PL E U Di sc N G I ov E N er TO R W G ha TH t’s Y E Ri gh GU 20 14 tf or I D Yo E u rH om e
Alternative Fuels Technological advancements are changing the way we fill up our tanks
Maine’s Memorials &
MONUMENTS Movers & Shakers Filmmakers Aron Gaudet & Gita Pullapilly
Cancer Fighting Foods What you eat can help prevent and combat cancer
Bouchard Family Farms Rene Cloukey’s sweet and spicy chicken Q&A with the chef at Norumbega Inn
Explore&
Discover
Millinocket $5.95
October 2014
Your people, your region, your magazine.
Bringing Power to the People of Maine for Generations
“Growing up, I remember my dad responding to outages in the middle of the night. He was a real hero to me. I started out riding along in bucket trucks for parades. Now I get to work alongside my father. That’s a pretty good feeling.” Luke Ireland Bringing Power to Maine Since 2007
www.emeramaine.com
721 employees. 162 years. 56 branches. One promise.
You matter more.
Member FDIC Member FDIC
1.877.Bangor1 | www.bangor.com
october 2014
contents
features The Way they get by / 13 Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly put Maine on the the big screen. A Taste of the Valley / 14 The ploye mix made by Bouchard Family Farms makes it easy to enjoy this northern Maine treat. Cancer Fighting Foods / 18 What you put in your mouth can help keep cancer at bay. Alternative fuels / 22 How we fill up our gas tank is changing thanks to conscious drivers and advanced technology. Monuments & memorials / 30 These gems are hidden in plain sight.
30
sports junkie / 60 Rene Cloukey shares a favorite recipe that is sure to please the crowd. norumbega Inn / 64 Phil Crispo brings his cooking experiences from Europe and New York to Camden, Maine.
14 2 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photos: (top) melanie brooks; [bottom) kelsy stromski
A Piece of Maine: millinocket / 38 Millinocket is more than a mill town. Art and adventure await in every season.
9
in every issue TaLk of the Towns / 8 Regional news you can use. Biz Buzz & sightings / 10 People and places on the move.
48
Metro sports / 46 Coach Stephanie Smith from Foxcroft Academy and the UMaine women’s ice hockey team. Unsung hero / 49 Animal advocate Kamryn Commeau. real estate / 50 Water-front living in Sorrento. What’s Happening / 53 Enjoy October to its fullest. Perspectives / 66 Abstract photographs by Jim Nickelson.
Photos: (top left) Merrill E. Milham; (top right) mark chevalier; (bottom) marsha donahue
savvy seniors / 69 Make your voice count at the ballot box.
columns Metro Wellness / 21 In defense of gluten. woods & waters / 68 The underbelly of the wind energy machine. last word / 72 Liquid energy comes in many forms.
Special Section / 73 2014 energy guide Find ways to conserve and reduce energy costs at home.
38 www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 3
editor’s note
O
MELANIE BROOKS, EDITOR
4 / Bangor Metro October 2014
The Bangor Metro Region
Photo: kate CRaBtRee
ctober has a crispness in the air that excites me. The crunch of fallen leaves under my feet brings back so many memories from my childhood growing up in Maine—a childhood captured on Super 8 film. When my family wants to watch home movies, a reel-to-reel film projector is involved. Even though I painstakingly converted all of our films to DVD a while ago, there is something about the sound of the projector, that clickity clack of the filmstrip running its course though the old-timey machine, that adds an extra level of nostalgia. The coziness of the fall always reminds me of the hours my family spent each year watching these videos of our past. There’s no audio, but you don’t need it. The peals of laughter that come from watching the films in reverse more than makes up for the missing sound. It is probably a blessing that the videos are silent. I did a lot of singing back in the day. Sharing those videos was hard. You had to invite people over to the house to watch them. And who wants to watch silent movies of you and your little sister lip synching and dancing in your parents’ kitchen? Today, however, sharing a video is as easy as poking your phone with your index finger. As soon as I take a video of my son or my niece, ages three and two respectively, they want to watch it. The gratification is instant. Technology is ever evolving. A watch that doubled as a telephone seemed futuristic a decade ago, but you can buy one today. Plugging your car in at night to recharge was something I would have written about in elementary school, but today they exist! Running your car or truck on oil from a local restaurant seems a bit odd, but it’s happening right here in Maine. You can read about it on page 22. Technology is also helping us to heat our homes more efficiently. Check out our energy guide on page 73 to learn about ways to make your home more energy efficient. There are tips on ways to seal leaks around your home, reduce your electricity bill, and keep the heat where you need it most. Fall is fleeting in Maine, so enjoy it while it lasts. Get outside and crunch in some leaves and make some memories with those you love the most.
www.bangormetro.com 263 State Street, Suite 1 Bangor, Maine 04401 Phone: 207.941.1300
PUBLISHER
Jack Cashman
EDITOR
Melanie Brooks melanie@bangormetro.com
assistant editor
Carol Higgins Taylor
SALES DIRECTOR
Christine Parker christine@bangormetro.com
account executive
Milton McBreairty milton@bangormetro.com
ART DIRECTOR
staff Photos: justin Russell & Melanie Brooks
Sandy Flewelling
production designer
Amy Allen
traffic manager/ Subscriptions/Accounts payable & receivable
Laura Manzo
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 5
MayoPractice Associates™ ONE CONTACT. MANY LOCATIONS.
564-1224 NEW PATIENTS WELCOME!
Corinth Medical Associates Family Practice
Dexter Internal Medicine Dover-Foxcroft Family Medicine Internal Medicine | Family Practice | Pediatrics
Guilford Medical Associates Family Practice
Milo Family Practice
Family Practice & Womens’ Health
Mayo
Regional Hospital Offering expanded care and services where you need it most—close to home.
6 / Bangor Metro October 2014
designing women Fine Arts and Crafts Show
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Saturday, November 1, 2014 9am to 4pm Tom Avila
Emilie Brand Throckmorton
Brad Eden
Jane Margesson
Henry Garfield
Husson University • 1 College Circle , Bangor At the Van Dyke Center for Family Business POT TERY TEXTILES GL ASS PAINTINGS JEWELRY and MORE
Chris Quimby
CONTRIBUTING Photographers & Artists
Refreshments available • Plenty of parking $2.00 donation at the door to benefit Caring Connections Dave Brown
Mark McCall
Chris Olmstead
Thank You Jerry Jarrell Bangor Metro Magazine. October 2014, Vol. 10, No. 8. Copyright © Metro Publishing LLC. Bangor Metro is published ten times annually by Metro Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. This magazine may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form without the written permission of the Publisher. Bangor Metro is mailed at standard rates from Portland, Maine. Opinions expressed in either the editorial or advertisements do not represent the opinions of the staff or publisher of Bangor Metro magazine. Advertisers and event sponsors or their agents are responsible for copyrights and accuracy of all material they submit. Bangor Metro magazine to the best of its ability ensures the acuracy of information printed in the publication. Inquiries and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Letters to the editor, story suggestions, and other reader input will be subject to Bangor Metro’s unrestricted right to edit and publish in the magazine both in print and online. Editorial: Queries should be sent to the editor, Melanie Brooks at melanie@bangormetro.com. Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Director of Sales, Christine Parker at 207-404-5158.
Machias Savings Bank would like to thank Jerry Jarrell for his dedicated service. Over the past 40 years Jerry has exemplified what Exceptional Service is all about. Congratulations on your retirement and best wishes from your friends at Machias Savings Bank.
Subscriptions/Address Change: A one year subscription cost is $19.95. Address changes: to ensure delivery, subscribers must notify the magazine of address changes one month in advance of the cover date. Please contact Laura Manzo at 207-404-5150. Accounts Payable/Receivable: For information about your account please contact Laura Manzo at 207-404-5150.
Member FDIC
Cover art: Marsha Donahue 17750-MSB-Jarrell Retirement ADS.indd 1
9/3/14 2:41 PM
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 7
Leaders at Camp
8 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Mount Desert Island: Camp Beech Cliff, a nonprofit summer day camp on Mount Desert Island that borders Acadia National Park’s Beech Mountain and Echo Lake, has recently expanded. The organization recently launched the Acadia Leadership Institute for year-round outdoor education, adventure, training, and leadership programs. “The camp experience fosters strengths, self-confidence, team building, and connection to the natural world,” says Debra Deal, executive director at Camp Beech Cliff. “We are using our unique strengths and expertise to bring the camp experience to a broader audience.” Through summer camps and yearround outdoor education, leadership, and recreation programs, Camp Beech Cliff
works to enrich the lives of people of all ages, to inspire personal growth, interpersonal connection, and a deep appreciation of the natural world. From one day corporate team-building and strategic planning retreats to week-long adventure programs including hiking, biking, climbing, paddling, and high ropes, the camp offers a full spectrum of programs and services. The amenities at Camp Beech Cliff include a full gymnasium, 30-foot indoor rock climbing wall, state-of-the-art low and high ropes challenge courses, meeting rooms, kayaks, canoes, and more. The camp has partnered with outdoor adventure and education pioneers Project Adventure, inns, caterers, local area instructors, and facilitators.
photo: courtesy of camp beech cliff
talk of the towns
Senior Group Keeps Growing Old Town, Orono, & Veazie: Gateway Seniors Without Walls, a volunteer group that organizes community activities for senior citizens, has had a significant impact on the residents of Orono, Old Town, Veazie, and surrounding areas in its short 18 months of existence. The activities and programs are offered for free or at cost and are facilitated by volunteers. They are held in public libraries, town offices, community buildings, the University of Maine, restaurants, wildlife refuges, museums, and private homes to increase the accessibility for everyone and to reduce costs. The organization began by offering nine activities over a four month period with attendance of about a dozen people. A year and a half later, the center offers about 360 activities a year, including workshops, fitness activities, and craft classes, and has more than 300 participants. “We’ve already chalked up impressive gains,” says Ann Davidoff, one of the Senior Center Without Walls found-
ers. “The activities and programs are accessible to all. There are no membership fees, and most programs are free
or offered at cost. Everyone is welcome. No one is turned away because of age or geography.”
photos: (top) Merrill E. Milham; (right) Lisa kane, mdifw
Cooks Get in the Game Statewide: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) has published a revised and updated edition of The Maine Way: A Collection of Maine Fish and Game Recipes. Judy Marsh and Carole Dyer, wives of game wardens John Marsh and Russ Dyer, wrote the original cookbook in 1978. John Ford, another game warden, provided the illustrations. The cookbook has been out of print since 1981…until now! Maine residents statewide contributed recipes to the cookbook, which features dozens of entries for large and small game, upland birds and waterfowl, and fish and other aquatic delicacies. The new edition is updated by the original authors and features a selection of moose recipes that were not a part of the original book. At the time of the first publication, moose hunting was illegal. Also included in the revised edition is a collection of recipes for venison, rabbit, bear, muskrat, beaver, and bobcat. The Maine Way fish and game cookbook is available for purchase from the MDIFW online store for $9.95. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 9
biz buzz & sightings On the Move Machias Savings Bank recently announced the election of DONALD E. REYNOLDS as the newest director of the Machias Bancorp, MHC and its subsidiaries. Reynolds is the executive vice president of Machias Savings Bank and has been an officer since 1986. A certified public accountant, he serves on the MES Foundation board of directors and the Down East Community Hospital board of corporators. www.machiassavings.com HOOK WHEELER joined Eastern Maine Development Corporation as deputy director for business and workforce services. He is based in the organization’s Ellsworth office. Wheeler will oversee EMDC’s training programs as well as provide workforce and business development services across the organization’s four county region. www.emdc.org BRENT A. FOLSTER has
joined Camden National Bank as vice president, commercial lending for the Bangor region. Folster has 35 years of banking experience and is active in his home community of Old Town. He serves as the director of the Old Town-Orono YMCA, vice president of the board of the Old Town Residential Services Corporation, and board member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine. www.camdennational.com AMANDA LOOK has joined
the Ellsworth branch of Camden National Bank as vice president, commercial lending officer for Washington and Hancock Counties. Look is active in the local community, serving on the boards of Downeast Family YMCA and the Washington Hancock Community Agency. A native of Surry, she lives in Columbia Falls with her husband and daughter. www.camdennational.com
10 / Bangor Metro October 2014
BART HOTCHKIN, DPT
joined the staff of Penobscot Community Health Care’s Seaport Community Health Center in Belfast. Previously, Hotchkin served as clinical director for Bay View Physical Therapy. www.pchc.com
Chamber’s bookkeeper since 2010, has been named office manager. www.bangorregion.com Bangor Area Staffing Solutions has promoted VICTORIA BADGER to staffing assistant. Badger joined the company in November 2013 as a front desk administrator. www.bangorareastaffing.com
EVELYN S. SILVER, PhD, a
retired senior advisor to the president of the University of Maine, has been elected chair of the Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems board of directors. Silver, of Dedham, previously served as the vice-chair of the EMHS board from 2011 to 2014. www.emhs.org PATRICIA SUTHERLAND of Chapman
has been named to the executive committee of the Maine Municipal Association. She has experience as a public school teacher, college administrator, and school committee member. She also served two years as House Chair of the legislative Education Committee for the state of Maine. www.memun.org KAREN COLE has been hired as the
associate director of the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine in Orono. She previously held the position of executive vice president of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, where she has been working since 2009. www.collinscenterforthearts.com
DEBORAH A. SMITH has joined the
Eastport Arts Center as a part-time development director. She previously served as a grants specialist for Kennesaw State University in Georgia. She’s also worked as registrar and curator at the Maine State Museum and as director of the Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick. Smith served as chair of the Maine Cultural Affairs Council from 2004 to 2006. www.eastportartscenter.com
Awards The United Way of Eastern Maine recently honored two local organizations with awards. ZONE RADIO was awarded the Live United Award, one of the highest honors the United Way of Eastern Maine bestows upon their community partners. SPRUCE RUN-WOMANCARE ALLIANCE
was honored with the Agency of Distinction award. This is given to an agency that goes above and beyond to have a positive impact on the clients they serve. www.zoneradio.com www.sprucerun.net
PATRICK DOLAN has been selected as
the finance manager of Bangor International Airport. Doan previously worked with ZF Lemforder, and is returning to his home state of Maine after living in Georgia and South Carolina for the past 13 years. www.flybangor.com
GENE’S ELECTRONICS, INC. of Fort Kent
Two employees of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce have been promoted. KATE GROVER , the organization’s membership director for the past two years, has been named vice president of membership and marketing. MARTHA TALBOT, the
LINDA ROBINSON, CNM , received the
has been named 2014 Retailer of the Year by DISH Network Corporation. Gene’s Electronics was chosen for this award from more than 4,000 active Authorized DISH Retailers. www.geneselectronics.com
Maine Hospital Association’s Certificate of Achievement Award for outstanding professionalism and accomplishments in assuring vital health care services are provided in Maine. In addition, she was awarded the Excellency in Midwifery and Women’s Health Care Award by the Maine Affiliate of the American College
1
2
Everything. Right where you need it.
With 4,000 sq ft of divisible meeting space and an executive boardroom, the Hilton Garden Inn can accommodate groups of 2 to 250, providing the ideal setting for corporate meetings and special events.
of Nurse-Midwives for promoting the health and wellbeing of women and families. She works at Mount Desert Island Hospital and was one of the founders of the Women’s Health Center in Bar Harbor, since renamed The Lisa Stewart Women’s Health Center. www.mdihospital.org eLLIott + eLLIott arCHIteCtUre
based in Blue Hill recently received a Citation Award from the Maine Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the design of the private residence House on a Cove. The sole judging criterion for the biennial, juried awards program is design excellence in architecture. www.eena.com CHrIS arnett of the financial services
firm Edward Jones recently won the firm’s exclusive Century Award for outstanding performance in 2013. He has been an Edward Jones financial advisor in Bangor for five years. He is one of only 649 of the firm’s more than 13,000 financial advisors to receive the award. www.edwardjones.com
1: Team Badlands at the Champion the Cure Challenge in Brewer. From left: Phineas Tracy, Eva Saucier, Lydia Tracy, Olivia Saucier, Emma Campbell, Carly Philbrook, Megan Deans, Jared Deans, Sam Jagger, Gracie Farrar, Madi Baude, Johannah Philbrook, and Jase Deans.
The hotel features top-of-the-line audiovisual equipment, 24-hour business center, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. Choose from creative catering options to complement your event and rely on the expertise of our professional and dedicated on-site meeting and catering team. We look forward to working with you to ensure your event is a success!
2: Dr. Felix Hernandez, medical director of Surgical Services at EMMC, points to a wall featuring an overview of EMMC’s Modernization Project that highlights the $1 million donation from an anonymous grateful patient in honor of Dr. Hernandez and the team who provided care for the patient.
CHarLIe HenDrICKS, MD, chief of
surgery at Mount Desert Island Hospital, has been selected as this year’s Maine Hospital Association Caregiver of the Year. His humanitarian work includes providing surgical services to disadvantaged, underserved populations in South America. www.mdihospital.org
Contact our events department: 1-207-262-0099 or 1-877-TOPHILTON Kathleen.Whitty@Hilton.com Leah.Beran@Hilton.com
MaCHIaS SaVIngS BanK has been
included on the Independent Community Bankers of America Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media list. The named banks were
Visit us on the web at www.bangor.hgi.com www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 11
biz buzz & sightings 1
1: Seasons Golf Outing raised $27,142 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Pictured, left to right: Sonny LeClair, Thomas Peaco, Dave Crichton, Hal Leeman, and Paul Hammond. 2: Michelle Cashman and her daughter Jackie at the Champion the Cure event at EMHS.
KataHDIn trUSt was recognized as
the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Top 7(a) Dollar Volume Leader in Maine. The 7(a) loans are used to establish new businesses or to assist in the acquisition, operation, or expansion of an existing business. www. katahdintrust.com MMg InSUranCe CoMPanY in Presque
Isle has been named a top 50 insurance company by Ward Group, a leading provider of operational and compensation benchmarking and best practice services for insurance companies. More than 3,000 propertycasualty insurance companies nationwide were analyzed for this award. www.mainemutual.com LInDa eLLIott, a mortgage loan officer at the Maine Savings Ellsworth branch, was awarded the Cecil C. Porter Extraordinary Service Award. Chosen by the bank’s senior staff, this award is given annually for superior service, passion, and performance excellence. www.mainesavings.com 12 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Grants The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given $200,000 in funding to the nortHern MaIne DeVeLoPMent CoMMISSIon for community assessments on brownfield sites in Aroostook County. Previous brownfield funding has been utilized to assess and clean up sites in Presque Isle, Fort Kent, Houlton, Ashland, and Fort Fairfield. www.nmdc.org The HUSSon UnIVerSItY SCHooL oF nUrSIng received a $684,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. The funding will help support the education of more than 40 full-time graduate students in the school’s Family and Community Nurse Practitioner program over the next two years. www.husson.edu USDA Rural Development has awarded a Rural Community Development Initiative Grant in the amount of $107,956 to the nortHern ForeSt Center . Funds will be used to deliver technical and financial assistance to build the capacity of seven economic development organizations to provide workforce development and business training services to tourism businesses across the Maine Woods region. www.northernforest.org
2 3
PHOTO 3: SOUBANH PHANTHAY
chosen based on their engagement with fans and followers, the content distributed on their social media platforms, the number of fans or followers they have, and the frequency of posting new content. www.machiassavings.com
3: Erica Whitten, Risteen Bahr, and Lisa Surgeon attend the Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Garden Party at Windswept Gardens.
movers & shakers
T The Way They Get By Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet immortalized the troop greeters in Maine with their film, The Way We Get By, and in the process jumpstarted a successful filmmaking career.
