GATHA • BREWER • SACO • PRESQUE ISLE • PITTSFIELD • BAR HARBOR • GUILFORD • FORT KENT • PORTLAND • LINCOLN • ELLSWORTH • KENNEBUN
The Future’s So Bright 4 Solar Powered Success Stories
The Kindness Project Bangor Natives Spread the Love
“How to Cook a Moose” Author Kate Christensen Shares a Recipe From Her New Book
Inside:
Ghost Towns
2015 Maine Energy Guide Songwriter Patty Griffin Inside Ralph’s Cafe
UMaine Football’s Hometown Players Then & Now: Jackman
$5.95
Fire, flood and reasons not wholly documented have caused the demise and eventual disappearance of many Maine towns. But you can still see the remains, if you know where to look.
October 2015
Your people, your region, your magazine.
OCTOBER 2015
contents
features SHARING KINDNESS / 12 Bangor couple shares the love through The Kindness Project LESSER-KNOWN SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER / 16 Recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month GHOST TOWNS / 20 The stories of four Maine towns that have disappeared over the years THEN & NOW: JACKMAN / 28 Enjoy a little North Woods hospitality HOMETOWN PRIDE / 34 Meet three UMaine football team seniors being celebrated at Hometown Day KITCHEN ROMANCE / 40 Author Kate Christensen shares an excerpt and recipe from her foodie memoir “How to Cook a Moose”
28
CREATIVE COOKING / 44 Meet the man behind the griddle at Ralph’s Cafe in Brooks
KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING / 64 Waldo County Woodshed helps the needy THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT / 66 Check out three Maine businesses investing in solar power FIRED UP FOR FALL / 74 McVety’s Hearth and Home is ready for heating season
66 2 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
PHOTOS: (TOP) RICHARD SHAW; (BOTTOM) BDN FILE
OLD TOWN GIRL / 48 Songwriter Patty Griffin talks about her first band and growing up in the Bangor area
Meet Songwriter Patty Griffin, page 48 20
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, page 56
PHOTOS: (PUMPKINS) AMY ALLEN; (HOUSE) DEAD RIVER AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY; (GUITAR) TIFONIMAGES/THINKSTOCK.COM; (SHARK) FUSE/THINKSTOCK.COM
59
in every issue
columns
TALK OF THE TOWNS / 8 News from your communities
METRO WELLNESS / 19 Creating your own happiness
BIZ BUZZ & SIGHTINGS / 10 People and places on the move
MAINE WOODS & WATERS / 56 We’re gonna need a bigger boat
WHAT’S HAPPENING / 36 October events and festivals
LAST WORD / 80 Take the Chainsaw of Change to your own Tree of Stuff
PERSPECTIVES / 50 The photographs of Rose Marasco SAVVY SENIORS / 52 Legislative victories for AARP Maine REAL ESTATE / 54 Five home renovation tips CROWN OF MAINE / 59 News from Aroostook County
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES
BONUS FEATURE! 2015 ENERGY GUIDE / 63 Plug into Bangor Metro’s 2015 Energy Guide! Cost cutting tips and more!
PLUG INTO
• Scan the code to visit us at bangormetro.com Visit us out on Facebook to enter fun giveaways! Check out our interactive map of Jackman (featured on page 28)
BANGOR MET RO'S
2015
GUIDE
BRIGHT FUTUR E The sunny future of
More photos from events around our region. Email your own event photos: sightings@bangormetro.com
solar
CUTTING HOME ENERGY COSTS Tips and tricks to keep out the cold KEEP THE FIRE BURNING Helping Mainer s in need www.bangorm
etro.com BANGOR METRO
/ 63
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 3
editor’s note
Bangor Metro’s Aimee Thibodeau and Laurie Cates wit h nephews Noah (left) and Grady (right), squaring off on the baseball field.
For those who are faithful readers of Bangor Metro, you may have noticed that family is a recurring theme.
While the overall topic of each issue changes, family is always important to us. This extends beyond our families at home to our magazine staff, which is as much like family as you can get. After all, we spend more hours at work than we do at home during the week. And like many families, we also happen to be a little bit competitive. Recently, sales manager Laurie Cates and myself got a good taste of that healthy competition as our nephews squared off on the baseball field in the 10-11 tournament. Laurie’s nephew, Grady, was playing for the Bears while my nephew, Noah, was on home turf in Old Town. Grady’s team won, but the boys were good sports and even posed for a picture after the game. It was fun to root from opposite sides of the field and there was plenty of playful taunting before the game, but in the end, we’re all family. And family always wins. In keeping with the family theme, I often get asked by relatives why I don’t cover something, write about something, take a photo of something – family isn’t afraid to say what they mean. Earlier this year, my father-in-law and his brother asked about solar energy in Maine. He had seen several buildings putting up solar panels, including a few businesses and wanted to know more. I admit, I brushed off the idea at first. But then we started planning for the October Energy issue of Bangor Metro. Others on the magazine team thought it was interesting. Rick and Pete were right – there was a story there. So, to the world’s best, smartest, handsomest father-in-law in the whole wide world (yes, that really is how I greet him when he calls me), you were right...again. Rick, I hope you enjoy our energy section, but more specifically, I hope we answer some of your solar questions.
AIMEE THIBODEAU, MANAGING EDITOR
4 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
www.bangormetro.com P.O. Box 1329 Bangor, Maine 04402-1329 Phone: 207.990.8000
MANAGING EDITOR
Aimee Thibodeau athibodeau@bangordailynews.com
STAFF WRITER
Emily Burnham eburnham@bangordailynews.com
SALES MANAGER
Laurie Cates lcates@bangordailynews.com
ART DIRECTOR
Amy Allen aallen@bangordailynews.com
SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER
Fred Stewart fstewart@bangordailynews.com
Connect with Bangor Metro Online! bangormetro.com facebook.com/BangorMetro @BangorMetro editor@bangormetro.com
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 5
You shouldn’t have to make choices between receiving cancer treatment and participating in day-to-day life.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Bob Duchesne
Jane Margesson
THE MARY DOW CENTER makes it easier to receive care close to home. Schedule chemotherapy and other infusion treatments when it is convenient for you—and continue working, taking classes, caring for your family, or participating in whatever other joys your life holds. The Mary Dow Center partners with Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Maine to ensure comprehensive and compassionate care.
Deb Neuman
Chris Quimby
For more information about the Mary Dow Cancer Center, please call 664-5430 or visit us online at www.MaineHospital.org 50 Union Street, Suite 2100 Ellsworth, Maine 207-664-5311 | 1-888-645-8829 www.mainehospital.org
Richard Shaw
Emilie Brand Throckmorton
Need a Bangor Metro Magazine. October 2015, Vol. 11, 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 Aimee Thibodeau at athibodeau@bangordailynews.com. Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Sales Manager, Laurie Cates at 207-990-8149. 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 Fred Stewart at 207-990-8219. Accounts Payable/Receivable: For information about your account please contact Laurie Cates at 207-990-8149.
Gift Idea? Send some love with
a subscription to
Bangor Metro! For subscriptions,
call 990-8219
COVER PHOTO: Christian Müller & johnnorth/Thinkstock.com
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7
talk of the towns
A Good Ol’ Fashioned
LIBERTY: Bud Steeves loved the town of Liberty and over the years served many roles in the community to get things done and help his neighbors. So when the 56-year-old first selectman died suddenly of a heart attack right after going home from a board meeting at the end of July, townspeople wanted to repay Steeves’ love, service and friendship. For many years, the automotive mechanic by trade had wanted to construct a not-for-profit garage at his home, where people could come use the lift, benefit from his expertise and work on their vehicles. He had only gotten as far as framing the large structure before his death. “It was his lifelong dream,” said Liberty road commissioner Tammy Reynolds. “We’ve had two building bees so far, with over 100 volunteers. We were able to sheathe the roof and sheathe the entire building. It was a huge community effort by everybody in this town.” The two building bees were held the weekend of Aug. 15 and 16, with a crew of willing workers – spanning ages 9 to 80-plus. One thing the volunteer labor force had in common was an affection for Steeves, who worked at Belmont Boatworks and who is survived by his wife Melinda, daughters Clara, Cassidy, Cady and Carolyn, a granddaughter, Elise, and a grandson, Lucas. In addition to his serving as first selectman, Steeves was a volunteer firefighter and ambulance driver and previously had been the town clerk for 10 years. Two more building bees were scheduled to happen in September. 8 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Liberty First Selectman Bud Steeves, 56, shown here with his granddaughter, Elsie, died suddenly of a heart attack at the end of July. The community is coming together to finish a garage project that had been a lifelong dream of his.
“I just wanted to finish his project,” Melinda Steeves said. “I’m so appreciative of everyone in the town, and everyone that’s helped out. It truly is something that I could not do on my own.” For more information about the Bud Steeves’ garage project, call Tammy Reynolds at 589-4780.
Original BDN story by Abigail Curtis
PHOTOS: BDN FILE
Maggie Clark, center, of Montville helps to work on the garage that Liberty First Selectman Bud Steeves had started building before his death at the end of July.
Garage Raising
Lifting the Load BIDDEFORD: Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, Maine’s oldest bank, recently partnered with Volk Packaging, the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club, the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, Godbout Plumbing & Heating and Ray’s Truck Service to equip the Biddeford Food Pantry warehouse with a forklift. “This has been a truly unbelievable experience,” said Don Bisson, manager of the Biddeford Food Pantry. “This equipment will ultimately provide us with a significant cost savings and the ability to utilize our new pallet units. With the money we will save when we are able to purchase more food at a greatly reduced rate and the extra space that we now have to warehouse it, we will be able to feed more people at a reduced cost. It is simply a blessing.” Don Lauzier, vice president and director of community relations at Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, who spearheaded this collaborative effort, worked with members of the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club, the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce and Jim Godbout of Godbout Plumbing & Heating to secure financing for the equipment, which was purchased at a discount from Volk Packaging in Biddeford. Ray’s Truck Service volunteered to transport the 4,000-pound machine from Volk Packaging to the food pantry on one of its flatbed trucks. The estimated retail value of the forklift is approximately $8,500-$10,000. Also known as the Friends of Community Action Food Pantry, the Biddeford Food Pantry has provided countless families, individuals and seniors in the Biddeford-Saco area with the resources they need to succeed in the fight against hunger.
Paul Deschambeault of the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club, Don Lauzier of Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution and a member of the BiddefordSaco Rotary Club, Estella Papassavas of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, and Don Bisson of the Biddeford Food Pantry.
Pumpkins in PHOTOS: (TOP) COURTESY OF SACO & BIDDEFORD SAVINGS INSTITUTION; (PUMPKIN) MERYDOLLA/THINKSTOCK.COM
the Park BANGOR: UCP of Maine’s family fun, community Halloween party is set for noon-5 p.m. Sunday, October 25, at Cross Insurance Center. The event will feature bounce houses, trick-or-treating, face painting, glowing jacko-lanterns and more, and proceeds will benefit UCP of Maine to support local children and adults living with disabilities. Admission is $3 per person, kids under age 3 are free, and families get in for $10. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For information, visit ucpofmaine.org.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9
biz buzz & sightings On the Move JEFF DORAN has joined
Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems as its first vice president of System Clinical Services. In this new role, under the office of chief medical officer Robert Thompson, MD, MBA, Doran is responsible for the effective and efficient operation of EMHS’ system clinical services with a focus on achieving the Triple Aim plus one — an excellent experience for patients, improving the health of Maine communities, and lowering the cost of care, while providing a great environment for providers and employees to contribute to EMHS work. DR. ELLEN LAUER , a
Penobscot Pediatrics pediatrician, has been named the Maine Osteopathic Association's Young Physician of the Year. Dr. Lauer was recognized for her anti-bullying education work called “Skate Don’t Hate” with Central Maine Derby. She has made a significant impact on the lives of many youth living in Maine with her important message about bullying prevention. TODD SAUCIER has joined
United Insurance as vice president and account executive. Before joining United Insurance, Todd was the president/ executive director of the University of Maine Alumni Association. Prior to UMAA, Todd held positions at Medical Financial Services and Coles Express. He is a graduate of the University of Maine where he earned his degree in Business Administration and later completed his MBA. Saucier is actively involved in three of the largest State Chambers, serves on the board of the Boy Scouts Katahdin Area Council, and is a board member of his local snowmobile club. PETER FENDLER , president of Norton
Financial Services in Cumberland, was selected as a delegate to the National Association of Plan Advisors’ DC Fly-In Forum, an exclusive gathering of the nation’s leading retirement plan 10 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
advisors. As a forum delegate, Fendler met in Washington, D.C. to listen to and brief top congressional leaders about the importance and future of the nation’s workplace retirement plans, and, as advocates for the employers and participants they work with, share how proposed laws and regulations might impact American workers’ retirement security. Fendler, a member of NAPA, was one of approximately 200 delegates to participate in the third annual NAPA DC Fly-in Forum in July. JESSICA A. LEWIS has returned to
Bernstein Shur law firm’s Business Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group. Lewis is an experienced bankruptcy attorney with significant first chair experience. Her practice will focus on business restructuring and insolvency proceedings, including chapter 11 reorganizations, asset sales and acquisitions, and bankruptcy-related litigation. Lewis was formerly an associate at Bernstein Shur from 2006 to 2013, and she will return as an of counsel attorney in the firm’s Portland office. Maine Savings recently hired a new loan operations specialist and four new tellers, as well as recognized three of its employees for their hard work. ASHLEY CORRIVEAU, of Old Town, was hired as Loan Operations Specialist in the Hampden headquarters. In this role, she will provide support in loan servicing. Maine Savings also hired the following three tellers at its Broadway branch in Bangor: RANELLE SMITH , of Bangor; ASHLEY STANHOPE , of Bucksport; and RYAN HILL , of Bangor. MARCIA MCFARLAND, of Ellsworth, will also join the credit union as a teller at its Ellsworth branch. With the continued growth of the credit union, three employees have also accepted new challenges at Maine Savings. KAYLA GRINDLE , of Corinth, is now a teller at the Brewer branch. She was most recently a special agent at the member service center in Brewer; SIOBHAN GROGAN, of Bangor, is now a retail assistant at Hampden headquarters in Bangor. She was most recently a teller at the Broadway branch. And EMILY MORIN, also of Corinth, was promoted to lead teller at the Broadway branch. She was most recently a teller.
