Hello, friends and neighbors!
I am continually amazed by the incredible opportunities we Mainers have to enjoy the great outdoors. If you have never visited Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, I highly recommend it.
Serving Maine and Lincoln County for over 140 years

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Pat Smith
Hello, friends and neighbors!
I am continually amazed by the incredible opportunities we Mainers have to enjoy the great outdoors. If you have never visited Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, I highly recommend it.
Liz and I have been collecting phone numbers from everyone in town as they come into office. With cellphones being used mostly, if you don’t leave your number, we have no way of contacting you. If there is a problem or we need information about something for the office, it is very hard to get the work done. So please, if we forget to ask, remind us and we will be very happy.

This week’s photo is the lily leaf beetle, Lilioceris lilli. The lily leaf beetle is a native of Europe and was first reported in the U.S. in 1997. Asiatic lilies are especially vulnerable to attack from this pest. Day lilies are not affected.

Making pottery in the neighborhood: An exciting thing is happening in the Lincoln County world of pottery-making. Well-known local potter and ceramics teacher Liz Proffetty is on the verge of opening Neighborhood Clay in Damariscotta, a pottery studio that will offer lessons and open studio time as well as a retail space for the sale of artists’ work. Neighborhood Clay will open its doors on Friday, Sept. 1. One can already sign up for classes online.

This was one of those weeks when several people came into our shop asking for items pertaining to the Damariscotta village and area. They wanted old signs and calendars and postcard business ads of any kind, as well as souvenirs of this area.

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Mark Biscoe
June 17, 1856 saw the largest throng of people ever to grace Waldoboro’s streets. Thousands of folks had arrived in the village strictly by foot, carriage, or boat, as there were no railroads in those days. They all came for the purpose of paying a last tribute to a hero, a legend, a myth. Conrad Heyer’s incredible life — described by newspapers in Maine, and papers from as far away as Milwaukee, Wisc. — had come to an end in February 1856. He was 107 years old.
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Fried green tomatoes
The concept of fried green tomatoes hit the world 25 years ago as a literary event with the appearance of Fannie Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.” It is an intergenerational tale of an ordinary Southern family, its food, and its members taking care of each other. The book became popular and was even made into a movie a few years later. For people like me living in the North, it came with the additional revelation: yes, one could fry green tomatoes, and they taste great!
As a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness, foster education, advocate for change, and provide local support to Maine’s Lyme community, we truly enjoy engaging with the communities and hosting or participating in events that help further along knowledge of tickborne disease. Plain and simple: we enjoy helping people get better!
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I’ve had cats all of my life. As much as I love dogs, I am a “cat person” or, in less PC terms, I’m a “crazy cat lady.” I’m OK with this. Cats are pretty cool.
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Paul Kando
Last month, two South Carolina utilities pulled the plug on two one-third-finished nuclear reactors because their spiraling construction costs forced multiple rate hikes over the past several years.
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The Old Town House will be open on two Mondays this month to view the Jefferson Historical Society exhibits. Stop by on Aug. 14 and Aug. 20 from 4:30-7 p.m. If you missed the exhibits on the day of the open house, this is your opportunity.

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Although the new White House administration has had a slow and inauspicious initiation, a few policy pursuits may develop. Some of these concern health care, education, tax reform, the environment, and immigration. Since economics has much to say about each of these topics, I thought it fruitful to address these through a series of columns over the next few months.
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Hey folks, as some of you who are loyal readers of my scribblin’s know, I am not very pleased with the way Main Street in town has looked this summer. Between trash and cigarette butts, it hasn’t looked too good. But hats are off to the Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club, under the leadership of President Rick Hagen, as they put a team of folks to work this past week picking up a truckload of trash between the bridge and the Baptist church!
The porch at Hodgdon Green, the assisted-living home in Damariscotta, is being used daily this summer as residents and guests enjoy this special spot. Not only humans, but Mother Robin has raised her brood under the eves, flying in and out to feed those wide-open mouths. Great entertainment for porch sitters.