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SQUE ISLE • BANGOR • PORTLAND • STOCKHOLM • CHERRYFIELD • GOULDSBORO • MEDWAY • SANGERVILLE • KNOX • ELLSWORTH • ALNA • WINSL

Literary Emporium Then & Now:

Ellsworth

the

iceman cometh

OUR FAVORITE

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Holiday Gift Guide inside

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December 2016

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HOLID AY GIF T

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at Quirk Auto Park of Bangor 327 Hogan Road, Bangor, Maine quirk.mercedesdealer.com 941-1017 or 1-800-564-8100

DECEMBER 2016

contents

features GUNNING FOR WHITE AND SAVING GREEN / 16 Mount Abram uses airless snow guns A CHAMPION FOR VETERANS / 18 Local man named Honorary Aide de Camp HECTIC HOLIDAYS / 20 Advice for not cracking under the holiday pressure THE ICEMAN COMETH / 26 Creations from frozen water A HOUSE BUILT FOR HONOR / 34 Creating a permanent veterans’ retreat in Lee THE FRIENDLY CITY / 42 Greetings from Ellsworth

26

MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT, YOU’RE ADDICTED TO LUNCH / 48 Building a sandwich empire

WALL OF FAME / 60 Bangor’s banner-filled wall of fame

48 2 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: (TOP) COURTESY OF SUBZERO ICE CARVING; (BOTTOM) BDN FILE

A COLLECTION FIT FOR A KING / 52 An emporium of literary wonders

34

Green snow making, page 16

54

PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) KEREN ZUCKER; COURTESY OF HOUSE IN THE WOODS; FFOLAS/THINKSTOCK; BDN FILE

Champion for veterans, page 18

in every issue

columns

TALK BACK & SIGHTINGS / 8 Our readers’ thoughts and photos

METRO WELLNESS / 24 The benefits of meditation

BIZ BUZZ / 10 People and places on the move

METRO FAMILY / 58 An unintentional announcement

WHAT’S HAPPENING / 11 Local news and events

MAINE WOODS & WATERS / 62 Visiting Maine’s lighthouses

PERSPECTIVES / 54 The photos of Keren Zucker

LAST WORD / 72 All I want for Christmas

AIMEE & AMY TRY... / 56 Making fizzy bath bombs SAVVY SENIORS / 64 Caregiving in Maine METRO HOME / 66 Gifts for new homeowners CROWN OF MAINE / 69 News from Aroostook County

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES • Scan the code to visit us at bangormetro.com Visit us out on Facebook to enter fun giveaways!

BONUS INSIDE! 2016 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Gift ideas for HOLIDAY GIF everyone on T 2016 your list!

Something for Ever yone

Guide

OUR FAVORI TE

Check out our interactive map of Ellsworth (featured on page 42) More photos from events around our region.

Email your own event photos: sightings@bangormetro.com

MAI

NE MADE GIFT Support Main S e businesses and shop local

Look Inside!

TIPS FOR SHO PPING

GREAT GIFTS FOR MOM

From shopping GIFT EXCHANGE IDEAS

with kids to last

SMARTER minute ideas

WHAT TO GET GRANDPA PERFECT HOSTESS GIFTS

CREATIVE PRESENTS FOR DAD

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 3

editor’s note

It happens every year, like clockwork. You’d think we’d be prepared.

We notice it first when we’re shopping, out getting lunch, in some presumed safe place—a faint tap-tap-tapping at the backs of our skulls we can’t ignore. Pretty soon, it’s consumed us. We can’t escape it. And it leaves us wondering: What? Really? ALREADY? I’m talking, of course, about holiday music. It’s the omnipresent harbinger of things to come, and it seems to come earlier each year. I often wonder if Johnny Marks knew just how extensively “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” would be played when he wrote it. Was it purely innocent, or was it a diabolical, expertly-choreographed attempt at creating the ultimate inescapable earworm?

(Now that I mention it, I wonder the same about Wham! when they penned “Last Christmas”.)

Not long down the road, of course, are the other trappings of the season: animatronic holiday figures, decorations, sounds, scents, and shopping deals all battling for your attention. Sometimes it seems like winter is nothing but a long holiday.

What we’ve found here at Bangor Metro, however, is that there’s so much more to winter in Maine if you just scratch the surface a little. That’s why we’re pleased to feature Jason Bluck this issue. He’s been creating exquisite ice and snow sculptures for over ten years right here in Maine, crafting amazing creations purely out of really cold water (and the occasional gourd). Pretty amazing stuff, and he plays nary a holiday tune to do it.

On a personal note, I’d be remiss not to mention the elephant in the room: this is my first issue as Senior Editor of Bangor Metro. Hello—it’s nice to meet you all. I’m a native of the area, and, besides a seven-year stint as a U.S. Navy Journalist, a longtime resident. My daughters attend Bangor schools, and I’m involved in the community in a number of ways. I’m happy to be here, and I’m excited to share my vision as we continue to deliver captivating stories and stunning visuals from our rapidly developing region.

We’re in this together, now. Ready your Santa hats—it’s going to be quite a sleigh ride.

HE LL O my name is

4 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: IVANMIKHAYLOV, ALINAMD/THINKSTOCK

Matt

MATT CHABE, SENIOR EDITOR

www.bangormetro.com P.O. Box 1329 Bangor, Maine 04402-1329 Phone: 207.990.8000

PUBLISHER

Richard J. Warren

SENIOR EDITOR

Matt Chabe mchabe@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Emily Burnham eburnham@bangordailynews.com

ART DIRECTOR

Amy Allen aallen@bangordailynews.com

SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER

Fred Stewart fstewart@bangordailynews.com

Connect With Us Online! bangormetro.com facebook.com/BangorMetro @BangorMetro bangormetro editor@bangormetro.com

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 5

6 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bob Duchesne

Jodi Hersey

Jane Margesson

Richard Shaw

Joy Hollowell

Chris Quimby

Ashley Thornton

Emilie Brand Throckmorton

Bangor Metro Magazine. December 2016, Vol. 12, No. 12.

Copyright Š Bangor Publishing Company.

Bangor Metro is published 12 times annually by Bangor Publishing Company. 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 Matt Chabe at mchabe@bangordailynews.com.

Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Print Sales Manager Todd Johnston at 207-990-8134.

Subscriptions/Address Change: A one year subscription cost is $24.95. 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 207-990-8075.

Accounts Payable/Receivable: For information about your account please contact Todd Johnston at 207-990-8134.

COVER DESIGN: Amy Allen

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7

talk back & sightings

We Love Hearing From You

Be careful where you leave your magazine laying around...

For real, guys? When you work with a group of creative pros you never know what might happen. Last month’s plain-faced cover inspired the BDN’s Creative Department to DIY their own designs.

Feel free to decorate your own cover and share it on our Facebook page!

movers & shakers

Museum

You can check out the Maine Troop Greeters museum in our October issue or in person at Bangor International Airport.

Takes Flight

Troop Greeters create museum at Bangor International Airport.

BY JODI HERSEY

Troop Greeters Gil Cory and Cathy Czarnecki.

Grammy’s Country Inn in Linneus had to start a second wall to display all of their Bangor Metro Best Restaurant awards!

Congrats!

he Maine Troop

Greeters, an all volunteer group made up of men, women and veterans dedicated to greeting troops any time, day or night, at the Bangor International Airport, may be getting older, but they aren’t slowing down.

The group is putting in some long hours these days in an effort to make the Maine Troop Greeters Museum a reality.

“The troop greeters really became active in 2003 and it started completely spontaneously. People were coming out and meeting flights. Over the course of almost 14 years, we’ve had more than 1.5 million greeting experiences. But if you tell someone you greet troops, it doesn’t tell the story,” explained Troop Greeter Gil Cory. “It’s like being on drugs. You want more.”

Since the number of troop flights coming into BIA has decreased fairly significantly, Cory, Cathy Czarnecki and dozens of other troop greeters are getting their high by fundraising for the museum. The goal is to collect $500,000 for an interactive museum located in the hallway that connects the main terminal building to the international building at BIA. It’s something that’s always been in the back of greeters’ minds, especially with the mass amounts of memorabilia they’ve collected over the years from soldiers.

“There are 5,800 coins, 2,400 patches. We’ve got over 3,000 decals and thousands of photos that are all being cataloged and scanned, put into the computer and saved,” said Czarnecki. “We also have a fallen heroes book going way back to 2001 and 2002 and that has been emotional. When we’d have a flight come home that lost someone, they’d all be huddled around that book. One soldier even left a rosary and a beautiful note in that book. It’s very nice.”

All of the items are currently in the troop greeter room located on the second floor of the airport, which is only open when a greeter is there. But the collection far exceeds the square footage of the room itself.

“If nothing is done, all of this is eventually going to be put in boxes and stored and the story won’t be told,” said Cory.

To prevent that from happening, the troop greeters have teamed up with a museum architect out of Portland to design the museum which is tentatively scheduled to open in November 2017.

“All in all, it has been an experience. If someone were to say to me, you can’t do this anymore, it would break my heart because it’s a passion,” explained Czarnecki.

“People say, ‘Why do you do it?’ That’s not a question you can answer. Unless you actually stand in line with us and welcome these heroes home I can’t tell you what it’s like. It’s amazing but that doesn’t say it.”

“The troop greeters really became active in 2003 and it started completely spontaneously. People were coming out and meeting flights. Over the course of almost 14 years, we’ve had more than 1.5 million greeting experiences.”

–Gil Cory The troop greeters hope the museum will be able to capture the pride, feelings and emotions that so many of them have felt each and every time a military flight has passed through the airport.

“If you don’t get affected by it, you don’t have a pulse,” said Cory.

So far over 260 donors have generously stepped forward to support the project.

But many more donations are needed.

“I think the museum will speak for itself when it is done. It will be the Maine Troop Greeters Museum dedicated to those who served. And I think people, just out of curiosity, are going to check it out,” said Czarnecki.

For more information or to make an online donation, visit mainetroopgreetersmuseum.org. Donations by check can also be mailed to Maine Troop Greeters, 287 Godfrey Boulevard, Box 6, Bangor Maine 04401.

PHOTOS: JODI HERSEY

“That is a wonderful place.”

Janice J. via Facebook

T

“These are just two of our great crew who have helped us to achieve these awards.

Thanks to all of them!”

Grammy’s Country Inn

20 / BANGOR METRO October 2016

WE’RE EXCITED Here’s a look at what our staff is psyched to share with readers this month

Somebunny’s Adorable

Happy Holidays!

So, bunnies aren’t great at typing or laying out a magazine as it turns out, but they do offer amazing office therapy benefits. This little fuzzball came to visit from Little Lane Rabbitry and brighten a crazy Friday morning. Awww!

This month’s issue is full of holiday fun and inspiration.

Traveling to Fort Kent via paddleboard, page 69 Mount Abram goes green, page 18

A visit to Ellsworth, then and now, page 42

Tis the Season Looking for a great holiday gift? We recommend a subscription to Bangor Metro! A full year subscription is just $14.95 from now until Dec. 31, 2016. Give us a call at 990-8075

Coming NEXT MONTH...

It’s a new year with new features, new fun and a new look! Stay tuned for our January issue!

Have a comment or story idea? Share! Email us at editor@bangormetro.com

8 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Pups, politics and history are all being celebrated!

Here’s a look at just a few special events from the past month...

1 2

1: Megan Buhl and her friend Kasper get in some quality time at the Bangor Humane Society’s Paws on Parade benefit held recently.

2: Friends new and old got together for the Bangor Historical Society’s “Harvest Wine at Hill House” member appreciation event at the historic Thomas A. Hill House recently.

Pictured (from left): Mark Pellon, Melissa Gerety, and Kristen McAlpine.

3: U.S. Senator Susan Collins was the featured speaker at a recent Dirigo Speaks event at Husson University’s Gracie Theater.

Pictured (from left): Becky Amsden, Tim Woodcock, James Tobin, Felicia Knight, Sen. Collins, Thomas Daffron, and Carol Woodcock.

