A Time of Abundance

This Week in Lincolnville

Sun, 07/26/2026 - 5:13pm

Ed O’Brien

The Waldo County Bounty give and take stand at the Beach. (Photo by Ed O’Brien)

The dry hydrant on Stone Road in progress. (Photo by Ben Hazen)

Emiia and Diane Carbone’s mother-daughter art show this Saturday.

The Waldo County Bounty give and take stand at the Beach. (Photo by Ed O’Brien)

The dry hydrant on Stone Road in progress. (Photo by Ben Hazen)

Emiia and Diane Carbone’s mother-daughter art show this Saturday.

Twenty four years ago, almost to the day, I met a girl. It was a set-up. I was in my late 20s, and had settled into a career that suited me. I had an apartment In the South End of Rockland and a couple of cats to keep me company. I had decided to enroll in a master's program in social work through the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast.

Up to that point, I had not been taking my dating life very seriously. I always knew I wanted a family, and, well, cats are great but not much for conversation. When one of my coworkers decided that I needed to be set up with a young woman who she worked with at her second job, I was game.

My coworker moonlit at the Department of Health and Human Services Central Intake, then and now staffed 24/7 to accept reports of suspected child abuse and neglect, prepared to coordinate with state social workers and law enforcement should the need arise.

The young lady in question was working on a quiet Sunday afternoon when our mutual coworker decided to call me, told me to ask her out, and connected me to her phone line in a shocking abuse of state resources.

She agreed to meet me later in the week, and we decided on The Liberal Cup, a brew pub in Hallowell for our first meeting. It went very well, at least in my eyes. She agreed to go out with me again.

I had met this girl, and I really liked her. After a few dates, The Liberal Cup, a requisite movie date (the classic Austin Powers flick, Gold Member) and back to Hallowell for supper at Slates, I invited her back to my apartment on Thomaston Street in Rockland, I was going to seal the deal by making her dinner. How could she resist a guy who can cook? I had a box of Princes Spaghetti, a jar of Prego, a premixed bag of salad, and one of those loafs of garlic bread in the tinfoil bag from Hannaford. Probably a plastic jar of something called Parmesan to shake over it all.

Nailed it. To my surprise, she did not gush over my culinary skills when I served her on the beat up second hand table in that kitchen in Rockland. I am sure she was kind, and enjoyed the meal and the (obviously) engaging and stimulating conversation, but this was a woman who I needed to put a bit more effort into. I had to learn to cook.

If only it was that simple.

This little story came to me as I was throwing dinner together the other night. The dish I was preparing for my wife and kids wasn’t that different from the one so many years ago. It was spaghetti, though no jarred sauce, I had grated a block of actual Parmesan into a couple of eggs from the backyard dinosaurs, and mixed it all with some thick cut bacon. For the salad, I had grabbed some ripe tomatoes and cucumbers from Calderwood Farm over on Beach Road on the way home. The bread still was in a tinfoil bag from Hannaford, though.

As the summer slides into August, our rural community is providing a wealth of food. What our own gardens are not producing can be found at the numerous farm stands around town. My tomatoes may still be hard and green, but the ones at Calderwood were plump and juicy. Speaking of green tomatoes, I was also able to request some tomatoes just shy of turning red, for a platter of fried green tomatoes last night. That girl I met in Hallowell greatly enjoys a crisp fried green tomato on a summer’s evening.

These I paired with massive lobster rolls, meat warmed in butter. My youngest is a lobster fanatic, and came home hungry after a day spent winnowing blueberries for Blueberry Hannah. As I was purchasing the bugs from Lynn Hutchings of M & L Seafood, Lynn related all the young parents who tell her they are happy that their kids won’t touch the pricey critters, and she tells them just wait. Kids grow up, palates refine, they may end up like my Jack.

Fresh garden produce, lobsters and clams, blueberries just out of the field, locally raised meat. Lincolnville provides an abundance of food.

I spoke yesterday with Lincolnville resident Vina Lindley, who is involved with the local organization Waldo County Bounty. You may have noticed their give and take stands outside Lincolnville Central School in the Center and in front of the post office at the Beach.

Waldo County Bounty was formed during the pandemic. With all the disruptions, local farms were having difficulty getting their produce out to the people. WCB was organized to raise money to purchase food directly from farms and distribute them to those in need through local food pantries. Mutual aid in action. As the organization grew, the idea was formed, inspired by the “little libraries” you see around, to provide a place for backyard gardeners to drop off excess produce, and pick up some food grown by your neighbor. Maybe you have more green beans than you can ever eat, you leave them at the stand, and see some fine looking potatoes, the crop you neglected to plant this year. Win-win.

The stands started off as little more than card tables but have been upgraded by community members. The current iteration at the beach was crafted with materials and manpower donated by Viking Lumber. Vina tells me that donated produce rarely lingers.

There are currently 24 Give and Take stands across Waldo county, in nearly every town, providing free food for all. Should you have excess you want to share, consider leaving it at one of the stands. Waldo County Bounty is always looking for support and volunteers. Check this wonderful program out here. No one should go hungry in a place of such abundance.

Dry Hydrant on Stone Road

I had never heard the term “dry hydrant” before, but recently learned that I have seen them my entire life. Unlike the pressurized fire hydrants of more urban locals, dry hydrants are a place where our local firefighters can tap into a natural water source, to pump into their trucks.

The hard working men and women of the Lincolnville Volunteer Fire Department and local business Young’s Construction, donated their Saturday to install a hydrant on Stone Road at the Beach, a 130’ line from a local pond to the road. A great benefit to those of us at the Beach. A resource we hope we never need, but are incredibly grateful to have.

Art Show

For a little culture in your Lincolnville summer, stop by the Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road, this Saturday from 9-5 p.m., for Emilia and Diane Carbone’s art show. Enjoy snacks, and Emilia’s son Ray, a heck of a young piano player, will provide music from 2-4. Emilia owns and operates 3 Bug Farm with her husband Jed Beach and their four boys out on Hope Road, at the Moody Mountain intersection, another place for great fresh produce.

Library Happenings

Needleworkers will meet Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. Play or learn to play Mah-Jongg Fridays at noon. On Thursday, July 30, at 3 p.m., the library will welcome the return of Wayne King and his Reptile Friends. Wayne and Lenore will share their knowledge of all kinds of reptiles with the young and old.

Another wonderful week in LIncolnville has passed, and I am happy to be writing this week from my own living room, with my dogs gently snoring nearby. I will never not love writing about Lincolnville folks helping each other, in all the ways that we do, recognized or not.

Keep taking care of each other. Step away from the screens, from the cacophony of the outside world, and just be present in this moment on the coast of Maine. Watch the dragonflies gobble the mosquitos, the bees on the flowers, listen to the birdsong. In my case it is the rooster who thinks 5 a.m. is a good time for everyone to be awake.

Reach out at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

Municipal Calendar

Monday, July 27

School House Museum open, 1-4 p.m., 33 Beach Road

Select Board, 6 p.m., Town Office

Tuesday, July 28

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Lakes and Ponds Committee, 7 p.m., Town Office

Wednesday, July 29

School House Museum open, 1-4 p.m., 33 Beach Road

Library open 2-5