Awards RALPH TURNER of TB Equipment &
Rental has been presented a top 20 salesman in North America award, from Hyundai Construction Equipment, by Matt West, the regional sales manager for Hyundai Construction Equipment. This award came with a trip for Turner and his wife, Paula, to Mexico. In its annual issue exploring the state of cancer research and treatment today, Newsweek magazine has announced its list of top cancer specialists in the nation. Among those named are three physicians affiliated with Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute: HECTOR TARRAZA, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Maine Medical Partners Gynecologic Oncology in Scarborough; TRACEY WEIGEL, MD a thoracic surgeon specializing in lung and esophageal cancer at Maine Medical Partners Cardiothoracic Surgery of Portland; and TRACEY WEISBERG, MD a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer of New England Cancer Specialists in Scarborough. Within the first six months of the company’s Hope@Home initiative, CAMDEN NATIONAL BANK donated a total of $20,000 to more than 30 homeless shelters across the state and has helped raise awareness around the issue of homelessness in Maine. Through the community-based, statewide program, for every home Camden National Bank finances, $100 is donated to a homeless shelter in the community of the new homeowner, and in the homeowner’s name. Of the total amount donated so far, the counties receiving the largest percentage of the funds include Hancock County with 22 percent, Knox County with 20 percent, Penobscot County with 12 percent, and Piscataquis County with 12 percent.
Grants The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $835,037 to the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging at JACKSON LABORATORY in Bar Harbor. The funding will be used for the continuation of research on the aging process.
Funds are being
raised for wonderful organizations all over our state. Here’s a look at just a few special events from the past month...
2
1
1: Dirigo Pines staff pose before hitting the links at the first-ever Dirigo Pines Golf Classic held at Traditions Golf Club in Holden as a fundraiser for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. 2: Skowhegan Savings Charitable Foundation has awarded Penobscot Community Health Care’s Jackman Community Health Center a $25,000 grant to help fund a new Urgent Care entrance. The center also received $5,000 from
the Western Mountains Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to support awareness efforts for the practice’s x-ray services. 3: Maine Cancer Foundation recently was presented with a $10,000 contribution and honored by the Boston Red Sox at a game at Fenway Park. The Foundation was selected as the "people's choice" winner for Maine by popular vote from the fans.
3
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11
movers & shakers
O Kindness Sharing
Labors of love bring smiles to strangers. BY DEB NEUMAN
n a Saturday
in November 2013, mysterious packages were being discovered throughout downtown Bangor. Large yellow envelopes with “THIS MUST BE FOR YOU” written on the outside appeared on benches, under the arms of statues and leaning against buildings. That morning, 50 random people who happened to be in the right place at the right time received an unexpected gift. The envelopes contained an assortment of prints, note cards and pins created by local artists.
and Andrea Beaulieu of Bangor revealed that they were the mystery gift givers. “We wanted to remain anonymous for as long as possible. We didn’t want people to think there was an ulterior motive behind this,” Gray said. Gray and Beaulieu grew up in the Bangor area and met in 2013. They started a business called Linear to combine their talents in art, graphics and web design. “We wanted to give something back to this place we love so much and thought this would be the perfect way to say thank you,” Gray said. He credits a video he
“It’s been about bringing joy into people’s lives. Seeing how people react makes us feel so good and that is what makes us want to do more.” – Steve Gray There was no warning. No notice. No one came downtown looking for the envelopes. The envelopes found them. Those responsible for the “gifting” remained anonymous while they sat in a coffee shop window watching the envelopes being discovered. The mystery was solved months later at a PechaKucha event when Steve Gray
Steve Gray and Andrea Beaulieu are the masterminds behind The Kindness Project, an unique effort to give back to the community.
12 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
saw about a similar project in the United Kingdom for inspiring the idea. “We loved watching people’s reactions when they found an envelope,” Beaulieu said, recalling that November morning. “Some didn’t know what to make of it while others opened up the packages and smiled.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LINEAR
Once their identities had been revealed they named their efforts “The Kindness Project.” On Valentine’s Day in 2014 they showed more love to Bangor by distributing 50 pink envelopes that contained a one-of-a-kind print of a snowman holding a heart, along with a lollipop and flower seed packet. The print was created by Robert Dowling, a local painter and carver. “He created a block to make the prints for us and destroyed it afterwards,” Beaulieu said. Valentine’s Day 2015 couldn’t go by without the “Kindness Project” delivering more love in several large painted jewelry boxes filled with art, CDs, silly string and cards. Twenty five smaller boxes containing chocolates and cards also were distributed. “We made these easy to spot by tying balloons to each one,” Gray said. “We knew we had begun a tradition that we have to continue when a mom posted on Facebook that her son saw the balloons and said, ‘Look mom, they did it again,’” Beaulieu said. Gray and Beaulieu continue to come up with creative and fun ways to give back to Bangor. Most recently, it was in the form of a piano. “I saw a video of a homeless man playing a piano outside a café in Vancouver, Canada and thought how many people are in a similar situation in Bangor and why can’t we do that here,” Beaulieu said. Gray and Beaulieu set out to find a donated piano and partners to help them restore, house and care for it, and place it in Pickering Square in downtown Bangor for anyone to play. “It’s been about bringing joy into people’s lives. Seeing how people react makes us feel so good and that is what makes us want to do more,” said Gray. “I have a 5-year-old son and it’s important to me to pass along the idea of doing good things for others,” Beaulieu said. They say that when you do good things for others, good things come back to you. That has been true for Gray and Beaulieu. “Steve and I realized through doing this how perfect we are for each other each other, not only in business but personally, too,” Beaulieu said. While the couple were selflessly showing love for their city, they discovered their love for each other.
Looking for
Something To Do?
Find Ideas on our online
calendar of events
bangormetro.com www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 13
Smile!
It’s National Dental Hygiene Month
Brushing Tips
• Brushing for two minutes twice a day is the best way to reduce plaque and bacteria, and prevent cavities. Start brushing as soon as your baby’s the first tooth has erupted. • Remember to replace your toothbrush at least every three months or when bristles show signs of wear to avoid a buildup of bacteria and germs and to keep your brush in good working order. • Don’t forget to brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.
B
rush, floss, rinse,
repeat – we all know the basics when it comes to dental hygiene. Here are a few extra tips from College Avenue Dental Associates to keep your mouth happy and healthy.
Tips to Establish a Daily Flossing Routine
Rinsing with Mouthwash
• Developing a good flossing habit can be difficult to establish. Dentists recommend flossing at least once per day, preferably at the same time everyday to make it part of your daily routine as soon as the first tooth has erupted.
• Your teeth are only part of your mouth – keep the rest healthy by rinsing with an anti-microbial rinse each day to help prevent gum disease (gingivitis). • Talk to your dental hygienist about what rinse is right for you, as well as the best age to start kids with a fluoride mouthwash.
• Get kids started early to make it a regular part of the bedtime routine. • Keep floss in multiple locations – visual reminders will help prompt you to pick up the floss.
Courtesy of
• Try different textures and flavors to find a favorite.
14 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Paid Advertisement for College Avenue Dental Associates.
PHOTOS: SHIRONOSOV & WOJCIECH GAJDA/THINKSTOCK.COM
College Avenue Dental Associates offers these tips to keep your smile bright and healthy for a lifetime.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 15
metro health
Lesser-Known Symptoms of ARTICLE COURTESY OF METROCREATIVECONNECTION.COM
P
ublic perception
that breast cancer is only identified by lumps detected through self-examination or routine mammography may prevent thousands of women from receiving an early diagnosis and the care they need. Although lumps are the most common symptom associated with the disease, women should recognize that breast cancer can produce additional symptoms. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, one of the premier organizations for breast cancer research, advo- cacy and treatment, advises that the warning signs for breast cancer are not the same for all women (or men). Various changes in the breast and body can occur, including the following conditions.
16 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Breast Cancer
Breast-size changes
Many left and right breasts are not completely symmetrical, and women familiar with their bodies know that one breast is often slightly larger than the other. However, breast-size changes that occur out of the blue may be indicative of a medical problem.
Skin rash or redness
Women who are breastfeeding can experience a rash on the breasts from an infection of breast tissue. But those who are not breastfeeding should be evaluated by a doctor if redness, irritation or rash appears.
Nipple changes
Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and is not associated with breastfeeding can be indicative of cancer. Other changes to the nipples, such as pulling in of the nipple (inversion) or itchy, scaling skin on the nipple, should be brought to the attention of a doctor.
Changes to the skin
Dimpling of the skin, peeling, flaking, or scaling skin can be a cause for concern as well.
Lumps elsewhere
Cancerous tumors may not only be felt in the breasts. Breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes around the breasts, and lumps may be felt under the arms.
Unexplained pain
The Mayo Clinic advises that less than 10 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer report pain as a symptom. But unexplained pain in an area of the breast should not be ignored. Breast pain that does not go away and seems to involve one area of the breast should be checked.
Fatigue
General cancer symptoms can include unusual fatigue and unexplained weight loss. These symptoms should not be left unchecked.
One of the best things women and men can do is to familiarize themselves with their bodies so they will be more capable of pinpointing any irregularities that may develop. Individuals can routinely look at their breasts and inspect for subtle changes. But remember that hormonal breast changes occur during the menstrual cycle, so it’s best to be familiar with how breasts look and feel both during and after menstruation.
PHOTOS: MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES & RUDYANTO WIJAYA/THINKSTOCK.COM
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Do you know these warning signs?
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 17
18 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
metro
wellness
Create Your Own
Happiness
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. . You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it”. –Elizabeth Gilbert
I
PHOTO: NENSURIA/THINKSTOCK.COM
finally read
the popular book, “The Happiness Project,” by Gretchen Rubin; I recommend it, as it gave me much food for thought. Rubin created a set of personal goals not simply to become happy (she is clear from the beginning that she wasn’t unhappy), but to set a higher standard for her life, to not let mundane annoyances consume her, and take a “transcendent perspective” to find gratitude in her every day. If you are like me, you will immediately start asking yourself some of the same questions that Rubin asks of herself as you read, and begin to construct some guidelines for your own Happiness Project. How can I live more deliberately? How can I love better? What makes me truly happy? How can I help myself to lighten up? As someone who leans toward introspection anyway, I loved Rubin’s concept, and it got me thinking. No matter what our baseline is, can’t we all benefit from upping our happiness level? I gauge my own happiness level on how generous I feel with others. If I’m doing a good job taking care of myself, and I feel good about my life, then I can be more outward and friendly, have more patience with those around me, and basically have more to give. If I’m struggling with something, I tend to become inward and quiet; then when anyone needs my attention, I get irritable. As a wife, mother and teacher, having enough output of happiness is important to me, so I started thinking of my own
Happiness Project as a set of guidelines for not only how to feel better, but how to boost my own happiness reserves. I asked myself: what ACTUALLY gives me joy, and what ACTUALLY gives me energy that I can share with the people in my life, and came up with a short set of guidelines. Do something quiet: If not every day, then at least a few times a week, I greatly benefit from making time to look inward. Traditional sitting meditation is the most effective, but a yoga class also reaps huge rewards for my state of mind. I recently discovered coloring books for adults, which are books full of beautiful and complex designs meant to calm the nerves. Also, don’t you just love a batch of freshly sharpened colored pencils? Make mornings easy: One of the best gifts I give myself is getting lunches packed, clothes organized and the coffee maker set up the night before a school night. I also wake up in plenty of time to allow for 30 minutes of coffee drinking alone. (See guideline No. 1) Say no: I got much better at this one once I entered my 40s. I say “no thanks” to social obligations that only serve a sense of duty. I say “no thanks” to extra committee work or too many requests to volunteer. I avoid conversations with complainers.
Making time for what gives you joy can help energize your life. BY EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON
Mix up tired routines: I’ve been a diligent and committed runner for years, and it has become my go-to form of exercise, but lately, I’m not finding as much joy in it as I used to. I have given myself permission to take a break from running (See guideline No. 3). The form of exercise that gives me joy is riding my bike, so much so that I’m very likely to burst into song while cruising down a hill. I also truly love boot camp group exercise classes where the music is blaring. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good: Even if you’re just having reheated pizza and salad, you can still make it a sit down dinner with the family. Your house doesn’t have to be tidy all the time. Your pie crusts don’t have to be from scratch. Take shortcuts if they create more time for yourself or your family. These five guidelines help keep me happy, and therefore, give me energy to be good to the people around me. How about you? What makes you feel joy? What makes you feel energized? Can you cut back on things that frustrate you or give you anxiety? I think the best and most simple idea embedded in “The Happiness Project” is the acknowledgement that more than anything else, your happiness depends on you. Make your own list and see what happens.