Photo: Shane Leonard
By Carol Higgins Taylor
here are many aspects to making a movie, and filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly are skilled at each. But all their films start with the same seed: the story. And Gaudet and Pullapilly are excellent storytellers. “It all comes down to the story,” says Gaudet. “And looking for stories that haven’t been told before. And telling them honestly and authentically.” Gaudet grew up in Old Town and, like many young people, yearned for experiences that only larger cities could offer. When he packed his bags and moved to the Midwest in 1999, the idea of returning to Maine to live instead of just visit, was the furthest thing from his mind. A particular visit back home changed all that. Gaudet brought his then girlfriend, Gita Pullapilly (the couple married in 2009), to Maine to meet his family. It was Christmas, 2004. “It was mid-winter, it was cold, the flight was delayed, it was a nightmare travel experience,” says Pullapilly. That nightmare was to be the beginning of their future. The first person the couple met at Bangor International Airport was troop greeter Bill Knight. Gaudet and Pullapilly were television news reporters, eager to expand their storytelling prowess into documentary films. They each had that sixth sense inherent in news people, a sense that alerts them when a good story is unfolding before their eyes. “We knew right away that Bill would be a movie,” Gaudet says. Bill Knight, along with two other troop greeters, were the catalyst the couple needed, and they switched gears to become documentary filmmakers. They told the story of the dedicated troop greeters in Maine in the award-winning film, The Way We Get By. “We’d go out and interview and the people were so honest and truthful. Troop greeting is just the purest thing,” added Pullapilly. “We’ve just been exposed to great people.” While the film, The Way We Get By, received tremendous acclaim, it didn’t land the young couple on the top of the film industry’s food chain. “After The Way We Get By, no one really knew who we were,” says Pullapilly, about people in the film industry. “It wasn’t until Beneath the Harvest Sky that really people took notice.” The film elevated their careers to a new level which was much more than they ex-
pected. “We have agents and managers, and the [Hollywood] industry is interested in our work now,” says Gaudet. Beneath the Harvest Sky tells the story of young people getting mixed up in illegal prescription drug smuggling along the United States and Canadian border. The couple spent a year conducting interviews in and around Van Buren for the film, including talking with some inmates in the Aroostook County Jail. “Our job is to understand where each person is coming from,” says Gaudet. “With each film, we take the documentary approach, just immersing ourselves in that world, for the sake of script,” Pullapilly adds. “We live it.” The films are more than entertainment, often uncovering and examining social issues and creating discussions that may not always be positive. The filmmakers look through the lens at what human beings go through in everyday life, for better or worse. “Living in Maine can be challenging because the movie business is in Los Angeles and you really need to be there,” says Gaudet. The couple splits their time between Bar Harbor and Los Angeles. “We love the idea of shooting in communities and not on studio lots,” says Pullapilly. Film production is good for the local economies in Maine, she adds. Beneath the Harvest Sky poured money into The County because of the numerous people employed behind the scenes. The cast and crew ate in local restaurants and stayed in hotels. Pullapilly and Gaudet would like to see a training program for skilled labor in Maine so carpenters and other skilled workers could work with filmmakers to help design and build movie sets and work behind the scenes. The film industry has changed over the years with the advent of cable mini-series, says Gaudet. Twenty years ago, artists always did television or films, never both. Now Oscar winners are doing television. “There are so many ways to get the story out there now,” he added. “We can develop an idea and decide where best to tell that story.” Recently, the couple made Variety’s list of “10 Directors to Watch.” With Hollywood’s interest in the couple, the budgets for their films are bigger but so are the stakes. “Our goal is to push ourselves further and further with each project,” says Gaudet. “It’s an exciting time for filmmakers.” www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 13
eye on industry
If you’ve never tried a ploye, now is the time. And Bouchard Family Farms in Fort Kent makes it easy with their ready-made mixes. By Melanie Brooks
14 / Bangor Metro October 2014
f you are from the St. John Valley, you know what a ploye is. If you don’t, you’re missing out on a traditional, healthy staple that originated from New England’s oldest Acadian community. Ployes are a griddle bread made from buckwheat flour. They are traditionally eaten with butter, much like a slice of bread at mealtime, but can also be eaten as delicious pancakes. A ploye is different than your traditional pancake, as it is not made with eggs, milk, sugar, or oil. It’s a vegan food that is fat, lactose, and cholesterol free. So what’s in them? Buckwheat flour, regular or whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. All you need to add is the water. The ploye became a popular offering at mealtimes due to a farming crisis. In the mid-1850s, an insect called the wheat midge and a disease called wheat rust devastated the Valley’s wheat crop. The wheat midge damages crops when the
larvae feed on the wheat kernel, causing damage that is not visibly apparent. Wheat rust, known as the “polio of agriculture,” causes large-scale destruction of crops over a wide area in a very short amount of time. After these two plagues devastated the wheat crop, buckwheat emerged as the main crop leader in the Valley, and the ploye landed on plates across the region. The easiest way to make a ploye is to buy the mix produced by Bouchard Family Farms. The working farm averages about 200 to 300 acres of buckwheat per year. They also grow potatoes, pumpkins, and oats for their cows. Janice Bouchard married into the farming family in 1990. “When Joe and I were first married, he worked on the farm with his dad, Alban, and I worked at one of the banks in town. Joe’s mom, Rita, handled most of the ploye orders and packaging,” Bouchard says. “About 20 years ago I quit the bank to help with
Photos: Kelsy Stromski/Refinery 43/Refinery43.com
A Taste of the Valley I
the ploye business, which has grown quite a bit since then.” Her son, who just graduated high school, will be the sixth generation of Bouchards to work on the family farm. The Bouchards have been milling all of the buckwheat right on their farm for the past decade. Before then, all of the milling was done in Canada. The family transported, piece by piece, a 1800s mill from Canada to their farm in Maine to keep the milling process close to home. Originally, much of the farm operation consisted of raising a potato crop. The Bouchard’s farm has since grown to include other products to help maintain the viability of the farm. “Potato farming has always been hard,” Bouchard says. “Now that the farming industry has changed, you can store potatoes for up to a year. There’s more competition, especially from Canadian farmers whose farms are subsidized by the government.” Diversification is the name of the game for the Bouchard family, and their business has grown by leaps and bounds. Three years ago Jan Bouchard, her mother-in-law, and her daughter Kelsy created a cookbook featuring French Acadia cooking. They sell original and whole-wheat ploye mix, buckwheat flour, and gift packages online. Last year they erected a green house and have since opened up a country store. “We have always sold potatoes in a roadside stand, and last year we converted one of the potato houses into a country store,” Bouchard says. “We sell our all-natural beef, crafts, ploye mixes, jams, jellies, fresh vegetables, pumpkins, specialty foods, and more.” Bouchard says that the recent trend in gluten-free dieting has helped her family business. While the ploye mix is not gluten-free (it includes wheat), the Bouchard Family Farms buckwheat flour is completely gluten-free. Bouchard shares buckwheat recipes, like coffee cake, pizza crust, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate cake on the farm’s website, www.ploye.com. The family attends trade shows in throughout New England, including the Maine Harvest Festival in Bangor. “When you’re working on a farm, it’s hard to do a lot of shows,” Bouchard says. But the exposure for the family’s ploye mix and buckwheat flour is worth it. “If you can get people to stop and try it, the product sells itself.”
Top: The Bouchard family. Middle: A handful of buckwheat. Bottom: A 12-foot ploye made at the annual Fort Kent ploye festival. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 15
Each month we showcase one of the business practices of our partners. Our November 2014 featured business will be Quality Jewelers. Make sure your
business SPOTLIGHT
business gets the
EXTRA n attentio
it deserves! When you advertise in Business Spotlight, John A. Benson youDVM get a great deal!
AND
Dr. Benson received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia in 1979. He has been practicing in Bangor since You’re also entitled 1980. His professional interests, in addition to general medicine and to a full-page surgery, include chiropractic, soft tissue andstory orthopedic surgeries. about
your business!
£Î £Ê ," 7 9ÊUÊ ", (207) 942-2281
Contact Christine at 207-404-5158
Guidance & Solutions.
At Machias Savings Bank we want to share in the vision of your business and be an active player in your success by offering you the right balance of products and services. Whether you are just getting started or growing the family business, we specialize in helping you every step of the way, just like we’ve done for Ron, April and Lydia, we can do the same for you.
Machias Savings Bank is now providing business banking solutions in the Presque Isle, Caribou and Portland communities. Ron Dennis
April Murchinson
Lydia Pryor
Dennis Paper & Food Service Hampden, Maine
Possibilities Fine Gifts & Home Furnishings | Lincoln, Maine
Bayview Animal Hospital Gouldsboro, Maine
Š 2014 Machias Savings Bank. Member FDIC.
17186-MSB- Business Prospective—Bangor Metro.indd 1
2/14/14 2:46 PM
Bring in your gold, silver and platinum for the highest price
She’ll Fall in Love! BRIDAL JEWELRY
Featuring Caro 74, our new exclusive bridal line. We have the best quality diamonds for your dollar and the largest selection of bridal jewelry in the area.
Bring on the bling! Come see our line of Alex and Ani expandable bangles.
Jewelry Repair and Design—With 3 in-house jewelers, we have the most extensive repair and design facilities in the area.
8"4)*/(50/ 453&&5 #"/(03 ."*/& t Ç› Ç› t 888 26"-*5:+&8&-&34 $0.
business SPOTLIGHT
Call us at 1-866-416-9302 or email BusinessBanking@machiassavings.com
metro health
Cancer Fighting Foods W The meals we eat on a daily basis may help to prevent cancer. By Wanda cUrTIS
18 / Bangor Metro October 2014
hen Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” he had no idea how true that statement would one day prove to be. Multiple studies have demonstrated that apples (as well as other fruits and vegetables) contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, which are thought to protect against cancer. Researchers report that extracts from the pulp and skin of certain apples, such as Red Delicious, have inhibited the growth of colon cancer and liver cancer cells in a laboratory setting. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas PhD, professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Maine in Orono and a Fulbright fellow, says there’s been a substantial amount of research regarding the ability of certain
foods to help prevent cancer. She says experts recommend eating a diet high in plant-based foods. “Eating a healthy diet to reduce risk is critical,” says KlimisZacas. “Experts agree that it should be a predominantly plant-based diet where two-thirds of the plate is composed of fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes.” In addition to eating a plant-based diet, she says specific nutrients and foods have been documented to prevent, arrest, and/or support the patient after diagnosis, through treatment, and posttreatment. Those nutrients and foods include folate-rich choices such as cereals; pastas; bread; green leafy vegetables; legumes such as dried beans, peas, or peanuts; vegetables like asparagus and Brussels sprouts; and orange juice. She explains that folate-rich foods help to
in tea, blueberries, and citrus fruits, among other foods, has been associated with a lower incidence of ovarian and breast cancer and has been shown to decrease inflammation. She says that flavonoids found in blueberries possess powerful antioxidant properties. Her recent studies
enrich our bodies with a diet packed with antioxidants (such as in blueberries) then our cells are better protected and less likely to be damaged. Kateryna Clark, a registered dietitian who practices at Eastern Maine Medical Center and Cancer Care of Maine, cites
“eating a healthy diet to reduce [your cancer] risk is critical. experts agree that it should be a predominantly plant-based diet, with two-thirds of the plate composed of fruits, veggies, grains, and legumes.” —Dorothy Klimis-Zacas PhD
photos: (aBoVe) WaVeBReak meDia ltD/thinkstock.com; (leFt) hanDmaDe pictURes/thinkstock.com; (RiGht) Joel cRaBtRee
have shown that eating blueberries helped to protect against DNA destruction, which can lead to malignancies. “Every day our DNA receives hundreds of hits from environmental oxidants, other toxins, and environmental contaminants,” Klimis-Zacas says. If we
prevent destructive changes in cells caused by toxins or other environmental factors, which can lead to cancer. Klimis-Zacas explains that cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts have an effect on the activity of liver enzymes to promote detoxification and help protect the body from cancer. She says those vegetables should be chewed well to obtain the most benefit, because a compound from those foods known as “sulforaphane” is released during chewing, which affects liver enzyme activity. She says the protective effect from these vegetables lasts about 12 to 24 hours, which is why these foods should be eaten on a daily basis. According to Klimis-Zacas, a plant substance known as flavonoid, which is found
statistics showing Maine has some of the highest incidence rates in the U.S. for a number of cancers, including cancer of the esophagus, known to be influenced by what we eat and drink. Research studies show eating a healthy diet, maintaining a proper
Kateryna Clark
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 19
% 3 # & / 0 * 5 Âľ 4 0 ' ' * $ & 8 & - $ 0 . & 4
Erin Horr, CNM Nurse Midwife
+PTFQI - #FOPJU .% ,JNCFSMZ 4 ,BVGGNBO .% BOE 4IFSJ . /PSXPPE 8)/1 BSF QMFBTFE UP BOOPVODF UIF BEEJUJPO PG &SJO )PSS .4/ $/. UP PVS QSPGFTTJPOBM UFBN "QQPJOUNFOUT XJUI &SJO )PSS .4/ $/. BSF BWBJMBCMF TUBSUJOH 4FQUFNCFS
"OOVBM (ZOFDPMPHJDBM &YBNT Â… 'BNJMZ 1MBOOJOH Â… 0CTUFUSJDT Â… *OGFSUJMJUZ 4"5&--*5& -0$"5*0/ '03
Dr. Benoit’s Office Evergreen Woods
.PVOU )PQF "WFOVF 4VJUF #BOHPS ]
The
Independence you want, the Support you need Assisted Living & Memory Care
Birch Bay Retirement Village has an extraordinary assisted living community dedicated to helping residents and their families through the transitions of later life. Residents live in their own apartments supported by professional caregivers. Days are busy—filled with activities, art & crafts projects, exercise, fitness programs and regularly scheduled outings. If that’s the kind of positive, upbeat secure setting you’ve been seeking for your loved one, look no further. We currently have Memory Care & Assisted Living private suites available for immediate occupancy.
Call (207) 288-8014 for your personal tour. 20 / Bangor Metro October 2014
metro health weight, and getting enough exercise may modify a person’s risk of developing cancer. However, Clark says that not only the type and/or amount of food a person eats influences their risk but also how it’s produced, processed, preserved, and prepared. She says the authors of Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, 2007 (issued by the World Research Cancer Fund and the American Institute of Cancer Research) recommend eating at least five 14-ounce portions of a variety of non-starchy fruits and vegetables each day and relatively unprocessed cereals, grains, and/or legumes with every meal. She says they also recommend limiting intake of refined starchy foods and red meats— especially processed meats. “Science shows that more than 18 ounces of red meat per week increases risk of colon cancer,� Clark says. “Processed meats like hot dogs, ham, and deli meats increase risk for colon cancer even more. It does not mean, however, that everyone eating hot dogs will end up with cancer. Cancer is a multifactorial disease and food is just one of the factors.� Regarding food preparation methods, Clark says there’s been a lot of debate about microwaving foods. She says, to date, most of the research shows that it’s safe but adds that, in her opinion, more research is needed. She reports the safety of grilling foods has also been debated, because whenever food is prepared at very high temperatures, carcinogenic compounds are produced. “Those substances damage DNA and lead to cancer development,� says Clark. “Marinating meats and using leaner meats may reduce production of carcinogens during grilling.� Finally, Clark stresses that maintaining a healthy body weight by eating a well balanced diet and engaging in regular physical activity is also critical in preventing cancer. “Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight, without becoming under-weight,� says Clark. “Maintenance of a healthy weight throughout life may be one of the most important ways to protect against cancer. This will also protect against a number of other common chronic diseases.�
metro wellness
In Praise of Bread If gluten is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. By Emilie Brand Throckmorton
photo: VvoeVale/thinkstock.com
I
love bread. I love to eat bread, dip bread in olive oil, and spread it with butter. Baking bread in my kitchen is one of the great joys of my life. Lately, though, with the glutenfree craze in full force, I have started to feel as if bread is a dirty word. You may not be entirely sure what gluten really is, and you may only know one or two people who actually cannot eat gluten, but if you have been in any grocery store or have browsed around on the Internet in the last couple years, you’ve seen an increasing amount of gluten-free foods and heard people buzzing about their gluten-free lifestyle. Glutenfree labels are everywhere now, even on products that never had any gluten in the first place, like hummus and yogurt. As more and more people aim to eat glutenfree diets, you may be asking yourself how good old bread earned a reputation for being so unhealthy. Let’s back up a little. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease, an immune reaction to gluten that damages the small intestine, is a real and unhappy thing that affects between two and three million Americans. For those individuals, thank goodness there are more and more gluten-free options available all the time. Another group of people experience genuine discomforts from eating gluten and feel better without. I have a lot of respect for people who have to avoid gluten, because it would not be easy. But the fact of the matter is, most of us (93%) have no problems digesting gluten, and I’m afraid that misinformation, marketing campaigns, and Internet chatter have convinced a lot of us otherwise. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that, unless your body truly cannot process gluten, there are simply no health benefits from avoiding it. The fact that so many Americans are trying to be gluten-free stems from trendiness
and gossip. And to that I say, pass the bread! Unfortunately, the glutenfree craze piggy-backed on the bad reputation that already existed for carbohydrates, a carryover from high-protein diet fads of the last decade, like Atkins and South Beach diets. One reason I cringe at people’s obsession with gluten-free everything is because of the false sense that these products are healthier. The same problem existed in the 90s when every other food was labeled “fat-free” and gave “dieters” a free ticket to consume great quantities of what turned out to be sugar-laden, unhealthy foods. If you are eating gluten-free breads and pastries, ask yourself what other ingredients are piled in there to make it taste good. There is no quick fix for an unhealthy diet, and avoiding one ingredient (again, unless you have to) won’t improve your health or help you lose weight. Let us use some common sense and remind ourselves that a healthy life includes exercise, good sleep, and eating real foods. As long as you eat a balanced diet and use moderation, bread can have a place on your plate. Humans have been eating and celebrating bread for 30,000 years, and let us not turn our backs now on this source of goodness and happiness. I am not talk-
ing about sliced bread from the grocery store, which is handy for a sandwich, but does little for me. I mean crusty baguettes, challah, chewy country loaves, warm bagels, toasted cinnamon raisin bread, and thick slices of sourdough. There is a famous bread bakery called Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan where I went to college, and if I close my eyes and imagine the taste of their Parmesan peppercorn artisan bread, I can hear angels singing. If your body is not truly gluten-intolerant, don’t deprive yourself if you don’t have to. I invite you to have some bread, and better yet, to try the pleasurable experience of baking some yourself. I love the way the dough rises in a soft heap, and how it feels in my hands when I knead it and stretch into different shaped loaves. And if you have never baked bread in your kitchen and treated yourself to the divine smells that envelope the house when that bread is in the oven, then by all means, give it a try. Once you have the basic hang of it, there are hundreds of variations and different recipes to try. Emilie Brand Throckmorton is a mom and runner who co-chairs the English Department at Bangor High School and writes the blog One Mom in Maine.
Here is one of my favorite bread recipes, which was passed on to me by a neighbor. Walnut-Herb Bread 1 cup milk scalded (heated in a saucepan, but not quite to boiling) 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. salt 2 packages dry yeast 1 cup warm water 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 tsp. each dried basil and tarragon and dill 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 3 cups white flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Mix the first three ingredients and cool slightly. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved. Blend in milk mixture, herbs, walnuts, and flour. Knead the dough on the counter for a few minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 45 minutes or longer until it doubles in size. Knead on the counter some more, form into a ball, and give the top a criss-cross cut with a serrated knife. Bake on a pizza stone or baking sheet in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Check for a hollow sound when tapping the bottom to be sure it’s done. Let it cool, slice, and spread with butter.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 21
feature story
22 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Alternative
Fuels
The average price per gallon of gas today is $2.43 higher than it was two decades ago. Rising prices, along with new technology, are changing the way we fuel our cars in the 21st century. BY HENRY GARFIELD
A close up of an electric car plug-in.
