Midcoast celebrates the holidays

THOMASTON — Thomaston police, fire, and ambulance departments activated their lights for fun December 21, 2021.

Staged at the Thomaston Fire Department, the three municipal departments each provided a vehicle, turning their emergency lights into a choreographed musical dance.

 

Video by CoolFireTrucks

As the winter holiday season continues, and in the face of ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reminds all Maine people, and particularly those who work in and provide support to Maine’s health care sector, that mental health resources are available, including through the StrengthenME initiative and traditional crisis support.

The demands of the holiday season can often lead… Read more

ROCKPORT — The Midcoast Recreation Center will host the MRC New Year’s Open tennis tournament to kick off the new year. 

The UTR tournament will be held Saturday, Jan. 1 and Sunday, Jan. 2.

This event is co-ed and open to any level. All players will get multiple matches. Matches will be two out of three full sets with a super-tiebreaker in lieu of the third set.

“We will do our best to ensure that your first match is as level-appropriate as possible,” organizers note… Read more

Recycle the Moon

(Full moon, December 19, 2021)

Wrap your arms around her belly 

and (on the Solstice, December 21)

when she rolls through 

your bedroom window 

and lingers, hovering over your dreams,

cushion your head on her soft pillow chest,

watch her wistfully as her smooth, 

round back glides horizon-bound.

You wish you could go with her, 

but she has work to do:

Each night she sheds a layer… Read more

ROCKLAND — Learn how to fold shapes in half and glue them to their duplicates to make a 3D card for the holidays. Visit the Rockland Public Library to pick up your bag with one card, many snowflakes, and the supplies to make a 3D snowman and 3D tree.  

This project is for all ages.  

Take your bag into the Children's Room to create your card here, or take your supplies home for crafting later.  

Rockland Library has at least two grab-n-go crafts a month. Stay posted… Read more

CAMDEN — The Annual Day of Giving on Saturday, December 18 showcased more than 45 area businesses who, in partnership with United Midcoast Charities, supported dozens of Midcoast nonprofits in Knox and Waldo Counties.

Residents who still needed to do their holiday shopping or enjoy a Yuletide meal visited these community-minded retailers and restaurants in Camden, Rockland, Rockport, Belfast, Thomaston, Lincolnville and Northport.

“This is a fun day to shop and dine locally… Read more

ROCKLAND — A 90-minute, English language version of Massenet’s Cendrillon, an adaptation of Cinderella, will be presented as a Metropolitan Opera Live in HD simulcast at the Strand Theatre on Saturday, January 1 at 1 p.m. An Encore presentation will take place Tuesday, January 11 at 1 p.m.  In this New Year’s Day performance, Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Cendrillon, a hit of the 2017–2018 season, is presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute… Read more

ROCKPORT — In a rare development, Santa Claus and all the Elves at the North Pole are setting up Christmas letter postal boxes around the world, including Rockport.

Santa and his reindeer scouted the globe, and decided that for the Midcoast, the box should present easy access for all children to get their letters posted, and for the Reindeer Letter Squad to pick them up, all in time for Christmas Eve.

Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley said he is honored that the North Pole… Read more

There have been plenty of parades in Camden, but the annual 2021 Christmas by the Sea parade Dec. 3 was perhaps one of the happiest, most joyful gathering of a community in a long time. Hundreds (maybe more!) lined the sidewalks to watch their friends and neighbors and family members wind through the downtown on floats, in firetrucks, backhoes, or just walking with banners and flags.  Always, there were many, many smiles, with some singing and dancing.

The parade was organized in the… Read more

PORTLAND — ecomaine, the Portland-based recycling facility, is making a list and checking it twice – a list of acceptable items in single-sort recycling bins this holiday season. 

“Every holiday season, the amount of recycling tends to increase,” said Kathryn Oak, ecomaine’s recycling manager, in a news release. “But mixed in with those items that are recyclable are some that aren’t – and even a few that can be dangerous in our facility.”

With many gifts being delivered to… Read more