All the Summer Stuff is Starting

Happy Monday, Bowdoinhammer

Let’s start this newsletter off with a correction.

Last week, I mentioned that the Richard A. Ferrier Scholarship Fund was for kids between the ages of 13 & 18. Jason Lamoreau told me that the scholarship eligibility will be for children aged 8 to 18 years old starting in 2026.

So that’s pretty cool.

Gosh. I’m glad I got that off my chest.

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Highlights in this Newsletter:

1. Explore artistic expression at Bowdoinham Estates through a new program sponsored by Bowdoinham Community Connections.

2. A Town-wide Yard Sale is coming!

3. The Kid’s Summer Photography Camp, happening on Tuesday and Thursday, still has some open slots for any 8 to 11-year-old shutterbugs out there.

4. Bowdoinham Booked Moms Book Club has its first-ever meeting on Wednesday. Will be lit.

5. The Planning Board meeting scheduled for Thursday was canceled. Don’t worry, there’ll be other meetings planned that day if you have your heart set.

6. Bowdoinham Community Connections has open office hours at the Fire Station on Friday. Drop by and see how they can assist you.

7. The Public Library is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to unveil the new entrance. It’s almost like it’s a whole new Library!

Keep scrolling for more info about these and other events.

Aging Outside the Lines

Bowdoinham Community Connections is pleased to announce it will be bringing the "Aging Outside the Lines" program to Bowdoinham Estates.

This program offers a unique opportunity for Bowdoinham residents to engage in creative and social activities over six completely free weekly sessions. Each session will introduce participants to a different activity, which may include coloring, drawing, working with clay, painting, or even dancing.

Sessions are scheduled for Wednesday mornings at 11:00 AM in the dining room, beginning on July 2nd. Each session will last approximately 45 minutes.

Individuals interested in participating are asked to commit to attending all six sessions to fully benefit from the program. No prior art skills are necessary, as the program is designed to be a relaxed and hands-on experience for all. To join this engaging program, please don't hesitate to contact Jason Lamoreau at 666-3101, leaving your name, phone number, and a brief message regarding "Aging Outside the Lines."

Yard Sale Enthusiasts Prepare Yourselves!

Jennifer Molloy has organized a Bowdoinham Town-wide Yard Sale Day on July 26th! We're talking about hopping between 20+ households all over town, so clear out that car trunk and get your walking shoes ready for a full day of serious yard sale-ing.

The rain date for this epic event is July 27th, so let's keep those fingers crossed for sunshine!

A list of all participating locations will be popping up soon.

Anyone wanting to get in on the action and host their own Yard Sale: Make sure to sign up by June 30th! https://forms.gle/PEsgsGyYtKyjhomdA

It's going to be a day of finding hidden gems and connecting with neighbors!

Happening in Bowdoinham THIS week:

Monday, June 23rd

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. $10 suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts. 

Tuesday, June 24th

• Recycling Drop-off, Public Works Facility (121 Pond Rd.), NOON - 6:00 PM.

• Kid’s Summer Photography Camp: ages 8 to 11, Merrymeeting Arts Center (9 Main St.), 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM. June 24th and June 26th, $30. Students will learn basic photography principles, composition, and lighting through instruction and hands-on practice, with a student exhibition at the Merrymeeting Arts Center Gallery on September 5th and 6th. Students must bring their own camera, and there is an additional $10 photo printing fee. 

• Merryreading Book Store OPEN, Merrymeeting Hall Basement (27 Main St.), 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM.

• Pickleball, Bowdoinham Community School TENNIS COURT (23 Cemetery Rd.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Weather permitting. This is open to adults of any age and ability. The group has friendly games with mixed levels of competition.

• Select Board Meeting, Kendall Room, John C. Coombs Municipal Building (13 School St.), 6:00 PM. Townhall Streams link. For a list of other town meetings, visit the town's calendar.

Wednesday, June 25th

• Pickleball, Bowdoinham Community School TENNIS COURT (23 Cemetery Rd.), 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Weather permitting. This is open to adults of any age and ability. The group has friendly games with mixed levels of competition.

• Bridge, Bowdoinham Fire Station (57 Post Rd.), 9:30 AM - NOON. FMI: Judy Gray, 666-3025. The group welcomes all players. Current players range from high-scoring duplicate players to seniors who played in college and newbies who have taken a class. 

