Nature photographer Mark Allen, of Newcastle, loves spending his free time traveling the back roads of Maine in search of the perfect shot. Some days he spends 12-18 hours bumping along dirt roads at a snail’s pace, looking  for wildlife in every clearing and every brook, bog, and pond along the way.

The Lincoln County News office will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 7. The deadline for letters to the editor and press releases — normally 5 p.m. Monday — is 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4 for the Sept. 10 edition. The deadline for ads is noon Friday.

Since 1980, Boothbay Region Land Trust has been protecting wild, open spaces for the people of the Boothbay Region and beyond. Now, the trust is happy to announce it has renewed its land trust accreditation – proving once again that, as part of a network of over 400 accredited land trusts across the nation, it is committed to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in its conservation work.

The CLC YMCA’s annual “Back to School Bash” was a huge success despite limitations presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. A new satellite rotary group of community members supported handing out backpacks, family meal kits from Lincoln County Food Initiative, and school supplies to more than 160 local students from 15 area schools and home-schooled students.

Nonagenarian Ava Keene had planned to celebrate her August birthday with a big party, welcoming friends and family members from as far as Florida, New York, and even Canada. The coronavirus pandemic put a halt to the party, however, so Keene settled on celebrating quietly with her husband, John Tutton.