Summer in Maine is prime time for art shows, exhibitions, and spending time on the water – among so many other activities and pastimes. At Lincoln Arts Festival’s annual Arts & Yachts Exhibition and Sale held at Hodgdon Yacht Services on Southport Island, you can find these three – the only difference is rather than spending time on the water aboard a vessel, visitors can check out a few yachts out of the water – along with some very cool models of various sizes.

This four-day Lincoln Arts Festival event kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. with a reception featuring harpist Suki Flanagan playing delightful background music as artists, sponsors and members of the public enjoy appetizers and beverages and a sneak peek of this year’s exhibition!

Inside, local artists and artisans, including four new exhibitors, will have their work on display – and most works will be for sale. To make things interesting, several people will be demonstrating on Saturday, aka Interactive Day.

Each year, many of these artists and artisans spend all or part of Saturday/Arts Interactive Day demonstrating their art. Leslie Muir-Volpe explained live demonstrations are part of the Lincoln Arts Festival’s mission to bring the arts to Lincoln County and have artists on hand to discuss and/or demonstrate their work.

“It fits right into the mission of the nonprofit,” said Muir-Volpe. “Every year more artists have offered to participate as the response from the public has been so enthusiastic.”

This year’s first-time exhibitors are Andre Benoit, artist, plein air painter, assemblist sculptor using re-purposed wood; Lois Glaser, fine art photographer of nature, landscapes and abstracts, and does real estate photography; Jim Miller, metal work; and Tom Stainton, Tumblehome Yachts, marine-themed heirloom products for kids, boat wagons and rockers.

Returning are Elise Andersen, Andersen Studio, handcrafted artwork in ceramic, fiber, paintings and prints; Hilary Bartlett, artist, soft, swirling watercolors to bold swaths of highly textured acrylic inks; and does handbuilt fairy houses;  John Butke, artist, paintings inspired by Maine landscapes' ever-changing colors and forms; Jill Butke, fiber artist-weaver, unique hand-woven cotton and wool wearables; Rick Dickinson, traditional American Impressionist, original oil paintings in a classic New England style;  Ann Hedgcock, artist and potter, high-fired stoneware and porcelain; functional, whimsical, sculptural; Sue Heil Kibbe, fine artist, plein air oil and pastel; Don Josephson, American Expressionist painter; Barbara, Jeanne and Nora Lally, fiber, jewelry, botanicals, and more; Dick MacDonald, stained glass artist, mirrors, lighting, gifts and more; studio open year round;  Leslie Muir-Volpe, fiber artist, miniature quilts, punch needle embroidery, unique fabric keepsakes; Suzanne “Sanny” Norton, jewelry, necklaces and wire sculpture adorned with sea glass, shells, beach stones, wall hangings, painted furniture; Lynne Seitzer, artist, oils, pastels, watercolors, ink; John M. T. Seitzer, artist, oils, acrylics, pastels, mixed media, watercolors, 3 D; Brian Shaw, custom woodworking, furniture, cabinetry and architectural millwork; Ursula Smith, weaver, handwoven textiles for the home; Rhoda Weyr, jeweler, fine jewelry and wall hanging designs in gold, silver, copper, gems, shells and glass; Tom Whittle of Stony Creek Rods; Betsy Wing, author, translator, visual artist specializing in fiction and monotype prints; Jess Wrobel, Textiles and Decor, handmade, vintage, primitive.

This year’s creative demonstrators: Morning-only demonstrators will be Jim Miller, metal working and Rhoda Weyr, wire-wrapped jewelry making. Afternoon-only artists: Elise Andersen, Andersen Ceramics; Andre Benoit, collage assemblages from reclaimed wood; Brian Shaw, woodworking,  Ursula Smith, weaving – table-top loom, and Tom Whittle, bamboo rod making. Doing what they love all day Saturday are Jill Butke, weaving – floor loom; Rick Dickinson, oil painting; Lois Glaser, photography; Don Josephson, painting; Leslie Muir-Volpe, punch needle embroidery and quilting; Suzanne “Sanny” Norton, wire and sea glass assemblages; John M.T. Seitzer, oil painting; and Jess Wrobel, rug hooking.

And what about those yachts? This facet of the event is organized by Jody Lunt. Area shipyards represented this year are, from Boothbay Harbor Shipyard/ Bristol Marine, President Eric Graves with a closed loop film of the Ernestina-Morrissey construction project and possibly of the work also being done there on the Bowdoin.

From Southport Island Marine, Doug Goldhirsch will have a gorgeous sailboat on a trailer to ooh and ahh over. And the  Paul E. Luke Boatyard of East Boothbay is bringing a Soapstone Tile Fireplace for use on boats, for ambience and as a heat source.

Ed Hamilton will have models of a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter (sailboat), a Wesmac 46 lobster boat, Blackwatch 30, and two rowing dinghies. One will be a model, the other full size on a trailer.

Displaying their own models: Jon Dunsford is bringing his seven-foot, four-masted schooner model of the Charles Norman (originally built in Bath in 1894). This beauty is representative of the 12 four-masted schooners built in Boothbay. Tom Ogg returns with his model sailboats and some are remote controlled.

And, speaking of remote controlled models, Lunt said there will be a special added feature: Sailing some of the remote-controlled craft in the cove at Hodgdon Yacht Services. However, Lunt noted, “This is all weather dependent. If it’s windy or rainy the boats can’t be operated. And, if the tide is out ... that’s a problem too.”

So, let’s all work on manifesting a gorgeous weekend, people! Hours are Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lincoln Arts Festival’s Art & Yachts event is at 100 Ebenecook Road, Southport or 43° 49′ 45.768″ N | 69° 40′ 36.6852″ W.