• Bowdoinham Food Pantry OPEN, Bowdoinham Food Pantry (9 Main St.), 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. For all residents of Bowdoinham and Bowdoin. Building community, with food. NO income verification. FMI: (207) 751-7779. Shop there first. 

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. $10 Suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts. 

• Bowdoinham Booked Moms Book Club Meeting, Merrymeeting Hall (27 Main St.), 7:00 PM. This fun, no-fee club was created as a stress-free space for moms with a Bowdoinham connection to unwind, connect, and make friends through reading and discussion. FMI: email [email protected].

Thursday, June 26th 

• Trash Pick-up Day. You can buy the $3 trash tags at the Town Office and Public Works Facility. Pick-up times vary. 

• Recycling Drop-off, Public Works Facility (121 Pond Rd.), 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

• Cribbage, John C. Coombs Municipal Building (13 School St.), 9:30 AM - NOON. Hosted by Age Friendly Bowdoinham.

• Kid’s Summer Photography Camp: ages 8 to 11, Merrymeeting Arts Center (9 Main St.), 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM. June 24th and June 26th, $30. Students will learn basic photography principles, composition, and lighting through instruction and hands-on practice, with a student exhibition at the Merrymeeting Arts Center Gallery on September 5th and 6th. Students must bring their own camera, and there is an additional $10 photo printing fee. 

• Merryreading Book Store OPEN, Merrymeeting Hall Basement (27 Main St.), 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM.

• Pickleball, Bowdoinham Community School TENNIS COURT (23 Cemetery Rd.), 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Weather permitting. This is open to adults of any age and ability. The group has friendly games with mixed levels of competition.

• MSAD 75 School Board Meeting, Mt. Ararat High School (68 Eagles Way, Topsham), 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM.

• Planning Board Meeting, Kendall Room, John C. Coombs Municipal Building (13 School St.), 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM. CANCELED 

• Guilt-Free Book Group, Merrymeeting Hall (27 Main St.), 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Have you ever wanted to join a book discussion group but have cold feet, or commitment issues? Worry no more. This Book Group lets you read whatever your heart desires (theme-related or not). They just wanna hear about it. Call the library (666-8405) to find out about this month's literary adventure, and ditch the guilt.

Friday, June 27th

• Pickleball, Bowdoinham Community School TENNIS COURT (23 Cemetery Rd.), 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Weather permitting. This is open to adults of any age and ability. The group has friendly games with mixed levels of competition.

• Bowdoinham Community Connections Office hours, Bowdoinham Fire Station (57 Post Rd.), Noon - 2:00 PM. Pop in to see what the BCC is about! Know someone who needs assistance? Click here. Bowdoinham Community Connections is a project of the Governor’s Cabinet on Aging.

Saturday, June 28th 

• Composer Robert Browne Hall, a Bowdoinham native, is celebrated in Maine on the last Saturday of June by proclamation by the Governor.

• Recycling Drop-off, Public Works Facility (121 Pond Rd.), 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

• Visit/Volunteer/Donate/Shop at the Bowdoinham Gift Shop, Recycling Barn (243 Post Rd.), 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Clean and FREE curated household items, clothes, and toys are available. Donations and volunteers are welcome to support this community resource and help reduce waste. Contributions are accepted inside, and returnable beverage containers may be dropped off in the window near the road at any time.

• Bowdoinham Farmers' Market, Mailly Waterfront Park (1 Main St.), 8:30 AM - NOON. 

• Open Pottery Studio, Merrymeeting Arts Center Studio (9 Main St.), 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. $10 Suggested donation. The maximum capacity is 10 pottery enthusiasts.

• Merryreading Book Store OPEN, Merrymeeting Hall Basement (27 Main St.), 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

• FINAL SHOWING: Stuff… Drawings & other work by the artist Doug Chess, Merrymeeting Arts Center Gallery (9 Main St.), 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Bowdoinham Public Library (13a School St.), NOON - 2:00 PM. The Bowdoinham Public Library would like to invite you to their Ribbon-Cutting to celebrate the new entrance (including a ramp and a porch) to the library. Enjoy some light refreshments, and stay for the LIVE music, featuring The Book Lovers (Micahel Mahan, Hal Ahlers, and Aidan Fiori).

