"Wintersong: A Midcoast Gathering of Voices" will take place Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Porter Hall at Skidompha Library, Main St., Damariscotta with a snow date of Tuesday, Jan. 20. The event is free and open to the public. Please enter via the Elm Street side (rear entrance) of the library, as the event will be held after regular hours.

New year…new baby?!

Gingerbread Spectacular baker/designer/architect Rimar Reed’s entries have long been part of the much anticipated event held at the Opera House. For this year’s 19th show she decided to challenge herself by creating an interactive game gingerbread, Candy Drop. To her delight and surprise, judges Alyssa Allen, Wendy Bellows, Margaret Branch and Pandy Dickinson selected it for the Best Holiday Spirit award.

Life can take you in unexpected directions; a chance meeting or being at the right place at the right time can change your fate. In the case of Boothbay Region High School (BRHS) alum Harriet McKane, 19, it was attending her cousin’s birthday party at Burke’s Island Farm in Boothbay almost a decade ago. The theme of the day was horseback riding, and McKane’s younger sister, Piper, was taking to the activity easily. 

Covering the various events -- towns, schools, organizations, etc. -- is what we do here at the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper and photographs add a lot to the reporting of the events. Staff members have submitted their best photos here for our annual end-of-the-year gallery for our readers to reminisce and enjoy. Got some time off during the holidays? Take some of that time to scroll through the gallery.

P.S. The newspaper won five Maine Press awards for our photography at the last MPA conference. Hopefully some of these photos will capture awards at the next conference.

Boothbay region schools will soon get a lighting upgrade from conventional lights to LED systems. Dec. 11, the Community School District (CSD) board of trustees approved an over half-million-dollar purchase from Affinity LED Light, LLC after months of consideration.

A kitchen manager's position along with shared costs for a new Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 assistant superintendent and a shared Individualized education program coordinator position are among potential additions to next year's Edgecomb school budget. Dec. 15, the school committee discussed priorities for the next budget.

Familiar songs sung by tiny voices, the red and green of Christmas, head (and nose!) adornments, and dozens of happy faces in the front and in the crowd made for a cheerful and fun Holiday Concert put on by the pre-K through fourth graders at Boothbay Region Elementary School Friday, Dec. 19 – the last day of school before winter break. As usual, the BRES gym was packed with parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, other relatives and friends.

Under the direction of music teacher Nancy Cole, eight songs were performed, with the final song sung by members of the BRES staff.

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 high to date with eight of the 11 courses offered remotely on Zoom avoiding winter travel. 

For Tracey Brown-Gysi, what started as a flexible job for a single mom turned into a career spanning over two decades. Brown-Gysi was recently hired as the Community School District's director of transportation. She started in mid-November.    

The Boothbay Sea and Science Center’s 2025-2026 Exploring the Science of Seaweed Farming school program in its ninth year is off to a strong start as we wrap up our annual seaweed planting season. This year we are in 23 classrooms in nine Maine counties. We are supporting science projects in a high school in St.

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.