Join us for an open, educational conversation about Question 2 on Maine’s November ballot. This is a chance for neighbors to ask questions of one another, hear one another, make their points, and learn.

"Extreme Risk Protection Orders to Restrict Firearms and Weapons Access Initiative"

"Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others?"

While the discussion is organized by David Trahan of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and will include Lt. Michael Johnston of the Maine State Police—both of whom take a position on Question 2—everyone is encouraged to attend, argue for a different position, and engage with one another with respect and passion.

Open House of History hosts issue-based forums on timely and contentious topics, led by individuals who may take strong positions but are not speaking on behalf of a political party or broad ideological organization.

The Town of Waldoboro is hosting a public forum to discuss the long-awaited downtown traffic calming plans and future downtown initiatives.

We invite you to join us for this informational evening at the Open House of History in downtown Waldoboro.

• Meet Waldoboro’s new Planner

• Catch up with your neighbors

• See the proposal for traffic control speed tables

• Help prioritize what comes next from the Downtown Master Plan

We look forward to seeing you there!

In partnership with Studio B and in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day.

All are welcome.

A community cookout and live music, followed by a short walk for dessert and reflection, and concluding with a sharing circle, connecting past with present.

This is second part of a two-part gathering to explore overdose, recovery, and remembrance through Waldoboro’s emotional history and a display of Images honoring lives lost to substance use, provided by Maine Sharing (A Maine-wide Facebook group dedicated to honoring loved ones lost to overdose).

Sponsored by Newcastle Publick House.

In partnership with Studio B and in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day.

All are welcome.

A lecture by Michael Amico inspired by John H. Kennedy, a 19th-century shipbuilding financier who died of an overdose during the Civil War. The event, which includes a brief conversation after the talk, invites reflection on the historical context of overdose and the ways history can guide present-day healing.

This is second part of a two-part gathering to explore overdose, recovery, and remembrance through Waldoboro’s emotional history and a display of Images honoring lives lost to substance use, provided by Maine Sharing (A Maine-wide Facebook group dedicated to honoring loved ones lost to overdose).

Upstairs, discover a selection of objects featured in The Art of Community lecture, including architectural drawings, Odd Fellows and Masonic ritual tools, historic theater posters and pictures, and archaeological finds from early Waldoboro. These items illuminate how civic life, emotional experience, and everyday artistry have shaped the town’s buildings and spirit over time.

Downstairs, contribute to our evolving community map—a participatory installation where visitors mark places of gathering, memory, and meaning. Not a record of ownership, but of belonging.

Upstairs, discover a selection of objects featured in The Art of Community lecture, including architectural drawings, Odd Fellows and Masonic ritual tools, historic theater posters and pictures, and archaeological finds from early Waldoboro. These items illuminate how civic life, emotional experience, and everyday artistry have shaped the town’s buildings and spirit over time.

Downstairs, contribute to our evolving community map—a participatory installation where visitors mark places of gathering, memory, and meaning. Not a record of ownership, but of belonging.

What holds a community together—across generations, economies, and shifting identities?

Join us at Open House of History for the second in a compelling series of public lectures exploring Waldoboro’s emotional history. Following our opening talk on local educational pioneer Harriet Haskell, this lecture continues the theme of emotional bonds in community life—turning our attention to the social and cultural infrastructure that sustains and expresses them.

Historian Michael Amico will guide us through Waldoboro’s built environment—from repurposed Grange Halls and itinerant Masonic lodges to the booming Star Theatre and refurbished Waldo Theatre—revealing how the town’s emotional resilience, civic imagination, and everyday artistry gave meaning and shape to these places, just as those places helped shape the town.

This isn’t just about buildings. It’s about performance, adaptation, memory—and the ways we continue to build meaning together.

Admission is free. All are welcome.

Come early to explore the space and stay for a short community conversation following the lecture.

Then, step next door to The Waldo Theatre at 7:30 PM for a concert with Down East New Music, bringing a vibrant array of new sounds and Maine voices that surprise, delight, and move audiences. Last year, the ensemble premiered a piece by Waldoboro composer Conrad Winslow exploring the deep ties between Maine’s agricultural landscapes and the people who shape them. This year celebrates American 20th-century milestones and considers their legacies today.

A night of reflection, imagination, and shared experience—don’t miss it.

Photo courtesy of The Waldoborough Historical Society

All are welcome.

Drop in to help create our ground-floor community map! Add your home, favorite spots, and places of personal meaning. This is the beginning of our participatory mapping project that will focus not on market value, but on the emotional, cultural, and social importance of place. Become an integral part of shaping a renewed understanding of Waldoboro through memory, feeling, and story.

