Local partners will come together Sunday, Aug. 31, to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day with an afternoon and evening of education, resources, remembrance, and community connection at Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, located at 12 Round Top Lane in Damariscotta. 

Team Sharing, Healthy Lincoln County (HLC), Lincoln County Recovery Community Center (LCRCC), Maine OPTIONS, MaineGeneral Hospital, and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust are working together to plan the event, which will run from 2 to 8 p.m. and is open to community members, families, service providers, and anyone who has been affected by overdose or substance use disorders.

International Overdose Awareness Day is observed annually to remember those who have lost their lives to overdose, acknowledge the grief of family members and friends, reduce stigma, and strengthen local action to prevent overdose deaths. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of this important observance. A quarter century on, it is still needed.  

Event Schedule 

• 2 p.m. — Overdose Response Training inside at Coastal Rivers. This one-hour training session will provide practical information for recognizing and responding to an overdose. After the session, there will be no programming until the resource fair opens outside at 4 PM.  

• 4 to 7:30 p.m. — Resource tabling on the front lawn featuring local partners and community supports. 

• 4 p.m. — Informal outdoor naloxone education. 

• 5 p.m. — Open mic session for sharing, speaking, singing, poems, songs, words of wisdom, grief, support and action. 

• 5 to 6:30 p.m. — Free refreshments, generously donated by Medicini, Rising Tide Food Co-op, and LCRCC.
  
  
• 7:30 p.m. — Candlelight vigil to remember those we have lost to overdose and substance use disorders.

Partner Participation

Community partners are invited to participate in the resource fair by hosting a table and sharing information about services, support, and opportunities available in the region. Partners who are interested in tabling are encouraged to reach out to Will at Healthy Lincoln County.

Sharon Bailey of Team Sharing also set up a Facebook event page; community members are encouraged to interact with the event page and share it on social media to help spread the word. 

The partners also wish to express gratitude for the generous food donations by Rising Tide Food Co-op, and by Tim Cheney of Newcastle Public House and Medicini, which have enabled a free community refreshment period during the event. Community members are invited to enjoy free refreshments while attending the event.

For more information, reach out to Will Matteson at wmatteson@healthylincolncounty.org or 207-563-1330.