All kids love getting stuff in the mail, don't they? I did. My daughter Sophie, almost 5, sure does. So I'm always on the lookout for free goodies in the mail that I might be able to send her way.

When I was a kid, there seemed to be all sort of kids' clubs and fan clubs you could join and get free membership cards, coloring books, whatever. So I was very happy and somewhat nostalgic to find that Portland's Oakhurst dairy has Oakie's Fan Club.

For me, free admission is a huge draw. I might be very interested in taking my family to a place, but I often won't actually take them until there's a chance for free admission.

Such a chance is coming Saturday, when 19th Century Willowbrook Village in Newfield is having a free admission day.

Everything's better with cookies and ice cream. Even furniture shopping.

I found this out the first time I took my family to Bob's Discount Furniture, at the Clarks Pond shopping complex in South Portland. My wife and I were browsing for something, maybe a child's bed, when we spotted Bob's "On the House" Cafe.

Don't say the state doesn't give you anything for your tax dollars.

This Sunday, you get all the state parks and state historic sites for free.

It's the state's annual Maine Day, when Maine residents get into more than 50 state parks and historic sites without paying anything.

The stereotype is that Mainers are born with a hunting rifle in one hand and a fishing rod in the other.

The truth is, lots of Mainers have no experience in hunting or fishing at all. So how will they teach their kids these important Maine skills?