ROCKPORT — Inside Kelly Hokkanen's pocket-sized used bookstore measuring only 120 square feet, there are vast worlds — and the public is just starting to hear about it.

The Tiny Bookshop, sitting at 163 Union Street, is in a little outbuilding on the property she owns with her husband. Having opened on March 15, it is an inviting spot for anyone who loves books and bookstores. While a vast, big-box store gives off cavernous impersonal vibes, Hokkanen's minuscule shop is precisely the opposite. It invites you to come in, poke around, and have a chat.

Liberty Graphics, a Maine T-shirt brand specializing in nature and wildlife-themed T-shirts, is opening a new retail store in Freeport. A Grand Opening is planned for Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of giveaways and special deals, as well as meet some of the company's long-tenured artists.

LINCOLNVILLE — Lincolnville is taking steps to strengthen the community by enrolling in the Community Resilience Partnership, a state-supported program that helps towns plan and fund local projects that improve safety, infrastructure, and emergency preparedness.

The enrollment effort is being led by the Lincolnville Select Board, and they are asking for public input to help decide which of four priority projects should be submitted for a $75,000 Community Action Grant.

THOMASTON — Local business owners, nonprofit leaders, and community organizations are invited to the next Thrive in Thomaston gathering, Wednesday, May 28, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., at Watts Hall Community Arts, 174 Main Street, Thomaston.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will present a 7-part online lunch and learn series intended to help farmers take their soil health to the next level. The sessions will be held from noon–1 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 27 to July 8. 

The sessions are for farmers who have experience with soil health practices and want to build on those outcomes and benefits. Topics will include crop rotation considerations, advanced cover cropping techniques, enhanced soil amendment use and reduced tillage. 

Announcing Soil Health Field Day, Wednesday, May 28, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., at Dharma Farm in Washington. The community is invited to join Matt Boucher, State Soil Scientist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, and Knox-Lincoln SWCD to hear about “cover cops” for the first of three Soil Health Field Days.

Midcoast Climate, Energy and Green Building Happy Hour will be held Thursday, May 15, from 5 - 7 p.m., at American Flatbread, Rockport (399 Commercial Street).

Midcoast Climate, Energy and Green Building Happy Hour is an unaffiliated group of people interested and involved in climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation; energy efficiency and clean energy; affordable and workforce housing; sustainable and low-impact building; materials reuse and recycling; and more. 

A rear-wheel-drive SUV? What’s the point? Evidently Ford expected us — at least those of us who deal with snow — to ask this very question, so four-wheel drive is available as a $2,000 option. But as the hotrodded member of the Explorer family, the ST’s standard setup powers only the back wheels, in traditional sporting-car format.

THOMASTON — Thomaston Police Department is an eye raiser for members of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association. Three chiefs from the association have been assessing the Thomaston PD for about three weeks now. Having done these assessments for other towns before, the chiefs came to the Midcoast expecting certain norms. Those norms were up-ended in this particular town of two districts.

The Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District Spring Plant Sale will be held Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Union Fairgrounds.

Modern Metalsmith, an independent Midcoast jeweler, has relocated from Rockland to 92 Main Street in Belfast. The new store is nestled at the corner of High and Main Street in the heart of downtown, offering in-house jewelry repair, restoration, and recycling, as well as custom and bespoke designs, ethical engagement rings, and permanent bracelets.

The space features an open and inviting retail environment alongside a bright, fully operational workshop, allowing customers a behind-the-scenes view of the studio.

Applications are currently being accepted for the Open Air Market, a community tag sale, vintage and makers market, organized by the Friends of the Rockland Public Library (FRPL).

The Open Air Market will be held on the library lawn on Saturday, July 26, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., with an early-bird shopping hour starting at 10 a.m. for FRPL members. There will also be a bag book sale in the community room on the lower level of the library at the same time.

MIDCOAST—This year, we are consolidating our annual “Welcome back” article to acquaint those who haven’t been around this winter with what’s open, what’s closed, what's new, and what's happening in the Midcoast.

May marks the beginning of riding season for many motorcyclists here in Maine. It is also Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety would like to remind all motorists that Motorcyclists’ Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility. Motorcycle safety is an ongoing issue for all road users. When we consistently follow safe driving and safe riding practices, all motorists can help reduce the possibility of fatalities and injuries due to motorcycle crashes on Maine roadways.

ST. GEORGE — Mike Felton will be joining The Saint George Community Development Corporation (CDC) as its Executive Director effective July 1, 2025.

Founded in 2017, the St. George CDC seeks to strengthen community infrastructure by leading projects that support economic and community development, and by increasing access to education, healthcare, and workforce housing.

KNOX — Coastal Mountains Land Trust (CMLT) invites the public to another Wednesday Waldo Walk. Each month, CMLT volunteer and Waldo County resident Bindy Pendleton leads hikes exploring a variety of intriguing trail systems. This hike will take place at the Agnew Tract in the town of Knox on May 14, at 9:30 a.m. Special guest Barbara Egan, a naturalist with the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, will be joining the walk to share her knowledge of the area.  

ROCKLAND — Rockland residents may now drop off food scraps and other compostable items for free at the Rockland Transfer Station’s new community compost bins. This new program is offered in partnership with ScrapDogs Community Compost.

According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, over 40% of solid waste in Maine is organic waste. 

We might expect a modern motor vehicle packing a three-cylinder, 1.5-litre gas engine to be an underpowered and dreary bottom-feeder. (Many a motorcycle has a bigger engine.) But not so. Yes, the mini-motor is standard on the entry-level Bronco Sport Big Bend, but our next-step-up Free Wheeling version has the same engine, and it cruised easily at 75 MPH. Not only that, it also averaged nearly 31 miles per gallon overall. This is good fuel-efficiency for a non-hybrid four-wheel-drive, even a compact one. 

BELFAST — A Resistance Faire will be held Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 1 - 5 p.m., at UUCB Belfast, 37 Miller Street, Belfast, ME 04915.

ROCKLAND — On Monday and Tuesday, May 5 and 6, the Rockland Fire & EMS Department underwent early diagnostic cardiac and cancer screening procedures with United Diagnostic Services.

"Cancer and cardiac diseases are killing more firefighters than any other cause of death," said City of Rockland's David Troup, in a news release.