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.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 19
feature story
Towns
Ghost Ghost
Fire, flood, poverty and reasons not wholly documented have caused the demise and eventual disappearance of many Maine towns. But you can still see the remains of some, if you know where to look. BY EMILY BURNHAM
433 towns and cities in the state of Maine, the vast majority have a population under 5,000, and another large percentage have a population under 2,000. There are towns that have hung on throughout the state’s history with just a few hundred residents – and then there are towns that, at some point, ceased to exist altogether. Though you probably associate the term “ghost town” with the Wild West and the boom-and-bust nature of the gold and silver rushes of the 19th century, there actually are ghost towns all over the country, including several right here in Maine. They range from Colonial-era settlements slowly abandoned over the years, to communities that rose up with a particular industry and then died when that employer closed. Some of those towns have left no trace, but a handful still have buildings, foundations and other structures still standing, just waiting for someone to stumble across them.
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IMAGES: CHRISTIAN MÜLLER & JOHNNORTH/THINKSTOCK.COM
O
f the
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feature story
Perkins Township
The Swan Island Historic District is all that remains of a once-affluent small town, with just a few structures still standing, some of which date to the 1750s.
Sagadahoc County
Swan Island in the lower Kennebec River – not to be confused with Swan’s Island in Hancock County – didn’t become a town until the 1840s, but has a long history of human activity. The Kennebec tribe of the Abenaki Indians inhabited the island for centuries before an expedition from the Popham Colony in arrived in 1607. In 1750, Capt. James Whidden and his family lived there, and during that time his home was attacked by Native Americans, who took most of his family captive and sold them to the French. Later, Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr supposedly visited during the Revolutionary War. Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a wealthy Boston merchant, in the mid 1840s paid the fees to incorporate the town – the residents of which, in turn, named the town after him. Perkins at one point had a town hall, a school and a cemetery, and many of its more than 100 residents worked in the town’s three ice cutting businesses and busy shipyard.
Perkins continued to operate as a largely summer resident community until the early 20th century, when those rusticators began to leave. The town disincorporated in 1918 and became Perkins Township, and by the 1940s the cumulative effect of river pollution and the Great Depression left the island completely uninhabited. Today, the Swan Island Historic District is all that remains of a once-affluent small town, with eight buildings and five structures still standing, some of which date to the 1750s. The island, including the former township, is managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife and is known as the Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area. A reservationonly ferry, run by the state, takes visitors across the river to camp, hike, kayak and watch for wildlife – as well as hunt for what remains of a little slice of Maine history. For information about visiting, check out maine.gov/swanisland.
Mayfield
Piscataquis County Though it did not meet a dramatic end by fire, flood, pollution or poverty, the tiny town of Mayfield, northeast of Bingham in Piscataquis County, nevertheless can be added to the ranks of ghost towns in Maine.
What was once Mayfield is now mostly old, abandoned building foundations and bits of leftover wood and metal. The town was first settled and organized by farmers and lumbermen and their families in 1836, and by 1850 had a population of 180, with a schoolhouse doubling as a church constructed in 1845. The townsfolk voted to not allow a railroad to pass through the 22 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
town, and by 1880, the townsfolk chose to dis-organize. They then reorganized in 1892 as a plantation, which supported a busy slate quarry that employed much of the townsfolk. The plantation then surrendered organization again in 1937, as only one family remained living in the town. Today, though there are a handful of seasonal camps on Kingsbury Pond and Mayfield Pond, there are no residents left in the town; nearby Kingsbury Plantation has only 28 residents as of the 2010 census. What was once Mayfield is now mostly old, abandoned building foundations and bits of leftover wood and metal. Why did the town dry up? Explanations vary: some say the slate
quarry closing spelled the town’s demise, others say the fact that the railroad never came through the town precipitated its decline, and still others say that the passage of time and
PHOTOS: (TOP) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISH AND WILDLIFE; (RYAN PRESCOTT) BDN FILE
Ryan Prescott photographs the remains of Fort Foster during an Abandonment of Maine expedition.
people and families slowly moving elsewhere simply caused Mayfield to wither away.
Finding Maine
Teen starts club for those interested in exploring abandoned and historic sites.
Ryan Prescott of East Machias is the founder of Abandonment of Maine, a club for those interested in exploring abandoned and historic sites. Each summer, he leads two or three expeditions for family and friends. "A lot of it is about the hunt, really," he said earlier this year on the way to look for Fort Foster, an abandoned fort in East Machias which was involved in a Revolutionary War battle on Aug. 15, 1777. Fort Foster is just one of the areas explored by Prescott and Abandonment of Maine, which began in 2012. "It actually started on a whim really. I was totally out of things to do on an afternoon in eighth grade," Prescott said. He and a friend went for a walk down an old road. Prescott posted a video of the walk and got the idea to do more. Eventually he made an Abandonment of Maine website. The group can also be found on Facebook. The website says it's important to leave things as they are found. And don't leave anything behind. "Nothing pains me more than to see a beer can or three or nine strewn about the remnants of a significant historical site," the Abandonment of Maine website says. "Just pocket your trash and throw it somewhere more suitable." Prescott connects with and even gives advice to others with similar hobbies who find the Facebook page. Finding sites to explore involves word of mouth and the use of USGS topographical maps and tax maps, as well in some cases reaching out to property owners. "I definitely stress gaining permission to the sites you'll be exploring," he tells a poster asking for advice on getting started exploring. "We mostly do rural explorations where there aren't many buildings to speak of, and many people might not want to give permission for buildings that are in a deteriorating state and may be a hazard. So you might not have much luck getting into certain structures."
Adapted from a Bangor Daily News story by Johanna Billings, May 2015. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 23
feature story
Riceville
Hancock/Penobscot County Among the spookiest of Maine ghost towns is Riceville, located on either side of the Penobscot and Hancock county lines, north of the town of Great Pond and south of Burlington. In the late 19th century, it was a growing village structured around a tannery. Today, there’s nothing more than a handful of building foundations, a road and a cemetery – as well as a few scary stories. In 1879, the F. Shaw and Brothers Company opened a bark extract works on the Buffalo Stream, and eventually opened a tannery to use that bark extract to tan hides. Over the next 15 years, more than 100 people settled in the area to work at the tannery. By 1896 the tannery and bark works were purchased by James Rice, for whom the town was named. At that point, Riceville was home to a post office, a schoolhouse, a dance hall and a baseball field, where the Hancock Tannery baseball team regularly played with other regional teams. Telephone lines were extended to the town in 1903. In the early hours of Dec. 31, 1905,
24 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
however, a fire broke out in the tannery building, and while no one was injured or killed, most of the facility was destroyed. Though there is no proof, there was speculation at the time that the blaze was started by an incendiary device. Over the next few years, Riceville was abandoned by its nearly 200 residents, almost all of whom were out of a job. The 1910 census recorded no residents. There are apocryphal tales that tell of people approaching the town in the years after its abandonment and finding dead bodies in the road and around the town; other stories claim that the residents disappeared seemingly overnight, and traders coming into the town were shocked to see the whole place abandoned. Regardless, Riceville ceased to exist as a town in a very short amount of time. The land is owned by paper companies now, but brave adventurers with a good off road vehicle can try to find the former village by heading off the Stud Mill Road in Great Pond, and bringing a really good map with them.
PHOTOS: (BLACK &WHITE PHOTOS) COURTESY OF BANGOR GHOST HUNTERS; BDN FILE
(Top) An undated photo of the boarding house at Riceville. (Middle) Equipment at Riceville barn. (Left) Harold "Bubba" Murray III of Bangor Ghost Hunters checks out remains of the former Brown Farm site in the now-vacant Riceville.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 25
feature story
Flagstaff
Somerset County Flagstaff (north of Sugarloaf Mountain, east of Eustis) wasn’t so much abandoned as it was destroyed. In the late 1940s, as hydroelectric power spread across Maine, Central Maine Power Company built a dam on Dead River – flooding Flagstaff and the nearby village of Dead River.
Settlers arrived in what was Flagstaff in the early 19th century, establishing sawmills and gristmills and starting farms. The town was named for the flagstaff that Benedict Arnold purportedly planted in what became the town, as he marched toward Quebec during the American Revolution. For more than 100 years, the town prospered – that is, until the 1930s and 40s, when Central Maine Power began building dams through-
out the region and purchasing land that eventually was to be flooded. By 1948, crews were clearing brush from that land, and a year later began burning it, engulfing the town in smoke. In 1950, the Long Falls Dam on the Dead River was completed, the gates were shut, and Flagstaff and nearby Dead River were under water. Most of the townsfolk had settled with the power company and had moved on, but those who had not found their living rooms and kitchens more than a
Photos from the Dead River Area Historical Society of Flagstaff, including Main Street, before and during the intentional flooding.
26 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
bit soggy. The town cemetery, as well as a number of residents, relocated to Eustis. Today, Flagstaff Lake is all that remains of the town – until, perhaps, some enterprising scuba divers take a look underneath the surface and see if anything is left.
Sources: Dead River Historical Society, AbandonmentofMaine.com, Bangor Daily News archives, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DEAD RIVER AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
In 1950, the Long Falls Dam on the Dead River was completed, the gates were shut, and Flagstaff and nearby Dead River were under water.
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jackman then & now
(Above) A historic photo of Main Street in Jackman. (Left, top) A photo of Moose River House, courtesy of Maine Historic Preservation. (Middle) Jackman’s Armstrong House circa 1909. (Bottom) Main Street, Jackman today.
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North Woods
Hospitality
What Jackman is lacking in size, it makes up for in hospitality and year-round adventure.
HISTORIC PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACKMAN/MOOSE RIVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MAINE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION, UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, BANGOR PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND BANGOR DAILY NEWS STORY & PHOTOS BY RICHARD SHAW
N
o other Maine
town looks and feels quite like Jackman. Less than 1,000 people live here, but its Main Street is studded with stores, motels and restaurants. Gas stations and outfitters serve the nearly nonstop traffic going to and from Quebec, 17 miles to the north. The northern Somerset County landscape, lush with lakes and mountains, draws almost as many tourists as sportsmen. “Welcome, Bienvenue” greets visitors along Route 201, aka Old Canada Road. Stop by Bishop’s Store or Trailside One
Stop and you’re as likely to hear French spoken as English. In October, a month of colorful foliage and harvested moose, the talk is all about hunting and photography. Return in winter and it’s snowmobiling. Spring, fishing. Summer, canoes and ATVs. This four-season mecca, nicknamed “The Switzerland of Maine” by students in the 1960s, keeps changing, but it’s the same town it has always been. Honesty and decency thrive here, said Michael Chaisson, president of the Jackman/ Moose River Historical Society. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 29
jackman then & now (Right) The former railroad station in Jackman. (Below) The guest registration book for the Newton House in Jackman. (Bottom) A postcard from 1909 showing the Newton House on Kennebec Road.
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Based in an historic wooden hall at 574 Main St., the society’s museum chronicles the town’s roots. The region was first visited in 1819 by Samuel Holden and his family, who followed the
The region was first visited in 1819 by Samuel Holden and his family, who followed the Kennebec River north to the Forks. They then traveled over land on snowshoes for 30 miles and settled in the Moose River Valley. Kennebec River north to the Forks. They then traveled over land on snowshoes for 30 miles and settled in the Moose River Valley, attracted by the fresh stream, lakes and mountains.
Town Stats First Incorporated: March 5, 1895
Notable People:
Named For: Capt. James Jackman, built Canada Road from The Forks to Canadian border
• Capt. Samuel Holden, early settler
Motto: The Switzerland of Maine
• Grace Pearl Sterling, town historian
Population: 859 (2012 estimate)
• Alan Duplessis, community leader
Elevation: 1,375 feet Area: Total, 42.42 square miles
• Fr. Joseph Forest, longtime priest, St. Anthony of Padau
• Arno E. Hughey, Legion Post 122 named for him Landmarks: Attean View Rest Area, Jackman Trading Post, Attean Lake Lodge, Sky Lodge, Canadian Pacific railroad station, Moose River Congregational Church
The historic Sky Lodge (above) now and (below) then.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 31
jackman then & now Moose River Congregational Church then and (at right) now.
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Jackman blossomed into a town of Catholic and public schools, a movie theater, forest-based businesses and a priest, Fr. Joseph Forest, who stayed for 54 years. A museum exhibit honors the region’s veterans who served in all wars. In the summer months, G.E.W. Rupprecht travels from New York to archive those men’s and women’s names and burial plots. Their French and English names read like the Moose River region phone directory.
they never had a snow day. Folks up there know how to plow the roads.” In February, the school’s basketball team, coached by Anthony Amero, beat Fort Fairfield’s Tigers 51-45, its second championship in three years. Aside from the school, major town employers are the Jackman Regional Health Center, border patrol station and Moose River Lumber Co. Columbus Day weekend, visitors can
“I loved teaching in Jackman. The town really cares about education, and they never had a snow day. Folks up there know how to plow the roads.”
also Big Wood Lake, near downtown, Jackman Trading Post, with its “Elvis Shops Here” sign, and the Route 201 rest stop, a great place to photograph Attean Pond and Saly Mountain. North of town, there’s the private Sky Lodge, a 1929 architectural treasure. “If you don’t stop, smile on the way by,” reads a Main Street sign. Hopefully, travelers will stop and smile once they sample Jackman’s North Woods hospitality.
