by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A $40,000 grant will help the Ark Animal Shelter increase its shelter capacity, while reducing the number of unwanted cats through a trap-neuter-release program. The grant comes through from the Elmina B. Sewall’s animal welfare fund.

“We are so grateful to have the funding,” said Ark Director Shaina Mugford.

Half of the grant will go toward the construction of a new dog shelter, something the Cherryfield-based nonprofit has been working toward for six years.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The 3rd Annual Machias Fiber Festival will draw gift shoppers, knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers to Machias on Saturday, Sept. 11. Rhonda Craven says she and her fellow organizers decided to keep this year’s event more “low key” by hosting it for only one day, but that day will be packed with fun, including a historical textile display, raffles, food, and, of course, shopping. 

“Next year we’ll probably go back to two days, Saturday and Sunday,” says Craven. “We’ll see how it goes.”

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

The Bike Maine Weekend Tour will return to Washington County this weekend, pedaling into the Machias area from Sept. 10 to 12 and giving 250 cyclists the opportunity to enjoy some of Maine’s most scenic bike routes, including the popular Bold Coast Scenic Bikeway.

The annual event is sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, a nonprofit that seeks to expand biking in Maine, improve bike and pedestrian safety, pass bike and pedestrian-friendly legislation, and spread a love of cycling. 

EAC’s inaugural summer session of Children’s Theater Workshop provided participants from near and far with introductory theater training and plenty of fun. The program, which ran in July and August, was led by new EAC hire Mark Macey, who recently concluded service with the center through the Island Institute, and who’ll now serve both as Artistic Director of Stage East, and as EAC’s Creative Development Director. Macey was joined in the weekly sessions by co-leader Lauren “L.” Elwood, the Center’s intern.

by Celia Cummiskey

One of the first lessons Alan Kryszak teaches his filmmaking students is, “You can’t screw up, I’ve screwed up more than you ever will, I’ve lost hours of footage, so don’t worry about it!” Kryszak is an award-winning composer and filmmaker who teaches the University of Machias Maine’s Downeast Documentary filmmaking course, as well as Music in Film, Piano, and Digital Audio Production.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Local lobster fishermen and other shellfish harvesters are asked to respond to a 20-minute survey that will help researchers better understand work-related health problems and possible barriers to accessing healthcare.

Project coordinator Dr. Tora Johnson of the University of Maine at Machias says her team is using the survey to understand harvester health risks and their experiences of on-the-job injuries.

by Nancy Beal

The Eastport Arts Center proudly announces the Joyce Weber Memorial Auction. The hybrid event, which has both online and in-person components, will also serve as a space to memorialize Weber, one of Eastport’s most influential and treasured artists. Over two dozen works bequeathed to the Center will be on the auction block. Bidding will begin online on Sunday, Sept. 19, at 9 a.m., to be followed later that day by an in-person event from 5-7 p.m. at Eastport Arts Center with live music, tributes to Joyce, and light refreshments. Bidding will close both online and in-person at 6:30 p.m.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

With one full week of school under their belts, Machias principals Nicole Case and Sue Dow say the new school year is off to a strong start.

“The staff is tired, but they’re amazing,” said Dow, who this year took over the position of Rose M. Gaffney (RMG) Elementary School Principal, after the retirement of Joyce Fragale. Dow has more than 30 years of education experience, including nine years at Washington Academy and 21 years at Narraguagus Jr/Sr High School.

by Jayna Smith

Baileyville’s Octoberfest, a big festival that draws hundreds to the Village of Woodland, is back, and it promises to be jam-packed with fun for all ages.  This comes along with the announcement that First National Bank has committed to being a major sponsor of the annual festival.

According to organizer Jamie Bohanon, the fun kicks off Friday night, Oct. 8 with a drive-in movie.  This, he said, will be held in the parking lot of the Woodland IGA on Route 1.  

by Nancy Beal

Four weeks from the day (Aug. 17) that the Union 103 school board, by an 8-0 vote, relaxed the mask-wearing mandate that had governed its three schools last year, the group was back at Jonesport-Beals High School addressing a mask requirement again. The September 14 meeting did not produce a change in the masking policy, but the vote was much closer: five in favor of voluntary masking, four for mandatory face coverings.

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Washington County reported its highest-ever weekly COVID-19 case count on Monday when 108 new cases were reported for the week ending Sept. 18, bringing the county’s cumulative cases to 1,229 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Immediately following an end-of-summer squall, 'Shead Ahead', a quartet comprised of two father/son pairs, kicked off Eastport Pirate Festival celebrations with a high energy set of jazz, funk, and rock tunes. The fathers are Robert Sánchez, guitar, and Heron Weston, bass. Sons are Kieran Weston, drums, age 15, and Ellis Zipperer-Sánchez, age 12.

After a rapid setup, with pop-up shelter at the ready in case the rain continued, the four opened with Sánchez's own Bossa arrangement of Gershwin's "Summertime," and continued for an hour of tunes in many flavors.

by Hailey Wood

School is back in session at the University of Maine at Machias. Students began moving back on campus August 26, in order to complete COVID testing before the start of classes on August 31. 

Since school began UMM has put on numerous events for students to participate in on campus like ice cream socials, bingo, dodgeball, and many others. Due to COVID measures, they have still been limited in what they can offer students. For the same reasons UMM is currently not offering events for community members to take part in. 

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Gina Finn was inspired to create a family fall event after taking her children to a storybook walk at Downeast Coastal Convervancy’s Middle River Park in Machias. 

“I thought it was so wonderful!” said Finn, a local businesswoman who owns Machias River General Store. “I loved Middle River Park, and thought, what a cool thing to have right here in our town that everyone can enjoy. It gives people an extra reason to come in town, get outside and do something educational while still having fun!”

by Jonathan Reisman

The first eight months of President Biden have brought a perfect storm of an open southern Border, Afghanistan ignominy, Covid surges and freedom killing mandates, race hustling and racism disguised as critical race theory and anti-racism, climate alarmism on steroids, surging inflation and the destruction of the principle of equal justice, as Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters and arsonists skate while January 6th “white supremacist insurrectionists“ have the book thrown at them.

by Nancy Beal

When the Moosabec CSD board that oversees Jonesport-Beals High School voted 5-4 to keep mask wearing voluntary in that school September 14, two of the three members from Beals, who independently govern Beals Elementary School, were among the four who opted for a return to mandatory indoor masking. A week later, meeting alone as the BES board to consider whether masks should be required in their elementary school, they voted 2-0, with one abstention, to require masks indoors.