3

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9

biz buzz On the Move DONNA RUSSELL-COOK, FACHE , was recently

appointed president of Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC).

Russell-Cook has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration and has been EMMC’s senior vice president and chief operating officer since July 2015. She previously served as administrator of EMMC’s Heart Center and Critical Care Services between 2006 and 2009.

“I’m struck by the honor of being chosen to work with the incredible leadership teams at EMMC and EMHS to help shape the future of healthcare in our region,” said Russell-Cook.

Deborah Carey Johnson, RN, who has served as president and CEO of EMMC since 2004, will remain chief executive officer of EMMC and senior vice president of EMHS until her retirement in July 2017.

The Bangor Police Department recently promoted two officers to the rank of Patrol Sergeant.

SGT. JOHN ROBINSON has been with the Bangor Police Department since 1996. Robinson has served as a patrol officer, an agent with the U.S. Attorney’s Violent Crime Task Force, a general investigator in the Criminal Investigation’s Division and as a Court Officer. Robinson is a Crisis Negotiator.

SGT. MYRON WARNER

has been with the Bangor Police Department since 1997. Warner has served as a Detective in the Criminal Investigation Division and a member of the department’s special response team. Warner has served the last several years as the department’s school resource officer.

LIEUTENANT STEVEN W. HUNT has retired from the Bangor Police Department. Hunt served the Bangor Police Department in many roles including as both an agent and a supervisor at the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and as a special agent with the U.S. Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force.

10 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Rudman Winchell, Counselors at Law in Bangor is proud to announce that Attorneys CAITLYN S. SMITH , KATIE R. FOSTER , KRISTY M. HAPWORTH and RACHEL M. TRAFTON have all joined the firm as associates.

“We look forward to the contributions these young women will make to our firm and to our clients in the coming years,” said Ed Bearor, Rudman Winchell Managing Partner.

“Each is from this area, and each has had a successful academic career from which we fully expect they will transition into productive members of the legal community.”

MICHAEL MAINS was

recently promoted to Environmental Manager/ Supplemental Materials Manager at Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC) in Orrington. Mains was previously Technical Manager there.

In his new position, Mains will continue to oversee all of PERC’s environmental initiatives, including permitting, compliance and reporting, but will also take on added responsibilities in sourcing new materials to use as fuel or substitute materials at PERC. DEBRA ORT, Board Certified Psychiatric

Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMH-NP), has joined the providers and staff of Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC)’s Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor. Ort’s practice focuses on all aspects of patientcentered mental health care, including assessment, treatment, medication management and supportive therapy.

Awards Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC)’s LILY STADIG, PBT, Client Service Specialist, Laboratory; and ANGELA HUFF, BA , Helpdesk & Project Manager, IT Department, were named PCHC’s 2016 Clinical and Non-Clinical Employees of the Year. The two were nominated by their fellow employees during PCHC’s Employee Appreciation Event and were selected for their exceptional care and service to others.

JESSICA DANIEL of Bangor and DIANA JACOBS of Medway, second-year students

at Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), have been awarded $1,500 scholarships from the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) for study during the current academic year.

Daniel is a 2009 graduate of Corinth High School and is pursuing a degree in Fine Woodworking and Cabinetmaking.

After obtaining her degree she plans to work for a woodworking business, then go on to open her own woodworking business where she can make furniture.

Jacobs is pursuing a degree in Business Management. After obtaining her degree she plans to work in the local area as an office or accounting manager.

This is the third year the organization has provided the scholarship, which 14 Maine community college students have received. To qualify, students must be a Maine resident, have financial need, and be enrolled as a second-year student in a building trades, architecture, construction, engineering or business program at a Maine community college.

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce recently announced the award recipients to be honored at its 2017 Annual Dinner Jan. 27. The awards honor businesses and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in entrepreneurship, management and lifetime achievement.

WOODROW CROSS , a Bangor region volunteer for many years, will be presented with the Chamber’s highest honor, the Norbert X. Dowd Award.

Also receiving awards are DENNIS PAPER & FOOD SERVICE COMPANY for Business of the Year; BENJAMIN BREADMORE for The Catherine Lebowitz Award for Public Service; MAINE TROOP GREETERS for The M. Jane Irving Community Service Award; PENOBSCOT THEATRE for The Nonprofit of the Year Award; MICHAEL BALLESTEROS for The Arthur Comstock Professional Service Award; and ABE & HEATHER FURTH for The Bion & Dorain Foster Entrepreneurship Award.

One additional award, the Chamber Volunteer of the Year award, will be presented to CARRIE MEO, Owner/VP of Fixed Operations at Darling’s Auto and owner of Anthony John’s Day Spa, at the Chamber’s Annual Breakfast and Business meeting Jan. 11.

what’s happening

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

Pictured at the signing is (from left) Wayne Hanson, Wreaths Across America Chairman of the Board; Candy Martin, National President, American Gold Star Mothers; and Karen Worcester, Wreaths Across America Executive Director.

Patriotic

COLUMBIA FALLS: Wreaths Across America recently forged a formal partnership with American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., in an effort to build a stronger awareness for each group’s common missions.

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreathlaying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission—”Remember, Honor, Teach”—is carried out each year in part by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington and more than 1,100 other locations around the country.

American Gold Star Mothers, an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in service to the country, supports veterans and their families through a broad range of activities and programs. It was established in 1928 and chartered by

Partnership

Congress in 1984 to support families of fallen and wounded soldiers, teach lessons of patriotism, and inspire respect for the country.

The signed memorandum of understanding between the two groups outlines nine key agreements, such as the establishment of a steering committee with a representative from each organization, collaborative volunteer efforts, and development of a partnership page on Wreaths Across America’s website.

“For years, American Gold Star Mothers has played a crucial role in the lives of thousands of families across the country,” said Karen Worcester, Executive Director of Wreaths Across America. “This official partnership is truly an honor for me, and I’m eager to start our work together. Our combined efforts will no doubt help to shape and inform the next generation of patriots.”

American Gold Star Mothers

president and retired U.S. military servicewoman Candy Martin has devoted her entire life to the service of others, whether through her active time in the Army or as a volunteer in her community. As the mother of a fallen soldier, she thinks of her role as more of a calling than a job. Martin believes that Wreaths Across America is a fundamental partner in American Gold Star Mothers’ broader community of service and remembrance.

“This is a perfect marriage to me because both organizations value the same ideals,” Martin said. “The mission of American Gold Star Mothers is one of service to veterans, service to their families and patriotism. We want to teach the world and the general public that freedom isn’t free. There’s always a name, always a person, that we can thank for the freedoms that we enjoy each day. To me, that mission goes hand in hand with Wreaths Across America.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11

what’s happening

December 1-24 Penobscot Theatre Company presents “Oliver!”

In this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, orphan Oliver Twist navigates the underworld of Victorian London, searching for a loving home and falling into a gang of child pickpockets led by the conniving Fagin.

With spirited, timeless songs like “As Long as He Needs Me,” “Food, Glorious Food,” and “Where is Love,” Oliver! is a musical classic. Tickets are available online at penobscottheatre.org, or by calling 942-3333. penobscottheatre.org

Madness sale will offer steep discounts at Bar Harbor boutiques. A raffle to win two plane tickets through Cape Air will go all night as well. barharborinfo.com December 3 Bangor Rotary Festival of Lights Parade This annual tradition, set for 4 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 3, rolls its way through downtown Bangor in a beautiful display of twinkling lights and local pride—and of course, Santa will be there as well.

Sponsored by the Bangor Rotary. bangorrotary.org

December 6 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

by Chip Davis at the Cross Insurance Center Mannheim Steamroller Christmas has been a holiday tradition for the past 30 years; Grammy award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features beloved Christmas music along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. crossinsurancecenter.com

December 2 Midnight Madness and Village Green Holidays in Bar Harbor The evening begins at 4:30 p.m. on the Village Green in downtown Bar Harbor for caroling, hot cocoa, a visit from Santa and the tree lighting. Then, the MDI YMCA will host a family festival from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and then from 8 p.m. to midnight, the Midnight

December 3-4 29th annual Christmas by the Sea A weekend celebration of the holiday season in Camden, Rockport and Rockland. Parade, community tree lighting, and musical entertainment.

Holiday sales and dining specials; photos and children’s story hour with Santa, who arrives by boat. mainedreamvacation.com

December 10 21st annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Holiday Market Free and open to the public, this event is the largest holiday gathering of Maine Indian artists in New England and features award-winning members of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. It is much more than a sale, as visitors have an opportunity to learn

12 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

DECEMBER

Dec. 3 Bangor Rotary Festival of Lights Parade

about Maine Indian history and culture, hear traditional language spoken, learn about Maine Indian music and dance traditions, watch artists demonstrate these ancient art forms throughout the day, and purchase one of a kind art from basketmakers, carvers, birchbark artists and jewelers. It’s set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Hudson Museum at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine. umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum December 17 The Fogcutters Super Fantastic Christmas Extravaganza The Fogcutters are a 19-piece big band from Portland, Maine, with a different perspective on the format of the classic big band: writing and playing original music unencumbered by a singular music style, and influenced by musical masters of the past and present. The result is a unique sound and eclectic style that is anything but traditional.

This is not your grandfather’s big band!

Every Christmas the band pairs up with a wide array of Maine musicians for an explosive holiday show, benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation. This year’s event is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at the State Theatre in Portland; tickets are available via Ticketmaster. ticketmaster.com December 17-18 Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Robinson Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” Holiday magic returns to the Collins Center with the BSO’s annual presentation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The timeless tale of Clara, her Nutcracker, and their adventures in the Land of Sweets is brought to life with a full orchestra, dancers, and scenery in this beautiful production. bangorsymphony.org December 31 Bangor’s Downtown Countdown The ninth annual Downtown Countdown will once again feature a huge array of entertainment, kid’s activities, dancing, food and generalized revelry, beginning at 4 p.m. and lasting into the first few hours of 2016. It’s the state’s largest New Year’s Eve event. All events are free unless otherwise noted; a full schedule can be found online at countdownbangor.com. countdownbangor.com

Dec. 17 The Fogcutters, Portland

Dec. 17-18 “The Nutcracker,” Orono

Dec. 31 Bangor’s Downtown Countdown

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 13

what’s happening

Dec. 31 18th Annual New Year’s By the Bay, Belfast

Dec. 31 New Year’s Eve Sardine & Maple Leaf Drop, Eastport

14 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

December 31 New Year’s Eve Sardine & Maple Leaf Drop, Eastport Where else can you see a gigantic sardine and maple leaf descend from above? Nowhere but Eastport. The maple leaf drops at 11 p.m.—a.k.a. midnight Atlantic Time, in honor of our Canadian friends and neighbors—and the sardine follows at midnight. eastportchamber.net

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

December 31 18th Annual New Year’s By the Bay, Belfast This celebration includes events happening all around town. There will be music, dancing, magic, food, and more in a family-friendly environment. Purchase a button for entry into all events. 2 pm to midnight. $18 adults; $5 youth; free for children under the age of 5.

323-1748 • nybb.org

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 15

eye on industry

Gunning for White

and Saving Green

BY JODI HERSEY

16 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

T

here’s nothing skiers

enjoy more than fresh snow. For those times when Mother Nature doesn’t deliver, however, Mount Abram in Oxford County has found the next best thing.

The mountain recently aquired over two dozen airless snow guns. The new guns, manufactured by the Italian company Nivis, can blanket the trails with snow as if it were a winter wonderland while reducing carbon emissions at the same time.

“Natural powdered snow is a lot of skiers’ favorite thing because it is so soft and carvable,” said Dave Scanlan, Mount Abram’s general manager. “We found that the snow we’re making with these airless guns gets us closer to that type of experience.

All we need is a short window of cold temperatures and we can just bury the mountain in man-made snow.”

Mount Abram was the first mountain in North America to product test these airless snow guns two years ago. Scanlan and his staff used two of them the entire winter and were so blown away with the results that they invested in a fleet of 25 guns the following year, thanks to a 50% matching grant from Efficiency Maine under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program.

