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

Maine

BEER 8 BREWERIES CHANGING THE GAME MAKE A RESOLUTION YOUR NEW YEAR’S FITNESS PLAN THE GROWING PHENOMENON OF TIP WHIP

BAND OF BROTHERS THE MUSIC OF ROTATING TAPS $5.95

January 2017

JANUARY 2017

contents

features RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR / 16 Belfast volunteer keeps the fire burning for New Year’s By the Bay SOME WICKED BREW / 18 County coffee aficionado brews up new business in Fort Fairfield NIGHT CAP / 20 Fairy tales and fondue are on the menu at a new downtown Bangor bar GET FIT / 22 Your all-body get-fit plan for 2017 BEER / 30 8 Maine breweries changing the game BIG WHEELS TURNING / 40 Orono ridesharing program is gaining traction with students THEN & NOW: WINTERPORT / 46 Take a visit to this “Old River Town”

30

IN SEASON NOW: CARROTS / 52 Simple ways to use fresh veggies FRESH FOOD DESTINATION / 54 Bringing the farm to the table

PLAN AHEAD MEALS / 60 Weekly meal plans may save money TRAVEL FOR THE REST OF US / 66 Take a trip with Chas Bruns

ON THE COVER On tap at Bissell Brothers in Portland.

See story on page 30.

2 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

40

PHOTOS: (TOP) COURTESY OF PETER BISSELL; (BOTTOM) COURTESY OF TIP WHIP

BAND OF BROTHERS / 56 Get to know Bangor favs Rotating Taps

Brewing coffee in The County, page 18

52

66

PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) SARAH WALKER CARON; WAVEBREAKMEDIA LTD/ THINKSTOCK; COURTESY OF CHAS BRUNS; COURTESY OF ROTATING TAPS

56

Your get-fit plan for 2017, page 22 ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

in every issue

• Scan the code to visit us at bangormetro.com

TALK BACK & SIGHTINGS / 8 Our readers’ thoughts and photos BIZ BUZZ / 10 People and places on the move

columns

WHAT’S HAPPENING / 11 Local news and events

METRO WELLNESS / 28 The power of positive thinking

PERSPECTIVES / 58 The photos of Sean Porter

METRO FAMILY / 62 The elusive gift

TRANSITIONS / 68 Join AARP for an informal get-together

MAINE WOODS & WATERS / 64 Feeding your feathered friends

METRO HOME / 70 Cold weather entertaining

LAST WORD / 72 Guarding against bad habits

Visit us out on Facebook to enter fun giveaways!

More photos from events around our region.

Email your own event photos: sightings@bangormetro.com

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 3

editor’s note “I’m glad that it’s over.”—My mother, who obviously missed her calling as a writer for Hallmark.

I was born on January 1st, 1977.

My wife Elizabeth and I enjoying a beer at Bissell Brothers Brewing in Portland.

As it happens, I was Bangor’s “New Year’s Baby” that year, delivered at St. Joseph Hospital by Dr. Soloman at 12:44 p.m.

As a child, my mother led me to believe that seasonal parades were held in my honor, which I’m sure you know is not true. At least, I hope you know it’s not true—the fame from this “New Year’s Baby” business is fleeting, at best.

Despite this, or maybe because of it, this time of year has always held a special place in my heart. Following the hectic holiday sprint from October to December, New Year’s Day marks the unofficial beginning of calm. The holidays are over, the kids go back to school, and the snow (usually) starts dumping.

People choose to spend this time doing lots of things: travelling, hunkering down, cooking, focusing on fitness, working on hobbies.

This issue introduces us to a group of people that have taken their hobby to great heights—the craft brewers of Maine. You’ve probably noticed that Maine has become a nexus for the national craft beer explosion. I recently had the opportunity to visit some of the breweries we’re featuring, and I can give you my (semi-unqualified) opinion: they’re awesome.

We’ll also introduce you to a UMaine grad who’s looking to upend the Uber model, and—if you’re one of the countless pledging to get back into fitness right about now—we’re hooking you up with an allbody fitness plan we think you’ll love.

I know some of you will look back on 2016 with its weird ups and downs with the same feeling my mother expressed that fateful New Year’s Day in 1977: “I’m glad that it’s over.” And some of you might have had the best year ever. Most of you, I suspect, are somewhere in the middle. Wherever you fall in the spectrum, I wish you a happy and healthy 2017 on behalf of the staff of Bangor Metro.

Here we go, then—I’ll see you on the other side.

MATT CHABE, SENIOR EDITOR

4 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

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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

ART DIRECTOR

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SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER

Fred Stewart fstewart@bangordailynews.com

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6 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Joshua Archer

Julia Bayly

Emily Burnham

Sarah Walker Caron

Abigail Curtis

Bob Duchesne

Jodi Hersey

Joy Hollowell

Jeff Kirlin

Jane Margesson

Chris Quimby

Richard Shaw

Ashley Thornton

Emilie Brand Throckmorton

Bangor Metro Magazine. January 2017, Vol. 13, No. 1.

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.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7

talk back & sightings

We Love Hearing From You

Now you can play Pop Quiz online!

Visit our Facebook page for the link and your chance to win a FREE one-year subscription to Bangor Metro! Kick the New Year off right!

We’ve already had 242 people play our online Pop Quiz for December! There’s still time to play! Answer correctly and you’ll be entered to win a free wallet from Flowfold!

Maine’s Up & Comers  Ten College of the Atlantic (COA) students and their professor were among representatives from hundreds of countries at the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco recently. The student delegates, who took an active role in workinggroup discussions, are members of the tutorial “Implementing the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC COP22)” taught by COA’s Dr. Doreen Stabinsky.

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

Happy New Year!

Get fit, get out there and even discover some new brews in 2017!

A caffeinated new business in Fort Fairfield, page 18

Lighting up the New Year in Belfast, page 16

Take a ride wit h Tip Whip in Orono, page 40

It’s Not Too Late!

Looking for a last minute holiday gift? We recommend a subscription to Bangor Metro! It’s fun, affordable and it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long!

A full year subscription is just $14.95 from now until Dec. 31, 2016. Give us a call at 990-8075 to order, or fill out the subscription form on page 6 to send in your order by mail.

They’ll love it!

Coming NEXT MONTH...

Financial tips for surviving and thriving in 2017.

Have a comment or story idea? Share! Email us at editor@bangormetro.com 8 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

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

PHOTOS BY JEFF KIRLIN

1 2

1: Stacey Sullivan, Lauren Steblen and friend embrace the Force at COESPACE’s Halloween photobooth to benefit Spruce Run-Womancare Alliance.

2: Chris Rudolph, Sarah Nichols and Todd Simcox were the “celebrity judges” at

Eastern Maine Community College’s Lip Sync Battle at Rangeley Hall.

3: Catherine Elliot, Chloe Maxim, Jamie McFaul and Lydia Swann at the Meet the Emerge Maine Class of 2017 event at the Bangor Public Library.

3

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9

biz buzz On the Move MEESHA LUCE of Allen

Insurance and Financial has earned the Safeco Insurance Award of Excellence, an honor recognizing superior underwriting skill that is achieved by a select group of agents across the country who sell Safeco Insurance. Luce has now earned the Award of Excellence for two consecutive years. The award honors outstanding agents who have developed a solid underwriting relationship with Safeco and whose agencies have qualified for the Safeco Insurance Premier Partner Award, the company’s top recognition program.

Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) is pleased to announce that AMANDA LANGWORTHY, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C), has joined the medical staff of PCHC’s Helen Hunt Health Center in Old Town.

Langworthy’s practice centers on all aspects of high-quality and compassionate medical care, including patient physicals, acute visits and health care maintenance. She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Fort Kent and received her master’s degree in family advanced practice nursing from the University of Maine at Orono. Prior to joining PCHC, she served as RN Supervisor/Charge Nurse at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Bangor.

SHARYL WHITE, BA, MCP,

has joined Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) as Chief Information Officer. White will be responsible for oversight of PCHC’s information technology, infrastructure, information security, programming and data services. She is a graduate of Colby College with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry.

BerryDunn auditor LEAH CLAIR, CPA, was recently announced as a recipient of the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants (MECPA)’s inaugural Women to Watch award. She is one of five recipients in Maine. The award recognizes an emerging MECPA member who has 10 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

made an outstanding contribution to the accounting profession, their community, place of employment, and/or to the development of women as leaders. Clair joined BerryDunn in 2015 as part of the firm’s Financial Services Group. She is an adjunct faculty member at Husson University.

BerryDunn is pleased to announce a slate of recent hires as the firm continues to expand in its practice areas and geographic locations. New hires include HEATHER BOOTH, IAN MARTELL , JENNIFER MORRIS, PAIGE NADEAU, CHELSEA STANLEY, and MATTHEW DUBE to the Audit and Accounting Group; BETHANY BIELICKI to the Executive Fit Group; SARAH ABBOTT, MATTHEW BRIA , EDDY CHENG, SUSAN CHUGHA , PAM COLEMAN, ERICA KOSNOW, TAM LY, EMILY MCCOY, and MEGAN O’BRIEN to the Government Consulting Group; NICOLE ANDREWS and RACHEL TETELMAN to the Healthcare/Not-for-Profit Group; NICHOLAS FAVREAU to the Management and IT Consulting Group; and PATRICK DOHERTY, KATE MANGO, and NATHAN PALMER to the Tax Group.

SailMaine founder Christopher Robinson recently announced the appointment of MICHAEL MCALLISTER as the new Interim Executive Director.

An avid sailor, McAllister’s extensive experience in sailing, coaching, racing and teaching make him a natural fit for the organization.

Allenfarm Fence Company in Hermon is proud to announce that BRENT WEST, JR., is joining the company as its first Chief Executive Officer. He comes to the company with more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and five years in the nonprofit financial management field. He is a University of Maine graduate and received a master’s degree in business administration.

According to the company, Brent’s father was instrumental in Allenfarm’s growth for several years as he completed his engineering career.

Awards The Wellness Council of Maine (WLCME) recently announced the recipients of its 2016 WLCME EMPOWER AWARDS. The

award is given to those people and organizations providing the best examples of improving health and wellness in Maine. Awarded were Unlimited Solutions Clubhouse, operated

by Penobscot Community Health Care, as the non-profit awardee for creating opportunities to achieve goals in wellness, education, and employment; Tom Downing, Lifeline Center for Workplace Wellness, as the individual awardee for 40 years of working to improve the quality of life for employees; The Spring Training Challenge, a collaborative program from Bangor Savings Bank, the City of Bangor, and Employee Health Solutions, as the regional awardee for its eight-week physical activity promotion; RSU22 school system as the group awardee for its longstanding wellness program led by Brittany Layman; and athenahealth of Belfast as the for-profit awardee for its One Size Does Not Fit All program.

Grants THE GOOD SAMARITAN AGENCY in

Bangor was recently awarded a grant of $3,500 from The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank. The Good Samaritan Agency provides parenting and education services to help meet the needs of single parents and their children. The grant from People’s United Community Foundation will support the Teen Parent Education Program, which provides teen moms with the opportunities to earn a high school diploma, obtain life-skills, and receive job training.

THE ISLAND INSTITUTE was recently

selected to receive a Rural Community Development Initiative Grant from USDA Rural Development in the amount of $143,350 to build capacity and provide technical assistance to the rural Maine island communities of Vinalhaven, Frenchboro, and Eastport. According to Virginia Manuel, USDA Rural Development State Director, the grant will provide the communities with support through Fellows that will work alongside them to develop educational opportunities, grow the creative economy, and improve emergency management services. The grant provides 7-10 Fellows per year for two years to meet needs.

what’s happening

Writing Adventure Bangor city councilor's new book takes young readers on a global adventure.

PHOTOS: BDN FILE; (FAIRCLOTH) JEFF KIRLIN

BY EMILY BURNHAM

BANGOR: As the father of three sons, Sean Faircloth has read a lot of stories aloud over the years. Some books and stories were politely tolerated among his listening audience. Some were massive hits.

“It’s really such a challenge to write something that can engage a kid's interest for a long period of time,” said Faircloth, who is also a Bangor City Councilor. “I knew that was something I wanted to try.”

Years after he had that initial dream to write a book for young people, Faircloth has finally published his debut novel, “The Enchanted Globe,” a fast-paced adventure story geared toward middle school-age youth. The book, which has an official release date of Tuesday, Dec. 6 – though it will be available sooner – is published by ImpWorks, an imprint of Pitchstone Publishing.

