BELFAST — The whole world has been watching the surreal drama unfold these past weeks around the cyberhacking of SONY Entertainment Network over the Seth Rogan-James Franco satire The Interview and the fallout has been felt locally.

Mike Hurley, co-owner of Colonial Theatre in Belfast, decided last week to pull the movie in advance of SONY’s announcement that the company was scuttling the release of the movie nationwide.

He sent a letter to SONY last week expressing a multitude of reasons for canceling a showing of the movie, including his apprehension over the hackers' technological capabilities and their threats to distributors and exhibitors.

In his letter to SONY he wrote: “I have no idea what they might do to individual exhibitors, but based on their capabilities to date, I do not believe that writing some simple code for an attack/denial of service, or other attacks on our office computers, websites, and even our digital servers and projectors, does not seem to be a very challenging or unlikely scenario. In fact, it could be a very simple piece of code to attack theatres' Internet services that are showing The Interview.”

I spoke to him by phone to gauge his reasons, the public reaction and "the whole new ball game" of cyber-vandalism.

Q: People in the community have apparently complained about your decision to pull the movie. What do you want to say to that?

A: It is true, that without a doubt, I pulled it and a bunch of other theatres and distributors pulled it before SONY announced they were going to halt its distribution. All of the hot air that is surrounding this thing is like crack cocaine for people. Everybody has an opinion. I’ve had people really give me a hard time saying, ‘Oh you caved.' Yet, they’ve got nothing at stake. Nothing. When these hackers went after SONY, they didn't just take everything; they fried their servers afterward, leaving them with nothing. So, these people complaining to me, it's not their computer servers on the line.

Q: What's the worst that hackers could do to the little theatres?

A: I appreciate that people want to watch me burst into flames for their amusement, but I'm not doing it. For example, you work for Penobscot Bay Pilot. Imagine if someone had completely hacked your site and erased it and told you ‘We'll give you back your site if you drop this story.’ You guys would be seriously considering what you'd do next. And honestly, I really don't believe a physical attack could happen, but one of my mottos in life is never underestimate a sicko. So, you'd think, oh North Korea, they would never hold someone's son in America and tell them if you don’t attack a theatre, we'll kill your son. They would never do that, would they? We have no idea who is behind this or what else they are capable of. These people are like super high tech Ninja cyberwarriors. No army has stopped them so far. No amount of NSA surveillance has been able to identify them. It would be like child's play for these guys to write some code ‘Search for theatres playing The Interview.’ So, there you go.

Q: What is your opinion about the precedent set over the SONY example for artists of future satirical works?

A: Well as Jon Stewart said, ‘I made this movie, Rosewater, attacking Iran and no one cared.’ You have to take North Korea's insanity in mind here. If someone is nuts enough and has enough money, they can do a lot of damage.

Q: This is similar situation to the Muslim controversy over author Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. Not only was his life threatened for years, but in 1989, after the book was published, the FBI was notified about almost 80 threats to bookstores, with two bookstores actually bombed in California. What is the difference this a similar situation for you?

A: I guarantee you if the same thing just happened to that publisher today and they had their entire website, email and communications wiped out, along with bomb threats, they would have rethought publishing it. They might choose to continue, but they’d think about it.

The thing is I didn't care enough about this movie. This is about cyber warfare. No police have yet to can figure this out. The feds can't figure out who did it. No one can protect you at this point. You know what? I'm going to take a pass. And for the people who are unhappy about my decision, well, it's like what someone just said to me recently. Picture a school taken hostage and the people whose kids aren’t in the school are the same ones saying ‘Don't negotiate with terrorists.’ Or here's another metaphor. Picture there's a bank robbery in progress. You know there are people inside with guns. Would you go in and try to do some banking? No, you wouldn't. That's what I'm looking at here.

Q: And you're saying the stakes might be high for some movies, but not this movie?

A: It's a piece of crud movie. I was looking at my schedule and we had an opening for this film. I enjoyed the trailer for the film; it seemed funny. But, I had mixed feelings anyway about booking it. After it opened in Russia and Europe, and 9 out of 10 reviews said it just stunk.

Q: Sounds like you're probably not the only small town theatre facing these same issues?

A: I do know of theaters all over the U.S. that were adamantly committed to playing it, and others that planned not to play it until it became an issue and then wanted to play it. What can I say? Some people are drawn to a fight. I get that. I've had people question my patriotism, my bravery and have said, ‘How can you sleep at night?’ My answer is: Like a baby. Then I wake up in five minutes and cry.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople who make products by hand. This week it’s all about locally made wearable gift ideas. Each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Karyl’s Jewelry Silver Filigree Earrings

The back story
Karyl and Manny Brown run a dual shop that recently opened this fall in Camden and Karyl’s side of the shop, a jewelry studio, is where she hand-makes all of her jewelry and knitted items. These silver filigree glass pearls earrings caught our eye not only because of their affordable price point, but also because of their delicate, ethereal effect, well suited for a snazzy New Year’s Eve get up.

In their words: “The combination of pearl with the platinum colored filigree reminds me of the gossamer effect of dragonfly wings, almost too delicate to be able to carry the body weight, but surprisingly strong.”

Where to find them/price range
Online: Karyl’s Jewelry  ($15.99 each), Offline: 25 Mechanic Street, Camden

Fox i Printworks Wavy Zippered Pouch

The back story
We featured these North Haven printmakers before headed up by young entrepreneurs Claire Donnelly and Sam Hollowell. For the next two weeks, they have a pop-up shop in Rockland that houses many of their original creations, along with handcrafted items from nearby islands. This item is described as “An amazing everyday, hold anything pouch, hand-sewn and silk-screened here in our studio on island. These pouches feature a light and dark blue wave pattern on a grey organic cotton fabric with a brass zipper and leather zipper pull.”

In their words: "We’ve used these as pencils/pens, wallets, a clutch, for toiletries and so on. Living on an island the ocean is a constant source of inspiration. we are always experimenting with different ways to represent it."

Where to find them/price range
Online: Etsy Shop ($18.00 each). Or visit their pop-up store at 464 Main Street.

Man on Main “Man Butter”

The back story
Man on Main in Belfast is one of the rare stores (if not the only one) in the Midcoast that has stylish clothes and stuff for guys. You’re not going to find Carharrts here! They carry Miss B Soapworks MAN BUTTER, a product handmade in Morrill, Maine of cocoa butter and coconut oil to soothe and moisturize the skin.

In their words: "Miss B’s is a small natural soap and skin care company located in the pretty little village of Morrill. Carefully selected ingredients coming from the most environmentally friendly, natural and organic producers throughout the country. We are very proud to reflect the sensibility of Maine by keeping our products simple, natural and beneficial."

Where to find them/price range
Visit their shop at 103 Main Street. ($10)

CAMDEN — This story is not just about 15-year-old Molly Mann, but it starts with her. In 2012, a few hours before a ski race at Sunday River, Molly, who was 13 at the time, wasn’t on her game.

“I was really tired that day,” she remembers. “I wasn’t feeling like myself.”

She recalls taking a test-run down a winding trail called Ecstasy and that’s where things got hazy.

“I’m not entirely sure what happened,” she said. “I just remember not physically being able to stand up anymore. So I sat down on the back of my skis.”

She began to drift forward and without realizing it, had inadvertently skied over the lip of a 25-foot ravine.

“I remember tumbling a few times, then it went all black,” she said.

No one knew where Molly was for an hour and half and during that time, she lay unconscious at the foot of the ravine. When the search party and ski patrol finally found her, they whisked her by ambulance to a spot where LifeFlight could pick her up and take her to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

She had multiple bone fractures, two skull fractures, a ruptured ear drum, and a punctured tympanic membrane and hearing nerve, which has resulted in total deafness in one ear.

She spent three days in the ICU at Maine Medical before they transferred her to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital for the rest of her recovery. She spent two weeks there, re-learning how to walk, a result of balance problems from her ear injury.

But she was grateful to be alive.

“Ever since then, I’ve always wanted to give back to them in in some way,” she said.

This year, along with fellow students at Camden Hills Regional High School, she was able to find a way to do that with her involvement in the school’s Interact Club.

Interact Club is a international club of high school students who gather to do community service-based projects through the school year. Internationally and nationally there are approximately 16,000 clubs. At CHRHS, there are approximately 60 students involved in the club, which is sponsored by West Bay and Camden rotaries.

Molly, the secretary of the Interact Club, proposed to the group that this year’s holiday project be dedicated to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and the kids in the club readily agreed.