In partnership with a citizen-led initiative “Voices of the Medomak” (see more info below) and the Waldoboro Recreation Department

A water journey from Dutch Neck Landing to Pine Street Landing, exploring the history, ecology, culture, and economy of the Medomak River. We’ll stop along the way to hear from community members about the river’s evolving role in local life and reflect on how its many facets have interacted over time.

Note: Tandem kayaks and a motorboat will be available to accommodate participants of all ages and abilities.

Part of “Voices of the Medomak”: Creating Community Over Time

Voices of the Medomak is a multi-part, evolving project that blends exploration, experiential learning, creative expression, and emotion. Its aim is to build a deeper sense of community and belonging through connection to place.

As you look out over the Medomak River, its quiet, undeveloped stretches offer a deep sense of solitude. But look more closely—or dig a little—and you’ll discover a rich world alive with ecological diversity and hidden beauty. The river has long served as a lifeline for both people and wildlife—central to culture, economy, recreation, and social connection. How do these many roles intersect? And how might we explore the river’s possibilities by better understanding its layered histories?

In partnership with Waldoboro Pride

All are welcome.

Come hear the remarkable story of Harriet Newell Haskell, a trailblazer in women's education who grew up just across the street from the Custom House. The daughter of a local shipbuilder, Haskell served as principal of Waldoboro High School before becoming the longtime head of Monticello Seminary, a pioneering junior college in Illinois—with her lifelong partner, Emily Gilmore Alden, by her side. Together, we’ll explore the foundational role of women’s same-sex love in the achievements of girls and working-class people, and in broader social and educational reform.

In partnership with community volunteers, organized by Mark Berger, and the Town of Waldoboro

Let’s care for our town—together. Join neighbors, friends, and volunteers for a day of community action and connection, as we come together to make Waldoboro more beautiful—for those who live here, for those just passing through, and for future generations.

(In anticipation of our future series exploring how we feel about waste—what we throw away, what we neglect, what we can save, and what that says about how we see ourselves, our places, and each other.)

Morning Clean-Up (8 AM–12 PM)

Start at the Town Landing on Pine Street

• Pick up supplies: Trash grabbers, plenty of high-visibility vests, and contractor bags will be ready

• Clean up roadsides, sidewalks, and neglected spots that need some love

• Drop off filled bags at the Waldoboro Public Works Garage (1660 Wagner Bridge Rd.), where the town will provide dump trucks for collected trash

• Return any unused materials at the same location

• Found large items (appliances, furniture, etc.)? Contact us and we’ll help haul them

Community Potluck Cookout at the Custom House (4 pm - evening)

After the clean-up, come celebrate your efforts and connect with others at a casual, open-to-all potluck cookout.

• Bring something to grill or a dish to share

• Bring your own drink and chair—if you want; we have picnic tables and chairs inside and out

• Let’s meet, talk, laugh, and imagine new ways to care for—and reanimate—our shared spaces

All are welcome.

Drop in to help create our ground-floor community map! Add your home, favorite spots, and places of personal meaning. This is the beginning of our participatory mapping project that will focus not on market value, but on the emotional, cultural, and social importance of place. Become an integral part of shaping a renewed understanding of Waldoboro through memory, feeling, and story.

In Partnership With Studio B

All are welcome. Food provided.

An evening of art, music and performance by community members in recovery from addiction and other struggles. Through song, story, and creativity, we’ll experience how lives affected by hardship have opened paths to hope. Some performers will share how art has helped them process their histories— and how we can build on that healing together.

* Before the show, join us 4-6pm for the opening reception of the Beyond the Blue art exhibit at the Waldo Theatre Gallery next door. At 5 pm, there will be a gallery conversation with the artists.

Join us for a 90-minute walking tour around the abandoned Sylvania factory lot, the adjacent Hoffses House, and the woods and river nearby. Together, we’ll trace the emotional echoes of past inhabitants—from Wabanaki people and colonial settlers to a governor and a U.S. Congressman—and re-feel Waldoboro’s emotional history as it will come to inform our new community park.

Note: This tour leaves from the site of the old Sylvania plant. Terrain near the river includes elevation changes and may be challenging for some. Comfortable footwear recommended.

Photo by Jan Griesenbrock

All are welcome. Snacks provided.

Join us from 4–7 PM at the newly re-opened Custom House—now home to the Open House of History. Experience the art and emotion of local history, as objects from the Waldoborough Historical Society are presented in a fresh, thought-provoking light.

Stroll through the space, strike up a conversation, and share your memories. Leave a note on the walls using post-its provided, or record yourself at one of the audio stations set up throughout the building. This space will host ongoing community conversations—what topics matter most to you? What kinds of events or activities would you like to see here? We invite your ideas and reflections, thoughts and feelings.

At 6 PM, we’ll share our vision for the Custom House and offer a glimpse into the kinds of programs and themes we hope to explore with you. Join us for a brief, guided brainstorming session to help shape what comes next.

Photo by Jan Griesenbrock