Wiscasset music and art students had a very busy December! The month began with the music department providing music for the annual Wiscasset town Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 7. Chorus students from Wiscasset Elementary and Wiscasset Middle High School along with members of the WMHS band performed to welcome in the season and Santa Claus!

Coastal Senior College, serving midcoast Maine from Wiscasset to Camden, is offering nine Winter Courses this season, six of them on zoom, making them accessible to all from home. Registrations began on Dec. 10. Courses will also be offered in person in Newcastle, Bremen and Rockland.

Nine decorated wreaths were on view to the public during Wreaths Around the Holidays 2024, an inspiring event that happens each year during Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest in early December. Local businesses are invited to decorate a wreath, which are then put on display in the Holiday Gift Shop in the Nickels-Sortwell barn. Part of the appeal of this popular feature is inviting shoppers to vote for their favorite, and, at the end of Marketfest weekend, the People’s Choice winner is announced. In 2024, the TREATS wreath won.

If Wiscasset tuitioned out its high schoolers, their and younger students' bussing would have "a lot of moving parts" to figure in, Transportation and Maintenance Director John Merry said Dec. 16. Merry, longtime holder of the job, was fielding questions from Wiscasset's future of the schools committee. He said tuitioning out the high school grades would likely mean double bus runs: An early one for the high schoolers, and a second run for younger students.

"Conclave" -  (PG; 2 hours) -  “Conclave” follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events -- selecting the new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church. Playing Thursday, Dec. 26 at 2 and 7 p.m.;  Friday, Dec.

Cranberry Lime Snowballs, Gingerbread, Hot Cocoa Cookies, Molasses & Ginger. Just the names of the cookies are swoon worthy and lucky were the judges who got to taste every single flavor! At the end of the judging during Marketfest’s Christmas Cookie Challenge on Dec. 7, the winning cookie was the Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookie baked by Becca Thayer of Wiscasset.

As part of International Education Week (IEW), Yashaswini Dikonda instructed American history class on the unique historic, cultural and linguistic character of India. Dikonda is an exchange student, spending a year with Wiscasset Middle High School. Di kinda lives in Annaram Shareef, state of Telangaha, India. 

Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that he hopes “get under your skin and into your bloodstream.” On Saturday, Dec. 28, Maine native and national touring artist Ellis Paul arrives in Boothbay Harbor to help celebrate the 2024 season.

As the story goes, Mary and her new husband Joseph were away from home, looking for a place to sleep on the eve of Christmas before Christmas was even a thing. The only shelter they could find was a barn, so they made do. Imagine them, huddled up there on blankets in the corner, with the smell and the warmth and the soothing presence of the farm animals gathered around them. And into that night, Mary cried out. And into that messy, imperfect, yet still somehow beautiful world—as the story goes—Jesus was born.  

From Thursday, Nov. 21 until Sunday, Nov. 24, eight teachers from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) attended the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Boston. The conference, this year themed “Heart, Hope, Humanity,” brings together English teachers from all over the country to share ideas, network, and access resources. Having the chance once or twice a year to gather with others to reflect and learn is invaluable. The concentration of curious people with common interests at the conference in Boston made for a rich idea interchange. 

J. Edward Knight Insurance, a leading provider of insurance solutions in Maine, is pleased to announce the upcoming merger with Spencer E. Gray, Jr. LLC, a local independent insurance agency, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

This strategic partnership ensures a smooth transition for Spencer & Elizabeth Gray's clients, guaranteeing continued exceptional service for years to come. Elizabeth Gray will continue to serve their clients as part of the Bath office team of J. Edward Knight Insurance.

Sheepscot Community Church's Christmas Eve service is Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 6 p.m. In the true spirit of Christmas, please join us for our Christmas Eve service, led by Co-Pastors Rev. Char Corbett and Rev. Pamela Barz. There will be the story of the birth of the baby Jesus, special music, Christmas carols, and the always emotional lighting of individual candles, singing "Silent Night," and then leaving the church for home in silence. 

The “Church on the Common” invites neighbors from near and far to celebrate Christmas Eve with a candlelight service at First Congo. The 7 p.m. service will include special music by the choir.

Rev. David Myers’ sermon, "When Obstetrics Become Revelation,” will be followed by the lighting of the candles. The service will close with “Silent Night," a solo by Laura Whitney Brewer.   

On Dec. 12, Regent Belknap called the meeting to order at the American Legion Hall in Boothbay at 11:15 a.m. Diane Randlett gave a Native American prayer to start the meeting followed by the pledge of allegiance. The President General’s message was read by Shirley Peverly. Regent Belknap announced that Monica Tan is now the newest member of the Pemaquid Chapter.  

Regent Belknap highlighted dates of note in our history.   

On Dec. 6: The 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the U.S., is ratified. (1865). 

Interest "to the tune of $168,000" will be added to Wiscasset School Department's fund balance, Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson told the school committee Dec. 10. The move Andersson and Town Manager Dennis Simmons said will occur as a journal entry follows talks between municipal and school officials and consults with Maine Municipal Association and the town and school department's mutual auditor.

Coastal Senior College, serving Midcoast Maine from Wiscasset to Camden, opened registration on Dec. 10 for its nine winter courses set to begin the week of Jan. 13.

After careful consideration, the Board of Directors at The Lincoln Home has made the decision to close the Memory Care facility housed at Harbor View Cottage.  Beginning in January 2025, the caregiving team will assist residents and their families in finding suitable alternative placements to meet each individual’s needs and ensure a smooth transition. It has been our privilege to serve the residents of Harbor View Cottage, and we are deeply saddened by the circumstances that have led to this closure.

Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson said Dec. 10, the school department and others nationally have been getting more into place-based learning, or "beyond the walls of the schoolhouse." And Wiscasset schools, she said, are in an ideal place for this, both heritage and nature-wise, with the nearby historic buildings, working waterfront and hundreds of acres of trails and woods.

Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson said Dec. 10, the school department and others nationally have been getting more into place-based learning, or "beyond the walls of the schoolhouse." And Wiscasset schools, she said, are in an ideal place for this, both heritage and nature-wise, with the nearby historic buildings, working waterfront and hundreds of acres of trails and woods.

Rebuilding Together-Lincoln County (RTLC) held its final board meeting of the 2024 calendar year on Dec. 10. After a year that saw the organization involved in nearly 50 projects, the board decided the word that best sums up a very successful 2024 is “collaboration.”

“Collaboration” is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “to work jointly with others.” Providing critical home repairs for local low-income homeowners and a free mobility ramp loan program, RTLC works with a broad swath of the community and has many collaborators who help provide these important services.