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, 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 Democracy Huddle is a way build relationships to ensure our flourishing, not to say our survival.

What: Discussion About Democracy, aka “Huddle”

When: June 24, 2025, 5:30 to 7 pm

Where: Laite Memorial Beach, Bay View Street, Camden ME

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.

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.

Let The Sun Shine In!

Celebrate the Solstice and the Return of Hope in Rockland, Maine, Saturday, June 21 at Noon in Chapman Park (Corner of Park and Main Streets)

The Rockland Solstice Celebration continues (despite the city’s decision to discontinue its own event) with this Solstice event scheduled for Saturday 6/21/25 at Noon. We will gather in Chapman Park and sing songs of resurgence, joy, illumination, potential, and resistance to those forces that would quash these.

Bring a drum for our drum circle.

Bring your kids for balloons and chalk art.

Bring your people-friendly dog to soak up the sun and greet people.

Join the movement of folks in Midcoast Maine who represent the forces of joy and energy and inclusion and growth and diversity and difference and the embrace of potential!

We will celebrate and through our celebration, we will help the world turn back toward justice.

Participate in a Sing Out outside Hello Hello Books in Rockland, Maine from 10-11 AM as part of the Rockland, Maine Pride celebration on Sunday, June 15.

Bring your songs of joy and wear bright colors of the rainbow!

As the ascendant political powers try to define LGBTQIA+ people out of existence, PRIDE IS ESSENTIAL. No more corporate-sponsored mellow-fests: it’s time for us to assert our existence with as much gumption as we can manage!

Tentative Rockland Pride Schedule for Sunday, June 15:

10-11 AM Setup and (unconfirmed) crosswalk painting on Tillson Avenue

11 AM - 4 PM: Music at Speakout Stage (between Winter Street and Tillson Avenue)

11 AM Drag King Story Hour at Hello Hello Books

2 PM Pride Parade (meet at CMCA — 21 Winter St, Rockland, ME 04841)

3 PM Speakout

4-5 PM Non-Binary Social at Hello Hello Books

No Kings!

Demonstration for Democracy

Saturday, June 14, Noon to 1 PM in Rockland’s Chapman Park

As part of the National No Kings Demonstration of Defiance across the nation on Saturday, June 14, The Audacity is holding a nonviolent protest in Chapman Park (corner of Park and Main Street in Rockland, Maine) at Noon.

While our President is throwing himself a multi-million dollar birthday party at taxpayer expense, complete with the kind of military parade that Soviet, North Korean, and German dictators like to see, we will show the world what real democracy looks like. All patriots who believe in inclusive, active, grassroots democracy are welcome.

Democracy Huddle Meeting

Tuesday, June 10, 2025, from 5:30-7 pm

Audacity Office: 2561 Atlantic Highway (Route One), Lincolnville Beach, ME 

We are starting a small discussion group on democracy, which we are informally calling “Huddles.” We will:

• huddle—i.e.,have an open discussion about what’s going on right now with our democracy, how it fits with the international scene, what we can do, and what it all feels like; and…

• discuss ways of spreading the idea of open, regular democracy conversations. One suggestion might be that we prepare regular 'huddle reports' for the audacity newsletter that would highlight the articles, books, and questions the huddle thinks would be useful for others. 

Bring a friend, and let others know. Feel free to forward this invitation to others.

On Monday, 6/9 the Rockland City Council will vote on Order #44 “Law Enforcement Interaction with Federal Immigration Authorities” and Order #26 “Directing PD Not to Accept Grants w/o Agreement”. Every week we hear of more instances of arrests and deportation processes throughout Maine, many facilitated by local, county, and state police. These are vital members of our community, not the violent criminals often depicted by the Trump regime. These two orders help protect our community from federal overreach and pressure to support ICE and immigration enforcement, preserve local resources, and offer robust protections for immigrant communities. Cities and towns in Maine are being pressured to conform and support immigration enforcement in abducting our neighbors. NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!  Urge Rockland City Council to support and protect immigrants’ rights by enacting these robust ordinances and turning away Department of Homeland Security funding. 

• MOST IMPORTANTLY Come to the Rockland City Council meeting on Monday, June 9, 5:30PM, 270 Pleasant Street, and tell City Council that Rockland needs robust ordinances to protect and support immigrants’ rights, and that the Council should not accept funding without a chance to review the terms. There are no zoom details yet, but if you email mill.ken@proton.me we will share them with you if they’re made available.

• 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. If you want your comments read aloud, you can request that. Written comments should be sent on Monday, June 2nd in order to be read aloud.

• Share a copy of whatever you’re sending to the group who is coordinating for strong policies in Rockland: mill.ken@proton.me

• Tell a friend and get them to attend or email as well!

• Make a donation to Presente! Maine,  Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition or Maine Immigrants’ Legal Advocacy Project.

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.

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, 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