Sunday, June 29th

• Sunday Service, Bowdoinham Second Baptist (1 Church St.), 9:30 AM.  

• Sunday School/Service, Bowdoinham Church of the Nazarene (7 School St.), 10:00 AM, Service 11:00 AM. 

Events may change or be canceled without notice.

Coming Soon to a Bowdoinham Near You:

🎶 The annual Sunday Summer Concert Series kicks off on July 6th at Mailly Waterfront Park, running through August 31st with music from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This year features nine concerts with a fantastic lineup, including Cilantro, Dooryarders, Novel Jazz, Rough Sawn, Peter Galway, Pretty Girls, Intergalactic Yurt Band, Leopard Girls, and Stringtide, with some events potentially paired with a benefit dinner. For more information, visit http://bowdoinham.com/event/2025-sunday-summer-concert-series

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✂️ Merrymeeting Arts Center is hosting a Kids Craft a Creature workshop for little ones aged 3 to 8. On Tuesday, July 8th, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, kiddos can dive into a pile of recycled materials, colorful scraps, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and more to invent their very own silly, strange, cute, big, or small creature! Local artist and former teacher Courtney Hutchings will be there to guide and encourage every wild idea. Your child gets to bring home a creature they're super proud of, and Merrymeeting Arts Center handles all the clean-up! It's $20, plus a $10 materials fee. Sounds like a perfect creative morning!

. . .

🎭 The Camden Shakespeare Festival is bringing a FREE performance of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" to Mailly Waterfront Park on Friday, July 11th, at 6:00 PM. (If it rains, they'll move the show to Merrymeeting Hall.) This one's a real knee-slapper where Valentine tries to find love, only for his best pal Proteus to make a move on his new sweetheart! Naturally, Proteus's girlfriend Julia has to get in on the action by disguising herself to sort things out. Despite everyone making some truly impressive "boneheaded moves," it all comes together in the end. Oh, and did we mention there's even a dog?! It's one of Shakespeare's funniest comedies, performed with live music - definitely not one to miss!

. . .

📖 Join the Loose Ladies Book Group this July for an engaging read! On the 17th, they'll discuss "The Night in Question" by Susan Fletcher, a lyrical novel full of mystery and wisdom about love, friendship, and forgiveness. The story follows Florrie Butterfield, eighty-seven and one-legged, who believes life's surprises are over. However, a shocking accident at her residence reveals a possible murderer! As Florrie seeks the truth, she confronts her past and ultimately learning to forgive herself. With help from her new friend, Stanhope, she discovers it's never too late to pursue dreams. If you liked "A Man Called Ove" or "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry," you'll likely enjoy this! Get your copy at Bowdoinham Public Library or a local bookseller. 

. . .

📸 Professional photographer Leah Haraden is running another Kids’ Summer Photography Camp, but this time for ages 12-15 on July 22nd & 24th (1:00-3:30 PM) for just $30. They'll learn photography basics, composition, and lighting through hands-on fun, with the opportunity to have their work displayed in a September exhibition! All they need is a camera (even a cell phone!), plus a $10 printing fee for a professionally printed photo. Let your teen see the world through their own unique lens!

. . .

👩‍🌾 Open Farm & Studio Day is happening on Sunday, July 27, 2025! This is our annual shindig, a full-on celebration of Bowdoinham's farming and creative communities, and you definitely won't want to miss it. From 9 AM to 5 PM, you can wander through local farms, check out live demos, shop for artisan goods, snag some farm-fresh eats, explore nurseries overflowing with beautiful flowers, and discover all sorts of pop-up markets. Then, as the afternoon rolls into evening, head over to Mailly Waterfront Park (1 Main St.) from 4 PM to 7 PM for a fantastic Food Pantry Benefit BBQ. While you're chowing down (between 4-6 PM), you can groove to the live music of Rough Sawn, playing acoustic folk, Americana, and classic country tunes until 7 PM. To plan your adventure, keep an eye out for the 2025 Event Guide (PDF download), and on the day itself, just follow the bright red signs all through town. It's the perfect way to experience the best of Bowdoinham!

Have the best week ever, and be good to yourself.

Love,

Rodney

❤️