Waldoboro Town Manager Julie Keizer with her grandson, Landon Lantagne, at Waldoboro’s Paint the Town event on Saturday, Aug. 3. (Alexander Violo photo)
Artists pitched in this past weekend to help out various local organizations during an annual event in Waldoboro called Paint the Town, Waldoboro. The event took place on Saturday, Aug. 3, with painting commencing bright and early at 7 a.m., at which point artists worked to paint a variety of scenes around the Midcoast town.
After a day of painting, a public preview was held at 995 Main St. at 4:30 p.m., followed by an auction at 6 p.m.
According to Natalie Masse, who owns the home and carriage house at 995 Main St., formerly a restaurant and bed-and-breakfast known as The Roaring Lion, “Artists come in at 7 and they pick a location in Waldoboro to sit outside and paint. They can paint houses, neighborhoods, or whatever they like, and at 3 p.m., they come back and drop off their work.”
Masse said money from the paint sold to artists at the beginning of the day goes to help support local organizations active in Waldoboro.
Proceeds from the event go to benefit community organizations, including Midcoast Conservancy, the Waldoboro Lions Club, the Waldoboro Public Library, and the Waldoboro Volunteer Firemen’s Association, according to Masse.
She said each group supported by the event helps to make the event happen. “They each play a part in the event,” Masse said.
Masse said Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer was the event’s auctioneer and Town Manager Julie Keizer provided information on the paintings up for bid.
Masse said firefighters assisted with the auction, bringing paintings out for bidders to see throughout the evening.
At the start of the auction, Masse thanked the artists for making the event a success every year.
“I want to thank the artists for coming out and putting their hearts into this every year,” Masse said.
Smeltzer said his favorite part of the event was seeing Waldoboro from a different perspective.
“My favorite part every year is seeing our town through the artists’ eyes. They find angles and locations that the rest of us don’t see on a daily basis,” Smeltzer said.
During the auction, a number of works went home with bidders, including the painting of a red-winged blackbird by a brook by Tania Amazeen-Jones and a painting of roses by George Baker.
Keizer said the event reminds her of how lucky she is to be a part of the Waldoboro community.
“It’s one of the most beautiful and pristine places on the Midcoast and we should all be proud to live, work, and paint here,” Keizer said.
