ROCKPORT — MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals will hold a “Meet the Midwives” event Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at MaineHealth Obstetrics and Gynecology Rockport, located on the MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Campus at 3 Glen Cove Drive, Suite 1 in Rockport.

Certified nurse midwives from both hospitals will be present for informal discussions, allowing patients and community members an opportunity to meet the care team. Snacks will be provided.

Registration is not required.

For more information, call 301-8900.

"Wintersong: A Midcoast Gathering of Voices" will take place Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Porter Hall at Skidompha Library, Main St., Damariscotta with a snow date of Tuesday, Jan. 20. The event is free and open to the public. Please enter via the Elm Street side (rear entrance) of the library, as the event will be held after regular hours.

Video Chair Yoga and Exercise Classes are being held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 8:30 to 9 a.m., at Second Congregational Church, 252 Main St., Warren.

 Free to all.

THOMASTON — Join Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) and Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), Saturday, Jan. 17, at 9:30 a.m., in the Rockland Bog, for an animal tracking walk. 

"Winter is an exciting and active time for wildlife," said GRLT, in a news release.

Kirk Gentalen, naturalist and Regional Stewardship for MCHT, will provide tips for identifying animal tracks, and give insight into what animals are busy doing in the woods this time of year.

This walk is free and open to everyone. Please visit georgesriver.org/events to register.

Starting on the evening of Dec. 24, 2025, Rockland's Emergency Warming Center, at the Recreation Center, will open for four nights: 

Over the past five years, the attorney general’s office, with Aaron Frey at the helm, has secured for Maine more than $260 million in settlements with major pharmaceutical companies accused of “supercharging” the opioid epidemic.

It has overseen the settlements’ distribution and contributed to efforts to help a state council and local governments spend their shares deliberately and transparently.

The St. Thomas Episcopal Church,  at 33 Chestnut Street, in Camden, will hold two Christmas Eve Services on December 24.

4 p.m.  -  Christmas Pageant and Eucharist

ROCKPORT and BELFAST — In observance of Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Day, MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals announce the following adjusted holiday hours:

Christmas Eve:

 All physician practices, including walk-in care in Rockland and Belfast, will close early at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

 The retail pharmacy at Pen Bay Hospital will be open for abbreviated hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

 The outpatient lab at Pen Bay Hospital will close early at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

Reader Gallery 13 continues a tradition of sharing photos that are taken by readers — locals and visitors who take joy in the always soul-nourishing landscape of Maine.

MACHIAS — For years, coastal communities in Maine have collected valuable data on soft-shell clam recruitment and the spread of invasive green crabs, but much of that information has remained fragmented, difficult to access or unavailable to the public.

The lack of a centralized, user-friendly system has made it challenging for clammers, municipal committees, educators and policymakers to understand long-term trends, compare sites across towns or use data to inform management and conservation decisions.

Worried about the world? According to renowned garden writer and “bordering on obsessed” gardener Tovah Martin, just by being a gardener, you are already making a big difference.

Martin will speak Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at noon, in the Abbott Room of Belfast Free Library, giving the first in 2026’s series of lectures sponsored by the Belfast Garden Club. The talk is free and open to the public. A Zoom link is available on the Club’s website.

Fred may or may not reside eternally on the property of the Owls Head Light Station. It could be one ghost. It could be multiple. Many a lighthouse keeper has claimed to have experienced irrational occurrences during his time as guardian over Penobscot Bay. Other stories, as well, surface from the sea.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H will offer an online club for youth ages 9 - 18 about the basics of farm animal care on Thursdays, January 22 - February 12, 2026, from 4 - 5:15 p.m.

The return of light to the 44th latitude will begin Dec. 21 at 10:03 a.m., when the North Pole begins to tilt back toward the sun, a long but encouraging process. Winter's duration will be 88 days — although we in Maine know winter as a six month ride on a bucking bronco. But we're tougher than a bag of hammers, and the joys of the cold lie in the beauty, and the peace and quiet.

Looking for support for your meditation practice?  Join for 30 minutes of silent sitting every first Monday of each month starting at 5 p.m. The first gathering will be January 5. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome. No ongoing commitment required.

This program of Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be held at 38 Elm Street, in Damariscotta (next to River Arts). 

A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant is powering a statewide effort led by the University of Maine to address one of the state’s most persistent challenges: the shortage of highly qualified K-12 teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

THOMASTON — Join Georges River Land Trust for a guided group hike along the trails of the Rockland Bog Preserve on Saturday, January 10. Hikers should meet at the trailhead at 10 a.m. The hike will conclude by 12 p.m.

"The Rockland Bog is the largest peatland bog complex in the Midcoast, providing wildlife habitat and offering stunning views of rare fen ecosystems," said GRLT, in a news release.

"On New Year’s Day, come up the hill to enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, good company, and a sparkling fire in the historic stone hut, the Beech Nut," said Coastal Mountains Land Trust, in a news release.

Festivities will take place January 1, 2026, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

"Feel free to bring any leftover holiday cookies," said CMLT. 

"What happens when you bring together ice carving, a polar plunge, fashionable pets, spectacular kids' activities, fun music, and delicious local food on a winter’s day?" said Camden Public Library, in a news release. "That's right - Camden Winterfest."

The 23rd annual Camden Winterfest will take place Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with all of the beloved traditions including ice carving, polar plunge, doggie fashion show, music, hot food, and kids activities.