Check out our interactive map of Jackman at bangormetro.com
–Howard Trotzky Despite its isolation, the town has always attracted a mix of people. Howard Trotzky grew up in Manhattan, settled in Bangor, and in 1988, began teaching chemistry and physics at Forest Hills Consolidated School. He stayed for 20 years. “I loved teaching in Jackman,” Trotzky recalled. “The classes were small, so I could work closely with the kids. The town really cares about education, and
sample the Jackman Fall Festival on Oct. 10, sponsored by the Jackman-Moose River Chamber of Commerce, and a horseshoe tournament at the Northland Hotel, starting at 1 p.m. on Oct. 11. Landmarks worth visiting are the shuttered Canadian Pacific railroad station on Main Street, which evokes an era when, starting in 1888, passengers and lumber flowed through town. There’s
Mark Your Calendar
Plan a visit to Jackman on Columbus Day weekend to celebrate the Jackman Fall Festival on Oct. 10. And stick around for the horseshoe tournament at the Northland Hotel, starting at 1 p.m. on Oct. 11. Call the Jackman-Moose River Chamber of Commerce at (207) 6684171 for more information. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 33
metro sports
Hometown Pride T
The University of Maine is celebrating three Pine Tree State senior football players for Hometown Day. BY EMILY BURNHAM
hree University
of Maine seniors will be celebrated as part of the Black Bear football team’s Hometown Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, when they play the Stony Brook Seawolves at Alfond Stadium. We recently asked a few questions of the three Maine men – Trevor Bates of Westbrook, John McCabe of Winslow, and John Hardy of Portland – about football, the future, and what it means to be a Black Bear.
Hometown: Westbrook Age: 22 What position did you play in high school? I played football at Westbrook High Trevor Bates School and played defensive tackle, fullback, and tight end. What’s your favorite memory of high school football? We lost a lot of games in high school, not because we were terrible, we just made some critical mistakes. I would have to say beating Deering High my junior year and seeing the student section rush the field was pretty great. What’s your major and what do you hope to do for a career? My major is Kinesiology Exercise Science. My dream is to play in the NFL, so I will do everything in my power to achieve that. I also am interested in strength and conditioning and physical therapy.
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What’s the best part about being close to home? I enjoy being close to home because it allows my family to travel up and see me play every home game without having them to travel too far. What does being a Black Bear mean to you? Being a Black Bear means that I am part of a family. Not just my football team – which is the best brotherhood anyone could be a part of – but every team on this campus. We are all Black Bears and that means we support each other and treat each other like family.
John Hardy Hometown: Portland Age: 22 Where did you play high school football, and what position did you play? I attended Deering High School in Portland and I played wide receiver on offense, safety on defense, place holder on field goals and I returned punts. What's your favorite memory of high school football? My favorite memory of high school would have to be playing in front of
John Hardy
my hometown every Friday night under the lights. It felt good knowing the spotlight was on myself and my teammates.
What's your major at UMaine and what are your plans or dreams post-college? I am finishing up my degree in teaching/coaching with a focus on health in the spring of 2016. After that, I plan on going back to school for my masters in Administration. Why do you like being close to home? The best part about being close to home is that my family can easily make it to all of the home games. Knowing loved ones in the stands cheering for myself and our team is one of the greatest feelings in the world. What does it mean to you to be a UMaine Black Bear? To me, being a UMaine Black Bear means being a worker. Every day we all punch the clock and go to work to become better football players and better men. The life lessons you learn while playing this game, especially in this location, are endless and I will always live my life by our Black Bear values of possessing character, valuing family, and displaying leadership.
PHOTOS: BDN FILE & (HEADSHOTS) COURTESY OF UMAINE ATHLETICS
Trevor Bates
John McCabe Hometown: Winslow Age: 22 Where did you play high school football, and what position did you play? I played for my high school team, at Winslow High School. Throughout high school I played a lot of different positions, but my main positions junior and senior year were fullback and linebacker. What's your favorite memory of high school football? There were so many great moments throughout high school, but the common theme always seem to be being with the guys. It truly is like a second family. Very fortunate to have experienced that type of environment not only in high school but college as well. What's your major at UMaine and what are your plans or dreams post-college? I'm a major in Food Science and Human Nutrition with Exercise Science as a minor. I love these subjects, which benefits me on and off the field. My dream is to do Sports Nutrition either professionally or for different outsources, or possibly work with athletes and non-athletes on weight management. Why do you like being close to home? Family is my No. 1 reason. The constant support, endless care and the genuine love they show me on a constant basis is truly rare to find. I have three older brothers and two great parents that make the choice easy to want to stay close to home. What does it mean to you to be a UMaine Black Bear? It's hard to explain unless you truly have experienced it. The togetherness and blue collar attitude that our team possesses is truly unique. It's a great environment to be around and am truly grateful to be a part of this team.
John McCabe
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 35
what’s happening
October 1-31 ARTober: The City of Bangor’s Month of the Arts The City of Bangor has proclaimed October the Month of the Arts, and the city’s Commission on Cultural Development has partnered with countless area organizations and artists to offer more than 30 arts and cultural events open to the public. These range from a kickoff party at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Union Street Brick Church, to a public art walking tour of Downtown Bangor; from an Oxford-style debate on the Oxford Comma sponsored by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, to a series of Thursday evening performances from Bangor Symphony Orchestra musicians at Nocturnem Drafthaus. Visit the website for a schedule of ARTober events. bangormaine.gov/artober October 2-25 “Dancing at Lughnasa,” Portland Stage Company The season opening performance at Portland Stage is a production of the 36 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
modern classic “Dancing at Lughnasa,” Brian Frield’s play which weaves the story of five unmarried sisters eking out their lives in a small village in Ireland in 1936. Performances are set for Wednesdays-Sunday at Portland Stage’s Forest Avenue theater space; go online for tickets and more information. portlandstage.com October 3 Paws on Parade This pet-centric walk on the Bangor Waterfront features a variety of sponsors, vendors, and highlights such as a pet costume contest and raffle. Last year, hundreds of walkers gathered in celebration of their own pets to help raise instrumental funds to support the homeless pets who find refuge at the Bangor Humane Society. To participate, visit pawsonparade.kintera.org. October 3 WWE Live! World Wrestling Entertainment returns to the Cross Insurance Center in
Bangor for an action-packed evening featuring wrestlers including Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Intercontinental Champion Ryback, Big Show, Luke Harper, The WWE Divas and many more. Tickets start at just $19, via Ticketmaster. ticketmaster.com October 3 Patty Griffin, Collins Center for the Arts Singer and songwriter Patty Griffin – an Old Town native, featured in this month’s Bangor Metro – plays a hometown show at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine this fall, showcasing songs from her new album, “Servant of Love,” as well as her extensive and highly acclaimed back catalog. Tickets for this concert are available online. collinscenterforthearts.com October 4-11 Fryeburg Fair The yearly tradition is jam-packed
with food, rides, animals, games, music including country artists Clint Black and Mo Pitney, harness racing, historical displays, people-watching and all the wonderful parts of a true agricultural fair. The Fryeburg Fair is Maine’s largest fair of its kind. Admission to this classic fall event is $10 each day and free for kids under 12. fryeburgfair.org October 11 A Taste of the Peninsula, Blue Hill This yearly celebration of the food and the foliage of the Blue Hill Peninsula offers up a wide array of fun events, including a tasting, music and a marketplace featuring food makers from the Blue Hill region. Admission is $10, and the event is held at Mainescape Garden Center on South Street in Blue Hill. bluehillpeninsula.org/ taste-of-the-peninsula October 16 “42nd Street” National Broadway Tour, Collins Center for the Arts The Collins Center for the Arts brings the National Broadway Tour of the acclaimed musical “42nd Street” to its stage. The show features such classic songs as “We’re In The Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” “Dames,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and of course “42nd Street.” Tickets are available online. collinscenterforthearts.com
Oct. 3 Paws on Parade, Bangor
Oct. 3 WWE Live!, Bangor
PHOTOS: BDN FILE
October 17 Aroostook County Brewfest, Bigrock Mountain Bigrock Mountain in Mars Hill, the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce, Aroostook Hops and the Maine Malt House LLC present a festive day of beer and wine tasting to promote locally grown products. aroostookcountybrewfestival.com October 17, 23-24, 30-31 Fright at the Fort, Fort Knox State Park By far the scariest haunted house or haunted experience in the state of Maine period, this annual spooktacular is recommended for older kids and adults, and is an all-out scream-fest not to be missed. Tours are at 5:30 and 9 p.m. and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for
Oct. 4-11 Fryeburg Fair, Fryeburg
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 37
kids. Don’t say we didn’t warn you... fortknox.maineguide.com October 18 Motley Crue and Alice Cooper, Cross Insurance Center Waterfront Concerts brings a big rock show to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor with two legends – the ultimate hair metal band Motley Crue and the man, the myth, the legend, Alice Cooper (we’re not worthy!). Tickets for this fall rock extravaganza are priced between $49.75 and $125.75 and are available via Ticketmaster. ticketmaster.com October 20 Modest Mouse, Cross Insurance Arena One of the most popular rock acts of the last 20 years, Modest Mouse – known for their hit songs including “Float On” and “The Ocean Breathes Salty” and “Dashboard” – will perform at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland as part of Waterfront Concerts’ Machias Savings Bank Concert series. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. ticketmaster.com 38 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
October 21-25 Harvest on the Harbor, Portland The state’s premiere food and wine festival takes place over five days around Portland, with events including the Maine Lobster Chef Competition, the annual Barbecue and Brews event, beer crawls around town, tons of special dinners and the huge marketplace. Tickets for individual events or for the whole weekend vary in price. harvestontheharbor.com Oct. 22-Nov. 8 “Dr. Cerberus,” Penobscot Theatre Company PTC in Bangor offers up the Maine premiere of “Dr. Cerberus,” about 13-year-old Franklin Robertson. His brother torments him nonstop and his parents don’t get him at all. His great comfort comes from the Twinkies he eats and the horror movies he watches every Saturday night at midnight, on a black-and-white TV set in his basement, introduced by the horror host Dr. Cerberus. Performances are set for Wednesdays-Sundays at the Bangor Opera House. penobscottheatre.org
October 25 13th annual Pumpkins in the Park, Cross Insurance Center This annual Halloween celebration is a family-friendly event set for the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, featuring tons of jack-o-lanterns, hayrides, trick or treating, clowns, face painting, bounce houses and more good, clean fun, set for noon until 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Admission is $3 per person or $10 for a family, and benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Maine. crossinsurancecenter.com October 25 From the Top with Christopher O’Reilly, Collins Center for the Arts From the Top is America’s largest national platform dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians. This Collins Center for the Arts performance will feature talented young musicians from Maine in this live production of the criticallyacclaimed NPR radio show. Tickets are available online. collinscenterforthearts.com
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 39
food file
Kitchen Romance Portland resident Kate Christensen is the author of a number of books, including the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award-winning book “The Great Man,” about a painter and the three women in his life. Her previous novels are “In the Drink” (1999), “Jeremy Thrane” (2001), and “The Epicure's Lament” (2004). She released “The Astral” in 2011, and a food-related memoir, “Blue Plate Special,” in 2013. Her forthcoming food and Maine-centric memoir, “How To Cook a Moose,” came out in Sept. 2015 from Islandport Press. It is available from IslandportPress. com, Amazon and from your local bookseller. An excerpt from “How To Cook a Moose” is printed below.
F
or me,
the kitchen is the most important room in a house. I’m always happy at a stove, stirring something; there’s no room for angst or self-doubt in a pot of chicken soup. When I’m anxious about something or stuck with my writing, chopping onions, carrots and celery and sautéing them in a skillet is calming, centering. I love the feel of ingredients in my hands. I love to improvise, to invent and play and have fun. And I love feeding people. But, until recent years, cooking was a solitary activity for me. Like writing, it’s something I’ve immersed myself in alone. Being “in the pocket” at the computer or stove was my refuge, the introvert’s es40 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
cape. My ex-husband and I used to joke that when one of us cooked, the other had to leave the kitchen. We could not cook together without a power struggle. (We were both firstborns, which might have been the problem right there.) For decades, my mother and sisters have lived thousands of miles away, so we’ve never had much opportunity to cook together, as a family. And I’ve only rarely ever cooked with my female friends, even though many of them are amazing cooks. We cook for one another, as an act of generosity and love, rather than collaborating on dishes. I assumed from the start that Brendan and I wouldn’t be able to cook together. Besides our 20-year age difference, I’m
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ISLAND PORT PRESS
Author Kate Christensen shares an excerpt from her new food-related memoir "How To Cook a Moose."
a firstborn, he’s a second-born; I was born on the West Coast, he on the East Coast. His family is old-world, traditional, proper; mine is bohemian, happy-golucky, eccentric. And our cooking styles were extremely different and seemingly incompatible. Both of his parents grew up in Italy, and he learned to cook from his father, who taught him a number of Tuscan and Roman dishes, like pork tenderloin with rosemary-prune sauce, peperonata, orecchiette with broccoflower and garlic, and pasta with tomato and pea sauce (my favorite, and the most soul-nourishing dish I’ve ever had, the
PHOTOS: ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI & KARANDAEV/THINKSTOCK.COM
I made the scallionginger sauce; he stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy to go alongside. This was the beginning of a beautiful kitchen romance. chicken soup of pasta). And I, true to my own background, have always tended to either throw dishes together based on what’s in the fridge and cupboard, or create something from an amalgam of six or seven different recipes after doing quick, hit-and-miss research. So at first, we cooked for each other, winning each other’s hearts through our stomachs. I loved watching him smalldice a soffritto, or tuck sprigs of rosemary and cloves of garlic into a leg of lamb, or roll the mezzaluna, an Italian two-handled, curved chopping blade, over a pile of steamed broccoli rabe before sautéing it in garlic. Brendan, likewise, was entertained and fascinated by my ability to figure out how to make something I’d never made before. He cheered me on as I made Vietnamese pho from scratch, applauded from the sidelines as I fried up crisp, light, gluten-free buttermilk-buckwheat blini, a recipe I’d devised myself, for Valentine’s Day breakfast. He was gracious about my failures and excited to eat my successes. But we were so inseparable, we were always in the kitchen together.
