When the going gets tough, you can always count on Mainers to pull together. People from the community surrounding Nokomis Regional Middle and High schools in Newport are coming together in a variety of ways to support two young people stricken with cancer.

Owners of the popular corn maze at Thunder Road Farm, 185 Newport Road in Corinna, say they’ve planned a fun fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, October 2, dubbed “Get Lost for a Cause.” The event will benefit 19-year-old Nokomis alumni Donovan Kurt and 15-year-old Aiden Anderson, a current Nokomis student. Both had previously worked at the farm.

Donovan was diagnosed with brain cancer more than two years ago. Aiden is currently being treated for two types of leukemia.

Barbara Peavey of Thunder Road Farm says the news of Donovan’s and Aiden’s diagnosis rocked the community.

“We’re a pretty close-knit community where all of the kids are really close and it’s hitting this area hard,” Peavey says. “We thought our corn maze would give us an opportunity to bring people together to help these boys and their families because dealing with cancer is very expensive as everyone knows.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The wedding industry remains fraught with waste, but a growing contingent of brides and grooms is pushing for more sustainable changes, from the way they invite guests to the food they serve and the clothes they wear.

The wedding resource The Knot estimates that more than two-thirds of about 15,000 site users did or planned to incorporate eco-conscious touches, including secondhand decor, minimizing food waste and avoiding one-time use products. Nearly 1 in 3 said vendors should be more proactive in leading the way.

After two chaotic years for the wedding industry, searches on Pinterest for thrifted weddings have tripled, and they’ve doubled for reuse wedding dress ideas, according to the site’s 2022 wedding trends report. The online resale giant Poshmark said demand for secondhand wedding dresses is at an all-time high, especially for those costing $500 or more.