“What a community. You’re the best,” Cheryl “Shep” Rust called down to about three dozen well-wishers on the Wiscasset waterfront Sunday afternoon. Rust, in an open window at Le Garage, was taking in their “Thank you” signs and call-outs about two hours before the restaurant closed for the day and for good with Rust as owner.

At various points in the minutes-long tribute, she blew the crowd a kiss, gave a thumbs-up and told Mulligan the German shepherd, wearing a “Thank you” sign around his neck, she had a treat for him.

“They have a mutual love fest,” the rescue dog’s owner, Moulinette owner Margot Sullivan, explained afterward.

Ethel Stansfield of Wiscasset also turned out to thank Rust and the restaurant where she was a regular over the years. Stansfield said her son was in eighth grade when he went to work there as a busboy in 1977. Now he’s 53 and in the hotel business. She thought her son’s experience at Le Garage helped influence his choice to go into hospitality.

Wiscasset’s Katharine Martin-Savage described Rust as a phenomenal woman, not only as a businessperson but for her community work including her efforts around mental health causes. The Maine Restaurant Association gave Rust a lifetime achievement award in March. The Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce gave her one in 2016.

Judy Flanagan of Wiscasset helped organize Sunday’s gesture of thanks. She figured Rust would not want something bigger. “This is a quiet, understated way to show her we will miss her and show our support for her and all she has done.”

They had someone inside get Rust over to the window for the surprise. After their exchanges with Rust under a cloud-packed sky, participants moved from the waterfront parking lot onto Water Street and the restaurant’s front. Rust came outside and mingled with them, including Mulligan.

After 40 years, the restaurant is on the market. About 90 minutes before closing, waitress Daphne Cromwell said she was feeling sad. She has worked there 20 years. She was going to miss everyone, she said. She has told customers she’ll be working at Boothbay Harbor’s Tugboat Inn, in hopes they’ll come see her. 

Rust said she was feeling a whirlwind of emotions, from gratitude to nostalgia.