BELFAST—Belfast will soon have a new Thai restaurant named Fon’s Kitchen at 132 High Street, opening March 31.

Fon, which means falling rain in the Thai language, just so happens to be co-owner, Sarunya Rock’s nickname.

Sarunya, who grew up in Bangkok, felt she needed a change and moved to the U.S. 

“I found an opportunity to come to the states, working in hospitality for a year, so I applied without knowing where I end up,” she said. “I didn’t even know Maine when I showed up. I got a job at Natalie’s Restaurant at the Camden Harbour Inn and began my life here.”

Her family was a big influence on her cooking.

“When I was in middle school, my parents had a good-size Thai restaurant on our property—not too fancy, but a place where people would show up early in the morning and enjoy all day,” she said. “My mother was the manager, but sometimes she had to cook when the chef did not show up. I was helping mostly in the front, running food, busing tables, helping prep in the kitchen, doing dishes, and whatever else needed to be done.”

Sarunya said she loves the restaurant industry and always had an eye on opening her own restaurant.

“After Natalie’s, I worked at the Waterfront Restaurant as a server for almost seven years,” she said. “When I found the restaurant space in Belfast had become available, I was very interested. There were several people looking at the space, but I believe everything came together at the perfect time in my life to make this work out for us.”

Her husband, Dan Rock, has been renovating the space for the last three months with a new pale green color scheme, different lighting, and artworks.

The menu is “all Sarunya” said Dan.

“She’s a great cook and I call her a ‘curry genius.’ She makes her own dumplings from scratch using as many local ingredients as possible from local businesses. I’ve yet to have any dumplings in this state as good as hers.”

“Well, I think my husband might be a little biased,” Sarunya said. “As a food lover, when I came to Maine, I realized I would never be able to find the street food I enjoyed so much back home in Thailand. I started watching YouTube and learned how to cook the food I was missing. Dumplings are one of my favorite Thai appetizers that I enjoy making and eating. The secret to making a good dumpling is to ground your own meat. We normally get our pork shoulder from local sources, grind and marinate the meat with Thai seasonings and herbs overnight. I can’t wait for people to come in and try the dumplings for themselves, and see if my husband is biased, or completely correct!”

Fon’s Kitchen’s menu is simple with appetizers, main dishes, sides, and desserts. It features Thai staples such as Pad Thai, Drunken Noodle, Pad Kra Pow, and two kinds of curries.

“I think the stir-fried Sukiyaki will be a popular dish,” she said. “My version is a Thai take on a traditional Japanese dish. Basically, Sukiyaki is a stir-fried bean thread noodle, with a choice of protein and mixed vegetables with Sukiyaki sauce (red bean curd). The Thai version is cooked and served a bit differently than the traditional Japanese way and I think people will love it.”

Sarunya’s dream is to make her restaurant as comfortable as her family’s space in Bangkok.

“All you need is consistency, good food, good drinks, good service, and a calm inviting atmosphere,” she said. “But, the most important part is, you need to enjoy what you doing, then everyone else will enjoy it, too!”

To see Fon’s Kitchen’s menu and updates on their opening visit their Facebook page

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

It’s been two years since we’ve been able to bring this feature back. Sláinte and make sure you have a designated driver or a smart plan!

Wednesday, March 16

Liberator Brewing Co. in Rockland is hosting its third St. Patrick’s Day celebration from 3 to 8 p.m. serving O’Leary’s Cow Chocolate Stout, Highland Lager, and an Irish Red Ale. No cover and drink specials.

Thursday, March 17

Belfast

• Maine Celtic Celebration is partnering with Belfast restaurants to put on an Ale Trail. Front Street Pub, Rollies’ Bar and Grill and Nautilus will all have food and drink specials with a passport you can get stamped at each place. Starts at 3 p.m. Raffle tickets will be for sale throughout the locations. Enter to win 2 tickets to see the Celtic Woman concert in Portland on March 29, 2022

• Three Tides and Marshall Wharf Brewing will be getting into the St. Patrick's Day mood starting at 2 p.m. with musical guests, The Oystermen (previously known as Old Grey Goose). They’ll have a classic boiled dinner along with Sexy Chaos (one of their beers) cupcakes with whiskey ganache filling and Bailey's frosting.

• St. Patrick’s Day Paint and Sip by Cover ME In Art at 134 Church Street. Take your own drink and snacks. All materials will be included to create a St. Patrick’s Day painting. $25 per person. Purchase tickets in advance of the event here. Please do not attend if you are experiencing any Covid -19 symptoms.

Boothbay Harbor

• Brady’s is back from winter break and will be re-opening March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day as O’Brady’s! The bar will open at 9 a.m. At 11:30 a.m. they will be serving up some traditional Irish food and $5 Guinness specials.

Liberty

•Lake St. George Brewing Co. will be serving up some Irish culinary classics with its on-site food truck, Pinnacle Grill as well as $5 for Danny’s Oatmeal Stout from 3 to 8 p.m.

Rockland

• Rock Harbor Brewing Co. will be serving brunch all day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with St. Patrick’s Day food and drink specials all weekend long.

• The Grey Owl will be having Irish drink specials and giveaways in their bar downstairs for those wearing green from 4 to 11 p.m.

Washington

• Rosey Gerry, “The Rose”, will be performing a St. Patrick’s Day set at the Blueberry Fields Pub from 5 to 7 p.m. with guest appearance “Miss Lise Becu.” “So grab your Shillelagh and a friend and boogie on over, love to see ya!” said Gerry, in a news release. FMI: Penobscot Bay Pilot

Note: If your establishment isn’t listed here it’s because either we were unable to find any details of your event posted online or it was restaurant seating only, not a public party. We will be adding more details and more listings as they become available. Please check back! To contact us with more details, email  news@penbaypilot.com

SEARSPORT—‘Hey Sailor’ is serving a definite vibe, which, simply put, is “TACOS+. ART. BOOZE.”

The newly opened bar and restaurant on 25 East Main Street is the latest venture of the owners of The Hichborn in Stockton Springs.

Kirk Linder and Charlie Zorich opened Hey Sailor in late February after purchasing the building in 2019. However, the pandemic waylaid their plans for quite awhile. Early in 2020, they ripped everything down to the studs and slowly built out a kitchen, then began the work to recreate the space into their vision of the kind of hangout they both like to go to on a day off.

“We wanted something that is completely different from The Hichborn,” said Zorich. “Not everyone wants to commit to a three-hour meal. There are a lot of food-savvy people around who like to try different things and that’s what we were going for.”

By three p.m. on a drizzly Thursday afternoon, a half dozen people stood outside on the sidewalk, waiting for the doors to open. Within minutes, the entire place was full, which just shows how well received this newest hang-out is in the sleepy town of Searsport.

Inside, the retro hues of teal and orange dominate the decor, a welcome pop of color on a grey, March day.

“The building here has one foot in the past, but also one foot in the future,” said Zorich. “The space has 1960s mod facade that drove the interior design. Both of us have a love for mid-century modern and 1970s modern, so we went for a 1970s mod look.” 

Though Gen Xers themselves, Zorich said the restaurant is attracting all kinds of clientele from Gen Z to Boomers. 

As seasoned professionals in the industry, the Hey Sailor crew will be expanding when The Hichborn re-opens this summer. Eric Walczek, the former chef de cuisine from Portland’s Street & Co. will be taking over as head chef at Hey Sailor and Zorich will return as the chef for The Hichborn during high season.

TACOS+

The menu is divided into innovative bar snacks, tacos, salads, and desserts.

“We do west coast style tacos and some of our customers from California and those who come from the west have said that they love the bold flavors,” said Zorich. “The bar snacks side of the menu is driven by global street food and some of it is influenced by one of our chefs, Nattapat Niamnud whose nickname is ‘Ninja. ’ Ninja, who is Thai, is infusing some Thai flavors into the menu, as well.”

With oyster mushroom empanadas and Pulpo Enamorado, which is an octopus salad with avocado, radish, scallion, Fresno chilis, and saltines—these aren’t your typical bar snacks.

“I think we might have the best calamari on the coast, but the LAABB (crispy rice paper, chili flake, fish sauce, and mint) is very popular too,” he said.

ART

The restaurant also aims to be a working gallery, debuting their neighbor, Frederick Kuhn’s artworks at their opening. Kuhn’s saturated complementary colors fit right in with the decor.

“The artwork will change every couple of months,” said Linder. “We’ll have quarterly shows with a summer and a fall show already lined up with local artists. I’m working with another gentleman who will help operate the gallery and we’ll start putting out a call for artists to submit work. We’re working on an artist in residency grant to bring artists in from all over the world. We’re also working on a mural program in the restaurant, which will change every couple of years.”

BOOZE

The theme of the cocktail menu is arranged around bodies of water, which reflects the restaurant’s name.

“The town of Searsport built sailing ships here for many years and we’re honoring the seafaring history of the town, so the cocktails are inspired by ports of call around the world,” said Zorich.

Each region on the menu has a sweet, savory, and classic style. So, for example, for New England, they offer a Searsport Switchel (local rum, ginger, apple cider vinegar), a Blueberry Brownie (blueberry rum, almond, brown sugar, chocolate) and Under The Apple Tree  (bourbon, apple, cider, cinnamon, egg white). That’s in addition to local craft brews on tap and in the bottle/can as well as a select wine menu.

It’s a sign of the times that a hip little place is opening in one of the quieter Midcoast towns. For more information visit their website: Hey Sailor.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Maine Restaurant Week continues into this weekend, so take a road trip this weekend to try out different cuisine around the state. Also, Belfast’s got it going on this weekend! With another bomb cyclone coming in this weekend, everything listed here is inside.

Music at Marshall Wharf Brewing Co.

Friday, March 11—Belfast

Muskeag, a Belfast band with homegrown alt-country, alt-rock original music, is returning to Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. at 6 p.m. Check them out on Soundcloud. They’re going to be part of the upcoming All Roads Music Festival in Belfast in May. And why you’re in Belfast, check out some of the remaining ice sculptures from the Ice Festival.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13 —Belfast

The Belfast Maskers are putting on a stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel, which “explores the brutality of life in a mental institution with humor, candor, and unforgettable characters.” One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Dale Wasserman and directed by Meg Nickerson will be playing at the Basil Burwell Community Theater on March 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. with a Sunday, March 13 matinee showing at 2 p.m.  Parental discretion encouraged; not recommended for kids under 13. Tickets are $15 for adults; $12 for teens and seniors. The show will continue next weekend as well. FMI: Belfast Maskers

Comedy at Colonial Theatre

Saturday, March 12—Belfast

Get up there to the Colonial Theatre to check out headliner Ian Stuart, who has opened for comedians Dave Attell and Demetri Martin. As the founder of the Maine Comedy Festival  he and fellow comic and James Therberge, co-creator of the Welcome to Maine series, as well as comic Paul Hunt will be putting on a full evening of “...Maine schtick from the sticks.” The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through EventBrite.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

SEARSPORT—What do you get when you combine an illustrated children’s book with a simple walk around a neighborhood?

StoryWalk, a  literacy project created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library, is a way to encourage families to get outside and be active while boosting childrens’ literacy.

Carver Memorial Library and local businesses have parterned to present a winter-themed StoryWalk based on the book The Mitten a Ukranian folktale by Jan Brett. In this book, a boy loses a white mitten in the snow and one by one, certain animals crawl in.

Sue McClintock, Library Director at Carver Memorial Library, said the book had been chosen before Russia invaded Ukraine, but that the timing of promoting the contributions of a Ukrainian writer right now couldn’t be any more appropriate.

The book was taken apart and each page is displayed on downtown Searsport business windows, including Splendiferous Sweet Shop, Coastal Cafe and Bakery, Hey Sailor, Strandz Hair Studio, Bog Hill Woodworking, Penobscot Marine Museum, Trove, Artisan Boutique, The Aquarian Gift Shop, and Pay It Forward for Kids.

“One of the reasons we started doing it is because of the pandemic,” said Sue McClintock, Library Director at Carver Memorial Library. “We wanted people to be able to read stories, engage with them, and connect with their families over stories outside.”

The StoryWalk covers a loop of four blocks downtown and will be available until March 15.

“We have done StoryWalks before in partnership with Sears Island for the past couple of years,” said McClintock. “We thought that it would be a good time to offer one downtown in the winter when things are really quiet, and businesses are slow. The businesses are all really excited about it and we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback about it.”

Carver Memorial Library plans on offering more StoryWalks this summer on Sears Island.

To learn more about Carver Memorial Library, visit carverlibrary.org.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

The kids are all right this weekend. Even though Weekend Spotlight is for adults, primarily, there are a couple of teen-centered events that will appeal to all ages. And here’s a great way to support the chefs, servers, and local purveyors for Maine Restaurant Week.

Young Artists’ Gallery Takeover

Friday, March 4—Belfast

Camden Snow Bowl’s Snowboarding Slalom

Saturday, March 5—Camden

Camden Snow Bowl is hosting a fun spectator sport for teen snowboarders in its first CS/BS Banked Slalom.  This free snowboard-only event showcases teens 16 and under as they race down the course. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers from sponsors Bataleon, Ride, and Sidecountry Sports. Race time goes from 12 to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. is designated for the prizes. For more info, visit the Facebook event page.

Maine Restaurant Week

Tuesday, March 1 through Saturday, March 12 —statewide

Maine Restaurant Week is upon us, celebrating local and independent restaurants throughout the state. Most of the participating restaurants are around the Portland area, but a few in the Midcoast are participating including, the Hartstone Inn, and The Sea Dog (Camden), 40 Paper and Nina June (Rockport), and The Block Saloon(Thomaston). The 2022 MRW participating restaurants will present special offers and some will have three-course menus as in years past, but not everyone will. In addition, chefs, bakers, baristas, and chocolatiers are serving special coffee-centric creations during MRW, including Atlantic Baking Co. in Rockland. FMI: The list of participating restaurants.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—Mia Fay, a junior at Belfast Community Outreach Program in Education (BCOPE) in Belfast, is headed for big things this spring, representing Maine at the National 4-H Youth Summit on Agri-Science.

