When: Saturday, June 7 2025 at Noon

Where: Chapman Park in Rockland (at the corner of Park & Main Streets)

We gather every Saturday at Noon as long as authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption plague our nation, and all those in nonviolent opposition are welcomed to join us in our demonstration of resolve.

We sing songs of protest, resistance, democracy, and a better world.

We collect food and hygiene items to donate to the local food pantry.

The Audacity holds its monthly Mass Meeting!

When: Saturday, June 7, 10-11:30 AM

Where: 345 Broadway, Rockland — UU Church of Rockland (park across the street)

Who is invited: EVERYONE who loves democracy. EVERYONE who believes in the power of collective nonviolence. EVERYONE who thinks diversity is better than uniformity. EVERYONE who thinks equity is better than discrimination. EVERYONE who believes that inclusion is better than exclusion. EVERYONE who is shocked by the rapid descent of American government into outright, brazen corruption.

Why: This social movement to defend democracy against the forces of authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption isn’t funded by billionaires, or supported by paid staffers, or bought into by media networks. It runs on the power of people — and we need your ideas, your determination, and your resilience to keep going.

Without you, we fail.

With you, all the dollars and consultants and media networks out there cannot possibly stop us.

HANDMADE ART BOOKS. HEART-MADE HEALING.
Art Workshop for Play and Creative Expression

Every Monday, Starting June 2nd, 1pm-3pm
Thomaston Public Library, Community Room
60 Main St., Thomaston, Maine

These are tricky times. Sometimes we are freaking out, exhausted, or actually ill and we need a little sweetness to bring us back home. Making art is just such a restorative habit. So c’mon along! Learn simple, gentle, colorful bookmaking techniques. Express your true heart self, and feel better. It’s magic.

Details: $5- $10 contribution, as you are able.
Bring your own tools and materials or use ours.
Space is limited. Sign up at: handmadebooks.audacity@gmail.com Please include your name and email address.

On Thursday, May 22, the Maine Coalition for Palestine joined Veterans for Peace and other groups across the country in starting a 40-day hunger strike with two demands:

1. That food aid for starving Palestinians under the Israeli blockade be restored, and

2. That U.S. military supplies to Israel be suspended given the starvation tactics used by Israel that are illegal under international law, specifically a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

On Sunday, June 1 from 3 PM to 5 PM, gather at Maine Street and Potter Street in Brunswick (the neighborhood where Senator Angus King lives, when he’s not living in Washington DC) for an “empty pot” protest — bringing a pot and a wooden spoon to bang. Wear black or dark colors. The demand is simple: an end to U.S. support of starvation tactics in Palestine.

Visual artists, meet at The Audacity’s summer office: 2561 Atlantic Highway (Route 1) in Lincolnville — each Sunday from 1-4 PM.

We will be working on posters, buttons, scarves, and whatever else we come up with.  Bring supplies if you can; we will have some there, including a sewing machine, scarves, and a banner. Bring your ideas as well; we all have a need to create.

When: Saturday, May 31 2025 at Noon

Where: Chapman Park in Rockland (at the corner of Park & Main Streets)

We gather every Saturday at Noon as long as authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption plague our nation, and all those in nonviolent opposition are welcomed to join us in our demonstration of resolve.

We sing songs of protest, resistance, democracy, and a better world.

We collect food and hygiene items to donate to the local food pantry.

Grab a bite to eat and enjoy music from the band Rockville as they play a unique blend of American music at the Flatbread Pizza joint on Route 1 in Rockport on Tuesday, May 27 from 4-8 pm. For every large pizza you buy (either to pick up or eat in the restaurant), the Flatbread folks will donate $3.50 to Maine Families’ early literacy program for area kiddos. For every small pizza, Flatbread will donate $1.75. Together, we hope these dollars and cents will add up to a meaningful difference.

Turn out to Chapman Park (Park & Main Streets) in Rockland, Maine on Saturday, May 24 to demonstrate against the authoritarian, bigoted, and corrupt presidency of Donald Trump. We will sing together. We will give away free buttons. We will talk about the issues of the day. We will recognize neighbors and make new friends. We will demonstrate our indignation and our resolve.

We will be joyful where they hate, we will be positive where they seek to destroy, and we will be nonviolent in our movement as they revel in their infliction of pain, injury, disease, torture, and death upon the most vulnerable.

For this effort to succeed, our ranks must continue to grow. Please join us!

