Friends of Wiscasset Village will continue, maybe with a revised name and some new goals. Over Zoom Friday, the group decided to stay intact.

“Wonderful ideas grow out of it,” Peg Konitzky said of the group that formed in 2018 during the state’s downtown project. Members recalled working with businesses and the town on parking and other impacts of the project, then helping with Wiscasset Art Walk and Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest and launching Schoonerfest.

Members mulled dropping Village from the name, to include all of town, and maybe replacing Village with Community to stress that and possibly draw other towns, like, Judy Flanagan observed, Wiscasset Community Center does. “Community brings everyone together.”

Flanagan also suggested the group could treat businesses to cookies or other items like it did for the workers on the downtown project to make them feel welcome. Avid baker Jan Flowers welcomed that idea.

Lucia Droby suggested keeping Village in the name. That is a defined place, and other groups could form for other parts of town, she said.

The name question remains in play. So does some of what the group will do next. Peter Wells announced Schoonerfest is, as of last month, “standing on its own” under Wiscasset Creative Alliance’s (WCA) umbrella instead of being part of WCA via Friends.

Friends can serve as a bridge between Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance, which cannot endorse businesses, Droby said. Communication will be important to Friends’ efforts, Frank Barnako advised. “(Communication) generates spirit and active involvement.”

Wells said a “handful” of Friends’ 89 members does most of Friends’ work. He suggested a committee could seek more members and more participation.

Town Manager Dennis Simmons praised the group for its accomplishments and being an asset to the town. “Thank you for everything you do.”

“Back at you, Dennis,” Terry Heller said.

In a post-meeting email Friday, Heller told fellow members, “When you stop to look at all we've done, it's been a knockout first three years – kudos all around for all 89 of us! There was an energy and a very positive feeling driving today's discussion, and the gist of the meeting was to continue going forward – Yes! – with a broader mission and goals to include more of the Wiscasset community ... Clearly, we can do just about anything we set our minds to ...”

Friends is taking nominations for its next facilitator team, succeeding Wells and Will Truesdell. The group may meet next in February.