For the second straight year, the Damariscotta River Grill will be preparing the food for the annual Lincoln County Haiti Benefit Dinner. The dinner will take place Feb. 26 at St Patrick’s Church in Damariscotta Mills. Tickets will soon be available at Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshops in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, SKIDOMPHA library and Treats in Wiscasset, as well as through local churches. Adults $30 ($35 at the door) and children $15.

The annual dinner raises funds for projects to benefit the poor in the Northwest Haitian town of Gros Morne. This year’s menu will feature two main courses, a chicken dish and a shrimp dish. Each will be prepared in a traditional Haitian manner by the award winning chef/owner of the Damariscotta River Grill, Rick Hirsch. Assisting Rick in the preparation and assuring Haitian authenticity will be Haitian born Jefferson resident, Marie Ivry Lindsey. In addition to main courses, diners will feast on other Haitian specialties such as rice and beans, smashed fried plantains, tropical salad, and plantain and breadfruit chips. Haitian mountain coffee and a Haitian punch, some with Haiti’s famous Barbancourt Rum, will also be available.

“We are looking forward again this year to chipping in to make this community effort a success,” says Damariscotta Grill co-owner Jean Kerrigan. “And its great fun to use Haitian ingredients and recipes to give people something a little different” adds Hirsch. The Damariscotta River Grill will also exhibit Haitian paintings to benefit projects in Haiti. The show will open Jan. 26 and run through Feb. 9. Proceeds will go to the St. Andrew’s Haiti fund to support a school just outside Gros Morne.

In addition to authentic Haitian food, the dinner will feature Haitian music, art and handicrafts for sale, a raffle and a door prize of Haitian foods and drink. This year, there will be a special emphasis on the various projects funded by the dinner. Master of ceremonies will be John Botero of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries.

For further information, please call Barbara Williams at 563-1931.