FARMINGTON - People in Farmington will be donning earmuffs Saturday as the town pays its annual tribute to the native son who invented the device in 1873 out of fur, cloth and wire as way to keep his sensitive ears warm.

A parade, a chili contest and a gingerbread house contest are among the events set for Chester Greenwood Day, held on the first Saturday in December.

There will also be a Civil War re-enactment by the Third Maine Volunteer Infantry, an open house at the Ski Museum of Maine and the Polar Bear Club's annual dip in Clearwater Lake.

In addition to the earmuff, Greenwood invented the spring steel rake, the wide-bottom kettle and a shock absorber.