Allison Brooks has seen the world and found the value of home in Jefferson, where she now invests in the future with some motivation from an act of kindness by another in her past.

The residents of Lincoln County are connected to the powerful, living landscapes of the area simply by residing in them, whether on the jagged shores of Bristol or the elevated fields of Newcastle. However, there are few who feel that bond with the earth more than Jan Goranson does to the farmlands in Dresden.

Community, like a good boat, needs to be maintained regularly if it’s going to stay afloat. For Greg Anderson, a marine technician, Maine outdoorsman, and Bristol native, doing his part in the community means doing what he does best: keeping boats working in the water.

Though Reuben Mahar describes himself as a kid in an adult’s body, his interests take a generational view. A self-educated IT professional who credits his career to internet access, Mahar regularly participates in Waldoboro Select Board meetings and makes time for fun from science-fiction audiobooks to freeze-dried food experiments with his wife, Kim, and their three cats.