The past year has been an eventful one to say the least. Although gatherings and activities have continued to look a little different than in the past, the pandemic certainly hasn’t dampened the sense of enthusiasm and community spirit that fills The Neighborhood House. We are truly excited to see what 2022 has in store and look forward to new programs and lots of reasons to celebrate.

There were plenty of highlights over the course of the past year, but a few of our favorites included:

The return of an “in person” Bike Parade and Ice Cream Social in late July. Our

Over the fall, thanks to Health & Fitness Director Andrea Lepcio, our fitness class offerings expanded.

The “Treat Truck” made its way around Mount Desert on Halloween spreading candy and cheer to ghouls and gobblins of all ages.

• The gym reopened to the public in June! We still have a face covering policy due to the high transmission rates, but here are lots of folks who were excited to get back into the gym and stay active.

• Thanks to some wonderful volunteer coaches and helpers, Youth Soccer and Basketball safely returned to help keep kiddos active and entertained.

• The Ellsworth Bridge Club began gathering here one afternoon a week throughout the summer and into the fall, welcoming lots of new faces to our building.

• Summer days were filled with drop-in arts and crafts programs, dance classes, outdoor adventures and more for kiddos from around our community.

• Thanks to some generous private support, an ambitious upgrade to the lighting took place in the Great Hall. This greatly needed improvement will make evening evening events and gatherings much more pleasant. The energy efficient LED fixtures will truly transform the space (more on that coming in the New Year).

• The Neighborhood House Board of Directors took over the kitchen to serve up a gourmet picnic-style dinner during our first “Bash in a Bag!”

• Our “takeout” style Community Cafe is back and as popular as ever. Thanks to some amazing volunteers we’ve got this whole takeout thing down and regularly serve over 150 lunches to guests from all across MDI.

• We were able to welcome back the Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music for live concerts in July and August after a hiatus the previous summer.

• The “Frosty 5K” was back and served as the perfect way to kick off the Northeast Harbor Christmas Festival in early December.