The bonfire blazed as bright as ever last Saturday afternoon: Dusk fell, a hundred or more townspeople gathered, while the ferry came and went. It’s a magical night, or as close to magical as a little Maine town gets, on the first Saturday of December. It’s hard to say how traditions start, but somehow, this has become one of ours, this lighting of a huge bonfire on our Beach.

And on the first Saturday in December the Beach is, at last, ours.

For a while it looked as if the tradition would die as Andy Young, long-time bonfire organizer, said he was ready to hand over the reins. Within days Aaron Boetsch and Briar Lyons stepped up, saying, okay, they’d do it. It’s the way this thing happens.

Like magic the huge pile of burnables arose on the sand. With the help of an excavator (!) and a hardy crew of volunteers, the logs and brush, the boards and planks were assembled into a towering pyre. At 3:30 the fire was lit and burned well into the evening.

Ed O’Brien, back-up to Morgan Keating who couldn’t make it this year, led the caroling with the help of a few eighth-grade girls.

Pared down to the basics – bonfire, caroling, Santa – the event was perfectly satisfying. Over the years it had evolved from a cup of cocoa served from a thermos at the Beach to a community party at the Beach Schoolhouse, complete with food – sandwiches, cookies, wings, soup, hot cider – decorations made at school for the tree, photos with Santa, cookie decorating.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some or all of it return, but for right now, with Covid fears and restrictions, as well as a dismantled Beach Schoolhouse room, the bonfire was plenty.

I noticed a difference, though, and it wasn’t immediately clear; hard to see who was there, between the blazing fire and the black night, but many, maybe most, of the elders were missing. Some, I know, were reluctant to join a crowd of unmasked singers, even though it was on a wide-open breezy beach. They may have been watching from the security of their cars. Or, conditioned by the past nearly 2 years of isolating, may have just stayed home.

But the youngsters made up for them. Anyone under 60 is a youngster in my mind these days. Lots and lots of kids and their parents. There were the toddlers, looking like little Pillsbury doughboys in their snowsuits and hoods. One little girl, whom I happen to know was born in Hawaii where she lives with her parents, seemed to have no problem taking on this frozen Maine beach, marching determinedly ahead of her mom, weaving in and out between the legs of the grown-ups.

They were everywhere, these tiny people, in the arms of their dads or seeing Santa for the first time. Santa, by the way, who with his Elf, has been doing this gig for 30 or 35 years, said he loves the vibe at our Beach celebration. My nearly 46-year-old son remembers sitting on his knee (a late-bloomer, the kid was 14 at the time).

And then there were the kids, past the rug rat stage, trying out independence. Especially in this age of hovering parents, when a 10-year-old isn’t left alone at the end of a long driveway to wait for the school bus, it’s fun to see them running free. One mom did step in to stop the game of tag back and forth across Atlantic Highway, but that was only prudent.

“Just don’t get wet,” she admonished before setting her brood free.

With the tide way out there was plenty of mudflats to race on, tempting wet feet at the water’s edge. A couple of teen-age girls hunkered down on a rock, safely out of sight of the adults, where they sat and talked about …. well, I don’t know what they talked about, but it this elder has any memory left of her days as a teenage girl, it could have been about the meaning of life.

We did a lot of that in my day, trying to parse out some meaning from the tumult surrounding us. We also talked a lot about boys, but then that’s another subject.

Town

This summer when the state of emergency was lifted, all government meetings, including town select boards and town committees had to stop meeting remotely and meet in person.

However, the Legislature passed LD 32, which would allow remote and hybrid meetings to be conducted in an emergency like a pandemic, weather or an urgent matter. A hybrid meeting can be held to allow members with an illness, are away or have some handicap to attend remotely along with the in-person members. The Selectmen will be considering a draft policy on allowing remote/hybrid meetings at the Dec. 13 Select Board meeting. The opinion of town committee members present will be considered.

