WALDOBORO — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host the third event of the annual Pasture Walk Series on Saturday, July 18, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., at East Forty Farm and Dairy, 2361 Friendship Road, in Waldoboro. 

The third session in the series' highlights the business and culinary side of sustainable grazing, focusing heavily on value-added production. East Forty Farm showcases how high-quality forage directly transforms into premium farm products.

HOPE — "Georges River Land Trust is proud to hold the conservation easement on Hope’s Edge Farm, a vital source of local produce in the Midcoast," said a news release. "Since 2005, Georges River Land Trust has worked with a generous and committed Hope landowner to place an agricultural conservation easement on the 100-acre working farm at the base of Philbrook and Hatchett Mountains. Thanks to support from Maine Farmland Trust and the Land for Maine’s Future Program, this property was permanently protected in 2025."

The Pen Bay Amateur Radio Club (W1PBR) will participate in ARRL Field Day on June 27-28, 2026, at the Owls Head Transportation Museum, 117 Museum Street, Owls Head.

Field Day is the nation's largest amateur radio event and combines emergency communications training with public outreach, according to the Radio Club, in a news release. During the 24-hour exercise, amateur radio operators will set up temporary stations and demonstrate how communications can be established when traditional systems are unavailable.

SAINT GEORGE — Eureka Lodge 84, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, of Saint George, has pledged $3,000 in support of firefighters, EMS personnel, and families impacted by the devastating May 15 fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber Mill in Searsmont.

The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation has committed up to $50,000 in matching funds through participating Masonic Lodges across Maine to support local fundraising efforts benefiting victims and first responders affected by the tragedy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rockland, Vinalhaven, and Matinicus Plantation are among 19 Maine organizations receiving a share of $16,201,188 to support important development projects. The funding comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission’s (NBRC) Fiscal Year 2026 Catalyst, Timber for Transit, and Forest Economy programs. 

MaineHealth has received a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support mentorship and research focused on the health impacts of the so-called “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in children and adolescents. The award will help MaineHealth expand environmental health research in Maine while supporting the development of the next generation of clinician scientists studying environmental health risks. 

ROCKPORT — Thriftworthy, a new community thrift store run by Homeworthy, officially opens on Wednesday, June 24, at 618 West Street in West Rockport. 

Made possible through the donation of a building and the collective efforts of volunteers, donors, staff, and supporters, Thriftworthy is a volunteer-run initiative that will support Homeworthy's mission of fighting cycles of poverty and homelessness in Midcoast Maine.

BRUNSWICK — Developers Collaborative will celebrate the grand opening and ribbon-cutting of 21 Town Hall Place on Friday, June 19, marking the completion of the historic redevelopment of Brunswick's former Central Fire Station into a mixed-use property featuring five affordable apartment homes and Moderation Brewing.

ROCKPORT and BELFAST — In observance of Juneteenth, MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals announce the following adjusted holiday hours and closures on Friday, June 19:

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

 All physician practices, as well as outpatient labs, cancer care, radiology and cardiac testing, will be closed.

Walk-in care Belfast and Rockland will remain open for normal business hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

DAMARISCOTTA — Healthy Kids, a community-based family resource network and Maine Children’s Trust’s designated partner for child abuse and neglect prevention in Lincoln and Knox counties, was a June 10 finalist in the “Nonprofit Collaboration of the Year” category at MaineBiz’s first ever, “Community Impact Awards,” hosted at IHG’s Holiday Inn Portland-By the Bay, Portland.

AIO announces the start of their Summer Weekend Meals Program, a continuation of their school year Weekend Meals Program, which will start June 25 and run through August 27. 

Friends and donors gathered at the Camden Yacht Club on Saturday, June 6, to raise funds for the Penobscot Bay YMCA Early Child Care Program, which provides crucial care and support for young children of working families on the Midcoast.

The Owls Head Transportation Museum will host its inaugural First Responders Weekend on June 27-28, 2026, bringing together emergency service organizations, historic apparatus, modern response equipment, educational exhibits, and family activities to celebrate the individuals who help keep Maine communities safe.

Activities will take place throughout the museum grounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., both days, and are included with regular museum admission. Active First Responders and museum members will receive free admission to the event with a valid ID. 

Through a highly competitive, merit-based process, Salt Bay Chamberfest (SBC) has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive a $45,000 Arts Project grant. The nonprofit chamber music festival, headquartered in Damariscotta, is now in its 32 nd season. According to SBC, in a news release, the funds will go toward the organization’s August 2026 season, helping to support its series of chamber music concerts and free community events held throughout Lincoln, Knox, and Penobscot counties.

SEARSPORT—The tiny town of Searsport has undergone a revival in the last few years with the addition of a new brewery, a grocery store, a mercantile, and Hello Sailor's expanded space for a music hotspot. 

Locals— and those in nearby towns—now have another reason to find a parking spot on Main Street. Scullery Made, a new deli and cocktail bar owned by Mary Kate Labenski, opened on May 14.

ROCKLAND — Rockland voters approved a charter amendment Tuesday, June 9, 2026, giving the city greater flexibility to use previously authorized bond funding to support the development of affordable workforce housing, building on Rockland’s pioneering efforts to address local housing needs. 

"The measure passed by a vote of 1,231 to 720, reaffirming community support for Rockland’s efforts to increase housing opportunities, strengthen the local economy, and expand the city’s tax base," said the City, in a June 11 news release.