Update: Feb. 26, 2025: MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals’ Community Town Hall scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., will now be held at the Belfast Yacht Club & Event Center at 15 Front Street in Belfast, instead of the United Farmers Market on Spring Street, as was reported earlier in error.

Signage will be in place at the United Farmers Market to direct people to the correct location.

The event is free and open to the public.

ROCKPORT — Riley School will hold its inaugural 5K on Sunday, March 23, 2025. The race route, which participants may run or walk, starts on the Riley campus at 73 Warrenton Street and remains within the safety of the Warrenton/Waldo roadway, according to the school, in a news release, and includes a picturesque view of Glen Cove and a loop down to the Samoset Resort.

NORTHPORT — Join Coastal Mountains Land Trust and Maine Health’s Community Health program for a Happy Wanderers Hike, Thursday, March 6, at 10 a.m., at McLellan Poor Preserve, in Northport. 

All are welcome. This hike is about 2 miles out-and-back along a path with moderate elevation. Hiking boots or weather durable shoes, hiking poles, and drinking water are recommended.  

ROCKPORT — The Rockport Public Library announces a new horticulture series in partnership with Merryspring Nature Center. In monthly talks from March through May, Merryspring Nature Center Program Director John Fromer (and Maine Master Gardener Volunteer) will offer free gardening classes at the Rockport library covering a variety of topics and culminating in a special tour on Merryspring’s flower gardens in mid-June.

ROCKLAND — Wednesday, March 5, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., Rockland Public Library will offer Tech Class: "Keeping Your Online Accounts Safe."

This class walks you through the process of creating an online account. The group will also discuss how to recover your password should you forget it, what the potential issues are for privacy and safety, and how to best navigate those issues.

No devices are required; just bring yourself.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a webinar titled, “Gardening in a Changing Climate: What Maine Gardeners Need to Know,” Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 6 - 7:15 p.m.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering an introduction to home composting webinar Tuesday, March 11, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., via Zoom. 

ROCKPORT — MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital’s Endoscopy department will host a free public event on the hospital campus Friday, March 7, with a focus on colon cancer awareness.

Patients, families and the public are invited to walk through the Strollin’ Colon – a giant inflatable colon – and learn about colon cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. A member of the Endoscopy team will be on site to provide educational materials.

BELFAST — The Belfast Free Library in collaboration with the Belfast Garden Club presents an evening lecture Tuesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m., with John Forti titled, “Heirloom Gardening with Traditional Plants and Skills.” The program will take place in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library and via Zoom.

BELFAST — The Belfast Free Library and the National Digital Equity Center (NDEC) will be offering a free “iPhone Intermediate” class on March 3, 4, and 5, from 2 to 3 p.m., to take place in the library’s 3rd floor conference room. This class contains three sessions, and attendees should plan on attending all three, as each subsequent session will build on knowledge learned in the previous. 

Dick Vermeulen will lead an online presentation called, General Beekeeping, hosted by Merryspring Nature Center, on Tuesday, March 11, at 12 p.m. 

CAMDEN —  John Fromer will lead a free late winter ecology walk, Friday, March 14, at 10 a.m., at Merryspring Nature Center.

This will be a fun and educational walk around the fields and forest at Merryspring. During this one hour walk, the group will look for signs of spring birds, animal tracks and discuss the phenology of spring.

Dress for weather and being on trails in snow or wet conditions. A limited number of snowshoes will be available for members may borrow.

The Camden Garden Club presents Kerry Ann Mendez, author of a variety of books on gardening, and an engaging speaker. She will be the last presenter for the Winter Horticulture Series. Her timely topic is “Time-Saving, Mighty-Mite Shrubs that Outshine Perennials.” 

ROCKLAND — On Wednesday, March 5, at 5:30 p.m., Abi Morrison L.Ac. will be speaking on selecting and blending teas appropriate for the season, for health, and for flavor, at the Hole in the Wall Bagel Café, 754 Main Street, in Rockland. The gathering will start at Hole in the Wall and move next door to the Good Tern Co-op natural foods store for a hands-on experience of herb and traditional tea selection.

Students at Waldo County Technical Center (WCTC) participated in their annual SkillsUSA competition at the local level on January 24, 2025. The winners of these competitions will go on to the state competitions in Bangor on March 13 and 14.

WCTC has the following 27 students competing: 

Baileigh Bagley   Career Pathways Showcase: Health Science

A bright and very cold recent Saturday found the Scouts from BSA Troop 200 in full winter gear, hauling packed sleds across the snowy trails of Castine’s Witherle Woods Preserve. They were there to compete with more than 150 other scouts from across the region in the 54th Klondike Derby, hosted by Maine Maritime Academy.

Nick Lund will lead an online presentation called, Maine’s Spring Birds, hosted by Merryspring Nature Center, Tuesday, March 4, at 12 p.m.  

ROCKLAND — Maine Health will present a Fall Prevention Workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m., at the Rockland Public Library, as part of the Aging Well series co-sponsored with the Library.

Camden Garden Club Winter Horticulture Series will hear "An Introduction to the Benefits of Nature Experiences for Human Health and Well-Being" with Michael Blacketer Ph.d, Tuesday, Feb. 18, from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

LIBERTY — The 8th annual Riley’s Wish Winter Games & Derby will be on Saturday, February 15, 2025 and is being hosted this year by Lake St. George Brewing Company. Riley Boulay was a Waldo County boy and Mount View High School student who also attended Waldo County Technical Center (WCTC) until his passing in December, 2017. This event is near and dear to the WCTC community, according to a news release, not only because Riley was a student there, but also because his mother, Jackie Boulay, is WCTC’s Culinary Arts instructor.