Photo: mihaJlo mariCiC/thinkstoCk.Com
I
n a memorable episode of the original Star Trek television series, Captain Kirk attempts to drive a car through the streets of a planet much like 1930’s Earth. As the car lurches to a stop, Spock, riding shotgun, comments: “Captain, you are an excellent starship commander. But as a taxi driver, you leave much to be desired.” What will vehicles of the future look like? What will power them? Will people still be driving, or will they have discovered something better by the time Captain Kirk’s century arrives? The world has a driving problem. Cars and trucks are major greenhouse gas emitters, not only during their operational lifetime, but, as Jane Holtz Kay pointed out in her landmark 1997 book, Asphalt Nation, during their creation and disposal as well. Urban sprawl due to our automotive lifestyle has lengthened commutes, added stress to our lives, and reduced the amount of arable land in and around population centers. Nonetheless, and in spite of ever-rising fuel prices, the
majority of us continue to drive, as a matter of habit or necessity or both. If we feel guilty about squandering Earth’s finite resources, we rationalize that everybody else is doing it, too. Or, we decide to do something about it. A fortunate few are able to relinquish their cars entirely and rely on their feet and public transportation. Many others, though, don’t have the luxury of that choice. Thom Lloyd of Bangor drives 600 to 800 miles a week for his job with Lowe’s as a kitchen and bathroom specialist. He and his wife Jeni, who works for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems Foundation, both drive electric-hybrid cars: he a Toyota Prius, she a Ford Fusion. “Our biggest motivation is to be good stewards of this planet,” Lloyd says. “This planet is the one we occupy. We don’t get a second choice. You have an obligation to do the best you can to leave a small footprint on the Earth.” But aren’t hybrid cars expensive? Though he says he got a good deal on his year-old Prius at a sale in New Hampshire, www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 23
feature story Lloyd concedes the point. “The initial investment is more,” he says. “But because of the number of miles I drive, it didn’t take long for the car to pay for itself. And I make more money on my mileage, which I get paid for, because I’m using less fuel.” His Prius averages 51.5 miles to the gallon, city and highway. The biggest
of batteries, which drives up the initial cost of the vehicle. Their great mileage can help mitigate the financial hit of a long-distance daily commute, as well as its impact on the environment. True electric cars, on the other hand, are limited by range and hours of operation. That’s why you don’t—and won’t—
“This planet is the one we occupy. You have an obligation to do the best you can to leave a small footprint on the Earth.” —Thom Lloyd drawback, so far, has been the opinions of others. “People laugh at them because they think they’re ugly,” Lloyd says. “There is a misconception out there that hybrid vehicles are small, not fun to drive, and that you have to sacrifice something to get real economy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Matthew Smith, marketing manager for Darling’s Auto Group. “It may have been true in the past, but the new group of energy efficient vehicles, like the plug-in hybrid Ford Fusion Energi, are full-sized, full of great electronic features, and a lot of fun to drive.” Smith currently drives a 2014 Ford Fusion Energi, which averages 120 miles per gallon. “I plug it into a regular outlet at my house and charge it up overnight, which gets me to work all on electric power. Then I plug it in at work and that covers my drive home.” Electric hybrids run off two power sources: a gasoline engine and a bank
see many of them. It turns out that a gallon of gasoline is a terrifically compact source of energy to carry around compared to a bank of batteries. It’s also a finite resource that releases large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, often obtained at substantial cost from countries hostile to us. We all know that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil as well as our carbon emissions. Hybrid cars help do this through conservation, by using less fuel to go the same distance. Another approach is to tinker with the fuel itself. “Most of the manufacturers that we represent are currently offering or have plans to offer hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles,” Smith says. “The price of batteries is slowing coming down and the vehicles keep getting better. As more models become available and more manufacturers get in the game, the prices will continue to drop. Last fall our Ford store
The hybrid logo on the side of Jenifer Lloyd’s Ford Fusion.
24 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photos: melanie brooks
Thom and Jenifer Lloyd stand by their hybrid cars at their Hampden home. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 25
26 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photo: kaylie reese
One of R.H. Foster’s propane fueling stations.
ranked among the top Ford dealers in the country for plug-in hybrid sales.” The engines of Captain Kirk’s Enterprise ran (will run?) on the annihilation of matter and antimatter, an unlikely power source for a car engine, given the scarcity of antimatter in nearby space and the difficulty of procuring and containing it. Nor will we see hydrogen-fusion cars or atomic cars any time soon. But substantial science and investment is happening on the more prosaic frontier of fossil fuel blends and alternatives. Cars weren’t always supposed to run on gasoline. Writing in the October 2007 issue of National Geographic, Joel K. Bourne Jr. notes that early car builders envisioned a number of different sources of energy for their proto-vehicles: “A century ago, Henry Ford’s first car ran on alcohol, while Robert Diesel fired his namesake engine with peanut oil. But both investors soon discovered that ‘rock oil,’ when slightly refined, held far more bang per gallon than plant fuel, and was cheap to boot. Oil soon left plant fuels in the dust.” Indeed, if oil were still inexpensive and plentiful, there would be little demand for a company like Portland-based Maine Standard Biofuels, whose trucks travel the dark byways of Maine at night, picking up used greased from restaurants from Bangor to Connecticut. They are the only biodiesel refinery in Maine. The delivery trucks for Oakhurst Dairy, among other Maine companies, burn biodiesel refined at the MSB plant. “Biodeisel” is a catch-all term for any fuel that is at least partially generated from biological sources, i.e. plants and animals, as opposed to the millions-ofyears-dead animals and plants crude oil comes from. It’s usually a mixture of standard diesel fuel with oil from plant sources, such as corn or soybeans. In the case of ethanol, which is made from corn, it’s controversial among environmentalists, because it takes nearly as much energy to make a gallon of the stuff as the ethanol replaces. There are worries too that large-scale use of land to grow corn for ethanol will drive up the price of food and exacerbate the problem of hunger among the world’s poorest people. “There are no easy answers,” says Alex Pine, outreach and technology spokesperson for Maine Standard Biofuels. “Our ratio is one to seven. For every unit of energy we put in, we get seven out.”
feature story An illustration for Mark Scott Ricketts’
Pine breaks down the business into three segments: collection of the oil, the chemical transformation of it into biodiesel, and sales, to commercial fleets as well as to the public, at its retail outlet. The company doesn’t only make fuel for vehicles. “Maine uses a lot of home heating oil,” Pine says. “That’s where we see our biggest potential for growth.” Maine Standard Biofuels buys used grease from more than 800 restaurants, including Blaze, Ichiban, Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant, and Thai Siam in the Bangor area. There are two different kinds of grease, Pine explains: the excess grease restaurants collect in vats for sale to Maine Standard Biofuels, and the grease that comes off pans when they are cleaned. This second type of grease is much more difficult to collect and process, Pine says. “You can make biodiesel out of it, but it’s more difficult and much more expensive, because it’s super-polluted and often rancid.” According to a recent Bangor Daily News article, the city of Bangor spends $15,000 annually to remove restaurant grease from its water treatment system. As the technology improves, this nuisance waste material may also become fuel for vehicles and homes of the future. Any car with a diesel engine can run on their fuel, Pine says. Pine himself drives a 1987 Mercedez Benz. His girlfriend drives a biodiesel-powered 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. “It’s cheaper than having a regular gasoline car,” he says. He claims to get 30% better mileage than his gasoline-powered counterparts. This is partially offset by the higher cost of diesel fuel, but Pine says the company tries to keep its prices low. “You might think we’d have some complicated method of setting our prices, but usually we look at the Irving station down the street and set our price at five cents a gallon less.” Companies that operate fleets of vehicles can potentially realize substantial savings over the long haul. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. When rock star Neil Young converts a formerly gas-guzzling 1959 Lincoln convertible to a biodieselelectric hybrid, it’s news. When Brazil announces that it has weaned itself from foreign oil by running its cars on fuel made from sugar cane, it’s even bigger news. But if it were easy, wouldn’t everybody be doing it? Bob Dawes is fleet manager for the Community Connector bus system
run by the City of Bangor, which serves Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Veazie, Orono, Old Town, and the University of Maine. For several years the city ran its buses on biodiesel made from 80% diesel and 20% virgin soybean oil. A few years ago, the city quietly went back to using straight diesel. “It got so expensive that we couldn’t afford to buy it and ship it up here [from Boston],” Dawes says. While biofuels burn cleaner than straight diesel, Dawes
book, Adventures in Vacationland . points to advances in engine technology that have helped close that gap. In cold weather, biofuels can get gummed up in the engine. “The buses aren’t built to like it,” says Community Connector director Laurie Linscott. “Sometimes the filters can get clogged up.” All biofuels, even virgin soybean oil, contain impurities, which can affect the viscosity, and thus the performance, of the fuel at lower temperatures. What works in Brazil may not work in Bangor.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 27
feature story “The colder it gets, the thicker it becomes, which can cause problems,” Dawes says. Still, public transportation, where available, remains the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly bulwark against our overconsumption of oil. One bus, whether burning alter-
worth-based Downeast Transportation, which operates the Island Explorer, says that the decision to use propane buses stemmed from the twin desires to run the buses economically and to preserve the air quality in and around Acadia National Park. Until recently, propane has
Lessening our dependence on those fuels will require a mix of approaches, not the least of which is behavioral change brought about by a renewed ethic of conservation. native fuels or not, can remove several dozen cars from the road, and the corresponding amount of greenhouse gases from the air. Several bus services in Maine are using alternative fuels. Portland runs its buses on compressed natural gas. The Island Explorer fleet, which serves Mount Desert Island in the summer and fall, runs on propane. Paul Murphy, general manager of Ells-
been substantially cheaper than diesel, and it has the added advantage of being produced domestically. “The mileage is about the same,” Murphy says. “Propane is significantly cleaner than diesel, and the interval between preventive maintenance needs is about twice as long, roughly every ten thousand miles instead of every five thousand.” However, propane-powered buses
cost about 20% more than diesel-powered buses do. And propane just doesn’t have the oomph of oil. It’s adequate for the lighter vehicles used by the Island Explorer system, which top out at 30 passengers, but not for the heavy city buses used in Bangor and Portland. Cost of the vehicles themselves can be an impediment to switching a fleet over to alternative fuels. “A full-sized diesel-powered bus will cost about $375,000,” Dawes says. “The same bus, built to run on compressed natural gas, will go for about $450,000.” Across a fleet of buses, that difference can add up pretty quickly. But propane and other alternative fuels can be a boon to companies operating fleets of vehicles, because of the economy of scale. What might save pennies in a private vehicle can save dollars in a fleet. R.H. Foster, founded as Foster Fuels in 1959, recently made history by opening two public-use propane fueling stations, in Ellsworth and Hampden. Their primary customer base is commercial fleets, but the company is betting
Photo: gregg tehennepe
The Island Explorer bus fleet runs on propane.
28 / Bangor Metro October 2014
that propane-powered cars will become more popular in the future. Most experts agree that, in the short term, alternative fuels will remain just that—an alternative to the gasoline and diesel vehicles we’re familiar with— given the enormous investment in our automobiles and their attendant infrastructure. Futurists caution that there is no magic formula to replace the fossil fuels that have driven the global industrial revolution of the past two centuries. Lessening our dependence on those fuels will require a mix of approaches, not the least of which is behavioral change brought about by a renewed ethic of conservation. Using the Community Connector to get to work does more to ease our dependence on foreign oil than spending your hard-earned cash on the latest biodieselfueled car or electric hybrid. Bicycling or walking to the store for that forgotten loaf of bread is a more productive strategy than using farmland to produce ethanol for cars. In the end, the best alternative energy may come from us.
Is Our Memory Care Right for Your Loved One?
Dirigo Pines Memory Care • Individual specialized attention • Secure outdoor garden park • Professional care planning for residents’ health and safety
• Medication administration • On-site emergency response system • Guided social, recreational, and cultural programs
207-866-3400 • 9 Alumni Drive • Orono www.dirigopines.com
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 29
feature story
Monuments & Memorials W
atch where you walk. Next time you’re dashing into Giacomo’s in downtown Bangor, take a moment to look down. There, just a few steps away on the sidewalk, is the location where “Al Brady, Public Enemy No. 1, was shot and killed by FBI agents on October 12, 1937.” A discrete plaque marks the spot. It’s a site of historic importance that you may have crossed a dozen times a week without a second thought. Our region is full of plaques and markers and monuments that most of us fail to notice. In some cases they’ve simply faded into the background. This is why it’s good to have friends like John and Marisue Pickering. The Orono-based couple is, respectively, the photographer and writer behind the book Maine, Beyond the Usual. An off-beat and smart collection of destinations that beats a path from Calais to Skowhegan, Waldoboro to Winslow, Maine, Beyond 30 / Bangor Metro October 2014
the Usual could inspire the interest of even the most determined homebody. “This is our form of entertainment,” says John. “Our way of growing to appreciate all this state has to offer even more.” Importantly, the places in the book— which range from the Gomez Memorial in Bangor to the Nellie Chapin Day Memorial in Jonesport to a marker in Machias that designates where Atusville, historic black settlement established in the late 1700s once stood—didn’t come about from online research or search engine maps. “I’m a compulsive reader,” Marisue explains. “So, we would be at a junk shop or antique shop where they have those shoeboxes full of old postcards. Once there was one that said visit the historic covered bridge at New Portland and we thought, ‘Well, we have to go do that. Where’s New Portland?’” This is how their printed museum of out-of-the-way and unexpected monu-
ments and destinations grew, with Marisue reading everything and John photographing everything and the two ready to jump in the car and bring home another story. They continue to seek out new places, even though they don’t see another book in their future. “One of the places we’ve tried to find is on Hancock Point where we are told there may be a small monument marking where two German spies were delivered to the shore by a submarine during World War II,” John says. “They set out on foot from Hancock Point, in winter, to Bangor,” Marisue says and laughs. “It’s on the registry of historic places but it’s on private property so we’ve not been able to see it.” “One of the things that strikes me about monuments in particular is that they are really a door,” John explains. “People can look at what’s on the surface or they can open that door and get excited by what they see. I think too often,
Photos: (right) melanie brooks; (aboVe) Valeriya rePina/thinkstock.com
Statues and plaques commemorating people and historical places are all around us, sometimes hidden in plain view. We take a look at some of these hidden and not-so-hidden treasures from Camden to Presque Isle. BY TOM AVILA
The North to Freedom monument in Brewer.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 31
feature story
The Moses Greenleaf monument in Williamsburg.
people don’t step through.” With the aid of the Maine, Beyond the Usual, and some exploration of our own, we thought we’d offer a glimpse through the door of just a few local monuments and memorials. This is, of course, no substitute for watching where you walk.
The reality is that, technically, Moses Greenleaf was from away. To be fair though, when Greenleaf was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1777, everyone was from away. The Greenleaf family moved to the region that would become Maine when Moses was 13 years old and, several years later, Moses would open the first in what would become a series of general stores. His last would be located in Bangor, where the Kenduskeag and Penobscot Rivers met. But Greenleaf wanted more. Being a merchant in the early territories was far 32 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photos: john w. pickering
Moses Greenleaf Monument Williamsburg
from lucrative and held little prestige. Folks were more likely to want to barter and trade than pay in actual cash and debt could mount quickly. When Greenleaf was approached in the early 1800s by someone with a plan to help establish the area that would eventually become the town of Williamsburg, he took a great leap. Greenleaf signed a contract that gave him three years to lure 10 individuals or families to this new frontier and then 10 more each year for the next three years. But all that is more footnote than anything. After all, the history of Maine is a long list of individuals carving cities and towns out of granite and forests. Most of those early settlers don’t have a monument in their honor. What separates Greenleaf from the crowd of determined pioneers was his vision. In 1816, Greenleaf published the Statistical View of Maine, a Survey of the State of Maine and a map that illustrated the flow of settlement from 1778. It was a bid to demonstrate the economic vitality of the state and to promote the idea of statehood. His careful survey was the first to provide an accurate representation of lakes and Maine’s river systems, which were economic drivers in and of themselves. Greenleaf would come to be known as Maine’s first mapmaker, noted for both his exhaustive attention to detail and the outright beauty of what he created. Ten years after his death in 1834 from typhoid fever (contracted during a survey expedition into more of Maine’s then unknown wilds) Representative Charles Jarvis of Surry would say, “Maine is more indebted to [Moses Greenleaf] than to any other man… Through trials and embarrassment, through poverty and neglect, he labored to advance her interests.”
Photo: melanie brooks
lady Victory downtown Bangor Granted, Lady Victory with her two lighted torches held aloft and serious, imposing stare is not the kind of thing you can easily miss. But what might not be immediately recognized is the fact that the Norumbega Parkway statue is actually dedicated in honor of soldiers who fought for the United States in World War I. Donated by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1939, Bangor’s Lady Victory was
Lady Victory, located in downtown Bangor between Franklin and Central Streets.
created by the Brewer-born sculptor Charles Teff t. Teff t first captured attention for his artistic work at the age of 17 when he created a chalk bust of General Joshua L. Chamberlin. Himself a Brewer resident, Chamberlin was impressed and would eventually help Teff t earn a scholarship to attend the Institute of Artists
and Artisans in New York. By the early 1920s, Teff t’s mastery of the classical style and exceptional skills earned him recognition as one of the country’s leading sculptors. He died in 1951 in Presque Isle, leaving a legacy of work and a bright light shining in downtown Bangor. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 33
feature story
This plaque memorializing the Bangor, Piscataquis Canal and Railroad Company is located in Broadway Park in Bangor. 34 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Bangor, Piscataquis Canal and Railroad Company Marker Broadway Park, Bangor Partway around the walking trail that loops Broadway Park is an unimpressive hunk of ordinary stone. Look closer, however, and you discover that—like that stretch of sidewalk downtown—it’s actually a marker for an important piece of local history. As a large plaque notes, this was part of the route for the Bangor, Piscataquis Canal and Railroad Company (The Old Veazie Railroad) 1836–1869. After a failed bid by a trio of investors intending to start a railway company in 1832, construction by the Bangor, Piscataquis Canal and Railroad Company began in earnest in 1835 with the first train leaving Bangor for Old Town just one year later. One of the earliest railroads in the country, the line was just more than 12 miles long with trains running at an average speed of six miles an hour. After departing from Curve Street and Howard Lane, the train would run diagonally across Broadway Park, down to Orono, through Stillwater, Old Town, and, eventually, across the Penobscot to Milford. That was the start of a railroad boom in the state of Maine that, sadly, did not last. While the Bangor Piscataquis Railroad was absorbed (along with the Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway) in 1891 by the Bangor Aroostook Railroad, by 1964 the tracks that once symbolized forward-thinking progress had been dismantled.
Photo: melanie brooks
NORTH TO FREEDOM Brewer The state of Maine has just one official memorial to the Underground Railroad and it sits on the Brewer side of the Penobscot River, just before the State Street Bridge. As a result, with the lanes of traffic and the intersections and the traffic lights, it falls in the category of, if you blink, then you’ll miss it. Sited on the land where the Holyoke House once stood, Chamberlain Freedom Park plays home to North to Freedom, a striking sculpture created by Maine artists Glenn and Diane Hines. The home of John Holyoke, a wealthy abolitionist, Holyoke House was torn
We’re Here for You! 3AME $AY #ARE IS .OW !VAILABLE ON 7EEKENDS -AINE #OAST 0EDIATRICS 3ATURDAYS A M P M „ 2ESORT 7AY %LLSWORTH
%LLSWORTH &AMILY 0RACTICE 7ALK INS 7ELCOME
3ATURDAYS AND 3UNDAYS A M P M „ 2ESORT 7AY %LLSWORTH 9OU DO NOT NEED TO BE AN ESTABLISHED PATIENT TO BE SEEN
5NION 3TREET %LLSWORTH -% WWW MAINEHOSPITAL ORG
)MPROVING OUR COMMUNITIES WITH EXCELLENCE IN HEALTHCARE
When it’s an emergency, fast communication is a MUST.
