With less than two months until Election Day, the Boothbay Region and Southport Democratic Committees celebrated summer's end and campaign season's beginning with a Family Picnic at Boothbay Common on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The event included a free lunch of freshly grilled burgers and hot dogs, music from local musicians and a raffle to help raise money for the organization. The summer has kept volunteers busy driving candidates to events, canvassing door to door, and organizing letter-writing campaigns, with more duties cropping up as the election draws closer.

“A lot of people didn’t know there was a local Democratic chapter, so we’re trying to get a little bit of exposure,” explained Lucian Laurie, Boothbay Region Democratic Committee chair. 

During the picnic, this included handing out flyers, bumper stickers and road signs for the presidential and local elections. The blue-swathed crowd was keen on the accessories with the Harris-Walz road signs running out in the first half hour. 

Rep. Holly Stover (Maine House District 48) and Senator Cameron Reny (Maine Senate District 13) made speeches. Both are running for re-election. And Evan Goodkowsky, who is currently campaigning unopposed for a county commissioner seat, also spoke with voters. 

Goodkowsky said he was impressed with the consistent organization the Lincoln County Democratic Committees have demonstrated in planning and attending events, from their float at this year’s Windjammer Days to the picnic. These opportunities have allowed him to spend time in the community while learning as much as he can about the commissioner position so he can “hit the ground running” in January. 

Goodkowsky’s sense of energy was mirrored by attendees and passing motorists who frequently honked. Most attendees interviewed attributed the buzz in the air to Kamala Harris’ recent takeover as the Democratic presidential nominee from incumbent Joe Biden. 

“There has been a palpable shift amongst a lot of the doors I've been knocking on. Older people, younger people, middle of the road. People are a lot more engaged in this process than they were before,” said Cameron Reny. 

Anyone interested in learning more about the organization or volunteer opportunities can contact Laurie at dem.chair.23@gmail.com