Northern New England —Busy families can be earth friendly this Halloween by shopping at Goodwill® stores. Find everything you need at Goodwill to create a unique costume for yourself or your children. All you need is a little imagination to transform your child into a favorite superhero or fairy princess.

By shopping at Goodwill this Halloween, you are purchasing high-quality, affordable items and diverting them from landfills. The 26 Goodwill stores in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have items donated by nearly one million donors. This vast inventory includes anything you can imagine, from clothing in every color to apparel from different decades and accessories to transform an ordinary look into a fantastic costume.

“Shopping at Goodwill for Halloween is a simple step toward living a more sustainable lifestyle,” said Michelle Smith, Communications Manager for Goodwill Industries of Northern New England.

Cooking as a business is brand new to me. I am risking a lot by throwing that out there but it's true.

Over two years ago I was grooming myself for a life in the medical field. I was convinced that there was something truly brilliant out there for me and that I was going to be someone very important. Then I met my husband: got married, had a baby, moved to Maine and forgot about all that crazy stuff. What I found here was enough to distract me from everything I once thought important. Beautiful scenery, a slower pace and more importantly, a greater connection to the food I eat. I started, much like a mad woman, trying all recipes out in the kitchen. I held huge dinner parties, an annual harvest party, I planted a garden, I bought some chickens and now, I am selling my food to all of you.

In this economy am I worried? Sure I am. You bet. But something really wonderful happened this past weekend and a little tiny light bulb went off.

Saco Museum
Friday, October 7, 6 p.m.

Make the Saco Museum's newest exhibition part of your Artwalk evening! At 6 p.m., artist Christy Bergland will speak with visitors about her series of 16 drawings capturing the change of seasons outside her studio window in Biddeford Pool. This FREE event coincides with Portland's First Friday Artwalk on Friday, October 7 (www.firstfridayartwalk.com) and is offered in collaboration with The Maine Drawing Project (http://chitna.asap.um.maine.edu/mainedrawing/). Christy Bergland: Late Seasons of Great Pond is on view at the Saco Museum September 17 through November 13, 2011.