WHAT’S HAPPENING

AUGUST

AUGUST 1

10 BUCKS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS AS YOU LIKE IT

FORT KNOX STATE PARK

Rosalind is banished and with her best friend Celia she enters exile and on the way catches the eye of a lovestruck Orlando. In this Shakespeare comedy set in the Arden Forest there is a cross-dressing heroine, a smooth talking fool, songs, questionable poetry and a wrestling match. How can romance not bloom? Bring a blanket, chairs and picnic and enjoy Shakespeare Under The Stars. Showtime is 6 p.m. and tickets are $15 available online at www.207tix.com or onsite at the box office starting at 5 p.m. For more info, visit www.tenbuckstheatre.org.

AUGUST 1 - 7 BANGOR STATE FAIR AT BASS PARK

A 10-day agricultural and recreational fair featuring livestock exhibits, food, games, music, rides and entertainment. It’s a tradition that goes back to 1949 and attracts up to 40,000 people. Scheduling, vendor, event and ticket information can be found at www.bangorstatefair.com.

AUGUST 19

KISS — END OF THE ROAD TOUR

DARLING’S WATERFRONT PAVILION IN BANGOR

The Kiss Army rolls into Bangor on Aug. 19 on the last leg of their final tour. After more than four decades of rock ‘n roll, 100 million albums sold, costumes and special effects the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band are calling it quits. But not before a farewell tour. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30. Reserved seating and general admission tickets are $39.50 and reserved seating/VIP tickets range from $69.50 to $1,000. Tickets are available at www.waterfrontconcerts.com.

BRRR!

Winter is here — let’s see what you know about this snowy season!

AUGUST 21 WIFFLE FOR A WISH AT UNION STREET ATHLETIC COMPLEX

This is the 13th year people will gather to play Wiffle Ball and crown a champion. More importantly, these Wiffle athletes will raise money to help children and their families in Maine through the Make a Wish Maine program. Teams can have three to seven players and team entry fee is $100. Competition kicks off at 8 a.m.

AUGUST 26-29

CROWN OF MAINE BALLOONFEST

The Crown of Maine Balloon Fest offers a weekend of hot air balloons, kids events, music and other family friendly fun. Most events are free and take place at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds. For more information, visit www.combf.org.

AUGUST 27-28 BUCKSPORT ARTS FESTIVAL ON THE WATERFRONT WALKWAY

A juried art show that is free and open to the public, the Bucksport Arts Festival takes place over two days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the banks of the Penobscot River overlooking Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. In addition to artists from around Maine, the event features live music, food vendors and a pop-up children’s art show. Visit www.tinagagnon.com.

Find answers below.

The Legacies WE LEAVE BEHIND

WILLIAM CARPENTER’S NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE LEGACIES LEFT BEHIND BY BOTH FAMILIES AND WAR

BY KAYLIE REESE

IN THE NOVEL “SILENCE,” the journey of two main characters from differing socioeconomic backgrounds is traced as they struggle to make sense of their lives following tragic losses, the responsibilities that weigh on them, the legacies they wish to leave behind and the island that brings them together.

Written by William Carpenter, acclaimed Maine poet, novelist and co-founder of the College of the Atlantic, this is his third novel.

In the book, Iraq War veteran Nick Colonna returns to his coastal Maine hometown after losing his fellow servicemembers and his own hearing when the military vehicle they were traveling in was struck by an IED.

Nick needs to learn how to navigate day-to-day life while bogged down in grief, survivor’s guilt and a life in silence, but his attention becomes obsessively drawn to Amber Island, accessible by boat a short distance from town, where he recalls good memories spent there before the event that changed his life. Under the cover of darkness and fog, Nick escapes to the island, where he is determined to live, eventually gaining support from his family and the owners of the island. The island is owned by the Fletchers, an affluent family based in Boston. The Fletchers, who were seasonal visitors to the Pine Tree State, are now a family deeply divided over the legacy they wish to leave for Amber Island: develop the island as a resort destination to draw in visitors, or conserve the island in the pristine beauty that the recently deceased patriarch wished for. Through an agreement with the family, Nick has been tasked as the caretaker of the island, where he finds solace in its wilderness and an unexpected friendship in Julia Fletcher, who seeks to preserve the island as fiercely as her father did before he died. The characters in the novel all feel some responsibility to Amber Island, but they often face off in opposition to each other. Suddenly, a shocking plot twist forces everyone to reconsider their own perspective.

Q: THIS BOOK REALLY SPEAKS TO THE CONTRAST OF MAINE’S WORKING CLASS AND SEASONAL VISITORS. CAN YOU SPEAK MORE TO THAT?

My second novel, “The Wooden Nickel,” is about a lobster fisherman, totally working class. But I’m also interested in the second category of people on the Maine coast, the people who are seasonal residents and generally come from more affluence. I didn’t give them much room in my other novel,

William Carpenter, acclaimed Maine poet, novelist and co-founder of the College of the Atlantic, recently released his third novel, "Silence." but I wanted to spend more time with them and decided to include a serious study of the owning class who can afford their own island. I’ve always been fascinated about the relations between the working people of Maine and these very different members of society that come during the summertime. That’s how this novel developed, actually.