“The Enchanted Globe” tells the tale of brothers Brendan and Ryan (named after Faircloth's real-life elder sons) and their friend Gabrielle (a name also inspired by a real person) who discover a mysterious golden object, deep in the Maine woods. That object transports them, via a magical sphere, on a wild goose chase across the planet, meeting fascinating people, visiting exotic places and solving increasingly difficult puzzles in order to defeat frightening villain McGrab.

While it’s first and foremost an adventure story, hidden underneath all those plot twists and turns is an educational book that aims to inform and educate youngsters about geography. Like “The Magic School Bus” or the “Carmen Sandiego” franchise before it, “The Enchanted Globe” is a teaching tool that also is a whole lot of fun.

It’s not Faircloth's first book. He published a nonfiction book, the socio-political treatise “Attack of the Theocrats,” in 2012. “The Enchanted Globe” could not be more different and is much more of a labor of love for Faircloth, who served as Bangor’s council chair in 2016 and served five terms in the Maine legislature before that.

“I just wanted to write a good story for young people, a fun story, a story that keeps moving,” Faircloth said. “I wanted it to be something where, if you're 11, this is something you're going to be excited to keep reading and not get bored.”

Faircloth has a history in working to bridge the gap between fun and education. As the founder of the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, making learning fun for children has been something he’s been passionate about for a long time.

“My biggest hope is that kids reads this and afterward want to learn about the places that they visit,” Faircloth said. “I hope that this is a door that opens into a wider world.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11

what’s happening

Opening January 13 Winter exhibitions at the University of Maine Museum of Art Three new exhibits open in January at the University of Maine Museum of Art, located on Harlow Street in Bangor.

They include “Wet Window,” paintings from Siobhan McBride; “20 Years,” a retrospective of Maine artist Brenton Hamilton; and “The Life of David,” sculptures from Maine artist Jared Cowan. UMMA is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free. umma.umaine.edu

January 13-15 SNOWcon Gaming Convention, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor What’s nicer than spending a snowy weekend indoors, playing games?

Doing it with a couple hundred other people who love it just as much as you.

SNOWcon, now in its eighth year, is a gaming convention where the focus is on tabletop games of all types: board games, card games, role playing games, 12 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

LARPs, miniatures, demo games, strategy games; as well as a packed game library, vendors, exhibitors, costume contests and more for gamers of all ages and experience levels. snowconmaine.com January 14 Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Strand Theatre, Rockland Bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and his band play in Rockland this January.

Skaggs is largely responsible for a backto-basics movement in country music, showing many that a bluegrass tenor with impeccable taste and enormous talent could sell traditional country in the '80s, a time when pop music had invaded the land of rural rhythm. None of that has changed today. Tickets are available online via rocklandstrand.com. rocklandstrand.com January 15 An Evening with Pat Metheny, Collins Center for the Arts This quartet continues jazz guitar legend Pat Metheny’s

groundbreaking run with Mexicanborn drummer Antonio Sánchez.

Sánchez reconfigured the Hollywood soundtrack landscape with his percussion-driven score for 2015’s Academy Award-winning film “Birdman.” When Linda Oh’s not leading her own band, the bassist works with heavyweights like Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas. And 35-year-old British pianist Gwilym Simcock is one of Europe’s most acclaimed and influential young musicians. The quartet is just the latest sign that Metheny isn’t easing into his revered veteran status. Tickets are available by calling 581-1755. collinscenterforthearts.com January 18 Dancing With the Stars, Live!, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor This all-new production showcases every type of ballroom and modern dance seen on ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars, including sizzling group performances, romantic duets, contemporary numbers and original

Jan. 13-15 SNOWcon Gaming Convention, Bangor

pieces created specifically for the nationwide tour. Dancing with the Stars: Live! travels to Cross Insurance Center on Jan. 18. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster. ticketmaster.com

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

January 21 Snowfest and Snodeo, Rangeley Organized by the Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club, Snodeo is a weekend celebration with something for everyone. A chili and chowder cook-off, radar runs, children’s activities, live music, a snowmobile parade down Main Street, fireworks and much more. If you love snowmobiles, this is the place to be.

January 22 BSO: Bach, Handel & Haydn Popular composers rarely performed by the BSO are brought to life in this chamber orchestra showcase, featuring BSO principal cellist Noreen Silver as soloist. Selections including J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.3, F. J. Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, and G.

Jan. 22 Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Orono

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 13

what’s happening

Jan. 29 Pies on Parade, Rockland

14 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

January 29 Pies on Parade If you love pie, it doesn’t get better than this. Pies on Parade is held the weekend of National Pie Day, with festivities beginning on Saturday with wine and pie pairings, pie tastings, and museum tours. On Sunday, Jan. 20, Historic Inns of Rockland and local restaurants and businesses open their doors from 1 to 5 p.m. for samplings of sweet and savory pies. More than 50 varieties of pie are donated by these establishments and all ticket proceeds help Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry and its fuel assistance program. Visit historicinnsofrockland. com for more info. historicinnsofrockland.com

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

F. Handel’s Water Music: Suite No. 1, F major. The concert is set for 3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono. collinscenterforthearts.com

unsung hero Mary Mortier (right) and volunteers help ring in the New Year with a bonfire in Belfast.

NEW YEAR Belfast volunteer keeps the fire burning for New Year’s By the Bay.

BY MATT CHABE

What do you do when you’re not coordinating New Year’s By the Bay? I’m a Belfast city councilor and a real estate agent.

Why do you top off the celebration with a bonfire?

The bonfire was created by [former Belfast mayor and current city councilor] Mike Hurley so that we’d have something special happening at midnight. In previous years we had fireworks, but we discontinued them after 9/11 and the bonfire was the replacement.

What is the bonfire made of?

It’s built from a combination of dried used Christmas trees that have been donated and wood from a local lumber yard.

It’s built the afternoon of the celebration by local volunteers. Up until this year it’s been led by Mike Hurley. This year our downtown main street organization, “Our Town Belfast,” is taking over the event.

16 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

O

ne thing’s

for sure, Belfast knows how to celebrate. Each year, the city hosts New Year’s By the Bay, a celebration that’s become a must-do for people around the region.

Now in its 20th year, the event includes music, poetry, curling, caricatures and more, all culminating in a noisy public march down Main Street to a midnight bonfire to ring in the new year. We had a chance to catch up with Mary Mortier, New Year’s By the Bay’s coordinator, about the logistics of building a raging public bonfire where the river meets the ocean and the good feeling you get from a job well done.

“We’re excited this year because it’s the 20th year,” said Mortier. “This is a community grassroots event, not part of a First Night franchise. We started it locally, created it ourselves, and we’ve made it to the 20th anniversary. It’s a success every year.”

What’s this about a noisy parade leading to the bonfire?

A group called the Drum & Rabble Corps leads a public procession. Anyone can bring anything they can put their hands on that they can make noise with. It starts at the traffic light at the center of downtown and steps off 10 minutes to midnight. Everyone walks, marches, jumps or runs down to the waterfront.

It’s just this very loud, fully-encompassing primal beat that’s going out in every direction. As people are coming out of the last performance events at 11:45, they’re drawn to the traffic light, to this march down to the water. And right at midnight, the bonfire is lit. [Ed. note: while other New Year’s By the Bay events require a pass, the procession and bonfire are free.]

Who cleans up?

The bonfire burns well into the wee hours of the morning. In a lucky year we

have high tide coming in on the sand beach where it’s located and that helps to finish it off. There are a few hardy volunteers that stick it out to the end—in the past that’s included Mike Hurley and myself—and we end up shoveling sand onto the remaining embers to make sure it’s out safely.

What makes you happiest?

During the event, when I’m walking around from venue to venue, and people are out walking on the street...there’s just a wonderful, lighthearted, friendly community spirit in the air all over downtown.

It’s a wonderful, safe way to enjoy performances for a very small admittance price.

What’s one thing that people don’t know about you (but they should)?

I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and I’m at a point in my life that I feel this is a way that I can give back to a community I love.

PHOTOS: (GROUP) COURTESY OF OUR TOWN BELFAST; (MORTIER) COURTESY OF MARY MORTIER

Ringing in the

CELEBRATE! The Twentieth Annual New Year’s By the Bay takes place Dec. 31, 2016, in Belfast.

For more information, visit nybb.org.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 17

business

SomeWicked Brew In The County, aficionado brews up coffee and business.

L

BY JOSHUA ARCHER

fairy tale, this story, too, begins with magical beans.

The setting: a kid’s-playroom-turned-experimental-kitchen in a residential area of Fort Fairfield, where our hero first started roasting coffee beans.

On this day, Ben Nason runs his hands through a fresh batch of organic specialty beans, taking in aromas reminiscent of sweet grass as he makes precise and calculated considerations on his next roast.

Waiting for the first pop of little beans, the ventilation system kicks in, filling the air outside with a smell like fresh-baked bread. That’s when Nason’s neighbors know he’s up to no good.

He first got hooked on the brown elixir at a church function as a teen. He began scoring French roast by the bag (the darker the better) and carrying it around like contraband. Later, while working at a chain restaurant, a cook introduced him to home roasting using nothing more than a wok. The small beans in that wok were what pushed Nason over the edge. It would be a while, however, before he created Storibord Coffee Roasters.

“At first I wasn’t sure about it, because coffee is a highly competitive market,” he said. “I don’t hide the fact that I’m a home roaster. Eventually I’d like to grow it into a business. The plan for the future of Storibord is to have a location.”

His grandfather always told him that whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.

“When you find something you like you just become passionate about it,” he said.

“Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you I get passionate about certain things, I get consumed by it and start consuming information and learning more about it and just really enjoy it.”

Nason’s a self-proclaimed coffee nerd. Spend a few minutes with him and he’ll percolate with terms like denseness, elevation, crack, pop, notes, caramel and acidity.

If there’s a coffee publication, recipe or YouTube video, he’s read it, tried it, watched it, absorbed it and added it to his roasting diary.

By day Nason works in IT just a town over. In the evening he suits up, breaks out his tasting cups and preps for the weekend farmers’ market.

“I love roasting for myself, and I love trying new coffees,” he said. ““I love it when I’m serving coffee for others and people are like, ‘Wow, I love this!’ Ultimately, I’m looking for really tasty coffee.”

When winter hits and the local weekend farmers’ markets close for the season, he sells his roasts on his website. The site presents a “big city” feel for being located so far north. Customers can sign up for subscriptions in which new roasts are mailed to them monthly.

“I want to provide an atmosphere and a service where [the customer] feels special,” he said. “That sounds really high and lofty, but I think it’s important that when people come they feel this is cool, this is special, this is unique.”

Over a year in production and Nason says the future looks bright.

“Everything I build is going to be built off revenue,” he said. “I haven’t taken any loans. I [use] our own personal capital and I just try to be smart about our decisions and what we purchase. I try to be strategic and thoughtful when purchasing cups or bags. I want it to look handsome and polished, but I try to keep costs low.”

Recently, bags of Storibord coffee began popping up on local store shelves in the County. Nason has big plans for Storibord (which he says he’ll reveal when the time is right), but he does guarantee that espresso will be available in the future.

“I want to be known for espresso and I want to make sure it’s a really well crafted espresso that even those who really love espresso say, ‘Wow, this is excellent!’”

18 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BEN NASON; (MIDDLE & BOTTOM) JOSHUA ARCHER

ike the famous

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 19

business

Night

Cap

Owner Melissa Smith makes a drink at Happy Endings, her martini bar in downtown Bangor.

Fairy tales and fondue on the menu at Happy Endings.

BY EMILY BURNHAM

20 / BANGOR METRO January 2016 2017

weeks of a restaurant or bar being open always features a bit of trial and error. For Melissa Smith, owner of Happy Endings Martini, Tapas & Dessert Bar in downtown Bangor, there were several surprises in the first month that she was open.

Smith, also a longtime co-owner of the Penobscot Pourhouse on Main Street, assumed that people would want options for drinks other than just martinis and cocktails. Though the extensive menu of handcrafted libations was the primary focus of Smith and her bar staff, she knew she wanted beer and wine for those customers not interested in liquor.

Boy, she was wrong.

“You know, I thought that people would want to have beer and wine in addition to martinis, but I was really surprised—people really love the martinis and the cocktails.

I can’t sell a beer here to save my life,” said Smith. “I think people are just really excited that there’s a place that’s all about martinis and cocktails.”

