Economy

Winter Season Ends, Work Continues at DEWB

(Surry)  The winter season at the DownEast Wood Bank in Surry has ended, but the work is far from over.  This season, the nonprofit helped 265 families in need stay warm in their homes.  Volunteers say they’ll be working all summer in order to have seasoned wood for everyone who needs it next winter; and they hope you consider volunteering or donating so they can have enough wood to do just that.  While they have a good start, the need is ongoing, as the DownEast Wood Bank now serves not only towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula, but Ellsworth, Lamoine, and Trenton as well.  The next work day is May 2nd.  Follow them on FB to learn more.

Season’s First Farmers’ Market Scheduled in Ellsworth

(Ellsworth)  Lettuce and tomatoes fresh from the hothouse.  Breads and other baked goods fresh from warm ovens.  And the promise of glowing summer days on the horizon.  Find them all at the season’s first Ellsworth Farmers’ Market, opening for the season a week from Saturday on May 2nd.  The Ellsworth Farmers’ Market is now located in the parking lot of the Union River Center for Innovation, 415 Water Street, right by Harbor Park.  They’ll be there every Saturday from 9:30 to 12:30 through early November.  

Rockland Plans Metered Parking

(Rockland)  Beginning May 15th, motorists will want to be aware of a new parking program in downtown Rockland.  The Pen Bay Pilot reports the program establishes permit parking for employees on side streets and metered parking for the public at designated parking lots in the area.  Any resident who registers their vehicle in Rockland may obtain a decal allowing them to park in a metered space for up to two hours a day without paying the current metered parking rate … but only on certain streets.  Multi-space Pay Station kiosks will be used to manage the program, which will be in effect May 15th through October 15th of each year.  Parking will remain free citywide on Sundays, and daily before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m..  More complete details about parking areas and fees can be found at Rockland Maine dot gov. 

Plant-Based Farmer’s Market Planned

(Sullivan)  People are increasingly discovering the health and other benefits of plant-based diets.  This summer, Swan Song Saltwater Farms and Fancy Plants Maine will be on the cutting edge, with a new, plant-based farmer’s market, beginning May 24th.  They plan to bring together plant-based vendors each Sunday afternoon for a lively, fun-filled market.  Swan Song is still looking for vendors, especially vegan cheese makers and makers creating high-end art from repurposed items. Hours will be 1 to 4 at Swan Song, which includes a farm store and seasonal rentals and is located off Route One in Sullivan.  Owner Kim Swan told the Mount Desert Islander everything at Swan Song is kept cruelty free and plant based, with no animal products used, including no feathers or leather … and no chemicals that might endanger wildlife are used in their gardens. Sundays were chosen so as not to compete with other area farmers’ markets.  If you’d like to participate as a vendor, you can fill out an application on FB or contact farmers market at swan song maine dot com. 

Education

Searsport Students Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Airport

(Searsport)  A group of RSU 20 students traveled from Searsport to the Bangor International Airport last week for a behind-the-scenes look at airport life.  The students even got to climb inside a Blackhawk with the Maine Army National Guard.  Officials with BIA say they are always open to planning similar events for groups. You just need to send them a message and they’ll help you get it on the calendar.

High Schoolers Get Chill for Warm Homes

(Belfast)  A group of high school students from Mt. View High School recently went chill in order to raise money so folks could stay warm during Maine’s cold winter months.  The Waldo County Woodshed in Belfast reports MVHS National Honor Society students threw themselves into the icy waters of Belfast Harbor as part of an annual fundraising event for the wood bank. You might say the community really warmed to the idea – donating $1,640 to the cause.  The students are considering challenging Belfast and Searsport Area High School students to do the same next year – sounds like things might really heat up then!  Game on!

Environment

Birdsacre

(Ellsworth)  With spring weather arriving, you may be looking for a peaceful place to get some steps in.  Don’t overlook Birdsacre, a 200 acre nature preserve in Ellsworth, founded on the homestead of pioneering ornithologist Cordelia J. Stanwood.  Located off Route 3 as you head out of Ellsworth toward Marden’s, Birdsacre features more than six miles of interconnected trails, a boardwalk through bogs, meadows, and forests, and is home to resident “Avian Ambassadors” – rescued hawks, owls, and other birds in spacious enclosures, along with free-ranging wildlife.  Beginning in June, you can visit the Stanwood homestead.  If Director Grayson Richmond is on hand, be sure to stop for an engaging lesson about the park and its inhabitants.  Entrance to the park is free, but donations are always welcome at the box at the park entrance and at birdsacre dot com.

Green Ellsworth Arbor Day Program

(Ellsworth)  Green Ellsworth invites folks to join them for a special Arbor Day program tomorrow.  They’ll be exploring the cultural and ecological importance of ash trees – that’s at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22nd at the Moore Community Center.  You’re also invited to help out with the Everybody Harvests Community Garden this spring – join in planting, growing, and harvesting the full acre that will be open for anyone to harvest for personal use, as well as for food security organizations.  Finally, you’re encouraged to sign up as they partner with the City for the Annual Card Brook Cleanup on May 9th from 9 to 12.  Because Card Brook flows through a busy section of the city, it collects a LOT of trash – but as a tributary to the Union River, cleanup is critical.  Learn more at green ellsworth dot org.

