LINCOLNVILLE — This Thursday, May 22, will be a busy one at the Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road, with an American Red Cross blood drive, Soup Cafe and art show going on all at once.  A Red Cross mobile unit, sponsored by United Christian Church (UCC), will be parked out front from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome or make an appointment by calling Robin Guist, 236-8475. The weekly Soup Cafe, a free soup lunch for the community, has been held in the building for the past six weeks or so. It's put on by a group of volunteers, taking turns making soup, bread and sweets. Come on out and have a delicious meal with friends and neighbors, and meet new people too. There's no charge, though of course, donations are welcome. If you know someone who's housebound, bring her/him along.  Finally, Sara Gagan of Hope, has a show of her work hanging until June 20th. Her nine life-size portraits, paintings of women she's worked with, are dramatic and engaging, lining the back wall as if all are standing there. 

When the Community Building was turned over to the UCC  several years ago, these are just the sorts of projects that were suggested. The building, which had been used as the town's gym for nearly forty years, was showing its age. Now, after some much-needed improvements -- new windows, lowered ceiling, walls repaired and painted -- the Community Building is entering a new, more refined era in its history. Next up on the list is a handicapped-accessible bathroom and a kitchen; construction is planned for next winter. Fund-raising for the work will continue through the spring and summer.

So Thursday, come for soup, donate a pint if you can, and enjoy Sara Gagan's paintings. 

Tuesday’s school budget vote can potentially affect more of us directly here in town than any other vote in the near future. As often happens, there are some who want to cut the budget, while others are adamant about fully funding programs at LCS. A handful of voters on either side are often able to turn the vote their way. So it’s particularly important to show up for Tuesday’s meeting if you feel strongly for or against the Budget Committee’s recommendations. Click here for the LCS 2014-2015 budget. 

It was fairly recently that I learned what SoHo stands for (south of Houston St.); after all, my life is pretty far removed from that busy NYC street. But then along came NoCaSoBe. Here’s a clue: we live there. Give up? North of Camden South of Belfast. Besides Lincolnville that designation includes Northport and Islesboro. The term was coined by Arthur Durity of Dots. Thanks to Dr. Jane Liedtke, owner of Bay Leaf Cottages & Bistro, and her team of student interns from Illinois State University, NOCASOBE has a logo (caps and tees), a website, www.nocasobe.com, and a marketing strategy. Any business located in NOCASOBE can advertise on their website. Contact info@nocasobe.com to learn more.

Opportunities to buy locally — often Lincolnville — grown/produced food abound as the weather warms up. A weekly Farmers’ Market has started up at Dot’s, just south of the Beach, Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vendors include Josh Gerritsen with organic chicken, Sam Mudge with local organic corn meal (ground on site), and vegetables from John & Lucy Pincince, Marc Coffey & Liv Detrick, Sean Murphy, and Gail Berry. Gail also has live lobsters, landed in Lincolnville. Plans for this market include an outdoor grill during good weather, so you can grab lunch, too.

At Dolce Vita Farm and Bakery, near Stevens Corner (Youngtown and Beach roads), Rose and Peter Thomas have pastries, breads, greens, cheeses, olives as well as Jersey milk and yogurt M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and wood-oven pizza Friday nights; order the pizza, 323-1052. Richard Lenfest sells his maple syrup and other maple products every Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, at 6 Heal Road.

Leslie Devoe is organizing softball team for over 55 year-olds this spring. Interested in joining? Contact her at ldevoe@midcoast.com.

The Lincolnville Historical Society (LHS) is mailing the annual newsletter to all Lincolnville residents this week; a couple of hundred Northport households will get it as well, folks who live in the 04849 zipcode. Included is an order form for the Community Birthday Calendar, the 60th year the calendar’s been sold in Lincolnville.

Do you remember when it was a Fire Department fundraiser? For several years now, the calendar has benefited the LHS, making it possible to have the Schoolhouse Museum open three days a week, M-W-F, 1-4 p.m., from June through Columbus Day. Please consider ordering a calendar to hang on the wall near your phone. Calendars are $8 each; list family birthdays and anniversaries for $.50 each. The ads for local businesses make it convenient to reach them; business ads are $58 – contact Connie, 789-5984 if you want one.

As for news around town, the Beach restaurants are all open: Chez Michel, Whales Tooth, Lobster Pound and McLaughlin’s on Ferry Road. A newcomer, Andrews Brew Pub, opened a couple of weeks ago within the Lobster Pound building and is proving popular.

Gardeners are always welcome to adopt a Beach flowerbed. Contact Lee Cronin, croninredsox@aol.com, if you’d like to help. And out at the library the landscaping project is going into high gear. Cindy Dunham, cdunham@tidewater.net, is in charge of it and always welcomes volunteers.

Volunteers are still needed to complete the library project — painters, carpenters, both finish and rough. Jim Dunham is organizing this effort: jdunham@tidewater.net.

Finally, it’s true that when one door closes, another opens. This Week in Lincolnville will be updated here at PenBay Pilot weekly. Contact Diane, ragrugs@midcoast.com with events, family milestones, wildlife sightings, anything to do with our town.