OUT Maine hosted its 12th annual Rainbow Ball Weekend in May at Camp Wavus on Damariscotta Lake. As the first time with OUT Maine hosting, in partnership with Camp Kieve-Wavus, the event drew 150 LGBTQ youth from around the state, and 50 supportive adults, according to a news release from OUT Maine.

Youth arrived Friday afternoon and created a two-hour talent show. Saturday saw a variety of optional workshops on sex education, healthy relationships, creative writing, artful expression, life after high school, transgender health and queer history/social justice work. The capstone was an LGBTQ safe prom on Saturday night, with 300 gowns and jackets donated, a red carpet, and a volunteer professional photographer.

Rainbow Ball Weekend workshop presenters came to Camp Wavus from around the state to teach workshops to the students and adults. Presenters included Sarah Hurley, NP, of Wiscasset Family Medicine; Kat Zachary, of Mt. Blue High School; Gabe O’Brien, of Healthy Acadia; Sarah Adkins, of the Department of Education; Karen Hight , of Damariscotta; Kaylee Wolf, Shane Diamond and Sultana Khan, all of Portland; Madison Kushner, of Rockland; Cynthia Turcotte, of Litchfield; and Emily Cantillo, of Walpole.

Event volunteers and advisors went way above and beyond to make this weekend special, especially Jess Richter from KWE Inc; Cynthia Turcotte, of Applewald Farm; Steven Scoville, of Cony High School; Lin Gould, of Mount Desert Island Regional High School; and Merri-Ella and Charles Greenberg, of Mount View High School, according to the release.

Event sponsors included The First National Bank, of Damariscotta; Applewald Farm, of Litchfield; Osteopathic Healthcare of Maine, of Falmouth; Nellie Mae Education Foundation Inc., of Quincy, Mass.; Higher Ground Services, of Brewer; Mabel Wadsworth Center, of Bangor; Cumberland Farmers’ Market Association, of Cumberland; and Wildflours Gluten-Free Bakery, of Brunswick.

Individual supporting partners included Kathryn Porter, Clara Porter, Elie Trubert, Michelle Rediker, Marty Jones, Liza Hays, Judy Cohen, Ralph Moore Jr. and Bridget Buck, Carole Ellen Wieske, Elizabeth Banwell, Lois-Ann Kuntz, Maude and John March, Debora Lozito, Sara Foster, James Zoller, Seth Greg Tinder, Sammy Sandler, Jennifer and Donald Brandt, Susan and Deborah Haggstrom Cressler, Bonita Rodden, Betsy Parsons, Julie Meltzer, Tim Atkinson, Nicholas Syrett, Tracy Harrington, Katherine Wilkins, David and Marcia Trudgen, Marc Chadbourne, Daniel Crewe, Deborah Hitchings, Andrew Bossie, Susan Mayne, Krista Tolman, Susan Wind, Emily Cantillo, Van Laliberte, Andrew Cantillo, Tammy Plummer, Sue and Ralph Erickson, Linda Gould, Susan Sullivan, Wiscasset Family Medicine, Frank Brooks, Louise McIlhenny, Ned Kane, Ronnie Weston and Nina Hollon.

The event also was made possible by many disco donors, and community members who donated (and repaired) formal wear, makeup and jewelry for the pop-up boutique.

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