For the last 20 years Margaret Wellman has worked, largely behind the scenes, to ensure North Nobleboro Day went off without a hitch. This year, she announced that she will pass the title of coordinator on to her son, Mitchell Wellman.
On Aug. 13, the pair darted around the kitchen at this year’s North Nobleboro Day, prepping coleslaw and generally keeping volunteers in line.
“We just make sure everybody knows what they’re doing and it all comes together,” Margaret Wellman said. Wellman coordinates the numerous vendors, volunteers, local businesses and entertainment that make North Nobleboro Day an annual highlight for the small community.
The North Nobleboro Community Association hosts the event, and Wellman said they usually clear about $6000 of the $12,000 raised at the event. The money they earn is used to maintain the public tennis court, provide scholarships for Nobleboro students, support the library at the Nobleboro Central School, and support the Nobleboro and Jefferson fire departments.
Organizing the event is no small task, and it’s not getting any easier. “Everybody pitches in and helps, but each year we lose one or two volunteers,” Wellman said. “It’s hard to find younger people to help out – but the crowd keeps coming, year after year.”
This year’s North Nobleboro Day saw hundreds of guests, who turned out under sunny late summer skies for the chicken BBQ dinner, local crafts and food vendors, used book sale, auction and entertainment by Debbie Myers and her band.
Myers has performed every year for close to a decade thanks to donations from 20 Nobleboro businesses, organizers said.
Wellman smiles as she talks about bringing people together and the support the North Nobleboro Community Association provides to local causes. She volunteers for several local organizations, including the Owls Head Transportation Museum. “When you’re retired, people think you have all kinds of time,” she said.
As she prepares to cede the coordinator position, Wellman said her son already does much of the work. “He keeps me going,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without him.”
Mitchell Wellman said he’s enjoyed helping his mother for all these years. “It’s fun to get out and get a chance to see everybody,” Mitchell Wellman said.
Although she will likely miss the yearly rush, for now Wellman said she’s pleased with the new arrangement.
“I’ll still probably be around,” she said. “He’ll take all the crap jobs, and I’ll do the good stuff.”