“We were able to test them in various locations and in different temperatures on the mountain and were extremely impressed with the quality and quantity,” explained Scanlan. “We find the shape of the snow particle that’s made from these airless snow guns to be a lot better texture than the snow we can make from the other snow guns we have. It really does produce a great quality surface.”

Scanlan said most snowmaking operations use snow guns with high pressure water systems that mix with high pressure air. As both go into a typical snowmaking gun, the machine is able to break up the water molecules small enough to freeze them in the air so they fall as snow. The Nivis guns, however, use absolutely no compressed air so no electrical energy is needed.

“The act of generating all the compressed air required to run snow making systems is extremely intensive,” he said. “A lot of the smaller mountains end up renting diesel air compressors. Before we had these new efficient snow guns,

PHOTO: (SNOWBOARDER) DIGITAL VISION/THINKSTOCK; COURTESY OF MOUNT ABRAM

Mount Abram uses airless snow guns to blanket the slopes.

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we’d burn 40 gallons of diesel an hour to make snow. The cost of that diesel and the carbon emission and everything that goes along with it is a really large number.”

Scanlan doesn’t want Mount Abram to be the only ski area benefitting from this new technology. He’s now in the process of developing an airless snow gun leasing program to help get the guns in the hands of other mountains.

“They typically cost around $5,000 per snow gun,” he said. “Every mountain that tries them is interested in acquiring them but the capital can be really hard to come by. We’re in the early stages of rolling out a snow gun leasing program because we believe in the positive environmental impact it can bring to the ski business and the efficiency it’ll bring to people’s operations.”

The leasing program would allow mountains to try out these guns for the first three months of the season and offer them attractive leasing terms if they want to continue, explained Scanlan.

“We see it as a real opportunity to help spread this technology and help the environment as well.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 17

movers & shakers

A Champion for Veterans F

rom an early

age, some folks know exactly what they were meant to do in life. Galen Cole’s childhood dream was to open a transportation museum. At 90 years young, he’s been able to live out his dream as founder of the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor where he’s just as involved today as the day it opened in 1990.

“It’s been more work than I expected, but it’s presented more thrills and more recognition than I have ever expected,” he explained.

Cole served in World War II as a replacement with the army’s 5th Armored Division when he was just 19 years old.

In April 1945, he found himself traveling in the back of a half-track when he was asked to move out of his seat by another soldier in his squad. Cole willingly complied. Later a German shell landed where Cole had been sitting, killing the five men on that side of the half track and wounding the others.

18 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Cole made a promise to God if he was able to return home he would do his best to help his community and his fellow man, leaving both better than the way he found them. He was discharged in 1946 and has been working to fulfill his promise ever since.

“Having been one of the most fortunate people to survive the war, last June I met these three ladies whose uncle was killed when he requested his old seat back when I joined the 5th Armored Division. Meeting them 71 years later is probably the biggest single surprise I’ve had in life,” Cole said.

The army veteran has continuously brought history alive at his museum, not only through the artifacts and vast collection of Maine transportation vehicles on site, but also through the one-on-one interactions he arranges between Maine veterans and school children.

“We’ve had more than 45,000 students from all corners of the state of Maine that

have been here,” Cole said. “Some of our veterans have now interviewed over 1,000 children. They sit down with three children at a time.”

Cole was recently named Honorary Aide de Camp to Governor Paul LePage and presented with a plaque from Brigadier General Douglas Farnham, Adjutant General for the state of Maine. It’s the fourth time Cole has received the award.

“Galen Cole and the Cole Transportation Museum continue to provide unique opportunities to honor the service of our veterans. Teaching school children about the sacrifice of service members and providing nearly 10,000 walking sticks to veterans are just two examples of why it was appropriate to honor Galen as an Honorary Aide de Camp to Governor LePage,” explained Farnham.

The first time Cole was named Aide de Camp was back in 1960 by then-Governor John Reed. He was given the award again in 1988 when John McKernan was Gover-

PHOTO: BDN FILE

Galen Cole named Honorary Aide de Camp. BY JODI HERSEY

YOUR INJURY IS PERSONAL You did not expect to be in a car crash.

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FOR A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY. 133 Broadway, Bangor • lanhamblackwell.com Galen Cole talks to a group of children during a tour of Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor.

nor and a third time in 2008 when Governor John Baldacci was in the Blaine House.

“The first one in 1960 was a true honor. It was before we built and constructed the museum, but we were still doing things for kids and veterans,” said Cole. “I am not aware of any other person who has received it four times or any other person who has received it from both political parties.”

Cole has the award on display inside his office at the museum. Although his name is the only one on the award, Cole believes the recognition is for all the veterans who volunteer at the museum.

“Our foundation is committed now with my children and grandchildren on the board to continue this program for generations to come,” he explained. “Our governors are recognizing what we do, and I like to emphasize we, because we have well over 100 volunteer veterans who are a major part of what we do. That honor is for them as much as it is for me.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 19

metro health

Hectic Holidays

BY JOY HOLLOWELL

20 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

J

ennifer Folsom

loves the holidays.

“I love the time that it forces me to carve out for my family,” said the Glenburn mother of twin girls, 7, and a 3-year-old son. “I love seeing it through the eyes of my kids.”

She also hates the holidays.

“I hate how fast it goes,” she said. “I feel like I’m never ready until Christmas Eve, no matter how hard I plan ahead or try to be prepared. There’s always something.”

In addition to motherhood, Folsom is an assistant women’s basketball coach at Husson University, an independent sales consultant for Thirty One bags, and works full-time at Eastern Maine Healthcare. “I would like to think that I can carve out a few hours on a Friday evening for my husband and I to do dinner and shopping,” she said.

“But he’s an assistant baseball coach at Husson so both of us have commitments.

We’re never really home or around at the same time.”

Every year, Folsom promises herself the holidays will be different. “I have all the intentions in the world of having my shopping done by Thanksgiving,” she said, “but it never happens. Or if I do shop early, I forget that I have it and I end up buying twice as much.”

Folsom is not alone. The fast forward button on life seems to get pushed for many as the holidays draw near. Finding time to fit it all in seems to become an impossible feat.

“There is no such thing as perfect,” said Kirsten Webb of Searsport Counseling Associates in Belfast. “Commercials tell us to make elaborate meals for our loved ones.

Stores encourage us to purchase gifts and treasures to show them we care. We feel discouraged trying to make it all come true and that results in stress.”

That pressure cooker of emotions releases cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine in our bodies, according to Webb. “These lower our blood sugars and intel-

PHOTOS: (FOLSOM FAMILY) NICOLE HOGAN; (BULBS) EMISTA & PMCDONALD/THINKSTOCK

Tips for not cracking under the pressure of December’s hustle and bustle.

lectual functioning,” she explained, “preparing us for ‘fight or flight.’”

Recovering from that can take hours or even days, according to Webb.

Kim Corey has been a professional organizer for 16 years. The owner of Finely Sorted Organizing Service said taking a “time out” can often lead to lower stress levels.

“Feeling overwhelmed is the mental equivalent of carrying around a large load of rocks,” Corey explained.

“Sooner or later you’re going to get tired and burn out.

One needs to put the rocks down until mental fortitude can be regained.”

Corey suggested what she calls a mind dump.

“Dump everything at once in mindmapping form so that you don’t forget anything,” she said. “That includes ‘to dos’ from all areas of your life—personal and work. This allows your mind processor to focus on the problems one at a time.”

Once those items have been prioritized, Corey recommends writing them all on a selected day of your calendar, rather than a list. “This way you will see how the items will actually fit in time.”

Folsom had to figure out a way to host not one but two Christmas dinners at her house.

“We always have Christmas dinner with my side of the family,” she said.

“Most of my husband’s family is in the healthcare field so Christmas is typically a good day for them to work. So we have a ‘Not On Christmas Christmas’

Jennifer Folsom and family.

That pressure cooker of emotions releases cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine in our bodies.

“These lower our blood sugars and intellectual functioning preparing us for ‘fight or flight.’”

–Kirsten Webb event at some point during the holidays, either the weekend before or the first weekend in January.”

Folsom came up with a plan to keep herself out of the kitchen.

“I don’t cook at all,” she said with a laugh. “I strategically offer our home as a location for both families for Christmas. You come, but you bring food and someone else does the cooking and then I’ll clean up after.”

Sandy Imondi of Organized Solutions said simplifying your holiday

routine should be about substituting quality over quantity.

“Instead of six different types of cookies, make one type and make it special,” she said. “Perhaps it’s your favorite or your grandmother’s recipe. Put all the love from those unmade five other types of cookies into this special batch, take your time and enjoy the experience.”

Agreeing ahead of time to limit the number of presents for extended family members can also alleviate a lot of stress and anxiety, said Imondi. “No

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 21

metro health adult needs presents anymore, and only one present per child. Spend time on kids, not money.”

Webb also believes in getting back to the basics. “Those who start with the best intentions and organizing tools may be led astray by many factors,” she said. “It is easy to get distracted by the many messages and ideas presented to us. There are a growing number of people in our community who engage in more historical versions of the holidays and do not experience this.”

And while we may want to take a holiday from diet and exercise during the month of December, staying active and eating healthy can actually reduce your level of stress.

“Physical activity causes an increase in the production of endorphins, the brain’s ‘feel good’ chemicals,” said Suzanne Scroggins, a personal trainer and owner of Mind Over Matter in Hampden.

“Endorphins act as natural pain killers for the body and also improve our ability to sleep, which in turn decreases stress.”

A little effort can go a long way in

22 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

terms of boosting energy. “Take the stairs instead of the elevator,” said Scroggins.

“Park your car further from your work, the mall, or other places. Walk while you wait for your kids to finish up their sporting practices or music lessons.“ Eating regularly throughout the day and staying hydrated can also keep you on track. “There are many foods that are considered ‘stress busters’ such as oatmeal, eggs, oranges, blueberries, spinach, asparagus, avocado, and almonds,” Scroggins said. “Oh, and my personal favorite—dark chocolate.”

Signs of severe seasonal stress could indicate a bigger problem, according to Webb. “Interference with occupational, daily and affective function, poor appetite, sleep disturbance, getting angry or upset beyond normal levels or overwhelming sadness that won’t go away,“ Webb said, “are signals of a more serious disorder and professional help should be sought immediately.”

Folsom has no doubt she’ll be up until 1 a.m. Dec. 25, wrapping

those last minute presents to put under the tree. Come Christmas morning, however, when her three kids wake up excited to see if Santa came, Folsom said all of the stress leading up to that moment melts away.

“To see them run downstairs and their eyes light up and just the excitement, it makes me a kid again. It’s so worth it to live all that through their eyes. You really forget everything else.”

Treating Ear Infections Using Chiropractic Dr. Ben Myerowitz Ear infections (Otitis Media) are quite common with 10 million new cases estimated every year. Among the new cases, babies and children are frequently affected. It is estimated 50% of children will experience a middle ear infection before they turn a year old and 66% will experience one by the age of 3. Some typical symptoms of an ear infection are pain in the ear, irritability, fever, headache, hearing issues along with possible excessive crying, difficulty with balance and the child pulling their own ears.

One type of ear infection is Otitis Media with Effusion. This type includes fluid buildup in the middle ear with signs of infection being absent. According to the CDC, this usually resolves on its own and antibiotics are not required. The second type is Acute Otitis Media (AOM). This can affect the inside of the ear and is often painful. AOM can be caused by both a bacterial and a viral source.

Therefore, antibiotics as treatment may not always be a viable option if the infection is

not bacterial in nature.¹ Typical bacteria’s responsible for the infections are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, and Moraxella catarrhalis.¹ Typical viruses that are responsible for AOM are Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Rhinoviruses, Influenza viruses and Adenoviruses.¹ Children tend to be more susceptible to ear infections for several reasons. The eustachian tube is smaller than adults and more horizontally orientated thus allowing for less fluid drainage.2 From a scientific standpoint, one theory of why these repeated ear infections occur are children also have less surface area for the Tensor Veli Palatine muscle and for the eustachian tube to work properly the (TVP) muscle needs to function normally.

