Issue 19

Written By MIchelle Zagardo

Friday, August 15, 2025

Sometimes the news doesn’t fit a template, which is where we find ourselves today. These last weeks of summer are both dragging on and flying by as I enjoy time on the trails, count down the days until November 4 elections, and watch the debris pile up from the hurricane that is Project 2025, faithfully executed by Trump and his gang of fellow criminals.

It’s easy to feel like all is lost, but the truth is that it never really is. Things are as bad as they seem, better than they could be, and in many pockets of space and time, really quite great.

Take, for example, a win in midcoast thanks to sensible policy on the books, written by local individuals: in Lincoln County, officials applying for a standard FEMA grant abandoned their application after noticing new requirements that recipients must participate in federal immigration enforcement. This collaboration, in what is becoming popularly recognized as state-sanctioned kidnappings, would violate Lincoln County policy. The lack of funding will leave Lincoln County in a lurch but officials made it clear that violating policy was a bridge too far.

While federal policy is the thing that many of us are bombarded with when we open our phones, local policy - and the townspeople responsible for writing and enforcing it - is what keeps us safe. @rachelbeachywrites wrote a poem:

These Days

I keep hope in one pocket
and grief in the other

like coins. I never know
how to handle change

but to move forward,
I have to feel both.

Here in Bethel, our community shows up again and again. Recent highlights, as submitted by many on this list, include:

  • the week long Rotary Yard Sale where folks gathered day after day to pore over lost treasures, breathe new life to items that had seen better days, and line up for delicious food at Romero’s, Bethel’s newest food truck.

  • OUTMaine collaborating with Mahoosuc Land Trust, the Gemini Bakery and Cafe, and Rebecca Zicarelli to host a day of indigo harvesting and dyeing that nurtured creativity and cohesion.

  • Crescent Park Elementary supplying all kids with the school supplies they need this school year.

  • the announcement of the soon-to-be West Bethel Maker Space . . .

    • . . . along with the associated tool library they will host in collaboration with the Bethel Library and the mural being painted on the building by local artist Mattie Rose Templeton.

  • a container garden, created by Chef Catherine Brown, that is now providing fresh food for visitors of the Bethel Food Pantry.

  • raccoon tracks spotted near the Androscoggin River: a sign of a continually recovering ecosystem, that is somehow possible alongside paper production, dams, and commercial tourism. Thank you, Senator Ed Muskie of Rumford, for the Clean Water Act of 1972!

  • the countdown until the Monarch Festival! Just 9 days until we descend on Valentine Farm. Rumor has it that locally brewed paints by Rebecca Zicarelli are in the works for any budding artists who want to take part, among so many amazing activities.

  • a pilot program for kids yoga (ages 2-5), funded by the Bethel Rec Department. The class will be every Tuesday at 9am in September and October. Thank you to our committee members who made this happen! Speaking of committees: want to be on the planning board? There’s an opening! For more information, contact the Bethel town office (F) at 824-2669.

While seemingly small victories, each of these shows the efforts of individuals in our community to create this magical place we call home. Keep showing up. And scroll down if you’re looking for ways to keep the momentum alive.

Your Maine Action Kit

Pick one. Make a connection.

  • Invest in the soon-to-be tool library. Vote in the West Bethel Makerspace survey (HERE!) for the tool you’d like to borrow the most. Cider press? Chainsaw?

  • Chat with your farmers. Ask at the weekly market: “What’s the crop you’re most proud of this season?” Then see if you can fit it into one of your meals. Remember: you can use EBT/SNAP at the Bethel Farmer’s Market!

  • Leave a note in a library book. Grab a post-it. Write one line of hope/rage/solidarity (e.g., “you’re not alone” or “this pissed me off, too”). Tuck it into a book before you leave the Bethel Library.

  • Plant a seed for local office. Selectboard? School board? Budget committee? Planning board? Ask a current member: “What’s the weirdest part about this position?” Then decide if it’s your kind of weird. Want to learn more about town government? Let us know and we’ll connect you!

  • Have energy and anxiety to burn? Check out the Action Kit Archive, here, for more ideas! Another option? Reply to this email and let us know what issues you want to mobilize around. We are connected with organizations who are looking for people power!

For when it all feels like too much

  • Hit the Gemini. Find a friend. Skip the small talk: “What’s making you furious/hopeful this week?”

  • Walk along Androscoggin. Watch for raccoon tracks. Let the river remind you: Not everything needs urgency.

  • Peek at Mattie Rose’s mural progress. Head out West Bethel Rd and look down Ferry Rd to the upcoming maker space. If you’re as far west as the Flat Rd, you’ve passed it.

  • Need a bit more? Check out this post.

Mark your calendar

See an ever evolving list of community events on The Kindling’s calendar here (F). Subscribe to our google calendar while you’re there!

  • Friday - Monday: Check out a movie at The Gem theater

  • Saturday, August 16: Bethel Farmer’s Market (9am-1pm) (see hours for other area farmer’s markets on our event page)

  • Saturday, August 16: Special Story Hour with award-winning, local author Meika Hashimoto at the Bethel Library (10am)

  • Sunday, August 24: Mahoosuc Land Trust’s 5th Annual Monarch Festival

  • Tuesday, August 26: Beavers of the Androscoggin MLT Benefit Paddle with Bethel Adventure (9am-1pm)

We will get back to “news”. For now, let’s tend to our roots.

Til next week,

Michelle and The Kindling Crew

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MIchelle Zagardo
Next

Issue 18