The region has experienced a beer boom in the past few years, with 11 microbreweries now open in Greater Bangor. Though the popularity of craft beer doesn’t appear to be abating any time soon, the cocktail hasn’t gotten as much love.

Until now, that is. Happy Endings opened in late September at 32 Main St. The night spot features classic martinis, infused vodka cocktails, margaritas and dessert martinis, as well as lots of constantly changing seasonal drink specials—during warmer October weather, sangria was a special, and for Halloween, spooky martinis were served. When paired with selections from their menu including savory, tapasstyle small plates and decadent desserts, the things served at Happy Endings make a, well, happy ending to any night out in downtown Bangor.

Smith’s restaurant has a cheeky name, to be sure. But rather than take the innuendo around the name “Happy Endings” even further, Smith decided to go in the opposite direction, gearing it toward the kind of happy ending you’d find in a fairy tale.

To that end, all her drinks are named after fairy tales and fantastic stories, such as the Hansel and Gretel (a chocolate and marshmallow martini with a crushed graham cracker rim), the Ruby Slipper (vodka and limoncello with strawberries and mint) and the Maleficent (blueberry vodka, Frangelico and blueberry puree).

“I didn’t want to go too far with the sort of naughty side of it, so I wanted to do something that was really fun and memorable,” said Smith. “I want this place to be comfortable and intimate and romantic. I want everyone to feel welcome here, and that it’s a kind of special occasion place. It’s not just a bar in Bangor. It’s special.”

Another crowd favorite is the Happy Snowman, combining marshmallow fluff vodka and whipped cream vodka with creme de cacao and Godiva white chocolate liqueur, topped with ice cream.

“It tastes like a whoopie pie,” said Smith.

More traditional cocktails are also served, from cosmopolitans to a classic gin or vodka martini, and Smith’s bar staff has worked with local distillery Northern Maine Distilling Company and its vodka brand Twenty 2 to create a number of infused vodkas for specialty drinks, with flavors including strawberry, chocolate and peanut butter displayed prominently above the bar.

PHOTOS: BDN FILE: (DRINK) EDDIEBERMAN/THINKSTOCK

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he first few

Aside from the drinks, the food at Happy Endings is also “special occasion” food. There’s an ever-changing array of desserts served every night, such as peanut butter pie, creme brulee, apple crisp, cheesecakes, ice cream-filled cream puffs, flourless chocolate torte and many more, all overseen by Smith, as various ingredients come into season.

On the savory side, Smith had another surprise in the first few weeks of business when she discovered that the fondue ended up being the most popular thing on the menu.

“People really responded to the fondue.

It’s by far our most popular offering, both sweet and savory,” said Smith. “It’s kind of retro, but it’s also kind of new for the area.

We’re looking into offering a special fondue night, and offering some new flavors, like a creamy-style one, and a Thai peanut one, all with different things to dip.”

Other menu items include flatbreads and salads, charcuterie and cheese, changing soups and bisques and seafood dishes. Smith developed the menu with

Tim Lewis, also the chef at The Tarratine on Park Street, with an eye for fast, fresh and crowd-pleasing treats. Brad Sherwood is now the kitchen manager and has brought his own take to the savory options on the menu.

“I tell him what I have in my head, and somehow, he puts it on a plate,” said Smith.

It’s hard to believe that the building that houses Happy Endings was most

building really had more space than we thought,” said Smith. “It’s a little funky.

People sometimes don’t realize where the entrance is.”

When Happy Endings first was announced back in August, Smith said she was hoping to capture a later evening crowd that wanted to cap off their night with a cocktail and a sweet or savory treat— go to one of downtown Bangor’s many restaurants, and then finish up at her place.

The night spot features classic martinis, infused vodka cocktails, margaritas and dessert martinis, as well as lots of constantly changing seasonal drink specials. recently a home goods boutique, and before that, a video rental store—the transformation of the property has been significant, utilizing the space in a way that highlights how surprisingly roomy it is. The alcove in which the entrance is housed gives it a bit of a speakeasy vibe— it’s just a little bit hidden, like a place you’d unexpectedly stumble upon.

“We kept taking walls down, and as we kept going we realized that this

So far, she said, that’s been the case.

“People are coming in later. They’re making this place their last stop. It’s where we want people to end up,” she said. “You know, a happy ending.”

Happy Endings is open from 3 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays; 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, noon to 1 a.m. Saturdays and noon to 11 p.m. Sundays. For information, like Happy Endings Martini, Tapas & Dessert Bar on Facebook.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 21

Get Fit

Your All-Body Get-Fit 2017 Fitness Plan.

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ell, it’s that

time of year—New Year’s resolutions get made. Resolve gets mustered. And if you’re like a lot of people, gym memberships get purchased or renewed.

If you’ve been down this road before (and even if you haven’t), you likely see two problems. One, the gyms get packed this time of year.

And two, getting fit is deceptively hard work without a solid plan.

 We talked to Josh Dyer, a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym in Bangor and owner of Josh Dyer Personal Training, to get an accessible all-body workout for all body types. While there’s no substitute for a gym membership or dedicated home equipment, all of these exercises can be done in your home or office with just a few common items.

Now, let’s see those burpees!

22 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

JOSH’S DIRECTIONS: These exercises have been designed for an effective full-body workout within a 30-minute time gap with items you can find at home or in an office. Substitute lighter or heavier objects based on current fitness level.

We’ll be using supersets—two varying exercises done back to back with minimal rest, adding to the cardiovascular portion of the workout. After completing set 1 of exercise one, move on to set 1 of exercise 2, allowing for rest of the muscle being worked in each exercise while the other exercise is being completed.

GET STARTED

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JOSH DYER; (THIS PHOTO) DIDECS/THINKSTOCK

metro health

SUPERSET 1 Exercise 1: Ts, Ys, and Is [Target: Shoulders]

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Start with the weighted objects hanging slightly in front of your body and raise them into each position, always returning to the starting position before moving to the next raised position. Perform two sets of 10 per movement; on your third set, hold each position for 10 seconds three times.

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Starting with a weighted object held at chest height and legs crossed, jump out into a squat position. Hold squat for five seconds, focusing on keeping your weight in your heels, and reaching a parallel top of leg position with a neutral spine. After five seconds, quickly jump back to a crossover position for a quick tap down instantly moving back to the squat.

Complete three sets of eight reps.

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 23

metro health

SUPERSET 2 1

Exercise 1: Leg Lift Pullovers [Target: Core]

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Lying on the floor with arms straight above the bottom of your chest (weighted object in each hand), raise your legs off the ground approximately 3 inches. Drop the weights slowly back over your head and return them to the starting position. Keep legs off the ground and repeat for three sets of 10 reps.

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Exercise 2: Falling Towers [Target: Quadriceps] In a kneeling position, with toes flat on the ground and your back, shoulders and butt in line, fall backwards slowly without dipping your butt towards your feet. Return to the starting position. Once you feel comfortable, try moving further and further back. Repeat for three sets of 10 reps.

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SUPERSET 3

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In a seated position, hold a flat weighted object at the center of your chest by squeezing your hands together (do not interlock fingers). This squeeze will activate your chest muscles. Now push the object straight up and to each side, always returning to the starting position before moving on to the next movement. Perform three sets of six reps (1 rep consisting of all three movements).

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Exercise 2: V-Up Bicep Curl [Target: Biceps and Core] 2

Sit on the floor with one weighted object in each hand.

Straighten arms at shoulder height with your palms up. Raise knees, bringing your feet off the ground and creating a V with your legs and torso. Curl the weights in towards your head, squeezing your biceps. Return to the starting position, keeping your knees and feet up. Perform three sets of 30 seconds each.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 25

metro health

SUPERSET 4

1 Exercise 1: Sea Turtles [Target: Back] Lying on the floor, raise your knees and upper chest off the ground, keeping only the top of legs, your hips and stomach on the ground. Push your knees outwards and your arms back at the same time. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together activating your upper back muscles. Keep your knees and upper chest off the ground the whole time, allowing for your lower back to stay engaged. Perform two sets of 30 seconds each.

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1 Exercise 2: 1-Legged Glute Bridge [Target: Glutes] Lay on the floor with arms out to your side and palms down. Bring one leg in about 3-4 inches from your butt and put your heel down. Raise the other leg straight up into the air—this is your base position. Now raise your lower back off the ground (keeping your shoulders on the ground), squeeze your glutes and return to the starting position slowly. Perform two sets of 15 reps, then switch legs and repeat.

26 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

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FINISHER MOVEMENTS

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Lower Body Finisher: Lunge Clocks Start in a standing position with feet closer than shoulder width apart. Take a strong step forward. Make sure you’re balanced and lower your back knee as close to the ground as possible without touching the floor. Focus on keeping your back straight up. From this position drive yourself up using the muscles of your front leg, and pivot on your back toe to a position 90 degrees from your stepping foot.

Secure your balance and repeat. Switch legs. Move clockwise when performing the set stepping with your right foot and counterclockwise when stepping with your left. Move around the clock five times without stopping, then switch your stepping leg.

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Upper Body Finisher: Pushups to Incline Pushups Place two flat objects of even height on the ground directly on the side of each hand. Start in pushup position with arms in line with shoulders. Perform a close stance pushup by lowering yourself to the ground with your elbows falling in line with your torso. From the bottom, drive your body up bringing your hand off the ground and replacing them in a position on top of your flat objects. Perform another pushup, driving yourself from the bottom back to the starting position. Perform this exercise for max reps with good form (keeping your back straight).

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 27

metro

wellness

The Power of Positivity When finding clarity, acceptance is the plan.

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ast August,

I had a brain scan after several weeks of unexplained blurred vision. Later that evening, I was sitting on my deck with my family eating enchiladas when my doctor called to tell me that the MRI revealed a brain tumor on my optic nerve. After a few hours of crying, my family and I spent the next 12 hours formulating a plan. We were mobilized to take action and destroy this thing that was threatening my health, my life. Surgery, chemo, radiation, consults with doctors in Boston and Portland, whatever we had to do, we were ready. Let’s go.

But the next day I got another assessment from a different doctor, who thought there was a good possibility that the lesion the first doctor was calling a tumor was actually just inflammation and may not need treatment. And because of the danger of biopsying this area, our plan of action turned into a plan of inaction. I was told to wait three months and rescan. Over the course of that week, several more doctors confirmed the plan: wait three months.

Thus began the most challenging stretch of my life. I was supposed to keep working, mothering, and living my life while there was a distinct possibility there was a tumor growing inside my head that could kill me. I was supposed to carry on, but I could take no action to help my cause. At times I was paralyzed with fear, and the more I thought about 28 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

my possible diagnosis, the more I panicked. It was only the passing of time that was going to give doctors more information about the lesion in my brain. I was in limbo. I was stuck.

Nothing like a health scare to bring forth all of our existential questions, right? How much time did I have left?

What should I quickly teach my children in case my time is cut short? Why was this happening at this particular moment in my life? What was I supposed to learn from this? What can I actually do to help me survive the not knowing?

I started to read and think about prayer, because I wasn’t sure what it was or how to do it. But I did know that when loved ones kept saying "I’m praying for you,” I felt comforted.

I don’t believe prayer can stop a brain tumor. If that were the case no one would die of cancer or any other disease. I don’t believe any one person can affect the course of a disease through prayer, but I do believe prayer can impact attitude and outlook. We can begin to heal ourselves with positivity, love and attention on the right thoughts. When I pray, it is not necessarily for x, y or z to happen, but it is for a bigger, more open, more awake life.

When I found myself at my lowest moments during the waiting period, the only single thing that gave me peace was to adopt an attitude of surrender. I would think: “I give myself up to you, Universe, because I clearly can-

not think my way out of this.” Nothing I say, feel, or do is going to influence what is growing inside my head. Whatever it is, it already is.

I had to give myself up to something greater than me, to trust that whichever direction this went, I would be taken care of. I never felt sure that I wouldn’t die, but I did experience some magical moments when I truly felt peace. I actually had periods of clarity that my kids and my husband and my family would be okay without me, and that the time I had been on this earth was enough. These were fleeting moments, but amazing ones, and they didn’t feel like defeat, just surrender.

And that is the feeling I would try to create when I prayed.

In the book “Help, Thanks, Wow” by Anne Lamott I found my definition of prayer: “Prayer can be motion and stillness and energy—all at the same time.