Peace and Justice Forum 

Wednesday, May 21 at 6 pm 

Belfast Free Library 

The Peace and Justice Group of Waldo County will present the second half of the film "From Ground Zero", on May 21, 2025, 6 pm, at the Belfast Free Library. An award-winning film produced by Michael Moore, "From Ground Zero " is a collection of stories from 22 Palestinian filmmakers who capture their lives in Gaza amidst war. Free and open to all. 

FMI: peace.and.justice.waldo@gmail.com

The Audacity is hosting a public forum for voters to meet and talk to their school board candidates. This event will be at the Rockland Library downstairs in the Friends’ Community Room on Saturday, May 17 from 2:00 to 3:00. Please come if you are able and invite any friends or neighbors who are interested in going. We are inviting all school board candidates for Camden, Lincolnville, Thomaston, and South Thomaston to attend. School board and Town Selectboard elections are in June.

If you have any questions or comments about this event you can email theroux.audacity@gmail.com

Turn out to Chapman Park (Park & Main Streets) at Noon in Rockland, Maine on Saturday, May 17 for a massive, joyful pro-democracy demonstration.

We will sing together. We will give away free buttons and collect donations for food and hygiene items for people in need. We will talk about the issues of the day. We will recognize neighbors and make new friends. We will demonstrate our values, our courage, and our lasting power.

We will be joyful where they hate, we will be positive where they seek to destroy, and we will be nonviolent in our movement as they revel in their infliction of pain, injury, disease, torture, and death upon the most vulnerable.

For this effort to succeed, our ranks must continue to grow. Please join us!

Let’s make a good showing of members of The Audacity at the Rockland Post Office at 11:30 a.m. May 17th so we can present our card and show our support before the P O closes at noon.

Following that 11:30 AM rally, we will march down the sidewalks of our Rockland downtown to participate in our regular 12 Noon demonstration.

MAY 13, 2025 KCDC MONTHLY MEETING

The Knox County Democratic Committee holds its next meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 6:00 PM in-person in the Community Room of the Rockland Public Library, 80 Union Street, Rockland, ME.  

This month’s agenda includes (not necessarily in this order):

• Guest Speaker(s)

• KCDC Business

• Knox County Town Updates

• Announcements

All Knox County Democrats and unenrolled progressives are welcome to attend KCDC meetings.

Note: The Audacity is not affiliated with, and takes no stand on endorsing, any political party.

ACTIONS:

Come to the Rockland City Council meeting on Monday (or Zoom in!). Tell City Council that Council and the public should have a say over the terms and conditions accepted as part of any grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The meeting is this Monday, 5/12 at 5:30pm at 270 Pleasant St., Rockland, ME, or by zoom.

 If you can’t make it, email City Councilors via City Clerk Stuart Sylvester at ssylvester@rocklandmaine.gov. Ask him to share your email with city councilors and the city manager. Send to this group who is coordinating for strong policies in Rockland: mill.ken@proton.me 

This free event is a chance for people and organizations from Belfast and and across the Midcoast to come together, connect, form coalitions, learn about and share ways to advance justice in their communities, plug into existing work, enjoy local food and music, and join spaces for emergent change-making in real time.

Where: Belfast Unitarian Universalist Church, 37 Miller Street, Belfast ME 04915

When: Saturday May 10, 1-5 PM

There will be space for organizations to table in the UU sanctuary, as well as workshops and musical gatherings held throughout the afternoon in a variety of gathering spaces.

Maine's secure and trusted elections are under attack. Join the Save Maine Absentee Voting coalition as we kick off our campaign. We'll meet in the courtyard between the Maine State House and the Cross Office Building. Learn more about the referendum coming to your ballot on November 4, and help us protect Maine's secure, safe voting laws.

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Maine. For More Information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1179885426659073

Turn out to Chapman Park (Park & Main Streets) in Rockland, Maine on Saturday, May 10. We will sing together. We will give away free buttons. We will talk about the issues of the day. We will recognize neighbors and make new friends. We will demonstrate our indignation and our resolve.

We will be joyful where they hate, we will be positive where they seek to destroy, and we will be nonviolent in our movement as they revel in their infliction of pain, injury, disease, torture, and death upon the most vulnerable.

For this effort to succeed, our ranks must continue to grow. Please join us!