55 Years
in Brewer
24-hour emergency service s Scada/Telemetry s Tomar Electronics s Radius Radios s Rentals s
155 Robertson Blvd., Brewer s 989-2435 s www.whittens2wayservice.com
Your one-stop shop for laser printer sales and service in Maine! With over 20 years in business, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve helped hundreds of businesses in Maine with their printing needs. >@7<B3@ @3>/7@ Â? 7<9 B=<3@ Â? >@7<B3@ A/:3A Try our service today! Visit us online and arrange a free cleaning and printer evaluation.
2]e\3Oab :OaS` AS`dWQS 7\Q laser-printer.com
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 35
feature story This Civil War memorial is located in Presque Isle’s Fairmont Cemetery.
down as part of a controversial decision by the Department of Transportation when it was working to improve the difficult intersection where State and North Main meet. No less controversial has been whether or not the house was actually part of the vast network of safe houses and hiding places used to help escaped slaves make their way to freedom in the north. In the 1950s, a tunnel was discovered that led from under the house to the Penobscot River. While some saw it as the means through which escaped slaves were moved from the river to safety in the house, others felt it was more likely a well run dry or, possibly, a smuggling route during Prohibition.
This plaque honoring Edna St. Vincent Millay is at the top of Mount Battie in Camden. Don’t feel like hiking? Take the auto road.
36 / Bangor Metro October 2014
While the Rockland-born poet Edna St. Vincent Millay is recognized in a variety of ways in the areas surrounding her hometown (including a striking sculpture in Camden’s Harbor Park), a plaque at the top of Mt. Battie has particular significance. As the story goes, it was the view from the top of Battie—the smallest of Camden’s five mountains and a place where Millay is said to have been fond of hiking—that inspired her poem Renascence. It begins: “All I could see from where I stood Was three long mountains and a wood; I turned and looked another way, And saw three islands in a bay.” Born in February 1892, Millay would eventually gain a reputation as a modern, independent, and brilliantly political poet and artist. In the 1920s, Millay dedicated her time and talents to the defense of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, a pair of Italian men convicted of the murder of two men during a robbery despite the fact that all evidence pointed to their innocence. In 1940, one year before the U.S. would enter World War II, Millay wrote an anti-isolationist poem for The New York Times Magazine titled, “There Are No Islands, Anymore.” The lines were, as she noted at the start of the piece, “Written in Passion and in Deep Concern for England, France and My Own Country.” Millay died at the age of 58 in her home in Massachusetts’ Berkshires. She
Photos: (top) courtesy of the Presque Isle Historical Society; (bottom) Melanie brooks
Edna St. Vincent Millay Plaque Mt. Battie
AUTO | HOME | BUSINESS | HEALTH | LIFE
was found at the foot of her stairs, apparently having suffered a heart attack, dressed in her nightgown and slippers.
MAINELY POTTERY
CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL Fairmont Cemetery, Presque Isle From a gleaming stained glass church window on Little Cranberry Island to humble memorial plaques to stately polished granite, the collection of monuments dedicated to the memory of Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Civil War soldiers is long and varied. Between 1864 and 2003, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reported that nearly 150 monuments were erected to honor those who gave their lives trying to reunite the country. It was June 1864 when Samuel Cony, who served as the Governor of the state of Maine during the Civil War, stated his desire to ensure their sacrifices would never be forgotten. In a letter read at the dedication of the very first Civil War Memorial in Bangor, Cony described his desire to see monuments erected throughout the state of Maine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These monumentsâ&#x20AC;Świll be witnesses of the enormous sacrifices which Maine has made in the prosecution of this war for the preservation of the republic. They would be cherished with affectionate pride by all future generations and when perils hereafter assail the nation, the patriotâ&#x20AC;Śemulating the heroic examples they commemorate, will gird himself with a sterner resolve to do all and dare all to avert from his country the menacing dangers.â&#x20AC;? Some 70,000 Maine soldiers and sailors served during the war, to say nothing of the doctors, nurses, volunteers, and relief workers who dedicated their lives and talents. Among them were young men from Presque Isle, which had been incorporated just two years before the April 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Nearly one-half of the eligible men of Presque Isle signed on to fight and nearly one-third would die during the war. Presque Isleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monument was the first established in Aroostook County in 1873 and was dedicated on July 4, 1874. A mile-long procession of 1,000 individuals, led by James Phair, a local Civil War veteran, marched during the dedication ceremony. The 15-foot Italian marble monument sits in Fairmont Cemetery on the Houlton Road.
HEJ;9JĂ&#x2026; EKHĂ&#x2026; D;H=OĂ&#x2026; 7L?D=Ă&#x2026; DL;IJC;DJI By purchasing your insurance coverage through Sargent Tyler & West, you will get the coverage you need with the personalized service you deserve. Our new website makes it faster and even more convenient to do business with us!
From 28 Maine Studios Lamps 15% off October 1-31
60 Summer St. | Bangor, Maine 992-5200 | stwinsurance.com
Route 1 Belfast 338-1108 t info@mainelypottery.com Open Daily 9:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5:30
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 37
a piece of maine: millinocket
The Beauty of
Millinocket is located in one of the most beautiful spots in the state. Gateway to the Maine woods, Millinocket has extensive four season outdoor activities and a prolific art scene. More importantly, Millinocket is a community that works together to overcome challenges and preserve their bond with the area. BY CAROL HIGGINS TAYLOR
38 / Bangor Metro October 2014
M
illinocket is a year-round tourist destination for some and home to many others. While the town may be steeped in “doom and gloom” in the media and public’s eye, the bigger story is the resilience of a community who loves their town and each other. It’s a community that views the proverbial glass as half full and focuses on the positive aspects of what it means to live in Millinocket. There is a sense of community history unlike in other places, says Jean Bod-
Photo: Courtesy of Baxter state Park
Maine’s Wilderness
Photos: Courtesy of miLLinoCket historiCaL soCiety
A scenic view of Russell Pond, one of two backcountry campgrounds in Baxter State Park.
dy, office manager at the Kathadin Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s the funniest thing that I hear all the time,” she says, explaining the nuance of a community that has essentially grown up together. “Locals in conversation will say, ‘down by the old Smith house’ for example, as a means of direction when telling a story, and all the locals know where that is. It’s the one thing that still amazes me.” There is a comforting charm and warmth about this shared community history and comradery, she adds. While Boddy’s husband is a native to Millinocket, she grew up in Bar Harbor and moved to the area eight years ago. “The people are very community minded and Millinocket is a great place to raise a family,” Boddy says. “It’s safe and friendly. You can stroll the streets in the evening and see neighbors sitting on their front porches. It’s beautiful.”
Top: An aerial view of the Millinocket Mill, prior to 1960. Middle: Looking down Penobscot Avenue during the 1930s. Bottom: Children from Oxford Street School in 1924. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 39
a piece of maine: millinocket
The Blueberry Ledges Trail is one of the more leisurely trails in Baxter State Park. 40 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photo: (this page) Laura manzo; (opposite page) Courtesy of Baxter State Park
Downtown Millinocket boasts multiple art galleries and museums.
One of the best-kept secrets in Millinocket is the art scene. “This area is an artist’s dream,” she says, and she’s right. There are countless breathtaking landscapes just waiting to be memorialized. There are two successful art galleries downtown that substantiate her claim. A walk down Main Street features businesses that have stood the test of time. The Scootic In Restaurant has been serving customers since the early 1900s and is currently employing the fifth generation of the Simon family. Ferland Jewelers has been in business since 1948. Ruthie’s Hotel Terrace and Restaurant is owned by Tom and Ruth Leet, who have been running the business since 2009. Hikers love the Appalachian Trail Café, lodge, and hiking store. The lodge, a former boarding house built in 1901, has been hosting AT hikers since 1988. Fans of the Discovery Channel’s American Loggers reality show will want to stop into the Pelletier Loggers
Family Restaurant. This logging family help put Millinocket on the map during the show’s run from 2009–2012.
History Millinocket was inhabited for about 10,000 years by Native Americans. Thomas Fowler, the first white settler in Millinocket, arrived in 1829. He worked with his family to clear land, build a log cabin, and start a farm on the West Branch of the Penobscot River at the head of Shad Pond. By 1837, the state of Maine census revealed that several families had followed suit and were also living in what was then known as East Indian Township No. 2. Thomas Fowler and son were hired by author Henry David Thoreau in 1846 to be guides on a trip to Mt. Katahdin. Later Thoreau would describe the area in his book titled, The Maine Woods. The development of the area began to grow in 1894 when the Bangor and Aroos-
took Railroad completed its line to Houlton providing new rail service to the region. The area grew so quickly that the small township was dubbed “The Magic City” because it seemingly appeared overnight. Five years later, in 1899, the Great Northern Paper Company was established. It was to be the largest of its kind in the country and when construction on the mill began, employment soared. In June, 500 people went to work and by August the number grew to 1,000. The Italian immigrant stonemasons who worked on the mill lived in houses which were built across the stream to accommodate them. To this day, this area of town is still known as Little Italy. The railroad and the mill were catalysts to the economic development of the town and in 1901 the town of Millinocket was incorporated. In the Abenaki language the name Millinocket means “land with many islands,” referring to beautiful Millinocket Lake. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 41
a piece of maine: millinocket
stats Incorporation Date: march 16, 1901 Population: 4,506 Population Density: 282 Mill Rate: 29.60 Median Age: 51 Median Household Income: in 2012, $36,379 Median Home Value: in 2012, $63,634 Major Employers: • Millinocket Regional Hospital • Granite Street Elementary • Millinocket Middle School • Stearns High School Major Natural Resources: • Baxter State Park
42 / Bangor Metro October 2014
The success of the paper industry and the increased population brought the need for services, such as a volunteer fire department, schools, and a post office. In 1900, Millinocket’s population was approximately 2,000. By 1911, it had reached 5,000, and in 1970, the population had grown to more than 7,600. Millinocket, though a small town, remained extremely prosperous for decades, mainly because of the paper industry and its proximity to Baxter State Park; Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain; and Moosehead Lake, Maine’s largest lake. Trouble began in the early 2000s when GNP announced its bankruptcy filing. The town struggled economically, culturally, emotionally, and mentally. Over the next few years, the fate of the mill was like a roller coaster ride. Finally, in 2008, the mill ceased operation. Any hope of
recovery was dashed when the last paper machine was auctioned off in June 2014, putting an end to the industry that built the town more than a century ago. Losing the mill was like losing a beloved family member to many Millinocket residents, especially to those who grew up with the company and considered it akin to the “family business” because of all the generations that worked there. The closing put a strain on the community, but Millinocket is not to be discounted. “It’s not all doom and gloom,” Boddy says. “There are a lot of things happening here all year long. We have four beautiful seasons with many outdoor activities in each one. From a chamber standpoint, we just want to get people into Millinocket so they can experience the beauty of it for themselves.”
Photo: Courtesy of neW engLanD outDoor Center
Rafters with the New England Outdoor Center traverse the rapids.
Photo: Courtesy of baxter state park
The Great Outdoors Millinocket is the major point of entry into the Maine woods, which is home to Baxter State Park. About 64,000 visitors enter the park every year to take advantage of its 209,644 acres of pristine wilderness. There is an activity for everyone, from sun worshipers to snow bunnies. The adventures include fishing, hiking, camping, boating, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling, to name a few. The park is also home to Mt. Katahdin. The mountain, with an elevation of more than 5,200 feet, is situated at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Baxter State Park began as a vision of former Maine Governor Percival P. Baxter, the 53rd governor of Maine, who served from 1921-1925. Baxter enjoyed fishing and vacationing in the Maine woods during his childhood, and had great affection for the land and wildlife. This passion facilitated the donation of his the first piece of land in 1931. Over the years he added various parcels until his final acquisition in 1962, bringing the park’s area to 201,018 acres. “We are lucky to have this park,” says Jean Hoekwater, park naturalist at Baxter State Park. “One individual made it all possible. And we work hard to adhere to his vision.” Governor Baxter ensured the protection of the park by leaving two sizeable trust funds in place for the operation and maintenance to prevent the need for state funding. A three-person authority consisting of the attorney general, the director of the Maine Forest Service, and the commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, make up the Baxter State Park Authority, which has full power in the control and management of the park and in the exercise of all trust obligations. The authority has purchased and been gifted additional acreage to increase the park to its current size of 209,644 acres. Baxter State Park is a source of community cohesiveness and consistency in Millinocket. “The park is one of the only things that has remained the same over the years,” says Hoekwater. “We have been a constant in the area. Our job is to prevent disturbance of animals and plants and to preserve that balance. We put preservation first and recreation second.” The New England Outdoor Center Downtown Houlton (NEOC), founded by Matt Polstein in
1982, helps visitors and residents enjoy Millinocket’s surroundings to the fullest. Considered to be one of the pioneers of Maine whitewater rafting, Polstein brings enthusiasm to the outdoor adventures on which he embarks. Henry David Thoreau’s book, The Maine Woods, is celebrating its 150-year anniversary in 2014. The NEOC has facilitated guided trips retracing parts of
time to raft the Penobscot River, first time back-country skiing or snowmobiling.” Polstein’s mission is evidence of his love of the area. The goal of his business is to help people explore the outdoors while gaining an understanding and respect for the responsible shared use of the Maine woodlands. “We get a great response from our guests,” Polstein says. “And no mat-
“There are a lot of things happening here all year long. We want to get people into Millinocket so they can experience the beauty of it for themselves.” — Jean Boddy Thoreau’s three separate journeys into the heart of the Maine woods. These tours allow people to take a sneak peak at history and gives them a chance to compare the setting of today with that in Thoreau’s book, says Polstein. “There is so much opportunity in the area,” he says. “People experience a lot of ‘firsts’ with us, with regard to outdoor activities—first time in a canoe or kayak, first time on an overnight camping trip, first
ter what images we put on the website, people are always surprised at just how beautiful the area is when they see it themselves first hand.”
Arts Millinocket has more to offer than outdoor activities. There is also an arts scene in this picturesque town. “We are walking around on sacred ground and trying to keep up with the
Katahdin has inspried and challenged hikers for generations.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 43
This photo: Ferland Jewelers has been in business since 1948. Below: North Light Gallery is adding to Millinocket’s art scene.
44 / Bangor Metro October 2014
past,” says Marsha Donahue, artist and owner of North Light Gallery. She’s referring to Frederick Edwin Church, the landscape artist who painted Millinocket in the 1800s. “This arts movement keeps going forward here in Millinocket,” Donahue says. She has more than 40 artists represented in her gallery, including some locals. The artwork ranges from painting, metalwork, sculpture, carving, drawing, collage, ceramic, photography, and leatherworking. The public response to the gallery has been one of appreciation and surprise. “Visitors are often surprised that there are galleries in town,” she says. “I love having it here because it represents something that isn’t closing and that captures the beauty of the area. When things are tough, I feel a responsibility to the people here.” Mooseprints Gallery, owned by Mark Picard and Anita Mueller, displays photographs of Millinocket’s spectacular landscape and wildlife. Picard is an internationally published wildlife photographer and in 2012 was named Maine Sportsman Artist of the Year. The U.S. Postal Service uses one of his images on a Maine postal stamp. The couple offers the North Maine Woods Photography Workshop series. Mueller finds the same element of surprise as Donahue does with her gallery visitors. “People find the gallery a nice unexpected treat when they come to town,” she says. Mueller credits the local community for her positive attitude. “The community is warm and giving and will do anything for you,” she says. “They have suffered loses and the town has changed a great deal, but the people help each other and care for each other. They are hardworking and proud.” The fiber arts have a presence in Millinocket as well. The NEOC offers Fiber Retreats for “Fiberistas,” says Sarah Hunt, Fiber Arts Retreat coordinator at NEOC. Designed to provide creative rejuvenation and connections with others who embrace the craft, the Fiber Retreats attract people from all over the world. “We’ve had people come from Sweden, Texas, and the United Kingdom to the retreats,” Hunt says. “There are workshops, they can knit, sip wine or tea, and really create their own experience.”
Photos: (Top) Laura Manzo; (Bottom) Marsha Donahue
a piece of maine: millinocket
2015
NOMINATE 6C ENTREPRENEUR
Today!
To
We want to know who is going HĂ&#x153;IĂ? and Ă&#x153; IL in your community so we can reward them for their hard work and dedication.
Nominations close
3IĂ?Ä&#x20AC; Ăž ø
2015 Take the drama out of wills and other legal submit your nomination: Ă&#x153;HL I K IÄ&#x20AC; I needsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;online.
estate p Protect L > C Cyour : G H family L > A Awith 7 : 8 = D H : C 7 N G : <> D C r planningâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;online Ă? * HK Ă&#x2122;HL I Ă? IH KH
from the comfort Ă? Ă&#x161;I L H K Ă? 3I K
Ă? N K Includes Bar Harbor, Includes Millinocket, Includes Palermo, Unity, Castine, Blue Hill, Lincoln, Lee, Topsfield, Thorndike, Pittsfield, of your own home. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affordable, Ellsworth, Trenton, MDI, Houlton, Mars Hill, Newport, Skowhegan, 2.375â&#x20AC;? x 1.5â&#x20AC;? Penquis Report Jonesport, Machias, Presque Isle, Caribou, Jackman, Greenville, convenient, and backed by MaineVan Buren, Fort Kent, Eastport, Calais, Dover-Foxcroft, Dexter, and everything in and everything in and everything in attorneys you trust. between. between. between.
Includes Bangor, Brewer, Hermon, Hampden, Orono, Old Town, Winterport, Frankfort, Bucksport, Holden, Eddington, Veazie, Glenburn, Milford, and everything in between.
Includes Thomaston, Warren, Rockland, Rockport, Camden, Lincolnville, Northport, Belfast, Searsport, Stockton Springs, Brooks, and everything in between.
IGDE=N HEDCHDG www.e-stateplan.com
84 Harlow 2015Street P.O. Box 1401 Bangor, Maine 04402-1401 (207) 947.4501
Â&#x2021; Wills Â&#x2021; Powers of Attorney <DA9 HEDCHDGH Â&#x2021; Healthcare Directives
2015 www.rudmanwinchell.com
HL6< 76< HEDCHDG/
2015
Ice
Time
The University of Maine women’s ice hockey team ended last year on a high note. This season is picking up right where the Lady Bears left off—with success. By Laura Reed
46 / Bangor Metro October 2014
L
ast season, the University of Maine women’s ice hockey team found itself in a very unique situation, as the team had a pair of head coaches. Richard Reichenbach and Sara Reichenbach, who were married prior to the season, were named cocoaches just before its start. What happened during the 2013-2014 season has the coaching staff, student-athletes, and fans excited for the upcoming season. Maine played seven of its first 10 games against some of the country’s top teams. In fact, six of the games were against three of the eight teams that wound up making the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The second half of the season saw the team gel as a group, playing nearly .500 ice hockey the rest of the way. The team swept traditional rival University of New Hampshire, winning 3-2 and 3-1 in games played at Alfond Arena in Orono. The Black Bears ended the 201314 season traveling to the University of
Connecticut for a series with the Huskies with the 2014 Hockey East Tournament seeding on the line. The Black Bears swept the Huskies 4-1 and 5-2 to finish fifth in the regular season standings. “The team was excited and energetic to come to the rink every day for practice no matter what happened the weekend before,” says Richard Reichenbach. “They were always hungry to get better. This is why they were able to have success late in the season after an unfavorable start. They showed what being a Black Bear was all about.” The Black Bears traveled to the University of Vermont (UVM) in what turned out to be a historic Hockey East women’s playoff game. The teams played to triple overtime before Vermont scored the game-winning goal at 117:12. It was the longest game in Women’s Hockey East history and the sixth longest game in Division I women’s ice hockey history. “The UVM playoff game reflected the
Photos: (above and right) courtesy the university of maine; (skates) Sergey Doronin/thinkstock.com
college sports
At the Skating Strides game for breast cancer awareness players wore pick jerseys and skated on pink ice.
