BEWARE THE
LOVE SCAM!
MAINE’S
M ! O D R A T S THE MOVIES & STARS THAT PUT MAINE ON THE MAP
ESCAPE TO
$5.95
February 2018
FEATURING
CHICAGO!
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO EAT
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURES 46 IN CONVERSATION: BOB CROWLEY Catching up with the “Survivor” winner 50 PERFECT... MANNERS? Reflecting on the making of “The Langoliers” 56 CAMDEN, 1957 How “Peyton Place” came to be filmed in a small Maine town 64 GET OUT: CHICAGO Get blown away with how easy a trip to Chicago can be from Bangor
11
CAMDEN, 1957
64
GET OUT: CHICAGO
IN EVERY ISSUE 08 WHAT’S HAPPENING Local news & sightings
72 THE VIEW FROM HERE What you do know won’t hurt you
ON THE COVER The stars and sights that have put Maine on Hollywood’s radar
2 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
PHOTOS: (TOP) COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW; (BOTTOM) JULIA BAYLY
16 OBSESSIONS What we can’t get enough of this month
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD & DRINK
HEALTH & FITNESS
22 IN SEASON NOW A tasty way to enjoy apples
24 FROZEN ESCAPES Hikes that highlight the beauty of ice
HOW TO
HOME & FAMILY
OUTSIDE
30 MAKE VALENTINE’S BOBA Make tasty toppings with your little Valentines
34 CYBER WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING Staying safe on the internet
70 GEOLOGISTS ARE ROCK STARS The incredible history of Maine’s volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and oceans are hidden in our rocks
32 MAKE A HAIR MASK Fight winter frizz and dryness
36 POP OF COLOR Boost your mood with color
PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) COURTESY OF TIM SIMON/HBO; SARAH WALKER CARON; AISLINN SARNACKI; RICKBERK, KATARZYNABIALASIEWICZ, KAZMULKA/THINKSTOCK
14 THE INTERVIEW Meet actor and Readfield native Timothy Simons
40 INDOOR FAMILY FUN How to beat the winter blues www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 3
EDITOR’S NOTE
Happiness is a steaming cup of tea on a cold winter’s morning. It’s cuddling under cozy, soft blankets with a good book. It’s giggling with your kids over the ridiculous things they say. Happiness is the warm security of love, and the comfort of knowing you have someone who’ll always be there for you. Beyond the pink and red hearts that decorate stores, homes, classrooms and more in February, there is a gentle reminder — if we’re willing to see it. Love is a wonderful, powerful, important thing. It’s intimacy, passion and commitment. More than a fleeting evening of romance, love is what binds us together with companionship and trust. It’s what drives us to take care of each other. And it’s what makes us unique as humans.
IT’S DESERVING OF CELEBRATION NOT JUST ON ONE DAY OF THE YEAR, BUT EVERY DAY. This month, don’t be fooled by the shimmery pretties and dramatic declarations of love. They are mere holographs of the real thing. Real love isn’t perfect or glittery or dramatic. It’s constant and reliable and kind — and it’s a beacon in life’s toughest moments. In Bangor Metro this month, we have a few ways to enjoy life with your loves and littles. February is the perfect time to take one of the frozen hikes we have highlighted on pages 24-28. They’re perfect for marveling in the beauty of ice this winter. And on page 42, we’ve got ideas for bringing the outdoors inside to cheer your dull winter days. On page 30, we show you how to make boba at home for fun ice cream toppings and drink mix-ins. Don’t miss Dick Shaw’s look back on the film Peyton Place, which was shot in Camden, on page 56. We’re also catching up with Survivor winner and Mainer Bob Crowley on life 10 years after his big TV win on page 46. And there’s so much more! HOPE YOU LOVE THIS ISSUE AS MUCH AS WE LOVED CREATING IT.
Connect With Us Online bangormetro.com facebook.com/BangorMetro @BangorMetro bangormetro talkback@bangormetro.com 4 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
SARAH WALKER CARON, EDITOR
www.bangormetro.com P.O. Box 1329 Bangor, Maine 04402-1329 Phone: 207.990.8000
PUBLISHER
Richard J. Warren
EDITOR
Sarah Walker Caron scaron@bangordailynews.com
ART DIRECTOR
Amy Allen aallen@bangordailynews.com
SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER
Fred Stewart fstewart@bangordailynews.com
STAFF WRITER
Julia Bayly jbayly@bangordailynews.com
STAFF WRITER
Emily Burnham eburnham@bangordailynews.com
STAFF WRITER
Aislinn Sarnacki asarnacki@bangordailynews.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Katie Bingham-Smith, Sarah Cottrell, Bob Duchesne, Jodi Hersey,
Emily Morrison, Richard Shaw www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 5
6 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Meet JULIA BAYLY WHAT’S YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR WANNABE WRITERS? Write. Every day. Bangor Metro Magazine. February 2018, Vol. 14, No. 2. Copyright © Bangor Publishing Company. Bangor Metro is published 10 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 Sarah Walker Caron at scaron@bangordailynews.com. Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Sales Director Todd McLeod at 207-990-8105. Subscriptions/Address Change: The one year subscription cost is $15.95. 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 McLeod at 207-990-8105.
COVER: Amy Allen
Don’t get hung up on how much time you spend or words you produce (unless you are under deadline!). Don’t be afraid to let the writing take you on a journey — even if it detours from your original plan. And, of you can, have two outside readers — one that is going to love whatever you produce (because we all need that moral support) and another who will give you brutally honest and productive critiques. And never, ever undervalue the importance of a good copy editor.
WHO INSPIRES YOU? So many people — but I find great inspiration from women who have overcome adversity and challenges with grace, wit and style. I am so proud to call some of them friends. I am particularly inspired by my aunt Diana Baird. At some point over the years she went from being a relative to being my aunt and one of my best friends. She is always up for an adventure and her attitude can be perfectly encapsulated by an experience I had with her a few years back. She lives in Portland, Oregon and took me on one of her daily walks around the Nike headquarters not far from her house. She loved roaming the trails and walking in and out of all the buildings — when I asked her if she was allowed to do so her immediate response was, “Well, Nike’s motto is ‘Just do it.’”
WHAT'S THE BEST THING YOU’VE EATEN LATELY? This is a tough one as I am a total foodie. I find that the experience and setting of a meal is as important as the ingredients. I am also a huge fan of locally sourced and comfort foods. Especially comfort foods with a twist. So, I guess it’s a tie between delightful amuse bouche lobster rolls (sourced from the Maine coast) I had at Acadia Restaurant in Chicago (see page 64 for the full story) and a traditional “tourtiere” (French meat pie) made by my niece’s father-in-law for Christmas here in the St. John Valley.
Meet KATIE BINGHAM-SMITH WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STORY OR ESSAY YOU'VE WORKED ON RECENTLY? While I love writing
WHAT’S YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR WANNABE WRITERS? Tenacity. You must have it. You must be willing to put
about DIYs and beauty products, recently I’ve been delving into my recent divorce. I’ve been writing about the real stuff women feel during this transition — everything from dating to getting through the holidays, and it’s been healing. I just wrote a piece “This Is What The First Year Of Divorce Looks Like” and it was incredibly cathartic.
yourself out there, take rejection and learn from it. Don’t let it break you. Consistency is key. Also, wearing something that makes you feel fabulous (even if you are just sitting at home) helps tremendously. And read, read, read.
WHERE DO YOU WRITE? I write at home, in my bed, at McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, in my car, and during my kids’ practices. That’s why I love it — when the mood strikes me, I can take out my phone or a pad of paper and get to it. I also pay my son to play with my hair while I write and he watches TV. Of course, that’s my favorite way to write.
WHO INSPIRES YOU? People, especially older folks. I love listening to their stories. I write for a lot of parenting websites and my kids inspire material everyday. I also love movies, and have gotten a lot of inspiration there.
WHAT'S THE BEST THING YOU'VE EATEN RECENTLY? French fries from 5 Guys. They are perfect and my favorite comfort food.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7
WHAT’S HAPPENING
FEBRUARY JAN. 26 - FEB. 3 GLACIER ICE BAR & LOUNGE AT TIMBER Ready to embrace the cold weather? See 50,000 pounds of crystal clear ice be transformed into the Glacier Ice Bar & Lounge at Timber in Bangor. Using chisels and chainsaws and 300-pound blocks of ice, ice sculptors and designers spend weeks creating bars, seats, tables, ice luges, sculptures and more. Open Jan. 26-27 from 5-10 p.m.; Jan. 28 from 4-10 p.m.; Feb. 2-3 from 5-10 p.m. All weather permitting.