It begins with stopping in our tracks, or with our backs against the wall, or when we are going under the waves... or we finally stop running away and at long last walk or lurch or crawl toward something. Or maybe, miraculously, we just release our grip slightly.”

Release the grip. That makes sense to me. When I am able to release my grip, I feel connected to something bigger, and that is how I pray and find peace. I do this by sitting with my pain, leaning on my husband, mothering my children, taking

PHOTO: JOHN HOWARD/THINKSTOCK

BY EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON

long walks. I pray by imagining myself alive in the biggest sense of the word: laughing with my kids, baking loaves of bread, eating spicy food, jumping off the dock, reading 100 books, running another marathon.

While the final outcome of this health scare is yet to be determined, a follow-up scan showed that the lesion had slightly shrunk, which points to a diagnosis of inflammation (from a yet indeterminate cause) rather than a tumor. We are encouraged, but still don’t know for sure and await follow up scans. My three months of waiting have stretched into six. My normal approach to life—have a problem, formulate a plan, take action— does not apply here. But I have learned to have faith in a larger plan, one in which I can still participate through prayer.

EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON is a mom and runner who co-chairs the English Department at Bangor High School and writes the blog One Mom in Maine.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 29

30 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OXBOW BREWING COMPANY

BY MATT CHABE

8 MAINE BREWERIES CHANGING THE GAME

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Beers lined up at the bar at Oxbow Brewing Company.

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BEER. EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT IT. IF YOU’RE A BEER DRINKER in our fair state, chanc-

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In the past five years, Oxbow has demonstrated a unique approach to Belgian-inspired farmhouse beers.

DE D 2 011 “When we started, we wanted to make our own types of beer, to do things a little differently,” said Tim Adams, Oxbow’s co-owner and head brewer. “There really wasn’t anyone in Maine taking a farmhouse brewery approach.”

Prior to founding Oxbow, Adams was a beer sales rep in Washington D.C., where he was able to draw inspiration from many different sources. As a homebrewer, his specialty was hoppy Belgian-style beers with forays into sours. These influences are evident in Oxbow’s Belgian-inspired ales.

“We’re not beholden to one rigid set of traditions,” said Adams. Indeed, Oxbow draws inspiration from a myriad of sources to inform its recipes and philosophies while staying predominantly in the farmhouse format. For instance, one beer in production features spontaneous fermentation using an outdoor coolship completely exposed to elements, inoculated with wild yeast from around the brewery and the surrounding fruit orchard. On the other end of the spectrum, “Luppolo” is a non-farmhouse style dry-hopped pilsner brewed in an Italian style.

“We make some pretty esoteric beer styles, some boutique stuff,” said Adams.

“We make unique beer with a unique focus.”

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OXBOW BREWING COMPANY SIGNATURE BREW: Farmhouse Pale Ale (ABV: 6%), a fresh saison featuring European malts, saison yeast, and a twist— American hops.

“A lot of new people are getting exposed to craft beer,” he said. “They may have seen it as something that was ‘male dominated’ or focused on younger people, and now they’re realizing there’s a place in the craft beer community for them.

People who've never thought about drinking craft beer are seeing their neighbors opening breweries in remote areas of the state—so they stop, check it out, and make a connection with the product.”

Can this boom last forever? The future, said Sullivan, is at the local level. As more breweries dominate the landscape, they become local partners, resources, and gathering places. “The way to succeed,” he said, “is to maintain quality and consistency, and establish a strong relationship with your community.”

We talked to a group of Maine craft beer bar owners and experts to get their thoughts on the breweries shaping Maine’s present and future. With 86 breweries in Maine, it would be impossible to highlight them all. It’s possible we missed your favorite—feel free to email us at editor@bangormetro.com and tell us about it.

Here, then, are eight Maine breweries changing the game.

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es are you have a local favorite (or two). With 86 licensed Maine breweries and counting, there’s a lot of choice. From traditional styles to wild sours to beer brewed with oysters, there’s probably one being brewed right in your hometown (or near it).

But it’s only part of the story of a larger national trend. It’s The Golden Age of Beer, and Maine’s not only feeding it, it’s becoming a bona fide beer nexus. (Travelocity recently featured both Portland/Biddeford and Bangor in its “Top American Beer Destinations” index.)

According to Sean Sullivan, Executive Director of the Maine Brewers’ Guild, 2016 has been the busiest in Maine’s history— as of this writing, a dozen breweries have been licensed this year. The reason might have something to do with our rep.

“Maine’s brand is built on quality products built by real people,” said Sullivan, “and our craft beer industry really leverages that in an authentic way.”

Ultimately, said Sullivan, beer drinkers are looking for a connection built on that authenticity.

WHERE TO GET IT: At their farmhouse brewery and tasting room in Newcastle; a tasting room at Portland Blending & Bottling in Portland; on select taps and at select retailers around New England. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 31

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feature story FOUNDATION BREWING COMPANY Founded 2014 | Portland

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For the founders of Foundation Brewing Co., two heads are better than one.

2 0 14 P Partners Joel Mahaffey and John Bonney met via Bangor’s Central Street Farmhouse, an area provider of home brewing supplies. Over dinner in Orono one night, they realized they were meant to brew together.

“For both of us, home brewing has been a longstanding hobby,” said Bonney. “It quickly became apparent that we have a similar philosophy and approach. When we’d see each other at [home brew gatherings], we’d always try each other’s stuff. Eventually, we started brewing specifically for each other's feedback.”

For Bonney, drinkability is king: “We’re very much beer drinkers,” he said. “We want something that’s tasty and refreshing. Something that’s effortless, that when you look down at the glass you think, ‘Wow, it’s gone!’”

Foundation trades in a wide range of beer. While some breweries prefer to stick to one or two comfortable styles, Foundation creates a range of flavors. They opened with saisons, expanded into traditional American styles, and are looking at releasing brews from their barrel program soon. Two of their most prominent beers are a DIPA and an English ale. For Bonney, though, what’s most important is delivering a Foundation experience.

“I hear it over and over again: ‘It tastes like a Foundation beer,” he said. “I think what that means is that you can really tell what the beer’s intention is. They tend to be drier, not too heavy. The commonality is in their drinkability, how the flavors are clean and bright and right where they should be.”

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WHERE TO GET IT: In their tasting room; on select taps and at select retailers statewide.

FOUNDATION BREWING COMPANY SIGNATURE BREW: The Epiphany DIPA (ABV: 8% IBUs: 85) features warm, bright aromas of fruit and pine; well-balanced and smooth despite the large amount of hops it displays.

32 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

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WHERE TO GET IT: Tasting room and retail sales at the brewery; on taps statewide; cans at select retailers.

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It may seem strange to see Allagash in an article about game-changers—after all, they’ve been brewing in Maine since 1995. Better to call them “forefathers,” you might think, than “game-changers.”

You might be wrong. Since their modest beginnings two decades ago, Allagash has continued to be an innovator. Founder Rob Tod started the brewery with one cloudy, spiced wheat beer (“At the time, very few people [around here] had tried something like it,” he said. “It was a struggle to explain it”). Now the company sports more than 30 unique Belgian-style brews.

“We foster a spirit of innovation here,” said Tod. “We have 115 employees, and every one of them works towards it.“ He means it literally. Allagash boasts an onsite lab available in part to Allagash employees: “If anyone in the company has an idea, they can work with the brewmaster and brew it on a 10-gallon system,” he said. “A lot of those beers have turned into full-scale production beers.”

Allagash’s innovative creations include the Coolship series, crafted using a traditional Belgian method utilizing a large shallow pan known as a “coolship.” A fermentation and aging period of one to three years follows in French oak wine barrels.

Then there’s Farm to Face, brewed as a pale ale with “a whole lot” of peaches from Applecrest Farm in New Hampshire.

“We’ve never followed trends,” said Tod when asked about craft brewing’s hops-forward obsession. “If we did, we wouldn’t have started the brewery with a Belgian-style wheat beer. I just want to give people a unique experience with beer, and that’s what’s always driven us.”

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Marshall Wharf has come a long way since their 2003 beginnings as a non2 0 07 smoking martini bar. Since moving into their waterfront facility in 2007, they’ve made a name for themselves around bold, well-balanced beers.

“No matter which beer we’re talking about, it’s all about balance,” said David Carlson, owner of Marshall Wharf and Three Tides in Belfast. “We’re known for building bigger beers, stronger beers. If we create a big enough malt backbone, we can build around that. We can hit it with a pretty big load of hops, or maybe oysters or seaweed.

Oysters and seaweed—no discussion of Marshall Wharf would be complete without mentioning their well-documented excursions into experimental brews. Sea Belt, a collaboration with Maine Fresh Sea Farms and the Sea Grant Institute of Maine, is a scotch ale brewed with dried Maine sugar kelp. Pemaquid Oyster Stout features 10 dozen live oysters involved in the brewing process. Others feature ingredients such as agave.

In any one year, Marshall Wharf brews over 40 different beers and cans 15 to 16 of them. The majority of them are showcased at Three Tides or the brewery store.

“In 2014 we stopped taking on new accounts,” said Carlson.

“We had to realize we’re a seven-barrel brewhouse. The important thing for us is to grow smart, maintain inventory for our tasting room customers, and grow our brand.”

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WHERE TO GET IT: Tasting room and retail sales at Allagash’s Portland headquarters; widely available at retailers and on taps statewide and beyond.

MARSHALL WHARF BREWING COMPANY SIGNATURE BREW: Cant Dog Imperial IPA (ABV: 10%), described as having a huge malt backbone matched with huge amounts of hops.

“We can’t can enough of it,” said Carlson.

ALLAGASH BREWING COMPANY SIGNATURE BREW: Allagash White (ABV: 5.1%), an interpretation of Belgian-style wheat beer, is spiced with a blend of coriander and Curaçao orange peel and brewed with unmalted raw wheat for a hazy “white” appearance.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 33

PHOTO: LINDA COAN O’KRESIK; (OPPOSITE) COURTESY OF ORONO BREWING COMPANY

Owners of Orono Brewing Company Abe Furth, Heather Furth, Mark Horton and Asa Marsh-Sachs.

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Peter Bissell, Bissell Brothers’ co-founder, chuckles a little when brewing vets suggest that people “might 2 0 13 PO not get” his company’s logo.

“That’s fine,” he said. “People that need to know what it is, know what it is. We’re not worried.”

Since opening their original space on Industrial Way, Bissell and his cofounder brother, Noah, have been cultivating a dedicated community around their beer and its hip, modern brand.

“I want people to feel really good about drinking our beer,” said Bissell.

“I want them to associate it with their own values, to be the dream brand for them. Part of that means not appealing to everyone—there’s a [defined] segment of the market, and we’re everything to them.”

Bissell Brothers focuses almost exclusively on hops-forward products featuring a distinct hazy appearance, which Bissell attributes to the specific type of yeast they use in the brewing process.

“I feel like we’re just touching the surface of the possibilities,” said Bissell. “For instance, today we canned our I-Lucky ginger IPA brewed with sorachi ace hops and lemon drop. It’s inspired by Japanese cuisine.”

Beer drinkers seem to be noticing. Demand for Bissell Brothers beer sometimes outstrips supply, and it’s not uncommon to find lines in their tasting room. Bissell says it’s not engineered scarcity.

“That would be bad business,” he said. “We make the beer because we want people to have it. It comes down to brewing capacity and hops availability. We’re never not making beer when we can. We’re always trying to make more.”

“We’re in a constant state of self-auditing,” he continued. “‘How can we do this better? How can we create a super-memorable experience?’”

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BISSELL BROTHERS SIGNATURE BREW: The Substance Ale (ABV: 6.6% OG: 1.060), Bissell’s flagship brew, is an American IPA featuring an array of hops with hints of citrus and pine and a light malt backbone.

(From left) Peter Bissell (Bissell Brothers), Abe Furth (OBC), Noah Bissell (Bissell Brothers), and Hester Bissell at OBC's brewing room.

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Ozone IPA (ABV: 6.3% IBUs: 79), an American IPA with a citrusy flavor and aroma and a dry finish. Winner of Best Brew Award at the 2015 Bangor Bangor Festival.

Founded 2014 | Orono

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For Abe Furth, OBC’s co-owner, the secret to great beer is no secret: “It’s all about the talent.”

