Christine Ruffley holds her prize in the workshop of Betty Lu Brydges.
The annual Damariscotta Mills alewife festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the quilt raffle was not. Christine Ruffley was the winner in the raffle drawing on Labor Day. In front of a small crowd of 11 cheering onlookers, Christine’s ticket number was drawn from the bag by Mary Chase.
“I am absolutely speechless! Well that’s not true. I just ran around the house screaming. I love the quilt so very much,” said Ruffley.
Ruffley lives in Massachusetts and spends part of her summers in Damariscotta Mills. She is hoping to soon become a full-time Maine resident.
The fish ladder restoration committee is grateful to the 79 quilt raffle participants who bought 589 tickets, raising a net $2,390. Currently, fundraising efforts are focused on “bridging the gap” to repair and upgrade the fish ladder viewing bridge that has supported onlookers since its construction in the 1920s.
The Damariscotta Mills fish ladder restoration initiative is a grassroots, community based project run by volunteers. Donations of any size help make this project possible.