“These are such a great group of kids who are motivated and really want to help people,” Molly said. “I thought what a good idea it would be to help the kids down in Portland with the money we made selling wreaths at Christmas By the Sea.” 

All of the students in the Interact Club supported this effort and the sales from their effort netted $500.

Sitting next to Molly during the interview was Annie Young, 17, the club treasurer, who also had a vested interest in focusing on the hospital’s children.

“My brother also has spent time at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, once as an infant and most recently, getting some tests done,” she said.

Her younger brother, now 12, in her words, “was the sickest one there.”

When Molly suggested the hospital as the beneficiary, Annie agreed it would be perfect. She said, “Since my parents have also stayed at the Ronald McDonald House down there, we all agreed, we’d donate the rest of what we had left over there.”

Molly and Annie, know first-hand what it is like for kids to be stuck in a hospital. 

“Even though that hospital is like a hotel with this beautiful architecture and comfortable rooms and great food,” said Molly, “you can still feel a little scared and sad.”  She added, “I loved the nurses, they were all great. I remember this one huge fish tank in the atrium that I would go to ever day.”

“Going into Christmas, many families are going to be spending their days at the hospital with their children,” said Annie fighting back a trembling in her voice when she recalls what her family went through. “I just know from seeing my brother in the hospital for a long period of time, it gets very emotional. I saw kids who were in a lot worse shape than my brother and I can’t imagine how the parents get through it. The biggest thing for me is having the kids realize we’re there to lift their spirits.”

That Friday afternoon after the interview, Molly and Annie went shopping with their advisor, Karen Hansen, and bought everything they needed locally at Sherman’s Bookstore and The Planet.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, five students from Interact Club along with Hansen, drove down to Portland to deliver toys, books, candy canes, crafts and other items to distribute to the kids at the hospital as well as the Ronald McDonald House.

The students included Molly, Harper Gordon, Rosie Lawson, Eliza Boetsch and Bill Bracher.  Annie Young had planned on coming, but unfortunately sprained her ankle in a basketball game on Friday night and was unable to join them.

Molly recalled her fellow students’ excitement after finally arriving with boxes of gifts in their hands.

“At first, one or two kids came out of their hospital rooms, then a whole bunch, along with some of their siblings. After making some snowflake crafts with the kids, they then sang carols. “One of the best parts was the gift giving because all of the kids carefully chose which gifts they wanted.”

After everything Molly has been through, this holiday project of the Interact Club has been enormously fulfilling.

“It felt overwhelmingly great for all of us,” she said. “Seeing how happy the kids were was awesome because we got to see our impact on them. When we drove home, we just felt so great bout it. It was amazing to give back.”

Related story: Empty Bowl dinner and silent auction

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Whole boiled lobster tail for 65 cents! Where is this and do you have any memories of this place?

Only a few of you guessed correctly on last week’s Throwback Thursday photo that the beach in the photo was Sherman’s Point circa 1925. (I didn’t realize that the top of the photo actually had the beach listed, duh). Reader Ben Cashen was the first one to get it right.

This week’s photo courtesy of Rockland, Maine History Facebook page.

Throwback Thursday needs your submissions. Send us your “back in the day” photos with a caption at news@penbaypilot.com

Last weekend was intense and I know many people who are still paying for their fun, but rein it in peeps, we still have to get through the next two weeks. If you've got Christmas/holiday party overload alread, here are some excellent alternatives.

Thursday, Dec. 18

· As always, the Open Mic at The Highlands Coffee House promises some great talent in the Midcoast and beyond. Drink and food specials. Sign up early.

· The Landings is hosting a special tasting menu/craft beer dinner by Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery. Cost is $35 per person/$50 per couple. Only 20 seats available.  Reservations required. Call 594-3011.

Friday, Dec. 19

· If you like acoustic originals and covers of folk, Married with Chitlins plays at The Narrows Tavern, Waldoboro. 8 p.m. No cover.

· The festivities continue with "Santa's Naughty or Nice Holiday Party" at Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery, in Rockland. 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Expect funky dance music by The Midnight Riders and a visit from Santa. Men pay $3 at door/women free.

· The Speakeasy is hosting the Tomorrow Morning band, which plays Pop/Rock/ Top 40/Dance/Reggae/ Hip Hop. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 20

· If you want to thrash away holiday overload, The Murder Weapon is bringing Psychobilly/Punk/Rockabilly to The Speakeasy. The show starts at 9 p.m. No cover if you’ve dined at The Chowder House beforehand.21+

· Or perhaps you’re more in the mood for some traditional jazz standards, with a 21st century feel. Barbour Clarke Jazz Duo will be playing at Rock City Café from 7-9 p.m. No cover but donations are appreciated.

· It’s "Game Night!" at Owl and Turtle Bookshop. 5-7 p.m.,  They’ll have Scrabble, Monopoly and others available, or bring your fave.

Sunday, Dec. 21

 · FOG Bar & Cafe hosts Drink & Draw. They supply the art materials and you provide the raw artistic talent. Drink and food specials all night.

 Hey, want to know where to go for happy hour every day of the week? Check out our Guide To Midcoast’s Happy Hours.

 If you have an arts and entertainment event that fits within the adult scope of fun and cool things to do for Weekend Picks, contact Kay Stephens at news@penbaypilot.com or like The Killer Convo on Facebook and put her on your events list.

ROCKPORT — Every year for the past 20 years, teens from Camden Hills Regional High School have participated in a holiday tradition that began with one, simple ceramic bowl. In an art class project, once headed up by Simon van der Ven, and now organized by art instructor Russell Kahn, students each create a special, one-of-a-kind vessel that is both artistic and functional, and they donate it to the annual Empty Bowl Dinner and Silent Auction. The point of of all of this effort is to not only feed the community, but also to donate everything they make that night to four area food banks and charities.

When folks from the community walked into the CHRHS cafeteria in Rockport on Dec. 15, they paid $8 at the door and then had their pick of dozens of beautifully crafted bowls to choose from. With vivid glazes, some bowls had Chinese symbols, dots, circles and other designs. Others had a message: ”Fill me.”

One wouldn’t necessarily know that these bowls were done by high school art students — they were that sophisticated.

“There are some that are hand built, but a lot of them are thrown,” said Kahn. “The other thing that makes them distinct is that I introduced the students to a new item that is like a squeeze bottle with a metal nib where the kids can actually draw precise linework with the glaze,” he said. “It’s been a hit ever since I found that tool down at Portland Pottery.”

Standing in line behind a row of tables with giant, steaming pots, students served the community a variety of homemade soups donated by local stores and restaurants, including the Belfast Co-op, Point Lookout, Bell The Cat, Darby’s Restaurant and Pub, The Whales Tooth Pub, Cappy’s Chowder House, The Waterfront, Peter Ott’s and Primo. Several teachers as well as the school’s food class also made some soups, which were an immediate hit, such as the Italian sausage with tortellini, which ran out within 15 minutes of the doors opening.

Other delicious soups ran the gamut from beef vegetable stew to vegan carrot coconut ginger soup. “It’s always a variety. I always said, ‘Let’s not make too many of one thing,’ and from day one, since I started organizing this project, I haven’t had to worry about it,” said Kahn, who has been doing this for the past eight years.

A bread line was filled with various donated breads from Borealis, Atlantic Baking Company, French & Brawn Market Place and The Market Basket

A silent auction was also on display, with a variety of crafts and stocking stuffers. After deducting some of the expenses for creating the bowls, the rest of the proceeds from that night were to be donated to Belfast Soup Kitchen, Northport Food Pantry, Christian Food Bank and The Salvation Army. Last year, Kahn said they were able to give each food bank and charity around $250 apiece.

He said, “It was nice because they weren’t expecting it and it helps them at a time when they need it most.“

For a lot of the high school kids, it’s one of those volunteer-led projects that allows them to give back in a creative way. Said high school senior Justin Lopez, who was standing in line serving the soup that ran out the fastest, “This soup was made by a bunch of guys on the football team.”

Standing next to him, his friend, Elizabeth Cummons, a junior, piped in, “They were very, very into making this soup, it’s quite adorable.”

Both kids said they liked doing this because it gave back to the community.

“I just like seeing a bunch of people come together and support a good cause,” said Cummons.

To see a gallery of the bowls the art students made, click here.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — It takes a lot of forethought to make a hideous Christmas sweater, and the folks who come out every year to benefit the Pope Memorial Humane Society do a great job with theirs. Here’s a gallery of photos taken Dec. 6 at the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.