The 17-year-old got connected to nature as a child when she and her family lived in Florida.

“I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors and had an interest in how animals interacted with the landscape,” she said. “We used to live near this little retention pond and I’d just sit there and watch the ducks and look at all of the life in the pond.”

When she was 11, her family moved to a wooded property in Belfast, furthering her interest in the outdoors.

“We have a little garden on our land and would grow a lot of leafy greens and potatoes,” she said.

In middle school, she took a garden class and it fired something up in her. “I learned so much from that class and was really excited about it,” she said. “They had a huge vegetable garden and a large stream where we would do research.”

On her own, she began reading up on pre-evolutionary life on Earth and how plants evolved. “I was just blown away by how beautiful and complex Nature is,” she said.

BCOPE is the right fit

However, somewhere between her natural wonder in middle school and the challenges of public high school, Mia admits she lost herself and lost her fire.

“I was disregarding my interests in the natural world; I was lost in being a teenager and lost my incentive being in high school,” she said.

That’s when her guidance counselor suggested moving her into BCOPE, an alternative program for Belfast Area High School, specifically geared to students who don’t necessarily thrive in a traditional setting of high school and who might be at risk for being behind in academic credits.

“I love it here,” she said. “Coming here they helped me with these opportunities to participate outside of school has changed my life. They immediately saw my interest in agriculture when I came here and this school has just enhanced that.”

The school encouraged her to be a participant in the first pilot of the Maine 4-H Agricultural Ambassador Program, which she successfully completed. As part of the program, they encouraged Mia and the other students to apply to the Agri-Science Summit, and based on her essay, she was accepted.

The Maine 4-H Foundation pays for the majority of the trip.

She and five other students around the state will be flying with a chaperone to Washington DC in March to participate in a three-day agricultural summit, taking part in workshops on agricultural sustainability and food security.  “I’m going to absorb it all,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting other kids.”

When she comes back she has to write an action plan for her community and BCOPE. “I have a lot of ideas,” she said. “I want to go into this summit with the knowledge that fungi are going to be a big part of the world’s solutions to agricultural challenges, such as pest control.”

Mushrooms as super fungi

“I’m really interested in fungi’s place in bio-defense,” she said. She credits mycologist Paul Stamets, as a source of inspiration. He has been working with the Bioshield Biodefense Program examining the effects of turkey tail mushrooms on the human immune system, particularly on women with breast cancer suffering from impaired immune systems. 

Her interest in the topic is not surprising given her entire high school experience so far has been impacted by the Covid-19 virus. 

“Covid definitely sparked in my interest in bio-defense,” she said. It’s a topic mostly reserved for scientific journals citing the main defense strategy of fungi is chemical defense, but it’s a topic she’s fully absorbed in.

Paying close attention to the world we live in and exploring how plants and fungi play a part in “Survival of the fittest” is a special talent, indeed, and the first time we’ve profiled a student with that interest. Good luck at the Summit, Mia!

Hail To The Rad Kids is an ongoing feature highlighting teens in the Midcoast with special talent. 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—The streets of downtown Belfast were alive on Saturday with hundreds of people walking around to take photos of ice sculptures, watch live ice carving demonstrations, and have a chill sip of something at multiple ice bars throughout the downtown. State of Maine Ice Carving ChampionshipThe weekend event was organized as a cabin fever reliever while following COVID-19 guidelines.

The event continues on Sunday, February 27. Here is a schedule of events. 

Enjoy our gallery.

Photos by Kay Stephens

Better hunker down Friday night because it looks like we’re going to get hit with a dumpload of snow (fourth weekend in a row) but the rest of the weekend looks clear and that’s great news for the multiple winterfests happening around the state.

Belfast Ice Festival

Friday, February 25 through Sunday, February 27—Belfast

Killer Road Trip: Bath’s Winterfest

Friday, February 25 through Sunday, February 27—Bath

Again, just focusing on Saturday and Sunday, Bath is going all out all day and all night with a free family ice rink, winter disc golf, Shetland Yard farm ponies, kids’ winter gauntlet, a downtown Scavenger Hunt, Kennebec Estuary Land Trust Education Station, fire sculpture, a drinking chocolate station, comedy nights, beer gardens, snow sculpture contest, Maine’s first ship cannon blast and bean supper with a maritime cocktail contest, Sunday brunch day, and more. Check the website for the daily schedule.

Strand on The Air

Sunday, February 27—On Radio

This is for all of the introverts who never wanted to leave their houses during the pandemic anyway—The Strand Theatre is putting on its radio Variety Show “CabinFever Edition” on Sunday at 5 p.m. 

House Manager Liz McLeod, announcer Dan Bookham, musical director Brittany Parker, and the Strand Family Players will put on a radio show for an  hour, joined by special musical guests GoldenOak.

Here’s a preview: “...Journalists of All Things Rescinded will take a look at the burgeoning new pandemic-inspired musical genre of “grumblecore,” featuring the radio debut of the hard-driving alternative band “Karen’s Spleen,” along with a nostalgic look at Town Meeting season as it used to be, and a preview of our coming travails with mud season.

Professor Dan Bookham will offer a poetic rumination on the unpredictability of late-winter weather, and down in Abysmal Point, Mrs. Grunden, Lilita, and the gang will gather round the kitchen table to drive off the winter blues with a hard-fought no-quarter-asked-and-none-given game of full-contact Monopoly.” FMI: https://www.wrfr.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

With school vacation right around the corner, the fun stuff is happening mostly out of town this weekend (with the exception of a vinyl jam in Rockland), so brace yourself for the pain at the pump and gas up for a good time around the state.

Killer Road Trip: Carnaval in Portland

Thursday, February 17 through Sunday, February 20—Portland

Killer Road Trip: Sunday River’s President’s Week

Friday, February 18 through Sunday, February 20—Newry

Sunday River has a bunch of family-friendly things to do this weekend, including a walk through 100,000 twinkling lights in the forest on a half-mile trail on all three evenings (Reservations required), twilight skiing, live music, fire dancers, fireworks and more. Click to see schedule.

Spin Some Vinyl Old School

Sunday, February 20—Rockland

It’s good to see Steel House get back into doing events again! They’re hosting an old-school vinyl jam where you can bring the record of your choice and play it in an “open jam” style from 2 to 4 p.m. According to the organizer, “Vinyl & Jam is a no-frills couple of hours for people to share some music on vinyl or instrument. Ideally, a song or two from an album will be chosen to listen to and there might be a musician or more to jam with. Some medium roast coffee, proper English tea, and toast will be available.” FMI: mspeno@yahoo.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

It’s going to be downright balmy at the start of the weekend so you know hard-core Mainers will be wearing T-shirts and waterproof boots on the ice at the U.S. National Toboggan Championships. It’s a triple threat weekend with Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl as well, so get ready for a jam-packed weekend.

31st US National Toboggan Championships Returns

Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13—Camden

Where To Watch The Super Bowl

Sunday, February 13—Statewide

Super Bowl LVI is coming up Sunday between the National Football Conference champion Los Angeles Rams and the American Football Conference champion Cincinnati Bengals. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. but there will be lots of pre-gaming going on.

Here’s a list of public Super Bowl parties happening locally.

Trackside Station, Rockland: Squad up for a pre-game party from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. FMI: Trackside

The Quarry Tavern, Tenants Harbor: They’ll have food specials, drinks, games, and prizes, starting at 6 p.m. Reservations recommended. FMI: The Quarry

Brady’s Restaurant, Boothbay: Murky Water Band will be belting out the tunes as we fill in our Pool Squares and talk football trash for the afternoon. Goes from 2 to 5 p.m. FMI: Brady’s

Valentine’s Day Happenings

Sunday, February 13—Rockland

What’s a good Valentine’s Day staycation in Midcoast? Let’s start with Rockland. Try a Valentine’s Day-themed chocolate bite at Bixby Chocolates. Or a 7/8-mile walk to Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.  Perhaps a couples’ massage at  Rheal Day Spa, Skin Klinic, or  Synergy Massage. Then, later dinner, and live music at Mé Lon Togo, a West African cuisine restaurant we profiled a couple of years ago.  It has now moved to Rockland (10 Leland Street) and on Sunday, they are hosting A Valentine’s Day weekend lineup and special menu. Call for showtimes: 872-9146.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Last Sunday, 12 teenage boys from Belmont, Mass., hopped off the bus with Athletic Director George Tahan and arrived at the Camden Snow Bowl with six toboggans, rarin’ to go.

But they weren’t there to practice for the U.S. National Toboggan Championships. The boys are ninth-grade students from Belmont Hill, a private school for boys grades 7-12 in Belmont, Massachusetts. As part of a science class called “Applied Physics and Design,” the students not only hand-built each toboggan, but also challenged themselves on the 400-foot chute to see whose toboggan could race the fastest.

“We’ve been doing this class for the last 10 years, coming up to Maine in the winter to test the toboggans out,” said science teacher Tyson Trautz, who grew up in Old Orchard Beach. 

“When I lived in Maine, I went with a couple of buddies to the National Toboggan Championships for several years in a row, so the impetus for the project stemmed from my experiences in Camden,” he said, noting that experience prompted him to design a class around toboggan making and racing.

The students learned the design process using the specifications that the Toboggan Championships use.

“We follow their rules on length, width, the thickness of wood, and curl diameter,” said Tahan. “We give all of those parameters to the boys and then they design a toboggan on CAD-based software called Fusion 360. After designing it virtually, they did a 3-D print as a scale model. Then, they full-scale built it over the course of a semester with the goal at the end of the semester to travel up to the Camden Snow Bowl and test the toboggans out.”

The trip takes about 10 hours round trip, starting at 6:30 a.m. While it’s a lot of fun, the boys are still working on physics problems.

“Before we go up, we give them a calculations sheet and put up all of the specs for the chute, so they have to calculate their potential energy, their kinetic energy, their momentum, and mass,” said Trautz. “They have to weigh themselves and weigh their toboggans, and then they have to predict their velocity final at the bottom of the chute.”

“We also judge them on the best design and craftsmanship,” said Tahan. “But, the prize all of the boys want to win is being the fastest.”

Each team of two students takes their toboggan to the top of the chute. That team races down the chute, competing against the other teams.

“As they go down we have a radar gun and clock their speeds,” said Tahan.

Bragging rights for the fastest speed this year goes to  Thomas Sheehan and Emerson Walker clocking in at 40 m.ph. down the chute.

What a fun way to do physics and to use experiential education in design, woodworking, science, and physical competition.

“It’s not only teaching them to use their hands to build something, which most kids don’t know how to do today, but it also teaches them problem-solving using design and physics,” said Tahan.

When the semester is done, each team decides who gets to take the toboggan home. If both boys want the toboggan, it’s a coin flip to determine the winner. If neither boys want it, the school auctions the toboggans off in a fund-raising event.

And a little memento of Belmont Hill will stay with the Snow Bowl. The school is planning on donating one of the student-built toboggans to the Camden Snow Bowl for rentals or for use, with the Belmont Hill school emblem and each boy’s name on the headstock of the toboggan.

Head out for the 31st U.S. National Toboggan Championships this year. For more information visit: Camden Snow Bowl.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

THOMASTON—One Midcoast man is on a mission to free up landfills from junked computers and to turn those parts into usable devices for people who can’t afford a new computer.

Gordon Knowlton, from Thomaston, has had a life-long interest in taking computers apart and putting them back together.

“I took one course in college for audio engineering, but I really got into repairing PCs after I bought a Gateway computer around 2003,” he said.  “It wasn’t cheap, around $1,800, and every time I had a new program installed, it cost an arm and a leg. So, when that computer died, I pretty much just bought the parts and started figuring out how to build computers myself.”

For the last 20 years, he has taught himself how to take apart and put together personal computers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq.

When he briefly worked for a big box store’s electronic department, Knowlton also recognized the disparity between what repair services were worth and how unassuming customers were being overcharged.

“It cost them $80-90 for a diagnostics test only to be told the repair for something completely simple would be $200 and they’d leave, dejected, not able to pay for it,” he said.

Worse, he witnessed people so frustrated and flummoxed by what were simple repairs or upgrades that they chose to junk the computer and buy a new one.

Knowlton has set himself up as a one-person repair center with no charges for consultation fees and up-front rates. He specializes in reviving older model PCs and also offers software upgrades, virus removals, and data recovery among other services.

But he’s also a give-back kind of guy.

He recently put out a post on Midcoast Message Board asking the community if anyone had an old, unused computer collecting dust to donate. In turn, he’ll spend the time to fix it and donate it to kids or adults who can’t afford a new one.

“In just about every house there’s an old PC sitting in the back of a closet or an attic,” he said. “I hate to see those computers or parts go into the landfill. We already have too many computer parts and electronics ending up there every year. If there are parts that can be re-used, why not give it to somebody who could use it?”

He also doesn’t like to see the working class get price gouged.  It’s his pet peeve to see old computers donated to the thrift store industries for free, only to be repriced—in his estimation—a ridiculous amount of money back to the consumer. 

“The average person only uses a computer for going online and playing games, so it’s easy to build up a used computer using upcycled parts and get it running again,” he said. “They don’t need to spend $800 on a computer just to get online. Getting a computer shouldn’t cost that much money and be such a hassle.”

Knowlton has made it into the Pilot’s #Midcoast Entrepreneurs series for a reason—shining a light on the solo entrepreneurs whose talents benefit the communities in Maine in some way.

To learn more about his business or to donate an old PC, visit his Facebook page or contact him at midcoastpcguy@hotmail.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

I don’t know whether post-holiday fatigue was going on in the last couple of weeks in January but it was like tumbleweeds in the Midcoast. Then this weekend is like —shazam— let’s see how many crazy different things we can do and see this weekend! Here’s what’s going on.

