J. Edward Knight, a leading provider of insurance solutions in Midcoast Maine since 1898, is pleased to announce the addition of Susanne Smith-Pinkham to its Boothbay Harbor team as Commercial Lines Agent.

Last week, over 250 friends and supporters of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences came together for an evening of discovery and inspiration. Through the Big Splash fundraiser, the institute raised over $800,000 in sponsorships and bids — far exceeding the original fundraising goal — all of which will go to support the institute’s “bold science for our blue planet.”

Midcoast Conservancy is pleased to announce it will be hosting the State of the Lake on Thursday, Aug. 20, 4-6 p.m., at the Jewell Lodge at Wavus Camp in Jefferson. 

The community is invited to Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District’s annual Banquet and Conservation Awards Celebration on Thursday, Aug. 13 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Our banquet will be held at Beaver Lodge in Hope with dinner by Megunticook Market from Camden, and homemade pies from D-Zerts by Daphne from Westport Island.

AUGUSTA (July 9, 2026)—Realtors across Maine report a record-breaking June median sales price for single-family existing homes. According to Maine Listings, the median sales price (MSP) for the 1,556 homes sold reached $436,000—a 2.59 percent increase over June of 2025. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less. Sales were up 7.31 percent, comparing June 2026 to June 2025.

Resident Steve Christiansen said in selectmen's public comment time July 7, Wiscasset’s Fourth of July fireworks were pathetic this year, probably some of the worst he’s seen.

"I share that sentiment, and a lot of other people do as well," Town Manager Dennis Simmons responded. Simmons said he was very disappointed and reached out to the hired business, Central Maine Pyrotechnics, "to express my disappointment and see how we're going to rectify this situation ..."

When Jodie's Cafe & Bakery on Water Street, Wiscasset closed in May, owner Jodie Roquemore thought that was temporary. It was not, she would find. 

"I honestly thought we would find a way to reopen. I held onto that hope for as long as I could. But as the weeks turned into months, I had to face the reality that reopening simply wasn’t going to happen," Roquemore has written on the business' Facebook page. 

It’s been 26 years since photographer Robert Mitchell selected a dozen favorite photos and created his first Around Boothbay Harbor calendar, and now the 2027 edition is here. While this is an eminently practical wall calendar with plenty of room to keep track of dates and appointments, the pleasure comes from turning the pages and living each month with a stunning photo of our much-loved region.

Wiscasset Art Walk's season kicked off June 25. Wiscasset photographer Bob Bond of 40 Federal Studio took it in and shares these pictures from the evening.

Next art walk is July 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. 

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is opening its doors next month to the public for its annual open house. Visitors are welcome from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 10 at the Bigelow Laboratory campus along the Damariscotta River in East Boothbay.

AUGUSTA (June 9, 2026)—Although Maine home sales eased slightly year-over-year in May 2026, prices remained stable and many additional homes have recently come to market for the spring/summer season. According to Maine Listings, 1,206 single-family existing homes sold in May, and the median sold price of $425,000 was unchanged from May of 2025. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.

As the current school year is winding down, and the weekend bags of shelf-stable meals are finished for now, the Wiscasset Feed Our Scholars/Set For Success group is gearing up in anticipation of school year 2026-27,  with the popular and important Set For Success event held at Wiscasset Community Center on Gardiner Road on Aug. 16. Every child who attends the Wiscasset schools—as well as homeschoolers who would be attending—is able to "shop" for their teacher-suggested supplies to begin the new school year.

Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce invites our members and local foodies to join us for our June Business After Hours on Friday, June 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Tasting Room at Maine Tasting Center, 506 Old Bath Road, Wiscasset.

This will be a Business After Hours with a little heat! Maine is home to a seriously impressive lineup of hot sauce makers, and they've rounded up six of the best. Sample and find your new favorite hot sauce.

Damariscotta Hardware and Randolph Hardware are inviting customers to support those affected by the recent fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont through a Register Round-Up fundraiser now underway at both stores. 

The fundraiser gives customers the opportunity to round up their purchases at checkout, with donations being matched by store co-owner Rob Gardiner and directed through the Maine Strong Memorial Foundation to support relief efforts connected to the tragedy. 

Community members are invited to assist with planning for Wiscasset’s Independence Day celebrations. Wiscasset’s July 4 Parade committee has adopted “America The Beautiful” as this year’s theme to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.

Imagine if you can, a 118-foot, 12,000-pound tree lying on the ground with all sorts of branches dangling from the top one third of its length. Now, visualize lifting that tree from the ground, by its top, to a totally airborne vertical position. Then take that tree another 50 feet into the air so it can be aligned perfectly to fit in a hole just under two feet in diameter. It's an almost incomprehensible process. Then, once that tree is in place, do it all over again with another tree!

The next Wiscasset edition of Ocean on Tap will take place on Thursday, May 14, 6 p.m. at Ækeir Brewing, 111 Main St. Wiscasset. Join Brigid Carr, a research associate at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, for a conversation about oil spills, plastic pollution and harmful algal blooms (a.k.a. what does a marine chemist do anyway?).

The next Boothbay Harbor edition of Ocean on Tap will take place on Thursday, May 21, 6 p.m. at Footbridge Brewery at 25 Granary Way. Join Lobsterman Eben Wilson of the F/V Lettie Elise to hear about his experience lobstering on Midcoast Maine for (nearly) 40 years and learn about how the industry has evolved and what it takes to make a living on the ocean today.