FEB. 1 CINDERELLA AT CROSS INSURANCE CENTER This Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical from the creators of The Sound of Music and South Pacific that’s delighting audiences with its contemporary take on the classic tale. This lush production features an incredible orchestra, jawdropping transformations and all the moments you love — the pumpkin, the
8 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
glass slipper, the masked ball and more— plus some surprising new twists! Be transported back to your childhood as you rediscover some of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/ It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” in this hilarious and romantic Broadway experience for anyone who’s ever had a wish, a dream ... or a really great pair of shoes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. crossinsurancecenter.com
FEB. 2 CHRIS YOUNG "LOSING SLEEP WORLD TOUR" Recently invited to become the newest member of the iconic Grand Ole Opry, Chris Young has earned multiple ACM, BBMA, CMA, CMT, Grammy and RDMA nominations and scored three consecutive charttopping singles – including his ninth No. 1 “Sober Saturday Night” with Vince Gill. The show includes special guests Kane Brown and LANCO. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. crossinsurancecenter.com
FEB. 1 Cinderella at Cross Insurance Center
FEB. 2 THE MALLETT BROTHERS BAND AT THE BAE BALLROOM The Bangor Arts Exchange will host Maine favorites The Mallett Brothers on Feb. 2; doors open at 8:30 p.m.; music starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance; $13 day of show. The BAE Ballroom is located at 193 Exchange St. in Bangor. facebook.com/BangorArtsExchange
FEB. 7 FAMILY FUN SERIES AT FIELDS POND Maine Audubon invites families and caregivers with young children to join us weekly at Fields Pond Audubon Center. Each onehour session will feature guided activities and adventures designed to cultivate a love and understanding of our natural world. The program is geared towards children aged 2-5, but younger siblings are also welcome. No charge for siblings under age two; maximum of three children per adult. Advanced registration encouraged! Dropins are welcome if space is available. Maineaudubon.coursestorm.com
PHOTO: MAZARTEMKA/THINKSTOCK
EVENTS
collins center
FEB. 9 BROADWAY ROCKS! AT THE BANGOR ARTS EXCHANGE BALLROOM An evening of Broadway show tunes … with an edge. Hear songs written for the stage by the music artists you love: Green Day (American Idiot), Queen (We Will Rock You), Elton John (Aida), Billy Joel (Movin’ Out) and more. Featuring local theater favorites and music talents you're sure to recognize! Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; music starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 day of show. This event is all ages. The BAE Ballroom is located at 193 Exchange St. in Bangor. facebook.com/BangorArtsExchange
PHOTO: BDN FILE
FEB. 10 ARCHITECTURE, LOCAL OR GLOBAL – SHIFTING GOALS IN A SHRINKING WORLD
Can architecture be controversial? Yes, actually. And a talk in Bangor will examine this idea, as presenters consider historic and contemporary tensions in architecture caused by the struggle between local, national and global identities and ambitions.
FEB. 2 The Mallett Brothers Band at BAE
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9
EVENTS
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Judy Bing and Brooke Harrington will present a talk called “Architecture, Local or Global – Shifting Goals in a Shrinking World” at the Bangor Public Library on Feb. 10 from 1- 3 p.m. The talk is in anticipation of 31st Annual Camden Conference – New World Disorder and America’s Future, February 16-18.
FEB. 10 BANGOR FATHER DAUGHTER VALENTINE DANCE Get out your regalia and strap on your dancing shoes! The annual Father Daughter Valentine Dance presented by the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department returns to the Cross Insurance Center Grand Ballroom on Feb. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The always popular event includes fun, games, prizes and more. Open to girls in grades kindergarten through 7, and their
10 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
father or other male in their life. $25/couple for Bangor residents and $35/couple for non-residents.Tickets sold in advance at the Parks and Recreation office at 647 Main St.
FEB. 18 JEFF DUNHAM AT THE CROSS INSURANCE CENTER
concert at the Collins Center for the Arts at 3 p.m. Joined by acclaimed pianist Orli Shaham, they will play Bela Bartok’s thrilling Piano Concerto No. 3 and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, “Winter Dreams,” — an ode to winter in Maine. Bedrich Smetana’s Overture to The Bartered Bride will open the program. Regular tickets start at $19.
Comedy superstar Jeff Dunham returns to Bangor on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. with his cast of characters on his 60-city PASSIVELY AGGRESSIVE tour. All tickets are $52.
FEB. 24 LONESOME TRAVELER: THE CONCERT
crossinsurancecenter.com
FEB. 25 MASTERWORKS IV: WINTER DREAMS The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will play its Masterworks IV: Winter Dreams
American folk music comes to the Gracie Theatre in Bangor when Lonesome Traveler plays an all-ages show. The stirring concert celebrates the music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, Harry Chapin, The Byrds, James Taylor, Van Morrison and more. 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets start at $28.
PHOTO: INGRAM PUBLISHING/THINKSTOCK
FEB. 10 Father Daughter Valentine Dance
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Play THIS MONTH’S Pop Quiz on page 13! www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11
EVENTS
SIGHTINGS
HERE’S A LOOK AT JUST A FEW SPECIAL EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH...
1
2
1: Cody Johnson of Fort Kent, center, stands with Jake Pearson, right, and Cam Christianson following his first place finish on Dec. 29 at the U.S. Junior/Youth World Championship Trials in Coleraine, Minnesota. 2: Subzero temperatures
couldn’t keep revelers away from downtown Bangor on New Year’s Eve — on even keep their shirts on. 3: A trolley rolled through Bangor on New Year’s Eve, transporting passengers between downtown and Hollywood Casino.
SHARE YOUR EVENT PHOTOS! 12 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
Email your photos and captions to
talkback@bangormetro.com
PHOTOS: (1) COURTESY OF CODY JOHNSON; (2) TROY R. BENNETT; (3) GIBRAN VOGUE GRAHAM; (4) LAUREN CALBI; (5) COURTESY OF CARIBOU VFW AUXILIARY
3
4 How Much Do You Know About the Glitz of Hollywood in Maine?
Play online at bangormetro.com for your chance to win a FREE oneyear subscription to Bangor Metro!
5: Region Two forestry students at the Southern Aroostook Community School recently helped to create a food pantry at the school. From left are forestry students Seth Rand, Tanner Lane, Morgan Kinney and Alex Croxen. In front is Christopher Mitchell, a Southern Aroostook student. 6: Winners of the Caribou VFW Auxiliary’s
annual patriotic coloring contest included these Teague Park School second-graders, from left, front row: Alaric Wilcox, honorable mention; Kaytlin Crouse, third place; Isabella Robbins, second place; and Jordan Thibault, first place. Back row, Gretchen Towle, Matthew Bouchard, Lilli Anna Kendell, Mackenzie Holton and Sage Gervais, all honorable mention.
5
FIND ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S POP QUIZ ON PAGE 11!
Visit our Bangor Metro Facebook page to play online! www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 13
Q&A
THE W E I V R E INT es a y Simons tak th o im T e v ti a Veep” Readfield n ts on HBO’s “ o h s g in k ta ve. break from xt career mo e n is h t u o b to talk a
BEFORE TIMOTHY SIMONS, 39, was a main cast member on an acclaimed TV comedy, he was a kid from Readfield, Maine, just starting to test the waters of acting as a freshman at the University of Maine. After six seasons on HBO’s multiple Emmywinning political satire series “Veep” as the insufferable (and yet strangely lovable) Jonah Ryan, he’s forged a highly successful path as a comedic actor — though he’s also appeared in movies as diverse as Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice” and Seth Rogan’s “The Interview.” Simons, whose extended family still lives in Maine, talked to Bangor Metro about his roots, his next career moves, and how reality is stranger than fiction.
RNHAM
BY EMILY BU
14 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
BANGOR METRO: CAN YOU SHARE A PARTICULAR MEMORY FROM GROWING UP IN MAINE THAT PERHAPS HELPED TO SET YOU ON THE PATH TOWARDS ACTING AS A CAREER? A JOB? A PLAY? TIMOTHY SIMONS: I actually started at UMaine. I didn’t have much of a social scene. I was the odd man out in my dorm. It was all football players. Anyway, I just auditioned for this 10 minute play, and it was pretty interesting, so the second
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TIM SIMON/HBO
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Sufe Bradshaw, Matt Walsh, Timothy C. Simons, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Reid Scott star in HBO’s “Veep.”