Camden Winterfest Returns

Saturday, February 5—Camden

The Dude Abides

Saturday, February 5—Belfast

A Steam Train to a Sleigh Ride to a Farm

Saturday, February 5—Alna

This is one of those staycation winter wonderland activities that would be a blast to try with kids or your friends (big kids.) Board a steam train at this working railway at in Alna. You’ll be whisked away for about 20 minutes to get to the top of the mountain where a horse-drawn sleigh will be waiting to take you to SeaLyon Farmwhere you can warm up in front of a bonfire, with hot beverages and food from local vendors. The entire experience takes just over 2 hours. Trains depart Sheepscot station (97 Cross Road, Alna) promptly each hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Note that the railroad cars are not heated. FMI: Tickets and Details

Roaring ‘20s  Gala & Burlesque

Saturday, February 5—Rockland

And now for something completely different. The Grey Owl is hosting Maine's own SPRQ burlesque troupe and music by MC SpaceWiz in The Grey Owl Bar & Grill lounge for two separate routines and the greatest hits from the 1920s starting at 8 p.m.  Costumes are encouraged but tickets ($10)  are limited. FMI: Tickets and Details

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—Anyone who has ever cozied up to a blazing campfire with s’mores anticipating a story will surely enjoy Waterfall Arts’ latest offering: monthly Fireside Chats, “meant to ignite conversations, boost empathy, and offer a platform for shared stories.”

“We were trying to think of ways people could gather outside in a larger group as a way to [meet Covid-19 indoor restrictions] but we were also thinking of neutral ways to bring people together in today’s reality where everything seems so divisive,” said Amy Tingle, Program Director at Waterfall Arts. “We wanted to create a forum where people are communicating, but not directly around politics. Instead, we want to engage people to come together around storytelling. The idea of telling our own stories and getting to know each other leads to a deeper understanding of one another.”

The experiment started on December 16 with Stephanie Holman, a professional storyteller and children’s librarian from the Belfast Free Library as the first guest in the series.

Around 4:30 p.m., the staff set up multiple fire pits on the front lawn with hay bales and stumps for seating. There’s also a table with free hot coffee, cider, and individual s’more bags.

“It’s like when you used to camp in your back yard,” she said. Only, with a speaker system and a microphone,

About 20 people showed up with Holman talking about the library services for a few minutes before launching into her own story.  Holman then passed the mic to the first person whose hand was raised. It’s very casual — an open mic setting rather than a more formalized Moth radio hour type of storytelling.

“Some stories made us laugh really hard while other stories kind of brought a tear,” said Tingle. “Some of the stories stuck to the theme of libraries and books, but others were just random, which made them really funny.”

Unlike formal storytelling venues, the speaker isn’t constrained by time.

“I don’t have a gong or a time limit,” she joked.

On January 20, Waterfall Arts invited another storyteller, Ian Stewart, Executive Director at Coastal Mountains Land Trust, to kick off the event, with about 20 people in attendance.

The Fireside Chat on Tuesday, February 15 will begin a little later (5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) and will feature Belfast Flying Shoes. The stories will focus on dancing, singing, and the performance arts.

“Maybe someone will even sing something,” said Tingle.

March’s theme and beyond, will depend upon the community. Non-profits in Waldo County with a community focus are especially encouraged to propose a theme.

“I think once we saw the library wanted to host the first event, it shaped how the rest of the Fireside Chats would go, highlighting other organizations and what they do, then launching into stories,” said Tingle. 

For more information, please visit waterfallarts.org or call (207) 338-2222.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—It’s never a bad thing to have another independent bookstore open in the Midcoast and Arctic Tern Books is the newest bookstore to cement Rockland’s reputation as a thriving cultural scene.

Owner Allison Worden opened the boutique bookstore in November after planning it for about a year. The space at 432 Main Street, formerly Hall’s Antiques, had been sitting empty for a few years. Once she saw its dark wood floors and soaring ceilings, she knew it was meant to be.

“I walked in and immediately saw it all,” she said. “I just fell in love with the space.”

Her entire career has been spent in academic publishing, mostly managing scientific journals and books, but once she moved to Maine, launching a bookstore (an idea she’d been kicking around for a long time) became a reality.

“Books were my very first love in life,” she said. “Growing up in a very remote, small town in Australia, they were how I explored the world.”

Worden’s aesthetic, both within the store itself and how she selects the books, can be described as intuitive, intimate, and nurturing. It all stems from a very personal experience she’d had caring for her sister.

“In 2013, my only sister was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer,” she said. “I become her primary caregiver, and as I walked that journey with her and saw so many people suffering, it opened my eyes to the incredible amount of pain that people are experiencing. During that time, whenever I would go into a place that felt peaceful and restorative it was such a gift. While I was caring for my sister, I knew I wanted to do that someday for people—just provide that space where peace and something close to hope was available.”

With the towering bookshelves on the left side of the room and a cozy, central sitting area anchored by a large coffee table draped with books, Arctic Tern Books is the kind of space that makes you feel like drinking a cup of tea while sitting back and reading for an afternoon. In fact, the store’s tagline is: “Step inside and let the world fade away.”

The store’s name, Arctic Tern, refers to the migratory bird that travels from pole to pole every year. It was chosen as a metaphor for exploration.

“I’ve curated this store with the underlying belief that bookstores are a place for discovery,” said Worden. “You’ll see a lot of books in here about and written by people from other cultures, as well as books that teach and heal. Books have the power to take people wherever they want to go—whether it’s somewhere back in time, or into someone else’s life, or on a personal journey.”

Her shop’s vibe both in-house and online is simultaneously welcoming and expansive. Some of the curated collections online include: Beautiful Gifts for Bibliophiles, Tenacious Spirits, Escape into Imaginary Worlds,  Journeys of Spiritual Awakenings, and Healing from Traumas.

“Once we get past Covid, I’d like to host events for our community,” she said. “We have so much talent in the area that I look forward to championing our local authors, artists, and thinkers.”

To learn more visit her website: Arctic Tern Books

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

JACKSON—Last week, we did a story on the off-the-beaten-path Marsh River Cooperative in Brooks and its special space for local artisans and crafters. Kathleen Maseychik is one of those crafters whose tiny, handmade felt mice grace a dollhouse in the center of the store. Her creations, which she has been making for 53 years, are under the banner of her nano business, Mouse Hole Workshop. She credits the author Beatrix Potter and The Tale of Peter Rabbit for influencing her small animal creations.

“I still get people who come by my table at craft fairs and say, ‘My mother bought me one of your mice when I was a child 30 years ago,’ ” she said.

Maseychik started making her one-of-a-kind hand-sewn mice when her children were little and she wanted to make some money on the side.

“I did all sorts of crafts, but the mice were the only things that sold,” she said.

Later, when she and her husband moved to England so her husband could teach at university, she taught at a nursery school and continued to make mice for her students to play with.

With 60 different styles, she makes each one by hand, cutting patterns out of wool felt and stitching them up on a sewing machine. She sews their tiny outfits as well. The mice all have professions, hobbies, or specific roles, ranging from school teachers and doctors and nurses to golfer and backpackers to Irish pub hoppers. Seasonally, she offers Christmas mice, Valentine’s Day mice, and St. Patrick Day mice among others—but her best-sellers are bride and groom mice.

The school teacher is popular right now because of how valuable this profession has been during the pandemic, as well as her doctor and nurse mice, for the same reasons.

“I’ve been doing these for so long, I could make them in my sleep,” she said.

In the past, when it was her main income, Maseychik could turn out 12 mice in a day. And at one point in the 1980s, Neiman Marcus, a luxury department store, ordered 2,500 Scrooge mice for its Christmas catalog “which was a boon and a bane,” she said. She was under the gun to get them all in on a Christmas order, which she did, again, the very next year with a Santa Claus mouse.

“But now, I’ve slowed down a lot and I do it part-time. I sell them on Etsy and at craft fairs,” she said.

Custom orders still come in such as the football mouse from Texas A&M University, which prompts her to research the colors and costumes. Creating little outfits with different colors and patterns is still, one of her favorite things to make.

Check out her mice at the Marsh River Cooperative in person or visit her Etsy store online.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

On January 17, actress and legend Betty White would have been 100 years old.

While she was well known for her role on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore show, White was also an animal rights advocate for her entire life, serving on the Los Angeles Zoo's board for more than 50 years as well as advocating for the ASPCA.

Upon her death, her fans created The Betty White Challenge—a call to donate to animal shelters or animal rights charities on her birthday.

PAWS Animal Adoption Center in Camden participated in The Betty White Challenge and one little guy, in particular, could use some love.

Charlie Brown is a 1-½-year-old mixed breed dog from PAWS that Diane Sturgeon, a volunteer with PAWS for the past 20 years, has been walking regularly on the weekends.

“I would guess he has some Catahoula Leopard Hound with those eyes,” she said.

“I think he’s got some lab in him, as well,” said Meghan Austin, PAWS’ Shelter Director and Transport Coordinator.

Charlie has been in a kennel for just over two months, which has left him very anxious.

“He’s a reluctant owner relinquish,” said Sturgeon, “which means someone who was in a certain living situation couldn’t keep him.”

“Kennel stress is really hard for these dogs,” said Austin. “This is really long time for a high-energy dog to be in a kennel. As much as they get to go out and have enrichment, it’s still not enough. They just need a home environment and the human interaction—more than we can give them.”

A pandemic, which has left people in a higher state of stress and anxiety according to a recent study, is something people can relate to in animals.

“Think about if you’ve been shut up in your house all of this time, how would you be feeling?” asked Sturgeon.

Once Sturgeon gets him out of his kennel and on a walk, Charlie’s anxiety completely drops.

“Once you get him out he’s a normal dog,” she said. “He likes to snorkel around but pays attention when you call him back. He loves to see people and say hi. If he sees other dogs, he might bark, but it’s more of an excitement for him. He loves rides in the car and he’s very treat-motivated, just hangs with you. But I have to say he has a discerning palate. If you give him a cookie, he’s like ‘Eh...I would prefer a woof stick. You can do better. I know you can.’”

“He does okay with other dogs but is a little food protective,” said Austin. “He would just need to be fed separately with other dogs in the house and toys would have to be picked up, as he does get possessive about them.”

When she puts Charlie back in the cage, Sturgeon said his anxiety ramps right back up.

“He starts running back and forth in his kennel and becomes anxious all over again, especially now because the kennels are full with another transport from Puerto Rico,” she said. “It’s just hard on the dogs when there is more chaos.”

“I feel bad every time I have to leave him,” she said. “He barks at me like ‘Hey, where are you going?”

She added: “I can’t believe he’s been there for so long. We’ve got to get him out of there.”

So far, Austin says PAWS has gotten a good amount of donations in with one 12-year-old girl in the community leading the pack.

“She comes in frequently and has raised us more than $500 so far,” said Austin. “She came in this morning with some more donations and played with the animals.”

To find out more about Charlie visit PAWS Animal Adoption Center and consider donating to the worthy local organizations above. That would make Betty so happy.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Well, hello, January! You’re looking at your treadmill over there in the corner, which serves as a better laundry rack than an exercise machine. Boredom over the same old workout routine is why many people lose motivation to stay fit, as a 2020 study revealed, finding that even elite athletes lose the momentum to exercise when faced with a repetitive workout.

Luckily, on the coast of Maine, we’re surrounded by a plethora of outdoor terrain, specialty gyms, and fitness spaces. Here are a few unique activities in the Midcoast to jolt you out of the Drone Zone.

The Great Outdoors

While the Omicron variant continues to trample through early 2022, many people are feeling antsy about working out in groups indoors. There are a few interesting ways to get the heart rate up while keeping plenty of open space and fresh air in between participants.

Ice Climbing—Camden

Equinox Guiding Service offers an “Intro To Ice Climbing” course (both full and half-day) in the Camden Hills State Park, Acadia National Park, and Grafton Notch as we reported on in a story several years ago.

“People have described ice climbing as this really extreme sport, but really, it’s actually almost meditative,” said Noah Kleiner, owner of Equinox Guiding Service.  A half-day course is $185 while for two people it’s $130/pp. FMI: Details

Benefits: Climbing features such as frozen waterfalls and rock slabs covered in ice help build strength in your forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and quads. Your cardiovascular system gets a workout as you develop great core strength.

Snow Tubing—Camden

Oh yes, it’s back! Midcoast residents who loved the old tubing hill at Camden Snow Bowl will be overjoyed to hear that a new snow tube hill has been engineered between the double lift and Kuller Trailhead. It’ll be opening up this weekend.

“For several years, people have been asking for the tubing hill to come back, and, especially during Covid, we had even more demand from the public,” said Holly Anderson, assistant manager of the Camden Snow Bowl.

This year, people will have to lug their tubes up by foot, but the plan next year is to install the former Mighty Mite handle tow to assist riders up the hill.  Tickets will be $10 per hour per person and include one snow tube. Cash or check at the tubing hill shed; credit cards in the lodge. Open Sat/Sun, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Benefits: Depending on how many times you walk up and down the hill, you can burn anywhere from 200-300 calories every 30 minutes.

Female Hiking Clubs —Statewide

The majority of outdoor hiking clubs in Maine that have popped up in recent years are designed for women who aren’t comfortable hiking alone or just want to make new friends as they join up and explore Maine’s backcountry in a group, from newbies to experienced hikers. Women Outdoor Lead is one such group PenBay Pilot covered last summer.

Born out of a collaboration between Women for Rural Healthy Living and Maine Outdoor School, OWL teaches outdoor and naturalist skills to girls and women to gain more confidence when spending time outdoors. There’s also a Maine chapter of Women Who Hike, which you have to join on Facebook, which is a great source for organized hikes or recommendations for hikes around the state.

Benefits: A study in the American Journal of Human Biology, showed that while winter hiking, women increased their muscle mass and burned more calories than they consumed.