A number of organizations and people donated items to the event and the auction, resulting in more than $3,000 raised for Pope Memorial Humane Society.

• View gallery

(All photos courtesy Tracy Sala/Pope Memorial Humane Society)

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople who make products by hand. This week it’s all about locally crafted food or drink items. Each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Maine Beer Company ‘Lunch’

The back story

This small family business began between two brothers Dave and Daniel Kleban, and I love their “Do What’s Right” campaign, in which they give 1 percent of their sales to environmental nonprofits. They recently moved their operations from Portland to Freeport with a new tasting room. The Good Tern in Rockland carries a line of their tasty craft brews. Get a bottle of “Lunch” for a stocking stuffer.They call this their "East Coast" version of a West Coast-style IPA. Intense hop flavors and aromas of tropical and citrus fruits and pine dominate. A subtle malt sweetness brings the beer into balance.

In their words

“On May 2, 2006, I was traveling to Everglades National Park with my dad, my wife Heidi, and my daughter Zoe. I wanted to make something real. I thought, ‘What is better than beer?’  I mentioned to my dad that I should start a brewery. My dad joked, ‘You’ll drink all of your profits!’ By making enough beer, I figured I could solve that problem.”

Where to find them/price range

Online: mainebeercompany.com ($6.49 each), Offline: The Good Tern

World Salts Mini Kit

The back story

If there is a foodie or amateur chef on your Christmas or Hannukah list, this is a great little gift we found on Etsy made by a microbusiness in Bethel called Gneiss Spice. The three magnetic hexagon jars can stick to your refrigerator in a honeycomb pattern. These three mineral-rich sea salts come from Nepal, France and India.  

In their words

“Nepal: Mined form ancient sea salt deposits at the foot of the mountains. With 84 trace minerals, Himalayan Pink Salt is mined from ancient salt beds that have remained untouched by pollution and impurities since the crystals first formed more than 200 million years ago. France: Velvet De Guerandeby Le Trésor is light gray in color and almost the consistency of flour. This is a very delicate crystal that has a "buttery" feel. India: From El Salvador, Mayan Sun™ is a tropical sea salt formed from ocean water trapped in man-made ponds.”

Where to find them/price range

Online: Etsy.com ($20.25 each).

Coastal Maine Popcorn Co.

The back story

With stores in Boothbay and Portland, co-founders Paul and Julie Roberts just opened their latest popcorn shop in Rockland this past summer. Their sampler packs are a culinary version of a flight of craft brews. They’ve got three sampler packs, but the one we picked is The Classic, which has two cups each of five distinct flavors: Maine Maple, Salt & Vinegar, Buffalo Wing, Blue Cheese, and Key Lime Pie.

In their words

"After lots of requests from loyal customers who wanted an easy way to buy a variety of our flavors in one bag, we decided to offer a choice of three different Sampler Packs. The Fun Pack is aimed at our young customer base, the Chocolate Pack is for all of those chocolate lovers, and our most popular Sampler Pack is the Classic Sampler, which offers our five best selling flavors over the past five years."

Where to find them/price range

Online: coastalmainepopcorn.com ($14.99 each). Or visit the Rockland shop on 371 Main Street.

Stay tuned next Friday for our next guide. Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

This so happens to be a schizophrenic weekend of music all over the Midcoast, and we're happy about that. Holiday stress will slough off when you start dancing. Editor's Picks this weekend include Shemekia Copeland at the Strand, FOG’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and Hot Pink Flannel’s 13th Day of ChristmaHannuKwanza!

Thursday, Dec. 11

· As always, the Open Mic at The Highlands Coffee House promises some great talent in the Midcoast and beyond. Drink and food specials. Sign up early.

· If you like Soul Funk Blues/Rock & Americana, Necessary Music Productions and The Speakeasy will present a special show by a new dance band, The Midnight Riders, from 8 to 11 p.m.

· If you’ve never seen Shemekia Copeland at the Blues Festival, she is a powerhouse and opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival, shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, and has even performed at the White House. She will heat up the stage at the Strand Theatre in Rockland with her Holiday Blues Party at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $20/ General Admission. The Strand balcony and lobby bars will be open for ages 21+. FMI: Holiday Party.

Friday, Dec. 12

· These days, you just have to have an ugly Christmas sweater on hand, because SO many parties require it! Yep, FOG Bar and Cafe is throwing an official Ugly Sweater Christmas Dance Party with the band, Just Teachers, playing. A king and queen will be crowned. Starts at 9 p.m.

· Trackside Station in Rockland is having a Customer Appreciation Party from 4:30 to 7 p.m. with the band No Guts No Glory. Starts at 9 p.m.

· Myrtle Street Tavern in Rockland has its weekly Karaoke Night. Sing your heart out, strut your stuff! Goes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

· Rock City Cafe in Rockland will host the band Raised By Wolves, which plays Latin jazz and blues from 7-9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13

· Nukele, a high-octane Maine band, is playing at Front Street Pub from 5 to 9 p.m. They play music from reggae to metal, funk to punk...and everything in between!

· Eat, drink, and shop local at the Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery Holiday Bazaar, Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Union. On deck will be goodies to sample from Appleton Creamery with a huge selection of delicious cheese and Bixby & Co. with their scrumptious chocolates.

· If you're in need of a little holiday inspiration, or you just want to feel your heart swell with emotion and joy (it's a good thing this time of year) grab a ticket for the Songs of Solomon Gospel Choir, performing at the Rockport Opera House at 3 p.m. Last year was a sell-out concert—for good reason. It will help balance the hectic, stressful pace this time of year and renew your spirits. Click this link to see all the happenings during the Rockport Holiday on the Harbor event, and for tickets, visit Bay Chamber Concerts.

· The Speakeasy  is hosting a special holiday party organized by Hot Pink Flannel and the all-inclusive bash is called The 13th Day of ChristmaHannuKwanza! Get ready for a great group of people kicking it off at 9 p.m., with The Dolphin Strikers starting at 9:30 p.m. to kill the floor with their own brand of “sea ska.” $5 cover, 21 and over.

· Rock City Cafe in Rockland will host singer-songwriter Stesha Cano from 7-9 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 14

· After a nice brunch in Rockland, you might want to check out Lisa Redfern at Harbor Square Gallery from 1 to 3 p.m. She plays folk, bluegrass and jazz. $10 at the door. FMI: 594-8700.

· Eat, drink and shop local at the Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery Holiday Bazaar, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in Union. On deck will be goodies to sample from Appleton Creamery, with a huge selection of delicious cheeses, and Bixby & Co. chocolates.

· FOG Bar & Cafe hosts Drink & Draw. They supply the art materials and you provide the raw artistic talent. Drink and food specials all night.

Hey, want to know where to go for happy hour every day of the week? Check out our Guide To Midcoast’s Happy Hours.

If you have an arts and entertainment event that fits within the adult scope of fun and cool things to do for Weekend Picks, contact Kay Stephens at news@penbaypilot.com

 Now, I know it’s not easy to see a photo of a beach and try to guess where in the heck would this be in Midcoast, but I’m betting this will be very familiar to some of you. Can you guess what year?

Last week’s Throwback Thursday photo came from the Belfast Historical Society and Museum and featured a boy riding a flatbed truck full of furniture, which is the way families moved their belongings. Well, reader Gail Berry was the first to guess this photo’s origins correctly when she said, “This is Belfast, 1940s-1950s, on Main Street, lower left side where the Green Store is now. My father had a wood truck like this but older. I may be wrong, but my maiden name is Hatch and I remember my father saying he had a relative in Belfast who had a store on Main Street at that time.”

Photo courtesy Maine Historical Society and Museum

Throwback Thursday needs your submissions. Send us your “back in the day” photos with a caption at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST — Working mom Mandie Goody Sawyer had three reasons why a traditional Christmas tree wasn’t going to work for her family this year. First, they had gotten a puppy this fall and didn’t want him toppling the tree. “I could just see that being a disaster,” she said.

Second, as the part-time executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Waldo County, she needed to be thrifty on Christmas decorations this year; and third, she wanted to do something DIY, festive and creative that the whole family could participate in.

“Our house is really small,” she said. “And also, Christmas trees are around $40. Working part time right now, that’s a lot.”

She was browsing Pinterest, an online platform for various projects and interests, when Mannequins as Xmas Decorations caught her eye. She said. “I thought it was a great idea and it just so happens I had some mannequins in the basement.”

