When the leaves begin to skitter across increasingly empty sidewalks, and darkness settles in earlier, Halloween cannot be far behind. In celebration of the season, the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor is presenting an evening of “Scary Readings,” under the masterful guidance of “chief ghoul” Kevin Kiley, on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Skidompha Library’s “Chats with Champions” will feature John Bunker, Maine’s own heritage apple expert, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. Bunker will speak on the topic of “The Maine Heritage Orchard – What is it and why should we care?”

The grand opening of the Westport Island History Center at Wright Landing is Sunday, Oct 25. At 10 a.m. There will be a ribbon cutting and dedication of a plaque recognizing the work that has gone into creating the center. The building will then open for visitors until 3 p.m.

Guests may peek into the nooks and crannies of Castle Tucker in its “Behind Closed Doors” tour on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. The tour will include visits to rooms not included on the general tour.

Members of the Patriotic Club of Bremen are busy getting ready for the fall country fair, Oct. 10. The fair will offer a number of baked goods, jams and jellies. Among the jams will be blueberry jam with lemon, sweet orange marmalade, peach jam, apple butter, strawberry rhubarb jam, and black raspberry jelly.

Because the Nobleboro Historical Society cannot hold its 15th annual “AppleFest,” the society has decided to hold a “Drive-By Apple Pie Buy.”  It will be at Nobleboro Central School in the front parking area on Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at 10 a.m. until the 100 homemade apple pies are sold out.

Castle Tucker will be offering a “Behind Closed Doors” tour on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. The tour will include rooms not included on the general tour. Tour size will be capped at six people to allow for social distancing. The mansion is filled with the original furnishings and decorations of the Tucker family, who lived here for over 140 years.

“Identifying New England’s Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms” is the subject of a two-part course that will include an evening virtual class, followed by an afternoon at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center for a foraging hike. The webinar will be held Friday, Sept. 25 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Participants will then meet Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1 – 4 p.m.