It's Bill, 6/7/26: Lubec Socializes

The Lubec Garden Club Comes to West Quoddy Station

Lubec socializing blooms with the return of warm spring weather and our summer residents. Flowers are a true harbinger of spring as The Lubec Garden Club readies for their 2026 season.

I joined the Lubec Garden Club (LGC) a few years ago while visiting a mid-summer plant sale on South Lubec Road. Festive and fun, complete with tent tables, wine and beer, hors d’oeuvres, raffle tickets, and, of course, a sign-up table for new members. Encouraged by Patricia, I signed up for us. We had a definite good time strolling about donated plants with a glass of Pinot Grigio on a warm summer day. Smiling, we loaded the truck.

About a month ago, I was contacted by Mary Kate from the LGC about hosting a LGC Social. Mary Kate and Tim are friends of my neighbor, Terrence. We had met in January while they were considering West Quoddy Station as a possible venue for their daughter’s 2027 wedding. I was delighted to be considered for the LGC’s Spring Social and happily accepted. The date was May 29, 4 PM. I offered my best lodging, The Crews Quarters, closest to the ocean with excellent lighthouse views of Lubec, Eastport, and Campobello. The CQ has a cathedral-style exposed post-and-beam framed interior with a 50-foot deck.

The Crews Quarters showed its best colors to 20–25 members of The Lubec Garden Club from 4–6 PM. The weather was clear but a bit nippy, too cool to go out on the 50-foot deck with the best ocean and lighthouse views. Tim set up a fine bar in the kitchen, providing me with my favorite, Prosecco. Mary Kate greeted our guests. Patricia and I circulated, wearing our WQS fleeces, meeting new friends and old. I enjoyed myself being a guest at my own place. Thank you, Tim, Mary Kate, and The Lubec Garden Club.

Remembering the Early Days of Marine Research

Saturday, May 31, at 2 PM, The Lubec Memorial Library hosted a talk with the three founding employees of the West Quoddy Marine Research Center (WQMRC), founded in 1981. Robin Gautier, Melissa Lee, and Holly Garner-Jackson shared their adventures, anecdotes, and memories. They came from different parts of the country, never having been in Maine before. The community immediately welcomed and helped them. They met their husbands here and settled.

John Delaney, who was at WQMRC in 1985, donated his framed articles from the 1980s to me at WQS. John designed the original sign that is hanging in the Meetinghouse. The articles were on display at the talk.

Historic articles and photographs from the early years of the West Quoddy Marine Research Center were on display during the library presentation.

A Literary Tribute to Friends

The Lubec Brewing Co. and the Lubec Chapter of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance (I’m a member) will host a Literary Tribute to J.D. Rule and Sineidin O’Niall at the brewery on Water Street in Lubec. There will be readings and reminiscences from 12–2 PM, followed by a music tribute from 2–5 PM.

This will be good for our souls as we remember our friends where they were often found, sharing a pint. Sláinte’. We’ll be there.