“I’ll chop the onions,” I said one night, stepping up to the cutting board with my glass of wine. “I’ll stir that for you,” he said the next night, easing himself in at the stove while I chopped vegetables. Soon we were waltzing around each other with oven mitts and knives and wooden spoons. Then we collaborated on pork dumplings with scallion ginger sauce. I made the dough; he rolled it out. I made the pork mixture; he wrapped it. I steamed the dumplings; he fried them. I made the scallion-ginger sauce; he stir-fried shii-
take mushrooms and baby bok choy to go alongside. This was the beginning of a beautiful kitchen romance. Since then, he’s made me more aware of the value of traditional recipes; I’ve begun consulting and using them with increased respect for the cooks who’ve gone before me. And he’s become more relaxed and inventive, learning to throw together a “cupboard supper,” a concept he learned from me. All my life, I felt lonely and alone, even in my family, even when I was married, even in the kitchen. I no longer do. Our harmony in the kitchen is a metaphor for the way we are together.
Food File Newcomer’s Clam Chowder Serves 2
24 littleneck or cherrystone clams or 12 quahogs 1/ pound chopped bacon or pancetta 4 1 yellow onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 large diced Yukon Gold potato
2 ears corn, with kernels cut off 2 bay leaves 2 cups whole milk Black pepper, to taste
As a New Yorker, I loved those tomato-based, celery-heavy Manhattan deli chowders with hot grease floating on top. And I also used to love thick, roux-based New England chowders with oyster crackers — until I learned I could not eat gluten. So I tinkered with these classic recipes to make a thin-yet-rich broth with a savory, chunky soup. This chowder is cheap and easy to make, and takes only an hour or so. It’s also very good, if I do say so myself.
Step 1
First, set out a board of cheese, crackers and homemade spicy rhubarb pickles — if you happen to have any on hand — to keep your dining companion (note the singular — you won’t want to share this with more than one person) occupied while you cook. Make sure to pour him or her a glass of cold dry white wine (or whiskey) and another for yourself.
food file Step 2
In a big covered soup pot with an inch or so of water, steam 24 littlenecks or cherrystones or 12 quahogs. If they don’t all open right away, remove the ones that do, rearrange the closed ones for maximum space, cover again, and give them another go-round. When they’ve all declared themselves, discard the holdouts. Strain and reserve the steaming liquid, about 2 1/2 cups. Coarsely chop the clam meat.
Step 3
Meanwhile, sauté 1/4 pound of chopped bacon or pancetta, the fattier the better, in a large cast-iron soup pot over medium flame until it renders its fat and starts to curl up and get crisp. Add 1 yellow onion, minced, and 1 minced garlic clove and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring every so often.
Step 4
Add to the pot 1 large diced Yukon Gold potato and 2 ears’ worth of fresh corn kernels with the reserved clam liquor (it should be just enough to cover), 2 bay leaves, and black pepper to taste. You won’t need salt; the clam liquor and pancetta provide the ideal amount. Simmer, lid on, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 5
PHOTOS: DANNY SMYTHE, MCCC VAN BOTTENBURG, SUGAR0607, BONCHAN/THINKSTOCK.COM
When the potatoes are soft, turn off the flame. Add 2 cups of very hot whole milk and the chopped clams and stir well. Cover again, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to let the flavors marry, as they used to say. Serve in 2 big bowls. Eat it all. For dessert, serve fresh berries with cream, and more cold wine.
42 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
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kitchen confidential
F
rank Champa,
owner of and man behind the griddle at Ralph’s Cafe in the tiny Waldo County town of Brooks, tries to be modest. But he can’t help but smile when you mention to him the multitude of Bangor Metro Best Restaurant awards his eatery has won over the years – best pie, best breakfast and best sandwich in 2015 alone. There’s a reason why people love his restaurant. Actually, there’s lots of reasons, from the gourmet comfort food Champa and his family co-owners and crew serve up every night, to the movie posters, old signs, fun antiques and other offbeat decor crammed onto every flat surface in the building, to the unassuming but welcoming atmosphere. Notably, the restaurant, open since 2004, was way ahead of the curve on the whole locally-sourced movement. Since the beginning, Champa has grown some of his own vegetables, and is now able to source a large percentage of his ingredients from right in Waldo County. And to think; before moving to rural Maine, Champa was a fashion designer in New York City. It’s quite a story; let’s have Champa tell it himself.
Frank Champa
Creative Cooking Meet the man behind the griddle at the award-winning Ralph’s Cafe in Brooks. BY EMILY BURNHAM
44 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Why did you choose to move to Brooks from New York City? Why did you choose to open a restaurant in rural Waldo County? It wasn’t until 2003 that we came up to visit, after my father died. We were looking to leave New York City and New Jersey. After September 11, we just hated it. We wanted a change. We wanted to slow down and connect with people. We were looking at Vermont, but when we finally got to Maine for a week to visit, we just fell in love with this area. So my aunt bought a house in Stockton, and my mother and I bought houses in Brooks. When we were at the hardware store in Brooks, signing the papers to buy the house, we noticed this old cafe that was closed. It was for sale. We thought, ‘Why not open a coffee shop?’ We just did it. It was one of those things. Of course, it’s much more than a coffee shop now.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FRANK CHAMPA, RALPH’S CAFE
Owner of Ralph’s Cafe in Brooks
(Above) Inside Ralph’s Cafe is an eclectic display of movie posters, old signs, fun antiques and more. (Left) The restaurant serves up gourmet comfort food, as well as the best pie, breakfast and sandwich in the region according to Bangor Metro readers.
PHOTOS: BDN FILE
Prior to Ralph’s you worked in theater. Do you find there’s any crossover between your skills in the theatrical world and in the kitchen? Well, while I was in school I worked as a short order cook, so I did have kitchen experience. But cooking is still creative. I don’t think I could cook at someone else’s place. A friend of mine is a baker, and she is really talented, but it’s the bakery she works at’s recipes. She gets bored. I would get bored. Here, because I’m in charge, I cook everything. And initially we were really doing comfort food, but then I started making jelly. I started making my own bread. Part of that is because I need to be creative. It’s not quite the same because I always used a pen before, but there’s still an element of creativity to it. You’ve got an amazingly eclectic array of art on the walls at the cafe. Where do you find this stuff? I’ve always had an eye for that sort of thing. My grandfather was the White House florist, and people say I get that from him. A lot of [our stuff] belongs
to my mother and I. And sadly, this year, when we were on vacation in India, our house burned down. We lost everything. But we realized when we got back that really, so much of our stuff, all these treasured things from my parents and grandparents and from my childhood, was on display at the restaurant. It’s on our walls, from throughout the decades, on display. And now, people bring us stuff. The postmaster in Brooks brought us their old rubber stamps when the postal service phased them out. We get signs and postcards and all sort of stuff. We have to keep making room on the walls for it! What’s your most popular dish on the menu – and what are some of your personal favorites you serve? We couldn’t take the Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl off the menu. People would be so upset. It’s roasted sweet potatoes, salsa, guacamole, cheese. People love that. We do lots of steak and haddock, too, but that’s our big seller. And for breakfast, people really love our
Eggs Benedict. Our hollandaise sauce is just eggs, butter and milk, so it’s pretty heartstopping. Our pancakes are also really popular. People talk about them all the time. What are some of the local purveyors you work with? We use quite a few! We’re part of the Marsh River Co-op, which is right here in town. I started a farmer’s market here in town five or six years ago, and the Co-op grew out of that… We get all our sausages and fish and all our vegetables from people right here in Brooks. There are so many small farms now. People are really paying attention to where their food comes from. If you weren’t running a restaurant or working in theater, what would you be doing? I would probably be a farmer, but now that I’m in my 40s I don’t think my body would want me to be a farmer. We have goats and chicken, and I kind of enjoy that solitary kind of thing, even though I’m a really social person. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 45
kitchen confidential
more info RALPH’S CAFE 12 PURPLE HEART HWY, BROOKS 722-3236 Hours: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Friday – Saturday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Website: facebook.com/EatatRalphs
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Old Town Girl Songwriter Patty Griffin talks about her first band, her songwriting method and growing up in the Bangor area. BY EMILY BURNHAM
48 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
W
arts & culture
ith the release
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BIG HASSLE MEDIA; (GUITAR) TIFONIMAGES/THINKSTOCK.COM
of her ninth album, “Servant of Love,” Grammy-winning folk-rock singer-songwriter Patty Griffin keeps going further down a musical road that started decades ago – even before she ever dreamed of going pro, and was singing songs with her family, growing up in Old Town in the 1970s. The youngest of seven children, Griffin has deep ancestral roots in the Bangor region, and images of her childhood and her hometown still show up in places in her songs. Griffin will return to the region in this fall, when she plays a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus, with opening songwriter Sam Lee. Griffin, whose songs have been recorded by everyone from Linda Ronstadt and Bette Midler to Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks, talked to the Bangor Metro about her new album, her memories of home and the first guitar she ever owned. First off, tell us about growing up in Old Town. What was your family like? How much of a role did music play in your early childhood? My mother is French Canadian, and her family has been in that region of Maine for like 400 years. She’s pretty connected to the land. It was a mill town, back then. There was always the smell of sulfur when it rained. Not anymore, of course. I remember the rivers being sort of polluted, and then them getting cleaner. It’s a place I still dream about, as it was then. I remember Main Street and Stillwater, and there being one truck going by in an hour. It was a little more country than it is now. As for music, I always sang with my family. My mother and grandmother always sang, both in church. My grandmother sang in a kind of formal way, as a soprano. But it wasn’t like we had lessons. We just sang around the house because it felt good. That’s how I grew up, and I learned to sing from that. But then, eventually, I listened to records. When did you first play live? What was your first band? Do you remember the first songs you ever wrote? Oh boy. I was in a cover band that I tried out for in Bangor. It was called Patty and the Executives. It was the early 80s, and we were definitely not executives [laughs]. I was in high school, and I was
just learning how to play guitar. I had a Hohner guitar, that I got for 50 bucks at Sam’s Music Store in Bangor, which is of course long gone now. It was really hard to play. The strings were terrible. But I wrote something on it, though I can’t remember what it is now. When did you start writing in the way that you write now? Did you know you were developing your own voice or was it gradual? Well, I lived in Boston in my 20s, and I basically went out and got a lot of gigs playing covers. I’d always sneak a few of my own in there. I’d sit down a couple of nights before my gig and write for it, so I’d have a longer setlist. That was a great way to practice writing songs. When you’re learning to draw or paint, you just practice and practice, and do it over and over again and at some point you start to feel like each part of the song is coming from a real place. That’s what happened with me – the songs started to make sense. They made sense to an audience, too [laughs]. And you know, I still do that. I still technically put things together. Sometimes that’s the way it works. With the new album, “Servant of Love,” what were you going for? Is this a departure or a continuation? What shaped the sound of it? It’s definitely not a continuation. Each album is always a little different, one to the next, and on this one, it absolutely feels sonically one of the furthest away from a lot of things I’ve done in the last ten years or so. I worked with Craig Ross, who I’ve worked with for a long time. He’s kind of like family to me. We live here in Austin together. If you work with someone for a long time, the communication is good and the understanding is really good. I trust him totally with what I do. You’ve worked with a long list of incredible artists. With whom would you most like to collaborate that you never have before? I’m so lucky, because I’ve had the chance to work with amazing people. I just did a tour with Mavis Staples, who is just one of my all time heroes. So I don’t really think about it that way, in terms of who I’d like to work with. I wouldn’t want to impose myself on anybody! I just can’t believe my luck sometimes.
Tickets for Patty Griffin’s Oct. 3 concert at the Collins Center for the Arts, as well as for all CCA performances, are available at the CCA box office, call 1-800-622-TIXX or online at collinscenterforthearts.com. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 49
per spectives
Rose Marasco
Duplicate Mixed
Photo Montage #10
Manhattan Bridge
50 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Dice Book No. 2
C
urrently enjoying
a Portland Museum of Art career retrospective of her work from the early 1970s through 2014, Rose Marasco has expanded the notion of what a photograph is and can be through her varied and personal approach to the medium. Marasco, who just retired after a nearly 40-year teaching career at colleges including the University of Southern Maine, Harvard University, Bates College, Colby College and others, has made Portland her home for more than 35 years. Though she has photographed in places all over the country, she has turned her eye to many Maine scenes, from parking lots and kitchens to an acclaimed series of photographs of Maine grange halls. Her photographs display extraordinary range, encompassing everything from her images of the urban environment to her unexpectedly poetic response to the natural world, and her exhaustive, thought-provoking examination of the domestic world of women, in which she layers historical objects with contemporary materials. It’s this diversity of both subject and technique that has long characterized Marasco’s artistry. Throughout her career, Marasco has remained uninterested in genres such as documentary, landscape and portraiture. Instead, she has consistently mined concepts of framing, point of view and orientation to make images with a complex relationship to the everyday image of the world. “Rose Marasco: Index” is on display at the Portland Museum of Art through Dec. 6.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 51
savvy seniors The State House in Augusta.
