Around Town

The Wilson Museum in Castine opens May 27th with an exhibit in honor of the United States’ Semiquincentennial, that looks at historic events connected to Penobscot river and bay around the time of the revolution. Executive Director Julia Gray joins us with the details.

NOTE: Around Town will be away next week. Be sure to list your events on our groovy new community calendar!

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Tonight in Searsport, Friends of Sears Island and Carver Memorial Library will be hosting a presentation by Julia Hiltonsmith titled “Historical Memory of Land Use Proposals at Sears Island”. This program will be held at Carver Memorial Library at 12 Union Street in Searsport, Maine, at 6:30 tonight. It’s free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required.

A few more events coming up on Saturday in honor of World Fish Migration Day. See the archives for Tuesday’s AT for others.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust let us know about 3 more events on Saturday, on the Orange, Narraquaugus and Bagaduce rivers – that will focus on sharing fish passage plans and restoration updates “Two of these rivers are preparing for major 2026 fishway construction projects, and partners will be publicly walking through the plans, renderings, and ecological significance. These are community?driven efforts to reopen habitat for alewives, shad, salmon, eels, and other migratory species.”

Orange River — Whiting
May 23, 9–11 a.m. | MCHT Office, Route 1
A community gathering to share 2026 construction plans for the Orange River Millpond Dam fishway — a key barrier on one of the largest freshwater sources flowing into Cobscook Bay.

Narraguagus River — Cherryfield
May 23, 1–3 p.m. | Below the dam, downtown Cherryfield
Partners will present plans and renderings for a 2026 nature?like fishway to replace a dam that has blocked fish passage for more than 65 years.

Bagaduce River — Penobscot/Brooksville/Sedgwick
May 23, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Pierce Pond boat ramp
Part of Alewife Day, celebrating Maine’s first fully restored watershed for fish passage after installation of five nature?like fishways.

FMI re these events – and several others happening around the state- on Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s website

Orland will celebrate Migratory Fish Day on Saturday with a festival celebrating the return of alewives and Blueback herring on the Orland/Narramissic river.
The day will feature viewing of the fish weir, led by Orland Fish Commissioner Peter Robshaw, cheering herring as they migrated up the fish ladder at the Orland dam, speakers in the main tent, a special activity area for kids, booths and snacks. The Festival is free and open to all, Saturday from 10am – 2pm in Orland Village Click here for more information

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Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District is partnering with the Maine Natural Areas Program, UMaine Cooperative Extension and Native Gardens of Blue Hill to cohost the 2026 Invasive Plant Educational Workshop on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at Emerson Hall in Castine.

Mary Thibodeau, District Manager, Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District joins us today to let listeners know about this annual series that trains home gardeners and industry professionals to identify invasive plants and manage them across forest, farm, and garden systems. The morning session is indoors, and the afternoon moves into the field for hands-on identification (rain or shine, so dress for the weather).

For more information and to register

Study cited in intro today: Non-native Plants and Animals Expanding Ranges 100 Times Faster than Native Species, Finds New Research Led by UMass Amherst, Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 2024

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Today’s Fish News was hosted by Bea Alsop-Cheeney in Milbridge with assistance from youth from the Independent Downeast Association for Homeschoolers. It was produced by Kate Blofson from WRUJ-LP in Richmond VT and made possible with support from Greenhorns and Eat Downeast

Upcoming fish-tivals and fish-tivities:

Fifth Annual Pennamaquan Alewife Festival — Free, family-friendly fun with the fish. Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10am–5pm, 12 Little Falls Road, Pembroke

The For All the Fish conference and concert in Machias on May 31 is organized by the Greenhorns and Downeast Salmon Federation The free concert will feature The Mallett Brothers Band, The Midnight Riders, and The Milk & Honey Rebellion,
May 31, 2026, 4–9pm, Bad Little Falls Park, Machias

More info on upcoming fish/alewife festivals around the state

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Berit Becker, Communications and Development Director at the Ellsworth Public Library, is here today to let listeners know about the final event in their Indie Lens series, coming up this weekend: Community Screening of The Grocery List Show

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JD Vance comes to Bangor, plans to save Maine taxpayers from “fraudsters” wasting our money. We talk w/ protesters outside the venue.

Trump’s Other ‘Vanity Projects’ Will Cost $162.5 Million—In Addition To $1.4 Billion Ballroom Possibly Funded By Taxpayers, Sara Dorn, Forbes Staff. May 13, 2026, Forbes

Let’s Get to the Bottom of Trump’s Expensive, No-Bid Contracts for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Public Citizen, May 12, 2026

Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million, David A. Fahrenthold and Luke Broadwater, New York Times, May 11, 2026

Report exposes sketchy no-bid deals as costs spiral on Trump’s vanity ballroom project, Jen Psaki, MS NOW via YouTube, May 6, 2026

Firm Building Trump’s Ballroom Got a Secret No-Bid Contract for a Nearby Job David A. Fahrenthold, Luke Broadwater and Andrea Fuller, New York Times, April 27, 2026

ICE, Inc.: The Top Companies Profiting from Trump’s Immigration Crackdown, Nick Schwellenbach, Luisa Clausen, and Aarushi Sahejpal, POGO (the news reporting division of the Project on Government Oversight), February 18, 2026

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Fundraiser for Waldo County Bounty at Hey Sailor! this weekend, featuring the Sugar Snaps

VP JD Vance’s stop in Bangor today, scheduled to be at 188 Maine Avenue on the BIA property, with doors opening at 9:30, the program starting at 11:30 and Vance scheduled to speak at 12:30. Registration Protest/rally info

Turning Point USA: A Case Study of the Hard Right in 2024, Southern Poverty Law Center, Rachael Fugardi, May 22, 2025
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After the Secretary of State’s office found the “protect girl’s sports” petitions to be valid in March, a challenge was filed in Maine Superior Court. The court ordered further fact-finding, to be followed by a new determination of validity by the Sec of State by May 26th At a hearing in Augusta yesterday, there was testimony regarding the concerns and irregularities that led to the challenge

Turning Point USA: A Case Study of the Hard Right in 2024, Southern Poverty Law Center, Rachael Fugardi, May 22, 2025
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

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