It’s “New Year, New You” time this weekend with the Samoset Resort Glacier Ice Bar returning, a Winter Fest in Brunswick, and a couple of brain-tickling events to get you out of your rut. When people ask “What is there to DO in the wintertime around here?” Weekend Spotlight is your answer.

Glacier Ice Bar Returns

Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15—Rockport

Killer Road Trip: Winter Fest at Flight Deck Brewing

Saturday, January 15—Brunswick

Dance Like Everyone is Watching

Saturday, January 15—Rockport

The Rockport Opera House, with the assistance of Rockport Masonic Center, is hosting a dance night for the public featuring Creatures of Habit, a rock band from Midcoast Maine.

Social hour is from 6 to 7 p.m. with a cash bar and dancing, which goes from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are  $15 in advance online or at the door. Masks required. The event supports the Community Warming Center at the Rockport Masonic Center in Rockport.

Killer Road Trip: Eurydice

Saturday, January 15—Orono

And now for something completely different. January is the time to make new goals. Instead of your usual Saturday thing, (which admit it, is a ripped-open bag of Doritos on the couch binge-watching Ted Lasso) get yourself in a fancy mood and head on up to Orono to the Collins Center for the Arts to watch “Eurydice,” the Metropolitan Opera Live HD production of the Greek myth of Orpheus, who attempts to harness the power of music to rescue his beloved Eurydice from the nefarious underworld.

Who says love is dead? Well, if you’re in the underworld, that might be a moot point. Read the whole story. The show starts at 1 p.m. Adult $25 | Senior (ages 65+) $20 | Student $10. FMI: Details

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BROOKS—As Marsh River Cooperative’s manager Matthew McKillop will tell you, “You’d be surprised to know there’s a lot going on in Brooks.”

A tiny town in Waldo County with a population of little more than 1,000 has a gem of a store anchoring the center of town. The Marsh River Co-op is a year-round agricultural cooperative and retail market for artisans with nearly 200 producer and consumer members.

The building, which used to be Paul and Audrey’s hardware store, became the focal point for local citizens who belonged to the Brooks farmer’s market, which operated behind the building. In 2014, when one of the founding members purchased the building, the idea of creating a year-round agricultural cooperative emerged. A small group of people from Brooks, including a good proportion of the farmer's market vendors, founded the store.

“The original idea was for the co-op to be staffed by all of the farmers,” said McKillop. “The producer members on the board [those who makes or grow products] are given priority to sell their wares in the store and steer the direction of what else we sell in the co-op.”

The store carries a diverse mix of local, organic items including fresh produce, fresh bread and snacks, frozen meats, dairy, bulk organic herbs and spices, and bulk repack flours, nuts, dried fruits, legumes, and pulses.

To truly know what’s important to a community is to spend some time in there. As Brooks and surrounding areas are primarily rural and agricultural, the store’s mission is to “...focus on promoting and selling food and other goods produced within a 10-mile radius of the Co-op, at an affordable price. This radius serves a low-income, low-access area population.”

What’s unique about this co-op is the entire back of the store is dedicated to crafters, artists, and makers who live within a 10-mile radius. Everything is sold on commission.

McKillop said that the co-op is staffed 100 percent by its producer and consumer members.

“We’re a farm co-op, so the availability of volunteers ebbs and flows with the season,” he said. “Once it hits summertime, many of our volunteers need to be working on their farms.”

In December, the cooperative sold nearly $38,000 of products and merchandise with more than 50 percent of the items sold produced in Maine. And while Marsh River doesn’t get the same kind of foot traffic that coastal food co-ops do, it relies primarily on the very local citizens it serves.

“It’s kind of fun to see how the co-op works come full circle where a farmer will come in, buy say organic layer pellets for chickens and two weeks later, he or she will come back in and sell us two dozen fresh eggs. And then walk out the door with a bag of grain.”

Learn which local producers and artists are part of the store here.

For more information on Marsh River Cooperative visit: marshrivercoop.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—Avonlea Lecher, 10, and her brother, Cole, 12 are big fans of the tiny world of miniatures. Together, they have made their own room boxes out of shoeboxes, filling them with handmade furniture.

It just so happens that their dad, Matt Lecher, owns a store, Heavenly Bean Bags, down the hall from Jamie’s Miniatures, located in the Belfast Mall on High Street next to the Colonial Theatre. The siblings, who are part of a family of eight children, would often pop down the hall to marvel at all of the miniature items in Jamie Lucas’s shop, which gave Lucas an idea before Christmas.

“These two would come in and start mentally picking out some items they wanted for Christmas,” said Lucas. “And I’ve been in the miniatures business for a long time, so I reached out to my network to see if anyone had any dollhouse miniatures they’d like to donate to these kids.”

Not only did seven dollhouse enthusiasts donate a number of tiny items, including a gift certificate of $25, but then, another business owner, Susan Tobey White, an artist who runs her gallery out of the Belfast Mall, got involved.

“My mom was a miniaturist, who often bought things from Jamie’s Miniatures,” said White. “I grew up making small things for my mother’s dollhouse and learned how to sew curtains and to crochet rugs. So, I donated a dollhouse that my daughter used to own for the kids to have.”

“Matt’s mother was also one of my customers at one time,” added Lucas.

Matt Lecher said with eight kids at home, things were too hectic around the holidays to unveil this special surprise, so they decided to do it on Wednesday, January 5.

Lecher told Avonlea and Cole to go over to Lucas’s shop, as they often do—and he would be right back. He walked back in with an enormous Christmas-wrapped box as the siblings’ eyes widened.

Setting it down onto a table, while Lucas and White looked on, Lecher told his children, “Okay, you can open it.”

It never gets old to see kids tear open wrapping paper with anticipation.

“This is awesome!” Cole said upon seeing the dollhouse.

They got a second surprise upon opening the box of donated miniatures. Right away, the pair began building out the rooms together with a shared sense of what should go where. Immediately they consulted and agreed that the lower left room was to be a music room with a grand piano as the centerpiece.

“I’m learning how to play piano,” said Cole, with Avonlea adding, “And I’m learning to play violin.”

“You guys can decide together how you want to use the $25 gift certificate, or if you can’t agree, we’ll split it down the middle,” said their father.

Conferring together while constructing the kitchen, Cole and Avonlea both agreed they’d use the gift certificate to buy “food” to place on the breadboard.

Lecher said Avonlea—Avi, for short, used to have a dollhouse when she was younger, but that it had practically been destroyed by the younger kids. Let’s just say it was “over loved.”

“We have a secret place we’re going to hide this dollhouse,” Cole said.

“I’m very well known in the world of miniatures with a lot of support on Facebook, so to all of the people who donated for this gift, I say thank you,” said Lucas.

“Yes, they will be thrilled about this for quite awhile,” added Lecher. “They’re pretty creative kids, so they’ll be building things for it for a long time.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—There’s a passage in “The Great Gatsby” where the narrator Nick observes Jay Gatsby reaching his arms out at the end of a dock to embrace what looks like green light across the water. The literary device symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for a brighter (less depressive) future.

A digital photograph that film producer Josh Povec took with a Sony A7iii across the bay in Camden 90 minutes after sunset in October is the green light we all need right now. It is from the vantage point at an overlook off Bayview Street looking out to Curtis Island where the flash of green from the lighthouse spills across the dark, calm ocean.

“It was late dusk, the late blue hour when I stopped in Camden,” said Povec. “I think I was headed later to dinner at my parent’s house that night. The full moon is rising directly behind the island backlighting the clouds. The image was made using a 13-second-exposure, so all the motion of the water blurs to look almost like frozen ice and makes the green reflection from the lighthouse more pillar-like.”

Povec, who calls himself a hobbyist photographer, often checks his phone apps to find out when the moon will be full, or the Milky Way will be present, to capture images such as this.

“What was happening in this image was just so beautiful, but sometimes you really can’t see with the naked eye how it will come out,” he said.

A native of Camden, Povec traveled and worked as an associate producer and video editor in several states as well as in New Zealand before moving back to Camden in 2003. Povec joined Compass Light from 2004 to 2013 as the senior editor on the 64-part Discovery Channel series SUNRISE EARTH. After that, he moved to Colorado for five years and returned home to Maine three years ago.

Ironically, Compass Light, the producer of science, history, and expedition/travel films, has direct ties to Povec’s photograph. Its founder, David Conover and his extended family, have been the seasonal caretakers at the Curtis Island Lighthouse for nearly 40 years.

Povec continues to make films for various clients, and as senior producer at Compass Light Productions in Camden, he and his team just finished 13 short character-driven documentaries in 11 countries this year. In his own time, he continues to get behind the camera, working on adventure films that reflect his deep interest in the outdoors, with his most recent film about a friend of his who tracks animals in the snowpack on Criehaven island.

He’s also building a website to showcase some of his best nature photographs.

“I’d like to sell enough photography to generate revenue to buy a new lens,” he said. “I'm also gearing up to do more gallery work with both my photos and video.” 

You can see more of his work on Instagram.

As we head into 2022, leaving the darkest month of the year, let’s all keep our eyes on that green light in Povec’s photograph.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

After nearly two years into a pandemic, people are weary of not being able to socialize with friends and family, but also cautious as the Omicron variant spikes over the holidays. Here’s your slimmed-down guide to what’s happening in the Midcoast for New Year’s Eve 2021-2022—whatever your comfort level.

Belfast

New Year’s By The Bay

Belfast’s biggest wintertime event is not taking place for the second year due to the Covid-19 virus. Instead, Our Town Belfast in placing luminaries throughout Belfast to symbolize hope and to light the way into the New Year. Make your own or buy a luminary kit at Belfast Co-op for $10; all proceeds support OTB and the project. Then, on New Year's Eve place them on a flat surface outside at dusk. Take a walk or drive around town to enjoy others’ luminaries.

Searsmont

Threshers Brewing Co.

Threshers will host a Downeast Grateful Dead-themed NYE party at 8 p.m. featuring Bangor Dead cover band Merther. Tickets: $15 in advance $20 at the door.

Union

Sterlington Public House

SPH is doing a NYE keg drop with a limited menu and “some super naughty food & beverage specials.” Their outdoor fire tables will be lit and at 9 p.m., the honorary keg will be lowered from the roof to signify the start of the New Year followed by a prosecco toast.

For the holidays and to highlight activities and adventures, we’re shining the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. Shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. 

Pickleball with Friends or Family

Rockport, Maine

The back story: If you’ve never heard of pickleball, Mid-Coast Recreation Center is the place to find out what makes the game so fun.

The game, a cross-between ping pong, badminton, and tennis, is a racket sport in which two to four players use a paddle to whack a whiffle ball over the net. 

“It’s played on a shorter court and is easy to learn,” said MRC Executive Director and pickleball instructor Craig Wilson. “It is one of the fastest-growing sports in America and there is a high demand for a sport besides tennis. This appeals to people who haven’t played a sport in the past. It’s a good, entry-level game that is fun to play. The average length of a rally in tennis is three shots and the average length of a rally in pickleball is nine shots, so you can keep the ball in play longer.”

Cost: You can rent the court for $35 an hour for up to eight people on the court. All paddles and balls are complimentary.  Conversely, you can drop in on a pick-up game for $5 per person. The court is popular, however,  reserved weeks ahead, so get your reservation in early. FMI: MRC

In his words: “The majority of our players are 50 and over. It appeals to retired folks and to people with injuries or less mobility because there’s not as much movement on the court. Generally, it’s a lot more fun.”

Maine Forest Yurts

Durham, Maine

The back story: This family-owned business, set upon 100 acres in Durham on Runaround Pond, was started by the Maine winner of the reality show Survivor: Gabon, Bob Crowley, the oldest contestant to ever win on the show. “My parents bought the property in the early 1980s with the intent of cutting lumber, and about 20 years ago, we began to think ‘We could share this with people,’” said Operations Manager Page Atherton. Bob used his $1 million prize to open up this glamping retreat with his wife, Peggy. After Survivor, he built the wooden bases for the four eco-friendly yurts. Each one has six bunk beds and a futon that pulls out, a wood stove, and is fully furnished (including stacks of cut firewood) with a composting toilet. Nature lovers can bring their own cross-country skis, snowshoes, and ice skates and explore the property and pond. It’s also pet-friendly.

Cost: $150 per night. Find out more at maineforestyurts.com/yurts

In her words: “It’s nice and cozy with the woodstove even in the dead of winter. It’s the perfect getaway when you’re stuck in Maine for the winter and you can’t [for pandemic reasons] go anywhere else.”

Luxury Picnics Acadia

Mount Desert Island, Maine

The back story: Acadia Luxury picnics is the creation of Bar Harbor resident Tabitha Brown, an entrepreneur came up with the idea to do luxury picnics outdoors in the midst of the pandemic while everyone was at home during the quarantine. “People were stuck inside and nothing felt normal anymore,” she said.  “I wanted so badly to do things outside and still feel like I was ‘going out’ on a dinner date, even though the world was closed down. Being that I was a new mom, that gave me even more drive to create something to better our lives and show my child that even though the world was unpredictable, life wasn't just the four walls of our house. I spent a lot of time on TikTok (I’ll admit it) and came across some other companies on the west coast doing similar things. I thought, how cool would it be to bring that to Maine? We are Vacationland. We have so much to offer and I can show it to them. I have always considered myself to be a Type A planner with a Type B personality, so this fits me like a glove. I talk to clients from start to finish, with the goal of making their date night as stress-free as possible. I do all the planning, find the location, put together the theme, order and deliver the food, and do the full set up/clean up.”