semester I auditioned for the Underdogs and Upperdogs, which are these studentdirected short plays. And then I met this grad student, Claude Giroux, who had an eye for interesting, out-of-the-box theater. I was used to regular run-of-the-mill theater, and he showed me that you can swear in it. I did a monologue from an Eric Bogosian show, and that was what did it. And I just got the bug after that. AT WHAT POINT IN THE FILMING OF VEEP DID YOU START TO REALIZE THAT REALITY WAS STARTING TO CATCH UP AND EVENTUALLY OVERTAKE THE SHOW? WHAT KIND OF A REALIZATION WAS THAT? I think it kept leapfrogging with what we could come up with. When Trump was running, you could make the argument
that nothing had changed, because everyone assumed he would lose. I don’t think it was until he won that it really changed. We had to recalibrate everything, because none of it matters anymore. There are no more gaffes. The President tweeting is completely normal now. We have to totally change our approach. AS JONAH RYAN, YOU ARE CONTINUALLY PEPPERED WITH EXCEPTIONALLY VULGAR INSULTS THAT REACH NEAR-SHAKESPEAREAN LEVELS OF INTRICACY. HAS THERE EVER BEEN A POINT WHERE YOUR FAMILY IS LIKE “REALLY, TIM? REALLY?” I don’t think there’s anything that’s really rocked anybody. It’s part and parcel of the show. I remember one of the harshest insults wasn’t even directed at me. It was said by
another character, to another character. I think, at this point, they have come to expect the insults. I think they look forward to them. They love it. WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING OUT IN 2018? WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU EXCITED TO WORK ON? We have pushed filming out a little bit, after Julia’s cancer diagnosis [Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2017]. We’re in a holding pattern. Also, this is our last season, so we’re all kind of figuring out life post-“Veep.” That’s really daunting, because it’s been an amazing job for nearly eight years. I’ve been really lucky to do a bunch of movies and some other little things in the off-time, and right now I’m doing a lot of writing with other people and on my own. It’s all very nebulous. In a fun kind of way. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 15
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
OBSESSIONS
OBSESSIONS WHAT WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH.
BOOKS “HOW TO THROW THE ULTIMATE SLUMBER PARTY,” by Jamie Kyle McGillian. Oh, sleepovers … they were a favorite of mine growing up. There was even a book series that detailed the adventures of a foursome who had sleepovers every single Friday — hello, middle school friend goals! When I heard about this book dedicated to throwing awesome slumber parties, it totally took me back. And with a daughter of my own — who also loves sleepovers — I really appreciate the thoughtful advice on planning, personal responsibility and activity ideas it offers. “HAUNTED ISLANDS IN THE GULF OF MAINE,” by Marcus LiBrizzi. Maine author Marcus LiBrizzi has a thing for ghost stories, and so do I. From mysterious, disappearing fires to a ghostly girl with amnesia, LiBrizzi tells ghost stories from 18 of Maine’s islands — and they’re fascinating and entertaining. This is a really fun book to curl up with by the fire with while sipping a warm beverage. “FRANCE IS A FEAST: THE PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY OF PAUL AND JULIA CHILD,” by Alex Prud'homme and Katie Pratt. When I read “My Life in France,” Julia Child’s memoir of her life and career in that beautiful country, I was enthralled. I’d grown up watching her cooking show but that book turned her from the onedimensional woman on the television screen to a three-dimensional person with aspirations, emotions and dreams. This new book, co-written by great-nephew Alex Prud’homme (who also co-wrote “My Life in France”), gives a more vivid look into Julia and Paul Child’s life through photos that Paul took. It’s magical to see the 250 black and white photographs of this well-respected culinary professional in her private life. —SARAH WALKER CARON
a Who doesn’t love good ghost story?
16 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
PHOTOS: MERCY_C_M_H, EGAL/THINKSTOCK
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 17
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
OBSESSIONS
OBSESSIONS WHAT WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH.
MUSIC
ROLLER COASTER TYCOON CLASSIC FOR ANDROID & IPHONE
BROADWAY ROCKS AT BANGOR ARTS EXCHANGE
It’s cold. It’s snowing. Your kids are driving you crazy, and there are still months left until the sweet sweet escape of spring and summer vacations ... How are you going to survive? With five greenbacks and ninety nine cents, that’s how. You will want to immediately head over to your friendly Google Play or iTunes store and download a little gem of a game called Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic. Readers in their late 20’s and 30’s may remember this awardwinning PC game from the late 90’s. It has been re-released virtually unchanged (aside from the perfect conversion of the old mouse controls to touch screen). The business simulation game that let you design theme parks from the roller coasters to setting food, drink and — if you are evil — bathroom prices, is not only portable but still every bit as charming and fun as it ever was. Why is this my obsession right now? It’s a lot of game content to get you through winter. While the game is suitable for kids and adults, the lightweight financial management and some of the ride construction will likely be difficult for anyone under 13 years old to grasp. At this price it is a steal for a game that will help you countdown the days until warmer weather and real theme park rides once again!
Looking for an early Valentine’s date night idea? The Bangor Arts Exchange is hosting Broadway Rocks!, an evening of Broadway show tunes with an edge. If you haven’t checked out the new BAE space on Exchange Street, it’s worth a visit. At the top of the stairs you’ll find a spacious ballroom, built-in stage area, balcony (and a bar around the corner). The evening promises “songs written for the stage by the music artists you love,” including Green Day’s “American Idiot,” Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” Elton John’s “Aida,” Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” and more, with performances by local theater favorites. I’m pretty excited. I’ll see you there Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at 193 Exchange St. in Bangor. Tickets are available now; $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
—BEN CYR
18 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
—AMY ALLEN
PHOTOS: M-GUCCI, GOLFX, DUXX/THINKSTOCK
APP
FOOD & DRINK
OBSESSIONS
OBSESSIONS WHAT WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS MONTH.
DATE NIGHT EXPERIENCE GLACIER BAR TIMBER KITCHEN AND BAR What’s the best way to enjoy this cold weather with your honey or a group of friends? Snuggle up at Timber’s ice bar next to a toasty fire lamp with a tasty cocktail to warm to your belly. Sculptors transform 50,000 pounds of ice into the Glacier Ice Bar, complete with ice luges, seats, sculptures and more. Snack on special menu items like Pot and Kettle Winter Chile or classic New England Clam Chowder to warm up — or share my personal favorite: the Farmers Board with a variety of cheeses and charcuterie (it’s just fun to say), nuts, spreads and crackers. Also on the menu are plenty of tasty drinks, from warm mocktails (Grandma’s Hot Chocolate with Godiva chocolate? Yum!), speciality shots from the ice luge, and tasty themed cocktails (I recommend the Nor’ Easter with Jim Beam, sparkling apple cider and maple drizzle). The ice bar is schedule to be open, weather permitting, from Jan. 26-28 and again Feb. 2-3 starting at 5 p.m. each day (and 4 p.m. on Jan. 28). —AMY ALLEN
LUNCH ADULTS’ HAPPY MEAL FRIARS’ BAKEHOUSE On a frigid subzero day when the idea of stepping outside for anything is questionable, the walk from our office at One Merchants Plaza to Friars’ Bakehouse on Central Street is still worth it. Inside the bakehouse, where meals are communal, cash is king and cell phones are banned, is an array of baked goods and lovingly prepared dishes that are just delightful. But it’s the Adult’s Happy Meal — a cup of tomato bisque and two “friar pucks,” aka round grilled cheese sandwiches — that hits the spot every time. The creamy, buttery sandwiches are perfect for dipping into the bright, well-seasoned soup with a hint of a bite. This is comfort food, served hot and fresh. —SARAH WALKER CARON
20 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
RESTAURANT DISH
PHOTOS: (ICE BAR) BDN FILE; ©AFRICA STUDIO/ADOBE STOCK; VVOEVALE, MAGONE, MSHELDRAKE, KARANDAEV/THINKSTOCK
SEARED BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD SEA DOG BREWING COMPANY
SWEETS DARK CHOCOLATE SEA SALT CARAMEL FUDGE SPECIALTY SWEETS For Valentine’s Day treats I head to Specialty Sweets. I love that I can shop local and get some amazing chocolate — which is what everyone wants on Valentine’s Day! My go-to favorite is the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Fudge. The caramel is smooth, salty and just the right amount of gooeyness sandwiched between melt in your mouth chocolate fudge and topped with just the right amount of flakey sea salt to finish it off. If your sweetheart loves salty sweet, this is the gift to get! —LAURA GEORGE
I get to the Sea Dog as often as I can — and it’s not for the beer, burgers or fried pickles. Although those are all fabulous, I have a different love: the Seared Brussels Sprout Salad. If you didn’t think you could find comfort in a salad, then you clearly haven’t tried this concoction of perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts mixed with cauliflower, mushrooms, and edamame. It’s warm, it’s salty and when you add grilled chicken and a glass of wine, you leave feeling like you splurged in a big way. —KATIE SMITH
FOOD & DRINK
IN SEASON NOW
In Season Now:
APPLES BY SARAH WALKER CARON
Serves 4-6
IN BIBLICAL STORIES, IT’S THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT.
4 cups fresh apple chunks (do not peel) ¼ cup light brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
IN MYTHOLOGIES, IT HOLDS MANY MEANINGS.