With proper functioning of this muscle, along with others, allows the proper ventilation of the eustachian tube or ear canal.3 The TVP is innervated by the trigeminal nerve which also has parts of that nerve that directly unite with superior cervical ganglion from the C1 to C4 nerve roots. Therefore, by treating children by making minor adjustments to the occipital and upper cervical/neck will improve the symptoms of ear infections.

Clinically, I’ve treated many children that have had ear infections, many that have been treated with antibiotics for previous infections that have returned. What Chiropractic aims to do, is to correct the cause of the ear infections whether its related to a virus or a bacteria by allowing proper ventilation of the eustachian tube and helping the lymphatic

and nervous system to function correctly. As a child myself, I had one ear infection. After being treated Chiropractically, my symptoms resolved as has many other children that I have treated personally.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human services. Last updated on April 17, 2015.

Available at http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/ear-infection.html.

2 Doyle WJ and Swarts JD. Eustachian Tube-Tensor Veli Palatini Muscle-Cranial Base Relationships in Children and Adults: An Osteological Study. International Journal Pediatric Otorhinolaryngol. 2010; 74 (9): 986-990.

3 McDonald MH, Hoffman M, Gentry LR and Jiang, J. New Insights into mechanism of Eustachian tube ventilation based on cine computed tomography images. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2012; 269(8): 1901-1907.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 23

metro

wellness

Clear Your

Mind

Discovering the benefits of meditation.

advantages of meditation are numerous and scientifically proven, and even though I can list the benefits to mental and physical health, I never made a conscious habit of meditating until I had to.

I’ve dabbled. I tried meditation once in awhile. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t disciplined about it. In my day-to-day life, I was “too busy” to carve out that kind of time to have a daily practice. Sure, if I happen to have a rare pocket of extra time and no one needed me, meditation would’ve been an ideal way to spend that time, but between answering emails, scrolling through my phone, or getting a head start on dinner, my time was always up before I knew it.

Oops, I forgot to meditate again. I have forgotten to meditate for 20 years.

Let’s be honest—meditation feels a little self indulgent, right? “Sorry, kids, I can’t make you dinner right now even though you are hungry. I know you need help with your homework. I have to go meditate. I’ll be back in 20 minutes.

Please be silent.”

So I didn’t do it.

I went through a period in my life of heightened stress, however, which caused chronic, daily tension headaches—pain and tightness in the top of my head, neck, and back that was debilitating. Over-the-counter pain medicine did nothing. Drinking a lot of water didn’t help. Hot showers gave me relief, but only for about a half an hour after.

When you are in pain for weeks on end, 24 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

you get serious about finding a fix. The one thing that actually gave me relief?

You guessed it. Meditation.

I carry my stress in my shoulders and neck, and can literally point to the pain and tightness between my shoulder blades. The tension that was causing my headaches gave me not only a reason to

position or worry too much about my surroundings. Now, when I meditate, I just concentrate on my breathing and relax my muscles, and spend 20 minutes releasing the tightness. I close my eyes. I drop my shoulders. I imagine each breath expelling tension from my body and into the world away from me. I make sure my

I found that if I didn’t worry so much about thinking the “right” thoughts, but just focused on my body and my breath, that the mental clarity came too. I was feeling less stress, more calm. I was staying absolutely present for 20 solid minutes. That is pretty remarkable. meditate, it gave me a meditation strategy. Meditating “correctly” can be intimidating. We imagine sitting in lotus position in a beautiful sun-lit studio while incense burns and soft music plays. We think those who meditate reach a transcendent state during each session. It can be overwhelming to “stay mindful” or “clear your mind” or “dismiss your thoughts” while trying to meditate. Instead of finding inner peace, what I usually ended up doing was making grocery lists in my head until the timer went off.

Because of those chronic headaches, I became motivated to really give meditation a try. I decided to just do my best.

I didn’t chant “Om” or get into any fancy

head is sitting right on top of my spine so that my neck muscles aren’t working hard. I make my head feel as if it is floating. I unclench my jaw.

I found that if I didn’t worry so much about thinking the “right” thoughts, but just focused on my body and my breath, that the mental clarity came too. I was feeling less stress, more calm. I was staying absolutely present for 20 solid minutes. That is pretty remarkable for me, for any of us.

Sometimes I don’t have a full 20 minutes, so I take 10, or even five. Sometimes I don’t have the benefit of being on my living room floor while everyone else is sleeping, so I close my eyes and meditate

PHOTO: ALLAN DANAHAR/THINKSTOCK

E

ven though the

BY EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON

in the car while waiting for one of my kids to finish practice. I may even meditate while walking, thinking about my breath and head position, dropping my shoulders and imagining the tension releasing up and away from me. I can feel my headaches lessening even after a minute or two of this conscious attention. Over time, I have indeed found relief; I have had less intense and then fewer headaches.

If you’ve been considering trying meditation, don’t wait until your head hurts. Maybe you can avoid the tension that causes the eventual headaches in the first place. Other benefits of meditation include: improved concentration, self-awareness and happiness; decreased stress and tension; slowing of the aging process. Even typing that list makes my head feel better.

I am not surprised by any of my findings, because as I said, I knew all of the benefits of meditation before I actually tried to incorporate it into my life. Physical pain can certainly motivate us to make changes in our lives. My need became more immediate than it had been. Before, I believed it was a good idea. Now, I depend on it to function, and I don’t think that’s self-indulgent.

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.

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feature story

The

Iceman

26 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Cometh

Fantastic creations from frozen water.

BY MATT CHABE

HE WAS A CHEF, ONCE.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASON BLUCK

Scanning his eyes across his domain, he’d take stock of meats, spices, greens, bouillon and other ingredients, and wield the tools at his disposal to craft creations to tease and delight, sate and enrich. He was a chef, once, and he was a good one.

At some point around ten years ago, that all changed.

These days, Jason Bluck, owner of Subzero Ice Carvings in Falmouth, sees beauty in ice and snow. Eschewing knives and pots for chainsaws and chisels, Bluck creates things in media most of us don’t think twice about. It’s all fair game—in addition to the frozen stuff, Bluck’s been known to work in sand and wood as well.

“The biggest difference between the materials is texture,” he explained.

“Ice is easy if you use a chainsaw. There are no knots or grain, like in wood.

Sand, on the other hand, is almost like drying cement when packed.”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 27

feature story But snow, he explains, is the most delicate of all. He goes on to describe the fine grains you’ll find as you scrutinize each creation more closely. It’s like talking to a physicist about string theory—

ported, he said. It was a wonder no one knocked them off.

Bluck started down this path in an unconventional way. He went to school for drafting and architecture, and started

IT’S LIKE TALKING TO A PHYSICIST ABOUT STRING THEORY—THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE MORE BEAUTY YOU’LL FIND IN THE DETAILS. the deeper you go, the more beauty you’ll find in the details. He describes a carving he did years ago of the Bender character from the “Futurama” television series at a public event. The arms were barely sup-

28 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

working as a dishwasher at a restaurant to pay the bills. Eventually, he moved up and became part of the chef ranks. His real interest, however, was in the “arts” aspect of the culinary arts.

“Most chefs can do something like this,” he said. “Most of them can carve garnishes, but I wanted to take it further.

It was always in the back of my head.

Some universities actually offer courses and seminars on ice carving, but it’s expensive. It wasn’t really an option.”

Then, about ten years ago, Bluck made friends with a co-worker who happened to be into carving, and who would become his mentor (“I was very lucky,” said Bluck). He took Bluck on as an apprentice and showed him the ropes. “I was just trying to perfect my vertical cuts, my horizontal cuts,” he said. “It was a real crash course.”

As it turns out, Blucks’s mentor was Ed Jarrett, who in 2003 set a Guinness World Record for tallest sandcastle in Falmouth.

Not to be outdone, Bluck assisted Jarrett in breaking that record in 2007 with a 32foot sculpture in Casco as a fundraiser

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASON BLUCK

project for Camp Sunshine.

In 2008, Bluck spent money on his own tools and embarked on his own sculpting and carving career. He started doing more elaborate carvings, finer cuts and different designs. He said that while he still does some sand work, the bulk of his requests are of a colder variety.

“Most of the requests I get are for ice bar events, private events, and winter weddings,” he said. “In the spring and summer I start getting more requests for corporate logo pieces and pieces for campgrounds. I do live demonstrations year-round.”

They’re not limited to company events, Bluck said, adding that they can work with house parties, project graduations—you name it. “We once did some work for an adult toy company, some pretty risque stuff. That was an interesting project,” he said.

In fact, Bluck says the only real restrictions on his ability to create are propriety and safety. “We try to never say ‘no’ unless the job’s unsafe,” he said. “Safety is very important to us. I’m not comfortable setting something up if there’s a chance it can fall. We always do consults and site evaluations.”

It’s an important consideration, given the fact that a single block of ice weighs an average of 300 pounds. “We start with a pristine, 20x40x10 ice block” created impurity-free in a device called a Clinebell machine, the same used for making artisanal ice, said Bluck. “It’s totally see through.”

From this raw material, Bluck determines the scope of the project. If it’s a single block piece (think swans and drink luges), he can go to town with his arsenal of tools—electric steel chainsaws for the big work; chisels, angle grinders, die grinders and more for the fine work.

He makes sure to spray his tools with WD-40 to minimize corrosion. Any rust, he said, would show up on the crystal clear ice he works with.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 29

30 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

feature story A multi-block project, like a throne or an ice bar, requires much more prep time. For these projects, blocks can be planed down to 5 in. thick slabs, assembled into the general shape, and carved from there. After the final assembly, large sheets of heated aluminum can be used to flatten the surfaces and fuse them together.

While the technical aspect is involved, Bluck’s creative process is deceptively simple.

“Most of the carvings I do are muscle memory at this point,” he said, noting that he’s started experimenting with

IT TAKES ABOUT 40 GALLONS OF WATER TO MAKE AN AVERAGE ICE SCULPTURE, ACCORDING TO BLUCK. THAT’S A LOT OF WATER.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASON BLUCK

drawn templates to aid in more detailed designs. “I can trace out the basic design with a tapered bit and go from there.”

It takes about 40 gallons of water to make an average ice sculpture, according to Bluck. That’s a lot of water. You’d be forgiven for wondering where all that water ends up when the event’s over. “[The sculptures’ longevity] depends on the environment and the size,” said Bluck. “It could be hours, or it could be much longer. When we deliver it, we wrap it in blankets and put it in a cold delivery truck. After we set it up, it’s up to the customer. Sometimes they ask that we come back and we recycle the pieces, but usually they just break

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 31

feature story it down themselves. Smashing it at the end of the evening to melt is a nice ending to a hectic event.”

In 2010, Subzero Ice Carvings was honored with a People’s Choice award at the NH Sanctioned & Jackson Invitational Snow Sculpting Competition in Jackson, New Hampshire.

“We were the black sheep there,” said Bluck. “It seemed like more of a fine arts crowd, and we created a Bender character and a ‘carver’s lounge’ with seats and a beverage chiller. We were kind of off to the side. We didn’t think we stood a chance. We weren’t even present when we were announced—we were getting a beer. We thought we were all done!”

Going forward, Bluck said his biggest plans for Subzero Ice Carvings is to continue perfecting his craft.

“I want to continue focusing on this business and improving the quality of the product,” he said. “Every year I make a goal to buy a new tool and learn a new technique. I think that’s a good goal.”

32 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CARASEES PHOTOGRAPHY

IN 2010, SUBZERO ICE CARVINGS WAS HONORED WITH A PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD AT THE NH SANCTIONED & JACKSON INVITATIONAL SNOW SCULPTING COMPETITION IN JACKSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 33

PHOTO: (FLAG) SILVERV/THINKSTOCK

feature story

34 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

More than $800,000 in donations is helping to create a permanent veterans’ retreat in Lee.

P

BY JOY HOLLOWELL

aul House and Bill Emery

share a love of the outdoors.