Legislative
Victories
AARP Maine fights and wins legislative victories on issues that matter to Mainers, including the Credit Freeze and CARE Act. BY JANE MARGESSON
A
fter a long,
challenging legislative session, AARP Maine is proud of the successful results which will have a positive impact on Mainers in 2015 and in the years to come. A highlight for AARP Maine was the passage of two bills that volunteers and staff strongly advocated for this session. An identity theft prevention bill,
and Senate promptly overrode the Governor’s veto. The CARE Act, LD 666 An Act to Allow a Patient to Designate a Caregiver in the Patient’s Medical Record, was passed on July 16, 2015, after another veto override. Both bills go into effect on Oct. 15, 2015. The passage of the Security Freeze bill makes Maine the third state in the nation to offer this identity theft protection for
LD 382 An Act to Amend the Allowable Security Freeze Fees Charged by a Consumer Reporting Agency, was passed on June 4, 2015, after the House 52 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
free. Before this bill, only consumers who were the victims of identity theft could turn on the security freeze for free. For anyone else, there was a $10 fee with each
PHOTO: BDN FILE
The passage of the Security Freeze bill makes Maine the third state in the nation to offer this identity theft protection for free.
of the three credit bureaus. Thanks to the passage of LD 382, fees to place or remove a security freeze on credit reports have been eliminated. Because a security freeze safeguards a person’s credit report, it is one of the most effective ways to protect consumers from identity theft. Without access to this sensitive information, an identity thief is unable to obtain credit in that person’s name, thereby greatly minimizing the potential damage from the theft. Once the freeze is in place, the consumer has control over who can receive their credit report. As of Oct. 15, Maine consumers can freeze and unfreeze their credit reports as needed through a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) at no cost. For any questions or concerns regarding the Security Freeze, you can contact the Maine Attorney General at 626-8800. The CARE Act passed the same day as the release of the AARP Public Policy Institute’s new report, Valuing the Invaluable: 2015 Update. According to the report, 178,000 family caregivers in Maine provide 165 million hours of care annually, with an economic value of $2.22 billion statewide for this unpaid care. Most seniors who receive assistance at home rely exclusively on these unpaid family caregivers for help. The CARE Act is a significant step in providing critical supports to these family caregivers and their loved ones. This bill features three important provisions: The name of the family caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted into a hospital; the family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged back home; and, the facility must provide an explanation of the medical tasks that the family caregiver will perform to help their loved one recover at home. AARP Maine fought for legislative victories on issues that matter to Mainers and their families. If you have any questions or comments or would like to learn more about the Security Freeze bill and/or the CARE Act, visit our websiteaarp.org/me or call our toll free number 1-866-554-5380. JANE MARGESSON is the AARP Maine communications director.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 53
real estate
Room to prices continue to climb, the cost to trade up to a larger home is on the upswing across the country, especially as markets remain hampered by tight inventory levels. As a result, more and more Americans are choosing to renovate their current homes instead of relocating. In fact, some forecasts predict that 2015 renovation spending could exceed the record of $324 billion set during the peak of last decade's housing boom. While the hunt for more square footage can be challenging, homeowners shouldn't feel like a costly second story or complete addition are the only options. Here are five great ways to create or optimize space in your existing home: 1. Finish an unfinished basement. A basement renovation can hold limitless potential and increase the resale value or income potential of your home. Think about the possibilities: a home theater, office, spare bedroom, basement apartment or recreation room. The key to doing it successfully is to focus on what's behind the walls, especially since moisture is a common issue in basements. Choosing the right insulation is critical. 54 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Top 5 renovation tips to create more space in your home. Look for products that are vapor permeable, dimensionally stable and mold and moisture resistant. Many contractors use Roxul Comfortboard IS semi-rigid sheathing board paired with Comfortbatt batt insulation to combat thermal bridging and protect against mold and mildew growth. An added benefit of this type of mineral wool insulation is that it's also fire-resistant to 2,150 degrees. For interior walls and ceilings, Safe ‘n’ Sound insulation is ideal because of its ability to absorb noise and indoor traffic sounds, ensuring your newfound space is a peaceful one. 2. Create a more open-concept feel with light and color. If your home wasn't blessed with towering windows, installing French doors and pot lights can encourage light to travel more freely, creating the illusion of space. Likewise, choosing a paint color for walls, trim and moldings that is lighter and cooler in tone (think soft grays or blues) will help to reflect light and give the room a more open feel. 3. Remove non-load-bearing walls. Homeowners have the opportunity to rethink the layout of their home by
removing non-load-bearing walls. Removing structurally unnecessary walls can make your whole home feel larger, improve flow, lighting and the function of your home. 4. Convert your garage into usable living or work space. For many homeowners, the garage becomes an overflow room for storage – and is often a walk-in headache. Convert your garage (or a portion of it) into another living space, guest bedroom or home office. Install carpet and quality thermal insulation such as Roxul Comfortbatt to block outdoor noise and keep in warmth. 5. Choose furniture and accessories carefully. Adopt a minimalist's eye. Begin looking around your home for furniture or accessories that overwhelm the space. Interior designers recommend choosing low-profile or smallscale furniture for rooms with less square footage. Dual-purpose items, such as ottomans with storage chests inside, are a budget-friendly way to save on space while staying organized. From metrocreativeconnection.com
PHOTO: DAVID SACKS/THINKSTOCK.COM
A
s real estate
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Hampden • MLS#1231525 Stunning 2,032 sq ft, 3 bdrm, 2 bath ranch with radiant heat, 2.55 private acres, sunroom, gourmet kitchen, 3 car garage with workshop. $255,000 Jessie Daniels Realty of Maine Office: 207-991-8980 jdanielsbangor@gmail.com
Lincolnville • MLS#1232398 Exquisite 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath Colonial on 2.5 acres. Custom kitchen with granite, wet bar & high end appliances. Amazing master bedroom with soak tub & shower. $319,900 Lisa Caron Realty of Maine Office: 207-745-5568 lisacaronrealtor@gmail.com
Hudson • MLS#1209834 Spacious one level living on 4.8 acres. Additional 3-bay detached garage. Finished basement with kitchen. Close to Pushaw Lake. $234,500 Linda Gardiner Better Homes and Gardens The Masiello Group Office: 207-478-5841 lindagardiner@masiello.com
Belfast • MLS#1217124 This 1850’s Cape with peeks of water views has been transformed. 2-3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 800 sq ft of wrap-around porch, 2 car garage, easy walk to the waterfront. Reduce!$349,900 LuAnne Adams 107 Main Street, Belfast Cell: 207-322-5930
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 55
maine
woods & waters
We’re Gonna Need
A Bigger Boat
As shark sightings increase off the coast of Maine, what are the actual chances of being eaten by a shark? BY BOB DUCHESNE
A
nother Maine
summer has passed, and nobody was eaten by a shark. In fact, nobody was eaten by a shark last summer either. Or the summer before. Indeed, I don’t recall anyone in Maine ever being eaten by a shark. Do we even have any sharks? I put that question to Dr. James Sulikowski. His friends call him “Dr. Shark.” He’s a marine biologist at the University of
Another factor is that Maine’s beaches are steep. In Maine, you can be over your head just a few yards from shore. Now, picture wading into the Atlantic in Florida. The slope is so gradual that you can walk out a quarter mile and only be up to your knees. That whole area from beach to deep is a shark zone, since small fish will swim in the shallows and sharks will follow them in.
t operating w on board a tour boa Passengers and cre oss the acr t jus , ick New Brunsw out of St. Andrews, a great white d tte spo , ine Ma m Canadian border fro r. ddy Bay last summe shark in Passamaquo
56 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
New England in Biddeford, and he is the go-to guy to get all your shark questions answered. He assures me that, yes, we’ve got sharks. Lots of them. The most obvious reason that no Maine swimmer gets eaten by a shark is that there are so very few Maine swimmers. The Gulf of Maine is a tad icy. A few brave souls may work up the courage to venture beyond ankle depth, but they are not likely to stay long. The opportunities for shark-human encounters are few.
Maine’s steep slope also reduces the size of the murky zone. Waves churn up silt in beach waters worldwide. Many attacks happen because the shark mistook a surfer for something else. Almost all shark attacks are accidents. A little nibble is just the shark’s way of finding out what you are. Unfortunately, those razor-sharp teeth turn a nibble into a missing limb very quickly. We do have sharks that swim close to shore, but these are mostly species that wouldn’t eat a human on a dare. As luck would have it, the sharks that
PHOTOS: (TOP) FUSE/THINKSTOCK.COM; BDN FILE
A little nibble is just the shark’s way of finding out what you are. Unfortunately, those razor-sharp teeth turn a nibble into a missing limb very quickly.
might nibble a knee are seldom found in Maine. Bull sharks and tiger sharks are familiar in the southern U.S., but rare up here. The remaining potential man-eaters are mostly offshore. Blue sharks are relatively common out in the Gulf. We even have a few great white sharks out there. Fortunately, the latter are more interested in seals. That could become a problem. Our seal population is doing well. The more seals we have, the more likely great white sharks will become fond of the Gulf of Maine. If so, we’re gonna need a bigger boat. Most “sightings” of great white sharks are more likely to be views of basking sharks. These are the biggest sharks in Maine waters, and they are second only to whale sharks as the largest fish in the world. They’re not terribly rare in the Gulf. Whenever someone sees a really big shark, they often mistakenly believe it to be a great white shark. Basking sharks are docile, subsisting much like whales, eating big gulps of tiny plankton. Porbeagle sharks grow up to about 8 feet long. They do get into shallower waters. If ever there were an attack in
Maine, it would likely be this guy. It would also be a mistake. An attack on a human is improbable, but it would nonetheless scare the willies out of you to see one swimming nearby. Porbeagles are popular among shark fishermen, and overfishing has reduced their numbers precipitously. Still, they’re out there. Maine also has a few thresher and mako sharks, and many spiny dogfish. The spiny dogfish is a small shark that is plentiful in Maine waters. It seldom exceeds three feet, and we have little to fear from it. In fact, it has much more to fear from us. Europeans consider it tasty, and efforts are underway to persuade Americans to think likewise. It has great commercial potential in Maine. Much of Dr. Sulikowski’s current research is focused on whether Maine is a nursery for commercially valuable sharks. While sharks don’t view people as being appealingly flavorful, it might turn out that we think the opposite about them.
A group works to save a bask ing shark stranded in the Lubec Narrow s last month. Ultimately, the shark did not survive.
In the final analysis, there has never been a fatal shark attack in Maine’s history. I read on the Internet that there has never even been an unprovoked attack. That leads me to wonder: was there ever a provoked attack? I have to question the wisdom of a person who wakes up in the morning and says to himself, “I think I’ll go provoke a shark today.”
BOB DUCHESNE is a local radio personality, Maine guide, and columnist. He lives on Pushaw Lake with his wife, Sandi.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 57
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Special Section Featuring Northern Maine
Breaking
Ground achias Savings
M
Bank celebrated its forthcoming new, modern facility in Presque Isle with a ceremonial groundbreaking event in September. Bank officials say the investment in the new branch indicates that Machias Savings Bank likes doing business with the people of Presque Isle and the bank is here to stay. “We have been excited by what we have seen here in Presque Isle over the past year and a half or so,” said Machias Savings Bank President Larry Barker. “Honest customers and staff, hard-working employees, and some really great characters with fantastic stories. Simply put: exceptional people. After having been here for more than a year, we wanted to make a significant investment in this community and in our future here.” Machias Saving Bank’s new branch will be adjacent to the current facility at 9 Dyer St. in Presque Isle. The branch became Machias Savings Bank after the company acquired Bank of Maine’s Aroostook County assets a couple of years ago. Nine people are employed at the Presque Isle branch and they should expect modern, state-of-the-art tech-
by Bangor Metro
Machias Savings Bank to open new building in 2016, replacing current branch with modern facility.
nology and energy efficient facilities when the new building opens. “Presque Isle is a special place with a lot happening,” said Presque Isle City Councilor Craig Green. “When you look at the energy and momentum of this city and this region, coupled with the amazing people and unparalleled natural beauty, it’s an honor to call this place
Caribou, Buildings Etcetera in Houlton, County Electric in Caribou, McGillan INC in Fort Fairfield, Northeast Propane in Caribou, Ross Sheet Metal in Houlton, and Solderberg Construction in Caribou. “The business community in Central Aroostook is like family,” said Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Theresa Fowler. “Machias
“When you look at the energy and momentum of this city and this region, coupled with the amazing people and unparalleled natural beauty, it’s an honor to call this place home.” –Craig Green home. Machias Savings Bank has been a great asset to the community and it is wonderful to see their continued investment in this city.” Work on the new building is being done by contractors in Aroostook County wherever possible. Local businesses working on the project include Aroostook County Electrical Supply in
Savings Bank has been a valued member of our business family since entering Presque Isle more than a year ago. We are happy to have them here in Presque Isle and are excited that they will be here for many years to come.” Machias Savings Bank expects the new building to be open in the Spring of 2016. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 59
The sun sets over Long Lake in front of The Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha.
