On a beautiful autumn afternoon, several cast members of Hearts Ever Young, a theatrical troupe, surprised Lila Blechman, a treasured performer of the troupe for many years, in celebration of her 99th birthday. There were balloons, signs, party hats, and gifts — a very festive occasion.

The Saltwater Artists Gallery was gifted all of the late Caroline Howe’s art materials by her children. The materials are on sale at the gallery at 3056 Bristol Road in New Harbor, just 1/4mile before the Pemaquid Lighthouse.

Kay Miller is a printmaker who exhibits at the Saltwater Artists Gallery, a nonprofit cooperative group of artists. She took her first class at Roundtop Center for the Arts in Damariscotta after retiring from 35 years of teaching, the last two years of which were spent in Kyrgyzstan. After exploring several techniques such as etching, silk-screening, and lithography, she began concentrating on botanical monotypes.

The board of Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater has unanimously approved a targeted reopening date of Jan. 1, 2021.

The paintings of Marcia Brandwein on currently on display at the Bristol Area Library and feature her love of trees. Brandwein graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. with a bachelor of fine arts in illustration. Her career then led her to home textile design. For over 30 years she created textiles for major home textile stores culminating in the interior design for the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

Walter White, of Waldoboro, recently released his second sports history book, “Island Hoops & Scratches,” which is about playing basketball and billiards on Vinalhaven.

The latest collection of short stories about the town of Wiscasset is now available. “The Town Crier” is the third in a series of local books written by Phil Di Vece who has called “Maine’s Prettiest Village” his home since the 1970s.

The opera house at Boothbay Harbor continues to offer live shows with limited audience sizes. With sizes limited to 50 audience members, tickets sell out quickly.

After more than six years of creating smiles and laughter, local resident and author Skip Simonds has compiled more than 1,500 of his humorous texts into a single volume.

Ocean Point Inn will host “Summer’s End,” an art show featuring the works of local and regional artists. The show will open on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and run through Monday, Oct. 12. An opening reception for the artists will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 5 – 7 p.m. at Ocean Point Inn, 191 Shore Rd. in East Boothbay.