LINCOLNVILLE — Was it only two years ago people were saying that the Center was “dead”? Nothing going on there, houses torn down, the store closed, Dean & Eugley’s a distant memory, the fire department departed for grassier neighborhoods, etc. etc. One woman was quoted saying she could see seven abandoned properties from in front of her Main Street house. Well, that was then, this is now. In just the next week you have a choice of three events right in Downtown Lincolnville Center, each in a newly-renovated space.

Susan Shaw, of Camden, known by gardeners all over the area for her beautiful daylilies, will be at the L’ville Library Wednesday evening to talk about her favorite plant. She’s been growing and hybridizing daylilies for many years and has hundreds of colorful varieties in her Camden gardens.

Arts at the Center (Lincolnville’s own community art center) opens Saturday afternoon, 1-5 p.m., with an open house at 6 Heal Road, in the building forever known to many as “Grandpa Hall’s”. The gallery will showcase Randy Fein’s ceramic sculpture and pottery, and Paul Kluger’s fused and slump glass in geometric designs. Refreshments will be served on handmade glass and ceramics plates made by the resident artists. Randy plans to offer workshops in the ceramic arts for children and adults, with classes geared for small groups. Summer clay workshops in hand building and potters wheel skills begin at the end of June, schedule available at artsatthecenter.com.

Arts at the Center has studio space available to those who are interested in pursuing pottery and ceramic sculpture either independently or under the mentorship of Randy Fein. The studio is set up to offer community access to tools and equipment necessary for creating sculptural and functional objects in clay.

Finally, come by the Lincolnville Boat Club next Tuesday, June 10, for their spring open house, 5-7 p.m. Boat Club members have continued to spruce up their club house, which not too long ago consisted of a worn out fire department building, a gutted schoolhouse and some storage sheds. The transformation is remarkable – handsome buildings on the outside, bright and airy classroom space and boat storage inside, all a short walk from Nortons Pond where it all happens. See the facilities, the boats, learn about the club’s summer boating program and meet Anna Piotti, the club’s new director. More about the Lincolnville Boat Club is at lincolnvilleboatclub.com and their Facebook page.

Another exciting new endeavor in the Center, this time at the school’s excellent ball field, is a slow-pitch softball team for the 55 and older crowd, men and women. Under the auspices of the Recreation Commission, member Leslie Devoe is organizing a team to play other area teams. She’s looking for equipment — a catcher’s mask, bats, and balls – and promises to play sixties music during practice, and will definitely consider having designated runners, a pretty good idea for the over 55s. In addition to equipment the team could use a coach, fans, and oh, a league of other teams to play. If you’re interested call Leslie at 763-4239.

Annual Town Meeting is coming up, June 12. Actually, the meeting is called on June 10 when the polls, located in the LCS gym, open for balloting. The meeting resumes at 6 p.m. June 12. Candidates for town offices include Arthur Durity and Cathy Hardy for two Selectmen terms; Rebecca Stephens for LCS School Committee; Dottie Lanphear for Budget Committee; and Kelly Gould for CSD School Committee. Since there are three openings on the LCS School Committee and three Budget Committee positions open, write-ins may decide those positions.

The other item on the ballot June 10 is the Consumer Fireworks Ordinance. Read the complete ordinance. Basically, fireworks are restricted around the ponds, from April 1 to October 31, to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings between 7 and 10 p.m. and not for more than one hour a day. There are some exceptions for the Fourth of July and New Year’s. Read the ordinance before coming to vote, though copies will be available at the polls.

 If you or someone you know is no longer driving, a newly-energized program for Waldo County residents, “Rides for Pride” is gathering steam. The way it works is you, the person needing a ride, purchases vouchers for a volunteer driver. You pay half price for the voucher; your driver then takes the voucher you paid him with to the Belfast office and redeems them for the full price. For more information call 338-6809.

Note that the Women’s Club is accepting donations for their June 21 Indoor Yard Sale on Friday, June 20, 3-7 p.m. at the L.I.A. building. No TVs, electronics, appliances, or very large items, please. Looking for nice, clean items and if you wish to price them ahead, that's very helpful. Proceeds go to the club’s annual scholarships for graduating seniors.

Congratulations to Libby Overcash, granddaughter of Marylou and Ross Overcash, on her recent graduation from University of Missouri. Libby, whose degree is in physics, will be fulfilling her dream of teaching her favorite subject as a newly-minted high school physics teacher in the St. Louis, Missouri, school system. We’ve known Libby since she was born, and have watched her grow up; she and her mom visit Lincolnville every Christmas and most summers.

It’s rhubarb season again, so here’s my favorite rhubarb recipe. I clipped it from the Courier Gazette probably the first or second year after we moved to Lincolnville. I was new to country living and had no experience with rhubarb, had never eaten it. I make this every spring:

Rhubarb Bread Pudding

3 C rhubarb, cut in ½” pieces

4-5 slices buttered toast, cut into ½” pices

1 C sugar

2 t cornstarch

zest of one orange

Mix all together in a casserole dish; dot with more butter. Bake covered at 375º for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with cream.

Just this morning I found a plastic baggie on my doorstep with a cutting of mint, roots and all. A dear friend had dropped it off for my newly-dug mint bed (formerly home to bamboo and goutweed). She wasn’t sure what kind it was, but it’s got pretty, variegated gold and yellow leaves. It came to her in a drink served at the Islesboro Inn many years ago; she and her husband had made their annual sail from Camden to the island to celebrate their anniversary with dinner at the Inn. She brought the mint home and rooted it; it’s been growing in her garden ever since.

 Several of Lincolnville’s Cemetery Trustees attended a four-day workshop in St. George on caring for old cemeteries.  Trustee Corelyn Senn writes how they learned to reset a leaning tablet stone. “[The teacher] dug around the one he chose — a stone for two little boys, one an infant, who died in 1840 and 1842. When he got down a little ways he found a totally covered up inscription and it was clear that the stone had come out of its base, and then had been stuck back in the ground; so instead of just being a tablet it was a marble stone with a granite base. So, he found the base and dug it up. The cleaning was fascinating as things came into view. After that he put a sand and gravel mixture in the hole, reset the base, then reset the tablet into the groove in the base [using] special cement. When it was done it looked like it must have in 1842. He covered it with a plastic bag so that it could set, and no one would inadvertently lean on it since it looked so perfect. It was amazing to see. Today we get to try our hand at that--being divided up into groups, and we will also do a lot of stone cleaning. I am excited to try all of this.”

Also attending were L’ville Trustees Cecil Dennison and Everett Fizer.

The Community Building’s inaugural art show featureing Hope artist Sara Gagan’s paintings will be up until June 20. The building is open every Sunday morning, 9-11, and on Thursdays, noon-1 p.m., during the Soup Café. Or call Sara to make an appointment to see her work, 763-3965.

  To be included in This Week in Lincolnville, contact Diane, ragrugs@midcoast.com with events, family milestones, wildlife sightings, anything to do with our town.