The next Damariscotta Open Mic at Savory Maine, scheduled for Wednesday, May 9, will be a benefit for the restoration of the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder.

Join us for dinner and live music - doors will open at 5 p.m. Refreshments and food will be available for purchase all night and Savory Maine's full menu will be available. Savory Maine will donate half of the proceeds from all sales for the evening. Additional contributions to aid the Fish Ladder Restoration will be gratefully accepted.

The open mic will run from 6-8:30 p.m. with a 15-minute break. Sign up for musicians, singers, poets and other performers is at 5:30 p.m. Open mic is a series of eight-minute, two-song slots, and is designed for individual or small group performances. This is a great opportunity for the Damariscotta community to hear great music and support a great organization. There will even be a performance of a special song written for the Fish Ladder Restoration!

Restoration of the fish ladder was completed in 2017 with outstanding results. The number of alewives successfully moving up the fish ladder to spawn in Damariscotta Lake has increased to more than one million fish (from an average of 75,000 before the restoration). The new goal of neighbors and friends of the fish ladder is to restore the public walkways that provide access to the fish ladder and harvesting area. These paths are currently undermined and will soon collapse if they are not re-built soon.

In addition, the long-term goal is to restore the fish house and parking area, which are also in very poor condition. Permitting for these projects was undertaken by Wright Pierce Engineering in 2016-2017 so, once the funding has been secured, the projects can begin. Walkway work is planned for 2018.

For further information, call Grace Goldberg at Savory Maine (11 Water St., Damariscotta): 563-2111 or Sylvia Tavares at 766-8469.