During the pandemic, I was transfixed by a series of short documentaries sharing food stories of grandmothers around the world, filmed by their grandchildren. Each vignette of “Grandma’s Project” was both completely foreign to me and totally familiar. Filmed in places I had never been, in languages I didn’t understand — grandmothers making Moskva Torta in Moscow, Tortilla de Patates in Spain, Molokheya in Egypt. What surprising feelings these little films stirred up!

It’s not too early or too late to prune your apple trees!

Boothbay Region Land Trust invites you to join us on Thursday, March 20 from 10-11:30 a.m. at Oak Point Farm for Apple Tree Pruning 101. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to refresh your knowledge, this workshop will cover the essential skills for maintaining healthy, productive apple trees.

When school is out, the woods are open!

Coastal Senior College (CSC) is pleased to announce its series of spring 2025 courses in Knox and Lincoln counties.

Student leaders and aspiring journalists may be eligible for scholarships from the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF). 

The Guy P. Gannett Scholarship provides support for students majoring in journalism or a field reasonably related, including print, broadcast or electronic media. 

The scholarship has awarded more than 170 scholarships totaling $4 million since 2000. In 2024, 21 scholarships totaling $211,000 were awarded. 

Graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated leadership skills are encouraged to apply for the Chet Jordan Leadership Award.  

At Wiscasset Elementary School, Occupational Therapist Amanda Fortier is revolutionizing how students learn essential life skills through creative and engaging methods. Her innovative approach combines traditional occupational therapy with school-wide initiatives that make learning fun for all students.

Between 1944 and 1946, how did more than 4,000 German prisoners of war come to call Maine home? The story of why Maine Congresswoman Margaret Chase Smith and Senator Owen Brewster petitioned the federal government to ship these prisoners to Maine and the lasting impact they had on the Mainers who encountered them has been a largely forgotten chapter of the state’s history. 

Grandfather clock sentries stand on either side of the entrance door. Crisp white walls and rich wood display cases present a wide array of nautically themed antique items. Paintings, sculpture, ship models, dioramas, nautical equipment and tools; silver, books, clocks, fishing gear, scrimshaw … it’s time to journey into the past at the new East Boothbay Trading Co.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Healthy Lincoln County are excited to announce a comprehensive Responsible Safe Beverage training session this April aimed at enhancing safe alcohol-serving practices in local establishments.  The training is designed to reduce the risk of alcohol-related incidents and ensure that businesses are operating within the state’s legal guidelines. 

Joh  Griffith Chaney (Jan. 12, 1876 – Nov. 22, 1916) is known as the author Jack London. Among his short stories is the 1908 classic "To Build A Fire," set in the Yukon. English 12 student Owen St. Pierre donned snowshoes and ventured out on the Wiscasset Community Center trails in February to find out what it's really like to build a fire... in a snow squall!

Wiscasset Advanced Placement (AP) History students studied historic Head Tide in Alna Jan. 28.

The Head Tide mills were in a busy village that also had apple orchards, boat building, and fishing. The Head Tide Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

The Lincoln Theater and sponsor Stepping Stone Housing are pleased to bring a screening of the powerful documentary “Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine” to Damariscotta. The film, which is playing as a free screening on Monday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. is thought-provoking, shining a light on the challenges of homelessness in Maine and the inspiring efforts of individuals and organizations working to create lasting solutions. A talkback on Maine’s housing crisis immediately follows the film.

In his peak seasons, Ken Elowe would build as many as 22 toboggans a year. In recent weeks, however, he’s been focused on construction oversight of three new wooden downhill racers—a project sponsored by the Carpenter’s Boat Shop and two groups of six students from Great Sale Bay School (GSB).

For Elowe and Carpenter’s it’s the second time around using tobacco-building as a teamwork-building program: A year ago, a small group of students at Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (MANS) trekked 70 miles from their Fairfield campus for the initial engagement.

Before the teachers' contract that runs through August 2026, some teachers could make more just about anywhere else in the area, Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson said Feb. 11. Presenting the latest 2025-26 budget draft, Andersson said the contractually obligated, 5% overall pay hike is partly why the budget draft would ask 10.6% more in local taxes than this year's budget did, but less state aid is "the kicker," she said. 

Fourth graders at Wiscasset Elementary School had a flavorful lesson in both gardening and math as they used fresh basil from their hydroponic garden to make pesto. The garden, funded by a generous grant from Maine Agriculture in the Classroom, has been an exciting hands-on project for students to explore gardening practices and nutrition.

Midcoast Senior College, a local nonprofit dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for area residents 50 years and older, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. Since its inception in 2000, the organization has continued to grow and expand its offerings of exceptional learning events, courses, excursions, and lectures for seniors in this area.

Next Sunday, Feb. 16 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., there will be a free sound bath at Dresden Village Meetinghouse/St. John’s Church, 630 Gardiner Road, Dresden.

Sound “Wizard” Jay Schwed of Snowflake, Arizona will be playing his Crystal Tone Bowls. These bowls represent a new healing modality for mind and body. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic reports sound baths can relieve stress, anxiety and depression, and improve sleep.

If you wish, bring a yoga mat, pillows and blankets for maximum comfort.

The Knights of Pythias will hold a Cabin Fever Show on Sunday, Feb. 23 at the K of P Hall, 64 Lakeside Drive in Boothbay Harbor. This event is a benefit for the Pine State Music Association.

From 1 to 5 p.m. lots of talented people will perform including Murky Waters, Sapphire Love, Janice and John, Brian Plato and 2 For Jackson. 

There will be burgers and hot dogs available. B.Y.O.B. $9 per person. This will be an afternoon of great music.  

Fourth grade students in Kaden Pendleton's class at Wiscasset Elementary School are getting a bird's-eye view of Maine's native wildlife, thanks to a Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) grant. The $750 grant has equipped these young naturalists with essential tools for outdoor learning, including binoculars, nautical charts, and Birds of Maine field guides.

For 19 summers, Coastal Rivers’ Camp Mummichog, a nature-adventure day camp, has offered kids the opportunity to learn, play, and be creative on the rolling hills of Salt Bay Farm and the shores of the Damariscotta River estuary. This summer, campers can touch a wriggling, iridescent polychaete worm in the mud; witness young osprey on fledgling flights; follow deer trails; dissect flowers in search of the embryos that become seeds, and much more. Coastal Rivers has announced that registration for Camp Mummichog is now open for the summer of 2025.