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Hello, and thank you for wanting to learn more about Gateway Milbridge.

Gateway Milbridge was formed to assist with a downtown economic and cultural revitalization effort to benefit and engage the residents of Milbridge and our surrounding area through a variety of small and large community focused projects. The projects we undertake benefit 18,000 residents of diverse demographics in our rural Downeast region from Ellsworth to Lubec.

Our members are local volunteers, and our vision is for Milbridge to be an open, welcoming, stimulating, and engaged community that is healthy for our youth and encourages people to call Milbridge their home.   

As part of our overall mission:

• We built and operate a very successful outdoor stage, featuring arts programming free of charge.
• We initiated and currently maintain ongoing downtown beautification projects (town banners, industrial size flower planters, clean street program etc.)
• We take a leading role in organizing many community events such as
• Milbridge Days - a very large annual summer celebration,
• Christmas at the Marina and the Holiday Memory Tree Lighting,
• Other civic engagements, such as the Paddle Art Project, Lighthouse Art Project, Maine Bicentennial Art Project, and Movie Art Project for downtown Milbridge.

However, our largest program has been rebuilding and reopening the Milbridge Theatre as a modern, full-service theater and community arts center.  The arts center is designed to serve as a community anchor by providing a flexible venue and much-needed community gathering space for performances, cultural arts, educational programming, and film for all area residents on an equal access basis.  This project was started in 2016 and came to fruition with a grand opening in August of 2023.

The new 6,000 sq.ft. facility, with seating for over 210, is the second largest handicap accessible, fully climate-controlled auditorium in Washington County.  The facility features a spacious performance hall, full stage, theatre sound/lighting systems, classroom, art gallery, concessions area, and so much more.  Soon, we will enhance the facility with digital projection, full screen, and satellite programming systems.

The facility is designed to serve all residents of Milbridge and our surrounding communities and will host a variety of year-round programming including live music, historic/educational film, cultural shows, live theatre, classes, dance, school performances, art exhibits, and children/youth programming.

Rural areas like ours face difficult headwinds these days.  The economic and social redevelopment projects we are engaged in and our work in rebuilding and reopening the Milbridge Theatre as a full-service community arts center are critical to the region's economy and our residents' quality of life.  Our projects put emphasis not only on providing our region with a year-round venue for arts and educational programming, but also:

• Driving economic vitality to our village center
• Increasing student involvement in the arts
• Offering student internships
• Providing a social outlet for our large elderly population
• Creating positive cross-cultural interaction opportunities for our growing Hispanic population
• Enhancing civic pride/social health across our community.

The outdoor programming we're already providing has strong, tangible results.  Now, having the new, year-round indoor stage in a modern, comfortable facility is greatly expanding and building upon all of these demonstrated results by increasing the types and number of year-round artistic, cultural, and educational programming opportunities we can offer to our community and our students.  It's a key part of creating a healthy, vibrant, thriving community by providing community gathering opportunities, enhanced civic pride, and cultural/economic stimulus.

We are pleased to be working in close cooperation with the Maine Association of Nonprofits, the Maine Community Foundation, and The Maine Philanthropy Center.  We sincerely appreciate their support!

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