“Bill is a logger and I was a logger so we’d bump into each other in the woods,” said House.

Both men were raised in Lee. “I went to school with Paul’s brothers,” said Bill Emery.

“I graduated with Bill’s wife, Quie,” added Paul.

Both men also raised families in Lee. “I taught Blair (Emery) Spanish for two years at Lee Academy,” said Paul’s wife, Dee House. “I saw him every other day.”

“Blair and Joel (House) were in sports together,” said Bill Emery.

And after high school, both Blair and Joel signed up for the military. Both made the rank of sergeant and both were deployed to Iraq. Sgt. House served with the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. Sgt. Emery was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington with the 571st Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade.

Sadly, both sons would make the ultimate sacrifice to their country.

HOUSE IN THE WOODS After two Lee families lost their sons in the Iraq war, they were inspired to create a space offering comfort and support to veterans and military families. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 35

On June 23, 2007, 22-year-old Joel House was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Just five months later, the town of Lee lost its second resident when an IED went off near 24-year-old Blair Emery’s vehicle.

According to reports, Lee is the smallest town in America to suffer multiple Iraq war casualties.

“Paul was one of the first ones here after Blair was killed,” said Bill Emery.

“And he was here six days a week after that. He helped me a lot, preparing for what was going to happen next.”

“It’s a family that you don’t want to belong to,” added Paul House. “But it’s good that you have each other to talk to and share what you’re going through.”

Soon after Joel's death, the Houses attended a military memorial service at Fort Hood. They felt great comfort in being around other military families.

Paul and Dee started thinking about how they could provide such comfort and support to veterans with a program here in Maine.

“Paul approached me with the idea of bringing veterans up to Maine for a retreat,” said Emery.

“And I thought it was a great idea.”

House in the Woods became a non-profit in 2010, welcoming its first group of veterans that May. Folks around the Lee area opened their camps to host military members who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, Korean War and Vietnam War. Programs include moose, deer, bear and bird hunting as well as fishing, trail riding, kayaking and canoeing. The veteran’s families are also invited.

“My dad was in the Navy so I know what it’s like to give up your dad or your

mom for up to a year at a time,” said Dee House. “It’s been a priority for us to provide an opportunity for families to have quality time together. Family is so precious to us.”

To date, more than 500 veterans have participated in House in the Woods programs.

“When you see them come, after a couple of days you see them transform into a different person almost,” said Emery.

“That’s what’s amazing to me about it.”

that’s going to work,’” said Dee, laughing at the memory. “I wasn’t always a believer. And obviously, I’ve stopped doubting him.”

That’s because work is now in the final stages of an 80 by 90 square foot lodge, office, and storage complex on more than four acres of land in the woods of Lee. There will be six bedrooms all with a bathroom and shower. The entire complex will be wheelchair accessible.

“We were always hoping for this, but it’s come along a little quicker than we thought,” said Emery.

Emery’s boss, Brian Souers of Treeline, did all of the site prep and tree cutting of the lot. Lane Construction heard about the project and donated all the cement. “This is a humongous building,” said Dee House. “It’s probably the second tallest building in the town of Lee next to the high school.”

As word got out, the donations came in.

“People you don’t even know will come up with pretty large checks,” said Emery. “It’s pretty amazing.”

To date, more than $800,000 has been donated to the House in the Woods building project.

“People would hear about House in the Woods and want to see what we’re doing,” explains Dee. “Paul would take them up and tell them about the building and how we were going to help more veterans. And you could see the twinkle in their eyes.

They attach on to that vision and want to help make it happen.”

One of those visionaries is Fujitsu General America, a Fairfield, New Jersey company that makes ductless cooling and heating systems.

“It was just such a powerful story,” said Thomas Carney, Fujitsu General America’s director of sales.

Soon after Joel's death, the Houses attended a military memorial service at Fort Hood. They felt great comfort in being around other military families. Paul and Dee started thinking about how they could provide such comfort and support to veterans with a program here in Maine.

36 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

The five-year plan for House in the Woods always included some sort of permanent structure. And while Paul was on board from the start, Dee took a bit more convincing.

“Back in the day, Paul would say, ‘We’re going to have a veteran’s program, we’re going to build a building.’

And I would say, ‘Yeah, tell me how

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOUSE IN THE WOODS

feature story

(Left) Construction supervisor Steve St. Louis discusses a project with Gordon Boyington, House in the Woods’ project manager and resource developer. (This photo) Paul House, his grandson Joel (named after his Uncle Joel) and Luke House sit in the new construction site office, a school bus remodeled and repainted by Boyington.

Dee House watches as a dozen cement trucks from area businesses deliver cement to pour the 7,200 square foot foundation.

(Right) Project carpenter Benn Curtis and Alan LeClerc wait for lunch outside the school-bus-cum-office.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 37

feature story Carney and a group of engineers traveled to Lee last spring. They visited the cemetery where Joel and Blair are buried as well as the construction site.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s been on my mind every day since then,” Carney said. “I get emotional just thinking about it. Driving through Lee with all the flags, it’s what my vision of America is.”

Fujitsu agreed to donate 26 state-ofthe-art cooling and heating units for the building, a value of more than $150,000.

“I would say this is the biggest charitable project we’ve ever done,” said Carney.

“We knew this was the right thing to do.”

The S. Douglas and Rita C. Sukeforth Charitable Foundation agreed to loan the remaining dollars needed to complete construction. “No interest, no deadline to

House in the Woods lodge will be completed by early spring. They plan to start offering retreats there in early summer.

“We used to always joke about it when we first started,” said Bill Emery. “It’s like a car—we started in first gear, then it was in second gear, now we're in an airplane.”

He pauses to chuckle.

“It’s really taken off.”

And they’re not done yet.

“There’s a piece of property that adjoins ours, about 50 acres,” said Paul House. “We want to clear a portion of that to expand our parking lot and then we want to plant apple trees, put in some horseshoe pits and volleyballs net.”

pay it back, just a handshake and a thank you,” said Dee House.

The Houses and the Emerys hope the

A local sponsor awards Paul House with a donation for the House in the Woods building project.

38 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOUSE IN THE WOODS

“There’s a piece of property that adjoins ours, about 50 acres,” said Paul House.

“We want to clear a portion of that to expand our parking lot and then we want to plant apple trees, put in some horseshoe pits and volleyballs net.”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 39

feature story

Old Town/Orono VFW Post #3381 presents Paul House with a fundraiser donation for the House in the Woods building project.

40 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HOUSE IN THE WOODS

“Possibly some camper sites,” added Dee House.

Both families admit it’s been a whirlwind couple of years.

“When that building is done, we’re gonna be by the fireplace in the great room, sitting on the couch with our feet up and saying to ourselves, ‘How in the world did this happen?’” said Paul House.

“That’s why we call it our ‘miracle building.’ The day that we found out Joel was killed, one of the things I said was, ‘God doesn’t make mistakes.’ So it’s not really surprising about what’s being done.

We’re actually ready and even anxious to see what’s next.”

Nine years after Blair’s death, Bill Emery said he still “kind of takes it just as it happens.”

Emery knows the good work House in the Woods is doing for veterans and their families, and he’s looking forward to the many more that will benefit once the complex is complete.

“I always say, ‘We tried to make two wrongs a right this time.’”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 41

ellsworth then & now

(Above) The view down Main Street looking west in the 1940s and today.

(Left) An old photo of Brookside Restaurant.

42 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

The Friendly City In Ellsworth, you can get there from here.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY RICHARD SHAW HISTORIC PHOTOS COURTESY OF DARLENE SPRINGER, THE HALE JOY COLLECTION, AND MAINE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

E

llsworth is the

city you pass through to get to almost any point in Down East Maine. Located at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and 1A, Hancock County’s historic shire town is also served by state routes 3, 172, 179, 180, 184 and 230.

At summer’s peak, experienced drivers can navigate High Street’s Bar Harborbound traffic and the tree-lined arteries that slice through downtown.

Things slow down a bit in December, a good month to linger and experience Ellsworth at its best.

Brimming with history, music, food, and some of the finest shopping this side of Freeport, the city of 7,800 rolls out the

welcome mat with a Christmas parade, house tours, theater productions, and downtown decorations.

“Ellsworth was the first city I ever visited,” said historian and author Sanford Phippen. “Growing up down the road in Hancock Point, it was where I saw my first circus, attended carnivals, basketball games at City Hall, enjoyed takeout food at Jasper’s, and saw my first movie, ‘Dumbo,’ at the Grand Theatre.”

Phippen included his memories of the city in the books “The Police Know Everything,” “People Trying To Be Good,” and “Sturge,” a memoir that he edited of his late friend, Sturgis Haskins, with whom he spent much time in Ellsworth. Today, he teaches www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 43

ellsworth then & now City Hall and First Congregational Church, then (at right) and now (this photo).

Maine literature at the city’s Hancock County Higher Education, affiliated with the University of Maine at Augusta. He said that, with all it has to offer, Ellsworth has grown in a good way.

“Certainly, this place has changed, like all cities,” said Darlene Springer, an Ellsworth native and town historian. “For the past decade or so, our slogan has been ‘Ellsworth: Business, Leisure, Life.’”

Springer has amassed a photographic collection of the Union River town’s churches, businesses, fire hose company and schools. Many are for sale at Tim Torrey’s Old Creamery Art and Antique Mall at 13 Hancock St. She put together a book chronicling the city’s worst disaster, the fire of May 7, 1933. Started by an arsonist, it destroyed much of downtown. Firemen ran for their lives, leaving hoses attached to hydrants still running.

Ellsworth survived that inferno, rebuilding much of downtown, as it had after the great 1923 flood. It also weathered the 19th century lumber center’s decline, erecting in its place a thriving commercial, arts and retail hub. L.L. Bean, Renys and Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, established in 2006 by Michael and Karin Wilkes, draw visitors. Maine Coast Memorial Hospital continues to expand, and the Jackson Lab has converted a former Lowe’s home supply center into research space where it will employ hundreds.

The Ellsworth Historical Society offers a December open house, with the sheriff’s house, located at 40 State St., decorated in

Devastation in Ellsworth following May 7, 1933 fire.

44 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 45

ellsworth then & now

The Grand theater in downtown Ellsworth in 1943 (left) and today (above). (Below) Inside Leland’s Drug Store circa 1895.

46 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

a Victorian style. Be sure to ask about the town’s founding in 1763 by Benjamin Milliken and Benjamin Joy, lured by the region’s timber and water power. Dams and sawmills were built, along with the first schooner in 1773. Union River Settlement later became Ellsworth, and celebrated in 1838 when the county seat was moved there from Castine, and in 1869, when the Legislature made the town a city.

There is also history and culture to explore in the Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State St., based in a historic 19th century mansion. Public events are scheduled throughout the month.

There is also history and culture to explore in the Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State St., based in a historic 19th century mansion.

Public events are scheduled throughout the month.

High tea and tours are December highlights at Woodlawn museum, the 1820s-era home of wealthy land agent Col. John Black. The Grand Theatre hosts the Nutcracker ballet and other productions during the holiday season.

And on Dec. 3, the Christmas parade returns for children of all ages. Hungry shoppers have a choice of downtown restaurants, including The Mex, Finn’s Irish Public House, Riverside Café and Cellar Bistro.

Your first visit to Ellsworth likely will not be your last. A return visit next summer may include rides on the Down East Scenic Railroad, a visit to the Telephone Museum and Birdsacre, outdoor concerts in Harbor Park, and lobster rolls at Jordan’s Snack Bar. There is no end of places to explore in this welcoming community.

In 1929, the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations accepted Woodlawn from the bequest of George Nixon Black, Jr. and have continued to maintain it for public use.