The “talent” he refers to is Asa Marsh-Sachs, a brewO UN D E D 2 0 14 master Furth speaks of in reverent terms. In Furth’s eyes, without Marsh-Sachs, there’d be no OBC. “We always had the idea for [a business like OBC],” said Furth, who also co-owns Verve Burritos and Woodman’s Bar and Grill with his wife, Heather, and partner Mark Horton. “When we met Asa, we knew his product was incredible. After talking, we realized our goals were aligned.”

Marsh-Sachs displays an almost obsessive attention to quality and science. He meticulously tracks each detail to the letter because, as he explained, “We don’t do pilot batches, just big batches—I want to deliver the same product every time.”

OBC features two tasting rooms (in Orono and Bangor), each with regularly rotating taps. While favorites remain in mostly regular rotation (e.g. Ozone and Chlorophyll), more experimental brews like Mexican Blackbird Stout, featuring vanilla beans, coffee and an habanero pepper finish, are given fair space.

“Either a brewery does stuff, or it doesn’t,” said Marsh-Sachs. Added Furth: “We have a lot of fun, but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves—this is our lives.”

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WHERE TO GET IT: Tasting room at Thompson’s Point in Portland; in cans at their tasting room and limited locations statewide; on select taps statewide.

WHERE TO GET IT: Tasting rooms in Orono and Bangor; in cans at Bier Cellar in Portland; on select taps around New England. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 35

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GEAGHAN BROTHERS BREWING

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen Geaghan Bros. beers a lot more frequently of late. From your local convenience store to WalMart, Geaghan Bros. displays a distribution savvy that’s rare in a craft brewery from the region.

“We really started focusing on distribution in mid-2015,” said Andy Geaghan, Geaghan Bros.’ owner and head brewer (a title he shares with Ryan Powers). “We wanted to make our beer readily available to the area we love, and we wanted to do it at a great price point.”

Geaghan attributes the rapid proliferation to an appreciation of their market—long before the brewery existed, Geaghan’s grandfather opened the eponymously-named pub in 1975, still a popular destination today.

“When we first opened the brewery, we wanted to serve beer that we knew our restaurant customers would love,” said Geaghan. “We try to honor our roots. The core of what we do is traditional, old-school American style ales—we’re like a ‘neo-traditionalist’ brewery.”

Still, Geaghan says, they’ve brewed over 67 varieties over the past five years, mostly small batch stuff for “beer explorers.”

“We definitely experiment,” he said, “but we have that solid, core lineup. We have a beer for every beer drinker—we stay current, we do what we do, and we do it well.”

2 0 11

WHERE TO GET IT: At Geaghan’s Pub in Bangor, their tasting room in Brewer, on select taps and in retail locations statewide.

36 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

PHOTO: COURTESY OF GEAGHAN BROTHERS BREWING

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feature story

Andy, Pat, Larry and Peter Geaghan.

GEAGHAN BROTHERS BREWING SIGNATURE BREW: Smiling Irish Bastard (ABV: 6% IBUs: 45.6), an American-style pale ale featuring moderate maltiness and a grapefruit hop character that lingers on your palette.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 37

feature story

N BREW OR I H

EFOR D

G N

Founded 2013 | Biddeford

Founder Ian McConnell’s a native of Etna, but he gained a heap of experience elsewhere: for five E D 2 0 13 years, he was the brewer at Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, New York.

Fortunately for Maine beer lovers, he came back.

“The main thing I noticed [when I moved back] was the lack of well-made lagers, in particular pilsner styles,” said McConnell.

“I love all beers, but pilsners have a special place in my heart. I learned a lot about them traveling around Germany a couple times.

I felt like Maine’s lager game needed some improvement—it was something I could achieve.”

McConnell set out to combine the presence of spicy, earthy German hops with a beer that was eminently crisp and drinkable—one that went down really well, but still had a ton of flavor.

“I think [we’re] basically the perfect beer for any occasion,” said McConnell. “It goes with any food, it’s easy to drink, [it hovers around] 4-6% abv.”

Banded Horn doesn’t necessarily focus on one type of beer, however. “We try to experiment a lot. We do a spruce ale in the spring. We’re experimenting with sour ales and barrel aging. There are endless flavors and combinations you can seek out. We do a lot of different styles really well.”

WHERE TO GET IT: In their tasting room; on select taps and at select retailers statewide.

38 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

BANDED HORN BREWING COMPANY SIGNATURE BREW: Pepperell Pilsener (abv: 4.6%), an unfiltered German pilsener or keller pils. Dry, crisp and hoppy; malt is fresh and bready, and hops are sharp, noble and spicy, with a deep herbal touch.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BANDED HORN BREWING COMPANY

ND

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BANDED HORN BREWING COMPANY

BI

BANDED

Banded Horn Founder Ian McConnell.

feature story

Big Wheels

A unique student-based ridesharing program gains traction.

BY JOY HOLLOWELL

40 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TIP WHIP

Turning

Spencer Wood hits the road for Tip Whip.

L

ike many college

students, Spencer Wood wasn’t surprised when a friend called one night, too drunk to drive home.

“He was calling from a bar in downtown Orono,” said Wood.

“He had spent all of his money on drinks and he couldn’t afford a taxi home. He needed a ride.”

Wood, who was in his first year of graduate school at the University of Maine, agreed.

“When I dropped him off at his apartment, he gave me his last two dollars,” said Wood. “I thought to myself, ‘This was fun and easy, and I just made some cash from it.’”

That ride got the wheels rolling in Wood’s head. “It all just kind of clicked at the same time,” he said. “When I gave my buddy that ride and I saved him from potentially ruining the next 10-plus years of his life, it was a really good feeling. I just knew this was a good idea.”

In January of 2014, Wood started paying one of his friends to drive a red Astro van that he owned, “and it just kind of naturally became this vehicle that people called the ‘Tip Whip,’” he explained.

“The name stuck and I knew it would work.”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 41

Three years later, Tip Whip employs at least 65 student drivers at UMaine and has provided rides to more than 10,000 students since August. Unlike Uber or other commercial ride sharing programs, Tip Whip is exclusively for students at the Orono school. It doesn’t charge fares, instead relying entirely on tips.

To get a ride, students download the Tip Whip app to their mobile device and fill out a profile page.

They must prove they’re currently enrolled at the University of Maine, then provide a credit or debit card. “It’s cashless tipping,” explained Wood, “so our drivers aren’t carrying around a bunch of cash” Once that’s complete and they’re approved, the student enters their destination.

“We’ll tell you how much an Uber would cost you to get there, how much a taxi would cost you to get there, and then how much it would cost you if you decided to drink and drive,” said Wood. “So we have a nice little $10,000 sales pitch at the end of those three options.”

Students are asked to base their tip off of those representative fares. “They can put in zero dollars if they want, or they can put in $15,” said Wood.

The drivers are unaware of how much they’re receiving until the end of the ride. “We don’t want to create an environment where someone that doesn’t have the same financial advantages as someone else can’t get a ride because they can only give a couple of bucks,” Wood said, adding that riders have the option of upgrading their tip at the end of the ride.

They can also request a particular driver if they want.

Andy Moser heard about Tip Whip through some friends. “Every time I’ve 42 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

used it, I’ve been trying to get home from a friend’s house after a party or at the end of the night,” said the UMaine student.

He likes the idea of having students as the drivers. “Sometimes I’ll get someone that I know,” he said. “It’s also nice that

they’re around the same age as me, so I don’t have to [risk] an Uber with a driver who’s an old weird guy.”

All drivers have to be at least 21 and have a vehicle with four doors. “They also need to have a clean driving and criminal record,” said Tom Donohue, the

campus CEO for Tip Whip and a senior at UMaine majoring in marketing. “Most importantly, our drivers must pass a sexual assault prevention training class and be first aid certified.”

“A majority of our users are women, about 75%,” said Wood. “It’s comfortable, it’s familiar, it’s safe. We also have quite a few women drivers.”

Tip Whip hired 45 new drivers this past fall, enabling them to offer around-the-clock service.

“We’ve given rides down to the grocery stores, the [Bangor Mall], Wal-Mart,” said Wood.

Each driver keeps 80% of the tips they make. They’re covered by an insurance plan Wood provides. And their schedule is extremely flexible, simply logging on to the app whenever they’re available.

“They make a decent amount of money,” Donahue said. “Some are making upwards of $28 an hour.”

John Martin has been driving for Tip Whip since it first started up. “I was in the process of looking for a part-time job,” said the UMaine student.

“Every job wanted their employees to work 20 plus hours a week, something I couldn’t do being a full-time engineering student. Working for Tip Whip gives me the ability to work when I want, and make the money I need to get through the week.”

Martin typically works one to two nights a week.

“I’ll turn on my app around 8 p.m. and turn it off around 3:30 the next morning,“ he said. “There’s always someone that needs a ride between those times.

The busiest times of the year are Homecoming, Halloween and Maine Day. Halloween this year, I helped move 2,000 kids in a two-day span.”

Martin admits he’s been stiffed a time or two by riders. “But usually some kid

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TIP WHIP

feature story

(Top) Spencer Wood; (middle) Tip Whip customers; (this photo) students learn more about Tip Whip.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 43

feature story

Tip Whip employees celebrate in front of the University of Maine field house.

44 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

to California, Colorado, Florida, Wyoming and Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia. They all found out about us through social media and want to learn more.”

Now, Wood is in the process of starting up the riding sharing program at Husson University in Bangor.

Husson portion of Tip Whip. They hope to begin offering rides in the spring. “It’s not just targeting those who’ve had too much to drink,” he said. “It’s for anyone that needs a ride somewhere.”

Wood is also working with area business to sponsor rides. “When kids request

Word about Tip Whip is now spreading.

“We’ve received emails from almost 40 different universities,” said Wood.

“Since I’m a residential adviser, I share the same mission of making sure everyone makes it home safe,” said David Vales, an international student from Spain studying business at Husson.

Vales heard Wood speaking about Tip Whip in one of his classes.

“A light bulb went off in my head,” Vales said, “I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is a really good idea.’ I talked to Spencer after class, we shared emails, and it’s been fast forward ever since.”

Vales is now hiring drivers for the

a ride in real time, they might get a pop up notification that a particular business is paying for their ride for the night,” he said.

And most recently, Tip Whip began offering food delivery from Orono-area restaurants.

All this from a 26-year-old who recently graduated with a master’s degree in human development. “Why not us? We’re all smart, working people. We all have good ideas and it’s a need,” said Wood. “Maybe it doesn’t make a million dollars overnight, but we have a good chance.”

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TIP WHIP

throughout the night gives you a great tip and makes up for the loss,” he said. “The largest tip I’ve ever received was around 40 dollars. Nine times out of 10, if you do a good job and provide a safe, comfortable ride, you’ll get the tip that you deserve.”

Wood remembers the time he got a call from a student that needed a ride to the doctor. “She was going to get an ultrasound,” he said. “She was spending upwards of $60 to $70 a trip trying to go down and back. She gave me $30. It was really cool to experience that. And she saved $40 bucks.”

Damian Cummings drove for Uber before signing on with Tip Whip. “I usually only work on Thursdays and sometimes Fridays, but usually the bar nights are really popular times to drive,” said the senior at UMaine. “People are usually generous but it has a lot to do with customer service. The more that certain riders like you, the more they’ll tip or will request you as a specific driver.”

Word about Tip Whip is now spreading.

“We’ve received emails from almost 40 different universities,” said Wood. “All the way

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 45

winterport then & now

(Above) Main Street today. (Right) The village in 1912 and (below) in 1938.

46 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

Old River Town

With a historic downtown, great restaurants and fun shops, Winterport is worth a visit.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY RICHARD SHAW HISTORIC PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANN AND RAY RONCO, THE WINTERPORT HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, AND THE RICHARD SHAW POSTCARD COLLECTION

W

ith seven

miles of shoreline and a historic downtown seemingly lifted from a Norman Rockwell painting, Winterport lives up to its nickname, “An Old River Town.”

Not a lot changes in the Waldo County community (population around 3,800), which hugs the Penobscot between Hampden, Frankfort and Monroe. But there is plenty to do here in January, such as dining, wine tasting, antiquing, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the town was Bangor’s winter port, the last river salty spot before

the channel froze. Enterprising truckers who left town before dawn with lumber and flour delivered by ship could make a second run to Bangor markets before noon, if the roads were dry and their horses didn’t tire.