Biscuit topping: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp kosher salt 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks 1/3 cup milk Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a 2-quart square glass baking dish, combine the apple chunks, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well and spread out. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Using either two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk until the dough holds together. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and gently knead until it forms a smooth dough. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a square approximately the size of the glass baking dish. Gently transfer it to top the apples. Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until bubbling at the sides and golden on top. This is delightful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 22 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
FROM FOLKLORE TO ART TO LEGENDS, APPLES ARE INTERTWINED WITH OUR HISTORY AND CULTURE IN MYRIAD WAYS. Cultivated for at least 3,000 years, apples are available year round, according to “The New Food Lover’s Companion,” by Sharon Tyler Herbst, a venerable bible for food lovers. You’ll often find them for sale at Maine farmers’ markets during the winter. And, Snow White’s experience notwithstanding, they are quite good for you. A medium apple has less than 100 calories and is a good source of fiber and vitamin C, among other nutrients. When you’re buying apples, look for ones with smooth skin that’s free of wrinkles. And when you get them home, store in a cool, dry place. A refrigerator will do just fine. In terms of variety, there are so many good ones. Just be sure that if you’re making this apple cobbler recipe, you choose apples suited for baking. Or better yet, choose ones that are both good for eating and baking. Honeycrisp apples, for instance, are a delight to eat but also behave beautifully in baking applications. So do Golden Delicious, Cortland and Pink Lady apples.
SARAH WALKER CARON is a Bangor-based food writer and a senior editor for the Bangor Daily News. 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.”
PHOTO: (RECIPE) SARAH WALKER CARON; (TOP) LILY_ROCHHA/THINKSTOCK
Apple Cobbler
A GLISTENING APPLE, so alluring and inviting, is held in the outstretched hand of a little old woman in Snow White. She takes it, not knowing the woman is really her Evil Stepmother, and collapses after a bite — poisoned. In biblical stories, it’s the forbidden fruit. In mythologies, it holds many meanings. From folklore to art to legends, apples are intertwined with our history and culture in myriad ways. And perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise — the fruit has a long history.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 23
HEALTH & FITNESS
HIKE ME
ESCAPES Hikes that highlight the beauty of ice. STORY & PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI
SNOW CRUNCHING underfoot, the couple followed the trail leading into Furth Wildlife Sanctuary in Surry. Their breath curled into clouds in the cold air, and as they walked, they talked, their words floating through the frozen forest. Now and then the two hikers stopped to pull off their mittens and photograph the beautiful scenery with their phones. In the peaceful forest, moss crept up the trunks of white cedars and peaked through patches of snow. Pools of ice, lined with concentric circles, filled dips in the terrain. And flashy clusters of lichen curled from trees and boulders. Balancing carefully over a narrow footbridge, the couple traveled deeper into the sanctuary to the edge of a rushing brook. A thin layer of ice lined its banks, an intricate pattern of frozen feathers, overlapping and reaching toward the swift-moving water. There the two walkers sat for just a few minutes, listening to the tinkle of the water and the distant drumming of a woodpecker. They breathed in the fresh air, held mittened hands and took a moment to enjoy the winter. 24 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
Lung lichen adorns a tree beside a trail in Talalay Nature Sanctuary.
FURTH AND TALALAY SANCTUARIES IN SURRY EASY
FEATURING ABOUT 2 MILES of connecting footpaths, the Furth and Talalay sanctuaries are two rectangular parcels of forestland located beside each other in the small town of Surry. These sanctuaries are owned by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust, and their tall trees are home to many nesting migratory birds. Both sanctuaries feature a 1-mile loop trail, and these two loop trails are connected near the visitor parking area. The Talalay Nature Sanctuary loop trail travels through a mossy old-growth forest filled with towering white pines and hemlocks, old white and yellow birch trees, and stands of northern white cedars. And the Furth Wildlife Sanctuary’s loop trail visits evidence of a growing colony of beavers before winding through
a mixed forest with beautiful brooks, which the trail crosses on wooden footbridges. Access is free, and dogs are not permitted. For more information, call the Blue Hill Heritage Trust at 207374-5118 or visit bluehillheritagetrust.org. DIRECTIONS: The parking lot for both Furth and Talalay sanctuaries is located on Cross Road in Surry. To get there from downtown Ellsworth, take Route 172-W Main Street toward Blue Hill and drive for 6.5 miles, then turn left onto Route 176-Morgan Bay Road. Drive 2.7 miles, then turn left onto Cross Road. Drive 0.6 mile and turn right into the parking area, which is also used by visitors to the Carter Nature Preserve.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 25
HEALTH & FITNESS
HIKE ME
CANAL PATH MODERATE
THIS 3-MILE LONG hiking trail travels through a lovely mixed forest along the banks of St. George River to visit what remains of the historic Georges River Canal, which dates back to the late 1700s. Along the way, interpretive displays describe aspects of the canal system that are still visible today. This trail is one of several trails that make up the 50-mile Georges Highland Path, a network of low-impact footpaths in the midcoast region built and maintained by the Georges River Land Trust. Marked with blue blazes, the trail weaves through tall evergreens and beds of ferns, never traveling far from the banks of St. George River. In fact, several sections of the trail travel right along the edge of the rushing water, which freezes into fascinating ice formations along the banks in the wintertime. Access is free, and dogs are permitted if on leash. For more information, visit www. georgesriver.org or call the Georges River Land Trust at 207-594-5166. DIRECTIONS: The north trailhead is located by Robbins Lumber. From the Fraternity Village Store in Searsmont, near the intersection of Route 131 and Route 173, head south on 131 for 1.7 miles to Ghent Road on the left. Travel 0.25 mile on Ghent Road to the parking area on the right, just after crossing the bridge. You will need to walk back over the bridge on foot to reach the trailhead, which is marked with a kiosk. The south trailhead is located at the Appleton Preserve parking area. From the intersection of Route 17 and Route 131 in Union, travel north on Route 131 for 7.8 miles. Turn right onto Route 105, and the parking area is in 0.4 mile on the right. 26 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
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HEALTH & FITNESS
HIKE ME
RUMFORD WHITECAP MOUNTAIN CHALLENGING
WITH A LONG, GRANITE ridge that tops off at 2,214 feet above sea level, Rumford Whitecap Mountain offers a moderately challenging day hike to panoramic views of the mountainous wilderness of western Maine and New Hampshire. Starting out in a quiet mixed forest, the 5-mile out-and-back hike is a fairly continuous climb, crossing several tumbling brooks on the way to the mountain’s open summit. During the winter, the water continues to flow off the mountain, forming icicles and frozen foam along the way, so be sure to wear waterproof boots and bring your camera. Much of the mountain is located on Mahoosuc Land Trust’s 752-acre Rumford White Cap Mountain Preserve, where two blazed hiking trails lead to its top. Along the way, keep an eye out for a wide variety of tree species, including large white and yellow birch trees, stands of striped maple, tall hemlocks and red pines. In fact, the mountain is home to what’s thought to be the largest red pine woodland in the state, covering 210 acres. Access is free, and dogs are permitted if kept under control at 28 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
all times. For more information, visit mahoosuc.org or call the Mahoosuc Land Trust at 207-824-3806. DIRECTIONS: From the bridge over Swift River spanning from the town of Mexico to the town of Rumford, drive to Rumford (west) on Route 2-Lincoln Avenue 0.2 mile, then turn left onto Route 2-Hancock Street. Drive 0.4 mile, then turn right onto Route 2-Rumford Avenue. Drive 0.5 mile on Rumford Avenue, which becomes Franklin Street along the way, then turn right onto Route 2-Bridge Street. Drive 5.6 mile to Rumford Center, where you turn right onto Andover Road. Drive 4.5 mile, then turn right onto East Andover Road. Drive about 0.2 mile and the gravel parking lot for the preserve is on the left. The parking lot is plowed year round. You’ll see on a trail map posted on a kiosk at the parking area that two trails lead up the mountain. Both trails start across East Andover Road from the parking area, on either side of the brook.
For more of Aislinn Sarnacki’s adventures, visit her blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter: @1minhikegirl. Her guidebook, “Family-Friendly Hikes in Maine,” released in May 2017, is available at local bookstores, Down East Books and online booksellers.
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HOW TO
MAKE VALENTINE’S BOBA
Make Your Own TASTY TOPPINGS Bobas are a sweet treat to make with your little Valentines. STORY & PHOTOS BY AMY ALLEN
TRADITIONAL BOBA is a big, chewy, flavored tapioca ball, sometimes found in the bottom of bubble tea, sometimes spotted among frozen yogurt topping options. Kind of fun, kind of weird — and not to be confused with a certain Star Wars bounty hunter (that’s Boba Fett and my kids were disappointed that he does not have a role in this project). If giant tapioca balls sound kind of gross, we’ve got a great alternative and they’re fun to make for kids of all ages. These gelatine bobas can be flavored with juice or Gatorade — we opted for Gatorade in pretty Valentine’s colors. When the gelatine hits the cold oil, little balls form and after they set they make a fun and tasty topping for ice cream or yogurt. While boba are usually marble-sized, we had the best results making them a little smaller — about the size of caviar. The bigger they got, the more they just looked like little gelatine plops. It was lots of fun experimenting with these and trying different colors and flavors. We did test them using Jell-o, which works, but this gelatine recipe gave us the best results. For the ice cream we’re sharing a tried and true recipe. We made this ice cream in a bag recipe as a magazine project before, and we’ve made it at home several times since. It’s fun, simple, individually portioned and some of the tastiest ice cream ever. Add mini chocolate chips, M&Ms, sprinkles or your favorite ice cream addition, and top with these tasty and colorful boba for a pop of added flavor and a pretty Valentine’s dessert.
