to benefit the parks and the arts.

For more information or to donate, go to www.crowdrise.com/dance-across-the-usa/fundraiser/danceatusa or call 239-784-1623.

Chicken BBQ
The 25th Annual Chicken BBQ at the Gray Congregational Church Parish House, on Brown Street, will be held Satureday, Aug. 27, with 5 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. seatings. The cost will be $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 for a half-chicken, baked potato, ear of corn, homemade biscuits, desserts and beverages. Take out will be available. The dinner is handicapped accessible. For more information, call Fran, 657-4338.

School days
Tuesday, Sept. 6, will be the first day of school for MSAD 15 students.

Have your photo taken with a fairy Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray.