Motorcyclists last year prepare for a ride to benefit the Milestone Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people facing addiction and homelessness in Maine. This year’s fundraiser, also open to trail runners and walkers, is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10.

Village Coffeehouse returns

Blending folk, pop and blues with a dash of Maine humor, Anni Clark will kick off the 2016-17 season of the New Gloucester Village Coffeehouse. Because of Labor Day weekend, she will perform on Saturday, Sept. 10, which is the second Saturday of the month. Subsequently, the Village Coffeehouse series will hold its concerts on the first Saturday of the month through June 2017.

Clark is scheduled to take the stage at 7:30 p.m. in the Vestry Community Room of the First Congregational Church, 19 Gloucester Hill Road, New Gloucester. Admission at the door is $10. Call 653-4823 for more information.

Ride or Run for Milestone

Ride or Run for Milestone, set to occur on Saturday, Sept. 10, is an annual fundraiser celebrating National Recovery Month and benefiting the Milestone Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people facing addiction and homelessness in Maine.

As a participant, you can choose between a 5K trail run/walk or a 60-mile motorcycle ride with special guest Sen. Angus King. Runners are to meet at Pineland Farms, 15 Farm View Road, New Gloucester. The sign-in and registration tent will be set up in the field to the left of the Welcome Center. Walk-in registration and bib pick-up begin at 11 a.m., and the run starts at noon. Motorcycle riders are to meet at the Milliken Street Municipal Parking Lot in Old Orchard Beach. Walk-in registration begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by stands-up at 11 a.m. The ride finishes at Pineland Farms where motorcyclists, runners and walkers come together for food, live music and other festivities.

Entry fees are $20 for a motorcycle driver, $30 for a driver and passenger, and $20 for an individual participant in the 5K run/walk. To register or make a donation, go to www.crowdrise.com/rideorrunformilestone.

Legislative candidate forums

New Gloucester community access TV Channel 3 will be covering two political forums that are open to the public. Incumbent Rep. Eleanor Espling and challenger Elijah Breton have been invited to participate in a House District 65 forum at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14. Incumbent Eric Brakey and challenger Kimberly Sampson have been invited to participate in a Senate District 20 forum at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 23.

Both events will be held at the Meetinghouse, 389 Intervale Road, New Gloucester. Tamilyn Wayboer will serve as the moderator for the House forum, while Beverly Cadigan will serve as the moderator for the Senate forum. Voters are encouraged to send questions in advance to be asked by the moderators. The deadlines for submitting questions are Thursday, Sept. 8, for the House forum; and Saturday, Sept. 17, for the Senate forum. Send questions to ngcabletv@gmail.com. Additionally, the format will include an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

Both forums will be telecast live and will be rebroadcast on NGTV Channel 3 following the live broadcasts on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., leading up to Election Day. Also, the programs will be available as video on demand at www.newgloucester.com.

Historical society events

The next monthly New Gloucester History Barn Open House, 383 Intervale Road, Route 231, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3. It’s free and open to the public. Exhibits of local and regional interest will be on display from 9 a.m. to noon.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, Steve Rogers will be the guest speaker for the New Gloucester Historical Society monthly meeting. He will be presenting the program “Humphrey Ploughshare: Colonial Circuit Rider” beginning at 7 p.m. at the Meetinghouse, 389 Intervale Road, New Gloucester.

Hike for Ike

New Gloucester resident Isaac Blake, 16, lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and he is taking steps to fight this disease. He invites people to donate to his “Hike for Ike” team and/or join the team in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, Sept. 18, at Thornton Academy, 438 Main St., Saco. Registration opens at 10 a.m., and the 5K walk starts at 11 a.m.

His mother Shelley Blake reports, “Technology has advanced and helped with managing T1D. I’ve gone from checking Isaac’s blood sugar (he can sleep right through it) 2-3 times a night, to looking at my phone, which displays his blood sugar, and going back to sleep if it is ‘in target.’ It’s not perfect and life will never be as seemingly carefree as it was before age 12, but technology, like the Dexcom (continuous glucose monitor) help ease the burden of daily life with T1D.”

To donate or join the team, go to walk.jdrf.org, enter your zip code, click on Saco, ME, and search for the Hike for Ike team.