What you’ll need: TO MAKE BOBA: • Vegetable oil
• Gatorade (you could also use fruit juice) • Unflavored gelatine • Small strainer or slotted spoon • Eye dropper or straws TO MAKE ICE CREAM IN A BAG: • 1/2 cup milk • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 2 Tbsp. sugar • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract • Mini chocolate chips (or other candy) • Ice and kosher salt • Gallon- and sandwich-sized Ziplock bags
30 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
Directions: TO MAKE BOBA: 1. Pour 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in a bowl and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. I left mine in there a little too long and it froze solid – but fear not, it will thaw quickly if left on the counter for 10-15 minutes. You want the oil to be ice cold, not frozen. 2. In a small bowl, mix one envelope (.25 oz.) of unflavored gelatine (available in the baking aisle near the Jell-o) to 1/4 cup of Gatorade. Let it sit while you bring 3/4 cup of Gatorade to boil. Whisk everything together thoroughly and let it cool for about 15 minutes. 3. Now for the fun part: Using an eye dropper or straw, drip the Gatorade mixture into the cold oil. The gelatine will form little balls instantly. We found the smaller ones looked the most like boba, but we had fun experimenting with all sizes of drops. 4. Put the bowl in the refrigerator to let your gelatine bobas finish setting. When you’re ready to eat them, just strain and rinse them thoroughly.
Directions: TO MAKE ICE CREAM IN A BAG: 1. Add ice and about 1/3 cup of kosher salt to a gallon-sized Ziplock bag. 2. In a sandwich-sized Ziplock bag, add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Sprinkle in mini chocolate chips or other candy if desired. Seal and gently shake to mix ingredients. 3. Double bag your ingredients in another sandwich bag to prevent any leaks. Then place the small bags in the large bag of ice and salt. Shake it for 10-15 minutes until the ice cream hardens. (Wear mittens to keep hands from getting too cold — and make it more fun.) If your ice cream still needs a little more freezing time, pop it in the freezer. 4. Spoon the ice cream out of the bag, top with your boba and enjoy!
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 31
HOW TO
MAKE AN AVOCADO HAIR MASK
D I Y
Fight winter frizz and dryness with this do it yourself hair treatment. BY SARAH WALKER CARON
32 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
THREE INGREDIENTS. One mask. Twenty minutes. That’s all that stands between you and softer, moisturized hair. This easy beauty product recipe is a cinch to make with overripe avocados (you know … the one you forgot in the dark corner of the fridge). Apple cider vinegar is a natural califier that will help remove product build-up from your hair. And coconut oil has wonderful moisturizing properties. If you make this, be warned that it has a strong scent. Also, it can get a little messy. You’ll want to seclude yourself in the bathroom while it’s on your hair. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse it off in the shower. Shampoo and condition as usual.
PHOTOS: DASHU83, MAGONE, THOMAS NORTHCUT, KAZMULKA/THINKSTOCK
HAIR MASK
NOURISHING AVOCADO HAIR MASK YIELDS 1 MASK This treatment combines three ingredients to remove buildup from your hair, make it soft and make it shiny. INGREDIENTS: 1 avocado, pitted and peeled 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp coconut oil Mash the avocado into a paste, leaving as few chunks as possible. Add the vinegar and coconut oil and stir well to combine. Rub the mixture all over your hair and scalp, taking care to spread it all around. I suggest styling the hair in an up-do ... for fun, and to keep the hair contained while it has the mask on. Let the avocado mixture sit on your head for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water. Then shampoo once or twice. Follow with a little conditioner, if desired.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 33
HOME & FAMILY
Cyber Wolves IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
Staying safe on the internet. BY JANE MARGESSON, AARP MAINE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
34 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
MANY ADULTS SEEK companionship and romance online. Around Valentine’s Day, online dating increases dramatically. It is easy to create a profile so the dating website can serve as the matchmaker, sorting through millions of other profiles. While many online users are transparent and honest, online dating sites are also popular with fraudsters actively searching for individuals to manipulate. If this sounds like an unlikely ploy, consider this: According to the FBI, Americans lost $82 million to online dating fraud in the second half of 2014 alone. Faith-based online dating sites are often a favorite target for scammers. Judy Shaw, administrator for the Maine Office of Securities, explains why: “Try as they may, online dating sites do not succeed in keeping scammers from posing as legitimate people looking for love. When the dating site is faith-based, that adds the ability to use mutual love for God as an additional connection to tug at the emotional heart strings. People, often women, have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on these sites.” This is what is called “affinity fraud” — we trust people whom we can relate to and who we believe share the same morals and beliefs as we do. AARP Maine is working with agencies and law enforcement in the state to crack down on scammers. More broadly, the AARP Fraud Watch Network (FWN), a national initiative, is taking a proactive stance, urging dating websites themselves to take commonsense steps to fight back against criminals who are stealing hearts and bank accounts.
PHOTO: CHONLACHAI/THINKSTOCK
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO HELP YOU SPOT A ROMANCE CON ARTIST: WATCH OUT IF YOU “MEET” SOMEONE WHO: • wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal email or instant messaging to communicate with you • makes several spelling and grammar mistakes when communicating • sends a personal photo that looks like something from a glamour magazine • professes love too quickly • claims to be from the U.S., but is traveling or working overseas • makes excuses about not being able to speak by phone • plans to visit, but cancels at the last minute because of a traumatic event or a business deal gone sour • asks for money for a variety of reasons (travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospitals bills for child or other relative, visas or other official documents, losses from a financial setback)
• requests you to wire money or to cash a check or money order and send money back or to a third person; and • makes several, ongoing requests for more money. For more scam awareness tips, visit www.aarp.org/ fraudwatchnetwork. If you suspect a scam, please contact local law enforcement or the AARP Fraud Watch Network hotline: 1-877-908-3360. It is prudent to remember that although we all want to make that special connection and find fulfillment with another person, when online interaction is involved, particular care must be taken. It is far better to be momentarily lovelorn than permanently fleeced. Keep your warm heart safe with a cool head when seeking connections online.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 35
HOME & FAMILY
POP OF
Color PHOTO: SCOVAD/THINKSTOCK
Adding color to my home has been a huge mood-booster. BY KATIE SMITH
36 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
FOR OVER a decade, I’ve stuck to neutral colors for my house. Accessories, furniture, paint and dishes only come home with me if they are shades of white, beige, brown, black, or gray. Pieces like this are safe and easy; you always know you can move things from room to room and they will meld well with the other décor. I’ve always been drawn to simplicity. But over time I realized the biggest reason I’ve shied away from bold hues is because a neutral pallet soothes me. Without a lot of colors in my surroundings, things don’t pop out at me as much and have a way of fading away into the background of my mind, which is what I thought I needed in my life. Last winter, I had a change of heart. I started craving color. Instead of grabbing home décor magazines with neutral covers, I went for the ones with bright colors. My Pinterest boards filled with rooms featuring colorful accents and unpredictable shades. I kept thinking it would pass, and I’d be glad I stuck with what I knew and did best: My neutral palette. It had suited me for this long. But the urge to try something new wouldn’t leave. I didn’t want to do something subtle, either. I pictured big pops of Kelly green and pink, not just any pink; hot pink.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 37
One afternoon, I bought a green vase that had swirls of green and white. Filling it with bright pink roses, I set it on my dining room table and immediately felt so alive. Then I took down a large painting I had done a few years ago and squirted pink and green paint all over it. It was black, white and gray stripes and I began swirling pink and green paint onto the canvas. I didn’t really have a plan but I couldn’t stop myself. I took a couple of accents I already had lying around, an antler, a little bowl, and a candle holder and took some hot pink spray paint to them. Next came a silk hot pink throw on the back of the sofa. My kids told me I was over doing it, 38 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
PHOTO: TOMAP49, KATARZYNABIALASIEWICZ/ THINKSTOCK
HOME & FAMILY
REALTORS
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but I paid them no mind. I was loving being around color for the moment. It was clear they had been living in a neutral world much too long as well. I bought a blush pink duvet and shams for my bedroom and ripped off my white blanket that had been at the foot of my bed for years. I spotted curtains that were plastered with huge green palm leaves and bought them in an instant — they were perfect. As I was pulling down the plain white drapes I had made almost 10 years ago, by son walked by my room and said, “Mom, it looks like a tropical island resort in here.” Good, that’s what I needed in my life: to feel like I was on vacation every day.