Why I Choose This Life
A four-season reason to choose life in Aroostook County. BY RENÉE CHALOU-ENNIS, STUPIDGRIN.BANGORDAILYNEWS.COM
you want to live in Aroostook County?” They ask me, their faces creased in varied expressions of doubt and disapproval. “There’s nothing to do up there,” they continue on, as though telling me will make me believe it. “The County’s dead and I’m glad I left,” they say, often with a sense of slight satisfaction and disdain. “It’s too cold up there for me,” they exclaim, pulling their arms in around their bodies as the mere thought of a long cold Northern Maine winter comes to life and makes them shiver. And to that I will concede: It’s cold up here. It’s really cold. It’s the only type of cold where Celsius and Fahrenheit can agree to meet up on the thermometer at 40 below. It’s a dark cold, too, morning arriving so late and evening arriving too soon. And it’s so quiet, a quiet cold where living things don’t move. It’s so quiet you can stand outside at night and hear nothing but the air cracking in time to the low rhythmic hum of the block heater you plugged your car into. It.is.cold. And it would be almost unimaginable to find a Northern Mainer who has something nice to say about the weather during the last two weeks of January and first two weeks of February. 60 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Winter is long in Northern Maine, longer than the rest of New England. But that doesn’t make it bad. That doesn’t make it less enjoyable than other seasons. It just makes it cold. But it can’t be that cold because half of Massachusetts spends winter in The County
when he does come in, the ployes and chicken stew will be hot and ready. We play basketball during the long cold winters, host world-class Can Am sled dog races, International Biathlon Union world cup events, we run 5K races on snowshoes, and we also build snow-
And I’m not saying our kids are tougher than yours, but a County kid will be the last one to ask to come inside. (Mostly because he knows his mother will say no, change out his mittens and send him back outside anyway.) to ride our 2,300 miles of snowmobile trails. And by the way, you might get away with that kind of driving in cars but snowmobiles handle differently and also moose are stupid; drive safe. A Northern Maine winter is cold, but our kids still learn to dress warmly, have fun outside, to Nordic and Alpine ski at over 20 ski centers and on thousands of miles of groomed trails and tracks. And I’m not saying our kids are tougher than yours, but a County kid will be the last one to ask to come inside. (Mostly because he knows his mother will say no, change out his mittens and send him back outside anyway.) Of course
men. And sometimes? We stay inside by the fire and tunnel under blankets like hibernating bears and watch football, because sometimes there is too much long cold winter and we are tired of it. But that doesn’t mean we move away or hate living here. Oh, but the spring. The arrival of spring is always worth the long wait. Spring in The County is almost magical in its mud-covered grand entrance. Flaunting its above-freezing temperatures by melting little patches of brown grass, where we check daily, sometimes twice, to see the patch getting bigger. Where mud has a season all
PHOTOS: AMY ALLEN
W
hy would
to itself and we wallow in it, once again welcoming water, sunshine and the excitement of the frozen rivers “letting go.” Where the shoes are all muddy and the boots are all muddy and the floors of your house, car and office are all muddy, where playing in the mud is fun and getting your vehicle stuck in mud is fun and all the mud is everywhere. And then we get tired of washing the mud off everything and we look forward to the sun, wind and warmth of May. Except it mostly rains so there’s more mud. But that doesn’t mean we move away or hate living here. Because summer in The County is coming and it’s the reason we’re willing to wait so long. It’s the reason we trust the snow will melt and the mud will dry. Summer in Northern Maine is glorious, hot and fleeting, like your first summer crush on that curly-haired boy you met at camp. How deeply in love you both fell, it all happening so fast and with such intense teenage passion. You’d never felt this way before and you knew with every cell in your body you’d never feel this way again. Every moment with him made your heart beat with anticipation and your armpits sweat with anxiety, unable to think about anybody else or any other season; summer in The County is a passionately sweltering summer fling. If only you could remember his name… But sometimes summer in Maine is too hot for us, the humidity forcing us to retreat under shade, anywhere we can find relief. Our hearty, Northern bodies unaccustomed to oppressive temperatures and most homes not equipped with air conditioning, we quickly forget about the piles of snow that melted just weeks before and we start complaining about the heat. And as we break our backs weeding our abundantly overflowing vegetable gardens, the high temperatures turn our smitten hearts to stone and our love affair with summer fades. But that doesn’t mean we move away or hate living here. And just as we inevitably fell in teenage love again, we soon start talking about pumpkin flavored coffees and sweaters, because autumn in The County might possibly be the most perfect of all four seasons. The vibrant colors for miles, as far as the eye can
Pumpkins all lined up and ready for Halloween at Stewart’s Farm in Presque Isle.
see, rolling hills carpeting the horizon in contrasting shades of reds, oranges, yellows and deep evergreens. The sun is high and warm during the day and the quickly cooling nights smell of harvest, dirt and farm truck exhaust as the backbone of Aroostook County removes another season of potatoes from the ground. They work hard as many hours in the day and as many days as it takes to finish bringing in the harvest and it always gets done. Always. That’s because there’s a work ethic in The County, a work ethic to do good, whatever that work looks like. There’s an ethic to shop locally, grow locally, stay locally. There’s an ethic to be involved in your child’s education, every child’s education. There’s an unspoken ethic that the entire County will show up and cheer at a school game or production. There’s an ethic to volunteer your time in the community and give your opinion because it matters, be-
cause it’s the right thing to do. There’s an ethic of fellowship and goodwill, to be a good person seven days a week, not just on Sundays. The County is not dead, dying or less than any other corner of Maine; it is Maine. It is home to intelligent, genuine people looking to start small businesses, create jobs, progress and stay, even when others won’t. We stay not because we can’t leave, but because we choose not to leave. And we’d love for you to visit. You’ll find the only difference with people in The County is we can handle the cold and we don’t cry over not having a Starbucks on every corner. RENÉE CHALOU-ENNIS and her husband Jason are raising their family in Presque Isle where she owns a fitness center, LiveWell United. Read more of her blog, I Can’t Wipe Off This Stupid Grin, at stupidgrin.bangordailynews.com. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 61
Name: Beal College Incorporated: 1891 Location: Bangor Population: 500 Designation: Private Degrees Offered: Diploma, Associate Application Deadlines: Open admission Acceptance Rates: Open admission Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 24:1 Full-Time Students: 75% Part-Time Students: 25% Tuition & Fees: $8,200 Room & Board: No housing available Male-to-Female Ratio: 1:3 Highlighted Programs: Criminal Justice, Medical Assisting, Substance Abuse Counseling, Business Management, Medical Scribe Contact: 947-4591 • bealcollege.edu
62 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
PLUG INTO BANGOR METRO'S 2015
GUIDE
PHOTO: FRANKPETERS/THINKSTOCK.COM
BRIGHT FUTURE The sunny future of solar CUTTING HOME ENERGY COSTS Tips and tricks to keep out the cold KEEP THE FIRE BURNING Helping Mainers in need www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 63
unsung hero
In January, Bangor Savings Bank made a donation to the Waldo County Woodshed, which was put to use to buy three cords of firewood. From left to right: Roxie Walker, Bangor Savings Bank; Bob MacGregor, Woodshed President; Dawn Caswell, Woodshed Treasurer; and Cathy Reynolds and Ellie Flagg of Bangor Savings Bank.
Keep the Home
Fires Burning
Waldo County Woodshed helps needy Mainers heat their homes. BY EMILY BURNHAM
A
fter reading
a Bangor Daily News editorial last November by University of Maine forestry professor Jessica Leahy about wood banks, Waldo County resident Bob MacGregor was almost immediately sold on the idea.
through the season, the group managed to give out about 20 cords of wood to families and individuals that had a hard time affording enough firewood to heat their homes. For the winter of 2015-2016, the nonprofit plans to collect and give out at least 100 cord of wood.
“We really do operate just like a food pantry. Folks that need help heating their home can come to one or more locations in Waldo County and we can get them what they need to make it through the week.” “In the first paragraph she described a wood bank as, essentially, a food bank, just with firewood, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s sure something we could pretty easily do,” said MacGregor. MacGregor and a few other volunteers last winter founded the Waldo County Woodshed. Though it only got started about halfway 64 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
– Bob MacGregor MacGregor, who owns MacGregor Mill Systems in Belfast, started the Woodshed with fellow volunteers Colleen Marsh, Dawn Caswell and John Pangiochi. The four now comprise the board of directors, and with a handful of other volunteers, spend their free time chopping, stacking and distributing wood to the more than 100 families on their donations list. Though many Mainers heat their homes with wood, Waldo County has an unusually high concentration of wood stove users.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF WALDO COUNTY WOODSHED
“Jessica [Leahy] at UMaine had analyzed census data, and Waldo County stood out as a perfect place to start a wood bank, based on the level of poverty here, and the folks that do use wood, and the availability of wood to burn,” said MacGregor. “LIHEAP [Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program] also gave us information about heating assistance. We’re really just scratching the surface of need out there.” The group accepts financial donations to purchase more firewood, as well as direct donations of firewood and cut tree lengths. It has already received financial donations from a number of businesses, organizations and individuals, including Bangor Savings Bank, Whitecap Builders in Belfast and the James A. Gamman Fund for the Needy Poor, and in July the group was able to purchase a wood splitter. While the organization’s small number of volunteers makes it impractical for them go onto a private woodlot to cut wood themselves, if a property owner wished to cut wood and bring it to the Woodshed, they would gratefully accept. “We’re also looking for more than one location to store and distribute wood,” said MacGregor. “We really do operate just like a food pantry. Folks that need help heating their home can come to one or more locations in Waldo County and we can get them what they need to make it through the week.”
For more information, like the Waldo County Woodshed on Facebook. To inquire about donating wood or money, email waldowoodshed@ gmail.com or call 338-4377.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 65
feature story
The Future’s
So Bright
66 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
I
Maine businesses and home owners have a sunny outlook on the future of solar energy in our state. BY EMILY BURNHAM
PHOTO: GYUSZKO/THINKSTOCK.COM
f you look
at a map of the world, you might be surprised to see that Maine is on the same latitude as the south of France. While our climate is obviously not quite so balmy, the amount of sunshine Maine receives each year is about the same as the amount of sunshine received in Marseilles or Monaco – which, for those interested in switching over to solar power for their home or business, is a very good thing. “People look at the Snowmageddon winter we had last year, and they are really skeptical about Maine getting enough sunshine,” said Phil Coupe, one of the cofounders of Portland-based solar installer ReVision Energy. “But people are often surprised to hear that we have a very powerful solar resource. We get as much sunshine as Houston, Texas. We’re only 10 percent less than Florida... We get more than Germany, and they are hands down the world leader in renewable energy.” That’s just one of the misconceptions many home- and business-owners in Maine have about the viability of converting their electricity and heat sources to be powered by solar. The reliability, the effectiveness and, most importantly, the affordability of solar energy is no longer out of reach of the average consumer – in fact, today, solar power in Maine is more affordable and effective than ever. According to Coupe, 10 years ago, in 2005, ReVision Energy installed 90 percent solar hot water heaters and heat pumps, and 10 percent solar electric. Today, in 2015, those numbers have reserved – 90 percent of the jobs his company did in the past year were for solar electric array installations. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 67
feature story “The cost for solar panels has dropped 75 percent, and the business is really booming,” said Coupe, whose company has installed just over 5,000 solar energy systems since it started in 2003. “It’s an astounding transformation of the business, and it’s a great thing for consumers.”
Currently, the federal government offers a 30 percent tax rebate for homeowners that install solar electric, solar hot water and fuel cells, along with small wind-energy systems and geothermal heat pumps. There are grants available for farmers and small busi-
“At the end of the day, you can reduce your carbon footprint and your reliance on fossil fuels… and you can really save some money. It’s a tremendous opportunity that we have here in Maine.” –Phil Coupe According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, nationally, the solar industry grew by 34 percent between 2013 and 2014, and solar comprised 32 percent of all newly installed energy capacity in the country, second only to natural gas. U.S. solar jobs have increased 86% in the last four years, and over 174,000 solar workers are employed in the United States.
nesses in rural areas as well, such as the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, and there are also plenty of grants out there for municipalities looking to invest in solar, as communities from Bar Harbor to Belfast to Rockland to York have done. Other federal solar projects in the state include the Margaret Chase Smith Fed-
eral Building in Bangor, which in late 2013 installed a 90 kilowatt solar array to help power the building. Be forewarned, however: this tax credit is set to expire Dec. 31, 2016, and it’s too early to tell whether Congress will renew the credit. Maine did have a state rebate for the installation of solar electric and hot water, but it expired in 2010 and has not been renewed, despite the dramatic drop in the cost of solar panels. “The economics of solar have really become competitive. Now banks are interested in financing solar energy, and when you do that, you’re basically trading your monthly electric bill for a loan payment,” said Coupe. “The technology today is extremely robust and reliable. And all these panels offer a 25 year warranty, which means if anything goes wrong, you’re all set. It’s not like a car loan, where you’re also paying for gas and maintenance.” And best of all – when the loan is paid off after 10 to 15 years, the consumer at that point enjoys free electricity for the remainder of their solar array’s estimated 40-year lifespan. In fact,
PHOTO: BDN FILE
The roof of Machias Savings Bank in Brewer is mounted with a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic array, which on sunny days produces 4.6 kilowatts of power.
68 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
if their solar production exceeds their consumption, a consumer can actually make money off their solar array. “At the end of the day, you can reduce your carbon footprint and your reliance on fossil fuels… and really save some money,” said Coupe. “It’s a tremendous opportunity that we have here in Maine.”
Potts Harbor Lobster in Harpswell is Maine’s first commercial wharf to go solar.
