Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.

The votes are in. This year's Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival was the kind of community we should all want to live in. More than 160 volunteers worked together as a tireless, friendly, and welcoming team to make 3,500 visitors and 122 participating artisans feel like there was no better place to be.

2015 was a record-breaking year for the Crafts Festival. I didn't think we could get bigger.

2016 blew it away.

Never in Laudholm history has a Crafts Festival grossed more than $100,000 — until this one. Between a 90? setup day and a "minor squall" on Sunday morning (top gust: 35mph), we pulled off some real magic this year.

We are grateful to the Crafts Festival captains and their platoons of volunteers. Their tireless efforts, good cheer, and scrupulous forethought are what make this such a successful festival year after year. From the jury to the clean-up crew, from the hot dogs to the dessert table, from the raffle to hospitality, from the parking fields to the fork in the road, our volunteers are all excellent.

I hope we'll get this amazing team back together for the 30th annual Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival next year, "always the weekend after Labor Day." Seems like we'll just have to keep breaking records.

Thank you again, everyone. Well done.

Photos for Faces Maine by Heidi Kim