The drawing for the 2022 Fish Ladder Raffle Quilt is just around the corner: The drawing will take place on Labor Day. Tickets are still available at Skidompha Library in Damariscotta, which is also where the quilt is on display. See https://damariscottamills.org/quilt-raffle/ for alternative ways to purchase your raffle tickets.

The quilt was created and donated by Betty Lu Brydges. Three of the squares are designs by local artist John Whalley that have appeared on Alewife T-shirts, and the other squares show St. Patrick’s Church, birds at the Fish Ladder and the historic houses of Damariscotta Mills. All proceeds from the raffle will go towards the “Bridge the Gap” campaign to replace the ailing foot bridge that is an essential part of the Fish Ladder walkways.

More than a million alewives, a herring-family fish, call Damariscotta Lake their “home town” and every spring they swim, jump and splash up the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder to spawn.  The fish ladder, a series of 69 gradually ascending pools, has been rebuilt over the past 15 years to become an inspiring example of how people can aid and co-exist with the natural environment.

The Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration Project is a community-based effort in collaboration with the Towns of Nobleboro, Newcastle, and the Nobleboro Historical Society. 

Stay in touch with this year’s festival and fish ladder happenings, by going to, opening and bookmarking https://damariscottamills.org/.