Sawyer had bought a child mannequin and an adult mannequin from a Belfast bridal shop for The Cinderella Project of Maine, a yearly giveaway of prom dresses to area teenagers that she’s organized for the last nine years.

“I’ve used them for all kinds of things over the years, but this past year, the adult mannequin’s base got broken, so it was just sitting unused in my basement,” she said. “I decided to see if the pole would fit in our Christmas tree base, and it actually fit perfectly.”

Sawyer went shopping for the materials to make the mannequin tree. “I got chicken wire for $5 at EBS,” she said. “I got the garland at Ocean State Job Lot for $8. Then, I went to The Dollar Store and got a bunch of poinsettias and ornaments, which I made into a necklace. That was only another $4. So, altogether this project cost me $17.”

There was only one problem. Her 7-year-old daughter, Aubrey, was not pleased at all with this idea. “At first, she was so mad. She said, ‘Mom, this is just so weird. I don’t like this.’ When she asked if she could put traditional ornaments on the lady tree, I told her we weren’t doing it that way this year. She was like, ‘This is terrible. This whole thing is ruined.” ”

While Aubrey was still trying to wrap her head around why her mother was trying to “ruin” Christmas, Sawyer began to get to work, making a “dress” for both mannequins. She already had wire cutters at home, although her husband, Ben, had to do the cutting, because she’s left handed and she couldn’t get them to work for her. She wrapped the chicken wire around the hip of each mannequin and attached it loosely with zip ties. Then, she layered in white Christmas lights, garland and poinsettias.

She allowed Aubrey and her older sister, Brynne, to decorate the child mannequin any way they wanted, but soon, they began to take a cue from their mother’s DIY sense. They re-purposed things they already had in the house, such scarves for the bodice and ribbons. But yes, some ornaments had to go on the child’s tree.

Sawyer said she was surprised at how many comments and compliments she’s gotten about it after posting the finished project on Facebook.

“I think it ended up being pretty inspiring for the kids,” she said. “I don't think Christmas has to be expensive and I don't think DIY has to be cheap looking. Doing this project has shown both myself and the girls that we can have nice decorations without breaking the bank.”

As for their puppy? He has sniffed around the mannequins a little bit, but there’s a good chance they will remain upright and festive for Christmas Day.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

THORNDIKE — Tucked away in a rural, inland part of Maine, an unassuming sprawling building doesn’t look like much from the outside. But Bryant Stove & Music in Thorndike is totally worth the drive. Inside, there are so many wild and wacky vintage treasures, it will take more than one story to cover them all.

Let’s start with the miniature stoves that sit atop a long shelf that spans the length of their antique stove showroom. Owned by Joe and Bea Bryant, who have collected these tiny toy stoves and working salesmen samples from all over the country for the last 50 years, these cast iron miniature replicas of full-size vintage stoves all differ in size and shape. The Bryants’ daughter, Julie, who takes care of the store while her parents are away for the winter, is not sure which ones are actually toys and which are salesmen’s samples.

According to the website Antiqbuyer,com, run by two experts who are full-time active antique dealers in antique and vintage small child size, miniature or salesman sample size stoves, “Small antique stoves are one of the most widely misunderstood of all collectibles in the antique toy stove antique marketplace today. Even the ‘experts’ often times cannot agree on what constitutes a salesman sample, display model, a simple toy, or even an outright fake.”

Apparently, salesmen trying to sell gas or electric stoves, would pack up one of these small-but-heavy display stoves in a carrying case and go around to shopkeepers and households and demonstrate how the stove worked in order to lure the customer away from their trusty old wood-fired stove.

Then, there are renditions of toy stoves made of cast iron with finishes of nickle, enamel or graniteware. But how to know if it is a display piece or an actual toy? Antiqbuyer.com provides a clue. “Some of the largest and most prolific makers of toy cast iron stoves were Stevens, Kenton, Hubley and a few others.  Stoves with names like the Baby, Royal and Queen were made by these toy makers, while in general stoves with names like Buck's, Charter Oak, Detroit Stove Works or others with actual company or stove works in their names were made by or for that company.”

We’ve created a gallery for to look at based on some of the miniature stoves in this place, with a request from our readers to provide us with more clues.

To learn more about what other fascinating relics reside at Bryant Stove & Music, visit: bryantstove.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople who make products by hand. It’s important to support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. This week it’s all about green, sustainable and upcycled handmade products. Each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Goat Soaps

The back story

Check out the Belfast Co-op for some awesome green gift ideas. They are now carrying Wandering Goat Soaps in Union, created by mother-daughter team Cheryl Rudy and Tanya Rudy. They make the soaps with their own goats’ milk and blend it with organic oils, herbs, spices and essential oils.

In their words

“We wanted to make a product that we could be proud of and that would bring together pure, natural ingredients that are provided on our farm or mindfully sourced. We love handmade soap and we love our goats so we thought, why not create quality goat milk soaps that support sustainability and provide them for others?”

Where to find them/price range

Online: wanderinggoatmaine.com/ ($5.25 each), Offline: Belfast Co-op.

One Pie Pumpkin candle in a can

The back story

According to a story in Yankee Magazine, the One Pie Pumpkin canned pumpkin brand dates back to 19th century Maine, when more than 100 canneries populated the state. It officially got its start in a mill in Waldoboro. So how cute is this? This item comes from Etsy shop MabelSt.Miscellany, where all of the hand-crafted items owners Sam B. and Cassie J. make are from or around Mabel Street in Portland.

In their words

“The recycled/upcycled soy candle is 15 ounces and should burn for 100 hours. The candles are made from 100 percent soy wax and have wooden wicks. This iconic can candle will fit nicely into your vintage inspired kitchen or bathroom!”

Where to find them/price range

Online: Etsy.com ($9.50 each).

The 2015 SunriseGuide

The back story

Written by Heather Chandler and her team, this is the Green Bible of the Midcoast and beyond, and a perfect gift itself. The 2015 edition of the SunriseGuide is “the best of what’s healthy, local and green” in Maine and includes more than $4,500 in coupons on products and services you use every day. Here’s a sample page of what you’ll find inside.

In their words

"Our goal with the SunriseGuide has always been to provide a useful resource that makes learning about sustainability and healthy lifestyles something that's fun. There are so many cool, local businesses in Maine that are providing great solutions and healthy, eco-friendly alternatives for the products and services we use every day. We want to make it easier for people to find them."

Where to find them/price range

Online: sunriseguide.com ($20 each), Offline: The book can be found at retail locations all over Maine, but use this directory to help you find where.

I promise you there will be NO holiday stuff in this weekend's lineup, because I know you can only take so much and there are other stories on this site where you can read about holiday happenings. But if you're down for some art openings, chocolate tastings, dance parties, handcrafted art and more, then you've come to the right place.

Thursday, Dec. 4

· As always, the Open Mic at The Highlands Coffee House promises some great talent in the Midcoast and beyond. Drink and food specials. Sign up early.

Friday, Dec. 5

· The last Rockland Art Walk of the season is happening downtown from 5 to 8 p.m, so get to it! To see a list of other galleries showing new work just in time for the “shop local” holidays, visit: artsinrockland.org

·  Clementine, the funky new craft store in Rockland, is having its first Craft Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. for all of you crafty makers out there. Bring your crafts to work on, meet others with crafting inclinations and be inspired — and inspire!

· Then there’s Åarhus Gallery in Belfast having an evening of chocolate tasting, browsing and music from 5 to 7 p.m. This will be the gallery's last event, with samples from Dean's Sweets' hand-dipped chocolates and all-natural, Bixby Bars produced in the Midcoast. Tom Luther will be bringing his unique hybrid blend of original music to the mix.

· If Belfast is where you’re headed, then also stop by Waterfall Arts Handmade Show from 5 to 8 p.m. More than 70 artists will be participating in this year's show with handmade items like clothing, jewelry, ceramics, prints, food, lighting fixtures and much, much more! The Moody Dog will be there selling gourmet hot dogs and condiments, Belfast Soda Company will be serving up some soda, and Shawn Brewer will be making screen print T-shirts. They will also have virgin Bloody Marys and hot apple cider, along with wine and cheese.

· And still another interesting thing to see in Belfast: the Midcoast Actors’ Studio is putting on their last production of the season, the Maine Playwrights’ Showcase, running Dec. 5-14 at the Playhouse on Church Street in Belfast. The showcase includes four original works. The opening show is $6 and starts at 7 p.m. The show is intended for mature audiences. For tickets, call the MAS box office at 370-7592 or email midcoastactors@gmail.com. FMI: Midcoast Actors Studio.

