September 20, 2026

Volume 6, Issue 9

"Beautiful pictures! Thank you for showcasing a vital industry in our community. Thank you for your professional support and coverage of our sprawling waterfront in all of our town. We're quite spread out geographically and it hasn't always been represented equally. The Anchor has done that! Thank you. Your coverage has breadth and depth! Very professional! We are so very fortunate to have your publication in our little town."



 — a reader commenting on our special report on the lobster industry

Dear friend,

As I write this, I feel brisk wind coming through my window and can spy tiny hints of orange on the leaves of the maple trees in my yard. Fall must be coming!**

We have had yet another wonderful summer season at the Anchor.

We met many of you at our merchandise tables at the Elijah Kellogg Church barn sale, many of the Bandstand by the Sea Thursday night concerts and the Harpswell Garden Club’s Fall Fest this past weekend.

We provided an eight-page special report on the lobster industry in our September newspaper — parts of which have been republished by the Bangor Daily News and The Working Waterfront.

We welcomed 24 new advertisers to the paper and began offering online ads on our website for local businesses.

And, as always, our reporters and photographers were out in the community, documenting everything that goes on in our little coastal town.

I hope you have had a lovely summer as well.

In this issue of Behind the Scenes, I’m including two ideas for our readers and local businesses to engage with the Anchor.

As always, I welcome any feedback or questions you might have.

Cheers –

-- Janice Thompson

Founder and Director of Development and Operations, Harpswell Anchor

**I wrote this a few days ago -- today it's rainy and cold!

Harpswell Anchor: always free and nonprofit,

thanks to philanthropic support from our community.

The Anchor Honors Veterans

We are planning to dedicate a special section of the November issue of the Anchor to Harpswell residents who have served their country in honor of Veterans Day.



Are you a veteran, or do you know of someone in our town who is a veteran? If so, please let us know by using this form. (Note: the veteran can be living or passed)

Seeking Harpswell Businesses to Sponsor This Year’s NewsMatch!

Do you own a Harpswell business or do you know of someone who does? If so, please consider sponsoring our 2026 NewsMatch fundraising appeal.

The Harpswell Anchor is published by a nonprofit organization, and over half of our annual budget is composed of tax-deductible donations from our generous readers.

Every year we focus our fundraising during the months of November and December.

The reason this appeal is called “NewsMatch” is because every donation received during that time is matched, dollar for dollar, by a national grant and — more importantly — sponsorships from Harpswell businesses, large and small.

We feature these businesses in all of our fundraising materials (the appeal letters themselves, as well as the print newspaper, notifications on the website, Facebook/Instagram, etc.) as well as in a “house ad” published in every newspaper during the months of 2027.

These sponsorships create a multiplier effect. When our readers see the long list of local businesses who are supporting our fundraising efforts, they are more apt to make donations themselves.

Here are the very generous Harpswell businesses who have already signed up:

Leadership Sponsors ($2,500):

*R.A. Webber

*Safe Harbor Marina

Sustaining Sponsors ($1,000):

*Log Cabin Inn

 *The Holbrook Store 

*Safe Harbor Property Management  

Community Sponsors ($250):

Please help us make this list even longer! The bigger the list, the more donors these sponsors attract.

For more information, respond to this email.

Thank you in advance!

Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson

What are we doing well? Where can we improve? Our new reader feedback form is now active, and we are receiving some excellent observations! We always want to hear from you. Click here to send us your thoughts.

The Anchor is YOUR paper, and our community makes it happen! Please consider getting involved by:

• Submitting events for our calendar (for nonprofit organizations only);
• Suggesting story ideas;
• Taking out a free classified ad;
• Offering to volunteer with our Kedgers group; (email Janice);
• Purchasing Anchor merchandise;
• Requesting that a paper be mailed to an out-of-town address;
• Writing a Letter to the Editor;
• Making a tax-deductible gift;
• Taking out a sponsored ad in the paper or our website; and
• Liking us on Facebook.

THANK YOU!!!