Cost: Acadia Luxury Picnics offers four packages: two “date” packages starting at $200 for two people for two hours, as well as a “proposal package” starting at $400, and finally a larger party package. Each package has several styled themes to choose from: Bohemian, Farmhouse, Maine, and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Each varies in color, but any picnic is totally customizable. FMI: Acadia Luxury Picnics

In her words: “As a 12-year-old, I remember my aunt’s wedding vividly. I ran around her wedding venue and tried to fine-tune her reception area before she arrived. Moving small unsightly bookshelves and clearing the surfaces that seemed to have been forgotten. I wanted to see her eyes sparkle when she walked in and saw nothing but beauty. I thought to myself, ‘This is a job I would love to have’ —and I’ve done just that.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—Wind Tracy, co-owner and bartender for Satori, a Sushi restaurant and cocktail bar in Belfast, has put a Japanese spin on the holiday cocktail for the season—with a wry name perfect for “these pandemic times.”

The Holiday Stimulus is a Japanese whisky-based cocktail that perfectly packs substantial sweet and sour flavors in a coupe glass.

“We first made this cocktail last year for the holiday season; we were still shut down because of the COVID-19 virus, and the stimulus checks were all starting to run out for the year,” he said. “We wanted to do something that played on that. Like a stimulus check, this cocktail hopefully brightened your year.”

Instead of the heavy cream or eggnog-based holiday drinks, he chose to build a cocktail “that’s a little more sophisticated with a sweet-bitter element to it,” he said. “The last couple of holidays have been bittersweet because of the pandemic. We can’t necessarily be with the family that we love. We can’t necessarily do the traditions we’re used to, but it’s still the holidays and we want to celebrate a little bit.”

Tracy, well known in the Midcoast for his craft cocktails over the last decade, as written about by Jenna Lookner for PenBay Pilot, has said, “It’s all about the balance of flavors and combining the Japanese and American schools of thought.” 

“I really love Japanese whisky in general,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s fairly new to the worldwide scene. They’ve only been part of the distilling practice for about 100 years as opposed to the rest of the world, which has been distilling for more than 1,000 years.”

Tracy shows us how to make this cocktail made from Suntory Toki whisky, described on its website as “a silky whisky with a subtle sweet-and-spicy finish,” which he compares to sake in that “it deals with very light, but complex flavors.”

Watch the video to see how the cocktail is made. You’ll need:

• 2 oz. Suntory Toki whisky (found at most Hannaford Supermarkets)
• 1 oz. Cynar, an Italian bitter liqueur (found at specialty liquor stores)
• ½ oz. spiced pomegranate syrup
• Two dashes of Angostura bitters
• Two dashes of Regan’s orange bitters no. 6

First, fill both a pint glass and a coupe glass with ice. Add ingredients above to the pint glass and stir. To prep the syrup, take 100 -percent pomegranate juice, a half cup of juicy red wine (he used a Corbières), mulling spices, fresh ginger, sliced oranges and a quarter cup of sugar and boil on the stove until it reduces to half; chill and strain. Strain cocktail into the chilled coupe glass and garnish with star anise, pomegranate seeds, and an orange slice.

This is one of those cocktails that shapeshifts as you sip it. This is one you take slooooowwww. From the start, you’ll pick up the sweet from the pomegranate syrup, the spice from the star anise, and the sour from the bitters, but the more the star anise, pomegranate seeds, and orange slice garnish marinate in the glass, the bigger the flavor gets, with deeper flavors of orange from the Regan’s orange bitters seeping through.

“I really believe that a cocktail should change throughout the tasting or at least make you conscious of the flavors that you’re tasting,” he said.

Make the cocktail yourself for your next holiday party, or have it made for you by Tracy at Satori.

Happy bittersweet holidays!

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—An old 1980s Toyota Huntsman camper van that had been sitting in Larraine Brown’s backyard for about a month has come back to life as a traveling art van. Rechristened “Betty The Brilliant ArtVan,” the camper is like a Bookmobile, only with art. 

Brown, a board member of the Belfast Area Community Coalition, dba Artivism In Maine (AIMe), is candid about Betty’s origins.

“It was a bad buy,” she said, “A bad decision, so after it had been sitting there for so long, we thought, ‘What could we do with it?’ ”

Belfast Area Creative Coalition has undergone a two-year cultural planning process to ascertain what residents wanted and needed and one of the biggest needs to come out of that study was more access to the arts.

However, with the Covid-19 pandemic hindering their initial plans, the group, like so many other businesses, had to re-think the mission and started to strategize how they could bring art outdoors to the people instead of the initial model of bringing people all indoors for the art.

Betty is named after one of Waldo County Commissioners, Betty Johnson, who is a tireless supporter of the arts.

Belfast artist Krista Odom, who has done murals at the BelfastMaskers, was tasked with overhauling her exterior “look.”

“We were standing in Larraine’s yard, trying to think of what to paint Betty as this beautiful rooster and hen were walking around,” said Odom. “And as we were trying to think of what to paint Betty, Larraine pointed to the rooster and hen said, ‘Let’s paint them and do the colors of outside.’”

The result is a whimsical, naturalist folk art mural of woodland animals, trees, meadows, and flowers on one side of the van. The other side is populated by outsider art and child-made art consisting of drawings and word expressions.

“It’s taken most of the pandemic to paint it,” said Odom. “And it’s still a work in progress.”

Betty also benefited from the assistance of craftsperson Norman Kehlig, who founded HIIT, Helping Incarcerated Individuals Transition, with dozens of volunteers helping to refurbish Betty’s infrastructure.

This past year, Betty has been driven to 15 places, from soup kitchens to Kids Unplugged, a play center in Belfast to art centers.

“We hire musicians, dancers, and performers to meet us there,” said Brown. “They come out of the van and spill out with art. We also have arts and supplies for both adults and kids to use while Betty is there.” Betty’s facilitators also provide musical instruments on their outings for impromptu jam sessions.

“We’re also planning on recording stories in 2022,” said Brown.

The community’s response to Betty has been joyful after a long year and a half of living in lockdown.

Betty will be going out for rides in neighborhoods throughout Belfast and Waldo County during the holiday season, bringing gifts, games, art supplies, music and more to the neighboring communities.

“We’re also taking up collections for backpacks for kids with art supplies, hats, and mittens in them, so we can distribute them on our next rounds.”

To learn more about Betty’s transformation, visit Odom’s blog. find out more about Betty The Art Van visit the website and Belfast Are Creative Coalition’s Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

PORTLAND—Sometimes a brilliant idea for a new business is just a phone call away.

For Sarah Guerette, Director of the CEI Women’s Business Center, that idea sprung from multiple phone calls to the center, which assists aspiring female entrepreneurs.

“We get calls all of the time from individuals who want to shop from women-owned businesses or from institutions looking to hire women specifically,” she said. “And there was no state directory available.”

In the last year, CEI Women’s Business Center has built a new website called the Maine Women’s Business List—a free, public directory of women-owned businesses in Maine, working to raise visibility for the female entrepreneurs powering the economy.

Guerette, going on a percentage of women-owned businesses across the country, estimates that there are approximately 40,000 women-owned businesses in the state of Maine. At the time of this interview more than 300 businesses had signed up on the directory.

According to CEI’s press release: “The companies listed in the directory are searchable by geography, industry, or keyword. All entries are self-reported, and the WBC encourages any business headquartered in Maine and which is also at least 50 percent female-owned, to register. This includes cis women, and also trans women, and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary individuals.”

The categories for each industry are tied to The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments. So, while not every business “fits” the NAICS code classification perfectly, Guerette said the directory encourages the use of specific keywords and hashtags for further personalization.

“We’re pulling from all of those ways to classify each business in the search bar feature on the home page,” she said.

In the Midcoast, the directory is giving a boost to such small companies as Bloom Maine in Belfast, an early childcare education program; LooHoo in Camden, which makes environmentally-friendly wool dryer balls; and Create 3D models, in Union, which offers STEM skills in the form of 3D printing, virtual augmented reality, and coding technology to teachers, parents, and after-school providers. [See attached pdf to this story above the ads in the right-hand column].

In the last two years, hundreds of studies have confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit women harder economically than men. Many women-owned firms in sectors such as retail, hospitality, and tourism, saw decreased employment when in-person capacity at these establishments became restricted. In addition, there were nearly 10 million mothers in the workforce in 2019 and studies show throughout the pandemic, insufficient and shutdown childcare has directly impacted their work and wages, forcing many to care for the children at home.

“The whole goal for this list was to help women in general, as well as those impacted by the pandemic gain more visibility,” said Guerette. “As a result, we’re hearing that women are starting to pick up more work and contracts just from being featured on this directory.”

The directory is also designed to be used as a tool to help Maine’s female entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with each other. As it just launched in November, Guerette and her team are currently using their time to fine-tune the directory.

“As far as building out more in-person connections, that’s something that’s very much on our radar as a possibility in the future,” she said.

To sign up your business for free go to Maine Women’s Business List

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

We’ve got a couple of fun things to do this weekend and then Weekend Spotlight will be taking a hiatus until the holidays are over. We’re looking forward to some arts and entertainment in 2022!

Weird, Wild, Wonderful Maine — A Reading

Friday, December 17—Camden

Louisa & The Kelly Brothers at Ada’s Kitchen

Saturday, December 18—Rockland

Two businesses expand to Camden/Rockland

Elev8 in Warren, an energy drink business we’ve featured in the Pilot, has now expanded to Camden setting up base at 24 Mechanic Street including a gift shop.

They’re offering “Now We’re Cooking,” live in-person cooking classes twice a month as well as family-friendly cooking classes with children and parents once a month. They also have an online cooking group. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. they will be hosting Santa and Mrs. Claus. FMI: Details.

Also, Me Lon Togo, another restaurant we’ve featured in the past has re-located to Rockland. Starting Friday, December 17, they will be at 10 Leland Street. That night, they will have live music featuring Dave Mello from 5 to 9 p.m. Call 207-872-8146 to make a reservation. FMI: Details.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re shining the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. Shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. Each week, until the end of December, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Reclaimed Maine Buoys

Portland, Maine

The back story: Husband and wife Jesse and Sheryl Bennett started Reclaimed Maine Buoys in the midst of the pandemic when they had a lot of time on their hands. 

“When my husband and  I were cleaning our yard, we noticed we had a lot of scrap wood hanging around,” said Sheryl Bennett.  “I started brainstorming about what I could do with some of it and hence the old-fashioned lobster buoys were reborn. I posted a photo of my buoys with my house number on them on Facebook and a friend loved them! I started making them just for friends & family but the business soon grew and I launched my Etsy. Of course, I didn’t have nearly enough wood to build enough to go around, so I started asking family, friends, and neighbors. After I exhausted that, I started searching Craigslist & FB marketplace for more. Now, I travel all throughout Maine and New England to procure used wood.

“My husband cuts, sands, and drills the hole in the wood, and I base paint each buoy, tape them out, stripe them and finally add a number,” she said. “We finish them off with reclaimed lobster rope. Some old and some newer. But never from a store. My purpose is to repurpose.”

These nautical buoys are all one of a kind and made from 100% reclaimed rustic wood complete with their own dings, dangs, cracks & imperfections. All are custom-made with a choice of one hand-painted number/digit per buoy or without a number.

Cost: $25 each. They can be found in their Etsy shop.

In their words: “Knowing that our buoys provide people with a little piece of Maine, makes creating them so much more fun!”

Sailcloth Toiletry Bag

Brunswick, Maine

The back story: Melissa Kalicin is the founder of Oceanum Vela and an avid sailor.  She makes duffle bags and toiletry bags from upcycled sails.

“The real back story is that I sailed away six years ago since I live on a boat,” she said. “Pending climate change, I feared it becoming harder to do into the future. I went to the Caribbean where I met up with the Race Circuit there and got on some of the famous former Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) yachts. There, I saw them actually throw original old VOR sails away! I figured since dacron sails were repurposed all the time, why would we not salvage and repurpose the most elite, wonderfully branded sails that went around the world?”

Cost: $59 each plus shipping. Bags can be purchased through oceanumvela.net/shop

In her words: “The concept of the brand came from working in the sail industry, becoming a dedicated race fan, observing the sail repurposing production shops and thinking about how to improve on an already fantastic idea—to focus on even more conscious design, promote ocean health awarenesss, model a sustainability program for the global sailing community, and bring to the race fans around the world an extraordinary repurposed sail product—an actual piece of the race.”

Lobster Rope Wreaths

Freeport, Maine

The back story: Jeanine O’Brien and her husband, Tim Barthelman, created a homedécor company, WharfWarp with eco-friendly products using only retired rope from Maine’s local lobstering industry. 

“It started from an idea for a small craft fair in 2016, a simple nautical rope wall hanging has evolved into our signature wreath and doormat design,” said O’Brien.

“Our raw material was initially the remnants of a massive pile of rope collected during the 2009 lobster rope buyback program. Using self-made jigs, we hand weave the reclaimed rope into 100% upcycled and eco-friendly wreaths, doormats, and other items. We have since traveled the coast of Maine and its islands collecting rope from individual lobstermen. Thus far we have diverted 15 tons of waste rope from an unfitting end. The still-functional rope would otherwise be burned, buried, or improperly disposed of. The many lobstermen we’ve met along the way have opened our eyes to the ongoing marine waste issue in coastal communities.”

Cost: Wreaths range from $50-$60 are available at wharfwarp.com and can also be found at these locations.

In their words: “The old rope has a lot more to give well after it reaches the end of its usefulness to fishermen. We are dedicated to using only retired fishing rope after seeing first-hand the volume of old material in need of an eco-friendly solution. Unfortunately, there are makers using new rope and ignoring the problem. "  

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

It’s raining cats and dogs this weekend (figuratively) with a holiday party dedicated to animals, a tribute show named after a cat, and a mellow jazz concert, which has nothing to do with cats or dogs.

Tinsel & Tails Holiday Gala

Friday, December 10—Camden

Cat Stevens Tribute Show

Sunday, December 12— Belfast

Funny story: Every time I pick up a prescription for my cat at the pharmacy, the label lists it as “Cat Stephens.” If you love the real Cat Stevens, musician Tom DiMenna will be playing at Three Tides & Marshall Wharf Brewery to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Tea for the Tillerman.” DiMenna replicates Cat’s signature finger-picking melodies and vocal phrasing to set the mood. The fee show goes from 5 to 8 p.m. FMI: Details

Big Band Jazz Kind of Afternoon

Sunday, December 12—Belfast

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re shining the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. Shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. Each week, until the end of December, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Beach Star Ornaments

Appleton, Maine

The back story: Lorraine Coffey started Maine's Natural Inspirations in 2014 as a creative outlet.