Town Stats Incorporated: Feb. 26, 1800 (town);

Landmarks: Woodlawn Museum,

Feb. 27, 1869 (city)

Camp Jordan, Down East Scenic

Named for: Oliver Ellsworth,

Railroad, Birdsacre, power house and

Constitutional Convention delegate Mottos: The Friendly City; The Largest City in Maine; Ellsworth: Business, Leisure, Life

Check out our interactive map of Ellsworth at bangormetro.com

hydro-electric dam, The Grand Theatre, The Telephone Museum, Ellsworth Public Library, Ellsworth City Hall, First Congregational Church, Ellsworth Historical Society (former jail), Civil War

Population: 7,857 (2015 estimate)

monument, Hancock County

Area: Total, 93.92 square miles

Courthouse, old county courthouse

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 47

kitchen confidential

S

ince the

first shop opened in Orono in 2008, Harvest Moon Deli has grown from a cozy little sandwich shop into a fourlocation lunchtime mini-empire in the greater Bangor region. Now with two locations in Bangor and one in Brewer alongside the original Orono shop, Harvest Moon has become one of the goto places in the area for a fast, tasty lunch.

It all started with Keith Manaker, who conceived of the chain nearly a decade ago. Back in 2007, he was deciding on a name for his soon-to-bebusiness, and landed on Harvest Moon as the eventual winner.

“We knew the feel we wanted to have,” Manaker said. “Orono had an earthy feel to it, so we were looking for a name that would convey the kind of restaurant we

Might As Well face It,

You’re Addicted to Lunch

Sponsored by

Building an empire, one sandwich layer at a time.

BY EMILY BURNHAM

qualeygranite.com.com

48 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

were trying to open. We wanted to come across as wholesome, healthy and earthy.

Someone threw out Harvest Moon Deli, and everyone was like ‘yes!’”

That name spawned the musical theme of the business — every sandwich is named for a band or artist, and many of the ingredients play off something about that artist.

Customer favorites include the Bobby Zimmerman, made with cracked pepper turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, spinach, and homemade avocado ranch dressing; the Ella Fitzgerald, a savory blend of crispy bacon, melted mozzarella and pesto mayo with spinach and tomato; the Blondie, a creative take on a Reuben featuring turkey, coleslaw, swiss cheese and thousand island dressing; and the Paul McCartney, a meat-tastic sandwich piled high with roast beef. McCartney, a decades-long vegetarian, might not approve, but diners certainly do.

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

That name spawned the musical theme of the business — every sandwich is named for a band or artist, and many of the ingredients play off something about that artist.

“When people eat here, whether they can put their finger on it or not, they realize there’s something special about our sandwiches,” said Manaker.

The menu is rounded out by homemade soups, a selection of salads, cookies, chips and an array of gourmet sodas and iced teas.

In 2014, Manaker opened the second Harvest Moon location at Columbia Street in downtown Bangor. The third location, in the Twin City Plaza in Brewer, opened in October 2015, and the fourth spot, located at 366 Griffin Road next to Union Street Athletics, opened in May 2016. In 2015, Zack Richardson came on to join Manaker as co-owner of the growing business.

Though each location serves the same menu and the cozy, casual atmosphere, there are slight differences with each place—color scheme, decor, in-house specials. The Bangor location offers a salad bar. New this fall, the Orono location has begun serving a small selection of craft beer, while the Brewer and Orono locations are now open later, until 8 p.m.

"We want each location to have its individual charm. We want a similar feel with unique characteristics," Richardson said.

Manaker said he believes the secret to his business’ success is that he and Richardson have made a point of making sure every employee at each location is treated well, and encouraged to do the best they can do.

“I know a lot of people will say the customer always comes first. The question is,

On the Menu Just a few of the favorite menu items from Harvest Moon Deli.

Sandwiches

BOBBY ZIMMERMAN Oven roasted turkey, crisp bacon, swiss, spinach and homemade cracked pepper avocado ranch.

ELLA FITZGERALD Crispy bacon, spinach, tomato, mozzarella and pesto mayonnaise.

PAUL McCARTNEY Rare roast beef, provolone, tomato, onion and homemade horseradish sauce.

BLONDIE Oven roasted turkey,swiss, homemade cole slaw and 1000 island dressing.

Salads

HARVEST MOON SALAD Apples, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, crumbled bleu cheese and homemade croutons over fresh bed of spinach.

The Bobby Zimmerman features oven roasted turkey, crisp bacon, swiss, spinach and homemade cracked pepper avocado ranch. The recipe for Harvest Moon’s avocado ranch is featured on page 50.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 49

kitchen confidential how does a business owner make sure that the customer always comes first?” said Manaker. “I’m not sure if I’ve learned this or that I’ve just always seen the logic

Manaker said he believes the secret to his business’ success is that he and Richardson have made a point of making sure every employee at each location is treated well, and encouraged to do the best they can do. in it, but I strongly believe that no business can thrive, or even survive, in the long run without great people. You have to have employees that take pride in what they do. We are very fortunate to have those types of people working for us.”

more info HARVEST MOON DELI 18 MILL STREET, ORONO 366 GRIFFIN ROAD, BANGOR 72 COLUMBIA STREET, BANGOR 258 STATE STREET, BREWER

AVOCADO RANCH DRESSING Makes 1.5 cups 1 avocado, mashed with a fork 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ½ tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning ½ teaspoon celery salt ½ cup sour cream 1/ cup mayonnaise 3 1/ cup heavy cream 8

Website: harvestmoondeli.com

BANGOR

BUCKSPORT

Combine lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic, chipotle and Cajun seasoning, and celery salt in a bowl with the mashed avocado. Mix well until smooth.

Add sour cream, mayonnaise, and heavy cream. Mix well. Add additional celery salt to taste.

This is the dressing used on the Bobby Zimmerman, which Manaker says is Harvest Moon’s most popular sandwich.

BREWER

Your listing could be on this page Attract more customers.

Advertise in Bangor Metro’s Restaurant Guide. Call 941-1300.

50 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

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arts & culture

A Collection

Fit for a King

In Bangor, an emporium of literary wonders opens its doors. BY EMILY BURNHAM

apparent claim to fame is almost certainly its longstanding connection to beloved author Stephen King.

Though people travel from all over the world to Bangor to visit some of the real-life sights that inspired the fictional town of Derry (as well as King’s iconic West Broadway home), there are surprisingly few Bangor businesses that capitalize on the city’s most famous resident. SK Tours, the vehicle tour of the city operated by Stu Tinker, has been the only one of note. Until now.

This past fall, Gerald Winters and Son, a new bookstore specializing in rare editions of King’s books—as well as books from J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling and other legends—opened at 48 Main St. in downtown Bangor. The cozy little shop displays books and other ephemera that fans of any of the above authors would likely gawk at, from first editions of “The Lord of the Rings” to some of the rarest limited editions of Stephen King’s books ever published.

Winters, a former computer programmer who has worked for Procter & Gamble, the stock exchange, and the U.S. government, bought his first rare book at a Sotheby's auction in New York City in 1998. He was hooked. Now, buying and selling rare books, manuscripts and letters is his career.

"I've been selling privately for probably 18 years, but never publicly, never like this," Winters said.

The first King book he ever read was the 900-page “The Stand,” which he says he read in one week.

“I devoured it,” said Winters. "[King has] been a big influence in my life.

Probably of my favorite living writers, he's the biggest in the world."

Winters has lived all over the world, including Australia, Japan, Ireland and, most recently, Thailand, where his wife’s family is from. In each place 52 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

B

angor’s most

Gerald Winters (left) has set up shop in downt own Bangor, where he displays and sells rare books, like a signed copy of “Game of Thrones” and super limited editions of “Firestarter,” bound in asbestos.

he’s lived, he’s acquired books. His collection, which he estimates exceeds 5,000 books and other materials, has been in storage in locations across the globe, and he’s working to get the full collection to Bangor.

Online sales will comprise the majority of his business, as some of the books he buys and sells can claim upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 each. Though major fantasy and horror writers like King, Tolkien, Martin and Rowling are his area of focus, Winters also has in his collection rare editions of books by James Joyce and J.D. Salinger, as well as letters and other ephemera from King. In the Bangor store, however, he'll also have affordable items, such as used paperbacks, movies and other memorabilia for sale.

Naturally, as an ardent King fan and professional collector of his books, Bangor was a place Winters and his family, including his two-year-old son, wanted to settle. Winters also wanted to have a brick and mortar shop in which to base his growing rare book business, and Bangor’s affordability—as well as its safety and excellent school system—was also an attraction.

As a new Bangorian, Winters this fall turned his front display window into a tribute to King’s “IT,” featuring the storm drain that Pennywise the clown appears in to George Denbrough, along with an abandoned bike, a bloody boot and scary hands reaching out to grab the next victim.

In order to achieve the most realistic

depiction of the scene, Winters actually contacted Bangor Public Works to find the right storm drain. King modeled the street where George encounters Pennywise on the very real Jackson Street off Union Street in Bangor, near the Thomas Hill Standpipe. Winters went to where Bangor Public Works stores such items and, after searching through manholes and other supplies, found the exact make and model of the storm drain on Jackson Street. He purchased the storm drain and, with the help of several others, brought the 200-pound piece of metal to his shop, where it’s displayed today.

The coolest thing about Winters’ shop, however, is the fact that the display is open to the public. “Game of Thrones” fans can take a peek at a first edition of the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. Tolkien fans can marvel at an uncorrected proof of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” And King fans can experience a wealth of riches—from the super limited edition of “Firestarter,” bound in asbestos, of which only 20 copies were produced, to rare Japanese editions of books, to an extremely rare action figure modeled on King’s appearance on “The Simpsons.”

And while most of the books in the shop are likely out of reasonable financial reach for the casual observer—it’s the diehards that are spending 10 grand on a super-rare King book—one can still buy a copy of “The Gunslinger” or “IT” for the regular price, take it home, and be transported into King’s dark, fantastic world. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 53

per spectives

54 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Keren Zucker

B

y day,

Keren Zucker is a graphic designer for The Ellsworth American in Ellsworth, Maine, but in her free time she’s a photographer with a passion for the outdoors.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to creating photos,” she said. “As someone who has a big passion for the outdoor life, landscape and nature photography naturally became my main subjects.”

From a face-to-face encounter with a herd of Ibex in the Judaean Desert in Israel to the powerful waves of the Atlantic crashing on the rocky Maine shore after a storm, Zucker captures unique moments with a talented eye. The greatest part, she said, is sharing them with others.

For more or to order prints, visit kerenzuckerphotography. com or email kerenzuckerphotography@gmail.com. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 55

aimee & amy try...

Who We Are..

With a grand total of 4 children ages 1-9, Aimee Thibodeau and Amy Allen are well versed in keeping kids busy. Each month we’ll try a new project and share the results – be they great or disasterous.

J

ust in time

FizBath zy Bombs

for the holidays is a fun and messy project that’s also a really cool Christmas gift, science experiment, and great way to get your kids in the bathtub all in one. And you likely have most of the supplies already on hand which is extra awesome and economical.

We invited some friends and made it a real holiday festivity. It takes a little additional planning if you’re going to make these fizzy bath bombs as a group, but it’s definitely fun and seemed to be a big hit with kids of all ages – including the grownups. It’s a messy one, so be sure to have plenty of paper towels on hand, and we highly recommend using larger bowls than you see pictured here. Live and learn.

Each kid had a slightly different technique to mix and form their bath bombs. We tried spraying the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spray bottle at first, but we found slowly pouring in the wet ingredients until the mixture was the consistency of wet sand – the kind that makes really good sand castles – worked best. One recipe’s worth of ingredients will yield about a dozen tablespoon-sized bath bombs.

Let them dry overnight at least, and then package them up as holiday gifts or drop them right in the tub and enjoy a relaxing, stress-relieving Epsom salt bath. They fizz slightly in the water and release their scent and lightly color the water. Ahhh!

56 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Supplies

• Epsom salts • Baking soda • Lemon juice • Scented oils • Food coloring • Molds or small cookie cutters • Waxed paper or paper plates

Step 1: Scoop a 1/4 cup of Epsom salts.

Step 2: Blend your 1/4 cup of salts until it grinds into a fine powder.

Step 3: Measure 1 cup of baking soda and mix well with the Epsom salts.