Library

The library book group invites everyone to join them on Tuesday, December 7, at 5 p.m. to talk about books to read in the coming year. They welcome anyone who would like to offer book suggestions or simply listen and get ideas. This will also be a fun time to socialize for the holidays. 

Everyone is asked to please wear a face mask inside the library regardless of vaccination status. 

Where’s the Humor in Climate Change?

Hanji Chang and Andy O’Brien (my D-I-L and son) have found a way to make the grim story of climate change more accessible: through Hanji’s animation and Andy’s voice. This coming Thursday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. they’ll present a free webinair exploring how humorous cartoons can make environmental issues accessible for all audiences. Join it here

Shop Locally….right here in Lincolnville

Jessica Marshall’s Lily Bee Apiary has handmade beeswax candles for sale.

Jordan Barnett-Parker has a jewelry studio in town where he repairs, restores and makes custom jewelry.“If you need things in a rush for this holiday season,” he says, “let me help, I am my own supply chain and am not waiting for any stranded cargo ships”  

Antje Roitzsch  works in her new sculpture and jewelry studio on Youngtown Road. One of her metal mobiles dances in the wind on my back deck.

Simon vanderVen’s pottery studio in the Center is a fascinating place, open by appointment where Siem is happy to show you around. His work is amazing!

Check out Jennifer Temple’s Sewgood Studio Etsy Shop I’m enjoying the mittens she makes out of cashmere sweaters – warm and so soft!

Tracee and Diane O’Brien’s Sleepy Hollow Rag Rugs has loads of rugs, hand-knit mice and hats and scarves, gift certificates too. Open daily by chance which means if there are vehicles in the driveway it’s open.

Janis Kay’s Red Cottage in the Center is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You won’t believe the variety in this shop; Janis displays are beautiful, well worth coming in! And a new order of the popular Lincolnville wooden truck-with-Christmas-tree ornament is due to arrive this week.

Dwight Wass’ Lincolnville Fine Art and Antiques Gallery at Lincolnville Beach is always fun to visit. You never know what Dwight has found in his ramblings around Maine, antiques, curiosities aas well as the painting and sculpture of several Maine artists.

Susie Barnes’ Dot’s Market just south of the Beach not only has delicious take-out or eat-in food, but some wonderful specialty foods and wines, and gifts.

Drive up Beach Road and you’ll come to Rose Lowell’s Dolce Vita Farm and Bakery (323-1052). Weekly take-home dinners, delicious baked goods, and pop-up pizza nights 

Briar Lyons’ Lincolnville General Store has, in addition to grocery items and produce, a Christmas menu, stocking stuffers and gifts. Always new things to see!

And Give Locally Too

A project that hasn’t had much publicity is the Cameron Mountain-Millerite Ledges-Poverty Knoll Fields effort. These once open blueberry fields overlook some of the best views in town, but they’re starting to grow in. If left uncut they’ll revert to forest; the views and the blueberries will be gone. Rosey Gerry was out over the week-end with a crew cutting and hauling brush from Cameron Mountain. The Lincolnville Historical Society is sponsoring the work as the views and use of these fields is historic. Donations are needed to continue with the cost of running machinery, gas, etc. Checks made out to LHS Fields Project can be sent to Dave Kelly, 414 Youngtown Road, L’ville 04849.

And down near the Beach another local endeavor is the Beach Schoolhouse Restoration Project – i.e. fixing up the building known to many as the LIA building. Once a town-owned structure, it’s now the property of the Historical Society. It came with a number of structural and functional issues; thanks to the community’s generosity we’re nearly halfway to our Capital Campaign’s goal of the $325,000 we estimate we’ll need to fix it.

The fire escape has been removed to be sandblasted, welded and painted, two steel beams now span the ceiling of the downstairs room to support the second floor and the west wall clapboards have been removed.

If you’d like to make a donation send a check made out to the LHS designating for construction and mail to LHS, P.O. Box 204, L’ville 04849 or by credit card here