Midcoast Women sponsors this free, public event on Saturday, May 10th, 10-12 noon at The First Universalist Church in Rockland (345 Broadway).  The program will provide participants with ways to take proactive steps to foster the democratic process.  The program is divided into four segments:

• Managing Your Mental Health through Local Engagement

• Engaging with your Local Legislators

• Voices for Change: Activist Groups Leading the Way

• Activating Change: A Panel of Young Leaders  

On the evening of Friday, May 9 at Watts Hall in downtown Thomaston, the Knox County Democratic Committee hosts the following panel, which will discuss the threats posed to the people of Maine by budget cuts, program cuts, and executive orders of the Trump administration. Members of the panel are:

SHENNA BELLOWS, Maine Secretary of State
AARON FREY, Maine Attorney General
GARRETT MARTIN, President & CEO of Maine Center for Economic Policy
ANNA KELLAR, Executive Director of Democracy Maine

Following the panel, all attending are welcomed to discuss how to defend democracy and reverse the current destructive course.

This Thursday, May 8^th, 5.30-7.30 pm, LCI is kicking off a Campaign Against Hunger with a meeting in the Second Congregational Church in Newcastle. We will highlight threats to essential hunger mitigating programs.

We view this meeting as the launch pad for ongoing actions such as small rallies in multiple locations. We will raise awareness on food insecurity issues by handing out leaflets and engaging in conversations with strangers. By connecting at the level of shared values, we can start to shift the needle on this and other issues related to cuts emanating from DC.

Thursday, May 8^th, 5.30-7.30 pm, Second Congregational Church, Newcastle.

Turn out to Chapman Park (Park & Main Streets) in Rockland, Maine on Saturday, May 3. We will sing together. We will give away free buttons. We will talk about the issues of the day. We will recognize neighbors and make new friends. We will demonstrate our indignation and our resolve.

We will be joyful where they hate, we will be positive where they seek to destroy, and we will be nonviolent in our movement as they revel in their infliction of pain, injury, disease, torture, and death upon the most vulnerable.

For this effort to succeed, our ranks must continue to grow. Please join us!

Members of the local artistic social movement known as The Audacity are holding a mass meeting and a public-square demonstration with a sing-out of protest music, a food drive, and opportunities to connect to local organizations that serve our communities and oppose the slide toward dictatorship. All members of the public who support democracy and who oppose the turn toward authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption in America are invited to join.

Part 1 of the day on May 3 begins at 10 a.m. with a mass meeting at the First Universalist Church, 345 Broadway, in Rockland. During many movements of the 20th century, mass meetings were held right before public actions, and we follow that precedent. In-person mass meetings are essential not only to move people into action, but also to get people connected to planning and to get new organizing ideas rolling.

“Cooperatives Build a Better Maine”

11th Annual Principle Six Conference of Cooperatives

Edward Little High School, Auburn, ME

Saturday May 3, 9 AM - 4 PM

Keynote Address – Hear from Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, on building a more resilient, cooperative economy.

Panel Discussion – Learn from co-op leaders across sectors about how cooperation drives social and economic change in Maine.

Skill-Building Workshops – Strengthen cooperative leadership, finance, movement-building, and more through hands-on, practical sessions.

Register at www.maine.coop/events or by emailing Emmy Andersson at emmy@maine.coop. Scholarships available.

As part of a national day of action, Lincoln County Indivisible is holding a May Day Bridge Rally on that now-famous protest spot, the Damariscotta-Newcastle Bridge. We will demand justice, equality, and dignity for all working people. Join us from 4-5 PM!

National May Day Event (Portland): Local Workers Stand up to Billionaires

Stop the billionaire takeover! On May Day, Thurs, May 1st at 3:30 in Portland, we're walking out of our jobs to rally with 100+ labor unions and social justice organizations across the country to stand up for working people, end the racist attacks, and stop Trump and Musk’s billionaire cronies. On this historic day to honor workers, we are all working people, and we stand together against the billionaires who are violently targeting our communities and neighbors, destroying livelihoods, gutting public resources, and driving up costs just to pad their own pockets. More info at https://www.mobilize.us/surj/event/776818/  Contact laura@laurasquinn.com for more details or carpooling.

Abbott Room of the Belfast Library: Watch The Singing Revolution, a story of how one small nation used its creativity to subvert the domination of an empire.

Grab a bite to eat and enjoy musicians Gabe Zacchai, Will Neils, and Aaron Englander as they play a unique blend of American music at the Flatbread Pizza joint on Route 1 in Rockport on Tues. April 29 from 4-7 pm. For every large pizza you buy (either to pick up or eat in the restaurant), the Flatbread folks will donate $3.50 to the Penobscot Nation Food Pantry. For every small pizza, Flatbread will donate $1.75. Together, we hope these dollars and cents will add up to a meaningful difference.

Rockland Pride Kickoff Party

Monday April 28, 6-8 PM

Steelhouse Basement

639 Main Street, Rockland

All Welcome! Please bring food to share.

Email rocklandmainepride@gmail.com for more information.