In this issue

We have an extra large issue this week that captures a wide array of stories and events. Coverage includes town meetings, the solar eclipse, George Stevens Academy sports, an innovative boatyard dock replacement, a Sedgwick election, and a Maine Maritime Academy graduate who is leading the NTSB's investigation of the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Holly Eaton announces candidacy for House District 15

DEER ISLE—Holly Eaton has announced her candidacy to represent House District 15 in the Maine House of Representatives, which includes Southwest Harbor, Tremont, Frenchboro, Swan’s Island, Isle au Haut, Brooklin, Deer Isle, Stonington and Vinalhaven, according to a press release.

1 min

Two from Ellsworth nominated for open Senate seat

McDonald opts out of race for family, law school

1 min

St. Valentine's show features artists from around the Peninsula and Island

BLUE HILL—The Cynthia Winings Gallery hosted its eighth annual Midwinter St. Valentine’s Day Show on Friday, February 11. The show was well attended, according to a press release, and visitors were greeted with an inviting candle-lit path through the snow.

1 min

Blue Hill's Elliott Architects wins design awards

PORTLAND, Conn.—Your Modern Cottage, a home design website for modern living, recognized the best of the best in its inaugural Design Awards Competition, among them Elliott Architects of Blue Hill, according to a press release.

1 min

2021 lobster harvest the most valuable in the history of the fishery

75% increase over 2020

1 min

Wilson Museum celebrates Bowdoin's centennial

Join the Wilson Museum in celebrating the centennial of Maine Maritime Academy’s schooner Bowdoin, the official vessel of the State of Maine, at programs that revisit Donald MacMillan’s Arctic explorations and delve into the art of shipsmithing.

2 mins

GSA announces new staffas school resumes

A total of seven new members have been added to the staff of George Stevens Academy, according to a press release issued by the private nonprofit high school. The new staff include faculty and administrative personnel.

3 mins

Falls Bridge construction project scheduled

Project estimated at $10.5 million

2 mins

Women's Skillet Toss

Intercontinental & Greater Hancock County Championship Saturday, September 4 , 3:30 p.m., Grandstand Track

1 min

The Largest Pumpkin or Squash Contest

Judging Friday, 1 p.m., Exhibition Hall

1 min

Wild blueberry pie and muffin baking contest

Enter Saturday before noon, judging 1 p.m., Exhibition Hall

1 min

Hundreds attend Blue Hill Maritime Heritage Festival

BLUE HILL—More than 300 visitors braved the heat and oppressive humidity preceding Tropical Storm Henri on Saturday, August 21, to attend the Blue Hill Maritime Heritage Festival.

1 min

Snow's Cove Road reopens to traffic

Fishway passage restored

1 min

Farm animals shine at the Fair

Sheep, oxen, horses and more

1 min

Exhibition Hall offers glimpse into farming life

New to the Exhibition Hall this year: the Flower Show!

2 mins

Demolition Derby Maine State Championship

Monday, September 6, 4 p.m., Grandstand

1 min

Blue Hill Public Library

Wow—things have been busy at the library, and the August art show “Seeing the Light” is getting a lot of viewers. If you haven’t seen it, stop by. The show features paintings, carvings, pottery, and porcelain by local artists in a range of prices. Proceeds from the artwork sales are shared with the library.

2 mins

Elementary greenhouse program awarded $3,650 in COVID grants

Funds will support repairs, integration into curriculum

4 mins

Lincoln Paine lends a unique lens to historical society lecture

An exploration of Maine’s maritime history

8 mins

Local nonprofit offers workforce training for gardeners

Community members who have tried to hire a carpenter, plumber or gardener recently may have discovered that very few are available.

1 min

Nichols Day Camp booked solid for remainder of summer

SEDGWICK—When registration officially opened in January for the 2021 season at Nichols Day Camp, officials could not predict how the camp would have to operate during the pandemic.

2 mins

Despite heavy rains, Sedgwick roadway construction aiming for timely completion

SEDGWICK—A slow start worried everyone involved with the culvert replacement project at Snows Brook on Route 15.

2 mins

Oldest library on the Peninsula continues to evolve

SARGENTVILLE —Should one travel too quickly through the village of Sargentville, one could miss one of the hubs of the village, the Sargentville Library.

2 mins

New benches and table dedicated to the life of James Straub

BROOKLIN—A set of two benches and a picnic table were donated to Friend Memorial Public Library in honor of James Straub on June 7.

1 min

Blue Hill Public Library

LIBRARY SHELF

3 mins

GSA student Keegan Butler awarded Mainely Character scholarship

George Stevens Academy senior Keegan Butler won a $2,500 Mainely Character Scholarship, awarded annually to Maine high school seniors who demonstrate exemplary concern for others, responsibility, integrity, and courage.

1 min

Skippers program graduates receive Perseverance awards for working through pandemic

BLUE HILL—Only seven students graduated from the 2021 Eastern Maine Skippers Program as a result of the pandemic, Tom Duym, Fisheries Education Specialist for the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries in Stonington, said during a June 17 Perseverance awards program at George Stevens Academy.

3 mins

Orlofsky's legacy already visible as he retires

“When I was very young, the Beatles came out and I thought, ‘Wow! This is for me,’” said Steven Orlofsky of his early attachment to music. He was already playing the saxophone and ran with a pack of talented musicians, including Tim Cappello, who went on to play with Tina Turner. “We started a band,” he says. “We were in the sixth grade.”

5 mins

Sedgwick school turns inside out with photos

Joins worldwide photo project

3 mins

Three GSA students win Pioneer Prize software competition

BLUE HILL—Pioneer Prize 2021 judges announced this week the winners of the fourth annual Pioneer Prize software competition for high school students on the Blue Hill Peninsula and Deer Isle.

3 mins

Read all stories from The Weekly Packet

The Weekly Packet Newspaper Description:

The Weekly Packet has been serving the Blue Hill Peninsula for the last five decades. It shares the stories and news of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick and Surry, Maine. Steeped rich in traditions such as fishing, boat building and agriculture, the newspaper follows the lives of its people and industry while also serving as the local paper of record and reporting on the municipal and educational decisions that affect the lives of the people that call the peninsula their home. Blue Hill, with its hospital and diverse alternative health care providers, as well as its many businesses and cultural institutions, serves as a nexus for the area.