Human Interest 

Milbridge Days Seeks Equipment for Codfish Relays

(Milbridge)  The Codfish relays during the annual Milbridge Days celebration are always a huge hit – they’ve even been written up in national publications, including Sports Illustrated.  A team of four people is required to put on a “sou’wester” – a fisherman’s hat with a chin strap, a rain jacket with a snap, hip boots that can be pulled up mid thigh, and a pair of gloves.  Organizers say each year, teams come to the ball field hoping to participate, but without the proper equipment.  Though other teams often share, they’d like to make it easier by having donated equipment on hand.  If anyone has any of the items they’d like to contribute, they can be dropped off at Step-by-Step Childcare or Noel Marine, or you can call members of the Milbridge Days Committee, who will be happy to pick them up!

National Library Outreach Day

(Undated)  Of course, all this week, we’re celebrating National Library Week!  Today is National Library Workers Day, a day for us all to take time to honor and thank the library workers at our libraries for all they do to impact the community – from read aloud’s and putting books into the hands of young readers … to providing special speakers and programs … to helping older folks with technology.  Wednesday is National Library Outreach Day – a day to celebrate libraries meeting people where they are.  Look for libraries out in the community – in bookmobiles, at local pop-ups and schools, assisted living facilities, free-standing Little Free Libraries and more.  And chances are, your local library has a host of activities to keep kids entertained and learning during school break week.  Check out your local library on social media, on websites … or better yet, stop in and let them know they’re appreciated!

Friend Memorial Library to Break Ground

(Brooklin)  Here’s a fitting bit of news for National Library Week.  A week from Wednesday, the Friend Memorial Library in Brooklin will break ground on a 1400 square foot expansion and renovation.  The Weekly Packet reports the project will add a new wing, a Maritime Research Center, a new dedicated children’s room, and a glassed-in reading area connecting to the new addition.  The library, a critical community hub, aims to modernize, enhance accessibility, and create a specialized center for maritime study through the project, which is part of an approximately $4M capital campaign that includes a one million dollar endowment for future operations.  Students from the Brooklin School will fittingly turn over the first shovels of dirt to kick off the project.

Versant Power Astronomy Center Offers School Break Week Shows

(Orono)  The history-making voyage of Artemis II renewed a love for and interest in space exploration.  During school break week, build on that excitement with Moonbase: The Next Step at the Versant Power Planetarium.  From the moment mankind first set foot on the Moon in 1969, we’ve dreamed of making a base there.  In the next ten years, humans will return to the moon with the Artemis missions and develop a sustained strategic presence near the lunar South Pole, allowing the moon to become Earth’s staging base from which Mars and the rest of the Universe becomes closer.  That’s Wednesday, April 22nd at 2 p.m.  Learn about all the planetarium’s programs, and even get tickets ahead of time if you like at astro dot u maine dot e d u.

Infrastructure

DeMeyer Field Parking Lot Nears Completion

(Ellsworth)  With Little League season opening next month, those using DeMeyer Field in Ellsworth are happily anticipating completion of a new parking lot at the field.  The Ellsworth American reports the project is led by Ellsworth Rotary Club’s Debra Ehrlenbach and Peter Farragher, and was organized to increase safety and keep kids out of the street at the fields located on Boggy Brook Road.  Prior to the addition of the 59-space lot, players and spectators would park along the road … a practice some called an accident waiting to happen.  The fields are owned by the City, but the Rotary Club has facilitated many of the improvements, including completing fence work, installation of a new playground, and a path connecting the three fields.  The Rotary Club is hoping to secure another $50K to finish projects at the sports complex.

National News  04/21/26

Trump Offers Mixed Messages on Iran War

(AP)  The President on Monday offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring he was in no rush to end the conflict, while also expressing confidence further negotiations with Tehran would soon take place in Pakistan. The Associated Press reports that with a 14-day ceasefire set to expire tomorrow, Trump in social media posts Monday wavered between measured optimism and threats that “lots of bombs will start going off” if there’s no agreement before the ceasefire deadline.  Trump indicated he expects to send a negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, to Islamabad for a second round of talks at the same time Iran insisted it would not take part in any talks until Trump dialed back his demands.

Oil Prices Climb

(AP)  Oil prices climbed Monday following the latest rise in tensions between the United States and Iran, although the hikes were more moderate than ones earlier in the war.  Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports stocks gave back a bit of their record-breaking rally.  The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, climbed 5.6% to $95.48 on worries Iran could keep petroleum pent up in the Persian Gulf should it continue to block tankers from exiting the Strait of Hormuz.  Oil prices had tumbled and stocks soared Friday after Iran said it would reopen the strait, but the enthusiasm quickly vanished on Saturday after the U.S. decision to press ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.

© 2026 Downeast Digest News. All rights reserved.