“I have always loved nature,” she said. “I started pressings and using the flowers from around my home and town in Appleton, Maine. I began using resin to preserve the flowers and fell in love with the process. Then, I started making ocean scenes in late 2019. I love the ocean and started using my collection of sand, rocks, and shells in the work.”

To make the star ornament,  she starts with 3" x ¼" laser-cut wood star from New England. “I add shells or sand I collect from local Maine beaches,” she said. “I match the resin colors to the background paint I choose.   I love making the star and Maine-shaped ornaments. The color combinations are truly unique and allow each piece to be one of kind, which adds to the handmade process.”

Cost: $9.50 - $9.99 each. The star ornaments can be found in Lisa Marie’s Made in Maine, Freeport Market, in the Freeport Village Station, Bonnie's Place in Rockport, Maine Artisans in Lincolnville Beach, or through her Etsy store.

In her words: “It’s truly amazing to me that ornaments I have made are decorating trees around the country. I hope to have a piece of Maine in every state.”

Handmade candles with personalized boat names

Brunswick, Maine

The back story: Marybeth Poulin began making candles alongside her father when she was a little girl.

“I remember helping my dad wick the molds and deciding on colors and scents,” she said. “We had a lot of fun! It was me and him, a special time together considering that I had three older brothers.”

Over the years, Marybeth made candles for family and friends. It was when she became an empty-nester and had more time on her hands, she decided to start a business. “There are a lot of candles for sale, so I had to think of a way to have mine stand out. I decided to make customized candles that I design and create, with a label unique to each candle.

Customers can choose the scent and color as well.” Each candle tin is eight ounces and beyond boat names, Marybeth can customize labels for anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, gender reveal, showers, adoptions, retirement, and graduations.

Cost: $15 each plus shipping. You choose the scent: Fir, Bayberry, Musk, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, or Blueberry. Send Marybeth an email at canlitme@gmail.com.

In her words: “I have made candles for most of my life. It is as enjoyable to make them as it is to burn them. Now I have the added pleasure of making candles for others and knowing that it brings joy to them makes me happy.”

Custom cribbage boards

West Newfield, Maine

The back story: Bekki and Warren Kimball are the father/daughter team that create the cribbage boards at Simply Cribbage. Warren had been making some simple cribbage boards occasionally and was gifted some beautiful cherry burls with the suggestion that they might make some interesting cribbage boards. This gift led to a love of making cribbage boards and a new partnership. The wood used in the boards is from local areas including their own backyard and from several small mills located in the U.S. Bekki designs the boards and does the resin pouring while Warren drills out the holes with his drill press.

Cost: $30 to $110. Find them on Etsy

In their words: “So many people have told us about the great memories they have of their parents or grandparents teaching them how to play cribbage. We love listening to them talk about how much they enjoyed those moments with their family. That is probably one of our favorite parts about selling cribbage boards is we get to be a small part of the future moments that people have with their family and friends."  

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Whether it’s scouring for events that give you a respite from the holiday madness or finding things to plunge you into the holiday madness, we’ve got it covered this week.

The “Best Of” Christmas by the Sea

Friday, December 3 through Sunday, December 5 —Midcoast

As followers of this weekly spotlight know, I tend to pick events for the 21+ crowd. Get in the holiday spirit Friday night with a little nosh and sip in Camden with The Vintage Room’s chef Andrea Barbour and mixologist Megan Welms for holiday-crafted cocktails and complimentary hors d’oeuvres while Andrea shares tips and tricks to make your holiday party a success. Open to the public from 4 to 7 p.m.  FMI: The Vintage Room

Just when you’ve had your fill, come out for the 6 p.m. Christmas by the sea parade at 6 p.m. along Union Street to Atlantic Avenue. On Saturday, there’ll be a holiday craft fair with Midcoast artisans at the First Congregational Church (55 Elm Street, Camden) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.The Nutcracker plays at the Camden Opera House at 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday Tickets $15/adults. FMI: Camden Opera House 

Join the Bonfire on the Beach at Lincolnville Beach on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. it’s back to Camden’s Bay Vie Hotel for adult cocktails and cookies in the Curtis-Bok room from 6 to 8 p.m.

Living for Drag with Priscilla Poppycock

Sunday, December 5— Bangor

The Bangor Arts Exchange is hosting the world premiere musical “The Making of a Queen” which will “have you laughing, crying, drinking, and dancing as this queen reminisces about her journey to the throne and how she learned the most important lesson: Save a little love for yourself, don’t you dare give it all away.” Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Show starts at 6 p.m. All patrons must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within the past 72 hours in order to enter and attend. Tickets: Advance/$21; Door/$25. FMI: Bangorartsexchange.org

Get a Breath of Fresh Air with a Forest Bathing Walk

Sunday, December 5—Freeport

This month is sometimes too much—just, too much to do, too much to get ready for. Sometimes, you just need to unplug and drop out for a few hours. Hughes Kraft, a Certified Nature Forest Therapy Guide, is partnering with Pineland Farms in New Gloucester near Gray, Maine to go for a forest bathing walk “to explore the relationship between the humans and the more than human world surrounding us” from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location: Education Barn. Fee: $20.00 per person
(Adult program, open to ages 18 years and up) Pre-registration required. FMI: Pineland Farms

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKPORT—Farmer Mary Nelson née Clayton and her husband, Tom, recently bought the nearly 40-year-old Cardinal Cove Mini Golf Center and an adjacent house with big plans for its future.

The first floor of the house, on Commercial Street in Rockport, which used to be an arcade, has turned into a small retail space for Nelson’s natural-made products called Bee Wild Farmacy. She just held her grand opening Sunday, November 21.

Having grown up in Rockland, Nelson moved to central New York for a decade to run a pastured meat farm. Now back in Maine, she has her sights set on charting a different course with her husband while still using all of the skills she’d acquired as a farmer—a golf course, that is.

The mini-golf course, where Nelson remembers playing as a nine-year-old child, will remain the same—with a natural twist.

“I’ve always been fascinated with wild plants and foraging,” she said. “ I grow a lot of edible, medicinal, and culinary plants, so the spaces in between the golf course will be landscaped with those types of plants with signs identifying their uses.”

The picnic tables in the center of the golf course function as an agritourism open-air workshop space.

“We did a natural dyes workshop in that space this past summer,” she said, “And we’ll be hosting more classes and events like that in the future.”

In addition, she and her husband plan to put a couple of campers on the property as rentals.

“The plan is to offer an agritourism center with a mini-golf course right in the middle of it,” said Nelson. “It’s a little bit of everything—you know, it’s Maine; everyone’s got to hustle.”

Every item in her shop is made by Nelson under the brand Bee Wild. In addition to raising chickens and selling the eggs on-site, she’s also a beekeeper and makes numerous products such as herbal teas, balms, salves, elixirs, and tinctures with her foraged products and natural honey. Hand-knit items, made also by Nelson, are available.

“I forage as many ingredients as I can or they are grown,” she said.

As she still owns the farm in central New York, with two markets in New York still run by her business partner, and is now operating Bee Wild Farmacy full-time, and with eight children between Nelson and her husband, she said she is trying to be cautious about not over-extending herself.

“My husband says when I die, my tombstone will read, ‘I have another idea!’”

The Bee Wild Farmacy at 773 Commercial Street in Rockport, will be open year-round. Through winter, hours will be Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 2 p.m. daily. Evenings, weekends and off-hours are available in person. Online orders, shipping, and local delivery are also options. Visit: www.beewild.me

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—For Midcoast history buffs, a new Family History Center built into the lower level of the Rockland Public Library is sure to be a treasure trove. Spearheaded by the Rockland Historical Society, which has rooms adjacent on the lower floor of the library, the room is filled with shelves of old Courier-Gazette negatives, boxes of old photos from photographer Jim Moore, who worked for the Courier-Gazette and The Portland Press Herald, as well as bound volumes of the Courier Gazette along the back wall, which are the morgue of the Courier Gazette from 2000 through 2017.

“For those years, [Courier-Gazette] stopped paying to have the newspapers converted into microfilm,” said Rockland Historical Society curator Ann Morris of the newspaper collection. “So, these are the only copies of newspapers during those years in existence and they asked if we could store them here.”

Currently, five students from Oceanside High School are using the room for a special project designed to collect oral histories and research the histories of old buildings and industries that have disappeared from Rockland’s economy. Working with retired college professor Steve Merriam, the students are engaged in piecing together written newspaper accounts with oral histories of local residents.

“We are working with high school juniors and seniors once a week and our focus is on oral histories and on industries that are rapidly fading,” said Merriam. “The two research interests they have are on the NSKK motorcycle club in Rockland in the 1970s and the earliest media around the Maine Lobster Festival. We’ve uncovered some 1964 footage of the Lobster Festival and will be working on a project with that this week.”

“Two weeks ago, we invited four Rockland residents who lived here in the 1970s and the students asked them questions, collected oral histories, and learned about the context for the motorcycle gangs,” he said.

When complete, these stories will be published on a student-created website.

“Our job through the Rockland Historical Society and the Family Center is to provide resources for students to engage their imaginations,” said Merriam.

Pen Bay Pilot will be doing a series of stories on the students’ history projects brought–to-life in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Buckle up Piloteers, we’re in for about a month of holiday-themed events, starting this weekend, so I’ll do my best to find the most entertaining things to do for locals as well as for friends and family visiting. Time for a complete recharge!

Tropical Skate Night

Friday, November 26 —Rockport

Get ready to shoot the duck in a pair of roller skates post-Turkey Day (if you can squat down that far). Mid-Coast Rec Center is hosting Tropical Skate Night with special guest DJ Jim. Recommended time for adults is 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $10/person, Rentals included! Pre-Registration is required by calling (207) 236-9400 or going to www.midcoastrec.org and clicking online registration.

Rockland Festival of Lights & Menorah Lighting

Saturday, November 27 & Saturday, November 28— Rockland

Thanks to the pandemic, the annual Festival of Lights has pared down from an entire weekend to one day. But, for those who love that small-town holiday spirit, but there’s also some fun to be had for the big kids and our out-of-state visitors.  Rockland Main Street will be kicking off a parade downtown at 5 p.m. and the official lighting of the iconic Lobster Trap Tree will take place at 6 p.m. as downtown shops gear up for Shop Small Saturday. On Sunday at 5 p.m, there will be a lighting of the Menorah for the first night of Hannukah. (And stay tuned for the following weekend for a Hannukah party at Harbor Park on December 4 at 4:30 p.m.) FMI: Festival of Lights

Three Shop Small/Shop Local Events

Saturday, November 27—Rockport & Rockland

This weekend marks the Shop Small/Shop Local Saturday and given how much inflation has impacted the average Mainer, let’s do our best to give the artists and crafters our business this season! The Rockland Elks Lodge is holding their annual Festival of Lights Craft Show on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with 40 local artisans, crafters, and artists and a suggested $2 donation. FMI: Details

The American Legion Craft Fair is also taking place in Rockland on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. FMI: Details

Guini Ridge Farm in Rockport is also having its annual Christmas Market on Saturday featuring local artisans, crafters, and bakers for the perfect locally made holiday gifts from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. FMI: Details

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKPORT—Sometimes you just want to say things you can’t out loud. Liz Polkinghorn, a knitter, understands that need, and designs the type of hat that ”allows you to put all the things you'd like to say out loud, but sometimes just can’t, onto your hat instead.”

Her hand-knitted hats have become a home business called Bespolk Hats. It can sometimes take a whole day to custom create with 100 percent wool and pom poms of real fur, faux fur or cotton. And her biggest seller is a word you can’t say on TV.

Polkinghorn, who grew up in Maine, moved to California for a spell, before returning home to Maine in 1998.

“One winter day, I opened the front door and realized how cold it was, so I started making hats that stated one of the first expletives that came out of my mouth,” she said. “Remarkably, people loved them. I never actually wore one, because I thought I might get accosted.”

The “S—” hats have been her most popular seller. But her other hats are family-friendly with such sayings as “Maine,” “Ski,”and “Merry.”

Still, it’s easy to see Polkinghorn’s ideology through her other popular hats such as “Vote,” “Resist,” and “RBG.”

“During the Trump years, that was a heyday for phrases,” she said.

She'll make whatever the customer wants, whether it’s a child’s name on the hat, or as one customer on Vinalhaven wanted: “Salty B—–.”

“I’ve had some really rude ones that I’m not even going to say,” said Polkinghorn. “I don’t know how they wear them, frankly.”

For those who are not keen on wearing a hat that swears, she has another one, which is just as snarky: “Calm Down.”

That’s funny — just calm down, all you pearl clutchers.

“My daughter used to be an editor at The New York Times and she’d wear one I made called ‘Fake News,’” said Polkinghorn.

As a microbusiness in Maine, she works when she gets orders, but doesn’t want to mass-produce her wares. Each hat is custom-made. She was excited to get her hats in a store in Rockefeller Center in New York, but as she said: “It’s not brain surgery; it’s just me, sitting in a La-Z-Boy chair knitting. But it’s fun to personalize sayings that people want.”

“The fun thing is it’s something different every day,” she said. “It’s like making a painting every day.”

For more information visit her website and Instagram.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In this case, the tree is Cynthia Trone, a long-time resident of Camden and the apple is her son, Jackson Berger, whose Oregon-based outdoor clothing store, Symmetree, has now branched out to become Trone’s retail shop on Bay View Street that goes by the name Symmetree Base Camp.

Trone, who used to manage the former location of The Grasshopper Shop when it was on Bay View Street in the 1980s, has come full circle, back to her retail roots.

