There is still time to join other female-identifying folks for the weather-postponed Hearty Roots “Interlude” gathering on Saturday, May 17, from 1 to 6 p.m. This is a chance to fill your cup, recharge your batteries, and find whatever your spirit is needing during this time of seasonal transition. Let the abundance of the natural world guide your experience at this event on the Hearty Roots campus in Bremen.

On April 28, Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust closed on the purchase of its largest independent acquisition to date in the town of Newcastle. The 270-acre Deer Meadow Brook Preserve is part of a block of nearly 4,700 acres of undeveloped wildlife habitat along Deer Meadow Brook.  

Located on West Hamlet Road, the property extends from the shore of Damariscotta Lake at State Route 215 (Pond Road) to Deer Meadow Brook, where it includes over 1,600 feet of stream frontage. 

Don’t miss the Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District Spring Plant Sale at Union Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 17 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Plants have been chosen for their value as windbreaks, lakeshore buffers, bank stabilization, erosion control, and wildlife habitat – including songbirds, pollinators, and beneficial insects. Individual varieties were selected for productivity, pest and disease resistance, a variety of soil and light conditions – and to provide beauty and color in the home landscape from spring through fall.

Open the door to the 40th Student Art Show at Boothbay Region Art Foundation, and enter a world of exploration through color, technique, history, and imagination that has led to some thought-provoking work. All (approximately) told, 450 works of art are displayed! Yes, you’ll be there for a while … and not even realize time is passing!

At their May 8 meeting, the Wiscasset Masons of Lincoln Lodge No. 3 A.F. & A.M. presented five area food pantries with a total of $4,000. The funds were raised by the Masons during their Christmas drive held at Ames Supply in Wiscasset. The $2,000 raised at that event was then matched by the Masons Assisting Charities Fund.

Memorial Day is a solemn occasion to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. We attend parades, place flags at gravesites, and take quiet moments of reflection. But beyond the ceremonies and speeches lies another, often invisible war, one that too many of our veterans and active-duty service members are still fighting.

River rats, unite! Outdoor enthusiasts, assemble! Anyone who believes in the power of nature to change lives, prepare to make a difference! And everyone, mark your calendars for Hearty Roots’ fourth annual Paddle for a Purpose community fundraiser on Saturday, June 14. 

Midcoast Literacy, a non-profit that provides free literacy tutoring to people of all ages, is holding two training sessions for new volunteer tutors this spring: one for volunteers who want to work with kids, and one for volunteer English language tutors for adults. Midcoast Literacy serves individuals in Sagadahoc, Lincoln, and northern Cumberland counties, and is seeking volunteers who come from any of these communities.

On Monday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Coastal Senior College “Village Volunteers” Steve and Mary Gifford will lead Coastal Senior College members on an expedition in South Thomaston along Route 131, a one-mile walk in the Georges River Land Trust’s Riverview Hayfields Preserve. Afterwards, the group will visit the Finnish Heritage House and the Finnish Congregational Church to learn about the Finnish community in the Midcoast.

Alongside the welcome shift to warmer weather, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens once again opens its gates to the public on May 1. This year, the Gardens remains steadfast in its mission to connect people to plants and nature and promote plant conservation. Visitors of all ages are invited to escape to the Gardens to prioritize their physical and mental health.

Maine Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an office of the Department of Defense (DoD), announced that Wiscasset Middle High School (WMHS) and Principal Sarah Hubert received the Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

The proposed 2025-26 Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit budget is $28.6 million, a would be hike of 5.1%, according to Superintendent of Schools Howard Tuttle's presentation in Alna April 24. "Honestly, this is definitely the toughest budget we've had," Tuttle said.

Among factors, he said high school tuition costs and out-of-district placement costs are both up and, due to property valuations' being up, state subsidy is poised to hike by $64,099, instead of its usual hike of about $400,000. 

No need to miss the burnt french toast and spilled orange juice in bed on Mother’s Day in order to join other female-identifying folks for the Hearty Roots “Interlude” gathering on Saturday, May 10, from 1 to 6 p.m. This is a chance to fill your cup, recharge your batteries, and find whatever your spirit is needing during this time of seasonal transition.

Celebrate National Train Day and Maine’s railroad heritage with “Full Speed Ahead,” a statewide festival of train movies and events taking place May 6-11. A collaboration of 18 non-profit Maine cinemas, museums, and schools, the “Full Speed Ahead” festival will present 24 movies and live activities in 16 locations, from Portland to Waterville, and Bethel to Bucksport. Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater will present two classics as part of the statewide celebration: “North by Northwest,” and “The Harvey Girls.”

The concept behind the proposed Damariscotta Green is simple: an in-town restorative greenspace dedicated to relaxation and recreation for all. The planning is well underway for this common space that will include a graded, eight-foot-wide trail around the property as a way to accommodate multiple mobilities.  

With technology part of daily life, parents and teachers often must try to keep kids’ attention on the real world instead of the digital one. Some ways were outlined in the final installment of a three-part series on psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation” (2024). 

The lecture was led by writer and clinical psychologist Joe Moldover, and hosted by a collaboration of Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML) and other state libraries.  

This is the first in an occasional series exploring Wiscasset’s historic cemeteries—uncovering the stories of notable individuals laid to rest there, where to find their graves, and how their lives continue to shape our community’s history.