NORTH HAVEN — Waterman’s Community Center, on this island 12 miles distant and an hour’s ferry ride from the mainland, has become a central institution in the ten years since it was founded in 2003.
The nonprofit center is busy all year long with after-school, pre-school and summer programs for youth; senior activities; theater, dance and music productions; movies, art exhibits, presentations, author talks and workshops. Folks can drop in to get an honor-system cup of coffee, pastry, a hit of Wifi and a game of Ping-Pong.
On a recent day, children decorated gingerbread houses. Last August, it hosted the world premiere of the musical “Red Eye of Love,” mounted by a Broadway producer with connections to the community.
There are computer classes and robotics programs, community luncheons, parent-free evenings for kids and, of course, concerts by the Toughcats, the island’s resident indie-Americana rock trio of banjo, resonator guitar and drums. The center includes a 134-seat theater, sound and lighting equipment, community room, coffee shop, and classroom and meeting space.
North Haven—350 year-round residents, but triple that population in the summer—is home to the smallest school district in Maine. It is one of three islands (including Vinalhaven and Islesboro) to have a K-12 school. Lobster fishing and service-oriented business play important roles in North Haven’s economy. The community was the subject of the Broadway musical “Islands,” and it was a stopover for Charles and Anne Lindbergh on their way to visit her parents who had an estate there, and en route to at least one pioneering flight.
The community center got its start when the family-operated Waterman’s General Store, in the same location, shut down.
“My generation remembers buying penny candy at the counter from Franklin Waterman,” said the center’s executive director, Christie Hallowell.
In many ways, said Hannah Pingree, president of the center’s executive committee, the store served as a de facto community center, where folks would congregate and grab a cup of Joe.
After the store closed, the building was vacant for several years.
“People started to say, ‘We need something in town,'” Pingree said. Folks raised funds to buy the building, but it proved hard to renovate, so it was torn down. The new building, designed to resemble a store outside, is now operated under the auspices of the nonprofit fundraising entity North Haven Arts and Enrichment. Two year-round staffers run a full slate of events and programs.
“This is a really nice facility that has got a lot of use, and I think it’s helped attract and keep families on the island,” said Pingree, who added that she had just come from the center’s holiday party and tree-lighting ceremony. “There’s something going on every minute and in every room, on many weekdays.”
Hallowell values the center for its social role.
“I think it’s turned into a really wonderful bedrock of the community,” she said. “It’s in the center of town. We try to have programs for all age groups and interests. And we’re always trying to think of something new and exciting to do within the needs of the community. Even small communities need interesting and exciting things to do, and that’s what we try to provide.”
The preschool/after-school programs are important elements, noted Hallowell, who recalled a moment that occurred before she took the executive director position: She noticed a mother taking her child in for preschool.
“And I thought, ‘That is such a big deal,’ not just for the child, but for the family, to know there’s a safe, stimulating, fun place to bring your children, where they get to interact with other children.”
The executive committee is currently updating its strategic plan, to assess current and potential usage.
“We’re really proud of what we’ve done,” said Pingree. “I think most parts of the community participate in one way or another. We feel very lucky that the community center has become a gathering place.”
Hallowell summed it up. “I feel that involvement in community—not to be overdramatic—is what’s going to save the world. People interacting with their neighbors is really important, and Waterman’s is a place for that to happen.”