The original Symmetree store, in fact, was a home furnishings and accessories business that Trone and her former husband, Denis Berger, owned when their son, Jackson, was a baby after the family moved to Burlington, Vermont.

“Jackson really wanted to honor that original name his dad and I created with own his business, and now, it’s back to being my business name, again,” said Trone.

Jackson, who is a graphic designer and an avid outdoors person, runs the Oregon-based Symmetree with his partner, Skye Rainey.

The Oregon online business sells apparel of his own design while the Camden Symmetree Base Camp sells Jackson’s and Skye’s original T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other apparel. The store also offers environmental books, as well as outdoor gear, such as recycled plastic hammocks and blankets.

Trone’s vision of the Camden-based store reflects her dedication to Buddhism with one corner of the store dedicated to meditation books and pillows.

“We call it ‘Provisions for the Conscious Explorer,” said Trone of the store’s ethos, adding, “The thing I’m most excited about with both companies is that for each product we sell, we plant eight trees through Eden Reforestation.”

Jackson, who was born in Maine, moved out west as an adult to pursue his dreams.

“We have a whole new line of Maine-themed apparel coming that Jackson designed,” said Trone.

The store is a family business with Trone’s youngest daughter, Hadley Berger, serving as her social media manager and Kayla Berger helping with bookkeeping.

The back of the store has been converted to a meditation studio, which Trone will be co-facilitating, and opening to the public.

“I got my master’s degree in mindfulness studies when I was 57, so this store really reflects my interests,” she said.

Trone was the liaison to bring seven Tibetan refugee Buddhist Monks to the Midcoast on a Sacred Arts educational tour in 2019 before the pandemic hit.

The official opening of the store November 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (closed Mondays) and will continue to be open year-round.

For more information visit Symmetree Base Camp at the website and on Instagram (@symmetreemaine).

Correction: This article originally stated that The Cashmere Goat, which previously occupied this space, moved, due to economic pressure brought on by the pandemic. That was incorrect. The Cashmere Goat is located at 21 Mechanic Street in Camden.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

We’re heading into the crest of a wild weekend, the calm before the storm (literally) next week with storms coming in ahead of Thanksgiving. So, enjoy music from some talented sisters, a magical fantasy ride, a bountiful fall harvest, and a new business opening. I told you it’d be wild.

The Wolff Sisters

Friday, November 19—Camden

Boston-based sisters Rebecca, Rachael, and Kat Wolff are coming to the Camden Opera House. Just named New England Music Awards' 2021 Americana Artist of the Year, the trio’s music “is honest and genre-defying, but still rooted in traditional rock and Americana storytelling,” according to their website.  Here’s a song about Boston they perform called “Boston Town.” Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Choose-your-own reserved tickets are $20 in advance, $26 day of show.FMI: Tickets

Garden Aglow

Saturday, November 20 & Sunday, November 21—Boothbay

It is TOO EARLY to be posting any Christmas events but Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens gets a pass because their annual Gardens Aglow is beyond Christmasy; it’s what Lisa Kristoff calls “A magical ride into fantasy.”  The Covid-19 virus changed what used to be a walking tour into a driving tour, but that’s a good thing. As Kristoff said, “we’re all in need of a beautiful distraction.” Arrival times are every 15 minutes, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thurs.-Sun. $40 per nonmember car/$30 per member car. Advance tickets are required. FMI: Tickets and Details

Killer Road Trip: Maine Harvest Festival

Saturday, November 20 & Sunday, November 21—Bangor

Head on up to Bangor to the Cross Insurance Center this weekend for a fall harvest with more than 55 Maine farmers, festival food producers, live music, samples from breweries and wineries from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here’s the Schedule. General admission tickets are $8.00. FMI: Tickets and Details

New business open house—Bee Wild Farmacy

Sunday, November 21—Rockport

Come check out and support a new business in Rockport, Bee Wild Farmacy, run by Mary Nelson.  Think: Handmade, local, small-batch, wild-crafted items. Come sample products, ask questions, get discounts, and enter into drawings. The event takes place at the new store at 773 Commercial Street Rockport from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and stay tuned for a follow up story from yours truly. FMI: Details

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

We have a few interesting happenings on deck this weekend with another adapted musical, some food and drink tastings, an artistic craft fair, and some wild and scenic films for your enjoyment.

Rent: School Edition

Friday, November 12 through Sunday, November 14—Belfast

Last weekend Camden Hills High School was the star player of the high school musical—this weekend it’s the Belfast Area High School’s turn. This weekend kicks off its fall musical - Rent: School Edition from November 12 to 21. Fridays/Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets $5 adults, $3 students; they can be purchased at the school at Lion’s Way in Belfast. Masks required. FMI: Details

Pope Memorial Humane Society Tasting Event

Saturday, November 13—Thomaston

The Pope Memorial Humane Society’s cookbook, Recipes to the Rescue is the theme of this tasting event to benefit the animals they shelter. From 1 to 3 p.m. walk around and sample bites at a minimum of 10 tasting stations with small portions/one-bite tastes straight from the cookbook. The tasting event is limited to 50 people so best to get your tickets early here or call the shelter 207-594-2200 to check first. No walk-ins. 

Rockland Elks Holiday Craft Fair

Saturday, November 13—Rockland

If you’ve never been to a local craft fair, here’s one check out at the Rockland Emblem Club at 210 Rankin Street. The most interesting people making the most interesting stuff you can’t find anywhere else is its real appeal, as seen in such past stories as this and this.  Starting at 9 a.m. and going to 2 p.m., this craft fair features more than 40 tables of crafts from local artisans. The kitchen will be open for lunch as well as a bake table with homemade pies, cookies, candies and fudges. FMI: Details.

Three wild and scenic films to catch

Sunday, November 14—Virtual

The Midcoast Conservancy and Coastal Mountains Land Trust are hosting a live, virtual event to screen eight films that will appeal to outdoor lovers and environmentalists from 4 to 6 p.m. I just did a write-up on three not-to-miss films a story this week. Pictured above: “24 Leeches,” a “tribute to a father’s best friend and adventure partner, his 10-year-old son.”  Ticket holders will have access to the films online five days after the festival starts. FMI: Tickets

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

SEARSPORT—Just five minutes over the Belfast bridge heading north on Route 1 sits the newly opened Rio’s Spiked Café, a European-style tapas bar and eatery. Owners Oana and Russell Manton who also own the adjoining business park, were avid worldwide travelers before the pandemic put a halt to their adventures. Self-described foodies, the couple decided if they couldn’t go to Europe to sample the food at the present time, they’d instead, bring Europe to Maine.

RIO is the combined initials of Russell, their seven-year-old daughter Ilinca, and Oana. And spiked, well, it’s a play on the type of drinks the café serves, from a cultivated European wine list to specialty coffees with a kick.

Previously a garage, the renovation took more than three years to remodel the premises into a warm, inviting, and socially-distanced restaurant with HEPA air filters embedded in the demi-walls beside every table.

With oversized retro light bulbs casting a soft glow upon the room, its focal point is a modernist fireplace built into the prominent stone wall in the center of the room, which also serves as a bar with custom epoxy counters. Out in the parking lot sits an electric charging station for diners who want to grab a bite while waiting for their car to charge.

“Every time we went out to eat abroad, we’d take pictures of what we loved and brought all of these elements back to the design of the café,” said Oana. “The whole restaurant was built with the Midcoast community in mind. We want to bring a little taste of Europe to the area as people still cannot travel as much.”

Patrons of the Lincolnville Pound will remember Sullivan, who formerly served as the Lincolnville Pound's bar manager. Having built out the place with Russell, Sullivan has now settled back into his role of manager. His love of Maine craft brews has transferred to Rio’s Spiked Café with a wide array of both European beers and some of Maine’s beers. He also serves as a mixologist for their cocktails. Happy hour with drink specials is offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. nightly.

The menu

Oana, who is Romanian, and Russell, who is Scottish, have taken culinary elements from their culture, working with Chef Timothy Churchill, who is formally trained in Italian cuisine. Together, they’ve created an inviting small plates menu with a charcuterie board for two, infusing meats and cheeses from Maine, Vermont, Spain, Italy and Austria. 

The most-popular dishes coming out of the kitchen have been their grilled flat iron steak sourced from Pineland Farms, with grilled cippolini onions, balsamic butter, and jus of local veal. Another hit has been the pan-roasted Scottish salmon with a toasted hazelnut and coffee bean cream sauce. 

“Coffee actually pairs well with fish,” Churchill said. “With everything I create, I try to strike a balance between the classic and my own twist. And keeping everything seasonal is always on my mind.”

Harkening back to Oana’s own favorite dish is the “Mici,” (pronounced “Mitch”) is a traditional Romanian skinless grilled sausage made from beef, lamb, and pork with a housemade spicy mustard.

The raw salads on the menu are Chef Churchill’s special forté, such as the Sweet Autumn Salad with a local Honey Crisp apple, fig, olive, sherry, and mascarpone.

“I think for most restaurants, the raw salad is the most neglected item in a restaurant,” said Churchill. “Our salads are a strong point to the menu.”

While word of mouth has largely driven diners to the new eatery, the owners are keen to keep the feel of the place homey and local.

“At the same time, we don’t want to be known as a high-end fine dining establishment,” said Oana, who emphasizes that their vision of the place is more of a neighborhood tapas bar.

Searsport, not known for its culinary scene, is gaining a little gem with this cafe. Early reviews on Rio’s Spiked Café on since they opened October 6 put it in the good-to-excellent category with one patron calling it a “delightful surprise,” adding its merits included the description: “Beautiful bars, fireplaces, lighting—elegant and yet cozy.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

The 2021 Wild and Scenic Film Festival is coming to the Midcoast on November 14, 2021. Midcoast Conservancy and Coastal Mountains Land Trust are hosting this live, virtual event to screen eight films that cover a broad range of topics and address issues from climate change to rare birds and orchids to finding common ground among tribes, ranchers, and government agencies. 

For nature lovers and environmental activists alike, this festival, which is a fundraiser for the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), is typically held in California, but, like many festivals responding to the continuing pandemic, the Wild and Scenic Festival has gone completely virtual.

Three not-to-miss films that members of the film festival committee have chosen to highlight include:

Here we go, the last week of sunshine before Daylight Savings time plunges us back into the Dark Ages. To get your head around something different and creative, check out a few of our Spotlight events happening this weekend.

Free live stream of sold-out show: Honey In the Heart

Friday, November 5—Online

All ages-all skills free Artlab at CMCA

Saturday, November 6—Rockland

You’ve got a whole winter in front of you—now what are you going to do? Get creative. Get inspired. Begin making art even if you don’t know how to start with The Center for Maine Contemporary Art’s free “Artlab” held at their facilities at 21 Winter Street. From 2 to 4 p.m., artist Alexis Iammarino will be leading the workshop to encourage people to explore sculptural art forms with an array of cardboard that can be printed at stamps, collagraph plates, mobiles, or wall hangings. Participants can even check out the museum’s “Spatial Relations” for inspiration. FMI: CMCA

“Spamalot” at CHRHS

Friday, November 5 & Saturday, November  6—Camden

Who has two thumbs and loves Monty Python? This girl. If you’re a Python fan as well, check out the Camden Hills Regional High School’s production of Spamalot: The School edition in the Strom Theater, a family show that kicks off this weekend at 7 p.m. and continues on November 12 and 13 (with a family show on November 10 at 6 p.m.) After a year of having no musicals, the students are back, better than ever,  to provide a wacky performance that should please everyone. Tickets must be purchased in advance. FMI: Tickets and details.

Killer Road Trip: Crunk Witch in Bangor

Saturday, November 6—Bangor

I promise this has nothing to do with Halloween. Now that the tourism season has wound down, it would be a great weekend for a Bangor getaway and Crunk Witch, a husband-wife electronic pop act from Presque Isle is playing at the Bangor Arts Exchange from 8 to 11 p.m. Called “One of the best bands from Maine” by Paste Magazine and “The most energetic live show I’ve seen in years” by DC Underground, Crunk Witch blends nerdy, positive, and romantic lyrics with a heavy electro-pop backing. Tickets start at $12. FMI: Event and Tickets.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—For the last decade, the residents of Camden and Pearl Street organizers have put together candy drives and a spooktacular presence for Halloween, drawing approximately 1,000 parents and kids from neighboring towns to come trick-or-treating, as PenBay Pilot reporters have covered over the years in galleries such as this and this.

Last October 2020, the COVID-19 virus put the organizers in a tough position and they had to cancel the annual tradition for practical reasons as the state had still been under a Stage 4 plan of physical distancing to reduce possible viral infections at a time when vaccinations were still not available. 

In a press release sent to PenBayPilot October 2020, the organizers explained: “Sadly, we are not going to be having trick-or-treating as usual on Pearl Street, in Camden. We’ve talked with the Select Board and everyone is in agreement that there is no safe way to do it.”

According to an anonymous source, what the organizers did not expect is the degree of vitriolic backlash online because certain citizens weren’t able to come trick-or-treating in Camden.

This year, said the source, “If you can walk from home reasonably that seems to be what they’re OK with. Keep it in the neighborhood. There are several homes with people in their 80s and 90s and they don’t want to risk anything. They want it to be what it would be if there were no cars. Maybe 50 to 100 kids as opposed to 800 to 1000.”

Other streets in Camden will be open.

Police Chief Randy Gagne reiterated: “The Camden Police Department will NOT be closing any streets in Camden for Halloween. Officers will be on patrol throughout the Town. We urge all those participants take all safety precautions.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

2020 was the year Halloween got canceled, much like everything else, but this year, it has roared back to life. Unfortunately, one of Midcoast’s biggest Halloween attractions, Fright at The Fort is not planning to run again this year. However, in the weeks leading up to October 31, we have combed through every cool event going on to bring you a comprehensive rundown of Halloween-themed events. From parties to art, from poetry to theater, we’ve color-coded these events for adults and parents, and kids to make finding them easier.

