CAMDEN — The Camden Public Library welcomes Megan Pinette, president of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum, on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m., in the Picker Room for a presentation on Belfast's changing industrial waterfront.

Pinette will present about changes to the Belfast harbor and waterfront during the decade which saw the end of the poultry industry. One of the major changes which helped spur the revitalization of the downtown was the removal of the Main Street grain storage mill which had served the industry. A successful downtown revitalization project followed which added sidewalks, tree plantings, and benches. Art galleries, cafes, bed and breakfast establishments, and theater companies soon took hold. Belfast no longer was thought of as “Schmaltzport” but was renamed as “culturally cool.”
 
This is a hybrid program and will take place in the Picker Room and on Zoom. To find the Zoom registration link to attend virtually, visit the “What’s Happening” adult events calendar at librarycamden.org. Or, click here for the Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F6hYw-alT5GUxGvTcbMlvg
 
Megan Pinette is president of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum and also serves as curator of the Belfast Museum. She has been active with the historical society for the past twenty years, and has worked on such projects as “The Museum in the Streets” – the thirty interpretive panels set along the waterfront, downtown and residential streets, the two architectural and history walking tours, and creation of exhibits at the museum.

Pinette is also a presenter of Belfast-related history programs throughout the year and at historical society programs open to the public at the Belfast Free Library. She was photograph editor, working with authors Jay Davis and Tim Hughes, for their History of Belfast in the 20th Century. In 2020, she and co-author Jane McLean published Images of America: Belfast with Arcadia Publishing Company.
 
This program is a part of the Camden Public Library’s “Discover History Month” series of history-themed programs, events, and exhibits. Visit librarycamden.org/ historymonth2023 for more special Discover History Month programs.

“Special thank you to our Discover History Month sponsor, The Smiling Cow, celebrating their 83rd year of business in Camden,” said CPL, in a news release.