· I have to say Rock City Cafe has been hitting all cylinders with hosting young women singer-songwriters lately. Lauren Crosby is a rising folkie bluesy singer/songwriter from Georgetown Island. Her music is real, raw and poetic. In a world where it seems every teenage girl is trying to become the next Taylor Swift or Adele, Lauren is a refreshing and unique breath of air. She’ll be playing 7-9 p.m.

· Dance party! If you need to shake it off (see Taylor Swift reference above), Sea Train is putting on a funky groovin’ dance party at The Speakeasy from 8 to 11 p.m. No cover if you’ve dined at the Chowder House.

· If you like the blues, Blind Albert is playing the Narrows Tavern in Waldoboro at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6

· Back at Rock City Cafe, the Otter Folk are a new, acoustic band from the Bangor area bringing to the stage a progressive folk sound with classic rock roots. They combine the talents of singer/songwriter Morgan Donnelly, with James Chester on guitar and Irish whistle and the steady beat of Joe Gates. Show goes from 7 to 9 p.m.

· If you like the blues, Blind Albert is playing The Speakeasy at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7

· FOG Bar & Cafe hosts Drink & Draw. They supply the art materials and you provide the raw artistic talent. Drink and food specials all night.

Hey, want to know where to go for happy hour every day of the week? Check out our Guide To Midcoast’s Happy Hours.

If you have an arts and entertainment event that fits within the adult scope of fun and cool things to do for Weekend Picks, contact Kay Stephens at news@penbaypilot.com

What is this tyke sitting on, what’s he doing and what businesses are standing where these building are now? Bonus if you can guess the date this photo was taken.

Last week’s Thanksgiving Throwback Thursday photo courtesy of Maine Historical Society/Maine Todaywas taken at the Chestnut Street School in Portland, circa 1924.

The provider of this week’s photo will be revealed next week so we don’t give it away!

Throwback Thursday needs your submissions. Send us your “back in the day” photos with a caption at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — Belfast artist Eric Leppanen got a call from a high school friend earlier this fall who had a great idea on how to propose to his girlfriend. Kevin Blackwell, of Owls Head, wanted to propose to Rachael Yandell, of Camden.

“He called me out of the blue and was like, ‘Hey, I’m ready to ask her and I was thinking it would be cool if we walked into a gallery and there was a piece of artwork on the wall that would ask her to marry me.’”

Leppanen hadn’t heard back from him for a couple of months, but right before Thanksgiving, Blackwell called him and said he had secured the ring from his grandmother and he was ready to ask Yandell.

Leppanen, who regularly shows his work at Asymmetrick Arts gallery in Rockland, asked owner and fellow artist Jared Cowan if they could use the gallery as the backdrop. Cowan went with the plan and Leppanen went right to work, throwing together a simple “Will You Marry Me” painting.

“I do my best work under pressure,” he joked.

On Nov. 28, the couple, on their way to dinner, walked into the gallery. Leppanen posed as the gallery owner and said they staged it like one of those reality shows. Because it was so last minute, he said,  “I wish we could have had more people in the room, but we had a couple of our friends as part of an audience.”

He recalled: “So they walk in and I said, ‘Hey, how are you guys doing tonight? Look around if you have any questions.’ They milled around for awhile and then came to the back wall of the gallery where we had the painting covered in a black curtain. I told them this was a new piece we hadn’t unveiled yet and I had Kevin grab the other corner so we could slide the curtain off.”

From Blackwell’s perspective, he was trying to play it cool.

“It was nerve-wracking,” he said. “I was trying to hide it from her for about a week. Then, I had to get a babysitter for our kids; it was crazy.”

From the moment they entered the gallery, he said: “I was ready to throw up. I was shaking ridiculously.”

When the curtain came off, the room was hushed.

“She looked at it and got this sort of perplexed look on her face,” said Leppanen. “Then, he got down on one knee and proposed then and she kind of got misty-eyed, all that great stuff. So, they rode off into the sunset and will be officially be married next fall some time.”

As a present to the couple, Leppanen gave them the painting.

“The painting is actually going to be at the reception when we get married in September,” said Blackwell.

The pair have come full circle, after knowing one another for 30 years, even dating in eighth grade. They reconnected six months ago.

“I knew when we got together, I was done looking,” he said. “I have found everything I ever wanted in another person. She is absolutely amazing.”

Look for Leppanen and Cowan this Friday night at during the final Dec. 5 Art Walk in Rockland from 5 -8 p.m. To see a list of other galleries showing new work just in time for the “shop local” holidays visit: artsinrockland.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Last week, we wrote about a flash mob in Hannaford Supermarket on Broadway Street in Bangor that went viral. The orchestrated event not only garnered nearly a half-million hits on YouTube since the video debuted in September, but has apparently struck a chord with Penobscot Bay readers, as well. In little less than a week, that story got 17,500 hits and about 180 shares on our own Facebook page.

So, here’s more to the story.

The man in the video with the headphones is Broadway actor-singer-teacher-arranger Roosevelt Andre Credit from New York City. The flash mob was organized by the folks at the First United Methodist Church in Bangor as part of the church's 'Spirit Weekend.‘ We spoke to the chief organizer, Joyce Mallery, a member of the church by phone this morning. Her husband, John Haskell, is the choir director of the church.

“Roosevelt is an old friend of my husband’s and mine and he was up in Bangor for a concert with our choir for the First United Methodist Church in September,” she said. “I just woke up one morning and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to have a flash mob?’ It just seemed like a great time of year to do something with our choir. My husband said, ‘if you can get at least 15 people, I’ll do it.’ So, I went to the choir and everybody was all on board.”

In the beginning of the video, you can see Credit with headphones begin to sing. The first woman to join in happens to be his mother. The choir is scattered throughout the Hannaford’s, mostly standing in the checkout line.

She said, “When I talked to Roosevelt about which song to do, he chose, ‘This Little Light of Mine’ because it’s light, lifts the spirit and everyone knows it.”

The flash mob blurred the lines when ordinary shoppers began joining in and singing, as well.

”We had it all orchestrated that each person in the checkout line would sing one line of the song and get out of line,” she said. “After that, it was just a mishmash of people joining in with our choir.”

Mallery didn’t think to film the event, but, a student, Megan Lewis did. When the camera was shut off, Mallery said everyone in store broke out laughing and began to clap.

“A lot of people came up to us and said how much fun it was,” she said. “It was just a happy, little moment.”

Mallery didn’t expect the video to go viral, but soon it did. Within the first month that the video was released, it gained nearly 40,000 hits on YouTube.

“People would contact me and others in the group all around the country,” she said. “I’d have friends call me and say, ‘you know, my friend in California sent me this. It was such an odd thing.”

Mallery began to see how meaningful these few videotaped moments were for people.

“I think since there have been such painful moments in our country of late, people continue to go back to that video. I’ve had people say to me, ‘I just like to start my day with that video.’”

As for Credit, she said, “Roosevelt has been a singer for a long time, but as far as this video, we just crack up about it. Who would have thought?”

To watch the video again, go to: Bangor man starts a singing flash mob at Hannaford supermarket

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — A Seal Called Andre, originally co-written by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz and published by Warner Books in 1976, has been recently republished by Downeast Books with more pages chronicling the last 10 years of Andre’s life.

Harry’s four daughters, Susan Goodridge Crane, Toni Goodridge, Carol Goodridge and Paula Goodridge Armentrout were on hand Friday, Nov. 28 to sign copies of the book’s latest release at the Maine Lighthouse Museum, right at the kick off of The Rockland Festival of Lights.

While a group of people watched the documentary of Andre the seal, The Seal Who Came Home, playing in the background, others were there to meet the Goodridge sisters, tell them their own Andre stories, and of course, get their own books signed. In just over an hour, they were nearly sold out of the 50 books on hand.

“It’s been pretty even,” said Toni Goodridge. ”Not a huge surge,” she added, just as a surge of people came through the door.

Even though the sisters have not always been comfortable in the public eye, they were clearly enjoying the book signing process.

“It’s gone really well,” said Paula Goodridge Armentrout. ”Yes, it’s been a lot of fun,” said Susan Goodridge.

A Seal Called Andre is the true story of the unique human-animal friendship between Harry Goodridge and Andre, the harbor seal who was as comfortable in Goodridge's home as he was in Penobscot Bay. 

