Bisi Cameron Yee

The dining hall at the historic Auburn Colony in South Harpswell overflowed with members on a Wednesday evening in July. A breeze off Casco Bay ruffled the sheer white curtains. There was an energy in the air, a buzz of anticipation.

A new coloring book for all ages features landmarks and wildlife from throughout Harpswell, each page hand-drawn by an illustrator who grew up on the islands.

The boathouse on Bailey Island is dark and cold. A couple of long, wooden kayaks coated in dust are pushed to the side behind a stack of lobster traps. Johnny Berchtold kneels in a pool of light, trying to ignite an old tin heater. He looks up and peers into threatening shadows, then turns his attention back to the task at hand.

The wind off Garrison Cove was wicked on New Year's Day. The temperature on Bailey Island was in the low 20s, with a wind chill that made it feel like single digits. The sun had set by 4:15 p.m., and the temperature continued to drop in the cold blue of evening.

Carols were sung, love letters written, and chimneys descended during a holiday celebration at Centennial Hall in Harpswell Center on Saturday, Dec. 6. Harpswell Community Theater and the Harpswell Garden Club put on the event, which included the variety show "Tis a Night in Harpswell" and a traditional tree-lighting ceremony.

The Theater Project's Young Company put on "Frankenstein," playwright Dorothy Louise's adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel, from Nov. 7-16 to coincide with the release of a new film adaptation directed by Guillermo del Toro. The Brunswick nonprofit helps children and adults build skills and express themselves through theater.

Georgetown's Seguinland Institute, at 16 years old, is coming of age with a new generation of young people who are searching for a less traditional path after high school.