LINCOLNVILLE — Blueberry scones, blueberry jam, blueberry aprons, blueberry pancakes — Maine’s bluest berries were the stars at the Blueberry Wingding at Lincolnville Beach on Saturday morning, Aug. 10. Gathering either inside or outside McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack right near the harbor, more than 360 people enjoyed pancakes, bacon and orange juice and shopped for homemade pies, handcrafts, and fresh sweet berries. 

“It was the best turnout we’ve had so far,” said Lee Cronin, fundraising chairman for the Lincolnville Improvement Association, which sponsors the event. “We served 20 more breakfasts than last year.”  

The wingding, which attracts both local residents and out-of-town visitors, has continued to grow in popularity since it started 11 years ago, said association Vice President Brian Cronin.

“People from out of state have told us they plan their vacations around the breakfast,” he said. “They wouldn’t miss it.” 

It has been nearly 100 years since the Lincolnville Improvement Association got its start. In 1916, a group of local women formed the Village Improvement Society to raise money to have a concrete sidewalk built at the beach. They made and sold handcrafts and did other fundraising projects and eventually signed a contract to have Frank K. Collemer build the sidewalk for $300.

As the group grew, it started meeting in a large community hall at the beach, where the Lobster Pound Restaurant has its parking lot today. After the hall burned, the group moved into its current home on the first floor of the old beach schoolhouse on Route 173. The name also changed over the years, first to the Lincolnville Improvement Society and then the Lincolnville Improvement Association. 

The association held a large rummage sale to raise funds for many years. While it brought in several thousand dollars each year, it was a lot of work, according to Lee Cronin, and members decided they were ready for something different. That’s when they started the Blueberry Wingding. 

Building Committee Chairman Andy Andrews remembers the day in 2002 when he suggested the name.

“It just popped into my head,” he said.

Everyone on the planning committee liked it, he said, and the annual fundraiser has been called a wingding ever since. 

The fare at the wingding for the first few years was blueberry shortcake, but Lee Cronin said it couldn’t compete with the strawberry version of the dessert. So in 2005 they switched to pancakes, and continued to offer jam, baked goods, crafts and other items with a blueberry theme. In 2009, they added a raffle of gift certificates to area restaurants.    

According to the Cronins, Lobster Shack owner Rick McLaughlin has been a huge supporter of the event.

“He does the ordering of food, helps set up the coffee, and then lets us take over and use the shack,” Brian Cronin said. “Over the years Rick has given thousands of dollars to the community through his generosity.”  

Community members from all parts of town love to help with the wingding, said Vivia Andrews, the group’s corresponding secretary. “It pulls the community together,” she said. “People love the comraderie.” 

A large portion of the money the association raises goes each year to college scholarships for high school students from Lincolnville. 

The group also puts a lot of money into maintaining the beach schoolhouse, which was built in 1892 and requires continual repairs. According to President Bob Plausse, the town owns the building but the association leases it and has total responsibility for its upkeep. The association holds its meetings and events downstairs and also rents the space to other groups for their community activities.  

The upstairs of the building is home to the Lincolnville Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum, which pays the association rent. 

Many local residents know the building as the site of the annual family Christmas party put on by the Lincolnville Improvement Association and community volunteers. Each December people gather on a Saturday evening around a large Christmas tree set up on the sand at the beach to sing traditional carols before heading up to the party to meet Santa Claus and eat refreshments.  

According to Plausse, visitors driving through town enjoy seeing the tree. “I had a bus driver tell me he loves to come down the hill to Lincolnville Beach and see the tree and all the lights,” he said. “Passengers look out the window and see it. It has become a real landmark.”   

In the summer months association members make their mark near the sidewalk at the beach by planting a colorful array of flowers and seagrass in a small wooden boat once owned by longtime Lincolnville resident Robie Ames. The purple, pink and white petunias and geraniums welcome drivers and beach goers, as does a large sign that was designed and erected by the association a bit farther down the road. 

The association, which includes about 40 active members, meets once a month, six months of the year, for a potluck and program. To members like Bob Plausse, Brian and Lee Cronin, and Andy and Vivia Andrews, being part of the Lincolnville Improvement Association is a great opportunity to get together with people with a wide variety of backgrounds and also do good things for the community. 

Sheila Polson lives in Lincolnville.