Related story: Goodridge sisters reminisce about growing up with Andre the seal

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

A video is making the viral rounds this week, which is perfect on a day like this where no one feels like working.

Animator and designer Adam Patch recorded his wife telling a joke one night after she’d had a bottle of wine and decided to put a little visual story around it. It’s pretty cute.

We all have that one friend or relative who cannot tell a joke properly. Who is that person in your life and what is the joke?

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Hint: not a school in the Midcoast, but can you guess where this Thanksgiving handshake took place in Maine and in what year?

Last week’s Throwback Thursday photo couldn’t fool you! A bunch of people guessed correctly that it was Crescent Beach in Owls Head circa 1920 with Charlie St. Clair the first to guess correctly.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving turkey lurkeys.

This week’s photo courtesy of Maine Historical Society.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Here we go again. Did you see that article about keeping your sanity when the power’s out in our latest edition of The Wave? Well, looks like Rockland’s taking the spotlight this weekend (I hope the power will be on enough to light the lobster trap tree) so buck up and bust out the snow blower...here’s the best of what’s going on this weekend.

Thursday, Nov. 27

· Happy Thanksgiving! If you don’t feel like making dinner (or you don’ have power) just remember that Cappy’s Chowder House and Point Lookout are both doing special Thanksgiving day dinners. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and The UU Church in Belfast are also hosting free turkey dinners.

· Just to note, the Open Mic at The Highlands Coffee House will be closed for Thanksgiving.

Friday, Nov. 28

· All of the Goodridge sisters will be on hand to sign copies of A Seal Called Andre by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz. The book signings will take place at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

· Highlight from Rockland’s Festival of Lights weekend:  Santa will preside over the lighting of the Lobster Trap Christmas Tree, measured by some as the Largest Lobster Trap Tree in the world. Starts at 6 p.m. FMI: RocklandMainStreet.com

· If you like that old-timey string music with a modern flair, the Ale House String Band is playing the Narrows Tavern in Waldoboro at 8 p.m.

· Get pumped! If you like Ska, rock, reggae, funk, punk, you’ll like El Grande, playing at The Speakeasy at 8 p.m.

· If you like blues duo Slippery Slope, they’re playing Rock City Cafe 7-9 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 29

· Highlight from Rockland’s Festival of Lights weekend: On Saturday night, there will be the annual after-dark Parade of Lights, where dozens of illuminated floats will roll down Main Street for all to see and enjoy. Make sure you get the bar stool by the window! FMI: RocklandMainStree.com

· If you like pounding blues rock, you’ll dig The Blame Hounds playing at The Speakeasyat 8 p.m.

· Or maybe you like more laid back soulful stuff. In that case, check out the young prodigy singer-songwriter Alice Limoges, 7-9 p.m. See our story on her.

Sunday, Nov. 30

 · After a crazy weekend, you might want to just chill with By the Bay jazz trio at The Landings Restaurant in Rockland, 5-8 p.m.,

 Hey, want to know where to go for happy hour every day of the week? Check out our Guide To Midcoast’s Happy Hours.

 If you have an arts and entertainment event that fits within the adult scope of fun and cool things to do for Weekend Picks, contact Kay Stephens at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — She’s a painter on canvas, windows and kids’ faces and there is nothing she loves better than a splash of color in her life, right down to her roots.

“I got these purple highlights from Sogno Salon,” said Elizabeth McKinney. “They’re great permanent colors.” This is about the fourth or fifth color she’s had done to her hair. She has had orange, fuchsia, teal and magenta highlights in the past. She said, “I’ve seen more and more women of a certain age coloring their hair with these vivid, bright colors, so it’s kind of a trend.”

I visited her in her Rockland home office as she worked on turning some Ocean State Job Lot holiday crafts into fanciful holiday awards in time for Rockland Main Street’s Festival of Lights this weekend, something she’s done for the last four years. The awards are for the Parade of Lights as well as for the best store decorations. She is also a graphic designer and has done the festival’s logo and posters for a number of years.

“I was always interested in color,” she said. “I was fascinated by the fact that the three fairies in Cinderella had sprinkles from their magic wands that matched their gowns. That’s the first time I can remember caring about color. And I can always remember asking my father after he bought a new car ‘What color is it?’ And he was indignant, like ‘That’s the last thing that matters.”

McKinney grew up in Michigan. A painter who developed her skills in high school, she went back to her creative roots at age 40, after a divorce. She graduated from The Art Center, a design school in Albuquerque, N.M., with an associate’s degree in advertising art.  After 20 years in the southwest, she remarried and she and her husband moved to Maine in 1999.

Along with her graphic design business, she paints a number of storefront windows in Rockland, and in Camden as well. Likely you’ve seen her work for the Windjammer Festival, The Lobster Festival, the North Atlantic Blues Festival and Maine Boats Homes & Harbors show as well as specialty one-off events for the Strand Theatre and the Farnsworth Art Museum.

“I paint windows with craft acrylic, but first, I actually have to  clean the spot I'm going to paint because of oil particulants in car exhaust or else the paint will crawl around,” she said.

Of all of her creative endeavors, McKinney considers face painting to be the most fulfilling. “I love face painting because kids are used to someone doing maybe a little flower on their cheek, but I go all out with flowers and curlicues and vines. So, when they are handed a mirror, they go ‘Wow!’ That’s very rewarding,” said McKinney.

Happy with all of the little colorful pieces that make up her life and work, she said.  “I think if you have creativity, it’s across the whole spectrum of your life.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

In the wake of a deeply disturbed and frustrated nation following the latest events in Ferguson, there’s a video making the rounds on social media that is going to make you feel good.

A man entered a Bangor Hannaford supermarket on Broadway with headphones and at first, started singing the gospel tune “This Little Light of Mine” to himself. Then, as he got louder, more people joined in.

Was it a flash mob? Or was it just a spontaneous public reaction? Either way, it was awesome.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

SEARSMONT — Author Danielle Bannister, of Searsmont, has a new book she’s pushing herself to write this month. For the entire month of November, she is supposed to write 1,667 words a day, according to the National Novel Writing Month challenge, which more than 300,000 people across the globe participated in last year.

She said, “I’ve not done that much so far. I’m behind.” The best she’s done so far is about 800 words a day. “And after I hit that number I say to myself, ‘You know what? I’ve written enough today.’”

She’s already a self-published author of a romance series called Pulled, Pulled Back and Pulled Back Again, “Because I’m really clever with my titles,” she said.

She and her co-author, Amy Miles, wrote another novel after this series called Netherword that they’re pitching to producers and publishers. But for this month, her NaNoWriMo challenge is another romance called The A,B, C's of Dee.

“This book is about a 40-year-old single woman who has really done nothing substantial with her life,” she said. “She foolishly decides to take a bet from a rich friend to date 26 men in a year in alphabetical order. So, it’s really about 26 disastrous dates.”

Following is an excerpt:

Adam

“It's ten minutes to five and my underwear has already climbed up my ass more times than people have climbed Mt. Rushmore. I'd love to blame Victoria's Secret for selling me faulty '3 for $25.00′ panties, but let's be honest, I'm the one trying to cram my 40 year old fanny into underwear meant for people who don't eat food. They just looked so good on the stark, white half-mannequin butt, that I thought they would totally cover the square footage of my backside. I was grossly mistaken.”

As a participant of the NaNoWriMo challenge for the past four years, she said she’s only been able to complete the 50,000 word challenge once. And, she admits she’s nowhere near that number as the end of November approaches.

Like most emerging writers in Maine, Bannister supports herself through several part-time jobs. She is the director of the Religious Exploration program at the Unitarian Universality Church in Belfast as well as a PR consultant for Red Coat PR, which helps independent authors get exposure.

She said, “So, I help pump up other authors as well as my own stuff.”

Bannister said the way she gets into the groove when she’s sitting down to write is to type a post on Facebook that she’s starting to write.

“That way if people continue to see me still posting on Facebook, they’ll start to yell at me to get back to work,” she said. “I do that intentionally so people will direct me, because writing sometimes is so ADHD. Oh look! Something sparkly! and I’m distracted.”

Bannister has a profile on the NaNoWriMo website, along with thousands of other writers. “They provide you with daily charts, just to let you know how bad you’re sucking,” she said. “They’re really nice to do that for you.”

She said is currently at 36,335 words toward her 60,000-word goal. She has about 10 local friends who are participating and many more on Facebook across the country.

