RANGELEY — Peter Mehegan, former co-anchor of Boston's WCVB-TV Chronicle news magazine, will be the featured speaker at the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society's Aug. 12 meeting.

To many people in Maine, Peter Mehegan is a familiar figure from Boston television. In fact, although they may have never met, they often think of him as a friend who shares their love for Maine and Rangeley.

Mehegan's best-known Chronicle feature was "On the Road Again," traveling the back roads of Maine in his restored 1969 Chevrolet Impala for nearly two decades. His specialty was profiling colorful rural personalities, New England folks rarely seen on television -—lobstermen, loggers, farmers, "anyone with a story to tell," Mehegan often said. He produced upwards of 75 halfhour programs in Maine, traveling to every county in the state, from Kittery to Fort Kent, Rangeley to Eastport.

"Anyone who tells you Maine people aren't friendly doesn't know Maine," Mehegan would say. "I was welcomed everywhere I went."

Mehegan has become a regular visitor to Rangeley, both while filming segments for Chronicle and, after retirement, to experience Rangeley's trout and salmon fishing. He is an active supporter of the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society's Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum and is working on a video for the museum that presents the evolution of outdoor sporting in Rangeley drawing upon historical material and his Chronicle programs.

Mehegan will have clips from his previous programs and will discuss his experiences as co-anchor of Chronicle and affection for Maine and Rangeley. He will travel to Rangeley in his trademark 1969 Chevy that may be seen in the parking lot.

Once again this year, the Rangeley Region Guides' & Sportsmen's Association will be holding its annual silent auction. The evening's program including ice cream desert, is offered to the public without charge.