The town’s seafaring days are in the past, according to maritime historian Jon B. Johansen, who has lived in Winterport since 1997. He publishes the Maine Coastal News and is president of the town’s Historical Association, which maintains a Main Street museum where pictures and journals chronicle ship building’s heyday when local church steeples, mercantile blocks and fine homes ended up on the world map. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 47

winterport then & now

(Top) Home along Dean Street. (Above) A ticket for the Winterport Ferry and ice boats on the Penobscot. (This photo) An old view of Winterport from the river.

48 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

“I think that all ended in the 1930s, when the Boston boats and Bucksport ferry stopped service,” Johansen said.

“We still have three boat yards, but the cargo port pulled out years ago. The port at Mack Point in Searsport is busy, since it is located more conveniently to the ocean.”

Today’s Winterport is a safe bedroom community at the junction of Routes 1A, 69 and 139. The Leroy H. Smith School and Samuel L. Wagner Middle School offer education up to grade 8. Weddings, concerts and a Christmas Nativity are held each year at the landmark 1833 Union Meeting House. Seasonally, two golf courses and Winterport Dragway draw crowds, and Ellingwood’s Corner United Methodist Church hosts bean suppers.

Winterport Open Stage produces top-notch plays, and every August, the Winterport Music Festival stages performances at Abbott Park.

The Old Winterport Commercial House circa 1915 (above), in 1940 (this photo), and today (below).

Originally settled in 1766, it had been part of Frankfort, but parted ways when the communities differed over bridge maintenance costs.

Residents occasionally clash at town meetings, but even a spat over where to relocate the new town office and fire station—many wanted it downtown, others in “Back Winterport”—was settled with the decision to build on Main Street. A proposed Dollar General store near the historic district also divided the town, but not irreparably.

“A lot of businesses feed off everybody else,” said Ann Ronco, who, with her husband, Ray, owns Old Winterport Commercial House, built in 1833 as an inn and stage coach stop. “We have an antique shop, and upstairs is the area’s only bed and breakfast. Across the street are the Winterport House of Pizza, Amigos Taqueria and Tea Maineia. Down the road is The Bacon Tree restaurant, Winterport Winery and Penobscot Bay Brewery.” www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 49

winterport then & now The Winterport Memorial Library now and then. (Bottom) A look back at the Winterport school.

50 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

Separation papers were signed in the Roncos’ building in 1860, setting Winterport off as its own town. Originally settled in 1766, it had been part of Frankfort, but parted ways when the communities differed over bridge maintenance costs. In addition to shipbuilding, crews manufactured vests, milled lumber and raised crops.

Along with Winterport Historical Association’s monthly meetings, Winterport Memorial Library welcomes historians. Theodora Weston’s “More River Town History,” published in 2011, is a good place to start exploring, along with Ada Douglas Littlefield’s classic 1907 history, “An Old River Town.” Revolutionary War, Civil War and World War II stories are also told there, and names like El Haj’s Market and respected firefighter Stan Bowden are never far away. Be sure to explore The Town Crier, a paper published by the Roncos and crammed with local news, history and advertising.

Winterport in January beckons visitors who photograph Main Street’s landmarks, along with Bald Hill Cove and the Marsh Bay panorama, including Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, best viewed behind On the Run store.

With a little imagination, you might spot your great-grandparents’ Boston Boat steaming toward the dock.

Town Stats First Incorporated: March 12, 1860 Motto: An Old River Town Population: 3,793 (2014 estimate) Elevation: 220 feet Area: Total, 37.05 square miles Notable people: Samuel L. Wagner, M.D., physician; Sam Butler, former fire chief; Michael Thibodeau, state senator; Joseph Brooks, former state legislator, journalist; Theodora Weston, author, archivist; Edward M. Holmes, professor, author; Mike Bordick, baseball shortstop; James Otis Kaler, author of children’s literature; Ada Douglas Littlefield, author, historian; Ethel Baker, teacher; Albert E. Fernald, Civil War Medal of Honor winner; William G. Fournier, World War II Medal of Honor winner; Robin M. Reynolds, Winterport Dragway racer Landmarks: Union Meeting House, former Methodist Church, Old Winterport Commercial House, Marsh Stream railroad trestle, Winterport Dragway, Winterport Memorial Library, Oak Hill Cemetery, Civil War monument, old Post Office and Custom House, Ellingwood’s Corner United Methodist Church, old high school, Leroy H. Smith School

The A.A. Lesan clothing store circa

1877.

Wharff’s business block circa 1912.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 51

food & drink

In Season Now:

CARROTS Carrots are best stored in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator.

Easy Glazed Skillet Carrots Serves 4 1 tsp olive oil 1 lb carrots, peeled if desired Salt and pepper, to taste 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp unsalted butter 1 tsp seedless raspberry preserves, or jelly of your choice In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat the olive oil.

Cut the carrots into ¼-inch thick sticks (about 2-3 inches long). Add the carrots to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until the carrots soften and begin to brown Add the garlic to the pan. Stir well and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the butter and raspberry preserves to the pan. Stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the carrots are coated.

There shouldn’t be any liquid in the pan.

Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.

Enjoy.

52 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

STORY & PHOTOS BY SARAH WALKER CARON

“C

arrots! Carrots!”

Gilbert Blythe’s taunt of Anne Shirley in L.M. Montgomery's “Anne of Green Gables” as he pulled on her red braids is among the most memorable mentions of carrots in literature. But contrary to Gilbert’s assertion, actual carrots—the healthy vegetable grown throughout Maine and elsewhere, too—aren’t just the orange root we’ve become accustomed to.

Carrots come in a rainbow of colors—in fact, yellow, white, red, purple and other varieties have enjoyed spouts of popularity throughout the years.

In summertime, you can often find several different shades of carrots at farmers markets in Orono and Bangor. And don’t worry, they taste as great as you remember.

When it comes to farmers markets in January, carrots are also among the storage vegetables commonly available. Sold alongside winter squash, onions, garlic, potatoes and more, there’s so much fresh produce to be had even when the temperatures dip and snow covers the landscape. Some farms, like North Branch Farm in Monroe, even specialize in those crops.

Carrots are a member of the parsley family, and are rich in vitamin A, a nutrient necessary for many bodily functions including immune function and vision, according to “The New Food Lover’s Companion,” a venerable dictionary of all things edible. An edible root, the greens are delicious in salads and stir-fries—though you are less likely to find them still attached in winter (since for proper storage they are usually removed).

Fresh carrots—ones from local farms—don’t need to be peeled (though if the carrot appears dry on the outside, it’s a good idea to do so).

SARAH WALKER CARON is a Bangor-based food writer and a senior editor for the Bangor Daily News. Her weekly food column, Maine Course, appears in the BDN every Wednesday and she is also author of Sarah’s Cucina Bella food blog (www. sarahscucinabella.com) and a cookbook: “Grains as Mains: Modern Recipes Using Ancient Grains.”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 53

food & drink

Fresh Food

Destination New crop of Maine restaurants bring “Farm to Table” to a new level.

Sponsored by

qualeygranite.com

54 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

ou may have

heard of the “farm-to-table” movement.

The idea is simple: restaurants maximize their fresh, healthy offerings by partnering with local farms to source ingredients directly. The goal, in essence, is to shorten the steps between grower and diner.

Now, to reduce those steps even more, some eateries in Maine are becoming farm and restaurant all in one.

“We’ve been doing this for 17 years,” said Melissa Kelly, chef at Primo in Rockland. “We do it for health reasons, for environmental reasons, and [a desire] to take care of the planet by being more sustainable.”

Kelly’s Mediterranean-based menu is the ultimate farm to table experience, what she calls “a full circle kitchen” using produce, meat and other products from Primo’s two greenhouses and gardens.

“Farm to table is not a trend or a fad or a concept,” Kelly said.

“It is a lifestyle and the way I grew up.”

Operating a successful restaurant in Maine—in addition to restaurants in Orlando and Tuscon—on top of running a working farm can be a challenge, Kelly said.

“It’s a lot more labor and requires a lot of planning,” she said.

“Mother Nature can add more curve balls into the mix, especially in Maine where weather can be inconsistent.”

Kelly starts selecting her seeds in December for the following year’s season—Primo closes down January to May—and her menu grows and changes with what’s coming up on the farm.

“Our menu really tells the story of what we do,” she said. “In the spring we have the tender greens and shoots, and by fall we are using the more frost-hardy crops.”

At North Creek Farms in Phippsburg, open for lunch and Sunday brunch year round, Suzy Verrier is using organically grown produce and eggs from her saltwater farm to create a line of sweet and savory pies.

“My husband is the baker and he does the sweets and makes the pie pastry [and] I do the savory fillings,” Verrier said. “People come in and can have a choice of so many things from traditional fruit pies to Thai green curry chicken pie with fabulous organic meat.”

A lot of Verrier’s customers are in her area to hike or walk on the beach and she said they like coming in for food that is grown and prepared onsite.

“We make ‘pocket pies’ that they can eat here to take with them to eat on the go,” she said.

PHOTO: WINDUJEDI/THINKSTOCK; (OPPOSITE) BDN FILE

Y

BY JULIA BAYLY

Verrier’s homemade deep dish chicken pot pies are also very popular. For a $5 deposit, customers can take them away in a heavy duty glass pie dish.

“People can take these pies home, put them on the table and tell their guests they made it themselves,” Verrier said with a laugh. “If they can get away with it, I am cool with it.”

Like Kelly, Verrier said dividing her time between farm and cafe is like having two full time jobs in one, but she would not have it any other way.

“When it comes down to it, the whole farm to table idea is just great,” she said. “We don’t have to drive anywhere for what we need, we have a beautiful place here and people adore coming and visiting it.”

According to Steve Hewins, president of the Maine Restaurant Association, the tradition of farm to table in Maine goes back more than a century. Growing and preparing food from a farm runs deep in the state’s culinary heritage.

“Maine has been a leader in that movement for generations,”

Melissa Kelly, chef at Primo, in her greenhouse.

like getting educated on how their food is grown or raised and I believe that desire will remain strong and even continue to grow.”

To keep farm to table alive, farming chefs like Kelly are working with the next generation.

“I am teaching a lot of cooks in –Steve Hewins their twenties how to use what we grow,” she said. “I see it as a way to Hewins said. “We were marketing Maine as a fresh food destiprotect the longevity of this planet.” nation as far back as the 1860s when people came up from BosFor her part, Verrier hopes to pass along her own farming ton and New York City and part of the draw was eating dairy knowledge, and maybe some land to go with it. products and foods fresh from the farms [so] this is nothing “As we get older—even though we don’t feel old—we are looknew for us.” ing to rent out the farming property and would love to see some Diners in Maine today are just as motivated to look for that kids come in to take it on,” she said. “For a young couple to conkind of experience, Hewins said. tinue what we are doing would be great for them and phenom“People care where their food comes from,” he said. “They enal for the earth [and] something I would love to see.”

“People care where their food comes from.

They like getting educated on how their food is grown or raised and I believe that desire will remain strong and even continue to grow.”

BUCKSPORT

BANGOR

BREWER

Your listing could be on this page Attract more customers.

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

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arts & music

B Band of BROTHERS Bangor favorite Rotating Taps talks about their new album and how they got this far.

BY EMILY BURNHAM

“The best thing is when someone says, ‘Who wrote that song?’ and we say, ‘We did.’ That’s the best feeling. When they really respond to something you wrote, that feels amazing.”

–Sam Chase 56 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

the Bangor-based Rotating Taps has written, recorded or played live, there’s something stronger and more important than anything else: the friendship between drummer/vocalist Sam Chase, keyboardist/vocalist Yuri Trusty, guitarist Mike Wellington and bassist Jared Botting.

“I think that’s really what keeps us going, and makes this all worthwhile,” said Botting.

“I think the fact that we’re all pretty close and really good friends is why we are who we are. That’s why it’s fun. That’s why we went to Iceland together.”

Before planning a huge group trip to Iceland last summer, before two full-length albums and one EP, including 2016’s “Static,” before girlfriends and jobs and major life events, the four musicians were simply childhood friends and budding musicians.

“I remember just picking up a guitar and just figuring out how to play,” said Chase. “I remember just picking out super basic riffs and kind of teaching myself.”

Chase and Trusty in particular were very close, and by the time they entered Bangor High School, the pair were in a musical

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROTATING TAPS

ehind every song

duo called Sam and Yuri. That duo was together for nearly five years, releasing two albums of folk-tinged acoustic pop and collaborating with future bandmates Wellington and Botting.

