Photo Credits: J Grenier

Monson Collaborative

OUR MISSION: To bring together and promote Monson businesses and organizations in support of outdoor recreation, the arts and food tourism.

OUR VISION: Monson is at the frontier of the North Woods, known for its natural beauty, outdoor recreation, food and arts. It is fueled by a collaborative, welcoming community that nurtures its cultural heritage, ingenuity, and resilience while preserving its family friendly small town charm.

ANNUAL EVENTS

January 1st
New Year’s Day Celebration

Snow Roller Day

Saturday, February 21st

Monson Collaborative Entrepreneur Expo

Saturday, June 13, 2026 4-6pm at the Monson Gym

Nosin’ Round Monson

Saturday, June 6 12pm-5pm

Explore local businesses, connect with the community, and discover what makes Monson special! Look for the red noses around town!

Sign up for the newsletter!

To sign up for the Collaborative newsletter to be emailed to you, please enter your email address. They will add you to the list and send out all the information on upcoming events in the Town of Monson!

UPCOMING EVENTS!!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are looking for volunteers to help with the Town Yard Sale in September. Duties would include helping to set up the event during the week before, being available that weekend (September 11th-13th) to help with sales, and clean-up of the remaining items when the yard sale is over. Please contact the Town Office at 997-3641 if you are interested in helping out.

Also, we are look for donations of items for the yard sale! Smaller items can be dropped off to the Monson Town Office. Arrangements can be made for pick up of larger items if necessary. Call the Town Office with any questions or to make arrangements at 997-3641.

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Summer Concert Series- The Lakeshore House - Sundays 3-6pm- August 2nd with Guilty As Charged, August 9th with New Realm, August 16th with Smoke & Mojo, August 23 with Just Honey and August 30th with Sweet Wednesday. Snag a chair, grab a drink, and enjoy live music by the lake all summer long!

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Local Summer Camps

  • AMC Art Week - August 3-7 - Monson Arts - Register with Appalachian Mountain Club (details coming)

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Open Mic Storytelling - Turning Page Farm - Friday, August 7th at 5pm and Saturday, August 29th. Bring a story to share or simply come listen. Everyone is welcome for an evening of laughter, memories, and community.

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Community Dances at Finn Hall - Finnish Farmers Club 467 Tenney Hill Rd - 7pm each night on August 1st, 15th, and 29th. Put on your dancing shoes and join the Finnish Farmers Club for an evening of music, dancing, and community.

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Farm-to-Table Dinner - Turning Page Farm - Friday, August 14th - Enjoy a special evening celebrating local food, fresh ingredients, and community.

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AMC Summer Educational Programs - Monson Public Library - Friday, August 14th and Friday, August 21st - 1-2pm - August 14th is Wabanaki Animal Names. August 21st is Nature Mandala. Programs are hands-on, family-friendly, and a great way to connect kids with nature and local ecology.

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Live Music at Turning Page Farm - Saturday, August 15th at 5pm with Colin Beckett. Saturday, August 22nd at 3pm with Troy Youngblood. Sunday, August 23rd at 3pm with Barbara Dumont.

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Book Club - Monson Public Library - 4pm - August 27th- My Friends by Fredrik Backman. Come join us for a thoughtful, relaxed discussion - all readers welcome, even if you didn’t quite finish the book!

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Trivia Time! at Turning Page Farm - Friday, August 28th 5-7pm - Bring your brainpower (or just your sense of humor). Come solo or with a team - either way, its guaranteed fun!

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Small Business Opportunity - $100,000 grant available for development in town-owned buildings (Potential projects: Blue Goose, gym kitchen). Contact the Monson Collaborative for more information at monsoncollaborative@gmail.com

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Graduates - A grant opportunity from the Maine Resource Recovery Association could help fund your next adventure - definitely worth a look! More information at https://www.mrcmaine.org

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Get Involved!

Interested in getting more involved in the town? Join one of our local volunteer committees:

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COMING SOON!

We’re starting a Monson Wood Bank and could use a few extra hands. Fully volunteer run - cutting and splitting wood for those in need. Serving Monson, Blanchard, and surrounding communities. Volunteers needed!! Reach out to get involved and help keep neighbors warm. Contact John Wentworth at johnewentworth@gmail.com

ONGOING EVENTS

Monday and Tuesday - Monson Health Center Saving Smiles is moving to Monson! Dental Hygiene Services Monday and Tuesday. Call 814-8109 to schedule your appointment.

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, during Library hours - Check out summer gear such as bikes and helmets. See flyer on our website www.monsonmelibrary.org. For further information, call 997-3476 or email monsonmelibrary@gmail.com

Tuesday - 5pm-8pm - Friendly cribbage at the Lakeshore House

Thursday 5:00pm - 8:00pm - Open Mic night at the Lakeshore House

Fourth Thursday of each month - 4:30pm Monson Public Library Book Club - Join us for a thoughtful, relaxed discussion - all readers welcome, even if you didn’t quite finish the book.

Second Thursday of each month - 6pm - Selectboard Meeting at the Town Office.

Fridays- 5:30pm - 9:00pm - Moore Building - Monson Jammers. Join to listen or to play!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 11am - 1pm -Cheese tastings of featured cheese of the month, Monson Gallery Store.

First Friday of each month, 4-6pm - Meet the Artist and Wine Tasting Event, Monson Gallery Store.