“NaNoWriMo just forces you to keep going,” she said. “You can’t go back and fix what you’ve done. Their philosophy is ‘write it and move on.’”

To see more of Bannister’s chapter excerpts, follow her blog: The Ramblings of a Struggling Writer.

To find out more about the challenge visit: National Novel Writing Month

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Welcome to our ongoing feature Behind the Slides, where we meet up with an artist who recently presented at a local PechaKucha night and find out the deeper story beneath the images he or she chose to portray.

Painter Phoebe Bly was one of the presenters at PechaKucha Night held during the Juice Conference 4.0 at the Strand Theatre Nov. 14. Bly grew up in the Maine woods in the 1970s. She lived in a tiny cabin my father built, without electricity or running water.

Note: Bly’s PechaKucha slides appear in the right column. Click on the photos to match them with the actual slide notes (in italics). Beneath the slide notes will be the deeper story.

Woods

I grew up in the woods of St. George. We lived in a tiny hand-built cabin without running water or electricity.

I still live in the woods and love how a snow storm can totally transform a familiar neighborhood into a foreign landscape. I remember as a kid feeling like l was transported into the snowy woods of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after a big snow.

Outhouse

Growing up we had an outhouse and so I'd have to go out every night before bed. One of my parents would accompany me when l was small. They would wait patiently, commenting on the beautiful night and pointing out the constellations.

I still love to go out at night. It's one of my favorite times to paint. I love the juxtaposition of the Big Dipper and the telephone pole, the mix of the celestial and the other worldly. It's the world we live in.

Farms

I love to hang out around farms. I like the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature.

This painting was done in March; the snow was starting to melt back and the crows were scavenging the fields for corn cobs that were being uncovered. It's nice when you see nature getting something from human endeavors; it's usually the other way around. We're the ones benefiting from nature.

Woodstove

I've always had a woodstove and am a big fan of bonfires. I don't think I will ever get tired of watching or painting fires.

There's something so elemental, so powerfully real about fire. I've seen both my husband's boat and my brother's house burn, and as horrible as they were, the force of nature was undeniably impressive.

Music

Music is by far, my favorite art form, but l have no aptitude for it, so l paint.

My neighbor, Rob, is a musician and he has music nights where other folks come and play. He lets me hang out even though l don't have an instrument. I listen to music constantly when I'm painting, often if I'm really loving something, I'll listen to it repeatedly. I feel like l painted an entire painting once listening to Andrew Bird's “Tenuousness" over and over! I still have no idea what the song is about, but it still gives me goosebumps whenever l hear it.

Christmas

I look forward to Christmas every year. I love all the lights. This painting is of the tree at the end of our driveway. We keep the lights on all year and plug them in when the holidays come around. It's much easier that way!

My neighbor, Ray and I go on a Christmas light cruise every year, looking to find the most awesome display. I love all the different styles of decoration.
There's a house in Thomaston by the Catholic church that wins our vote every year.

All photos courtesy Phoebe Bly. Visit her webpage: phoebebly.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — ‘Wich Please, a sassy, comfort food sandwich truck will soon be rolling up to Rockland.

On Nov. 18, with fewer than three days to go in his crowd-funding Kickstarter campaign, local food blogger Malcolm Bedell blew through a $25,000 goal to fund his food truck project. The campaign ended on Nov. 21 with $29,457 raised, just shy of their $30,000 stretch goal.

Funded by 401 backers, many of them from Maine, the project has built-in local enthusiasm. Bedell, who grew up in Tenants Harbor, said on his Kickstarter page, “I want to bring an obsessive level of detail to sandwich making, and sling the finished product out of the side of a trailer in a small-but-happening town in Midcoast Maine.” That “happening” town he referred to will be Rockland. According to the campaign they’ve got two spots secured around Main Street for the summer.

What can foodies expect?

Not just sandwiches. Incredible sandwiches, baked on fresh, crusty bread and filled with braised meats and locally-produced cheeses. Highbrow sandwiches made with garlic-roasted asparagus and quick-pickled onions in the summer. Lowbrow sandwiches packed with homemade lamb chili and cheese in the winter.

Within a matter of days of its launch, ‘Wich Please became a Kickstarter staff favorite. Combined with coverage by statewide press, interviews with Food Truck Empire and FoodTruckr, as well as a massive push by Mainers, Bedell’s baby was fast on its way to becoming a viral sensation.They’re currently the seventh-most-funded food truck campaign in Kickstarter history.

With an obsessive love of Maine’s local food scene, Bedell and his wife, Jillian, created a blog, From Away, writing about such oddball comfort foods as Frito Pie Grilled Cheese. The blog got some serious notice and Bedell has gotten offers to write and take photos for Bon Appetit, Down East Magazine, The Guardian, Serious Eats, Food & Wine, and L.A. Weekly, as well as appearances on NBC's Today Show and WCSH6's 207. From that success, they got a book deal with Tilbury House in Thomaston, and recently published Eating in Maine: At Home, On the Town and On the Road.

Not content to sit on his laurels and wait for the campaign to end, Bedell was just in Las Vegas this week competing for $100,000 in the "Sandwich" category of the World Food Championships. The invite-only event was open to chefs who have competed in and won a qualifying contest sometime earlier in the year, which Bedell was able to do for the second year in a row. They had to cook in the middle of the street on an induction burner and Bedell found it challenging, which he chronicles on his Kickstarter page.

For luck, he wore a ‘Wich Please T-shirt, illustrated in Ed Roth/Rat Fink hot rod style by Seth Mathiau, artist and owner of Atlantic Studios in Rockland.

No doubt the lines will be long when ‘Wich Please first starts to slap some sammies together. Rockland is waiting for you.

Related page: Gourmet Food Trucks in The Midcoast

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — A pop-up shop, the hot, new trend of opening a temporary retail store, has come to Rockland’s Main Street this holiday season, and it is benefiting several island micro-businesses, as well as local artisans.

Fox I Printworks, a North Haven silk-screen and letterpress studio whose successful Kickstarter campaign we previously wrote about, opened a shop Nov. 15 and plans to stay open through Christmas Eve.

“We don’t get a lot of foot traffic this time of year around North Haven,” said Claire Donnelly, co-owner of Fox I Printworks. “So, we’d been scheming for awhile that we wanted to do this.”

The idea around a pop-up shop is to “test-drive” the market before committing to a long-term lease, which is an ideal way for a micro-business without a lot of capital to get a feel for the market.

She said: “This space was so much bigger than our studio on North Haven. We thought how cool would it be to bring in locally-made stuff, much of it made on other islands, as well.”

The pop-shop at 464 Main Street has been artistically transformed from a former jeweler’s space to a rustic showroom, using many donated elements from friends and the islands.

The retro puffy chairs came from one of Fox I’s team members.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Donnelly.  “We had to bring them from Vinalhaven across the thoroughfare, then load them onto the ferry and lug them over here.”

Along with potted pine trees and giant marshmallows decorating the display window, the shop repurposes block and tackle pulleys, apple boxes, window baskets and an old splintery ladder to offset the handmade items.

Fox I's products, with their quirky screened T-shirts, pillows, hats and leather goods, line much of the wall space. The interior of the store features ceramics, jewelry, handmade longboard decks, recycled lobster rope mats, coffee, goat milk soap and encaustic art.

The other artists consign their products to Fox I’s owners.

“It gives them exposure, which in turn, gives us exposure,” Donnelly said.

Fox I's pop-up shop is the latest example of small businesses from Maine's islands using creative, low-cost initiatives to reach larger retail markets.

In October, Deer Isle-based coffee roaster 44 North participated in a pop-up shop in Boston.

Vinalhaven-based Green Granite Soap is a sponsor of Fox I's pop-up.

And in Gardiner, several pop-up businesses have opened for the holiday season, thanks to an initiative by Gardiner Main Street.

“We’ve seen a lot of small businesses doing this model through Instagram,” she said.

Fox I’s other co-owner, Sam Hallowell, has a full-time job running operations on Hurricane Island, so Donnelly is the face of the pop-up shop this season. She said that they will use this experience to determine whether they will come back as a pop-up shop next year or on a more permanent basis.

After their grand opening celebration Friday, Nov 21, from 4-6 p.m., the next public event will be Saturday, Dec. 6: Live Screen Printing! Print your own holiday poster, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

This should look familiar. Any guesses?