Every morning when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was how pretty the bright curtains looked in the morning sun against the landscape outside. When I came downstairs to start my day, it didn’t matter how tired I was, the painting paired with the bright accents made me smile and gave me a pang of energy. Almost like a jolt of caffeine for my eyes. I never knew how much color could boost my moods. And while I’ll probably never have a home with more than a few different colors — and I still adore my white walls — I will always have pops of bright color. It has been a small thing I’ve done to lift my moods and I’ll need it in my life forever. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 39
HOME & FAMILY
Indoor
FAMILY FUN 40 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
How your family can battle the winter blues. BY SARAH COTTRELL
THERE IS A SPECIAL EXCITEMENT that spreads when the first snow falls in Maine. Kids everywhere rush to grab sleds and parents everywhere start eyeing up the hot chocolate supplies. At some point, though, the charm of winter turns into a bleak outlook when it begins to feel like spring will never show up. At our house, we have come up with a few clever ways to bring a touch of spring inside to help fend off those last gray, cold weeks of winter.
PHOTOS: METTUS, ANIKASALSERA/THINKSTOCK
#
PLANT A LAWN IN YOUR WINDOW
1
Using small terracotta pots, my kids and I plant grass and dot them throughout the house in the windows. Not only does this add a splash of bright green to feed our eyes, but when the grass grows we get super excited to trim the pots with scissors. A whiff of fresh cut grass on a cold February day does wonders for our spirits.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 41
HOME & FAMILY
#
INDOOR CAMPING
2
Sure, it might be too cold to go camping outside, but definitely not too cold to sleep under some pretend stars on your bedroom floor. Pop a tent inside, unroll some sleeping bags, and make some oven s’mores to get the feeling of camping really going. Sometimes we’ll even burn a citronella candle to get the smell just right as an added touch of summer.
42 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 43
PHOTOS: LIGHTFIELDSTUDIOS, KQCONCEPTS/THINKSTOCK
HOME & FAMILY
#
3
THROW A BEACH PARTY IN YOUR LIVING ROOM
Dress up in crazy summer clothes, including swimsuits and flip flops, throw some towels and blankets on the floor, and play some fun summer tunes while you sip on fruity drinks with swizzle sticks and straws. My kids even blow up their pool toys and sit on them while eating hot dogs and popsicles. It may sound wacky but it sure makes some fun memories!
#
4
START YOUR GARDEN EARLY
Why wait for spring to start planning your summer vegetable garden? There is nothing more inspiring than pouring over seed catalogues and dreaming about fresh tomatoes, plump cantaloupes and fistfuls of raspberries. With a few supplies from the local hardware store, you can start some seeds like tomatoes, herbs, and even flowers inside and watch the first leaves unfurl before your eyes while the world waits for that snow to melt outside.
44 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
PHOTOS: DOLGACHOV, DDEA, IVAN TRAIMAK/THINKSTOCK
Maine winters are stunningly beautiful and filled with many wonderful opportunities for making memories with friends and family. But even in the magic of Maine there comes a time when you just need a warm change of pace. With just a little bit of imagination and not much money anyone can conjure up the feeling of spring.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 45
FEATURE
IN CONVERSATION
LIFE AFTER
'Survivor’ 46 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
Catching up with the retired Maine psychics teacher 10 years later.
PHOTOS: (ORIGINAL BEACH PHOTO) SCALIGER/ THINKSTOCK; (CROWLEY) COURTESY OF CBS
BY JODI HERSEY
IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS since retired physics teacher Bob Crowley won the CBS reality show “Survivor” and yet he still gets stopped by fans everywhere he goes. “I don’t feel like a celebrity until someone recognizes me,” said Crowley. “I’m a regular guy from Maine who just happened to be on a show that 13 million Americans watched as though it was the last thing in the world to watch.” Crowley spent 39 days in Gabon, a small West African country where “Survivor: Gabon — Earth’s Last Eden” was taped in 2008. There he competed against 17 other contestants in both physical and mental challenges while also enduring the heat, the bugs and sometimes hunger. It was a far cry from his home in southern Maine, but he said it was an opportunity and an experience of a lifetime. “I’d go back in a heartbeat,” he said. “I like the competitions, the challenges and just the exotic locations the shows are in. That’s what I find most exciting.” Crowley, who always wore his signature bow tie during taping, admits he never watched “Survivor” before he was on the show. Now he never misses an episode.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 47
FEATURE
IN CONVERSATION
Bob Crowley and his wife Peggy created a Maine version of “Survivor” called the Durham Warriors Survival Challenge. It’s a four day event that pits 17 strangers against one another in several different challenges. All the proceeds benefit the Durham Warriors Project, a nonprofit that covers the cost for disabled veterans, active duty military and their families, as well as nonprofits to stay at Crowley’s Maine Forest Yurts campground free of charge.
48 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
“I have to keep track of it in case they invite me back on,” Crowley said. “They’ve called me up half a dozen times to put my name on the whiteboard, but I’ve never been back. If I do go back, I want to know what strategies people are using, and chances are if I go back, I’ll go back with people who have been on the show, so I have to do my due diligence.” Crowley is the oldest winner in “Survivor” history. The then-57-year-old earned the $1,000,000 prize and was also selected the Season 17 fan favorite, a separate monetary prize for being the audience’s favorite “Survivor” player during the season. Crowley used his winnings to create Maine Forest Yurts, a campground in Durham made for outdoor enthusiasts. “I won fan favorite on the show and bought a tractor with that money and essentially bought this farm which helped me start Maine Forest Yurts,” he said. “I get up in the morning and pinch myself, not solely for [winning] ‘Survivor’ but because I’m such a lucky guy with an incredible wife and family and an incredible life here in a beautiful state.” The famous Mainer has used his celebrity status to create a Maine version of “Survivor” called the Durham Warriors Survival Challenge. It’s a four day event that pits 17 strangers against one another in several different challenges. All the proceeds benefit the Durham Warriors Project, a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that covers the cost for disabled veterans, active duty military and their families, as well as nonprofits to stay at Crowley’s Maine Forest Yurts campground free of charge. It’s a gathering that attracts “Survivor” players from past seasons along with lots of “Survivor” show fans. “All the fundraising and benefits I’ve done in the last decade since I’ve been on the show is what I’m the most proud of,” Crowley said. “Peggy and I have gone to a large number of fundraisers all over the country and that’s when I really realize I fall right in with the rest of the celebrities who have been on the show.” Crowley’s wife Peggy said the show has provided the couple with opportunities they never imagined.
“We’ve had so many wonderful things and so many opportunities to meet great people and go to great places because of it and it still keeps happening,” Peggy said. Crowley gets stopped by TV viewers from Maine to California and everywhere in between. “Last year we were in Florida and pulled into a Walmart parking lot and the guy beside us said, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re Bob from “Survivor,”’ and at that time it had been eight years since I was the show,” Crowley said. Despite all his fame and fortune, Peggy said Bob hasn’t changed a bit. “He handles it really well. He’s regular Bob and when he wants to be recognized he leaves the farm, puts his bow tie on and goes trolling for fans,” she said with a laugh. “He hasn’t changed but he loves the attention.” Crowley admits the recognition is flattering and he never gets tired of talking about his experience with anyone who will listen.