Sunday- 3pm - 6pm - Turning Page Farm- Unplug & Connect - Unplug from your phones and screens and join your friends, family, and community in board games, card games, and conversation. Reconnecting has been proven to improve happiness, mental health, and strengthen communities; plus, its loads of fun!!

MONSON COLLABORATIVE NEWSLETTERS

To sign up to automatically receive the monthly newsletter, we will be providing a link SOON!

2024

2025

2026

Who Are We?

An umbrella organization including representatives from town government, the Beautification Committee, Library, Business Association, Historical Society and local businesses. Our goal is to bring vitality to the downtown by supporting the needs of our community with the guiding principles of Main Street America, using the four-point approach.

Photo: J Grenier

This monthly newsletter is to share upcoming events and ask for community input. Have an event or happening you want to share? Send us an email and we’ll include it in our next Monson Collaborative Newsletter! monsoncollaborative@gmail.com

2024 Entrepeneur Expo Grant Winners

Friends of a Fierce Chase Officially a non-profit, the Fierce Chase trails offer 24-hour access to miles of maintained trails year-round, great for cross-country skiing, hiking, ATVing, and much more. By winning the expo grant, they have raised $3000 of the $10,000 they need to secure a $50,000 grant they will use to maintain trails year-round. To donate time or money, contact John Chase at friendsofafiercechase@gmail.com

JayBird Design Woodworking business on Pleasant Street that makes handmade guitars, cutting boards, bowls, and custom furniture. Check out their instagram and contact Jason here.

 

Kelly Forge Local blacksmith business with over ten years of experience in blacksmithing. Contact Zach at lorindamartin27@gmail.com for custom orders like home decor, knives and hooks, key chains, coat racks, and much more.

 

Leapin Lena's New business on Pleasant Street that will soon offer food and lodging for hikers and the public. Expecting to open in mid-June. Contact Adalena for more information. 

 

Rest Day Sauna Group and private saunas are now available to the public in a hand-built 12-person sauna. Contact Jeneve and book your sauna here.

Please join us in congratulating these local entrepreneurs!

The Superior Service Heating & Cooling van arrived at The Lily Cat the morning of June 19 to install a heat pump funded in part by a Monson Collaborative grant. (2023)

Install Arrival

Entrepreneur Grant Success Stories

Installation

Martin Landry prepares the wall inside The Lily Cat, where the interior portion of the heat pump will go. (2023)

Kelly and Martin Landry work outside to install the heat pump at The Lily Cat June 19. (2023)

The combination of a leaky roof and no heat left an ice slick on the stairs inside The Lily Cat Antiques building during the winter of 2021. (2023)

Roof leak

Photo credit: J. Billings

Lily Cat Antiques - 2023 Recipient

Lily Cat Antiques is first to complete grant project.

The heat is on!

That phrase isn’t just a line from a well-known and catchy tune by Glenn Frey. It also represents the completion of a project funded in part by a $3,000 grant from the Monson Collaborative. The Lily Cat: North Woods Antiques & Buttons was one of five organizations to be awarded a grant by popular vote at an Entrepreneur Expo May 6, 2023. 

On June 19 of the same year, contractors Martin and Kelly Landry of Superior Service Heating & Cooling in Hudson installed a heat pump at The Lily Cat, making this the first completed grant project. They were assisted by electricians Antony Lancisi and Josh Blanchard of Levesque Energy in Guilford.

The total cost of the heat pump, which provides both heating and cooling, was $6,000, said Johanna S. Billings, who co-owns the antique shop with her husband, Sean. A $1,500 rebate from Efficiency Maine also helped. The couple covered the remainder of the cost themselves. The new heating system is just big enough to cover the first floor. The second floor, however, needs to be insulated and, eventually, will need its own unit. Still, a heat source for the first floor is a boost to The Lily Cat. The building previously had no heating system whatsoever, Johanna said.

“There’s an old furnace in the crawl space,” she said, “but a sticker says it was last inspected in 1989. We saw that and said, ‘Nope. We’re not going to try turning that thing on.’” Besides, Sean said, all the ductwork had been ripped out.

This is The Lily Cat’s third season. The Billingses, who are lifelong collectors and dealers, bought the shuttered Moosehead Trail Antiques in December 2020 after they saw a “for sale” sign in front of it. “Sean turned to me and said, ‘So, do you want to run an antique shop?’" Johanna said. "I thought he was kidding.” After the purchase, Johanna spent the winter cleaning out and wholesaling off the contents, most of which was furniture and hardware. Sean, who works full time as an engineer, found time to replace all the interior lighting and added more. He also installed railings on both sides of the stairs, repaired the front window and painted trim, among other things. The new owners also had the leaking roof replaced.

“At one point, we had water running down the stairs and freezing,” Johanna said.

Because there was no heat, the couple dressed in layers and relied on space heaters to warm their hands every so often. 

“I bought boots in a size too big so that I could wear them with three pairs of socks,” Johanna said.

Having no heat forced The Lily Cat to operate on a seasonal basis. Because of the grant, it may be possible for them to open earlier in the year and stay open later. If nothing else, now the owners can stay warm when bringing in new merchandise and setting up displays off season.

Both Sean and Johanna thanked the Monson Collaborative and the people who voted for their project.

“We couldn’t have done it without that money,” Sean said.