Cushing — On Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m., the Cushing Historical Society will host its September monthly meeting at the Society's building on Hathorn Point Road. The public is welcome, and the program is free.

Author Dana Benner will speak about "The Native People of Maine's Mid-Atlantic Region." He will cover the history of the different bands of Wabanaki that called this entire area home, concentrating on their lifestyles, their culture, and their political and spiritual systems. His hope is that the audience will walk away with a better understanding of the Native people who were here before us and are still with us today.

Benner is of Micmac/Penobscot/Piqwacket descent and is a member of the Inter-Tribal Council of New Hampshire. He has been studying Native American history and culture his entire life and has been writing about it for more than 25 years. He holds a BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in U.S. History and Native Culture from Granite State College; and is working on his M.Ed in Heritage Studies with a concentration in Native History and Culture from Plymouth State University.

For more information, call 354-0735 or visit cushingmainehistoricalsociety.org.

Courier Publications' A&E Editor Dagney C. Ernest can be reached at 207-594-4401 or dernest@courierpublicationsllc.com.