In addition, Maine had a pair of Distinguished Scholars in Kayla Kaluzny from Calgary, Alberta, and Kelly McDonald from Ancaster, Ontario, who
seasons at the Banff Hockey Academy in Banff, Alberta, Canada. “It was an honor to be named head coach and lead a program with an ath-
“they were always hungry to get better. this is why they were able to have success late in the season after an unfavorable start.” — richard reichenbach each achieved a 3.0 grade point average or higher each of their four years in Orono. Maine had 20 of its 26 studentathletes named to the 2013-14 Women’s Hockey East All-Academic Team. “We are proud to have such success in the classroom; having 20 All-Academic team members was the second most in all NCAA D1 women’s teams in the country,” Reichenbach says. “It shows their dedication and understanding of what it takes to be successful, which will carry over on the ice.” In early July, Richard Reichenbach was named head coach for the upcoming season, while Sara Reichenbach will serve as the top assistant. In addition, the Black Bears have added Kendall Newell to the staff. Newell has spent the past four
way our season went in many ways,” says Reichenbach. “We were down in the first period by two goals and refused to let it change our mentality. We worked and battled and scored two goals in the third period to force overtime. Every player on our bench played and contributed. It was a total team effort. The way we played was the ultimate sign of how far the team came in their mental toughness and determination.” Just because the season ended didn’t mean that the commitment from the players did, too. Following the academic year, two of the three Hockey East Top Scholar-Athletes were Black Bears. Katy Massy, from Waterville, and Brianne Kilgour from Hamilton, Ontario, both achieved perfect 4.0 grade point averages during the year. For Massey, it was her third straight year receiving the recognition with a 4.0. Massey and Kilgour were also named to the seven-member Hockey East Academic All-Star Team.
STATS
letic department with such a rich history and one that represents the state,” says Reichenbach. “We have something truly special in Orono, and the team is excited to build on a strong finish last year and work to build a history of success one day at a time.”
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM
TEAM: umaine Women’s ice hockey // black bears LEADERSHIP: Jennifer more will serve as captain for the third straight season, while brittney huneke and Waterville’s katy massey will serve as assistant captains. END OF SEASON RECORD: 4-4 in their last 8 games of 2013-2014 ACADEMIC HONORS: 20 team members named to the 2013-14 Women’s hockey east all-academic team. TEAM ACCOLADES: maine and vermont played the longest game in Women’s hockey east tournament history last season and the sixth longest game in ncaa Women’s di history.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 47
high school sports
F
oxcroft Academy had a huge hole to fill when long-time varsity field hockey coach Gene Philpot took a leave of absence at the beginning of the 2012 season. Luckily for them, one of their own was convinced to step in and fill some very big shoes. “It was awesome to welcome Stephanie [Smith] back into the Pony herd,” says assistant head of school and athletic director Tim Smith, who is not related to the coach. “When legendary coach Gene Philpot retired (in 2013), there was no way to really replace her, but Stephanie was the absolute perfect person to come in and take over the team. She shows great respect for Gene’s legacy while also putting her own spin on the program.” Stephanie Smith was a three-sport star at Foxcroft Academy in the 1980s. She played field hockey, basketball, and softball for the Ponies, and then at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She returned to Maine after graduating college with a degree in accounting, and, with the encouragement of her old field hockey coach, started the field hockey program at Bangor’s John Bapst Memorial High School in 1992. Smith is going into her third season as the field hockey coach in Dover-Foxcroft.
48 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Last year her team captured the Class C state title, defeating powerhouse North Yarmouth Academy to take the crown. It took a lot of hard work and team building to get there, and it was the first state title the team had won since 2007. But Smith is no stranger to hard work. She played three sports in college and, unlike in high school, their seasons overlapped. Juggling practices and games with her schoolwork was a balancing act. “Sports are obviously more intense in college and you travel further for games,” Smith says. “But academics always came fi rst. I found that if I didn’t
“It’s inspiring to work with these young ladies.”—Stephanie Smith have sports, I had a lot of time on my hands. I liked having to pay attention to my time management.” She encourages her players to take their skills to the next level and play in college. Two of her three seniors from last year are playing on the collegiate level. The third student is now attending
Unity College, which does not have a field hockey team. This year her team is made up of seven seniors and six juniors and includes two new goalies—transfers from the school’s soccer program. “We have a lot of talent,” Smith says. “The key will be keeping us working together as a team. It takes 11 kids to win and 11 kids to lose.” Smith credits Philpot with influencing her coaching style. “Coach Philpot was always organized,” she says. “She made sure we were mentally and physically prepared for competition. She instilled integrity in her team and she worked us hard. I admired her.” “She’s very intense and positive,” Tim Smith says. “I love watching her practices because there is no wasted time—the kids go from one drill to another to another. She’s very energetic, driven, and passionate, and coaching clearly means a lot to her. She works tirelessly and is extremely dedicated to her players.” It’s those players who make coaching worth it to Smith. “What I like most is seeing the girls improve,” she says. “They just light up when they accomplish something they’ve really worked on developing. It’s inspiring to work with these young ladies.”
Photo: mark chevaLier
Pony Pride
Stephanie Smith, a star athlete at foxcroft academy in the 1980s, returns home to lead the Ponies to victory on the field hockey field. by meLanie brooks
unsung hero
A Little Effort, Huge Rewards Kathryn Commeau, Charleston, 5th grader and volunteer. By David Brown
Photo: david brown/northstar photography
L
ast year I saw an ASPCA commercial on TV and went to my mom crying because the animals looked so sad and lonely. I wanted to know what I could do to help. Now I help out at the Bangor Humane Society. I took my piggy bank to my mom and told her I wanted to donate it all to the Bangor Humane Society. It was mostly change, but there were a lot of dollar bills, too. I think my first donation was over $80. After that I made paracord bracelets to sell and raise money. With that money I bought dog beds, treats, and toys. I also did the Paws on Parade walk and raised over $500. I won the Underdog Award for raising the most money in my age group. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m already signed up to do it again and hope to beat my goal from last year. Any amount helps and it makes me so happy to know that I am helping animals. One of the toughest things for me was when I went to the Bangor Humane Society to donate the money and supplies I earned and saw all the animals in the pens with no one to love them and no home to call their own. I wanted to take them all home with me. I tried, but my mom said no. I love all animals and want them to have a family of their own to love them and take care of them. I want them to feel safe and always have a warm bed to sleep in at night and food to eat. I think a hero is someone who helps people and animals and has nothing to gain from it but feeling good for doing something to help someone or something in need. My advice for anyone interested in helping out is to go out and do whatever it takes to raise money for a cause that is close to your heart. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take much to raise money. You can do anything from setting up a lemonade stand, having a yard sale, or making something to sell. It only takes a little effort, but there are huge rewards! www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 49
real estate
Bayside
Living Whether you’re in the market or just like looking, here’s a sneak peek inside a local property up for sale.
Barbara Bragdon, Realtor The Winter Harbor Agency
Pick of the Month: 313 East Side Road, Sorrento
Why do you love this property? “To be so close to the water is truly a gift. Flanders Bay is a beautiful and secluded area.” What makes it a great buy? “Not only is it a great home, it’s also just a short drive from amazing places like Acadia National Park.”
50 / BANGOR METRO October 2014
PHOTO: (OPPOSITE BACKGROUND) ANDREW MAYOVSKYY/ THINKSTOCK.COM
Opposite page: This spacious home on Flanders Bay includes right of way access to the water and seasonal views of the bay. Clockwise from top left: A beautiful stone fireplace serves as the centerpiece of the living room. The spacious kitchen can easily accomodate a dining table. A look through the screened porch. This nicely appointed bathroom with large tub is the perfect place to unwind. The large master bedroom includes an adajacent living space.
CALLING SORRENTO HOME... PROPERTY DETAILS:
COMMUNITY DETAILS:
MLS ID: 1135822
Schools: Mountain View School, Sullivan Sumner Memorial High School, Sullivan
313 East Side Road, Sorrento Price: $287,000 Beds: 3 Bedrooms Baths: 2 Full House Size: 2,918 Sq Ft Lot Size: 1.3 Acres Year Built: 1985
HANCOCK COUNTY
Population: 274
Median Income: $42,125 per household Attractions: Located in beautiful coastal Maine, just 30 minutes from Mount Desert Island, 15 minutes from the Schoodic Peninsula and 20 minutes from downtown Ellsworth.
0I LKI Í aØ0M !"% 3 BR 2BA Gorgeous home with right-of-way access to Flanders Bay. Spacious, beatifully landscaped, and just minutes from Acadia Park. $287,000 Barbara Bragdon The Winter Harbor Agency Office: 207-963-2347 bbragdon@winterharboragency.com
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 51
Reader Survey WIN a $50 gift card!
Go to bangormetro.com
EFUBJMT BU XLJUGN DPN
8& 3& (*7*/( "8": " %": 52 / Bangor Metro October 2014
what’s happening
oCtoBer
PHOTO: (TOP) SHIRONOSOV/THINKSTOCK.COM; (RIGHT) COURTESY COLLINS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
OCTOBER 24 Family Halloween Party/Bar Harbor
October 1 Newcomers’ Night University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor Thinking about meeting new people and learning what’s happening in the community? Join Fusion:Bangor for their Newcomers’ Night, a free gathering in an intimate setting that offers a warm welcome to newcomers of the Bangor area. 5–7 pm. www.fusionbangor.com
OCTOBER 14 Kevin James/Orono
October 1 Red Cloak Haunted History Tour Rockland Buildings that once seemed ordinary will take on eerie new dimensions as The Lady in the Red Cloak relives their history and that of the ghostly entities that are said to still reside there. 7 pm. $15 adults; $7 for children under 12; free
for children under 5. 380-3806 • www.redcloakhaunted historytours.com October 1 Candidate Connection Lunch With Susan Collins Cross Insurance Center, Bangor Meet and connect with your 2014 candidates for office through Fusion:Bangor’s Candidate Connection series. Susan Collins will be on hand for this networking luncheon. Sponsored by Rudman Winchell Counselors at Law and Bangor Savings Bank. 12 pm. $18. www.fusionbangor.com October 2 Cement Your Knowledge of a Local Industry Dragon Products, Thomaston Join the Georges River Land Trust www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 53
Events
Theater
as they tour the only cement manufacturing facility in New England. After the tour, personnel will be on hand to answer questions and light refreshments will be served. 3 pm. $35 for members; $45 for nonmembers. 594-5166 • www.georgesriver.org October 3 VinFest 2014 Dessert & Concert The Vineyard at Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville Enjoy cocktails, nibble on decadent desserts, and sing and dance to live music. 8–11 pm. $85. 763-4478 • www.mainewine.com October 3 & 4 Mushroom Walk and Talk Camden & Lincolnville Kirk Gentalen will present a slideshow at the Coastal Mountains Land Trust office in Camden on Friday night, then a Saturday morning mushroom hunt at Fernald’s Neck Preserve. Fri. 7 pm; Sat. 9 am. 236-7091 • www.coastalmountains.org October 3 First Friday Art Walk Bar Harbor Enjoy a wide variety of fine art and craft. You’ll find traditional and contemporary art, much of it by local artists, including wall art, sculpture, glass, pottery, jewelry, fiber art, and fashion. 6–9 pm. www.artwalkbarharbor.com October 4 Harvest Party The Vineyard at Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville Celebrate the harvest season and enjoy gourmet food from Megunticook Market, wine, cocktails, and live music performed by Chaka Khan and Salt-NPepa. 7–11 pm. $100. 763-4478 • www.mainewine.com October 4 Mount Hope Cemetery for Photographers Bangor This tour of the second oldest garden cemetery in the U.S. is meant for photography lovers. Bring your camera and capture some memorable images while hearing tales about some of Bangor’s more famous people, from
54 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Music lumber barons, Hanibal Hamlin, and Joseph Junen, among others. 8 am. $10. 942-1900 • www.bangormuseum.org October 4 Ghosts of Fort Knox Guided Tours Fort Knox, Prospect Join the East Coast Ghost Trackers on a guided tour of Fort Knox in search of ghosts and paranormal phenomena. Bring a flashlight. 6, 7:30, & 9:00 pm departures. $15. 469-6553 www.fortknox.maineguide.com October 4 Treworgy Orchards Concert Series: Sassafras Stomp Treworgy Family Orchards, Levant This high-energy, dance-band duo weaves together diverse fiddle traditions with a strong rhythmic sensibility. 1 pm. 884-8354 www.treworgyorchards.com October 4 20th Annual Paws on Parade Bangor Waterfront The Bangor Humane Society is hosting its annual Paws on Parade, a milelong event that raises awareness and benefits animals awaiting forever homes. 8:30 am–1 pm. 942-8902 www.pawsonparade.kintera.org October 4 High Water Release: Dead River The Forks The scenery and rapids make Dead River one of New England’s premier whitewater runs. When the dams are released, the river fills with whitewater to create one of the longest continuous stretches of whitewater rapids in the East. Enjoy the spectacular fall colors on a fun, fast, and furious rafting trip. 8:30 am. 663-2121 October 4 Northern Outdoors 10K The Forks This run will follow a 6-mile section on the Forks Area Scenic Trail, hugging the eastern shore of the Kennebec River. Relax post-race at the Northern Outdoors lodge with friends and family. Registration at 10 am; race starts at 12 pm. $35. www.baxteroutdoors.com
October 4 & 5 Living History Days Leonard’s Mills, Bradley Step back in time to the 1790’s as the colonial village comes alive. See technology of years gone by with demonstrations that include Colonial-era spinning, woodworking, trapping, blacksmithing, and many other traditional activities. You can even try some bean-hole beans or take an old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon ride. 10 am-4 pm. $10; $5 children. 974-6278 • www.leonardsmills.com October 4 & 5 Harbor Arts and Books Fair Camden This fair takes place in Camden’s historic Harbor Park and Amphitheatre. Over 60 juried exhibitors will be on hand displaying their work. 236-3440 • www.librarycamden.org October 4 & 5 Grand Finale Fall Auto Festival Owls Head Transportation Museum This is an all-inclusive auto show that will feature fall-themed activities for children and families. All pre-1994 vehicles and organized clubs are encouraged to join in to say farewell to 2014. Planes will take to the sky in the final antique aeroplane show of the season. 9 am–3 pm. 594-4418 • www.owlshead.org October 4 & 18 Spectral Photography Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor Bring your camera and join our guide on a spirited tour of Mount Hope Cemetery at dusk. Learn about the topic of spectral photography in the Victorian Era as you walk through the country’s second oldest garden cemetery. Oct. 4 at 5:30 pm; Oct. 18 at 5 pm. 404-4113 • www.dawnlandtours.com October 4, 11, & 18 Mount Hope at Twilight Mount Hope Cemetery Take a tour of the second oldest garden cemetery in the U.S. and hear tales of the lost, forgotten, and murdered in Bangor’s history. Recommended for ages 12 and up. 7 pm. $10. 942-1900 • www.bangormuseum.org
October 5 Fall Lighthouse Cruise Camden Public Landing See the water view of some of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses. Enjoy light snacks, coffee, and tea as you coast by Curtis Island, Indian Island, Rockland Breakwater, Owls Head, and Browns Head Lighthouses. 236-6672 www.camdenharborcruises.com
Children’s Favorite
SATURDAY
| OCTOBER 11 | 12 & 3 PM
Featuring Collide and more!
October 5 Treworgy Orchards Concert Series: Will Woodson and Eric MacDonald Treworgy Family Orchards, Levant Woodson and MacDonald are Portlandbased musicians bringing their divine Scottish music through cross-country music tours and through their teaching workshops. 1 pm. 884-8354 www.treworgyorchards.com October 5 13th Annual Camden National Bank Moose on the Run Greenville High School Come to Greenville for this wonderful event, which takes participants along the shore of beautiful Moosehead Lake with plenty of fall foliage to admire. 564-7111 • www.prymca.org October 5 Waldo County Pie & Story Festival Belfast Boathouse This family friendly event features an afternoon of music, stories, and lots of pie. 1–4 pm. 338-6616 October 5 Race to End Domestic Abuse Guilford Athletic Fields This event features a 5K walk and run, community cookout, vendors, music and awards. Sponsored by Womancare. 11:30 am registration. 564-8165 • www.wmncare.org October 8 Candidate Connection Lunch With Bruce Poliquin Cross Insurance Center, Bangor Meet and connect with your 2014 candidates for office through Fusion:Bangor’s Candidate Connection series. Bruce Poliquin will be on
FRIDAY | OCTOBER
24 | 7:30 PM
HOWIE DAY
Personally approved by Michael Jackson
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY
20 | 7:30 PM
Singer/Songwriter
FRIDAY | APRIL
24 | 7:30 PM
Paula Cole
Subscribe to the Season!
All 4 shows only $95!
Season ticket holders entitled to one priority seat per show listed above. Special pricing extended for other shows and classical series.
Single Show Tickets: $15–$35 depending on the show. Ticketing fees may apply.
ADDITIONAL SHOWS
CLASSICAL SERIES
FRI. OCT. 17 | 7:30 PM
SAT. OCT. 18 | 7:00 PM
OH WHAT A NIGHT! Billboard Hits of the 1960’s™
Piano Reserva, A Scarlatti Soiree A unique concert with wine & cheese
THUR. APRIL 9 | 7:30 PM
FRI. FEB. 13 | 7:00 PM
(limited seating)
Three Blonde Moms
Bizet to Broadway,
A comedy show even Dads will love
Featuring opera stars Richard Troxell and Kirstin Chavez
gracietheatre.com | 941.7888 hand for this networking luncheon. Sponsored by Rudman Winchell Counselors at Law and Bangor Savings Bank. 12 pm. $18. www.fusionbangor.com October 8 Full Moon Cruise Camden Public Landing View the sunset over Camden Hills and the full moon rising over Penobscot Bay. 5:15–6:15 pm. 236-6672 www.camdenharborcruises.com
Arias and Songs of Love & Romance
@gracietheatre
gracietheatre
October 8 Full Moon Sail on the Schooner Olad Camden Harbor Watch the sun go down behind the mountains of Camden Hills State Park, then turn seaward and watch the moon rise over the islands of Penobscot Bay. BYOB. $39. 236-2323 • www.maineschooners.com October 8 Fall Foliage Tour of the Thomas Hill Standpipe Thomas Hill Standpipe, Bangor Spend the afternoon taking in the www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 55
YOU
Yes, ! YOU
make
what’s happening
HAPPEN Want your event to show up in our What’s Happening section?*
SUBMIT IT online at BangorMetro.com
Simply click Events— >Add an Event and follow the instructions. *Events MUST be submitted on the website in order to be included in the magazine.
