By Tricia Ladd

By Tricia Ladd

After years of enjoying Taizé at a small church in the Caribbean, Philip Ladd brought this informal, meditative service to Islesboro. Taizé at Christ Church has become increasingly popular over the past three summers, host to a growing gathering of both summer and year-round residents. Three Taizé services will be held at Christ Church this summer, and all are invited to attend, regardless of faith. Mark your calendars for July 21st, August 12th, and September 9th from 5:00-5:30 p.m. It’s free and attire is casual.

Can you tell me a story?

Lots of us love listening to a good story. Story-telling is the oldest means of transferring values and culture, a wonderful community-building celebration, a skill that can be built with a few hints and a little practice.

Sharon Daley, a registered nurse and board vice president of The Beacon Project, an Islesboro eldercare nonprofit that runs the assisted living home Boardman Cottage, has dedicated her career to delivering health care to those without easy access and strengthening coastal and island communities through education and connection.

By Julia Staples

When I look back on where I started, I see a seven-year-old girl who simply loved horses. When I look at where I am now, I see someone who has been shaped by years of hard work, mentorship, and opportunity. Pripet Riding Program has given me more than riding lessons. It has given me confidence, purpose, knowledge, and a future I am excited about.

By Bruce Claflin

Perhaps it was 1980 (no one recalls the precise date) when Dana Mead, John Train, and Robert Rothschild, three well-read and accomplished residents, began hosting a small gathering to discuss matters of regional, national, and global interest. Inevitably, someone in the group would emerge as particularly knowledgeable, maybe even an expert on the subject of the day, leading the group to eventually ask, “Why don’t we leverage the people on this island and their networks of impressive contacts off-island, and open these discussions to the island as a whole?” That is how the Islesboro Forum began.

By Elizabeth Dyer, Island Institute Fellow

As we enter the beloved Summer season, filled with blooms and lush greenery returning after having rested through the quiet winter, I find myself thinking of the word that has become a regular part of my vocabulary as Island Institute Fellow: resilience.

Sylvia Randlett of Islesboro, Maine graduated summa cum laude from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine with double Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with degrees in Accounting and Management. Throughout her collegiate career, she maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society. Randlett also received the Accounting Award for earning the highest cumulative GPA in the accounting program. She is deeply grateful for the unwavering support, encouragement, and sense of community that made these accomplishments possible.

Isabelle Olson graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona on May 15th with a Bachelor of Arts in Music.  Isabelle plans to pursue a career in opera performance. Proud parents Melissa and Craig Olson were able to attend her Senior Recital in Tucson on May 3rd.

By Chloe Joule

Springtime is an active one on IIT trails and preserves! Everything is waking up and growing at such a rapid pace; Jack Taylor, IIT’s Preserve Steward, has his hands full keeping up with it all.

As you prepare to hit the trails this Spring and Summer, there are a few trail updates and tips we’d like you to know.

By Linda Gillies

The seventeenth bi-annual Islesboro Garden Day will be held on Monday, August 3rd, rain or shine. The tour will include properties belonging to Dianne and Kent Bein, Brita Holmquist Bonechi, Abby and Jeff Diggins, Topsy and Tom Gillespie, Sue Hatch and Tom Tutor, Ginny and John King, Islesboro Central School, the Alice L. Pendleton Library, and Jennifer and Philippe Selendy.

By Christina Noyes

Volunteering at Boardman Cottage is a beautiful way to share kindness, compassion, and connection with members of our community. For many residents, a friendly visit, a listening ear, or a shared activity can bring comfort, joy, and a sense of belonging. Your time can brighten someone’s day in meaningful ways and remind them that they are seen, valued, and not alone. In return, volunteers often find that they get just as much as they give – through new friendships, a deeper sense of purpose, and the simple gift of making a difference. Below are some of the many ways you can help.

By Katie Wuori

For 30 years, Big Tree Boating Sailing Program has been a beloved part of summer on Islesboro, creating opportunities for all to sail or to enjoy the entertainment from the shore. As the organization marks this milestone year, change is on the horizon, as founding board members Lindsey Higginson, Philip Ladd, Elaine Fiske, and Ken Smith retire after decades of dedication to the BTB program.

I first met Bruce Murkoff when he approached me about putting an ad in the paper to sell the property that he and his wife, Suzanne Caporael, had purchased five years ago. The three-acre property is home to an 1852 farmhouse and to a free-standing 2,000-square-foot studio that the couple themselves built. Caporael is an artist and Guggenheim Fellow with work in many private and public collections. Murkoff is a novelist and author of Waterborne and Red Rain. Despite their love for Islesboro and what they have built here, family draws them back to California.