A Repair Cafe will be held Saturday, Dec. 20, 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, in a news release. "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!"

A Christmas Eve Candlelight Service entitled "What Child IS This" will be held Wednesday, December 24, at 7 p.m., at People's United Methodist Church, 13 Chapel Street, South Thomaston.

Everyone is invited.

Steve Norman, the director of the Belfast Free Library for the last 24+ years, is retiring. Join staff in celebrating his dedication to the library and the City of Belfast at a reception, Monday, Dec. 29, from 3 - 5 p.m., in the Abbott Room of the Library, 106 High Street. 

Come prepared with your favorite library stories. If you'd like to say a few words, remarks will start at 4 p.m. 

PORT CLYDE — Herring Gut Coastal Science Center presents A Winter Solstice Walk. The walk will take place Sunday, Dec. 21, from 9 - 10:30 a.m. Meet at Herring Gut Coastal Science Center, 59 Factory Road, Port Clyde.  

Join the group to celebrate the solstice with a light hike at Marshall Point Lighthouse led by Josh Waguli, Maine Master Naturalist.

"Enjoy activities for all ages and a wild tea ceremony to mark the shortest day of the year," said Herring Gut, in a news release.

Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County is offering two supportive, compassionate opportunities this winter for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one, according to a news release. Both programs are free and open to the community.

An effort in St. George to place wreaths on veterans' graves throughout town continues to grow, and organizers are asking for help this Dec. 13 to accomplish the goal.

Jock Robie will lead an indoor Worm Bin Harvest workshop, Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m., at Merryspring Nature Center. This session is for any interested alumni and new students, according to Merryspring, in a news release.

Melanie Feinberg will lead an online presentation called Winter Sowing, hosted by Merryspring Nature Center, Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 12 p.m.  

It was cold, but not enough to drive off a merry crowd that lined the sidewalks of Elm and Main Street in downtown Camden Friday evening, Dec. 6, for the annual Christmas by the Sea Parade. A traditional holiday season kick-off, the parade is an eclectic and happy gathering of friends and neighbors with those in the parade and those watching from the sides of the street all vigorously waving and shouting greetings to each other.

BELFAST — Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust for a festive luminary walk at the Head of Tide Preserve, Thursday, Dec, 18, from 4 - 6 p.m. The lighted trail will take participants on a short loop walk (less than a mile), through a field and along a wide path in the woods. 

On Dec. 6, a Christmas Craft Fair will be held at the Old Brick School, 44 School Street, in Warren, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome. Twenty-two vendors, and free entry.

The First Universalist Church in Rockland will hold "The Longest Night: Blue Christmas Service", Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m., for those who find the holidays difficult because of a loss or other struggles.

This special evening service will be a meditative time that will provide space for grief, for reflection and remembering, and for taking the time to simply be and seek out stillness. An offering of hope and healing, it is open to all.

The First Universalist Church is located at 345 Broadway in Rockland.

In Saturday morning, Nov. 29, Waldoboro fisherman Clint Collamore pulled up in front of the Waldo Theatre, in Waldoboro, with more than a few dozen lobster traps on the back of his truck.

Three hours later, with the help of fellow fisherman Buddy Murray and his wife Sierra, Theatre board member Barbara Boardman took on the lights, unrolling wheels of them that were draped and threaded through the traps.

The tree is the brainchild of Barbara Boardman, who remembered how Waldoboro used to have a gigantic tree in the center of the village festooned with lights.  

As scams targeting older adults continue to rise, Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is taking action to help safeguard seniors and their families.

Rockland Main Street is ready for the annual Festival of Lights to get underway Friday, Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving.

On November 14, the Rockland Main Street board, along with several community members and organizations, kicked off preparations for the upcoming holiday season with “Build Day.” That included setting up Santa’s workshop, supplied by Shed City for over two decades, festooning in traditional red, green, and gold, with a focus on classic holiday favorites, including candy canes, Christmas trees, and gingerbread.

Some people who get up at 6:30 in the morning to run post-Thanksgiving-themed marathons.

Then there's the rest of us, staring into our refrigerators on Friday, November 28, thinking, "What am I going to do with all of these leftovers?"

The most common ways to reuse Thanksgiving leftovers are making sandwiches, casseroles, and soups, but today we're going to elevate that concept with individual mini turkey pot pies, made super posh by substituting pie crust for puff pastry.

Local governments across Maine have received just over $22 million in opioid settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the overdose epidemic, with nearly $54 million more expected over the next decade and a half.

The money is meant to go to prevention and harm reduction efforts, as well as treatment and recovery programs. But oversight is limited, and until recently there were no reporting requirements, meaning it was up to local officials how much they wanted to disclose about their plans.

The University of Maine System (UMS) is growing the next generation of entrepreneurs and the state’s innovation economy by providing free business and budgeting basics to middle and high school students. 

BRUNSWICK — Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) unveiled the first of two advanced manufacturing training centers on Thursday, Nov. 22, the latest addition to a statewide training network aimed at meeting the demand for more highly skilled workers in Maine’s manufacturing and defense industries. 

AUGUSTA – The Maine Community College System and The Associated General Contractors of Maine (AGC Maine) are partnering to launch a four-week, hands-on construction training program across the state to prepare Maine adults for careers in the construction trades. 

The Maine Construction Academy Immersion Programs, managed by AGC Maine and funded by MCCS’s Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, will launch next year at five community colleges.