READFIELD — Regional School Unit 38 and the town of Readfield will dedicate a new walking trail during a ceremony from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. The trail begins at the Superintendents’ Office on Millard Harrison Drive and connects an existing path to Maranacook Community School with the trails on the Readfield Fairgrounds property. Winding through an open field, the trail offers panoramic views over Maranacook Lake.

The dedication will begin at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting at the Superintendent’s Office followed by guided walks on the new trails led by members of the Readfield Trails Committee. Readfield historian Dale Potter Clark will provide a brief history of the Readfield Fairgrounds. Refreshments will be served at the Superintendent’s Office after the walks. The dedication will happen rain or shine.

The project was funded through a grant to RSU 38 from the Recreational Trails Program administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry, according to a news release. The local match for the grant was provided by the Readfield Trails Committee, which contributed more than 150 hours of tractor work and an additional 200 hours of manual labor to expand and improve the trails on the Readfield Fairgrounds property over the past two years.

“These trails have been designed and constructed to be accessible to people of all ages and abilities, including those with disabilities. They have a crushed gravel all-weather surface with very easy grades. Very few towns in Maine can offer its residents and visitors comparable in-town trail and sidewalk walking opportunities,” Milt Wright, chairman of the Readfield Trails Committee, said in the news release.

The interconnected network of trails and sidewalks connects destinations in Readfield including Maranacook Community School, the village center, the town beach and the Town Office.