19 Towns, 19 Stories, a county-wide project created through a massive community effort, begins next week.
Beginning Saturday, Aug. 24 and continuing through Saturday, Aug. 31, and including events in each of Lincoln County’s 19 towns, the project spotlights and honors county residents affected by substance use, aiming to educate neighbors, and eliminate the culture of shame that continues to keep people from getting the help and support they need.
“There’s a wave of positive change happening around resources for and attitudes toward people affected by substance use disorder, or addiction,” says Peter Bruun, executive director of Damariscotta-based Studio B and lead organizer of the project. “19 Towns, 19 Stories seeks to accelerate that change.”
The project, co-led by the Lincoln County Recovery Community Center, springs from last summer’s 716 Candles project, organized by Bruun and Healthy Lincoln County to mark International Overdose Awareness Day Aug. 31. In the intervening year, the county’s resources have grown significantly.
“It’s been really exciting to see the community we’re building,” said Abigail Boudin, program coordinator for the recovery community center. “So many people are in need and have been suffering in isolation. We’re working to support people with substance use and related challenges, reaching more folks than ever before.”
Each of this project’s 19 events takes on a different theme, starting with “Stories Matter,” a gathering, on the Boothbay Common from 5-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24. As do all the events, Stories Matter includes resource information for those looking for help, art and music, presentations, and conversations, and candle lighting remembrances for those lost to addiction-related causes.
Regardless of how people have been affected by addiction, the events are an opportunity to come together and find community.
“Connection is the opposite of addiction,” said Tim Cheney, a longtime recovery activist and proprietor of Clark’s Cove Farm in Walpole. “That’s what these events are all about: connection leading to community in the face of a disorder characterized by isolation.”
Clark’s Cove Farm is the site of Bristol’s 19 Towns, 19 Stories event, Recovery Is Community, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
While each event has certain elements in common, they also differ in terms of musicians, artists, healers, speakers, and theme: no two events are exactly alike, and in totality they cover multiple issues related to substance use and related matters.
“This is an ambitious undertaking that is built on the unique strengths of each community,” said state Rep. Lydia Crafts, who is speaking at events in Monhegan on Monday, Aug. 26 and Damariscotta on Aug. 31. “The week of events will bring awareness of the hope, healing, and stigma-shattering possibilities in Lincoln County.”
All events are free, and information about the project including a schedule of events are available at the project’s website at bit.ly/4cuaxeZ.
