I am once again in an airport, for the second time in a month, and waiting to get back home to Maine, to Lincolnville. While my trip to Northern California at least included features that seem familiar to a boy from rural Maine, the Las Vegas Strip could not feel more different.

I miss my little town, my dogs, my trees, and, yes, my family.

There really is something about small towns, and those of us who feel at home there. A small town is not for everyone, just as I know there are people who love the Las Vegas Strip. There is not much anonymity in a place like Lincolnville, people are going to get to know you if you spend enough time here.

I have been following the upcoming vote in our neighboring town of Camden. About the dam falls, and all the mildly profane ways to play with homophones while discussing the topic. Gosh, it seems to be becoming a bit uncivil. We can get this way in a small town, we become passionate about our beliefs. We may argue and call names and behave in ways we may later regret. Just like we do with family.

I have made this point many times, small towns are like families. Though, isn’t this just typical human behavior?

My field of study in college was sociology, which is a related field to anthropology, and the general studies of people and culture. We are a social animal, a tribal animal, and one that learns and grows through the exchange of ideas. Just as we would not be successful facing the world as individuals, we would not have been successful if we had simply stuck to one social group. 

We communicate, sometimes effectively, sometimes less than so, in order to learn, to grow as people. We develop communities, and we move in between them. It is the exchange of ideas, of perspectives, which has made us better.

While in Vegas, the unredeemable watcher of people that I am, I saw the small towns — the tribes, the communities — that exist within the little sliver of the city where I spent the last several days.

Among the hordes of tourists and convention-attending business people, street performers, casino workers, the unhoused, law enforcement, and bartenders have their own  communities, which are constantly interacting. 

I witnessed an enthusiastic and friendly conversation in Spanish between a group of  young men out partying and an older sanitation worker. The clear understanding and communication between resort security and a friendly young woman who I presume may have been engaging in a less than legal, but extremely ancient, profession. A gentleman in half a Sponge Bob costume laughing and sharing cold beverages and a break from the oppressive desert sun in a shaded underpass with others trying to make a living in this bastion of apparent opulence.

Just people doing what we do, like small towns, like families, everywhere. Even in a city, people get to know you, it is just may be a bit easier to blend in if you want. And ultimately, we need to find a way to get along.

I sure hope our neighbors south in Camden can resolve their dispute through good old small town democracy, and move on. Hopefully they can put any bad feelings behind them, and share a smile or small talk at Zoots or the Bagel Cafe again.

As I said, it isn’t that easy to blend in here.

Grange Supper:

This Saturday, June 7, will be the annual Grange supper and Variety Show at the Tranquility Grange 2171 Belfast Road. Supper will be at 5 p.m. with the show starting after everyone has had their fill. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5-12, under 5 and over 90 and Lincolnville graduates of the Camden Hills class of 2025 eat for free! If you have family coming into town for Graduation, treat them to an authentic Maine Bean Suppah!

Artist Open House at the LHS:

Join the Lincolnville Historical Society Sunday June 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. for an art show featuring local artist Tiernan Lee Reidy. This will be the first of three art shows at the LHS for the summer of 2025, and will be held at the Schoolhouse Museum, at 33 Beach Road. Light refreshments will be served.

Sympathy:

Kevin O’Donnell was a man who was in inspiration in health, and perhaps even more so as he faced ALS with strength and courage. Taken far too soon, he leaves a young family and a community who grieves for him. We will all miss him presence here.

Things here on the coast of Maine seem to have continued to grow and green and flower in my absence, particularly the lawn. This weekend another group of talented Lincolnville kids will graduate Camden Hills Regional High School and enter the adult world. Congratulations to another class of kids I have watched grow up, make our little town proud, as I know you will.

As always, reach out at ceobrien246@gmail.com with your thoughts and comments. Be  mindful and kind, and be a positive part of our the small town that is all around us, in Lincolnville and beyond.

Municipal Calendar:

Monday, June 2

School Committee, 6 p.m. LCS

Tuesday, June 3

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

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

Comprehensive Plan Review Committee, 6 p.m. Town Office

Wednesday, June 4

Bayshore Baptist Church, Youth Group, 6 p.m.

Friday, June 6

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

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Saturday, June 7

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Sunday, June 8

United Christian Church, 9:30 a.m. Worship and Children’s Church, 18 Searsmont Road

Bayshore Baptist Church, 10 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages, 10:40 a.m. Coffee and Baked Goods, 11:00 a.m. worship, 2648 Atlantic Highway