PHOTOS: (DURHAM WARRIORS) COURTESY OF LISA LITTEL; (CROWLEY) COURTESY OF CBS; (THATCH) GAELGOGO/THINKSTOCK
CROWLEY IS THE OLDEST WINNER IN “SURVIVOR” HISTORY. THE THEN-57-YEAR-OLD EARNED THE $1,000,000 PRIZE AND WAS ALSO SELECTED THE SEASON 17 FAN FAVORITE, A SEPARATE MONETARY PRIZE FOR BEING THE AUDIENCE’S FAVORITE “SURVIVOR” PLAYER DURING THE SEASON. “We were in California a couple of years ago and my daughter Page said, ‘Hey Ma, nobody’s talked to dad in three days. He’s getting depressed. Let’s go back to Maine where they know who he is,’” Crowley explained. Whether he returns to the big screen or not is up to the “Survivor” show producers. In the meantime, Crowley plans to enjoy each and every day to the fullest right here in Maine. “We are maintaining the lifestyle we always did. I still have trucks that don’t work and a boat that breaks down and I’m working on the trailer. So I’m still living the dream,” Crowley said.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 49
FEATURE
MANNERS? That time a Maine stage actress schooled a Hollywood celebrity on proper manners. BY JULIA BAYLY
50 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
PHOTO: (ORIGINAL) FRANKPETERS/THINKSTOCK
PERFECT…
IT’S NOT EVERYDAY that a Maine actress rubs elbows with famous Hollywood celebrities here in Bangor — or schools them on proper manners. But that’s what Julie Arnold Lisnet, a veteran stage actress and director from Bangor, remembers doing 23 years ago. “The Langoliers,” a made-for-TV movie based on King’s short story of a group of airline passengers stranded at Bangor International Airport in mysterious space-time vortex, was filmed in Bangor in the summer of 1994 and a couple of local faces appeared in it alongside stars like Patricia Wettig, best known for her role on the television series “Thirtysomething.” CASTING 101 Lisnet, a co-founder of Ten Bucks Theatre Company, was among those who auditioned for a role. The audition was set for 7 a.m. in the former Bangor International Airport bar,
a time of day that she said is “not the best hour for an actor.” “I was one that got sent in for a specific part [and] it was the funkiest audition I’ve ever had,” Lisnet said. Regardless, Lisnet nailed the audition with the film’s director and was cast as the aunt of the movie’s youngest character played by then13-year-old Kate Maberly. Also cast was then-9-year-old David Kelly, who is still in Bangor. Kelly was given one line to read for the part of “Boy Number One” — and blew it. All Kelly had to do was say “Daddy,” but instead he read the lines written below in the script by mistake. “Yeah, I messed it up,” Kelly recalled with a laugh. “But I also remember Stephen King was in the trailer with us and that was cool.” Even more cool for Kelly was the fact he was cast in the movie despite his miscues.
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FEATURE Kelly acted alongside Stevie [Dunham] McGary, who is now artistic director at Robinson Ballet Company. McGary played Kelly’s movie sister and jokingly remembers, “I had eight lines, and [David] had eight letters.” RUBBING ELBOWS The experience was an unusual one for local actors, who were suddenly working alongside nationally known stars. When Lisnet got the call to come in for filming, her first stop on the set at the Bangor airport was costume, hair and makeup, where she found herself seated next to actress Wettig. “The makeup artist introduced us and [Wettig] jumped up, shakes my hand and says, ‘I’m Patty, nice to meet you,’” Lisnet said. “I just kept telling myself, ‘don’t sit there with your mouth hanging open, be cool.’” Turned out, most of the cast and crew could not have been nicer or easier to work with, Lisnet said. With one, glaring exception. “Keep in mind a lot of making a movie
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is standing around and waiting,” she said. “It was time to shoot my first scene where we were literally standing in line to get on the plane and this is when I first met Kate.” Lisnet said she and Maberly exchanged pleasant small talk and soon were joined by the actor Bronson Pinchot, playing the major role of Craig Toomey, who was also in the scene. “He just started trash talking to this kid, saying things like ‘can you believe we are stuck here in this podunk town working with a bunch of rubes?’” Lisnet said. “He’s going on to her about how the food sucked, the hotels sucked and everything just sucked and he’s looking at me the whole time, like he wants to make sure I’m hearing it.” Pinchot, best known for the comedic character Balki Bartokomous on “Perfect Strangers,” remembers that time and said he can understand why Lisnet may have had a wrong impression of his behavior, as he was playing a villain in the movie and wanted to remain in character as much as possible. “Since Craig Toomey was such a departure for me at that juncture in my career, I actually took the step of sequestering myself from everyone so that
I would not be tempted to make small talk thus falling into my normal gregarious ways and inadvertently slipping out of the villainous character,” Pinchot said in an email. “Placing me in this ungentlemanly reminiscence is an error; and yet, I must say it is a perfectly understandable one: it certainly makes a temptingly juicy story to say the actor playing the snotty villain was in fact a snotty villain.” Lisnet definitely remembers “the villain.” “At one point, Pinchot turns and just gives me this incredibly smug and selfcentered look and I gave him a dirty look right back,” she said. “He looked at me and said, ‘What’s your problem?’ and I said to him, ‘You’re being an ass.’” Lisnet said she went on to say that, as a major celebrity, Pinchot should be acting as an example of how to behave politely on movie set to their young co-star. His response? “What would you know about it,” Pinchot snarked, according to Lisnet. “I also told him I know a jerk when I see one, so why don’t you turn around and not worry about talking to me,” she said. “When he tried to appear interested in me a moment later, I was not buying it because it was so insincere so I told him, ‘Why don’t
you stop bugging me, turn the F around and at the catered VIP food buffet. Kelly, Lisnet and McGary are all still don’t talk to me again.’” “I told him we had speaking parts so we receiving residual payments from the Pinchot, who said young actors should could eat that food if we wanted,” McGary film for their roles — though they aren’t never be exposed to “jaded” behavior, said said. “Here I was, this little kid being so big payments. his behavior was all in the spirit of staying nonchalant telling a celebrity that.” “This last one was for $29.45,” Lisnet in character — something he laughed. “I guess people still rent took great lengths to do. He that movie.” deliberately kept apart from Kelly said his have shrunk to the rest of the cast to further around $5 every couple of years PINCHOT, WHO SAID YOUNG ACTORS reduce any chances of stepping while McGary said she received a SHOULD NEVER BE EXPOSED TO out of character. $15 check last year. “The assistant director Looking back, Lisnet said she “JADED” BEHAVIOR, SAID HIS and his staff very kindly has no regrets taking her shot in accommodated me, always the movies. BEHAVIOR WAS ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF finding some place for me Well, maybe just one. STAYING IN CHARACTER — SOMETHING to wait that was far from “If only it had been ‘Dolores everybody, with a person Claiborne,’” she said. “I would HE TOOK GREAT LENGTHS TO DO. actually assigned to keep me in have killed to be in that movie.” quarantine as it were,” Pinchot As for Pinchot, he said liked HE DELIBERATELY KEPT APART FROM said. “I even requested, rather being in Maine — for the most part. THE REST OF THE CAST TO FURTHER than living at the hotel which “I have fond memories of was quite close to the set, a this challenging shoot, all except REDUCE ANY CHANCES OF STEPPING cabin so far out into the woods the part where I was drenched that the ‘directions’ necessitated in ‘blood,’ day after day, in the OUT OF CHARACTER. resetting the odometer no fewer humid heat,” he said. “The blood than three times.” was made of Karo syrup dyed Lisnet wasn’t the only one red, and if when I die if any of my who remembers speaking to Pinchot. RESIDUAL MEMORIES actual sins — as opposed to this imaginary McGary said she had her own, brief, These days, the movie set is long in the one — sends me to hell, I know Lucifer exchange with him after the actor past but those local actors are still getting will be waiting for me with a bucket of informed her she was not allowed to be a little pay from their film experience. Karo syrup.”
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FEATURE
MOVIES Filmed in Maine MAINE'S CRASHING SURF and crusty characters might seem ideal backdrops for Hollywood movies. In truth, however, many films set here are shot elsewhere. Remember Stephen King’s “Shawshank Redemption,” based in the Thomaston prison but filmed in Ohio? Or “Andre,” inspired by the cuddly Rockport harbor seal, shot in British Columbia? The Maine Film Office probably cringes whenever cheap labor fees and other factors lure production crews out of state. However, it deserves a pat on the back for the motion pictures it and others shot here. Wikipedia lists 35 such features, stretching back to 1918’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” the 1957 drama “Peyton Place,” even 1994’s “Forrest Gump,” with its fleeting view of Port Clyde’s Marshall Point Light. How many can you name? Following is a short list of some of the best.
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PHOTOS: (BOTTOM) GURUXOOX/THINKSTOCK; (MOVIES) COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW
BY RICHARD SHAW
“CAROUSEL” (1956)
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most lyrical musical, starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, was filmed in Boothbay Harbor. After a spat with director Henry King, Frank Sinatra, cast as carnival barker Billy Bigelow, quit the production on the first day. But it still grossed millions at the box office.
“A NEW LEAF” (1971)
Elaine May’s black comedy, adapted from Jack Ritchie’s short story, “The Green Heart,” has Baxter State Park as a backdrop. May shared the screen with comedic legends Walter Matthau and Jack Weston and used the region’s gorgeous scenery to its full advantage.
“PET SEMATARY” (1989)
Stephen King’s novel was filmed in Hancock Point, where even the starring cats got their own trailer. Many King fans put this picture at the top of their most loved adaptations. Fred Gwynne, Dale Midkiff, and Miko Hughes share the credits. But it’s King’s cameo as a preacher, filmed in Bangor’s Mount Hope Cemetery, that steals the show.
“THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE” (1993)
Based on Isabelle Holland’s 1972 novel, this moving story of a relationship between a troubled pupil and his teacher benefits from Maine’s rugged midcoast scenery, particularly Camden and Rockport. Local extras appear in the final graduation scene, shot at Bowdoin College. Director Mel Gibson also stars, supported by actors Nick Stahl and Margaret Whitton.
