In early Hub days, we had the luck to work closely with Brittany Sampson, who we simply called “B.” A veteran community organizer and deep of heart, so many of her insights have followed me along in this work: they are road markers that I tend to go back to when I...
Hub Happenings in the Milan / Berlin / Gorham Region
Previous Events
The Village Fires Still Burn
In “The Layers,” beloved poet laureate Stanley Kunitz writes, “When I look behind, / as I am compelled to look / before I can gather strength / to proceed on my journey, / I see the milestones dwindling / toward the horizon / and the slow fires trailing…” A seminal...
One Vast Glowiing Empty Page: Spring 2025
I saw that my life was one vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted. -Jack Kerouac There’s a special kind of magic that bubbles up when the opportunity to tap into pure possibility arises. All too often, we see the borders of our realities as...
I’m Going to Show Up
Sometimes, community building can feel overwhelming. Observing our communities, the dire needs alongside the diversity of belief systems and ideologies, it really can feel like there’s no way to find a seat at the table for everybody. Yet, a key tenet of the work we...
The Hoping Machine
The Father of Folk, Woody Guthrie, says “...about all a human being is, anyway, is just a hoping machine.” It’s no accident that hope followed on the heels of calamity and terror when Pandora opened that infamous box. Hope is what gets us up in the morning and keeps...
Arcana: Art Show at The Three Sisters
What began as a passion project among friends became a true example of creating a shared experience across a wide variety of community members. Local metalsmith Laura Jamison and sometimes artist, mostly community builder Mandy Bernd collaborated on an interactive...
Berlin Porchfest 2023
This event draws from the collective efforts and contributions of many to provide an experience for all. Berlin’s 2nd annual PorchFest was held on September 22, 2023. From 4 in the afternoon until 10 in the evening....
Trunk or Treat, Milan and Berlin 2023
Mandy participated in two Trunk or Treating events during the Halloween Season. Berlin Elementary School’s PTO hosted their Trunk or Treat at the Heritage Park in Berlin on October 24th. Milan’s Recreation Department hosted another at Milan Village School on October...
Woven Together: Working with The Milan Village School
The Milan Village School is a community hub in its own right and the school as a whole works incredibly hard to be active contributors to the community. The sixth grade class, in particular, complete Community Service Learning Projects that they work on throughout the school year. In a small group, sixth graders Ember, Pippa, Mak, Natalie, and Loui, and I worked together to present a free dinner to area senior citizens. Amazingly dedicated, the girls not only prepared and served a lovely dinner, but also raised the funds needed in order to provide the evening completely free of charge. This was truly a community supported event that reached across town lines with folks generously giving their time, energy, and resources.
This small group of five young ladies showed themselves to be true leaders, claiming ownership over their own experiences and a deep responsibility for the event. They taught me how to be flexible in both my thinking and in decision making. I learned the value of showing up consistently, which built foundational relationships that allowed trust, authenticity, and camaraderie to flourish. They displayed their huge hearts and profound intelligence in uncharted territory for us all as we learned together.
With joint effort, we wove a tapestry together. Each one of the girls brought strength, intelligence, and energy; their individual colors creating patterns in the work. I acted as connective fiber, providing stability and support, while also weaving in threads from other community members which added both strength and vibrancy. In each act of collaboration, we add more and more panels to our collective community story. In Ember, Pippa, Mak, Natalie, and Loui, I can see how their threads will be woven into many future tapestries. Their bright colors will create the most glorious patterns in the most unexpected places.