DAMARISCOTTA — The drawing for the 2022 Fish Ladder Raffle Quilt will take place on Labor Day. Tickets are still available at Skidompha Library at 184 Main St., which also is where the quilt is on display.

The quilt was created and donated by Betty Lu Brydges. Three of the squares are designs by local artist John Whalley that have appeared on Alewife T-shirts, and the other squares show St. Patrick’s Church, birds at the Fish Ladder and the historic houses of Damariscotta Mills. All proceeds from the raffle will go towards the Bridge the Gap campaign to replace the ailing foot bridge that is an essential part of the Fish Ladder walkways, according to a news release from the Damariscotta Mills Alewife Festival Committee.

More than a million alewives, a herring-family fish, call Damariscotta Lake their “home town” and every spring they swim, jump and splash up the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder to spawn. The fish ladder, a series of 69 gradually ascending pools, has been rebuilt over the past 15 years to become an inspiring example of how people can aid and co-exist with the natural environment.

The Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration Project is a community-based effort in collaboration with the Towns of Nobleboro, Newcastle, and the Nobleboro Historical Society.

For alternative ways to purchase raffle tickets, or to stay in touch with this year’s festival and fish ladder happenings, open and bookmark damariscottamills.org.

Check out other upcoming area events!