Every Thursday morning for the past two and a half years a sandwich board has appeared in front of the Community Building on Searsmont Road (Route 173) in Lincolnville. “Soup Café” it reads, and for those in the know, it’s an invitation to come inside at noon for a hot meal and good company. The Soup Café, which is sponsored by United Christian Church, represents the coming together of a number of elements in our community and at just the right time.

 For one thing, the Community Building has been undergoing a major facelift and renovation for the past five years or so, after the building was deeded over to the church, its next door neighbor. Built by volunteers on church-owned land back in the 1960s, the CB had fallen on rough times: Four decades of basketball games, Cub Scout Pinewood derbies, Halloween parties and dances had left it tattered and worn. The UCC began raising funds throughout the community to make it presentable again.

 Meanwhile, one cold winter evening three years ago a small group of people gathered with Pastor Susan Stonestreet to meditate on the problem of hunger in our world. What can we do to help, they wondered? Offer a free meal for the community, they decided; in fact, that has been on Pastor Susan’s wish list for much of her 17-year ministry.

 So in April, after the roads had thawed and the mud dried up, the Soup Café was born. The CB was much more respectable by that time, with new windows, walls freshly painted, and even a specially-built moveable counter to serve from. The team assembled borrowed crockpots and extension cords and brought in three kinds of soup, some bread, fruit and cookies. Then they put out their sign.

 As they’ve done every single Thursday since. Roberta Heald has taken on the job of coordinating the offerings, sending out an email to some 15 people each week with the list of “openings” — three or four soups (always at least one vegetarian), bread, fruit, and dessert, set up and clean up. The openings fill up fast and by Thursday morning the menu’s set, and two or three folks are setting the tables, each with a colorful tablecloth, starting the coffee and laying out the plates. One by one the soups arrive, steaming hot and fragrant.

 Now that there’s an actual kitchen at one end of the CB, the result of phase two of the three phase renovations, the Soup Café workers have a much easier job. No more extension cords, no more carrying in water and other supplies every week. With a refrigerator, stove, and sink putting on soup for a crowd is a snap. Best of all, they say, is the dishwasher; no more carrying dishes home to wash every week.

 The dishwasher, bought with a gift from West Bay Rotary, represents other donations that have come in because of the Soup Café. When Susan Silverio, one of the early organizers of the Café, received a call from a woman who said she wanted to know what they needed, Susan replied “coffee, we could use coffee.” In the background her husband, a trustee of the church at the time, whispered “Windows, we need storm windows.” And today, thanks to that call prompted by one woman’s visit to the Soup Café, a generous donation was made that paid for combination storm windows on all the church’s 27 fragile, two centuries old wooden windows.

 Like other Lincolnville community endeavors — the UCC’s Strawberry Festival, the LIA’s Blueberry Wingding, the Library’s Picnic Auction, the Women’s Club’s and Business Group’s scholarship projects, Tranquility Grange suppers — the UCC’s Soup Café is supported by plenty of folks not affiliated with the church. We all feel ownership of our community’s resources whether we’re “members” of those groups or not; several of the best soup makers (and eaters) aren’t found in a pew Sunday morning.

 The Soup Café averages 23 guests every week; people drop a few dollars in the donation basket if they want, and that averages $48 a week. The money raised this way is used for upkeep on the C.B. Any and all are welcome; even if you’re new in town, or if you think you won’t know anyone, you’ll be welcomed. Nobody sits alone.

 Wally and I go most Thursdays, if we can; occasionally I’ll sign up to bring a soup or bread, but not usually. We could eat at home, as could most of the folks there, but out at the Soup Café we get to eat with different people. We’re made new friends, gotten to know casual acquaintances much better, had some laughs, all the while listening to Sam Manning’s harmonica, playing old favorites in the background.

 Who is the Soup Café meant for? To those who are hungry, of course, and that’s all of us, pretty regularly, three times a day. But, as the four who gathered that winter night to think about hunger realized, and Susan Silverio articulated, “there are all kinds, and soup feeds them all. Hunger for nourishment, yes, but also for community, company, conversation, music, purposeful activity, as well to feel the church's active presence in town.”

Pickles, Preserves and Pie Festival

Carrying on with a food theme (and some say it’s what our town does best – feed people!) this Saturday the Business Group (LBG) puts on Lincolnville’s First Annual Pickles, Preserves and Pie Festival. Now pay attention, because there are several venues, and at the end three Kings and Queens will be chosen of, yes, pickles, preserves and pies.

 Anyone can enter their own home-made pickles, at McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack, 10 a.m.-noon, preserves (jellies, jams, chutneys, etc.) 1-3 p.m.at the L.I.A. building ((33 Beach Road) and pies to be judged at King David’s Lodge, 2-4 p.m., Howe Point Road. You can also take your wares to sell. And, if all this is new to you, there will be Extension classes taught, one in pickles, 9-11 a.m. at Cellardoor Winery (367 Youngtown Road), and one in preserves, 2-4 p.m. at the L.I.A. building. No pie-making class, but there will be a pie-eating contest, 4 p.m. at King David’s Lodge. Classes are $20 each, and tables to sell are $10. Contact Jane Liedtke with any questions.

 All the proceeds from the Festival will go towards the scholarship funds of the participating organizations: LIA, LBG, LWC, KDL. The Schoolhouse Museum, upstairs at the LIA building will be open Saturday afternoon, and I’m told there will be cookies!

Community Potluck Tonight

The soccer team plays at Bristol on Monday, September 27 and on Wednesday the 28 they play CRMS at Lincolnville. Games start at 3:45.

This past week-end was the Common Ground country Fair, the 40th fair, put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association – MOFGA. Wally and I have missed only two in all those years, so walking on to the fairgrounds almost feels like coming home. Notice the word “walking”; neither of us really expected to be doing that this year, or maybe ever, but there we were, he with a cane, yes, but we saw it all, and as usual, came home feeling invigorated and excited by all the things we’d seen.

Lincolnville neighbors are around every corner at the Fair; we chatted with Peggy Smith at her booth in the Social Action tent, with Jean English, prowling around, camera in hand, documenting the Fair for MOFGA, with Mia Mantello, manning the Sewall Orchard booth, calling out a “hi” to Kathy Langilier, busy at hers, and gobbling one of Greg Larsen’s yummy stuffed croissants at the Tuva Bakery booth.

Mia, after handing us two hot ciders, said this would be Bob’s last year at the Fair. He figures he’s been selling cider there for 30 years, 18 of those with Mia. Bob was president of MOFGA at one time and was “instrumental in finding the land for this permanent site and fundraising for its purchase. He is proud to say he and Russell Libby cut the ribbon together at the dedication ceremony.”

Mia and Bob will continue selling cider and vinegar at their Masalin Road farm www.sewallorchard.com. Order cider through their site.