Friday, October 22

· Adults and Parents and Kids: The Trail of Terror at the Union Fair takes place Friday night and Saturday night (as well as October 29 and 30) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night. $10 per person cash only; recommended for adults and kids 12 and older. FMI: Tickets and details

· Parents and Kids: The Shotwell Drive-in is hosting Hocus Pocus from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. FMI: Tickets and details

· Adults and Parents and Kids: Midcoast Maine Trail of Terror is taking place in Washington this weekend, until Halloween. $10 and starts at 7 p.m. FMI: Tickets and details

· Adults: The Shotwell Drive-in is hosting the Exorcist from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m FMI: Tickets and details

Saturday, October 23

· Adults, Parents and Kids: Ghoulsport: Bucksport is holding a day-long Halloween festival in town starting at 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a paranormal parade, food and drink vendors, ghost stories, games, and activities, trunk or treat and a Halloween dance. FMI: Ghoulsport

· Parents and Kids: The Shotwell Drive-in is hosting The Nightmare Before Christmas from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. FMI: Tickets and details

· Adults: The Shotwell Drive-in is hosting Scream from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m FMI: Tickets and details

· Adults: Maine Sport Outfitters is hosting four Maine authors to read spooky sections from their books from 5 to 7 p.m. Authors include E.J. Fechenda, Kevin St. Jarre, Meg North and Katherine Silva. Free.  FMI: Details

Sunday, October 24

· Parents and Kids: Halloween at the Y—Monster Mask Trick or Treat. Hosted by Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast, this is a parking lot socially distanced trick or treat. Admission is free with a canned donation. Trunk set up starts at 1:30 p.m. The event runs from 3 to 5 p.m. FMI: Details

Thursday, October 28

· Adults, Parents and Kids: “The Addams Family” a musical by the Medomak Valley Players will run at Medomak Valley High School October, 28, 29, 30, and November 4, 5, 6 at 7:00 pm. There will also be two matinee performances on October 31 and November 7 at 2:00 pm. A trunk or treat opportunity for patrons to participate in as well as meet the “Addams” characters will be taking place following the Halloween
performance outside in the parking lot for anyone that has purchased a ticket to any of the eight shows. FMI: Details

· Parents and Kids: Spooktacular and Pumpkin Palooza at the Camden Public Library with games, activities, and stories 5 to 7 p.m. FMI: Details

Friday, October 29

· Adults: Halloween Bash at The Grey Owl in Rockland from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Cocktails, cash prizes for costumes, and giveaways. $5 cover. FMI: Details

·Adults: Halloween Bash at Threshers Brewing Company in Searsmont, starting at 7 p.m. with a live band, Skyfoot. Tickets: $20. FMI: Details

· Parents and Kids: Halloween Escape Rooms at Kids Unplugged in Belfast. Join the Zombie Attack room, or bring the whole family to the Great Pumpkin Escape room. Starts at 6 p.m. FMI: Tickets and details

· Parents and Kids: Trunk or Treat hosted by Sheperd and Pope Memorial Humane Society (181 New County Road, Rockland) 4 to 7 p.m. FMI: Details

· Parents and Kids: Trunk or Treat hosted by Mathews Brothers Company (22 Perkins Road, Belfast) 4 to 6 p.m. FMI: Details

·Parents and Kids: Trunk or Treat hosted by Fresh Off The Farm (495 Commercial Street, Rockport) 4 to 7 p.m. FMI: Details

Saturday, October 30

· Adults: The Camden Public Library hosts musical instrument creator and sound therapist Jim Doble in the Amphitheatre with dark and incorporate spooky sounds. “This will be a sonic meditation..with a little bit of ‘eerie’ thrown in to help us get in the mood for All Hallows Eve.” Bring a flashlight and something comfortable to sit or lay on.  FMI: Details

· Adults: Three Tides & Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. are holding a dance party in their open-air beer garden starting at 7 p.m. FMI: Details

· Adults: The Front Street Pub in Belfast will be hosting a late-night costumed Halloween party from 8 p.m. to midnight with a $10 cover. There will be outside spaces for social distancing and cash prizes fore best costume categories. FMI: Details

· Adults: Halloween bash at the Midcoast Athletics Center in Warren featuring the live band No Guts, No Glory from 7 to 11 p.m. 21+ event. Prizes for best costume. $20/ticket to preregister online. $25/ticket at the door.  FMI: Details

· Adults, Parents and Kids: Belfast’s Great Pumpkin Pageant with a costume line up at the boat house from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. FMI: Details

Sunday, October 31

· Parents and Kids: Annual Halloween Costume Contest at Lincolnville General Store in Lincolnville. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., photos will be taken in “Grampa Halls” across the street from the store and the winner receives a gift certificate to the store. FMI: Rules and Details

· Parents and Kids: Trunk or Treat hosted by Aldersgate United Methodist Church  (15 Wesley Lane, Rockland) 4 to 6 p.m. FMI: Details

· Parents and Kids: Trick or Treat hosted by Liberty Fire Department handing out candy (187 West Main Street, Liberty) Starts at 4:30 p.m. FMI: Details

· Parents and Kids: Trunk or Treat hosted by the People’s United Methodist Church (Chapel Street, So. Thomaston) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. FMI: Karen Matthews, 594-1458

· Adults, Parents and Kids: The Camden Snow Bowl is doing Halloween chairlift rides from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Children 17 and under with costume, free. Adults $10. FMI: Details

Note: More events will be added for the week leading up to Halloween. Check back for more listings to come or email to list your event (Midcoast only).

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKPORT—The farewell exhibition at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship for Executive Director and furniture maker Peter Korn includes a mysterious cabinet by Silas Kopf that features the image of a macaw in a cage. It’s magnificently created—as all of the furniture and art pieces out of this gallery tend to be—but it’s also furniture with built-in Easter Eggs and delights. This cabinet has a trompe l’oeil door, mechanical parts, and secret compartments activated by motors. While it’s functional, it’s also a bit like finding a secret passageway and experiencing the childlike surprise as the furniture “squawks back” at you once a door is opened.

Kopf, who lives in Massachusetts, has been part of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship from the school’s beginnings. With a career that started in 1974, Kopf became friends with Korn who was running a wood program at a school in Colorado. 

“When Peter started his own school here in Maine, I was on his list of people to teach a workshop,” he said. “I taught almost from the beginning and I’d go back to teach every other year. I’ve been back a handful of times in the last 10 years. I’m honored to be part of this last exhibit.”

The Macaw cabinet took longer than normal to construct due to the pandemic.

“I was working with someone in North Carolina to do the electronics because I don’t do that, and when everything halted, that piece was put on hold,” he said. “We finally got together this summer and finished it.”

Though something “goofed up on the electronics” admitted Kopf, the cabinet was still delivered to Maine and will eventually be fixed. Watch the embedded video to see how the piece originally worked.

Kopf’s other fine furniture, which can be viewed on his website, often includes animal imagery, and often in whimsical ways, such as other cabinets featuring parrots and one oval cabinet featuring rabbits chasing a fox called “Bad Hare Day.”

As for Macaw, Kopf said, “I’ve done a bunch of pieces with hidden compartments in them, where you’d push a button and a drawer would slide out. I like the engineering of it—it’s a challenge to make all that stuff work and be relatively hidden.”

The exhibition, according to the release, is Korn’s homage to mentors and peers whose work he greatly admires, whose friendship has enriched his five-decade career, and whose knowledge and participation have contributed to the success of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. It presents superlative pieces made by 17 renowned furniture makers, turners, and sculptors between 1965 and 2021.

Follow Kopf’s work on Facebook and Instagram

To learn more about the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship visit their website.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Since Halloween is dominating the next two weekends, we’ll soon have a separate official rundown for you. Not especially enthused about Halloween? Don’t worry, we have you covered. For those who prefer their escapades to be a little more down-to-earth as opposed to in the shadows, here’s a small smattering of events to check out this weekend.

BYOB: Bring Your Own Brain

Friday, October 22—Orono

The UMaine Orono campus is offering a night that promises “a fun, collaborative experience where aspiring entrepreneurs, designers, creative thinkers, and engineers come together to produce a viable startup business model in just one night.” The free event, starting at 6 p.m. asks you to bring your smarts and a laptop and be part of a team that comes up with the winning idea. They’ll provide food and caffeine, expert guidance, and you might get $2,000 in prize money for the top teams. FMI: Directions and Info

Pup-Up: Shop for a Paws Cause

Saturday, October 23—Thomaston

Animal lovers, this event is for you! Pope Memorial Humane Society is throwing a pup-up (translation pop-up event with punny spelling) at their location 25 Buttermilk Lane from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  There will be deep discounts on books, artwork,  home items, as well as everyday pet essentials with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward making a better life for the pets. FMI: Pope Memorial Pup-Up

Drag Queen Trivia Brunch

Sunday, October 24—Hallowell

Hallowell is one of those off-the-radar towns that have a great buzz and this Sunday, come to The Quarry Tap Room from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a fun drag trivia event with brunch and entertainment included. Chartreuse and Ophelia Johnson will be performing for this ticketed event. Proceeds to benefit Hallowell Pride Alliance. FMI: Tickets and Info

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

THOMASTON—Locally sourced, delicious food—that’s the Maine way—and entrepreneurs Tai Leavitt and Darren Albers are using the state’s area code as their Maine brand in their latest food truck venture, 207 Eats.

207 Eats has used the late summer and early fall as their launchpad for a soft opening. Operations are currently on hiatus while Albers is traveling and 207 Eats plans to re-open Monday, November 1.

Located in Thomaston, near the Rockland town line (218 New County Road —Route 1) close to another local food truck Zack Shack, the food truck will make its temporary home at this location into December, weather permitting, before relocating to Rockport in Spring 2022.

The heart of 207 Eats’ menu is based on the seasonality of food.

“We’ve made all kinds of connections with Maine farms,” Leavitt said. “Even though we’re open a little later in the fall, we’re doing what we can to buy directly from farms. We also buy meat from Curtis Custom Meats in Warren. And of course, by next summer, we’ll have all kinds of options.”

On the typical menu, which changes week to week, one might find tacos, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids, Reubens with Morse’s Saurerkraut, BBQ pulled pork, cheesesteaks, homemade meatball subs, and freshly made desserts.

207 Eats also makes good use of locally caught seafood with crabmeat rolls, haddock sandwiches, chowders, with lobster dishes on the menu for next spring.

Leavitt said that popular items have included their housemade Caesar Salad, pulled pork, and sausage rolls, while vegetarian options are in the works.

Leavitt, who grew up in Camden, has lived in California for the past two decades, working as a chef while also cooking for high-end catering companies in San Francisco. A couple of years ago, Leavitt moved back to the Midcoast to be closer to family.

“I’m happily back in Maine,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt and Albers’s personal interest in philanthropy has extended to 207 Eats business practices.  As such 207 Eats reserves 50 percent of all tips for community charities with the other 50 percent going to their workers. Their first donation went to the Thomaston Food Pantry.’

“I’ve always had a soft spot for animal rescue organizations and women’s support groups,” said Leavitt. “We’re here to do good in the world.”

When the food truck re-opens on November 1, Leavitt said the menu will veer into more “winter comfort food” territory, such as stews, chilis, soups, pot pies, and Shepherd's pie. These items will be offered hot or properly chilled and packaged to be warmed later at home. And they may venture into starting breakfast as well starting from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Stay on top of 207 Eats re-opening and changing menu by following them on:

Facebook: @207EATSfoodtruck
Instagram: @207eatsfoodtruck
Tiktok: @207eatsfoodtruck

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Peak foliage hits the Midcoast this weekend, according to MaineFoliage.com, and that’s the best reason to do a leaf-peeping, apple-picking road trip, or a chairlift ride from The Camden Snow Bowl. And, as we’re leading up to Samhain, PenBay Pilot has three under-the-radar spooky family-friendly events and a fall festival killer road trip to make it the best weekend ever!

Halloween Trail of Terror

Friday, October 15 & Saturday, October 16—Union

Every fall, the Union Fairgrounds morph into the award-winning Trail of Terror, ideal for kids 12 and older as well as adults. Get ready to walk outdoors around barns and trails at the Fair, just off Route 17 as costumed volunteers make their presence known. (Pro-tip: for safety’s sake don’t touch or punch the volunteers! And do not dress up in costume yourself.) Each night starts at 6:30 p.m. and goes to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are cash-only and $10 per person or can be purchased in advance by calling 207-470-7401.  The Trail of Terror continues October 22, 23, 29, and 30. FMI: Trail of Terror Facebook Page

Twilight Tours

Friday, October 15—Searsport

Penobscot Marine Museum is offering a walking “ghost tour” for this family-friendly event. “Meet the spirits of those lost at sea – a ghost ship, a waterspout, Confederates, yellow fever, and a menagerie at the bottom of the ocean are just a few of the plots visitors will encounter on Twilight Tours,” says the intriguing description. Volunteer actors stationed in entranceways and other locations throughout our three-acre campus will be the ghostly presence as they tell stories. Tickets are $20, which cover the whole family (up to 10 people) and are timed to start every 10 minutes. FMI and Tickets: Twilight Tours

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Saturday, October 16—Thomaston

If you’re a fan of Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same name, Something Wicked This Way Comes will be a literary and theater treat, an event hosted by the Watts Hall Community Players at the gazebo in Thomaston Green. There will be two shows at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. with spooky skits, singing, dancing, and tunes from a local band, Miners Creek. Bring your own seating or hang out on the provided haybales. If it rains, the show will take place on Sunday instead and if the weather is bad both nights, the performances will move inside to Watts Hall (proof of Covid-19 vaccination will be required indoors). The Thomaston Green can be found on Main Street between the Prison Showroom and Doug’s Seafood. FMI: Watts Hall Community Players Facebook page

Killer Road Trip: Windswept Gardens Fall Festival

Saturday, October 16—Bangor

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com