DEADLINES FOR INCLUSION November Issue: October 3 December Issue: October 31
56 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Events
Theater
colors of the season at top of the historic Thomas Hill Standpipe, built in 1897 and designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. 3-6 pm. 947-4516 • www.bangorwater.org October 10 Opera-tunity for Food and Fun Rackliff Island Join Wolfgang and Pamela Kowald at their home on Rackliff Island for an operatic dinner party based on the varied works of Giacomo Puccini, set in times such as ancient Peking and America’s frontier. 6 pm. $75 for members; $85 for nonmembers. www.georgesriver.org October 10 & 11 19th Annual Acadia Oktoberfest Smugglers Den Campground, Southwest Harbor This traditional October celebration will feature some of Maine’s finest brewers, great local food, live music, and Maine crafts. There will be wine and cheese tasting on Friday. Saturday is for beer lovers and friends. Fri. 4–7 pm; Sat. 12–6 pm. 244-9264 • www.acadiachamber.com October 10 & 11 Searsport’s Fling Into Fall Searsport Celebrate fall at this annual fair. Activities include concerts, hayrides, a scarecrow contest, craft and food vendors, an antique car show, a historic ghost tour, public suppers, and more. www.belfastmaine.org October 11 Pinkalicious: The Musical The Gracie Theatre, Bangor Based on the popular children’s book series by E. Kann, watch as Pinkalicious sings and dances her way into your heart. 12 & 3 pm. $15; $25 for VIP Meet & Greet. 941-7051 • www.gracietheatre.com October 11 Ragged Mountain Scuttle Camden With 20 challenging obstacles along a scenic 5K route, the Ragged Mountain Scuttle is Midcoast Maine’s premier obstacle course race. Kids can tackle the children’s course with eight obstacles to try. End the day at Camden Snow Bowl
Music with a fun-filled family event. www.raggedmountainscuttle.com October 11 End of the Season Cruise Camden Public Landing Say goodbye to the 2014 season of cruising the Penobscot Bay by viewing the foliage from the sea. 236-6672 www.camdenharborcruises.com October 11 Spend the Night at Fort Knox Fort Knox, Prospect Kick off the Halloween season at Fort Knox with the East Coast Ghost Trackers. This guided tour will take you on a search for ghosts and paranormal phenomena. Please bring a flashlight to this event. 6 pm–1 am. $30. 469-6553 www.fortknox.maineguide.com October 11 Taste of Thomaston Knox Museum, Thomaston Knox Museum’s wildly popular food and wine tasting festival celebrates local signature bites and sips. Taste food prepared by the midcoast’s finest chefs, cheese artisans, and bakers, as well as wine and beer from the area’s best vinters and brewers. Must be 21 years old to enter. $12 in advance; $15 at the door. 11 am–4 pm. 354-8062 • www.knoxmuseum.org October 11 Met Opera Live: Macbeth The Strand, Rockland Broadcast live from New York, star soprano Anna Netrebko delivers her searing portrayal of Lady Macbeth for the first time at the Met. 1 pm. 594-0070 • www.rocklandstrand.com October 11 & 12 Cultivate: Year Round Farm and Arts Trail’s Fall Tour Belfast Join in on this free open studio and farm tour featuring special workshops and demonstrations. Learn how to make yarn, soap, and cheese. 10 am–4 pm. www.belfastartsandculture.org October 11, 16, 25, 28, & 30 Ghostly Bangor
Thomas A. Hill House, 159 Union Street Follow a winding path through haunted Bangor and stop at several sites to hear tales of ghostly activity on this special tour. 7 pm. $10 adults; $5 youth under 12 years; free for children under 5 years. 942-1900 • www.bangormuseum.org October 12 October Pairings 101 The Farmhouse at Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at food and wine pairings with the Back To The Roots Pairings 101 class. Sip on wine and munch on hors d’oeuvres as you dive into the art and science of pairing. 4–6 pm. www.mainewine.com October 12 Camden National Moose on the Run Greenville Runners from near and far will line up and compete, enjoying the landscape along the way. 695-2702 • www.mooseheadlake.org October 12 BSO: Espana Collins Center for the Arts, Orono This program of Spanish-inspired works features the talented classical guitarist Ana Vidovic. Conducted by Lucas Richman. 3 pm. 581-1755 www.collinscenterforthearts.com October 12 Horseshoe Tournament Northland Hotel, Jackman Enjoy some fun and friendly horseshoe competition during your holiday weekend. 1 pm. 668-4446 • www.jackmanmaine.org October 12 Fall Lighthouse Cruise Camden Public Landing See the water view of some of Maine’s most photographed lighthouses. Enjoy light snacks, coffee, and tea as you coast by Curtis Island, Indian Island, Rockland Breakwater, Owls Head, and Browns Head Lighthouses. 236-6672 www.camdenharborcruises.com
October 14 Kevin James Collins Center for the Arts, Orono Comedian Kevin James comes to Maine to delight audiences with his radiant wit. He’s starred in the CBS show The King of Queens along with the movies Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. 8 pm. $43.75–$79. 581-1755 www.collinscenterforthearts.com October 14 & 15 Sesame Street Live: Let’s Dance Cross Insurance Center, Bangor This show offers an up-close, interactive experience with all your favorite Sesame Street characters. Meet & Greets with the characters are available for extra purchase and includes a pre-show photo opportunity. $19–$32. 561-8300 www.crossinsurancecenter.com October 15 NT Live: A Streetcar Named Desire
The Strand, Rockland Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece will be broadcast from London’s National Theatre. Gillian Anderson plays Blanche DuBois, Ben Foster plays Stanley, and Vanessa Kirby plays Stella. 2 & 7 pm. 594-0070 • www.rocklandstrand.com October 15 The Nite Show with Danny Cashman The Gracie Theatre, Bangor Maine’s only late-night talk show tapes before a live studio audience. Watch the taping in person and then watch it on WABI/Bangor, FOX8/Presque Isle, or FOX23/Portland on Saturday nights. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance. Ages 16 and older. www.theniteshowmaine.com October 16 Heather Masse With Mike & Ruthy The Strand, Rockland A member of the Billboard-charting folk group The Wailin’ Jenny’s, Maine native Heather Masse has shared the
Every 3 seconds someone’s identity is stolen. We’re fighting back with the AARP Fraud Watch Network. It provides resources to help you spot and avoid identity theft and fraud so you can protect yourself and your family. Sign up to get watchdog alerts and stay up to date on con artists’ latest tricks. It’s free of charge for everyone– members, non-members and people of all ages. Because for more than 50 years AARP has been committed to safeguarding Americans’ financial futures.
aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork
Watchdog Alerts Tips & Resources Free for Everyone
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 57
Events
Theater
stage with Elvis Costello, Cheryl Crow, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Mike & Ruthy are one of acoustic America’s most revered musical duos. This will be a night of fantastic music. 7:30 pm. $20. 594-0070 • www.rocklandstrand.com October 16 Boz Scaggs: The Memphis Tour Collins Center for the Arts, Orono Boz Scaggs is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who plays blues, R&B, rock, and jazz with sizeable talent. His career has brought him acclaim, a loyal following, and enduring respect among musicians. $43.75–$73.75. www.waterfrontconcerts.com October 17 Oh What a Night! Billboard Hits of the 1960s Gracie Theatre, Bangor Three of Broadway’s hottest men will sing your favorite songs of the 60s, including hits by The Four Seasons, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. 7:30 pm. $25. 941-7051 • www.gracietheatre.com
Music October 17–19 Belfast Poetry Festival: A Poem to Behold Belfast This festival features performances, workshops, readings and more at various venues around Belfast. 2–4 pm. www.belfastpoetry.com October 17, 18, 24, & 25 Fright at the Fort 2014 Fort Knox, Prospect Visitors are led through the dark passageways of Fort Knox, where indescribable things lurk in the shadows, creating screams of fright. 5:30-9 pm. $10; $5 children ages 12 and younger. 469-6553 www.fortknox.maineguide.com October 17–November 2 Monty Python’s Spamalot The Grand, Ellsworth The Grand is excited to continue its fine tradition of live community theater with a new production of the Broadway hit Spamalot. $20 adults and seniors; $18 Grand members; $15 students 13–17; $10 youth ages 10 and under. 667-9500 • www.grandonline.org
museums Aroostook County Caribou Historical Society Caribou 498-2556 • www.cariboumaine.net Hancock County Abbe Museum Bar Harbor 822-3519 • www.abbemuseum.org George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History Bar Harbor 288-5015 • www.coamuseum.org Knox County Coastal Children’s Museum Rockland 596-0300 www.coastalchildrensmuseum.org Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center Rockland 596-6457 www.farnsworthmuseum.org 58 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Maine Lighthouse Museum Rockland 594-3301 www.mainelighthousemuseum.com Owls Head Transportation Museum Owls Head 594-4418 • www.ohtm.org Penobscot County Hudson Museum at the University of Maine Orono 581-1901 www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum Maine Discovery Museum Bangor 262-7200 www.mainediscoverymuseum.org University of Maine Museum of Art Bangor 561-3350 • www.umma.maine.edu
October 18 7th Year of Beer Marshall Warf Brewing, Belfast This event features more than 30 Marshall Wharf beers on tap, food, and live music by the Toughcats. Must be 21 or older to enter. 5–11 pm. $30 entry includes a glass and 10 8 oz. beers; $10 entry for a la carte. www.marshallwharf.com October 18 Ghostport Bucksport This Halloween-themed event offers something for all ages, from the children’s costume parade to the chili cook-off to the Jonathan Buck’s Race to the Grave coffin race. Enter the carved pumpkin contest and stick around for the fireworks show. 469-6818 www.bucksportbaychamber.com October 18 Met Opera Live: Le Nozze Di Figaro The Strand, Rockland Broadcast live from New York, Met music director James Levine conducts a spirited new production of Mozart’s masterpiece. 1 pm. 594-0070 • www.rocklandstrand.com October 18 Piano Reserva, A Scarlatti Soiree Gracie Theatre, Bangor Pianist Pnina Becher presents this concert, which includes a wine tasting from the regions in which the Scarlatti compositions were written. 2 pm. 941-7051 • www.gracietheatre.com October 18 The Pink Runway Project Cross Insurance Center, Bangor The inaugural Pink Runway Project is a gala evening celebrating survival and choice. It’s Maine’s first and only charity event to bring awareness to the breast reconstruction options available to all women diagnosed with breast cancer. The event features a New York fashion week-style show with original pieces created by local fashion designers. 6 pm. 947-5657 www.pinkrunwayproject.com October 19 MDI Marathon
Mount Desert Island Voted one of the most scenic marathons by Runner’s World magazine, The MDI Marathon is a great event. Don’t feel like running 26.2 miles? How about participating in the half-marathon or the team relay? There is also a Kids Run and Breakfast Fun Run. www.mdimarathon.org October 18 Apple Festival Sebec Village Love apples? Don’t miss this fun day. Bring your family and friends and celebrate. 564-7679 October 22 Belfast Chamber After Hours Makin’ Waves Salon, Reny’s Plaza Join your fellow business people and community members for the monthly Chamber After Hours networking event. 5–7 pm. www.belfastmaine.org October 23 Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys The Strand, Rockland A night filled with legendary bluegrass music is sure to put a smile on your face. 7:30 pm. $37.50 in advance; $42.50 day of the show. 594-0070 • www.rocklandstrand.com October 23 NT Live: Skylight The Grand, Ellsworth This show is broadcast live from London’s West End by National Theatre Live. Kyra Hollis (Carey Mulligan) receives an unexpected visit from her former lover, Tom Sergeant (Bill Nighy), whose wife has recently died. The two attempt to rekindle their once passionate relationship only to find themselves locked in a dangerous battle of opposing ideologies and mutual desires. 2 pm. $17 adults; $15 seniors; $14 Grand members; $12 students; $10 youth ages 10 and under. 667-9500 • www.grandonline.org October 23–25 PopTech 2014 Camden Each year, PopTech welcomes 600
leaders in business, industry, science, technology, design, social and ecological innovation, the arts and humanities, philanthropy, and many other fields to come together for three days in the beautiful seaside town of Camden. www.poptech.org October 24 Comedy Event Spectacular Event Center, Bangor Comedians Mark Scalia and Matt Barry are co-headlining this night of laughs. Refreshments will be served. 8:30 pm. $15. 941-8700 www.spectaculareventcenter.com October 24 Cookbook Preview Dinner The Farmhouse at Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville Chef Kerry Altiero from Rockland’s Café Miranda is releasing a new book, Adventures in Comfort Food. This special preview night dinner will include wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a special signed copy of the book. 6–9 pm. $100. www.mainewine.com October 24 Family Halloween Party MDI YMCA, Bar Harbor This annual Family Halloween Party is free for families and children. Please attend dressed in costume and compete in the costume contest. 5:30–7 pm. 288-3511 • www.mdiymca.org October 24 & 25 Skowhegan Chamber Haunted Hayride Skowhegan Fairgrounds A hayride in the fall is a perfect way to celebrate the season. 474-3621 www.skowheganchamber.com October 26 Matt Haimovitz Minsky Recital Hall, UMaine, Orono Renowned as a musical pioneer, cellist Matt Haimovitz has inspired classical music lovers and countless new listeners by bringing his music to any place where passionate music can be heard. 3 pm. $35. 581-1755 www.collinscenterforthearts.com
October 27–30 Spooky Car Days Seal Cove Auto Museum The museum will be decorated with cobwebs, skeletons, and spooky stuff for this event. Enjoy hot apple cider and cookies and take a spooky tour at 11 am and 2 pm. $6 adults; $5 seniors and teens; Free for children ages 12 and under. 244-9242 www.sealcoveautomuseum.org October 28 Cirk La Putyka: Slapstic Sonata Collins Center for the Arts, Orono This show is an explosion of color, humor, movement, silliness, and physical theater set to the music of Mozart, Handel, and others. 7 pm. $23–$33. 581-1755 www.collinscenterforthearts.com October 31 Halloween Activities & Closing Celebration Seal Cove Auto Museum The museum will be decorated with cobwebs, skeletons, and spooky stuff for this event. Enjoy hot apple cider and cookies and take a spooky tour at 11 am and 2 pm. $6 adults; $5 seniors and teens; Free for children ages 12 and under. 244-9242 www.sealcoveautomuseum.org
Submit your event online at
bangormetro.com Simply click Events Add an event and follow the instructions. Deadline for November events: October 3 www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 59
food file
R
Sports Junkie If you live in Aroostook County and love sports, then you probably recognize Rene Cloukey. He trades his camera and microphone for kitchen utensils to share a recipe that is a sure-fire winner. Story & Photos by Melanie Brooks
60 / Bangor Metro October 2014
ene Cloukey is a County boy through and through. His parents still live in Ashland where he grew up and his three children, A.J., Angela, and Amber, all live in the area. He spends his down time at home in Presque Isle, but zigzags across northern Maine and western New Brunswick for his job as sports director at WAGM-TV. “Ever since sixth grade, I’ve known what I wanted to do,” Cloukey says. “I wanted to be a Red Sox television announcer.” That was in 1967, the Red Sox season that has been referred to as The Impossible Dream. The Sox, who hadn’t had a winning season since 1958, shocked their fans and baseball lovers across America by winning the American League Championship. Cloukey, like hundreds of other young Red Sox fans across New England, never did become a Red Sox television announcer, but he did score a career in sports journalism. He left Aroostook County to attend The Northeast Broadcasting School in Brookline, Massachusetts to study radio and television broadcasting. The school has changed names a few times over the years, and is now called the New England Institute of Art. After graduation, Cloukey headed right back up to northern Maine, landing his first radio job for WSJR and WLVC in Madawaska and Fort Kent in 1976. He eventually moved on to WDHP in Presque Isle and WFST in Caribou. He worked in radio until the station he was working for went bankrupt in 1984. Luckily a part-time television reporting job opened up at the local television station and the rest is history. He has worked at WAGM, which is a CBS affiliate, for the past three decades. As the head of the sole television sports reporting team in The County, Cloukey puts a lot of miles on his car. The station’s coverage area spans from Patten to Edmundston, New Brunswick, which is just north of Madawaska. He goes as far east as Woodstock, New Brunswick, just over the border from Houlton, where his fiancé Kelley Fitzpatrick lives. “We try to get to as many games as possible,” Cloukey says, which seems impossible given the many hats he wears in the newsroom. Like many television journalists these days, Cloukey assigns stories, handles the interviews,
What’s for dinner tonight?
Visit bangormetro.com and check out our expanded dining guide Rene Cloukey mixes ingredients for his tasty chicken dish
works the camera, and edits the news packages for the 6, 10, and 11 o’clock news shows. “There are 17 high schools in our area,” he says. “Every season is busy between the high school and college games.” Soccer and basketball keep him on his toes in
It’s more than just a passion for Cloukey, sports is a way of life.
,ODGING s &INE $INING s )RISH 0UB
Bouillaibaisse
Haddock Florentine with Gnocci
Bib and Blue Cheese
Baked Oysters
Real Food, Classically Prepared...Always Organic or Local OPEN DAILY, JUNE – OCTOBER For menus see www.brooklininn.com
22 Reach Rd, Brooklin
207 359 2777
Maine, and hockey is big in New Brunswick. “We are so busy in the winter.” Luckily, Cloukey doesn’t have to work on the weekends. That’s when he and his fiancé Kelly spend time with friends and family. As evidenced by the toys in his living room, Cloukey enjoys the time he spends with his four grandchildren. “Kelly and I cook a lot and we love to have friends over for card games,” he says. “I love to grill. I do a lot of vegetables on the grill.” The recipe he’s sharing here is one that he found in the Hannaford Fresh Magazine. “I completely modified it.” He loves to serve this meal during one of his frequent card nights with friends www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 61
food file and also bring it into the station to share with his coworkers. As he stirs the syrup and hot sauce together on this late summer afternoon, the conversation turns to summer sports activities, particularly golf. This year marked the 26th annual Cloukey Charity Challenge Golf Tournament. All of the proceeds from this event benefit Aroostook County Special Olympics. The two-day tournament is played at Long Lake Country Club in St. David and the Limestone Country Club. He and Fitzpatrick frequently play a round of golf at nearby Mars Hill Country Club. Being an active member of the community comes naturally to Cloukey, who has done stints as the president of Kiwanis in Presque Isle and Special Olympics management team. He’s also volunteered as a fireman and an EMT. A self-proclaimed “sports junkie,” Cloukey was named the Maine Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association five times in the last 18 years. It’s more than just a passion for Cloukey, sports is a way of life.
recipes Maple Buffalo Chicken 3-4 lbs of chicken breasts 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter 11/2 cups maple syrup 1 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Pinch of sugar, pepper, and chili powder
Bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Melt butter in a saucepan, then add maple syrup. Add the rest of the ingredients and add more hot sauce or maple syrup depending on if you like it spicy or sweet. Combine sauce and cooked chicken into a crock pot. Head on high for 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn crock pot to low and serve when ready.
stunning views. fantastic food.
seafood |
steaks | pasta | salads | sandwiches
5 south main street, brewer | 989-3300 62 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Now, this is what we call a chat room. Instant messages, tweets and online chats are great, but nothing can substitute for celebrating your closeness in person. So pick up that smart phone and do a smart thing: go to FlyBangor.com, book online, and this time - send yourself. Scan for BGR Online Booking
Nonstops, connecting flights, competitive fares and friendly customer service.
Bgr_Metro_SendYourself.indd 3
SUBSCRIBE .95 $ for just 19
By Mail. Mail this form with
NAME (please print)
Bangor Metro Magazine 263 State Street, Suite 1 Bangor, Maine 04401
ADDRESS
CITY
Call 207-941-1300 x121.
*
Your information:
payment to the address below.
By Phone.
8/9/11 10:54 AM
STATE
ZIP
Pay by check.
Online. Scan the QR code below or go to bangormetro.com.