Solar Success Stories
PHOTO: COURTESY OF REVISION ENERGY
Machias Savings Bank, Brewer When Machias Savings Bank opened a new 12,000 square foot branch in Brewer back in 2012, bank executives knew from the start the building would have to be energy efficient and as green as possible. To that end, in addition to extra insulation and natural gas-fired boilers, the roof is mounted with a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic array, which on sunny days produces 4.6 kilowatts of power fed directly into the building’s electrical system. When the bank is closed, the array produces enough energy to power the entire building; when it is open, it offsets the cost and the carbon footprint significantly.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 69
feature story
Jeremy Lindberg of Maine Beer Company in Freeport stands in front of a brand new solar array at the brewery 70 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
PHOTO: BDN FILE
Maine Beer Company plans to get about half its power from the sun this year from an installation on the leading edge of the town of Freeport’s plan to encourage more solar power.
Potts Harbor Lobster, Harpswell As Maine’s first commercial wharf to go solar, Potts Harbor Lobster in Harpswell is leading the charge in helping to turn Maine’s fishing industry green. As lobster prices fluctuate, Potts Harbor owner Jim Merryman knew he could control his energy costs by switching to stable solar power. In addition to receiving the 30 percent federal tax credit, he also received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program to install a 10-kilowatt solar electric array, which has far reduced the amount of carbon Potts Harbor releases into the atmosphere, and will eventually eliminate most of his costs for electricity.
Maine Beer Company plans to get about half its power from the sun this year from an installation on the leading edge of the town of Freeport’s plan to encourage more solar power. Maine Beer Company, Freeport Maine Beer Company plans to get about half its power from the sun this year from an installation on the leading edge of the town of Freeport’s plan to encourage more solar power. Outside the craft brewery, two large mounted panels track the sun throughout the day. In June 2015, installers put on the final panel on the southwest-facing roof of the brewery. The $200,000, 50-kilowatt project is ahead of another batch of solar installations to come later this year for businesses and homes in Freeport. The group Solarize Freeport expects about 39 other projects to be installed later in 2015.
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Plans For This
Find Ideas on our online
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Weekend? bangormetro.com
bangormetro.com www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 71
feature story The Mayberry Family, Unity What started as a family science project between father Rusty Mayberry and son Ian Mayberry – building their own solar panels from a kit online – turned into a full-on energy revolution for this Unity family. Rusty and his wife Marty now have
Since 2012, the Mayberry’s family of five has not used oil to heat anything in their home.
a 60-tube Apricus solar hot water collector array and a 3.29 kilowatt (14 panel) gridtied PV array in their home, which they estimate saves them around $300 per year. Since 2012, the Mayberrys do not use oil to heat anything – and with three kids, two of whom are in college, their hot water usage can run quite high in the summer months. Their solar hot water heater keeps right up with their usage.
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72 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
PHOTO: COURTESY OF REVISION ENERGY
What started as a family science project turned into a full-on energy revolution.
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ELLSWORTH
eye on industry
Fired Up for Fall
Heating season is heating up – and one local company is offering lots of options to keep you warm. BY DEB NEUMAN
A
s the heating
season heats up, so does the business for McVety’s Hearth and Home, which has three locations across Maine. And that’s good news for owners, Pete and Susan McVety. The McVetys entered the world of business ownership in “retirement.” Pete and Susan grew up in Maine. They met in 1984 at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. “Susan was there doing a summer play and they needed a midshipman
to buy in Maine. They purchased a stove shop in Bangor and Augusta in June of 2010 and a year later opened their Yarmouth location. McVety’s Hearth and Home features a selection of woodstoves, fireplace inserts, accessories and outdoor furniture in the warmer months. They have had to learn the business and rely on a team of employees who are well versed in the products they sell and service. “Even though our business fluctu-
“This business is cyclical and we have to constantly adapt to what our customers want.” to help with lighting. I was volunteered and she picked me up. The rest is history,” Pete McVety said. That began a journey that would take the couple to Washington D.C. where Pete McVety spent a decade working for the Pentagon and a large security firm. “It was an exciting time. We met great people and attended a lot of Embassy events, but we wanted to come home to Maine,” he said. They began looking for a business 74 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
ates with the seasons, we don’t lay people off. Good people are hard to find, so we do our best to take care of them,” McVety said. The business is open year round with the peak season running from September through November. “October is our busiest month of the year then it falls off during the first week in December but our back log of orders takes us into January,” McVety said. Operating three locations presents
PHOTOS: VOYAGERIX & PRYZMAT/THINKSTOCK.COM
— Pete McVety
both opportunities and challenges for the McVetys. Although the stores are similar in the products and services they offer, the clientele varies somewhat. “Our Yarmouth store caters to customers with disposable income and new construction. Contemporary gas stoves and inserts are popular. Bangor has been mostly pellet and wood stoves in the past but gas and inserts are becoming more popular. Price is more of an issue there. Augusta is a mix of both,” said McVety. Keeping up with what’s ‘hot” in the industry is critical to being successful and relevant. “Pellet stoves were very popular for a time. Then the price of pellets went up and the price of oil went down. We aren’t selling as many of them now. This business is cyclical and we have to constantly adapt to what our customers want,” says McVety. Taking care of their customers is a priority for McVety’s Hearth and Home. “The most important thing we can do is keep our customers safe. Bad things can happen when chimneys are not inspected the right way and when woodstoves are not set up properly,” said McVety. He advises that chimneys be inspected with a camera dropped in, to spot any issues such as creosote buildup, a deteriorating chimney or poor construction that could lead to a spark igniting an inside wall. “It scares me to look down some chimneys. I’ve seen a lot of poor construction especially in older homes. Older wood has a lower flash point and it dries out over time. If the construction or chimney isn’t safe it can lead to a house fire. Most of those issues can be solved by inserting a chimney liner. But, many people just don’t bother to check,” McVety said. He recommends that woodstove owners pay close attention to making sure they are set up properly and meet code. McVety’s staff often makes site visits and encourages customers to email them photos of their set up to ensure it is safe. It’s been a long and winding road from Maine to Washington D.C. then back to Maine for Pete and Susan McVety. They continue to work hard and are grateful to now be living, working and warming up the place they have always called “home.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 75
Reducing Energy Costs
The top three areas to tackle for reducing home energy costs. BY KEITH TREMBLEY OF KEITH TREMBLEY HOME SOLUTIONS AND DR. ENERGY SAVER
I
am one
of the 76.4 million baby boomers in the U.S. who is nearing retirement age. Many people have a financial plan in place, but what about those unexpected costs you can have from owning a home? My wife and I realized that the best time to tackle our big ‘to do lists’ on our home was while we were still working and earning salaries. So last year we replaced the roof. While it still had several years of serviceable use left, we figured if we did it now it would be the last roof we would ever need. We also replaced a few windows and our kitchen appliances. But what about those next 25 years of utility bills? I wrote an article a while ago about the importance of lowering the energy costs in our parents homes. Well, it’s the same for us. If we can save several thousand dollars a year in utility bills; that’s like getting a raise in retirement. And it’s tax free!
There are 3 important areas in your home that can help you save substantial money for as long as you own your home.
Attic
The attic is your first priority. It should have an R value of 60. That is the new federal recommendation. The best way to achieve that is by blowing in cellulose insulation. Usually 12 to 16 inches will do the trick depending upon your attic. However make sure whoever does it ‘air seals’ the attic floor before installing the insulation. It is malpractice to install insulation without proper air sealing first. A proper insulated and vented attic can save you 10% to 20% off of your heat bill. It also will help your home be cooler in the summer, and cellulose helps gets rid of those critters you often hear up there in the winter.
Basement
The second area to look at is your basement. Simply insulating your box sill with spray foam can make another 10% difference in your heating bill. Fiberglass does not cut it. Air moves through fiberglass. Remove it and install spray foam. You can purchase those low pressure spray foam kits at most box stores. A nice side effect is that your floors will be much warmer next winter! So those 2 items alone can be 25% to 30% off your heating bill. In my home I figured about $2,000 off my heating bill this winter alone! Can you imagine that multiplied by 25 years! It’s like the secret of compounding interest!
Lastly, according to the Department of Energy, the water heater is the second biggest energy draw in the home; accounting for 20% of the homes electricity bill. So if your water heater is outdated, it’s a no brainer to update it to a new high efficiency one. And new federal standards are due out in 2016. There are a lot more things that can be done, LED lights and bulbs, programmable thermostats, heat pumps, etc., but too much for this article. But research the internet and ask questions. I have figured that we will save approximately $100,000 in 25 years from our insulation upgrades, water heater upgrade and the new heat pump we installed. Full disclosure is that we do have a large older home that had very high heating costs. For us lowering our home energy costs in retirement means more money for traveling!
76 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
Paid Advertisement for Keith Trembley Home Solutions and Dr. Energy Saver.
DAVID DE LOSSY & STRYJEKK/THINKSTOCK.COM
Water Heater
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 77
78 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
energy guide
Simple Tips for Saving at Home
A
Maximize fall and winter energy savings with simple tips. BY SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY
s temperatures
decrease during the fall and winter months, energy usage and costs tend to climb. These five energy-saving tips for your home will ensure the comfort of your family and your wallet.
1. Adjust your thermostat. Lower the heat on your thermostat while you are away from home and before you go to bed. Better yet, invest in a programmable thermostat so you don't have to give it a second thought.
2. Seal gaps around windows and doors. Cracks and gaps around windows and doors can let cold drafts into your home. Weather-stripping or caulking will seal these problem areas and keep your home warmer, without having to turn up the heat.
3. Insulate well to protect your home from the cold.
Add insulation to your basement walls, headers or attic to make a noticeable difference in the temperature of your home and its energy consumption. A mineral wool product specifically designed for thermal performance, such as Roxul Comfortbatt, is ideal. This type of batt insulation will also provide protection from fire, moisture and unwanted noise. Adding insulation is one of the simplest and most-cost effective ways to increase home energy efficiency.
PHOTOS: TAB1962, PASHAPIXEL & FUSE/THINKSTOCK.COM
4. Make use of natural sources of heat. Pull back your curtains to let natural light in. The sun can help to warm a room with its rays on a bright fall or winter day. If there are any large windows in your home that don't receive much sunlight, keep the curtains closed to form a barrier from the cold.
Scott McGillivray is the award-winning TV host of the hit series Income Property on HGTV Canada, a fulltime real estate investor, contractor, author, and educator. Follow him on Twitter @smcgillivray. Editorial courtesy of metrocreativeconnection.com
5. Use ceiling fans to your advantage.
In the winter, set the fan to rotate clockwise. The blades will pull the air up and around, redirecting warm air that rises back down into the living space. The effect can help you lower your thermostat by two degrees in the winter. While cutting back on energy may seem more challenging as the weather gets colder, it doesn't have to be. There are many no- or low-cost methods to conserve energy that can provide consistent savings over time.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 79
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Tips for taking the Chainsaw of Change to your own Tree of Stuff. BY CHRIS QUIMBY
of valuable thoughts in John Ortberg’s “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” was his description of the busy existence. Rather than living our lives, Ortberg states, many of us are instead “skimming” them. And such is a timely thought at this point of my existence, as I barely find the time to push out this column among my other responsibilities. And I am not alone in North America. The good many of us are managing too many tasks at once, like those people that spin multiple plates on the end of sticks that balance from various points on their bodies. What do you call them? Plate jugglers? Plate spinners. I could Google it, but I’m too busy. And while we dance around and give minimal attention to maximum responsibilities, we do not put out our best work. Whether you’re putting a fresh diaper on your baby’s head or filling your radiator with a fresh tank of gas, sometimes the quality of your work suffers. A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Ecuador on a mission trip. In education prior to leaving North America we were told that South Americans have a more relaxed relationship with time. People are late a lot and it’s not even frowned upon. And the pace at which many things are done is much more relaxed. This makes me wonder if, deep down inside, I was born too far north. After all, I have a nasty habit of being late for appointments and am a relatively slowly-paced human being. That is, of course, unless I have a cup of coffee. While caffeinated, I might not actually be faster, but I feel like I am, and that’s got to be worth something. So what is the answer if we are time-conscious, fast-paced and we’re still not getting ahead? Well, for me it is learning to prune the ever-growing Tree of Stuff. The Tree of Stuff has branches that meander and interweave and, if left unattended, will curl a vine around your neck and choke your life away. This started happening to me a couple of months ago. Once I discovered it was not an anomaly, but instead a pattern, I had to smoke up the Chainsaw of Change and start hacking at the Tree. This process should be executed with precision and takes a great deal of introspection. Simply put, before deciding what to cut, I first need to determine my purpose and attach a value to those things that take my time. My decision was to have a conversation with my boss about dialing back the number of hours I’m working at one of my 72,346 jobs (a slight exaggeration). I had to determine my financial cost of making the move, but also the degree to which the time I was spending with some tasks was causing my other work to suffer.
Many of us are managing too many tasks at once, like those people that spin multiple plates on the end of sticks. What do you call them? Plate jugglers? Plate spinners. I could Google it, but I’m too busy. The conversation went well, and I now have a lot more free time to sit on the street corner begging for spare change so that I might pay my bills. But all kidding aside, if we do not determine what we’re here for and learn how to make educated decisions about what we should say yes and no to, we will find ourselves doing a bunch of things horribly and hating every minute of it. And for those of us who are not politicians, that is not how we should be living our lives. It was once said by someone whose name I am too busy to look up that “you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” Humbling thought for those of us who have more pages to our bucket lists than years left to our lives. Here’s hoping that the things you choose to do, you do well. Now smoke up that chainsaw. 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. 80 / BANGOR METRO October 2015
IMAGE: ASKOLD ROMANOV & DYNAMIC GRAPHICS,2007/THINKSTOCK.COM
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