By 2011, however, all four musicians had grown tired of the poppier edge their songs were taking—and of the spotlight being shone directly on Chase and Trusty.

“We didn’t want it to be just about us,” said Trusty. “We wanted to change and have a name that reflected who we really are.”

Chase had recently started working at Nocturnem Drafthaus, the popular downtown Bangor craft beer bar known for its rotating selection of beers on tap. The rest of the band found themselves hanging out there quite a bit as well. When they were finally ready to retire the name Sam & Yuri and go in a different direction, the name they chose reflected the place they were all gathering: Rotating Taps.

“Nocturnem is really where Rotating Taps was born,” said Chase. “And that’s where we all still hang out quite a bit.”

With a more expansive, driving sound, and with Chase on drums rather

than guitar, Rotating Taps is, as all four bandmates agree, a totally collaborative effort. Trusty might bring a melody or a handful of lyrics to rehearsal one night, and the rest of the band will start to build upon that thread. Chase might find himself whistling a hook to himself during a break at work, and a few months later have the beginning of a song.

British band Coldplay is a major influence on Rotating Taps’ sound, though the syncopated rhythms of Paul Simon’s solo work are also an inspiration—and more recently, the heartfelt classic rock songwriting of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen have been influencing the band’s songs as well.

For “Static,” the band’s third release overall (following 2012’s “Basement Window” and 2014’s “Take Your Time”), Rotating Taps worked with Cody Allard—a former bandmate in the Sam and Yuri days—to record the album, initially at the New England School of Communications, and then at Allard’s home studio.

It’s their first full-length album, and it’s as breezy and melodic as their other two

releases, packed with two- and three-part harmonies, shimmering acoustic guitars and gentle yet danceable rhythms.

“We’re really proud of it. We recorded the other albums totally live, but we tracked this album and took our time with it,” said Chase.

Though Rotating Taps was, for a time, playing bars and venues nearly every weekend in eastern Maine, since the fall the band has started to choose its live shows a little more carefully. It’s easy to get burned out playing two- and threehour sets multiple times a month—as well as playing more covers than originals.

“If you play the bar scene, you have to play covers. That’s just the way it goes,” said Chase. “But we usually can get some originals into our sets, and the best thing is when someone says, ‘Who wrote that song?’ and we say, ‘We did.’ That’s the best feeling. When they really respond to something you wrote, that feels amazing.”

“Static,” as well as the other two Rotating Taps albums, is available for streaming on Spotify and purchase via Amazon. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 57

per spectives

SEAN PORTER

58 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

“I

’ve been a

photographer for a long time now. I started off very organic, untouched, natural and raw. I wouldn’t edit any of my photographs; I felt it destroyed the beauty of things. I’ve also gone through periods of over-editing, and think I’ve since found balance.

Photography is about the journey. The process of going out, walking around, finding amazing views, and capturing them for a lifetime elicits a natural high. You become one with your surroundings.

I like to stay up close and personal with my subjects and make a connection.

When I shoot people, I tend to get candids in their natural surroundings. I like to capture people at their best, when they’re just being themselves. With cityscapes I look for a variety of objects, making it easy to imagine yourself there. In landscapes, I just get lost in the beauty of nature. I love how imperfect the world is and I try to showcase that. Imperfections are what make everything and everyone stand out.”

–Sean Porter www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 59

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DINNER

Sun

SHOPPING LIST

M P lan Ahead Meals

Weekly meal plans may save money.

BY METRO NEWS SERVICE

60 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

provide a clever way to save money on food. Knowing the meals that will be made and which ingredients need to be purchased for these recipes eliminates floundering and impulse purchases at the supermarket.

Knowing exactly what to buy and when can also eliminate food waste and spoilage. According to research from the University of Pennsylvania, people who can avoid impulse spending can save up to 23 percent on their grocery bills.

Planning meals in advance can also provide a host of health benefits. When meals are planned in advance, shoppers have more control over the ingredients they choose and can tailor them to specific dietary needs or healthy eating plans.

Fortunately, time-pressed individuals have a number of resources at their disposal to help them plan and shop for meals. A quick online search for weekly meal plans will yield many results, including recipes and complementary shopping lists. People also can download apps that help with meal planning to their smartphones. Such apps include Yummly, Pepperplate and MealBoard, among others.

Another way for individuals to plan meals more effectively is to take a few moments on the weekend to think about which meals to make during the week ahead. Compare the necessary ingredients against those you may already have in your pantry. The rest can be purchased and saved for subsequent meals. Buying a week’s worth of groceries in one shopping trip is more efficient and can help to conserve fuel.

When planning meals, try to use the most perishable items

PHOTOS: (BAGS) GRESEI/THINKSTOCK; (TOP) METRO CREATIVE

eal plans

first. For example, prepare to use seafood, some dairy items and fresh vegetables early in the week, and more durable foods, such as frozen, boxed or canned goods, later in the week.

When buying foods at the store, buy proteins in bulk and subdivide them into smaller packages to save money. Properly repackage foods so they will not spoil or become freezer burned, leading to waste. Other budget-conscious shopping tips include trying store brands, building meal plans around items that are on sale that week and making use of coupons or coupon apps.

Post a weekly meal plan on or near the refrigerator so items can be thawed and ingredients prepared as needed.

Building meals around slow cooker recipes also can help those who like to prep foods in the morning and then come home to completely cooked meals. On busy nights, arrange for fast meals, such as sandwiches or one-pot creations.

By planning meals in advance, home cooks never have to stand in front of the pantry wondering what to make.

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metro

family

The Elusive Trying to make holiday dreams come true... while being chased by a maniacal mailman.

BY ASHLEY THORNTON

62 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

M

y husband,

in all his childhood glory, loves to share the movies that he grew up on with our kids.

Often they are a little inappropriate or boring for the kids, but he certainly enjoys the trip down memory lane. Many times, I find him watching the movies alone, after the kids have abandoned him out of boredom. Typically this happens because they lack the cinematography of today’s high budget films, but occasionally he’ll find one that they enjoy. Much to my chagrin, one of these movies is “Jingle All the Way,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The general plot is this: Arnold’s character is a busy father that often misses his son’s events. For Christmas, his son

has asked for the coveted “Turbo man” toy, which is all the rage that year. Stores are sold out, and the closer to Christmas it gets, the harder Turbo Man is to acquire. Arnold’s character has put off the purchase until Christmas Eve. While he is supposed to be spending quality time with his family, he is out battling crowds to find the elusive toy. In the meantime, his efforts are continually thwarted by a disgruntled mailman that is also searching for the toy. I won’t spoil the movie, but an action-packed, slightly inappropriate adventure ensues.

This movie happens to be one of the ones that my son loves. It’s one of the most-requested movies during television time, and it’s been viewed more than enough times in my house.

PHOTO: MORGAN DAVID DE LOSSY/THINKSTOCK

Gift

I’ve been probing my children for Christmas gift ideas, and what do you know, at the VERY top of my son’s list is Turbo Man! He’s been adamant, despite my attempts to distract him with other superheroes, that Turbo Man is the toy of his dreams. So here I am, living out a Christmas movie, trying to find this very rare toy.

I assumed that they wouldn’t have it in toy stores. Not only was it just a movie prop, but the movie was produced 20 years ago. I started looking in the place where all things are available, the internet. To my surprise, it instantly popped up on Amazon. Oh, Amazon, how I love you. I clicked away and found myself staring at the “Deluxe Talking Turbo Man” with electronic lights and sounds and three action accessories. I was amazed at how easily I found the elusive toy. Arnold would have been proud.

I looked over to the buying options... and there was my problem. $344 for an expired movie prop in “acceptable” condition. I scrolled through the list and found several options, none of which

were under $100. To be clear, we are not looking for a collectible toy that will stay in its original packaging waiting to become an antique. My son wants nothing more than to rip it out of the package and play with this toy until it is worn out (presumably in a week’s time).

cheapest that I had found. Ebay had one for $70; however, once I investigated a little further I realized that the $70 Turbo Man was missing a left leg.

For the time being, it looks like it’ll be a Turbo Man-less Christmas. Touché, Arnold. Perhaps I would have had an easier

He’s been adamant, despite my attempts to distract him with other superheroes, that Turbo Man is the toy of his dreams.

So here I am, living out a Christmas movie, trying to find this very rare toy.

I scoured the internet for cheaper options—maybe I could buy a Flash superhero and paint it to look like Turbo Man? That seemed like a good option until he dropped the fact that he couldn’t wait to use the shield and boomerang. So I buckled down and extended my internet search. I finally found one that was the

time finding an affordable Turbo Man around your city while being chased by a maniacal mailman.

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

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 63

maine

woods & waters

Feeding Your

Feathered Friends

“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

- Steven Wright

Tips for feeding and catering to the birds.

BY BOB DUCHESNE

Maybe so, but you can never have enough bird feeders. Bird feeding has grown to be one of the most popular pastimes in America, and not just among people. It’s popular among birds, too. So many people feed our feathered friends that it’s making an actual difference in bird populations. We’re seeing more cardinals and titmice, as they extend their ranges northward. We’re seeing some birds lingering longer in winter.

There are probably some birds in your backyard right this minute, impatiently tapping their tiny feet, waiting for you to put out your first feeder. When that day comes, start with a sunflower seed feeder. Black oil sunflower seeds are best. Even

woodpeckers eat them. Striped sunflower seeds are also available, and these are relished by larger birds, like cardinals, blue jays and grosbeaks. But the bigger birds also eat the smaller seeds, whereas the smaller birds may struggle with bigger seeds.

Black-oil sunflower seeds have a higher meat-to-seed ratio, so it usually proves a more nutritious choice for all birds.

Some seed blends work well, but many mixes don’t. Mixes are designed to attract a wide variety of birds, but not necessarily Maine’s wide variety. We have chickadees, nuthatches, finches, cardinals, and grosbeaks. Commercial mixes that attract birds of the southern and western United States are wasted in the northeast. Maine birds will pick the sunflower seeds out of the mix, and drop the unwanted remainder to the ground. Many mixes contain red or yellow millet, which is mostly filler. It is ignored by our local birds.

64 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

PHOTOS: (LEFT) BOB DUCHESNE; (CARDINAL) BIEGLES56/THINKSTOCK

There are probably some birds in your backyard right this minute, impatiently tapping their tiny feet, waiting for you to put out your first feeder.

Other mixes contain shelled and cracked corn. Cardinals and grosbeaks will eat it. Most of it will fall on the ground, perhaps attracting pigeons, doves, jays, and house sparrows, but not the birds that most homeowners desire.

With a little experimentation, it is possible to find an ideal mix. Personally, I stick to sunflower seeds.

Choosing the right bird feeders is a challenge, because every back yard is different. Many homeowners want to discourage battle squirrels. Feeders with cages, baffles, spinners, and weight-activated closures work, though squirrels are patient. They have all day to figure out how to beat these defenses.

Platform feeders are most attractive to cardinals and sparrows. They don’t like feeders that swing in the breeze. But platform feeders are also attractive to squirrels. If there are no resident cardinals nearby, platform feeders make less sense.

Consider thistle feeders. Only a desperately hungry squirrel will attack them, so they generally don’t require squirrel-proofing. The actual seed product is called Nyjer. It resembles

North American thistle, but is not related. It comes from Asia and Africa. Nyjer is favored by American goldfinches, pine siskins, and common redpolls.

Since these flocks wander, and often arrive in big numbers, it’s good to have multiple feeders to handle the swarm.

Small finches may hang around the treetops for days and weeks near thistle feeders, brightening cold winter days with friendly chatter.

Next, add a suet feeder. They come in a variety of styles. A simple cage is good for holding raw fat, often available at the supermarket meat counter. These work well, until the local squirrels develop a taste for suet. More elaborate feeders can be stuffed with commercial suet plugs.

These processed suet logs are less desirable to squirrels, and hold up in summer heat. Often, these plugs contain additives like peanut butter, berries and nuts. While cute, such embellishments are mostly for marketing purposes. The birds want the fat. Woodpeckers are the primary suet consumers, but chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, and blue jays will all take a nibble.

Winter’s a bad time to talk about hummingbird feeders. Our hummers are all in Central America right now. But find a summer spot for feeders. It’s almost impossible to make a mistake with them. They’re simple, attractive, work for all hummingbirds, and you can’t have too many. Aggressive hummingbirds will take over and defend individual feeders, but multiple feeders scattered around the yard attract multiple hummers. Once the kids leave the nest, it becomes impossible for an individual hummingbird to defend a feeder, so they tend to swarm later in summer.