Step 4: Next mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice with 1/4 cup of water. Add a few drops of food coloring and a few drops of scented oil.

Step 5: We tried using a spray bottle to slowly add our liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, but ended up just pouring the liquid into our dry mixture slowly.

Step 6: Add the liquid slowly – you won’t need all of it. Mix until it is the consistency of moldable sand. It may be a little bubbly as the acid reacts with the baking soda.

Step 7: We used cookie scoops, tablespoons and small cookie cutters to shape our bath bombs.

Step 8: A holiday-themed mold makes really cute bath bombs too. A plastic mold would probably work best however.

Step 9: Spread your creations on paper plates or waxed paper and let dry overnight before storing in plastic bags or packaging for the holidays.

Project Review • Degree of Difficulty: Super easy! The kids loved making their own color combos.

• Average Time: 20 minutes to felt an approximately 4 by 4-inch block of soap.

• Degree of Fun According to the Kids & Moms:

1:

We better get paid for this.

5:

Fun, but once was enough.

10:

Super fun, let’s make one for everyone!

A universally loved project. Fun, simple and quick for the kiddos, minimal frustration and easy clean up for the grown-ups. We recommend inviting friends and making mimosas for a fun pre-holiday or school vacation get together! www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 57

family

An Unintentional Announcement

58 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

When a crazy morning leads to an unexpected surprise.

M

BY ASHLEY THORNTON

ornings for me

are nothing short of pandemonium. I wake up early to exercise before the rest of the house is up, because that’s the only time of the day I can squeeze it in. Once I get my 30 minutes in, the chaos begins.

Sometimes I have enough time to shower before the kids wake up. More often than not, however, I’m trying to juggle their many, many needs with my own. Neither of my children are “morning people” and they wake up cranky, demanding and exhausted. My daughter wants to go back to sleep as soon as she gets up and my son wants my undivided attention—neither makes it easy to get ready for work. I usually find myself throwing clothes on all involved, running around like a chicken with my head cut off, and literally running out the door.

In our extended family, we have the youngest children. Thankfully, that means that we receive many hand-medowns. Most of my children’s clothes have belonged to my nieces and nephews at some point. Earlier this week, I was having a particularly difficult morning and found the clock ticking faster than usual. In an effort to get to work on time, I found myself pawing around in my daughter’s dresser and grabbing the first thing I put my hand on without even looking. I slid her clothes on, scooped her up, and sprinted out the door.

Not long after I got to work my phone started buzzing. My husband was franti-

PHOTO: (GIRL) TATYANAGL/THINKSTOCK; (SANTA) ASHLEY THORNTON

metro

The Thornton kids meet Santa.

cally texting me, asking if I had something to share with him. He kept referencing life altering news, and if I had something to tell him. I was baffled. When I had a minute, I called him to straighten out the confusion. After a few seconds he asked me if I was trying to tell him something.

I was beginning to think he had lost his mind. He referenced my outfit choice for Quinn, and specifically her shirt. As soon as he said that, it dawned on me that she has a hand-me-down shirt in her dresser that reads “I’M GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER” that she sometimes uses as a pajama shirt. I knew instantly that I had accidentally grabbed that shirt and threw it on her without even reading it. When I dropped the kids off at their Nana’s house, her shirt prompted a call to my husband— he thought that I was announcing a surprise pregnancy. We all had a good laugh about it, and I assured them all that it was truly an accident.

As it turns out, I had unintentionally played a pretty good prank on my husband. Perhaps I should have saved the shirt for April Fool’s Day, since I doubt he’ll fall for the same trick twice.

I did learn a pretty good lesson from it, though—I need to slow down and be more mindful of what I’m doing during our crazy mornings.

ASHLEY THORNTON of Milford is a mom of two rambunctious toddlers.

Need a

Bright Gift Idea?

Show your love all year long with a subscription to

Bangor Metro!

For subscriptions, call 990-8075 www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 59

metro sports Bangor High School pitcher Trevor DeLaite readies himself to pitch last spring in Red Barry Gym in Bangor. The baseball team has put 12 state-title banners on the gym's walls.

Wall of Fame

Banner-filled wall both legacy, motivation for Bangor athletic program.

of Red Barry Gymnasium is adorned in both simplicity and complexity, its fill of championship banners reflecting nearly a century of athletic success stories at Bangor High School.

From the Rams’ 1926 boys basketball team to the 2015 girls soccer team, nearly 100 banners reflecting state championships and the 1975 New England title for boys swimming are on display — with one honoring Bangor’s 2016 baseball state championship soon to be raised as well as another for a 1923 boys basketball state title recently discovered on the Maine Principals’ Association website.

In fact, the west wall alone can’t hold them all, so the most recent banners have been placed near the ceiling along the top of dividers that separate the individual basketball courts within the gym.

“There’s no other wall in the state that looks that impressive and that has so many banners hanging on it,” said Joe Johnson, who has taught at Bangor High School for the last 16 years and 60 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

coaches the Rams’ varsity girls soccer and girls basketball teams.

“Without question the bar’s been set pretty high because we’re not hanging Eastern Maine banners up there.

But it’s nice to point up to them and be able to tell the kids what goes into them and how special they really are because they’re not easy to get.”

played second base on Bangor’s thirdstraight Class A baseball state championship team last spring and recently played his senior year of soccer for the Rams.

“Knowing that you could be a part of something so special that lives on in one of those banners and be able to contribute to part of the great wall of history of all those championships, it’s crazy.”

While the banner-filled wall reflects the legacy of Bangor’s athletic program, it also can motivate current and future student-athletes.

While the banner-filled wall reflects the legacy of Bangor’s athletic program, it also can motivate current and future student-athletes, such as those who turned out for the first practices of the 2016 fall sports season.

“Just looking up and seeing how much history our high school has, it’s great to be able to try and contribute to it,” said George Payne, a three-sport athlete at Bangor who

The oldest banner on display honors the 1926 boys basketball team, which shared the state title that year with South Portland as no game was played between the two to determine a single champion, according to the Maine Principals’ Association website.

The next two banners were won during the 1940s, followed by five more during the 1950s and one in the 1960s.

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

T

he west wall

BY ERNIE CLARK, BDN STAFF

The expansion of sports offerings — particularly on the girls side — and the introduction of postseason play based on Heal Points helped to create many more opportunities to win outright state championships, and the school claimed 16 state championships and the 1975 New England title in boys swimming during the 1970s, followed by 19 banners during the 1980s, 20 during the 1990s and 21 during the first decade of the new millennium.

Bangor has captured 14 state championships so far this decade.

State championship banners have been earned in 13 different activities, led by boys swimming with 27 state titles and one New England crown, girls’ swimming with 19, boys basketball (13), baseball (12), and boys track and football (six each).

And while each banner has its unique history, those familiar with the program see some common denominators in many of those title runs, particularly coaching longevity and a focus on the team concept.

The most successful of all the Bangor High School coaches was Phil Emery, who competed on the Rams’ first state championship boys swimming team in 1964 and returned to the school five years later to guide that same program to 26 more state championships before retiring in 2015.

Other major sideline influences include former baseball coach Bob Kelley and former boys basketball coach Roger Reed (eight state championships each), former girls swimming coach Robby MacDonald (six state titles) and current girls swimming coach Cyndi Howard (five state titles) as well as former football coaches Gerry Hodge and Gabby Price.

Emery, Kelley, Reed and MacDonald each have earned hall-of-fame inductions for their coaching achievements.

“I think it started back with coach Hodge and coach Price and coach Emery, but certainly through coach Kelley and coach Reed,” said Steve Vanidestine, who first entered Bangor High School as a sophomore in the fall of 1967 and has served as the school’s athletic administrator since 1984.

“I think what they built was something where kids want to be part of something that’s bigger than themselves. It wasn’t about them, it was about being part of a team.”

One hundred championship banners, 99 state titles and one New England crown, can be seen hanging on Sept. 2 in the school’s Red Barry Gym at Bangor High School.

(Middle) Bangor High School sophomore Olivia Sharrow tries to make a save during the first practice of the season for the girls soccer team in August. (This photo) Bangor High School pitcher Trevor DeLaite adjusts the ball for a pitch during practice in Red Barry Gym

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 61

maine

woods & waters

Beacons T of Light Add a visit to Maine’s historic lighthouses – by boat – to your bucket list.

STORY & PHOTOS BY BOB DUCHESNE

here are

65 lighthouses still standing in Maine. Many are major tourist attractions. The Nubble in York, Portland Head Light, Pemaquid Point Light, Owls Head Light, Bass Harbor Head Light, and West Quoddy Head Light receive tens of thousands of visitors a year. Perhaps we Mainers take lighthouses for granted, but a visit to each of these icons should be on everyone’s bucket list.

However, merely taking big pictures of big lighthouses misses the big picture.

It’s often the smaller, out-of-the way,

can see why Congress voted to put lighthouses where they did 150 years ago.

Lighthouses were traffic signals, keeping vessels away from danger and guiding them toward ports. From a boat, you can see the dangers that sailing ships were being warned to avoid.

Long before roadways crisscrossed the Pine Tree State, sailing vessels were our primary form of long distance travel.

Ports were the economic engines of the state, shipping goods and forest products to Boston and beyond. Fishing boats were sheltered from storms in snug harbors.

Most lighthouse visitors look at the world from the perspective of the lighthouse, gazing out to sea. To grasp Maine’s true history, it’s better to be out to sea, looking back at the lighthouse. little-visited lighthouses that tell the real story of coastal Maine. Most lighthouse visitors look at the world from the perspective of the lighthouse, gazing out to sea. To grasp Maine’s true history, it’s better to be out to sea, looking back at the lighthouse. From that perspective you 62 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor were superb little harbors, but getting into them could be tricky.

Shoals and islands constrained the channel. Lighthouses on Baker Island and Bear Island, at the entrance to Somes Sound, were some of the earli-

est built in Maine. From the mainland, neither lighthouse is visible. But from sea, it’s obvious why they were put in those locations.

Likewise, the entrances to Blue Hill Bay and Penobscot Bay were treacherous. The channel through Eggemoggin Reach to Blue Hill Bay is shallow and narrow. A light on Pigeon Island marks the way, but few tourists will ever see it.

Neither will most tourists see the lights in East Penobscot Bay that guided vessels coming up from the south. On Eagle Island next to Deer Isle, and on Mark Island adjacent to Stonington, the lighthouses are hidden from mainland view. Only Dyce Head Light in Castine can be visited by car.

Large lighthouses offshore signaled danger to ocean-going vessels.

Boone Island in southern Maine is tallest at 133 feet. Petit Manan Light tops 109 feet. Shorter towers on Matinicus Rock, Mount Desert Rock, and Stonington’s Saddleback Ledge were also meant to warn ships at sea.

Smaller lighthouses marked the entrance to rivers and harbors, intended

to guide fishermen back to port. All these lights flashed at different intervals, sometimes with different colors, so that sailors could tell for sure which light was looming out of the fog.

There’s been a surge of tourist interest in lighthouses over the last decade.

Boat companies offer excursions to Maine’s more obscure lights. Bar Harbor Whale Watch earns its bread and butter by chasing marine mammals, but the company has added lighthouse tours to its calendar in increasing numbers.

This past summer, the company sent one of its large, fast catamarans on daylong lighthouse tours. One tour ran all the way up the Maine coast into Canada, stopping at 18 lighthouses. A second ran down the coast to Rockland, visiting 16 lighthouses. A third circumnavigated Deer Isle and motored up the Penobscot River all the way to Bangor, lingering at 11 lighthouses.

The Isle au Haut Ferry has gotten into the game, offering several dedicated tours of the lighthouses in the Deer Isle and Stonington archipelago each summer. Many of the schooners in Maine’s

windjammer fleet visit the lighthouses of the Midcoast area.

On board these boat tours, you’ll hear stories about each lighthouse. The job of a lighthouse keeper was dangerous and lonely, but it came with prestige and a steady paycheck. Tales of heroism abound, but stories of the day-to-day humdrum are equally informative about Maine life in the mid-19th century. Just trying to establish a small vegetable garden in the rock crevices was a major challenge for some island-bound families.

