Under the direction of music teacher, Jen McIvor Southport School children sang many seasonal Christmas favorites at the Christmas Concert Dec. 17. The sixth graders, Aurora Wallace, Jonah Fessenden and Shepard Griffith, led the crowd in a Christmas carol medley. Merry Christmas everyone from all the staff and students of Southport Central School!

Coastal Senior College, serving midcoast Maine from Wiscasset to Camden, is offering eleven winter courses this season. Three of these courses will be offered in person in Damariscotta and Newcastle.

In a big white house

Perched beside the Atlantic,

With tidal water

As the backyard,

That was the site

Of my childhood.

It’s where I could

Row a boat

Before I could

Ride a bicycle.

We timed the coming

And going of the tide,

As the inner harbor was

Our summer sandbox.

Lifting seaweed,

Combing eelgrass,

Searching tidepools,

And digging in the flats

Revealed crabs, minnows

And objects to keep

In milk-carton aquariums,

Maine State Aquarium invites visitors to enjoy an under-the-sea holiday during its first “Sea of Lights” festivities. The aquarium will be open on Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., until Jan. 3.  

Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) Education Division Director Dottie Yunger explained the aquarium decided to stay open for multiple reasons, including capitalizing on the visitors drawn by Gardens Aglow and giving locals who may not have time, or avoid the facility during its busy summer months, a chance to visit.  

As Coastal Senior College (CSC) continues to expand its role in the active lifelong learning community in Lincoln and Knox counties and beyond, the College kicks off the winter 2026 semester on Jan. 13 with a varied collection of four- to six-session courses, both in person in a variety of settings and on Zoom. 

Registration for all courses opened on Dec. 16 and reservations are expected to be high based on past history. 

Community Lunch Dec. 15 was hosted by Norm's Used Cars with yet another huge crowd attending and a special guest appearance by the Grinch!

Smiles were the catch of the day as faces lit up, and everyone laughed heartily as Mr Grinch made his way around the room giving everyone hugs. Norm and Bev, along with Lisa and Kris, served the group by table as Steve again was the caller for table bingo! Caroline manned the kitchen, Nancy, Lori and Judi waited on all the tables greeting the new attendees and introducing them to regulars.

This giving season, a group of Boothbay Region High School students gave something back to their community. Donned in winter coats, safety vests and latex gloves, students walked from the school around downtown Boothbay Harbor Dec. 11 to pick up trash and help clean up the streets.   

Since the school year began in September, teachers at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb have engaged multiple forms of professional development.

As the year comes to a close, I would like to share with you the ways that Lighthouse Education & Nautical Studies (LENS) "Lit the Way" for learners of all ages. Attached you will find the "News Flash" that focuses on experiential learning on Burnt Island for children in the local school system, Maine's teachers, and our new endeavor - the Boothbay Harbor Treasure Hunt.

Coastal Senior College, serving Lincoln and Knox Counties, is offering eleven winter courses this season, eight of them on Zoom, making them accessible to all from home. Registrations will be accepted beginning on Dec. 16. 

On Wednesdays, historian Jayne Gordon will teach, “The Loyalists and the American Revolution: A Different Kind of Patriotism?”

Janson's Clothing, $25 gift card, Riley Sullivan, Natalie Allen, Kelly Camp and Monica Swan.

Mama D's, $40 gift certificate, Daphne, Christmas ornament, Cindy.

Mung Bean, $100 gift certificate, Tiffany Tsang.

Three Buoys & Souvenirs, Dionis skincare gift basket, Martha Schnepp.

Sweet Bay, $25 gift card, Megan Guertler and Suzanne Norton.

Pier 1 Pizza, $25 gift card, Rachel Eimen.

Gimbel's/Smiling Cow, $200 gift basket, Bonnie Wormwood.

The Hutch, knit hat, scarf and four pair of socks, Cherise Bishop.

Men's Night. Why is there a men's night? Because some men leave holiday shopping, or any shopping, to the last minute. According to The Good Men Project website, Canadian retail analyst David Gray said some men in North America, including him, have maybe put it off because they are "not fans of the shopping experience." 

Hearty Roots will host two overnight adventures, at its Bremen campus, for youth in grades 6,7 and 8 grades in January. The Girls’ Overnight will run from 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan.18. The Boys’ Overnight will begin at noon Sunday, Jan. 18 and end at noon on Monday, Jan. 19.

Monday's Community Lunch at Brady's hosted by Wiscasset Ford had a massive turnout even with a little snow on the ground.

Chef Super Dave outdid himself with stuffed meatballs, slow cooked sauce, pasta, Lisa's winter salad, garlic bread, and homemade mini deconstructed cannoli by Super Wife Paula! Chef Stan Hornsby of Linekin Bay was on deck to give a hand feeding the big crowd.

A volunteer at the Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop has offered to gift-wrap books bought at the shop, for free, during designated times before Christmas.

The service will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day between Saturday, Dec. 20 and Wednesday, Dec. 24.

As Coastal Senior College (CSC) continues to expand its role in the active lifelong learning community in Lincoln and Knox counties and beyond, the College kicks off the winter 2026 semester on Jan. 13 with a varied collection of four- to six-session courses, both in person in a variety of settings and on Zoom.

For most of us, the thought of teaching ballet to a group of toddlers might seem daunting. How do you encourage a group of 3-6 year olds to plié? Or tendu? For Y Arts instructor Imij Armstead, it's all part of the program offered at the YMCA. 

Armstrong, who graduated from high school in June, has been teaching ballet at the Y Annex for about three years after being a student in classes there.

The Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper's wonderful contributing photographer Mike Leonard once again captured the Boothbay Lights' Lighted Boat Parade and Fireworks display to end the Saturday, Dec. 6 festivities. Thank you Mike.

According to the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Facebook site, these are this year’s winners: 1st place: Wild Thing; 2nd place: Miss Madeline; 3rd place: Motivation.

Schedule of Christmas services  

32 Emery Lane, Boothbay Harbor