Winter is in full swing, and that means heating season is here as well. For many families on Mt. Desert Island and its surrounding communities, paying for that heat can be a struggle. That’s the precise reason The Neighborhood House and our friends at Harbor House Community Service Center teamed up to form the MDI Community Campfire Coalition. The mission is simple—provide heating assistance to families on MDI, the Cranberry Isles, and Swan’s Island.

Girls are invited to grab their dancing shoes, along with dad, grandad, or any other "father figure," and join us on Friday, Feb. 8 for our annual Sweetheart Valentine Dance.

The evening will include music, dancing, hors d'oeuvres, lots of sweets, party favors, and fun! Festivities get underway at 6pm. Tickets are $20 per "couple," and just $10 for extra guests. Payments can be made at the door, but space is limited, so please give us a call to RSVP or for any questions at 276-5039 or via email.

Already wildly popular, the Community Cafe luncheons continues to grow in numbers and attract new faces at lunch. Unfortunately, not everyone can get away from work to join us for lunch, which is why once again this year, Les and the crew from Island Towing & Auto Repair have stepped in to sponsor a special nighttime Community Cafe.

Great news! Instructor Mike Bouscaren will be offering a couple of installments of Passive Yoga Stretch and Divine Play Yoga in January and February! Grab your Calendar and mark down the following:

Wrapping Up A Fantastic 2018

With a whole lot of help, we managed to pack plenty of fun into just twelve months. There's a much needed emphasis on "revitalization" within our community as of late, and we're happy to report that there's more happening at The Neighborhood House now than at any point in its 100+ year history.

Get your New Year started right by joining The Neighborhood House and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for the first Community Cafe of 2019 on Thursday, January 3. Lunch gets underway at 11:30 and will run until 1:00pm. The suggested donation is just $7, and as always, seniors are invited to join us “on the house.”

On Wednesday, December 19, The Neighborhood House and Northeast Harbor Library welcomed the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers to Northeast Harbor in what has become a highly anticipated holiday tradition. This free all ages performance attracted a packed house for the hilarious take on the Dr. Seuss classic.

If you’ve been practicing for years or are looking to begin practice— JOIN US! This all levels yoga class will offer slow flows to warm the body, draw attention to the breath and bring relaxed energy to take with you into the world.

On Sunday evening, December 15, people from across MDI gathered in Northeast Harbor to hit the water aboard the Sunbeam V. Most people know the Sunbeam as the vessel operated by the Maine Seacoast Mission, providing invaluable services to the outer islands that dot our coastline. On this particular evening, however, the crew of Sunbeam V were charged with a completely new and unique task— offering an on-the-water Christmas Lights tour.

Be sure to stop by The Neighborhood House on Thursday, December 20 when Chris Parsons Building & Remodeling will generously be sponsoring the Community Cafe. Heading into he depths of winter, there’s no better way to warm up than with a steaming hot bowl of chowder, and that’s just what Chris and our tremendous group of volunteers are going to provide.

Starting Tuesday, January 8, join The Neighborhood House and instructor Suzie James for a four week “Total Body Conditioning” class. Classes meet Tuesday mornings from 8:45 to 9:45.

Instructor Mike Bouscaren will be offering another installment of Passive Yoga Stretch (see below for description) on Tuesday, December 11th from 4:30 to 5:00 PM in the Great Hall. A session of Divine Play Yoga will also be offered the following morning, December 12, from 8:30 to 9:30am