Last week’s Throwback Thursday photo was toooooo easy. Lifted from the Facebook page “You Knew You Grew Up in Camden-Rockport Maine when...”  many people guessed correctly that it was The Mary E. Taylor school in Camden. In the foreground was the new Camden High School gym, circa 1950-51. Penobscot Bay Pilot reader who goes by the handle “Megunticook” had a great comment. “C'mon, y'all can come up with more obscure ones than that! Was in 5th grade in that school the day we learned that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Still remember my hard-nosed teacher Mrs Norwood bawling her eyes out.”

This week’s photo courtesy Penobscot Marine Museum

Send us your Throwback Thursday photos to news@penbaypilot.com

We're on the verge of the crazy holiday season but that doesn't mean you can't combine some weekend fun while getting some of your to-do items checked off the list. Support Maine artists while getting your wine tasting on is the thing to do this weekend, then check out some of the rootsy bands or an open mic in the evening.

Thursday, Nov. 20

· As always, the Open Mic at The Highlands Coffee House promises some great talent in the Midcoast and beyond. Drink and food specials. Sign up early.

· Did you know that “lumbersexual” is the new hipster trend to replace the metrosexual male? Well, Maine men have been rocking that look for more than a century and the Strand Theatre will host a film and live presentation In The Blood, illustrating the history of Maine lumbermen and river drivers at 7 p.m. Tickets $12.50/general admission. FMI: click here.

Friday, Nov. 21

· Bell The Cat in Belfast is hosting an open poetry reading. Musicians also welcome to accompany poets. Sign up starts at 6 p.m., and reading starts at 6:30 p.m.

· Belfast Co-op Café will offer a free wine tasting of highlighted seasonal wines and the opening for Kelsey Floyd's art exhibit, "Stand Still." Event goes from 7-9 p.m.

· The sixth annual Art-Full Gifts Fine Craft, Fine Art, & Gourmet Food Show is kicking off at Point Lookout Resort, in Northport, for the weekend. Friday night’s event is a Gala Preview Opening featuring 50 select exhibitors and goes from 5 to 8 p.m. $10 admission.

· If you like pop, rock, top 40, reggae and hip hop, The Speakeasy is hosting the band Tomorrow Morning. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22

· Art-Full Gifts Fine Craft, Fine Art, & Gourmet Food Show at Point Lookout Resort in Northport, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Maine-made art and gifts, 50 exhibitors. Admission $3 and benefits Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

· Speaking of Maine-made stuff, Maine Made 2014 is a show featuring 50 exhibitors showcasing the variety and high quality of products that are made in Maine. There will also be wine tastings. The show will take place at the Samoset Resort from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 and available at the door. Ticket price is $5 and children under 12 are free. Wine tasting tickets are an additional fee. FMI: www.mainemadeshow.com

· If you’ve ever wondered what holler folk is, it is a term coined by Maine band The Ghost of Paul Revere, which is like a jacked-up version of folk with the old-timey feel of field hollers. To get a taste of this sound, three New England bands, Darlingside, The Ghost of Paul Revere, and The Ballroom Thieves, will share the Strand Theatre stage and rock the house at 8 p.m. Note: you might see a lot of lumbersexuals at this show. Tickets: $18/advance, $23/day of show.

· Rock City Cafe is hosting the Portland dance rock band Forget, Forget from 7-9 p.m.

· If you like the blues, The Speakeasy is hosting the band Juke Rockets. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 23

· Art-Full Gifts Fine Craft, Fine Art, & Gourmet Food Show at Point Lookout Resort in Northport, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Maine-made art and gifts, 50 exhibitors. Admission $3 and benefits Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

Hey, want to know where to go for happy hour every day of the week? Check out our Guide To Midcoast’s Happy Hours.

If you have an arts and entertainment event that fits within the adult scope of fun and cool things to do for Weekend Picks, contact Kay Stephens at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — More than 400 people attended the Juice Conference 4.0 this past weekend, Nov 13-15. Taking a page out of other successful weekend events such as PopTech and Camden International Film Fest, this is the first year the Midcoast Magnet-produced event spanned over three days. The conference was designed to generate energy, to be a conductor for ideas and action, and to connect elements of the creative economy to spark growth and prosperity.

The conference drew many entrepreneurs, artists, and small and micro-businesses across Maine, which are vital to the state’s economy.

This year’s theme was all about inspiring trust and the various ways one can do that — not only in boosting one’s own confidence and intuition, but also in collaboration with other people and businesses.

Some of the highlights included keynote speakers Casey Gerald, co-founder and CEO of MBAs Across America, who told his own story about growing up without direction and, ironically, finding it on an extended road trip with other Harvard MBA grads as they worked collaboratively to invest in other entrepreneurs across America. There was also Gino Bona, an advertising professional who used his own brother’s success story in how a promotion for a chicken wing and beer joint went insanely viral on major news outlets. Kea Tessyman, COO and co-founder of Power Performance, was a local speaker who illustrated how giving all of your commitment and energy to people who need it, in fact, sparks a cycle, where the receiver eventually turns back into the giver. See our profile on Tessyman here.

The workshops varied this year from focusing on overcoming failure, powerful decision-making, communication styles, cultural commerce, intellectual property, food access and overcoming fear through improvisational techniques. Rachel Flehinger, a Portland performer, improv instructor and founder of her own company, InnerVision, used humor to illustrate how even the shyest introvert can be coaxed to shed layers and turn into a mooing cow. Want to know how? See our profile on Flehinger here.

Some of the coolest downtown businesses provided the meeting space for this year’s conference including The Speakeasy, Strand Theater, Fog Bar and Cafe and 3Crow. Whether it was intentional or not, just to be able to use many of these nighttime venues as dynamic spaces for conference workshops during the day dovetailed into the concept of one of Juice’s workshops called “Shared Space: Creating and Promoting Co-working Spaces.” In other words, it’s already there; why not multi-purpose it for special events like these, rather than build something like a hotel with conference space?

Nov. 14, a Friday, was the most jam-packed day, ending with a stellar PechaKucha at the Strand and an after-party with ‘90s tribute band Hello Newman at Trackside Station. The weekend was for the forward thinkers, the bold, energetic entrepreneurs. Earnest, not stuffy, dynamic without being pretentious—that’s the gist of this year’s Juice Conference 4.0.

To see a gallery of faces and places for the event visit: Juice Gallery

To learn more about Juice Conference visit: juiceconference.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND — The theme of this past weekend’s Juice Conference 4.0, serving the creative economy, was all about inspiring trust. Trusting your gut instinct, trusting the process, trusting your collaborators—all of the ingredients necessary to propel your creative vision forward.

One Juice presenter, in particular, manages to push people very far out of their comfort zone every day. Rachel Flehinger, founder of InnerAction in Portland, is an improvisational comedy instructor. Having performed for the past 30 years, she is an award winning improv comedian and former radio morning show personality. She led a presentation earlier on Friday morning, discussing the 10 things people do to engage in negative self-talk and how it self-sabotages our confidence and potential. Later in the day, she led an improv workshop titled “If You Can’t Trust The Voice In Your Head, Who Can You Trust?,” which employed improvisational acting techniques to identify what might be holding participants back in business and life. We asked her to elaborate.

As an improvisational comedy instructor, how do you get people to shed all of their inhibition in front of a group?

That’s the whole thing, from the beginning I acknowledge how weird it’s going to be. I’m going to ask you to come way out of your comfort zone and when that happens, they go, ‘Oh she told me, here it comes.’ I don’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. And I also try to anticipate in certain people if it gets to be too much.

Sometimes people just can’t go from zero to 60 and behave completely the opposite of their personalities in an exercise, right?

Yes, sometimes you have to go into the kiddie pool.

Is there something you’ve learned from the group of JUICE participants you just led in your workshop

It always surprises me just how scared people are to communicate from an honest place. People usually protect themselves. I’m always in awe when someone lets that guard down for a second. One of the reasons I love working with adults is that we go through our lives putting up layer upon layer of protection so that we don’t feel discomfort, and when I can break it down and get someone to shed one of those layers, it is a huge level of trust. And it’s a gift.

Is it particularly difficult for introverts to shed those layers?

It is and when I work with clients I often say, ‘If you were a party, what kind of party would you be?’ So, often introverts or shy people think they have to be a kegger (i.e. keg party). When really, if you just want to be a small tea party, just be who you are on that scale. Don’t try to force yourself so out of a comfort level, that it’s not really ‘you’ anymore.

To see more highlights on the Juice conference visit: facebook.com/JuiceConference

To learn more about Flehinger visit: yourinneraction.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com