Thanksgiving is a time for gathering family and friends for a special meal, but some families find it difficult to afford the turkey and fixings to celebrate the holiday. Again this year, through the generosity of many donors and the efforts of many volunteers, the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Newcastle was able to coordinate the preparation of Thanksgiving food baskets to allow these families to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

It was one of the first sunny, mild days in March. I went to the door to let my little dog, Elliot, out. There were two cats on my walkway. One, a big, fluffy orange-and-white beauty, was rolling around on a warm flat rock. The other, a big, soft gray one, was sitting a few inches away watching her, or him.

More than 80 evergreen trees – both small and large – were deployed in Damariscotta and Newcastle in preparation for the second annual Villages of Light celebration this Saturday, Nov. 24.

Craig Leeman started at the mill in 1968-1970, after finishing his service with the Coast Guard, and then from 1972 until he retired in 2009. Leeman’s co-worker was Jerry Farrin. Like many Maine jobs, it was hard physical labor, outdoors, in all weathers.

The Villages of Light committee is in search of volunteers to help with tree deployment Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17 and 18.

On Dutch Neck in Waldoboro, a little bit of wilderness has been preserved for generations to come thanks to the donation of a six-acre parcel of land that hugs the coast of the Medomak River and overlooks Ben’s Island.