Thu, 06/20/2024 - 8:15am

Alissa Eason, President

There’s the Wiscasset Art Walk and Museum in the Streets. There’s Schoonerfest and Marketfest. There’s Homes on Tour and, debuting earlier this month, Wiscasset Wormfest, as well. It may not be obvious, but there is a common thread connecting all of these fun civic celebrations.

Although many of these programs have been running for years – the history of Homes on Tour, for example, dates back nearly a century – they are all now affiliated under the umbrella organization called Wiscasset Creative Alliance. Because each of these entities is not-for-profit, there are some bookkeeping advantages to this structure, but the greater value is in coordinating calendars, leveraging fundraising and grant opportunities, vetting potential beneficiaries of the Alliance’s support, and enjoying the camaraderie and counsel of like-minded volunteers.

The good works of Wiscasset Creative Alliance are not confined to the events and organizations identified above. The Alliance provided support to Partners in Education’s teacher appreciation week at the elementary and middle high schools, contributed to Historic New England’s “Cocktails at the Castle” fundraising event, and donated funds to Feed Our Scholars. Another recipient is the Organ Society of the First Congregational Church, through which the “For Her” program provides tampons and incontinence supplies to Wiscasset Public Library, Wiscasset Community Center, and St Philip’s Food Pantry. The Alliance is also sponsoring a band at this summer’s Alive on the Common.

Wiscasset Art Walk, Schoonerfest, Homes on Tour, and the other community initiatives under the umbrella of the Alliance all operate under their own budgets, but Homes on Tour’s primary purpose is to support Wiscasset Creative Alliance and, as needed, supplement the programs. This year’s Homes on Tour will take place on July 13 and several unique and lovely Wiscasset homes will be open to visitors. Tickets are available on Eventbrite (search Wiscasset Homes on Tour). Other upcoming Wiscasset Creative Alliance events include the Art Walk, which happens every last Thursday, June through September; Museum in the Streets, which is accessible year round; and Schoonerfest, on Sept. 21. These and the other Alliance programs would not be possible without generous contributions from individuals and businesses in the community.

More information, including a donation form and a calendar of events, can be found at wiscassetcreativealliance.org. Wiscasset is unusually rich in the number and variety of its fun, interesting, community-building experiences, and Wiscasset Creative Alliance is often quietly behind the scenes of these happenings.