In those winters, bays could freeze over, preventing supplies from reaching the keepers. Worse, maritime engineers complained that several lights were dangerous because they drew unsuspecting captains onto ice.

Maine’s maritime history is fascinating. On a lighthouse tour, you can actually see that history. Our beacons beckon.

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 / 63

savvy seniors

Caregiving Improving support for Maine’s caregivers.

BY JANE MARGESSON

Sponsored by

Serving Hancock & Penobscot counties

Bangor office: 990.1995 Ellsworth office: 667.1900 lovingtouchinhomecare.com

E

very day,

178,000 Mainers care for loved ones so they can remain at home where they want to be. These heroes are called family caregivers. Chances are you know, have been, or are a family caregiver. What you may not know is that in Maine, the unpaid care provided each year by family caregivers is valued at about 2.2 billion dollars.

I was a caregiver for more than a decade. For two years, my partner and I provided long-distance caregiving for her parents, but eight years ago, they moved in with us when they could no longer manage things on their own.

Like many family caregivers, we took on huge responsibilities which gradually increased as my in-laws’ health declined. We helped with everything from meal preparation and medication management to dressing and bathing. We did all we could to keep my inlaws at home which we knew was their strongest desire.

Many caregivers have a tough time balancing their work, home life and

caregiving duties. Many caregivers report feeling overwhelmed. AARP Maine is engaging policy makers and community leaders to begin to address such challenges during the next legislative session. The organization seeks to work with family caregivers across Maine to ensure that the supports needed to care for both their loved one and for themselves are in place.

During the next legislative session, AARP Maine staff and volunteers will be fighting for passage of two important pieces of legislation: A Maine Caregiving Tax Credit would help relieve the cost burden many caregivers take on to assist their loved ones.

Qualified expenses may include out-ofpocket costs for services and supports such as transportation, home modifications, assistive technology and other necessities. The tax credit would also help family caregivers pay for respite and inhome health care so they can get relief from caregiving responsibilities to refresh, recharge, and manage other personal and professional responsibilities.

PHOTO: (HANDS) DIEGO_CERVO/THINKSTOCK

in Maine

For ten years Jan van Brook of Hampden cared for her husband, George, who had ALS. She managed to keep their family farm in operation during this time thanks to the help of their neighbors and community.

Paid Caregiver Leave is a proposed state policy to allow Maine workers to take time away from work to recover from a serious personal health condition, to care for a loved one with a serious health condition, or to care for a child whether newborn, foster, or adopted. Paid Caregiver Leave provides partial wage replacement and job protection so family caregivers can have peace of mind while caring for a loved one.

Mainers take care of one another.

Many small businesses want to offer paid caregiver leave but can’t afford to do so. Paid Caregiver Leave will help employers offer this critical support to their employees. This proposal offers a solution that works for family caregivers and for Maine businesses.

To connect with AARP Maine, call 207-776-6303 or email me@aarp.org. To share your family caregiving story, visit www.aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.

JANE MARGESSON is the AARP Maine communications director.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 65

metro home

Great

Gifts

for New Homeowners

Furniture or linens make a great holiday gift for the new homeowner on your list.

BY METRO NEWS SERVICE

B

uying a home

can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a person's life. It also can be one of the most stressful.

New homeowners are faced with many expenses after buying a home, and the holiday season is a great time to help them out with a thoughtful gift for the place they now call home. The following are some great gift ideas for the new homeowner on your holiday shopping list.

PERSONALIZED KEY CHAINS: A new home means a new set of keys to the front door. Have key chains monogrammed and gift with a bottle of champagne to toast the new residence.

WELCOME MAT: Welcome mats can be customized with the owner's last name, and some customizing services also can print an image on a door mat or a quirky saying.

GIFT CERTIFICATE: A new home means new projects large and small. Homeowners will be making frequent trips to the home improvement center, and such trips can get costly. A gift card will help lessen that financial burden.

PORTRAIT: Give the gift of memories by setting up a photo session with a photographer that enables the new homeowners to have a print made that can be hung up and enjoyed.

TOOL GIFT BASKET: Homeowners can always use nails, screws, hammers, picturehanging kits, painter’s tape, and the other odds and ends that go into making repairs.

66 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

PHOTOS: YUNUS ARAKON & JULIA_SUDNITSKAYA/THINKSTOCK

HOW-TO BOOKS: Owning a home presents many opportunities for repairs and renovations. Oftentimes, this is a homeowner's initial foray into do-it-yourself projects, so consider giving a library of instructional books that walk homeowners through some basics, like plumbing, electrical work or basic construction.

WALDO COUNTY

INSURANCE

Morrill • MLS#1265733 Gentleman’s Farm comes with 20 acres, including a 5 acre pasture, small farm pond, large barn. 3 to 4 bedroom home has had some recent upgrades, new kitchen, some new windows. $185,000 LuAnne Adams 107 Main Street, Belfast Cell: 207-322-5930

FURNITURE: Ask the homeowner what room needs furnishing and offer to purchase one or more pieces for the space.

LINENS: Guests might be stopping by to see the new house, so a gift of sheets for the guest room or hand towels will ensure the place is stocked for anyone who drops by.

DINING OUT CERTIFICATES: People who have just moved into a home may be so busy with projects that they don't have time to make sit-down meals. Therefore, a gift card to a favorite restaurant can provide a welcome respite from takeout.

SECURITY SYSTEM: Homeowners who want to protect their new asset may appreciate a home security system.

MONEY: Buying a home is an expensive endeavor, and new homeowners may be feeling the pinch of an overextended budget. Sometimes cash makes the most thoughtful gift.

New homeowners are faced with many situations that can be both exciting and stressful as they move into new homes. Many gifts can make the process of settling in that much easier.

Your listing could be on this page Sell it faster. Advertise in Bangor Metro’s Real Estate Guide. Call 941-1300.

Need a

Gift Idea?

Send some love with

a subscription to

Bangor Metro!

For subscriptions,

call 990-8075 www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 67

68 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

Special Section Featuring Northern Maine

by Bangor Metro

Up a Creek,

With a Paddle

Robert Ocampo on his paddleboard along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

Scientist travels 740 miles to Fort Kent on a paddleboard.

PHOTO: BDN FILE

BY JESSICA POTILA

N

orthern

Maine’s great outdoors attracts some rather daring people from time to time.

This was certainly the case recently when two extreme-outdoor athletes arrived within hours of one another at Riverside Park in Fort Kent after paddling the entire 740 miles of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT).

The site became part of history when Robert Ocampo, Ph.D. landed there as the first person to complete the trail by means of paddleboard. Ocampo said he stood on his board for the entire trip, which he completed in 48 days.

As soon as Ocampo, age 34, docked his 25-pound inflatable craft at Riverside Park, he looked about for his parents, saying his journey would not be truly complete until he saw them.

Raymond and Sandra Ocampo, who flew to Maine from the San Francisco Bay area, missed their only child’s landfall by about five minutes. He said cell towers from New Brunswick interfered with the time on his satellite phone, which he used to call his parents almost daily and apprise them of his whereabouts.

“He’s probably the most interesting man in the world. He’s literally a rocket www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 69

crown of maine

scientist,” Raymond Ocampo said of his son.

Robert Ocampo studied aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before earning a Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado this past May. He is also the author of several works which have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Ocampo said he embarked on the NFCT adventure to contemplate his future before beginning his career. “Just to relax and figure out what’s next,” he said.

70 / BANGOR METRO December 2016

It was also an opportunity to add to his long list of other outdoor adventures he has tackled. In 2008, he bicycled across the country from Boston to San Francisco. He has also climbed to the highest point in each of the 50 United States.

“It’s nice to come back to Maine, especially this time of year,” he said. Twelve years ago, Ocampo hiked the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.

Sandra Ocampo said she is unsure where her son acquired his adventurous nature, as neither she nor her husband engage in such activities. She admitted she was nervous when her son first announced his plan to hike the Appalachian Trail.

“He said, ‘Mom, I ran cross country. I can do this.’ As a mother, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

Many adventures later, Ms. Ocampo said the “mom nerves” still kick in. While he was traveling the NFCT, her thoughts were for his safety. “It’s so cold, is he warm enough?” she worried.

Ocampo said he does not experience fear while on his adventures. “You shouldn’t be afraid. If you’re afraid, you’re probably not prepared,” he said.

He said the highlight of his trip was meeting people along the way. Someone even treated him to two Egg McMuffins one morning, which he said he really appreciated.

“There was really an amazing outpouring of love and support from people I’ve never met before,” he said. “People get excited for you, so you’re all kind of doing it together really.”

This is the only time Ocampo plans to paddle the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. “I don’t do things twice. There are too many other things to do in the world,” he explained.

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

Robert Ocampo reunites with his parents in Fort Kent after traveling 740 miles on a paddleboard up the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 71

last

word

J

ust so you

All I Want for

Christmas Finding the joy in giving versus receiving... unless of course you want to buy me a car.

BY CHRIS QUIMBY

know, you don’t need to buy me anything for Christmas this year.

No, seriously. This will be my 44th such holiday and I’m more interested in you being happy. Unless, of course, the things that make you happy are evil or wrong.

I’m not exactly sure when I adopted this sentiment, but it has grown steadily since fathering children almost 20 years ago. The greater joy of the holiday was always watching their eyes light up in anticipation of opening their presents on that special morning. Shopping for them then was much easier before they dropped their fascination for small, cheap plastic toys that impale parents’ feet in the dark.

Within the teen years, American humans often develop appetites for a category of gifts called Things You Cannot Afford, which now even have their own holiday. For example, Apple calls it a Product Launch, and the anticipation is intense. Children far and wide can be heard singing the familiar chorus (to the tune of Jingle Bells): “iPhone 8, iPhone 8, iPhone all the way!

Oh, how much I’ll love this phone till the 9 comes out in May. Hey!” I remember in my teen years gift receiving seemed to change. I had a job and money to purchase some of the more affordable things I wanted, so I was harder to buy for. There were, of course, the staples. For whatever reason, my mother faithfully got me Whoppers and Listerine each year.

To be clear, those were two separate gifts, not a custom flavor of the popular chocolate treat. I’m not sure, however, if I was still receiving the book of Life Savers that I grew up with each year. To be without those was to run the risk of having to cancel Christmas.

But those teen years were difficult, not just because of the difficulty of buying me gifts, but because I was too often an ungrateful jerk. Plus, I missed some of the wonder of Christmas and had a hard time adjusting to getting gifts that were more practical than fun.

The turning point was the beginning of my college years. Our family tradition was that we would always get one big ticket gift, and my mother would make sure it was the last one we opened. The time came for mine. Disrobing the box of its colorful wrapping, I observed that my mother had chosen to place whatever the gift was within an old box for a window fan.

This was not uncommon for her to do – to throw us off by placing the gift in deceptive packaging.

Having some fun with the moment, I hammed it up, exclaiming loudly and rather mockingly as I opened the box, “Ooh! A fan! I’m sooo excited to have received a fan, for what more could a young man desire than such a useful instrument!” And then, looking inside the box, I saw the last thing I expected to see.

A fan.

Nobody did anything wrong. Nobody was obligated to buy me anything, nor should I have expected it. But I had been trained over the years to expect certain kinds of gifts, and things had suddenly changed.

Now many socks, socket kits and lip balms later, I’ve adjusted to my new normal. I’ve learned that it’s more important to find the joy in the otherwise mundane aspects of life, rather than surrendering your money for brief experiences and products that are soon thereafter obsolete.

So, like I said, don’t bother buying me anything this year. Because it’s hard to buy what I most want, and it doesn’t fit under the tree.

A 2016 Ford Mustang.

CHRIS QUIMBY is a Christian comedian, speaker and writer, morning news anchor and host of Soup du Jour on VStv, and owner of Chris Quimby iPhone Repair. He resides in Brooks with his wife and two children.

72 / BANGOR METRO December 2016