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As we near the end of May and see months of warmer weather on the horizon, many of us are excited for summer to arrive in the Midcoast. It is a time to begin filling window boxes and gardens with flowers or begin planting your vegetable gardens. Local farmers are bringing their fresh produce to farmers markets and farm stands throughout the state — something I especially look forward to — and lobsters, oysters and other bounty from our working water fronts will fill our tables.

In addition to fresh produce, Sagadahoc County and the Town of Dresden (my district) have a full schedule of summer fairs, festivals and other great events. The City of Bath will host two annual summer concert series. Beginning next month, local musicians and bands will be playing in Library Park every Tuesday and Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Bath Swing Band will play every Tuesday night, while Friday will be an opportunity for other local musicians and groups to perform. Beginning in July, the Bath Waterfront Concerts will begin in Waterfront Park. Local musicians will perform every Saturday evening at 5 p.m. Bowdoinham will also host a weekly concert for their Sunday Summer Concert Series, beginning July 5 at Mailly Waterfront Park. These are beautiful venues and wonderful opportunities to enjoy some live music on a summer night with family and friends.

Bath will also once again be home to the Midcoast’s largest Fourth of July festival — Bath Heritage Days, which will take place from July 2-5. The carnival, art in the park and great food will all be back this year! During the first weekend in August, Fields Fields Blueberry Farm in Dresden will be one of many farms participating in Wild Blueberry Weekend. Attendees can pick, eat and learn about wild blueberry farming here in Maine. Finally, the Topsham Fair will run Aug. 11-16 this year. While the event schedule has not been released yet, you can check the fair’s website for more details as it gets closer. I hope to see you at some of these events.

While summer can be a great time for outdoor activities, heat can also bring an increased financial burden to Mainers who are trying to cool their homes. While we passed legislation this session to reduce those costs — which you can read about in last month’s column — there are still many who need assistance shouldering the cost of keeping cool. To assist with this, towns in our district can connect folks to General Assistance resources that help meet basic needs. Application processes may differ, so please call your local town office or the state’s toll-free General Assistance hotline at 1-800-442-6003.  

This season also gives me an opportunity to better connect with you. Now that session has passed, I’m looking forward to hosting some summer office hours and town hall meetings throughout the district where I and other local representatives will be available to discuss issues or concerns directly with you. This is one of the most efficient ways to hear from my constituents, so I encourage you to attend if you have any questions or would like to see new legislation introduced. I will post office hours on my social media and publish them in my weekly e-newsletter as they are scheduled.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or my office. You can always email me at [email protected], or you can call my office at 207-287-1515. I look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sen. Denise Tepler represents Maine Senate District 24, which includes all of Sagadahoc County, plus Dresden in Lincoln County.

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