On Wednesday, Dec. 6, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens welcomed more than 1,300 local residents to a special Community Night at Gardens Aglow. Community Night was a special complimentary showing for Boothbay peninsula residents only—a fun way to kick off the season in the company of friends and neighbors. 
 
This year, CMBG has taken its dramatic display to new heights. More than 500,000 LED lights have transformed the central gardens from garden paradise to winter wonderland, making the largest light display in Maine brighter than ever. 
 
For the second year, CMBG has held a lighting contest to encourage local residents and businesses to also light up the community during this new “off-season” of visitors coming to our region and to support the overall impact of Boothbay Festival of Lights. This year more than 25 individuals and businesses entered the contest and the results are evident—from Route 1 to our coastline, the Boothbay region is brilliantly lit and welcoming.

A group of anonymous judges, unaffiliated with the Gardens, took on the task of scoring the entries based on originality, use of color, and overall impression. The results are in.
                                                                                                                            Residential category

 1st Place (15 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $1,500) – Libby Smith

2nd Place (10 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $1,000) – Sean Ronan 

3rd Place (5 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $500) – Ed Harrington
 

Business category

1st Place (15 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $1,500) – Pinkham’s Seafood (798 Wiscasset Rd./Route 27, Boothbay)

2nd Place (10 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $1,000) – Maine Hosta (870 Boothbay Rd., Edgecomb)

3rd Place (5 tickets to Gardens Aglow and $500) – Linekin Home
 
Gardens Aglow runs through Dec. 31, Thursdays through Sundays from 4 - 9 p.m. (closed Christmas Eve) and will also be open the entire week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Though tickets are available on-site, to save money and help regulate traffic flow, visitors to Gardens Aglow are encouraged to purchase their tickets online. Tickets are timed for three separate arrivals each night: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Discounts are available for CMBG members and groups of 10 or more. See www.MaineGardens.org for all pricing options. 
 
Beginning at 4 p.m., complimentary shuttles will run continuously from the fire station in Boothbay Harbor to Gardens Aglow, providing both stress-free parking and an easy way to spend the day in the Harbor before catching a ride to Gardens Aglow.