If you travel in winter, don’t worry about stranding your birds with no food.

They’re smarter than that, and there’s natural food nearby. You can slowly taper off your feeding as the departure date approaches. That gives them a chance to adjust. Otherwise, enjoy them whenever you can.

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 / 65

outdoors

Travel A

for the Rest of Us

few years

Bangor filmmaker travels the world “dirt cheap.”

PHOTOS: (FAR LEFT) ASHLEY L. CONTI; (OTHERS) COURTESY OF CHAS BRUNS

BY ABIGAIL CURTIS

ago, Chas Bruns was sitting on the couch of his cozy Second Street home, watching on TV as world-famous chef Anthony Bourdain bragged about getting upgraded to a $10,000-per-night presidential suite while on his travels.

Something about that irked Bruns, a 34-year-old filmmaker who also loves to travel the world.

“I thought that was so stupid. I could never stay there,” he recalled telling his roommates. “Somebody should be doing the same show [Bourdain] does, but so everybody can afford it.”

Turns out, that somebody was him. That moment was the catalyst for Bruns’ series “Dirt Cheap,” which began on the South Pacific island nation of Fiji for the 2014 pilot episode, and has continued with episodes set in Thailand and Bar Harbor. The friendly, talkative Bruns acts as both filmmaker and on-camera personality as he leads viewers in search of the cheapest tours, food, hotels, transportation and even the occasional adrenaline-fueled sky-diving or shark-diving adventure. And the enthusiasm he shows in the shows is genuine.

“I’m happiest when I travel,” Bruns said. “I love the newness of it. The friendships you make and experiences you have. You don’t know from day-to-day who you’ll meet, or where you’ll go.”

The Bangor native is no stranger to film, television and entertainment. He helped found the KahBang Music and Arts Festival in Bangor in 2009 and has worked on the city’s Waterfront Concerts series. He also spent several years in Los Angeles, helping produce programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The

66 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

Ellen DeGeneres Show. Later, he moved to New York City to try his hand at acting, working as an extra on “anything that was shot in New York,” he said.

This life had fun moments, but it wasn’t always easy.

“There was nothing that gave me a break,” Bruns said. “Unless you get a leg up, it’s a never-ending rat race.”

So Bruns decided to come back home. He found work in Bangor and bought a house out of foreclosure as an investment property. But the travel bug still had him in its clutches, and when he was “practically dared” to buy a ticket to Fiji by friends who had heard him talking about it for ages, it wasn’t a hard sell.

He and a travel companion went there for a month in the winter of 2013, figuring out how to make a travel show as they went.

“We Googled stuff. Cheapest this, cheapest that,” Bruns said.

“I’ve always kind of winged it. That works better for me.”

They hung out on the beaches, dined at local eateries, met locals and tourists, hiked in the jungle and swam in a waterfall.

After coming home, Bruns started the long process of editing the 45-minute episode.

“I brought it to a producer I know,” he said, adding that the producer wasn’t totally sold on him as the host, calling him a “goofy, generic frat guy.” She urged him to find a different host—maybe a 22-year-old blonde woman.

He got discouraged for a bit, but not forever. Bruns decided he liked his own style and figured that other people might, too.

“I’d like to be a little more real and raw,” he said. “I’m sick of fake, cheesy hosts.”

So far, so good, with the Fiji adventure racking up more than 138,000 hits on YouTube. The Thailand episode—which features a trip to a pirate hideout and the consumption of lots of cheap, tasty street food such as sticky mango rice and chicken skewers, has had more than 180,000 hits. Bar Harbor, where he ate lobster ice cream at Ben & Bill’s, hiked, swam at Sand Beach and practiced his lumberjack skills at Timber Tina’s Great Maine Lumberjack Show in Trenton, has about 3,000 views so far.

“Dirt Cheap” hasn’t made him rich yet. In fact, he figures that he’s spent close to $40,000 on his three trips and only has made $250 on Google advertisements so far. But Bruns is undeterred, dreaming of future trips to such exotic destinations as Belize, the Dominican Republic, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia. Although he originally had hoped the series might get picked up by a corporate entity such as the Travel Channel, now he kind of prefers being his own boss. People can make a living from YouTube these days, he pointed out.

“I’ll never be a millionaire,” he said. “But from now on, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 67

trans itions

Coffee, Conversation and

COMMUNITY

BY JANE MARGESSON

Sponsored by

Serving Hancock & Penobscot counties

Bangor office: 990.1995 Ellsworth office: 667.1900 lovingtouchinhomecare.com

68 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

A

s our readers

know, Bangor is one of Maine’s cities to have joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities and already there are many exciting initiatives under discussion.

With a desire to make both the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods more livable for people of all ages, town planners and community leaders have conducted focus groups and are working on ideas to address issues such as transportation and walkability projects.

Bringing together local residents and community leaders is just one way to advance these and other initiatives.

The key is to hear ideas from the people who need and want improved services and resources.

AARP Maine relies on hearing from members and their families to help develop advocacy and community outreach agendas. The input and guidance they receive is invaluable and serves a pivotal role in work planning. That’s why AARP hopes that residents from Bangor

and the surrounding communities will join us at its monthly On-Tap and Coffee Klatch events. These informal get-togethers with AARP members and their families enable staff, volunteers and the community to come together, enjoy conversation and learn about what is on the minds of local residents.

On-Tap and Coffee Klatch events include: • On the second Thursday of each month, a get-together from 4-7 p.m. at Geaghan’s Brothers Brewery tasting room on Abbott Street in Brewer.

The first beer or glass of wine is on AARP, and friends are welcome.

• On the second Friday of the month from 8-10 a.m., a gathering in Bagel Central’s Community Meeting Room at 29 Central Street in Bangor. First coffee and a bagel is courtesy AARP, and friends are welcome.

These events offer the opportunities for local residents to meet and greet

PHOTO: SHIRONOSOV/THINKSTOCK

Join AARP for an informal get-together.

Avalon Village

The natural choice in retirement living

Offering a maintenance free and active lifestyle in our cottages and our rental suites Hampden | 862-5100 | avalonvillage.com |

other AARP members and share what’s on their minds. From time to time, the events have special guests such as state and federal legislators, community leaders and town officials.

One issue affecting many Maine families is caregiving. 178,000 Mainers care for a parent, spouse or other loved one to help them live safely and independently at home. Approximately 116,000 of them are women. Caregiving can be stressful and exhausting, and it can take a toll on family and career. In 2017, AARP Maine staff and volunteers will be advocating for two laws: Paid Caregiver Leave and a Maine Caregiving Tax Credit.

Caregiving is just one of the issues to be discussed us at the On-Tap events. For more information about these and other events in Bangor, please contact Jay Els at (207) 776-6303 or me@aarp.org, or visit aarp.org/me for more details about AARP’s work in Bangor and around the state.

JANE MARGESSON is the AARP Maine communications director. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 69

metro home

Add an ice bar for the ultimate outdoor party

Don’t forget seating that can handle the elements

Cold Weather

Entertaining

BY METRO NEWS SERVICE

70 / BANGOR METRO January 2017

O

utdoor entertaining

has never been more popular. As more and more homeowners turn their homes into their own personal oases, extending the party outdoors has become a bigger priority.

According to the American Home Furnishings Alliance’s 2015 Outdoor Furniture Trend Report, out-of-doors areas on a property are the favored venues for celebrations with family and friends. While outdoor entertaining was once relegated to the warm weather seasons, advancements in technology have now made it more comfortable and enjoyable to entertain outdoors for much of the year.

But hosts who want to extend the outdoor party after summer has come and gone should consider a few important entertaining tips.

• Start the party early. Summertime backyard barbecues and pool parties benefit from late-evening sunsets that illuminate patios and pool areas well into the evening. In addition, many hosts prefer to start such parties later in the day to avoid the sun during the early afternoon when it is at its most blazing. However, start the party earlier in the day when hosting in fall or early winter. Temperatures can drop considerably once the sun begins to set, so starting early can save hosts and their guests from cold air.

• Heat things up. Summertime hosts might employ canopies to protect themselves and their guests from the heat, and it’s important for hosts to take similar steps when the weather is chillier. The AHFA report found that 38 percent of homeowners intended to purchase fire pits for their outdoor entertaining areas, and such fire pits can keep guests warm as the sun goes down and the night

PHOTO: ALBERTPEGO/THINKSTOCK

Heat up with cold weather outdoor entertaining.

A fire pit will help keep guests warm

air gets chilly. Fire pits have become must-have items for outdoor entertaining areas, and hosts can surely find one that suits their needs.

• Change the menu. Grilling hot dogs and hamburgers might still work when entertaining outdoors in fall and winter, but hosts may want to stray from other summertime fare like watermelon or pasta salad. Embrace the cold weather by roasting some nuts and making s’mores over an open fire. In lieu of summertime beverages like lemonade and beer, serve hot chocolate or wine to keep guests warm.

• Ensure there is adequate lighting. Mother Nature won’t offer much lighting when you host a party outdoors in late fall and early winter, so make sure your patios and sidewalks are well lit. Guests will want to see one another and what they’re eating, and well-lit walkways will reduce the risk that guests take a tumble or turn their ankles when walking to and from the house.

Outdoor entertaining need not end because summer has come and gone. But hosts must take a different approach to hosting when throwing outdoor gatherings in late fall and early winter.

HANCOCK COUNTY

INSURANCE

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

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 71

last

word

I

am engaged

Technological

Connections Guarding against bad habits and too many cat videos.

BY CHRIS QUIMBY

in a constant battle against developing bad habits.

For example, about six months ago my family finally got a television.

And it’s in my bedroom. Where my wife is.

Well, I don’t keep her there, but we share the same bed, so it’s a good place to hang out before actually falling asleep. I’ve found that it’s very easy to fall into a pattern whereby we watch a little Netflix or YouTube each night.

And while that’s fine for some people, I feel like it actually destroys my mind.

It seems to blind me to considering other ways I could better spend my time.

Now don’t get me wrong. It is fun. One thing my wife loves to watch is cat videos. And one thing I like to watch is my wife watching cat videos. She never tires of them.

Meanwhile, at the foot of our bed rests our Actual Cat. With a surly face, she lays curled up in a furry ball while we lend our affection to other felines—those that fall more often, beat tolerant dogs in the face, or jump fearfully away from the presence of motionless cucumbers.

So every few days I suggest we do something different. One common alternative suggestion is to sit in our “woodstove room” and read.

But here’s the problem. While we have great intentions, the execution is lamentable. We each grab a book. Mine is called “The Boys in the Boat,” an account of an American rowing team participating in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

I have been ‘reading’ this book for an embarrassingly long time.

Granted, I am a slower-than-normal reader. I can pass by the words quickly with my eyes, but sometimes after a few minutes I discover that they are not reaching my brain. It’s as if there is a leak somewhere and they spill out elsewhere.

But a bigger issue than that is that I rarely even put the book to my face.

And if I was comfortable outing my wife to the general public I would declare to you that she is also such an offender.

So every so often you will find each of us lying back on our respective couches consuming either Facebook or Pinterest on our iPhones with quality pieces of literature resting comfortably upon our chests, each book looking angrily back at our respective faces much like jilted cats.

Now let’s be clear. I’m not suggesting there’s anything inherently wrong with Facebook and Pinterest. Without Facebook, I would have no idea who threw up or how stupid my political opinions are. And without Pinterest it would be harder to feel so bad about the things we make and cook around the house. So if we don’t fight the momentum to digital media, we end up catching up with each other at the end of the day by ignoring each other. It’s ridiculous. I ignore the people I love to go online and get annoyed by people around the world!

If we don’t fight the momentum to digital media, we end up catching up with each other at the end of the day by ignoring each other.

So when I lose in the battle for the attention of people within my own home, it’s easier to relate to my cat. And as I write this, I’m developing a stronger association with my pet as a result. Come to think of it, I’ve never had the occasion where I’ve approached her to scratch under her chin or deliver positive affirmation where she’s been blind to my presence because she’s online.

Maybe she’s got it right. Technology has revolutionized society, but our cats are still living in the 70’s.

And while the species gets a lot of bad press for seeming indifferent to people, you can’t blame them. They probably figure, if given the chance, we’d ignore them anyway.

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 January 2017