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Featured Business of the Week!
Get in touch today by visiting https://www.stainedglassexpress.com or call (207) 213-4126
Local Events Happening This Week
Readfield
Every Dec Wed 10-11AM Big White Barn 169 South Rd. Readfield
Sun, Jan 4th 4-5PM
Tues, Jan 6th 10-11AM Readfield Community Library
Augusta
Lithgow Library. 45 Winthrop St. Augusta Fri, Jan 2nd 3PM family movie night. Fri, Jan 2nd 10:30 AM movie morning for littles. Mon, Jan 5th 3-4PM Intro to Thrillers reading group Mon, Jan 5th 6:30 PM Silent Reading Club Tues, Jan 6th 12-1PM Stitching Club Jan 6th 10-12PM Rear Window movie showing Wed, Jan 7th 6-7PM Speed Friending - make new friends Wed, Jan 7th 11-12PM Therapy Dog Social Hour for Adults Thur, Jan 8th 5:30PM French Social Hour Thur Jan 8th 6:00PM Acoustic Music Mixer Thur Jan 8th 6:30PM Spanish Social Hour
Wed, Jan 7th 10AM (every Wed morning) 209 Eastern Ave
Senior Cribbage: Ongoing daily card play sessions (12:30 PM–4:00 PM). Texas Hold’em Thur Jan 8th 12:30-4PM. Canadian Cribbage Fri, Jan 9 12:30-4PM PickleBall Mon&Fri 8-11AM. Knitting Group Every Mon 10-12PM (except holidays) Woodcarving 9-11AM every Tuesday (except holidays) Buker Community Center 22 Armory St.
Sun, Jan 11th 12-3:30PM. Tournament Game. Game On 198 Western Ave
Sun, Jan 4th 10:30-5PM Age of Sigmar 2K Event. Game On 198 Western Ave
Thur, Jan 8th 5:30PM Dungeons and Dragons New Lelian: Born from Calamity Event - Join today and reserve your spot Game On 198 Western Ave
Themed Workout Month to get through the bleakness of January, starting on Mon Jan 5th 5:30 RBF Studio 11 Oak St Augusta
Wed, Jan 7th Tarot Talk 5PM @ Merkaba Sol FREE event
Jan 9th-11th Northeast Motorsports Expo Augusta Civic Center
Youth biddy basketball Dec 6th-Jan31st Cony School
Fencing Club. Every Tues 5:30-6:30 PM Buker Gym
Indoor Soccer Camp. Grades 1st-6th Mon, Jan6th-March9th Buker Gym
Pottery Classes Jan 5-10. 133 Mount Vernon Ave. Check out website for hours and more info
KV Tennis Various pickleball and tennis classes open to the public. Check website for detailed info on hours and cost 23 Leighton Road
Martial Art Institute Various classes offered. Check their webpage for detailed info on hours, costs and classes Leighton Road
Manchester
Fri, Jan 9th & 16th 2-4:30 Learn how to fuse glass through this introductory course Stained Glass Express
Sat, Jan 10th 1:30-5:30 Bring a friend and have a fun day out learning glass on glass mosaics! Stained Glass Express
Every Tuesday 10-11AM Readfield Community Library
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Local Restaurants, Events, and Deals
DJ Coal Performing at Quarry Tap Room Jan 3rd-4th 9:30PM 122 Water St.
Josh Jam Performing at Easy Street Lounge Jan 4th 8PM-10PM 7 Front St
Local Outdoor Recreation
Ice Fishing Conditions, Tips and Info
Belgrade Lakes Region
From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Jason Seiders, Written 12-15-25
Late December
Stocked Brook Trout Ponds: This winter appears to be shaping up well in terms of ice conditions, although the December 19 rain will impact conditions. Many of these smaller trout ponds freeze up early because they're relatively small and sheltered. Most of these waters are heavily stocked with a variety of trout sizes, providing awesome opportunities for anglers of all ages. In addition to stocked brook trout, many of these waters have robust populations of bass, pickerel, perch, and other fish to keep the flags popping and the jig rods busy. Here's a list of some great brook trout opportunities across the region:
Levenseller Pond (Searsmont)
Tolman Pond (Rockport)
Knight Pond (Lincolnville)
Ross Pond (Bristol)
Kaler Pond (Waldoboro)
Maces Pond (Rockport)
McGrath Pond (Oakland)
Hosmer Pond (Camden)
Brettuns Pond (Livermore)
Round Pond (Livermore)
Pinkham Pond (Alna)
Sewell Pond (Arrowsic)
Charles Pond (Georgetown)
Caesar Pond (Bowdoin)
Early January
Flying Pond (Vienna): Flying Pond is a gem in this region of the state. It has an incredible smelt population that supports the growth of salmon and brown trout. We measured some really nice fish during our fall survey, and those fish are still swimming! Lots of salmon around 20 inches, and brown trout up to six pounds. Flying Pond also receives a good number of brook trout, and the bass fishing can be incredible.
Parker Pond (Fayette, Vienna): The Parker Pond salmon fishery has improved a bit in recent years and it's definitely worth a shot when the ice gets safe. Our recent work on Parker showed good numbers of salmon between 16-20 inches, and we stock a decent number of brook trout for the ice fishing season. White perch numbers have increased in Parker Pond over the last several years, so it's a great place to target some panfish for fun or table fare.
Swan Lake (Swanville): This will be the second ice fishing season open to no size or bag limit on lake trout on Swan Lake. To all the anglers that harvested lake trout here last winter – thank you……..but we need more! Our surveys this summer revealed that we need more lake trout harvested if we're to see improved fish quality and the return of a stable salmon stocking program. Lake trout condition is definitely better than it was a few years ago, and we've been able to stock a small number of salmon now that we're seeing a return in the smelt population. These lake trout are definitely worth the trip with many fish in the 16-23 inch range, and much more robust than they were just a few years ago. Anglers may also find some occasional bigger fish; some pushing 30-inches long. With your help we hope to have more large-size fish in the near future – harvest helps alleviate competition for food and habitat when fish populations are too high.
Fishing tip: I can't emphasize this enough – if you're fishing for brook trout, stay shallow! You are far more likely to encounter brook trout when you fish in water depths of 5-feet or less. Additionally, keep your tackle and bait relatively small. Don't try fishing for brook trout with hooks meant for largemouth bass. A size 6 hook with a small piece of worm or nightcrawler will work great. If you really want some fun, try jigging with a small spoon or jig tipped with a tiny piece of worm. Often times you'll see the brook trout approach your lure and watch the fish hit.
