Thomaston is getting ready to welcome the holiday season with a full weekend of festive events during the annual Thomaston Christmas Festival. From December 5 through December 7, residents and visitors will find celebrations happening all across town. This year’s festival is built through close collaboration among local businesses, organizations, and community partners who have come together to create a warm and lively holiday weekend, according to the Town of Thomaston, in a news release.

Rockport Garden Club’s annual Holly Berry Market has moved to the newly renovated Smiling Cow location, 41 Main St., Camden. As part of Christmas by the Sea weekend, the market will open Friday, Dec. 5, from 4 - 9 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., and features holiday gifts, freshly arranged greenery, decorations, art, textiles and jewelry.

Head to Post Office Square, in Belfast, Saturday, Nov. 29, for the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting sponsored by First National Bank.

Belfastians will begin gathering at 4:30 p.m. around the tree donated by Dave and Sue Aldrich, according to Our Town Belfast, in a news release. Attendees will enjoy carols and cookies baked by the Culinary Arts Program at the Waldo County Technical Center.

Camden Hills Regional High School is hosting its annual Mattress Fundraiser this Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Camden Hills Regional High School, and every purchase helps support local students.

This year’s event will help raise money for both the CHRHS Music Department and the Montreal trip, providing students with opportunities for performances, travel, and hands-on learning experiences.

Knox Museum presents its annual Holiday Open House at Montpelier in Thomaston, Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Three floors will be decorated with holiday trees in every room, holiday décor provided by Thomaston Garden Club, Brae Maple Farm Master Gardeners Club, Casey Powers of Powers Flowers, Kate Bennett, Benie Colvin, Jen Leszczynski, Gail Ladd, Necole Janczura, Delores Allen and Ward Grafton.

The holiday season often brings joy, but for those coping with loss, it can also stir up feelings of sadness, loneliness, or stress. With this in mind, the Coastal Family Hospice Bereavement Support Group will offer a special three-session Holiday Grief Support Group during the month of December. Participate in one or all sessions, scheduled for December 8, 15, and 22, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., at Quarry Hill’s main building, the Anderson Inn.

On Saturday, December 6, Aldermere Farm, a preserve of Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), will ring in the holiday season with cows, hot cocoa, and ugly sweaters during its annual Beltie Holiday. The event will be open to all ages and held from 9 a.m. to noon at Aldermere’s Welcome Center and Program Barn at 20 Russell Ave, Rockport.

Holly Berry Fair will be held Saturday, November 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Second Congregational Church, 252 Main St., Warren.

Holiday Greens, Crafts Baked Goods, Books, RADA knives, Grandma’s Attic, and more.

A beef stew luncheon will be served 11 a.m. until gone.

United Midcoast Charities (UMC) invites community members, families, and professional bakers alike to roll up their sleeves and get creative for the 3rd Annual Gingerbread House Spectacular, returning this year as part of Camden’s Christmas by the Sea celebration.

Participants are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild and build dazzling gingerbread creations to be displayed at 16 Bay View Hotel on December 5–6, 2025. Entries will compete in four categories: Adult Professional, Adult Amateur, Youth, and People’s Choice, with prizes of up to $500.

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Belfast will hold its Tops Sale, Friday and Saturday, Nov 14 and 15 at the church at 37 Miller Street in Belfast.

The church is also holding its Dinner Anywhere in the World Raffle fundraiser

ROCKLAND — It’s the only job description that specifically states that you might die. How many people think about that, asked Gary Grant, chaplain for American Legion Post 1. But, as Carole Bachofner emphasized through her own poem dedicated to the Veteran’s Day 2025 ceremony at Winslow-Holbrook Park, “not seeking to be heroes, they are.”

According to the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS), Maine has a long-standing history of military service and despite it being a very rural state, it is home to over 106,000 veterans, roughly 10% of the state’s overall population. In honor of Veterans’ Day, the Maine Office of the State Treasurer (OST) is reminding Maine veterans about available resources, and sharing information about recent veteran-related activity in unclaimed property. 

Millay House Rockland will again hold an open house during Rockland’s Festival of Lights, Saturday, Nov. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. 

The double house at 198 Broadway is the birthplace of Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay grew up in Union and Camden, graduated from Vassar, and went on to publish poetry, short stories, and the libretto for an opera. During the Roaring ‘20s, her dramatic poetry readings across the country made her the most popular woman in America. 

The Friends of Rockland Public Library (FRPL) will hold their annual Festival of Lights Silent Auction and Book Sale on Saturday, Nov. 29.

"Stop in, enjoy holiday cookies and cider in the Reading Room, mingle with your neighbors, shop the book sale and bid on your favorite items," said FRPL.

New this year, along with decorated trees and wreaths, the Friends are introducing handmade stockings filled with goodies and gift cards from local businesses.

The First Church in Belfast, UCC, will hold a Christmas Fair, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 8 Court Street. The fair includes silent auction, books, baked goods, crafts, rummage sale, scones, fish chowder, chili, quiche and more.

Click the attachment below for a flyer of the event.

The next Repair Cafe will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., at the Waldo YMCA in Belfast

This is a free event.

"Don’t live in the dark; we can fix your broken lamps," said Belfast Community Works. "Bring us your vacuum or small appliances. How about a blender or sewing machine? Clothes got holes? Keep wearing your favorite sweater or pants. Need a button? Have a zipper that sticks? Come by, see, learn and have some fun."

Click the attachment below for a flyer of the event.

Governor Janet Mills has directed the Maine Department and Health and Human Services (DHHS) to issue full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in November to eligible Maine households. The announcement came at the end of the work day, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.

NEWCASTLE — Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust announces a partnership with Mexicali Blues to develop a trail connecting Mexicali Blues' Route 1 headquarters to the Marsh River Bog Preserve in Newcastle. This project aims to extend the existing trail and also improve access to the preserve.