The 2026 campaign kicks off Thursday, August 20, at the Augusta National Guard Armory, and will be followed by monthly in-person hiring events throughout the state.

"You're invited!" said Maine Dept. of Labor, in a news release. "Are you looking for a new career? Maybe you are transitioning from military service, or just looking for a change?"

Maine's annual Hire-A-Vet Campaign is a statewide effort with the goal of at least 100 employers hiring at least 100 veterans and military family members during a 100-day period.

Lincolnville Center Indoor Flea Market will be held Saturday, Aug. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon, in the Community Building, at 18 Searsmont Road, Rt. 173 in Lincolnville CENTER. 

This market offers a wide variety of merchandise from the useful to the unusual including vintage household goods, seasonal decorations, handcrafts, farm products and delectable sweet and savory baked goods.

APPLETON — The Washington Grunge, in partnership with Georges River Land Trust and Midcoast Conservancy, continues to host Welcoming Walkabouts, a hiking series for LGBTQIA+ community members at various trails throughout the Midcoast. LGBTQIA+ community members, along with their allies, are invited to explore the preserve’s woodland, riverside trails and connect with new and familiar friends.

Join in on the next Welcoming Walkabout on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m., at Georges River Land Trust’s Appleton Preserve.

Jock Robie will lead a free indoor Worm Bin Harvest workshop at Merryspring Nature Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 5:30 p.m. 

ROCKPORT — Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust, the Camden Public Library and the Central Maine Astronomical Society "for a magical evening under the stars," said CMLT, in a news release.

The event takes place Monday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m., at Beech Hill Preserve.

CUSHING — Join Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) for the final SEED event with artist Lihua Lei Farley on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 2 - 4 p.m.

Last week, over 250 friends and supporters of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences came together for an evening of discovery and inspiration. Through the Big Splash fundraiser, the institute raised over $800,000 in sponsorships and bids — far exceeding the original fundraising goal — all of which will go to support the institute’s “bold science for our blue planet.”

BELFAST — The Waldo County YMCA and Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP) are partnering to launch a new back to school tradition, School-a-Palooza, on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Waldo County YMCA. This free community event is designed to help Waldo County students head back to the classroom feeling prepared, supported and motivated. 

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on August 22, Greg Larsen will open his garden at 17 Tuva Trail in Lincolnville as the final event in the 2026 Belfast Garden Club Open Garden Days. The event will be held rain or shine. Admission is $5.

"This lovely space tucked into a woodland area in Lincolnville boasts an abundance of specimen trees," said the Garden Club, in a news release.

Larsen says his fascination with what trees can do and with their diversity and longevity in the landscape inspired his “mini-arboretum.”

John Fromer will lead an outdoor presentation, Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 12 p.m., at Merryspring Nature Center.

There are many new ornamental flowing plants available at local garden centers, according to Merryspring, in a news release.

"As breeders work to create new introductions to the market, they often cross different varieties which can create beautiful flowers that are not friendly to pollinators," said the news release.

John Fromer will host "Pollination and Pollinators" on Friday, Aug. 7, at 10 a.m., as part of its Free Family Fridays series at Merryspring Nature Center.

"Pollination is very important to plants trying to increase their population and creatures looking for fruit, nuts, and seeds including us,
said Merryspring, in a news release.

New monthly series, library programs, and Common Ground Country Fair appearances highlight a growing literary community.

The Waldoboro Public Library launches its new Poet's Corner this September, opening the door to a month of readings, new programs, and literary gatherings that reflect the remarkable growth of Midcoast Maine's poetry community.

John Fromer will lead an outdoor presentation on "Arranging Dried Flowers," on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 12 p.m., at Merryspring Nature Center.

Having dried your flowers, it is time to make arrangements. John Fromer has arranged dried flowers since the '80s personally and professionally, according to Merryspring, in a news release. He will discuss design and methods for creating both large and small arrangements. 

Merryspring Nature Center will host a live owl program presented by Chewonki on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. 

Join your friends and neighbors at the Waldo Family Fun Day on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, at the Waldo Town Office, located at 629 Waldo Station Road.

Start your day with a guided hike at the Waldo Pound Trail, then enjoy a full day of family fun including a craft fair, bake sale, touch-a-fire truck, dunk tank, kids games, cornhole, cribbage, tug-of-war, races for the kids, and plenty of food including hamburgers, hot dogs, and pulled pork.

SWANVILLE — Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust and MaineHealth’s Community Health program for a guided hike along the trails of Meadow Brook Preserve in Swanville on Thursday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The trail has minimal elevation gain and winds through a variety of mature and newer forests and wetlands, with unique views into the wetlands around Hurds Pond. 

The gardens at Belfast CoHousing and EcoVillage, located at 25 Village Road, Belfast, will be open to view on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m, the next-to-last Open Garden Days event of 2026, sponsored by the Belfast Garden Club.

For more than a decade, this community of people who share communal ethics and spirit has lived and gardened in Belfast.

"The plantings added to the 41+ acre property have matured into a beautiful landscape," said the Garden Club. "Vegetable and herb gardens sit alongside perennial beds, fruit trees, and a wide-open landscape."