CREDIT CARD #
EXPIRATION DATE
NAME ON CARD
CCID CODE (3 digits on back)
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
CARDHOLDERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ADDRESS
Questions? Email subscription@bangormetro.com
CITY
STATE
ZIP
PHONE NUMBER
*Price includes sales tax.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 63
kitchen confidential
Norumbega Inn Chef Phil Crispo traveled the world before setting down in Camden at the Norumbega Inn. by Melanie Brooks
What is your first food memory? Not to sound like the old cliché, but I remember my Italian grandmother rolling out pasta and cutting on a chitarra (a guitar-like cutter with wire strings) by hand. She would let me taste many samples of what she was making, and one thing that holds true in my memory is the smell of her kitchen. There was always food cooking or ready for sampling. What are some of your early cooking experiences? I once tasted an Indian dish as a 12-yearold boy when visiting my friend’s house
64 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Photos: Mark McCall
Where are you from? How did you end up in Maine? I was born in Beacon, New York and moved to Scotland at age nine. I moved to Maine via New York’s Hudson Valley with my better half, Susan, after purchasing the Norumbega Inn. Before coming to Maine I spent eight years working as an assistant professor in culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. I taught students in subjects like fish cookery and cuisines of Europe and the Mediterranean, along with fundamental classes. I also ran one of the college’s premier public restaurants known as the Escoffier Room. I moved departments and spent several years teaching professional chefs around the world, assisted with product development for food companies, and proctored professional chef exams. My work had me traveling and soon the itinerary became such that I was never home, so Susan and I brainstormed on what we could do together, or at least what we could do to reduce my amount of travel. A couple of years ago we toured the south and west coast of Ireland, staying at bed and breakfast establishments. I mentioned, “Maybe we could do this, but I would need more than just breakfast to cook each day so I wouldn’t go nuts.” We searched the Internet for bed and breakfasts for sale. The Norumbega popped up as a result of a search and, based on the uniqueness of the building, we were pretty much hooked at an early stage. We never looked at any other establishments and made arrangements to view the property on Labor Day, 2012. We had never visited Camden, and when we arrived it was love at first sight. We purchased the property in March of 2013.
in Scotland. The dish was a form of a biryani rice dish. I decided to replicate the dish on a Saturday afternoon following a rugby match. Armed with nothing more than culinary ignorance and what was found in my mother’s house, I began to cook for the first time. My mission was to recreate one of the most complex Indian dishes typically reserved for special occasions. I began to stir fry rice and grabbed spices and herbs from my mother’s limited stock. Cooking by color, smell, and tasting often, I stir fried this baby for 45 minutes. Armed with a spoon and piping hot bowl of divine Indian goodness, I began to put spoonful after spoonful of rice into my mouth. I couldn’t help but notice that the dish actually didn’t resemble what I had worked so hard to create. I began to search for a cookbook that might hold the answers to my culinary questions. I searched for anything that resembled what I was attempting to make. Betty Crocker was no help. I did come across a Chinese cookbook where I could find some of my answers. The Indian dish that I was trying to replicate was akin to a fried rice-style dish, or so I was told. I was pretty much shocked to find out that all of the stir fried rice dishes in that Chinese cookbook instructed the home cook to cook the rice first, then stir fry it! I had fried raw rice for 45 minutes, convincing myself that the rice was getting better over time. Any family influences on your style and taste? I think the shear diversity of my family and the fact that at a young age I experienced very different cuisines certainly plays a part in my style and taste. Where did you study? I began my studies at Kingways Technical College in Dundee, Scotland. My professional cooking career began in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. When did you realize you were a chef? Probably one day I will call myself a chef. I am a student of food. A practitioner, I guess. What qualifies anyone to call themselves a chef? What do you consider to be your pivotal career move? Joining the Culinary Institute of America.
Left: Chef Phil Crispo. This photo: Wild Mushroom and Pri De Diane Cheese Pot Pie, a signature dish of the Norumbega Inn.
When did the Norumbega Inn open? On Memorial Day, 2013. What do you love about your location? The meats, fish, and veggies are amazing. I often refer to this area as the Napa Valley of the Northeast. What is your favorite ingredient to work with? The freshest is always a favorite, but I do enjoy seafood cookery. What is the dish we will be featuring? Wild Mushroom and Pri De Diane Cheese Pot Pie. It’s created from a delivery of local foraged mushrooms and has taken on an identity here as one of our signature dishes. This dish is finished with a cheese made down the street by Alison Lakin. Simply divine! What is your favorite restaurant? Bricklane Curry House in Manhattan and Martin Wishart in Edinburg, Scotland.
What is your least favorite job related task? Peeling garlic and onions! Drives me nuts! When was the last time you really surprised yourself in the kitchen? I am surprised by some of my one-off breakfast creations reconstructed from dinner ideas. The latest happy recipe is Guinness and Jameson whiskey-soaked Irish soda bread. What does a perfect day off look like? Fly fishing followed by fishing and probably a fireplace and a glass or red wine. In the summertime, one can substitute the fireplace with more fishing. What would you like your last meal to be? Lamb Vindaloo, pilau rice, and stuffed naan bread. What do you love most about your job? Watching a customer smile and students learn.
more info Norumbega Inn 63 High Street (route 1), Camden 207-236-4646 Hours: 8–9:30 am for a three course breakfast. Dinner at 7 pm.
Specialties: Our bespoke five to seven course meals. Our menu is not written down. I discuss how dinner works and allow the guests to experience my palate through the foods available for me to cook that day. First timer tip: Breathe! It’s only food. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 65
per spectives
Chris Olmstead
66 / Bangor Metro October 2014
What started as a hobby for Chris Olmstead has now become a passion. He started out in web design but found that sitting behind a computer all day just wasn’t cutting it, especially living in New England where there is always something beautiful to photograph. “There is beauty everywhere, the enjoyable part is finding it and sharing it,” says Olmstead. He has now been shooting for the better part of a decade. His first love is documenting the landscapes and changing seasons throughout New England, but he has recently crossed over into portraiture, action, and abstract work.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 67
T
The Wind
Energy Machine
I witnessed first hand the underbelly of the wind energy machine, and how they intimidate ordinance committee members and manipulate small towns strapped for money. By Brad Eden
68 / Bangor Metro October 2014
he Frankfort Wind Ordinance Committee was formed in the spring of 2011 in response to a wind energy project being planned for the top of Mt. Waldo. As an elected committee member my duties centered on researching the environmental and wildlife issues associated with industrial wind turbine facilities. After months of open committee meetings and town hearings, residents voted in the Frankfort Wind Ordinance. This process tore at the very fabric of the community, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and resident against nonresident property owners. Now, three years later, even after the town won a lawsuit confirming the veracity of the town ordinance, the wind energy company is back carrying an incentive goody bag, and campaigning to persuade residents to overturn the town wind ordinance. For those not familiar, Mt. Waldo is the centerpiece of Frankfort if not all of Waldo County. Some folks can view it from their decks and it can be seen while traveling the roadways towards town from most any bearing on a compass. If you have taken that vista for granted you will notice 400 to 500-foot-high industrial wind turbines that would dwarf the cell towers already on the summit. At 1,060 feet, Mt. Waldo is a distinctive geographical feature and is rated high for wind energy generation. Its unique granite geology and contours make gauging the effects of noise and light flicker on the adjacent community guesswork at best. It’s not a monotonous mountain range set afar from civilization, but is a lone fixture rising up smack dab in the middle of a community. It’s also in a flyway for migrating bats and birds, including raptors, like falcons, hawks, owls, and bald eagles. It’s not a question of whether bats and birds will be killed by the turbine blades, it’s simply how many deaths will be deemed acceptable by state and federal regulations, which are largely impotent when it comes to industrial wind turbine facilities. Throughout the ordinance deliberation a major concern was that the state Wind Energy Ordinance didn’t address the specific nature of the proposed location, nor sufficiently protect the residents‘
health, property values, and quality of life. Another key point was private property rights; both those of the nonresident landowners leasing land to the wind energy company and those who owned property or homes in the vicinity. In state or town-adopted ordinances there is a setback distance required between the turbines and property. Anyone owning a home or land within those setbacks can sign a waver and negotiate an arrangement with the wind energy company. That setback distance and formula for the state ordinance is 150% the height of the particular turbines, for instance: 600 feet for 400-foot turbines. The Frankfort Wind Ordinance setback is set at 5,280 feet or 1 mile, which reflects other similar towndrafted wind ordinances. The mountain, hillsides, and lowlands are owned by a multitude of private land and homeowners who want a say in whether industrial wind turbines are allowed to loom over or impact their lives and property. The Frankfort ordinance provides that. Statistics and studies were toted out to convince residents that an industrial wind turbine facility would not compromise their property values. My experience trying to sell our home during the heat of the wind ordinance debate doesn’t mirror that. The first question from every interested buyer was whether the turbines would be going in. We had to answer that we didn’t know. Certainly there were other factors, but the house didn’t sell—until after the Frankfort Wind Ordinance was adopted. I may no longer live in Frankfort but I witnessed first hand the underbelly of the wind energy machine and how they intimidate ordinance committee members and manipulate small towns strapped for money. Using innocuous terms like “windmills” and “wind farms” can’t disguise the reality that wind energy is a ruthless business guided by money and greed, as much as by any aspirations to save the planet. I have faith that this returning blast of wind, replete with a team of consultants and lawyers, won’t hoodwink the Frankfort residents. I also hope that this small Maine town isn’t torn irreparably in half as a result. Brad Eden is an artist, writer, and registered Maine Master Guide.
Photo: Jezperklauzen/Thinkstock.com
maine woods & waters
savvy seniors
Time to Make Our
Photo: hermosawave/thinkstock.com
Voices Heard
Having candidate confusion? AARP Maine is asking the questions seniors need to know. By Jane Margesson
W
ith just weeks to go before the elections on November 4, this is a good time to carefully consider where the candidates stand on the issues each of us finds important. Mainers have crucial decisions to make in both the state and federal races. If you are having trouble making up your mind about the candidates, AARP Maine’s non-partisan voters’ guides can help. While AARP is strictly non-partisan and never endorses candidates, for more than 28 years we have worked to make sure that candidates address issues that are important to older voters. AARP has produced online and print versions of our 2014 Maine voters’ guides which provide statements from both congressional and, this year, gubernatorial candidates. The guides include the candidates’ responses to specific questions including: • How would you protect Social Security for today’s seniors and strengthen it for future generations? • How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect
today’s seniors and future retirees from rising health costs? • How would you help Americans save so they can secure their future and live independently as they age? Candidates’ responses are culled from publicly available information and excerpts from their own campaign sources. Printed alongside their answers are AARP’s non-partisan principles on each of these issues. The voters’ guides provide unbiased information that can help voters make informed decisions when they go to the polls. You can easily find the voters’ guides for Maine on our website www.aarp.org/me, or, if you prefer to receive a print copy, you can call our office at 1-866-554-5380. As a state, Maine has a strong voting history. Particularly among voters 50 and older, the statistics are very impressive. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maine’s voting data for voters 45 and older in the last mid-term election was some of the highest in the country. In the 2012 election, the numbers were even higher. Maine offers many options www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 69
for its registered voters including absentee ballots and early voting. For any questions related to voting, including registration, visit the Maine Division of Elections at www.maine.gov or call (207) 624-7650. At AARP Maine, we work hard to listen to the needs and desires of our mem-
bers and their families. In fact, AARP Maine recently released the results of our 2014 Survey of Maine Registered Voters ages 50 and older. This survey collected the opinions of 2,000 Mainers, both AARP members and non-members, regarding a broad range of issues that impact people aged 50 plus and their families. The results reveal that Mainers who are 50 and up are deeply concerned about financial security and maintaining their independence as they age. An overwhelming majority of survey respondents indicated their intention to vote for candidates in 2014 who pledge to address these issues. The survey also reveals the deep concerns of lower income individuals. Nearly half (49%) of respondents earning less than $20,000 annually have no confidence of ever being able to retire. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of this same group reported being extremely or very worried about having unaffordable health or medical expenses. These statistics of-
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I helped my dad... We can help your family!â&#x20AC;? ~Kathy Frodahl, CEO NEHHC
fer valuable insight into the mindset of Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more vulnerable populations. It is worth noting that even if they do retire, one third of Mainers aged 65 plus who collect Social Security receive a monthly benefit of just over $1,000 per month and have no other source of income. From financial security to the need for age-friendly communities and consumer protections against fraud, AARP Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2014 survey lays the groundwork for prioritizing fruitful discussions among the 2014 candidates on issues of paramount importance to the well-being of Maine residents. Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most active voting block insists that candidates represent their needs and desires, demonstrate concern for issues pertinent to those ages 50 and older and exhibit a commitment to finding solutions. Every voice does matter and we all have the opportunity to make it count. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make it count on November 4. Jane Margesson is the AARP Maine communications director.
Just ask for Stillwater Q weâ&#x20AC;Śwhen want to thechange care the way you think you need skilled can make about all the difference. rehabilitation. Q
t 1$"T $/"T DFSUJm FE JO "M[IFJNFST %FNFOUJB DBSF t %BJMZ MJWJOH BTTJTUBODF t 1PTU TVSHFSZ PS JOKVSZ SFDPWFSZ t &OE PG MJGF DBSF $PVOU PO VTÂ&#x2030;XF SF EFQFOEBCMF
$BMM VT GPS B GSFF DPOTVMUBUJPO
We are available 24/7 to assist you with your needs. Serving Penobscot, Piscataquis & )BODPDL DPVOUJFT TJODF Fully Licensed & Bonded
#"/(03 t É&#x; t É&#x; É&#x; É&#x; t 888 /&))$ $0. 70 / Bangor Metro October 2014
We are anpersonalized, environment that Delivering strives to offer structured, skilled professional service for in a rehabilitation opportunities andof enjoyable setting. people positive in need short-term, long-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing care.
334 Stillwater Avenue Bangor, Maine 04401 www.stillwater-healthcare.com Stillwater Healthcare is an affiAvenue liate of 335 Stillwater
Bangor, Maine 04401 DGPLQVWLOOZDWHU#Ă&#x20AC; UVWDWODQWLF FRP 207¡947¡1111
Photo: lculig/thinkstock.com
savvy seniors
last word
Risking Life and Limb for a
Morning Jolt It appears that everyone is tired. And their answer is caffeine. By Chris Quimby
Chris Quimby is a husband, father, Christian comedian, writer, and graphic designer from Brooks. Visit him on the web at chrisquimby.com or nachotree.com. 72 / Bangor Metro October 2014
image: ojogabonitoo/thinkstock.com
I
t’s difficult to drive by our local coffee establishments in the morning and not see a herd of eager patrons sitting in a line that extends back into moving traffic. I’ve actually seen this. For a cup of liquid, people will hold a position in line for a startling long amount of time. A short trip into a convenience store will impress upon you the large and ever-growing variety of energy drinks available, some of which contain more potential energy than a Smart car. It is an amazing phenomenon to behold, all the more so from my perspective. I generally do not consume much caffeine. It’s not a religious or health-based decision. I believe a caffeinated solution to a lack of energy is not sustainable. I understand that I could begin, like many people, with a devotional cup of Joe in the morning, but soon my discontented body would scream for more. It would begin taking for granted my offer and demanding a second cup. My long-term projection of this trajectory would have me in one of the following situations, each of which is undesirable: 1. Keeping a hand free all day with which I would pour the powerful nectar into my mouth. 2. Wearing a Camelbak unit that would keep a constant supply of coffee flowing through me. 3. Making a decision to stop drinking for a while to reset my brain’s expectations and suffering the torture of headaches, inability to think, and anger that would tempt me to start a world war of some sort. I have, therefore, chosen to stay out of the game. Unfortunately, I’ve found this puts me at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world, except for Mormons and babies. I’ve sat in office environments for years, stumbling through the day trying to achieve the mental clarity and productivity that seems to come so easy for those nursing their 64 oz. jugs of energy juice, but my efforts are too often awkward and in vain. This is a thought to ponder, since we often hear reports of an impending energy crisis in the world. Our oil-based economy is likely to suffer great damage while careening quickly over the increasing speed bumps of lacks of supply and increased demand. And that’s not to mention that much of the world’s oil is in one of the most dangerous parts of the U.S.—Texas. But there is also oil in the Middle East, and we still have a presence there and look to protect our economic interests in the region by aspiring to acceptable diplomacy so we can get that liquid back over here where we can dump it into our vehicles and zero-turn lawn mowers. So, here we are, Americans who have an insatiable thirst for liquid energy, whether it be oil or coffee. And while arguments persist that this nation should expedite research into alternative energy sources so we can leave the Middle East, we will still have people who will turn a blind eye to the dangers inherent in waiting in a parked car in a line of traffic while they await their next fix. Could it be that coffee drinkers are the most focused and brave people we’ll ever know? I guess we’d find out if all of our coffee shops were a few thousand miles east of the Mediterranean Sea. May God help anyone who might stand in the way of a line of Westerners headed to their warm, morning bucket of sunshine.
PLUG INTO BANGOR METROâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2014
GUIDE chimney maintenance, pg.75
insulation, pg.75
photo: JuLian addinGton-baRkER/thinkstock.com
sealing window leaks, pg.80
BEST INVESTMENTS
for efficiency in your home
DIY VS. PRO PROJECTS
when to call the professionals
REBATE RUNDOWN how to save $$$
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 73
energy guide
diy or Hired Hand Doing it yourself can be temptingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;check out our cheat sheet to see what you can do yourself and when to call for help.
14
6 15
16 9 8 11 12
74 / Bangor Metro October 2014
4
1 5
2
g
etting your house ready for winter and trying to save on energy costs can be overwhelming. There are so many things to think about. What should you attempt and when should you pick up the phone and call for help? A lot depends on how handy you are. Below is a list of things that the “average” homeowner might do themselves and what they should hire to have done.
13 7
diffiCuLty LeVeL Easy
Medium
Pro
1
Caulk air leaks around windows, doors, pipes, and ducts. Use paintable caulk so that if you need to paint or do a touch-up, the paint will stick. Look for signs of air gaps. You can use a lit candle or incense as a tool because the flame will move if there is air coming in. The lighting method works too: Stand in a dark room. Be sure the adjacent rooms are well lit. If you see light coming in around doors you have gaps. Some light around doors is necessary but if it is a wide stream, think about weatherstripping. The same is true with the attic. Turn the attic light on and stand in a dark room beneath it. Look up to see if light is coming in around the ceiling light fi xture. If there is light showing, you may want to insulate or use caulk.
10
2
Put weather stripping around doors and windows.
3
The bottom of your garage door should also have a weather strip to seal out drafts, especially if the garage is attached to the house.
3
photos: onEponY & JupitERimaGEs/thinkstock.com
4
Lower the temperature of your water heater. Each reduction of 10 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature can save you 3-5% in energy costs. Install low-flow shower heads for more savings.
5
Raking your leaves into garbage bags this fall? Instead of putting them curbside, use the bags to line the perimeter of your house for an extra level of insulation.
6
Heat rises, so reverse your ceiling fans to the clockwise position. This direction will help circulate
warm air that gathers near the ceiling, forcing it down the walls and into the room. Tilt the blades in the other direction for fans that don’t have the switch to reverse directions.
7
Close the fireplace damper when you aren’t using it.
8
Install a programmable thermostat. It is too easy to forget to reduce the heat when you leave the house or go to bed. If this task makes you nervous, hire a pro.
9
Consider installing gutter guards to keep gutters clean. Clean gutters can help prevent ice damning, which is a costly problem.
10
Get a good space heater for the room in which you will spend most of your time.
11
Wrap pipes that run along exterior walls with heat tape. This could go in the DIY column if you are sure you know what you are doing. Mistakes could cause a fire.
12
Have your furnace cleaned annually.
13
Have your chimney cleaned annually. Too many DIYers have had chimney fi res.
14
Installing insulation. It’s a big job with many variables. Unless you are very home improvement savvy, get a pro. That said, checking the insulation in the attic is probably the best place for the DIYer to start, and one of the most important places since heat rises.
15
Installing high-quality, energysaving windows. While pricy, even a few at a time can make a big difference.