Q: THE BOOK IS SET IN 2006, AND THE EVENTS OF 9/11 ARE FEATURED PROMINENTLY. WHAT LED YOU TO THAT DECISION?

I think I was trying, as a Maine person, to understand distant events in Maine terms. I wanted to understand. I mean, 9/11 impacted everyone in the world — everybody in America, for sure — and the decision to go into the Iraq War after that by President George Bush. That hit everybody in Maine, perhaps differently, but it was a distant event. What did it mean for Maine? In Maine, we contributed because we have a large working class, and there was no draft at the time. And so a lot of Maine working class men and women went to that war, and a lot of them suffered various consequences and really gave themselves to it. I was interested in that, and so I was able to tie in the state of Maine to these events that happened far away.

Q: WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF YOUR MAIN CHARACTER, INJURED VETERAN NICK COLONNA?

It’s not anybody that I knew, in any way, but I felt him very strongly as an amalgam or combination of many people who I read about as soldiers. But also, I wanted to include a bit about his genealogy, with his lineage dating back to quarry workers who were brought to Maine from places like Italy, and his working class background. He’s the person who I used to bring the war to Maine, a soldier going off and coming

back injured. And he also feels deeply guilty about his friends being lost in an explosion where he survived.

Q: THIS BOOK DOES A LOT TO COVER THE NUANCES OF WHAT A LEGACY IS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO THE OWNER POPULATION REPRESENTED BY THE FLETCHER FAMILY.

I imagined two kinds of legacies with the owning class: the conservationist and the developer. Both are represented in this Fletcher family. And so a family divided over a legacy is a very typical Maine event, or really anywhere, but particularly in a place like the Maine coast.

Q: WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE THIS BOOK WILL HAVE ON READERS?

I hope it will make them understand that period in American history better. To me those are the most important events of the 21st century, and I think, frankly, they’ve been kind of forgotten, with the recent politics. I think the book coming out now, with it set about 15 years ago, will remind people about the earlier part of the century. History goes along, and you tend to forget recent history. And I will say this, as a small reminder to readers. Because there was no draft in the Iraq War, unlike Vietnam, the upper classes of America were barely touched by it, and by that I mean the reading classes. And so I think my root purpose is to remind the reading class of people of the existence of this war, which was kind of a silent war for them because they weren’t as involved. You see that in the Fletcher family. But as far as the legacy of the war is concerned, there are all of these wounded soldiers who are still with us, and I wish to have this book remind us that they are among us.

OBSESSIONS

WHAT WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH.

EAT

COCONUT SHRIMP AT THE MEADOWS TAKE OUT

WHY DO WE LOVE IT? There is a little roadside restaurant called The Meadows Take Out in Steuben, right off of Route 1. The coconut shrimp is the best I’ve ever eaten, period. Not “the best within driving distance of Bangor,” not “the best in Maine.” Best. Period. Do yourself a favor and get some with their Thai chili dipping sauce.

— SAM SCHIPANI

GO

THUNDER VALLEY MOWER RACING

WHY DO WE LOVE IT? I think it’s safe to say that there’s nothing else in Maine quite like midcoast-based Thunder Valley Mower Racing. This group of racing enthusiasts take riding lawn mowers, soup them up, and race them, at speeds ranging from 12 to 30 miles per hour and sometimes even more — like performing wheelies and other tricks. It’s wild, it’s wacky and it’s loud, family-friendly fun. Though group members race at events all over the midcoast, Thunder Valley’s home track is at Thresher’s Brewing in Searsmont, which honored their mower-loving friends with a special brew — the Thunder Valley Lager. For August, you can cheer on racers at 1 p.m. on Aug. 7 in Isleboro, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 27 at the Union Fair, and at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11 at Thresher’s.

— EMILY BURNHAM

USE

THE HELIOPOLIS PRIVACY

SHELTER BY NEMO

The last time I went anywhere near camping was in 2004. I spent two weeks climbing on Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. All of my personal gear fit into a single — albeit large — backpack. Everything else including a tent and food was transported by mule. This summer I am getting back into camping. Not only do I now require more than a single backpack, I’d need an entire team of mules to lug my gear. Among my new camping must-haves is a blaze orange “Heliopolis” privacy tent made by Nemo. This is not the tent in which I sleep. The Heliopolis serves as a bathroom, solar shower and changing cabana all in one. It’s a cinch to set up and take down, super sturdy and private and even comes with a tiny light and special compartment for your toilet paper. It’s tall enough to stand up in, offers total privacy and when combined with a portable toilet it turned my basic camping site into a four-star experience. I’m not saying I’d get an extra donkey to lug one up a mountain, but there is no way I will camp this summer without it.

— JULIA BAYLY