16
Get an energy audit. Let the professionals point out where you can save money by improving the energy efficiency of your home. Much of this is common sense and, again, based on skill level. When in doubt, hire a pro. It will probably save you money in the long run. www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 75
energy guide
the 411 on Stoves
Considering a new way to heat your home? Gas, pellet, cornâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; when it comes to stoves, there are endless options.
S
toves are popular as people search for ways to save money on home heating costs. There are several options for stoves which can leave consumers with questions on which stove will best suit their needs. The following information is from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. For more information, search Frequent Questions at www.epa.gov/burnwise.
wHat SHouLd i Look for in a StoVe?
Yes. Natural gas and propane emit less soot and other air pollution than wood and pellet stoves.
It really depends on your needs, preferences, and budget. You can find stoves in a number of sizes, styles, and prices to suit your checkbook. If you choose to burn wood, there are a variety of EPAcertified wood stoves to choose from. If you prefer not to haul or chop wood, a pellet or gas stove may be more convenient. If heat during a power outage is a concern, you should know that the automatic pellet feed system in pellet stoves requires electric power.
wHat iS a peLLet StoVe and do tHey Burn CLeaner? A pellet stove burns small, compressed pellets made from ground, dried wood and other biomass wastes. They are typically among the cleanest wood-burning heating appliances and have high overall efficiency. Most pellet stoves need electricity to operate. A small electrical device controls the flow of pellets into the stove to be burned. Some models include a thermostat.
wHat iS a Corn StoVe? Corn stoves are very similar to pellet stoves, except they burn kernels of dried corn instead of compressed wood pellets. Their operation and effectiveness is similar to that of pellet stoves. Some pellet stoves can also burn dried corn kernels.
do gaS or propane StoVeS need to Be Certified By tHe epa? Gas stoves and gas fireplace inserts do not require EPA certification. They burn very cleanly, emitting very little pollution. Some models do not require outside venting, but the Environmental Protection Agency does not support their use due to indoor air quality concerns. As with any stove, it should be installed by a certified technician and inspected regularly.
76 / Bangor Metro October 2014
How do firepLaCeS Compare to wood StoVeS in termS of effiCienCy? Generally, fireplaces are not an efficient means of burning wood. They do not burn as cleanly as an EPA-certified wood stove. Furthermore, fireplaces provide less heat to your home, since most of the heat from a fireplace goes up the chimney. Most fireplace owners do not use their fireplaces as a primary source of heat. They may burn wood in their fireplace as supplemental heat on chilly days, or to provide ambiance to their home. For more efficient heating with less smoke, consider having a gas, pellet, or EPA-certified wood fireplace insert installed in your home.
wHat are firepLaCe inSertS? A fireplace insert is a stove designed to fit inside an existing fireplace. You can install an insert to burn wood, pellets, or gas.
wHat iS tHe differenCe Between a maSonry Heater and a maSonry firepLaCe? While masonry heaters and masonry fireplaces both provide warmth and ambience in a home, they differ significantly in design. Both devices may be built from brick, block, or stone, and employ a firebox. A masonry heater differs from a masonry fireplace in that it features a large masonry mass and a maze of heat exchange channels. These features allow a masonry heater to store heat from a fire within its masonry structure longer than a fireplace. After the fire burns out, the masonry heater continues to release heat into the home throughout the day. A masonry fireplace only provides warmth while the fire is burning. Because masonry heaters are designed to burn small, rapid, hot fires, they produce far less smoke than a masonry fireplace, low-mass fireplace, or non-certified wood stove, yet the heater's surface does not become too warm to touch.
wHat are fireLogS? The term "fi relog" can refer to two things. It can mean an artificial log containing gas burners, also known as a "gas log," designed to give the appearance of a real wood log in a gas fi replace or stove. It can also refer to a log manufactured from compressed sawdust and/or other organic material, sometimes blended with wax, for burning in a fi replace. While gas logs are generally not an air pollution issue, fi relogs manufactured for burning may be of concern.
photos: mskoRpion, constantinosZ, dRpas/thinkstock.com
are gaS StoVeS CLeaner tHan wood StoVeS or peLLet StoVeS?
The green car revolution will not happen overnight. But we can take the first steps to a brighter future together. Let us put you on the path toward greater fuel efficiency and energy conservation.
88 38 114
COMBINED MPGe COMBINED
�
COMBINED
126 CITY 101 HIGHWAY �:30kWh/100mi.
2014 Ford C-MAX Energi
2014 Nissan Leaf
88 38
COMBINED MPGe COMBINED
2014 Ford Fusion Energi
DARLINGS.COM
|
BANGOR
|
AUGUSTA
darlings.com
|
ELLSWORTH *MPG courtesy of www.fueleconomy.gov www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 77
energy guide
Space Heater Safety Tips Electric space heaters can take the chill off a room in no time. While they can be relatively inexpensive and easy to set up, there are safety guidelines that need to be followed.
photos: maonakub/thinkstock.com
Only purchase newer model heaters that have all of the current safety features. Make sure the heater carries the Underwriterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laboratory (UL) label, an indication that the product has been tested and is safe. Choose a thermostatically controlled heater because they avoid the energy waste by overheating a room. Check the general sizing table on the box and select a heater of the proper size for the room you wish to heat. Locate the heater on a level surface
away from foot traffic. Be especially careful to keep children and pets away from the heater because the surfaces can get very hot. Buy a unit with a tip-over safety switch, which automatically shuts off the heater if the unit is tipped over. Never leave a space heater unattended. Keep the heater three feet away from curtains, walls, bedding, and papers such as magazines, books, and newspapers. Turn the heater off before going to bed.
Add Supplemental Heat
Save up to
650
$
*
in discounts and rebates
Reduce fuel consumption up to 30%.
Sometimes, a simple addition can lead to a dramatic reduction. For instance, adding a propane space heater or heat pump can reduce your fuel consumption by as much as 30%. Call 1-800-649-1645 to learn how you can save.
*Amount combines available discounts and rebates. Call for complete details.
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 79
energy guide
Sealing Leaks to
Save money
Tighten up your house before winter sets in with these easy do-it-yourself tips.
t
his past winter I felt a draft in my living room. My windows were airtight, but my front door was not. I was amazed at how much cold air was coming through the crack at the bottom of my door. For a quick fix, I rolled up an old towel and placed it on the ground between my door and screen door—which helped a lot. With heating
prices rising year after year, I knew a more permanent fix was a must. According to www.houselogic.com, a typical family spends about $350 on air leaks each year. And if that typical family lives in northern Aroostook County, that figure is much higher. Here are some other ways you can help save money by sealing leaks throughout your home.
fLueS and CHimneyS Don’t let your hard earned money fly right out of your chimney! Depending on the age of your home, you could have half a dozen fireplaces to worry about. Seal your flue with an inflatable chimney balloon. They are easy to install and can be used year after year. Keep the chimney closed when not in use and make sure to have your chimney cleaned in the summertime when you’re not using it. Installing a glass door to your fireplace is another layer of protection.
If you have older windows, add caulk and use weatherstripping to seal leaks. While it’s a bit time consuming, your hard work will go a long way. But all the weatherstripping the world won’t hold a candle to new, modern windows. Installing a door sweep at the bottom of your doors will help keep the cold air out, too. It’s an inexpensive fix that you can do yourself. The use of drapes can also help prevent drafts. Most conventional drapes can reduce heat loss up to 10%. Heavier drapes do a better job. For maximum effectiveness, hang yoru drapes as close to the window as possible. Close all of your drapes at night to keep the cold air out and open your drapes during the day to allow the sun to warm your rooms. Storm panels added to older windows can do wonders, and can be added to the interior or exterior of your window. A cheaper fix is using a plastic window wrap kit, which can be bought at most hardware stores and is easy to install. 80 / Bangor Metro October 2014
photos: biG chEEsE photo , kimkoLE, mimadEo/thinkstock.com
windowS and doorS
Air Sealing and Insulating • Energy Audits & Assessments Hit the Basement The problem with older homes is that air leaks in where the frame of the house sits on the foundation. Some homes, like raised ranch-styled houses, have windows where air leaks happen. Caulk makes the best sealer for cracks that are less than a quarter inch wide. Take a close look at basement doors and windows for air leaks as well as around any pipes that pass to the outside, like your plumbing pipes. A great way to find leaks is to light a stick of incense and pass it over any seams. If there is a leak, the air will move your stream of incense smoke. Target those areas and you’ll be one more step ahead of Old Man Winter.
Certified Mold Testing/Removal • Basement & Crawl Space Waterproofing • Air Quality Control • Reduce Allergens
Check your Lights Do you have recessed lights in your home? Recessed lights have vents that open into your attic. As hot air rises, some of it could be going straight to your roof! If your lights are labeled ICAT (insulation contact and air tight) you have nothing to worry about—they’re already sealed. (To find out if your lights are ICAT, check the label next to the bulb.) Fixing light leaks is relatively easy, and you can do it yourself for not a lot of money. Buy some airtight baffle at your local hardware store. Remove your light bulb, shove the baffle into the housing of the light, and replace the bulb. Voila!
Serving all of Central and Downeast Maine
Call 207-827-4205 for Free Estimates Efficiency Maine Registered • Financing Available www.keithtrembley.com • www.drenergysaver.com
Warmth at the flip of a switch
Electrical Switches and Receptacles You would be surprised as to how much air can leak through your switches and outlets. There are a lot of holes for the wires inside the junction box that air can flow through. You can purchase airtight electrical outlets to install or seal the holes in the junction box with caulk. You should also seal the gap between the wall and the junction box.
Head up to the Attic There are many places in your attic where hot air can escape. Your goal should be to seal the large gaps and not worry so much about the little ones. The large problem areas include where the walls meet the attic floor, dropped-ceiling areas, and behind and under kneewalls, which are short walls used to support rafters. Dirty insulation is your first clue that air is moving through it. While you can add more insulation to your attic yourself, it’s a big job. Our area has many qualified contractors who can tackle this project for you.
ASK US ABOUT INSTALLING YOUR CHIMNEY LINER
A gas stove or fireplace is the easiest way to enjoy fire in any or every room of you home or cottage. Convenient, clean burning, easy to install and great looking, come visit us in Brewer or Ellsworth and check out our full line of natural gas or propane stoves and fireplaces! TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:
403 High Street, Ellsworth • 667-4122 603 Wilson Street, Brewer • 989-0077 www.mainestoves.com
www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 81
energy guide
More energy Savings Simple tips and tricks to save energy, time, and money on household appliances. repair aLL Leaky fauCetS
Cook to SiZe
warming tHe water Heater
One drop per second can waste more than a thousand gallons of water over the course of a year.
When cooking, use the smallest burner you can and match your pan size to the burner size. For example, a 6-inch pan on an 8-inch burner can waste over 40% of the heat produced by the burner. While cooking, avoid “peeking” by opening the oven door. Each “peek” can lower the oven temperature. Cook several dishes simultaneously in the oven if they use the same temperature.
Wrap your water heater with a water heater blanket to keep the contents inside warmer for longer.
uSe CfLS Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) which can give the same amount and quality of light as incandescent bulbs. CFLs use 75% less energy (saving up to $100/year per home) and last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
LigHtS Save money and increase security by installing motion detectors outdoors. Lights turn on only when someone is walking near the house. This will save energy while providing security. Be sure to turn off your indoor lights whenever you leave a room.
diSHwaSHer SaVVy Operate your dishwasher at full capacity and don’t use the “heated dry” cycle. Opening the dishwasher after the rinse cycle will allow your dishes to air dry. If your dishes are only slightly dirty, use the light or energy-saving wash cycle because it will use less water and run for a shorter time.
keep fridge CLean Be sure to keep refrigerator coils (on the back or the bottom of the appliance) clean. The doors should fit tightly on your refrigerator, freezer, and oven. Check it out by leaving a lit fl ashlight inside the closed appliance. If you see light around the gasket, replace it.
Fill your washing machine with as large a load as possible and use cold water to conserve energy and cut down on water usage. Front-loading washing machines use less water than top-loading models and can significantly save on energy.
82 / Bangor Metro October 2014
photo: GRassEtto/thinkstock.com
fiLL it up
Tips
your opportunity Prepare for a career or
Reduce Phantom Load There are appliances that will continue to draw power even when they are switched off. Monitors are relatively inexpensive and can give you a good indication of your energy usage from your appliances. You can also tell if an appliance, like your DVD player or stero, is drawing power if there are lights that remain on even when the appliance is turned off. Unplug the appliances that cause phantom load, or plug several of them onto a power strip and turn the strip off.
opt for an affordable start toward a 4-year degree. 29 Degree Programs from Business to Allied Health, Liberal Arts to the Trades.
Building clean energy for Maine www.nmcc.edu
(207) 768-2785
(800) 535-6682
z
33 EDGEMONT DRIVE z PRESQUE ISLE, ME 04769
Woolwich, Maine www.reed-reed.com
SARGENT
C O R P O R A T I O N Excellence for Generations.
A N EM PL OYEE OWN ED C OM PAN Y
energy guide
Cashing In
on Tax Credits As you upgrade your home, be sure to check if tax credits are available to help cover your costs.
Top notch electrical professionals providing world class solutions.
"# 0`ORZSg 2`WdS ESabP`]]Y ;3 Â? % "$" !% $ Â? SaP]cZ]a Q][ Utility and TEGGÂŽ Service Divisions in Auburn, ME
Clean Energy: Made in Maine With enough wind energy to power more than 85,000 New England homes, First Wind is proud to operate ďŹ ve wind energy projects right here in Maine. Our newest project in construction in Mars Hill Wind Farm Aroostook County will power another 50,000 homes and during construction will put hundreds of people to work. With 185 MW of wind energy capacity currently operating at four projects in Aroostook, PenobItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clean, renewable energy scot and Washington counties, First Wind is and sustainable economic proud to be generating enough power for more development â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right here than 75,000 Maine homes. Our in newest Maine.project
Wind Energy: Made in Maine
under construction in Hancock County will be yet another source of renewable energy and sustainLike wind in Maine: www.facebook.com/FirstWindUSA able economic development for Maine. Contact us:
(207) 228-6888 | www.ďŹ rstwind.com
Like wind in Maine: w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / W i n d f o r M a i n e Contact us: ( 2 0 7Farm ) 2 2 8 - 6 8 8 8 | w w w. f i r s t w i n d . c o m Mars Hill Wind
Mars Hill Wind Farm
84 / Bangor Metro October 2014
de in Maine
U
Geothermal heat pumps Geothermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning, and, in most cases, hot water. Because they use the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural heat, they are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available. The tax credit includes installation costs. Requirements: Must meet the requirements of the ENERGY STAR program which are in effect at the time of the expenditure. All ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pumps are eligible for the tax credit. As of December 1, 2009, geothermal heat pumps are no longer required to provide some or all of the domestic water heating. Tax credit: 30% of the cost with no upper limit. The credit expires December 31,
photo: Liudmila Sundikova/thinkstock.com
Bringing Renewable Energy to the Northeast
pgrading your home can save dramatically on energy costs and efficiency, but it can be expensive as well. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at current tax credits available to help reduce your tax bill. Federal Residential Energy Credits are available to homeowners who have made certain energy-efficiency upgrades, including installing a geothermal heat pump, wind turbine, solar water heater, or fuel cell. Existing homes and new construction qualify, as do principal residences and second homes. Rentals do not qualify for tax credits.
Efficient cooling and heating for year-round comfort HEAT PUMPS UNLIMITED, LLC has the heating & cooling solution for any size house, mobile home or commercial property. Our
What are the advantages of a heat pump? • Zoning to heat and cool individual spaces • Easy installation • Energy efficient • Constant comfort • Aesthetically pleasing & quiet
mission is to provide our customers with the best heating and cooling services available at a fraction of the price of conventional fuel costs.
HEAT PUMPS UNLIMITED, LLC 64 West Broadway, Lincoln 207-403-9087 www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 85
Calling all fellow Mainers! CN Brown, Maine’s trusted name for over 65 years, presents
BUNDLE & SAVE! Get a 5¢ discount on your CN Brown heating oil, when you enroll as a CN Brown Electricity customer.*
*Some Restrictions may apply
Start Saving - (207)-739-6444 or CNBrownElectricity.com
energy guide 2016, and you can apply by filing Tax Form 5695 with your tax return.
wind turbines A wind turbine collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity that is compatible with a home’s electrical system. The tax credit includes installation costs. Requirements: Must have a nameplate capacity of no more than 100 kilowatts. Tax credit: 30% of the cost with no upper limit. The credit expires December 31, 2016, and you can apply by filing Tax Form 5695 with your tax return.
solar water heaters Solar water heaters come in a wide variety of designs; all include a collector and storage tank and all use the sun’s thermal energy to heat water. Solar water heaters are typically described according to the type of collector and the circulation system. The tax credit includes installation costs. Requirements: At least half of the energy generated by the solar water heater must come from the sun. The system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable entity endorsed by the government of the state in which the property is installed. Note: The credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs. The water must be used in the dwelling. Photovoltaic systems (solar) must provide electricity for the residence and must meet applicable fire and electrical code requirement. Tax credit: 30% of the cost with no upper limit. The credit expires December 31, 2016, and you can apply by filing Tax Form 5695 with your tax return.
fuel cells A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity. Fuel cells have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our nation, offering cleaner, more-efficient alternatives to the combustion of gasoline and other fossil fuels. The tax credit includes installation costs. Requirements: Efficiency of at least 30% and must have a capacity of at least 0.5 kW. Tax credit: 30% of the cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity. The credit expires December 31, 2016. Dwelling must be your principal residence. 86 / Bangor Metro October 2014
Comfort you can count on.
Service you’ll love. Preferred
As a family-owned Maine business, Maritime Energy brings three generations and 75 years of experience to every customer we serve. If your fuel company is no longer locally owned, now is a great time to join the Maritime Energy family. You’ll find a fuel plan that fits you just right.
Budget
Pre-Buy
Discounts
• More Price Protection Plans • More Gasoline Discounts • More Supply • More Products • More Service • More Community
Find out more about our services, community commitment and Maritime Farms convenience stores at
m a r i t i m e e n e r g y. c o m
Main Office - Rockland • 800-333-4489 | Belfast • 207-338-1609 | Montville • 207-589-4460 | South China • 207-445-5222 www.bangormetro.com Bangor Metro / 87
CLEAN RENEWABLE
ENERGY
ONE OF MAINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FINEST RESOURCES
Did You Know? Last year alone, Maine wind projects helped eliminate air pollution equal to taking 100,000 cars off the road. Breathe easier. Support wind power in Maine. 88 / Bangor Metro October 2014
(617) 890-0600 | www.patriotrenewables.com
®, and The Diamond. The Promise.™ are Trade Marks used under license from The De Beers Group of Companies. © Forevermark 2014. Forevermark®,
A TRUE PROMISE WILL NEVER BE BROKEN
AUBURN - BANGOR - BRUNSWICK - SOUTH PORTLAND - WATERVILLE - MANCHESTER, NH. 800-439-3297
D i s c o v e r F o r e v e r m a r k® d i a m o n d s i n e x c e p t i o n a l d e s i g n s a t w w w. d a y s j e w e l e r s . c o m
Brent Folster, Tony Crews and Steve Thomas
INVESTED IN THE COMMUNITIES WE ARE PROUD TO SERVE. Vitalizing our communities is not just something we do; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that we are proud to be a part of. Our commercial loan officers may be your neighbor, board member or a local volunteer serving alongside the people and businesses of the Greater Bangor area; to our local business clients, they are also trusted advisors, there every step of the way to help them achieve their goals. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to discuss a new business banking relationship, contact your Greater Bangor commercial lending team today: Steve Thomas sthomas@camdennational.com 299-1355
Brent Folster bfolster@camdennational.com 299-1318
Tony Crews tcrews@camdennational.com 299-1332
Download our mobile banking app today. 800-860-8821 | CamdenNational.com | Member FDIC