“THE CIDER HOUSE RULES” (1999)
Co-stars Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron still were not megastars when this movie, based on John Irving’s 1985 novel, was filmed. Most of the locations were in Massachuetts. But crews also ventured into Tremont, Schoodic Point, and Sand Beach at Acadia National Park, where an iconic poster shot of the two lovers was shot. Michael Caine, who didn’t appear in Maine, won an Oscar for his turn as Dr. Wilbur Larch.
“IN THE BEDROOM” (2001)
Filmed in Rockland, Old Orchard Beach, and other coastal locales, Todd Field’s tragic masterpiece stars Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson. Look for local police officers and a TV crew from Bangor, hired as extras.
“EMPIRE FALLS” (2005)
The hit HBO mini-series, based on Richard Russo’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the Empire Grill and a decaying mill town, employs the people and buildings of Skowhegan and other Maine towns as key players. Locals gathered each day to watch Paul Newman, Ed Harris, Dennis Farina, and other stars act like regular people.
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FEATURE
(Above) A famous Peyton Place movie still featuring Diane Varsi as Allison MacKenzie and Barry Coe as Rodney Harrington, shot on Camden’s Main Street. (Right) A similar view of Main Street today. (Far right) A paperback copy of Grace Metalious’ book and a map of Peyton Place filming locations in and around Camden. 56 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
Camden, 1957
How the film “Peyton Place,” came to be in a small Maine town. BY RICHARD SHAW
PHOTOS: NEW BY RICHARD SHAW; HISTORIC COURTESY OF CAMDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY, BANGOR DAILY NEWS AND RICHARD SHAW
“WHERE THE MOUNTAINS Meet the Sea” has been Camden’s motto since before most residents there were born. But in the summer of 1957, the picturesque midcoast Maine town tweeked its strait-laced image and became “Where the Locals Met Hollywood.” “Peyton Place,” a big budget 20th Century Fox movie, filmed in CinemaScope, was based on Grace Metalious’ smash 1956 novel about suicide, incest, scandal, murder and moral hypocrisy. Two other New England towns refused permission to shoot the racy story there, but in a bid to boost business, Camden’s town leaders, even a minister, agreed to open their community for filming, said Ardis Cameron, author of a 2015 book about the novel and movie. “This was a mill town and they needed the money,” said Cameron, who wrote “Unbuttoning America: A Biography of Peyton Place.” “After the movie became a hit, people flocked there to see where it had been filmed. It was never the same.”
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FEATURE
Still frames from the movie, including (top left) Diane Varsi as Allison MacKenzie and Barry Coe as Rodney Harrington, (top right) Lana Turner as Constance MacKenzie and Betty Field as Nellie Cross, (above) Lloyd Nolan as Dr. Matthew Swain, and (left) Hope Lange as Selena Crosswith taking Allison MacKenzie to Boston with the Camden Rexall Drug in the background.
(Right) The Peyton Place film crew on Camden’s Bay View Street in May 1957. 58 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
As early as April 26, 1957, when the Bangor Daily News ran a frontpage story announcing the filming location, there were hints this was going to be huge. “Today, [director] Mark Robson,” the BDN reported, “accompanied by unit production manager Henry Weinberger and artist Jack Smith, toured every street in Camden to select possible sites for filming.” On June 1, 1957, another front page article announced the arrival dates of the film’s stars. Coming by chartered airplane were Lee Philips, playing the part of school teacher Michael Rossi, and Diane Varsi, cast as Allison MacKenzie in her first movie role. Varsi’s character was the daughter of Lana Turner’s character, Constance MacKenzie. Russ Tamblyn, as young Norman Page, would arrive next, followed by Lloyd Nolan (Dr. Matthew Swain), Hope Lange (Selena Cross), Arthur Kennedy (Lucas Cross), Barry Coe (Rodney Harrington) and Betty Field (Nellie Cross). There was some filming beyond Camden, too. Locations doubling as the fictional New Hampshire town included Belfast’s First Church and Crosby High School, Knox County Courthouse in Rockland and Thomaston’s academy building. They still stand, along with most of the movie’s Camden homes, storefronts, mills and waterfront scenes. Today, tourists drop by the Camden Public Library to grab a map pinpointing movie sites, including the Camden-Rockport archway, Knox Woolen Mill, Whitehall Inn and Mount Battie, where Norman and Allison share their first kiss. “People are still captivated by ‘Peyton Place,’” said assistant library director Ken Gross, “even after 60 years. Several visitors last summer told me that when they come to Maine, they make a tradition of watching the movie every year.” Gross is something of a “Peyton Place” expert. As director of the library’s Walsh History Center, he maintains a movie collection that includes producer Jerry Wald’s personal film script, and an Aug. 26, 1957 issue of Life magazine with a photo-feature showing what appears to be half the town acting as extras — there were more than 500. Camden’s American Legion band heads the parade scene, and Fred Merrifield, who ran a farm on the slopes of Mount Battie, appears at the beginning when Philips asks directions into town. Often in 95-degree heat, film equipment was trucked up the mountain before a paved auto road would have been made it easier. Gov. Edmund Muskie hoped to drop by for the big parade and picnic scene. He never made it, dashing hopes to film him watching the festivities from a reviewing stand. “Local cooperation with movie executives continues to be good,” reported the Bangor Daily News, “with the only audible grumbling being from persons who haven’t as yet worked as extras and want to earn their pay [$10 a day].” Not everyone in Camden was so star-struck. Barbara Dyer, now the town’s 93-year-old unofficial historian, thought filming there would ruin its reputation. Metalious’ more shocking elements had been removed, and interior New Hampshire was shifted to a more gentle coastal Maine setting. Even Selena Cross, a dark-complectioned character in the book, became blonde, blue-eyed Hope Lange in the movie. But some still expressed reservations. “I thought the book was just awful,” Dyer recalled, “and didn’t want them to film it here. I didn’t watch any of the filming, but some people who didn’t need the money were extras. They donated money earned to the Camden Hospital. 20th Century Fox also donated a tidy sum.”
The Welcome to Camden archway was one of many town landmarks featured in the movie.
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FEATURE Over six decades, Dyer has softened her stance. She agreed to serve on a 50th-anniversary committee in 2007 that marked the milestone with personal appearances and trolley tours of movie sites guided by local publicist Terry Bregy. “I have met people who moved to Camden because they loved the film so much,” she said. “I have mellowed, but remember that in the 1950s, books and movies were censored. Now it is tame compared to productions of today.” After filming wrapped and Camden went back to being a sleepy mill town, if only for a time, the wondering began. Would Hollywood treat Metalious’ characters fairly, and how many local extras would appear on screen? On Dec. 11, the waiting was over as “Peyton Place” had its world premiere at the Camden Theatre. Anyone who could afford a ticket packed the small room to watch Technicolor scenes of their town, and to savor Franz Waxman’s lush musical score. The biggest laughs were unintentional. Gross recalled that audiences have long cracked up when they see Allison riding a Greyhound bus to New York, when it actually heads for Bangor. Also amusing is when she shows Norman her “secret” place, which turns out to be the top of Mount Battie, in reality a tourist mecca.
ON DEC. 11, THE WAITING WAS OVER AS “PEYTON PLACE” HAD ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT THE CAMDEN THEATRE. ANYONE WHO COULD AFFORD A TICKET PACKED THE SMALL ROOM TO WATCH TECHNICOLOR SCENES OF THEIR TOWN, AND TO SAVOR FRANZ WAXMAN’S LUSH MUSICAL SCORE.
(Top photos) Peyton Place author Grace Metalious. (Left) The original Peyton Place movie script, donated by producer Jerry Wald, can be seen at the Camden Public Library.
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“The movie may have portrayed a typical New England town a little too starkly and a little too romantically,” wrote Len Harlow in the Bangor Daily News, “... but it took nothing away from the State of Maine. Numerous plugs for the state and some of its cities were voiced.” Cameron said that Bette Davis and her husband, Gary Merrill, then residents of Cape Elizabeth, appeared at the premiere in place of Lana Turner, who didn’t come to Maine for filming. And Metalious, the brilliant but eccentric 32-year-old author, was not even invited. In a shrewd deal some found insulting, Wald had paid her $125,000 for one-time rights to film her novel, but talked her into selling away its title for all time. Today, Cameron recalled, the book’s copyright is owned by Metalious’ heirs, but not its title. So, a subsequent “Peyton Place” movie sequel and hit 1960s TV series loosely based on its characters wasn’t the pay day it might have been. Metalious, overwhelmed by the attention brought on by a hit novel and movie, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1964. She was 39. Camden is a much busier town now than in 1957, with summertime traffic jams and windjammer and movie festivals. But “Peyton Place” is never far away in spirit. At the library, which didn’t have the book on its shelves before filming began, a lobby display shows movie memorabilia. Copies of Metalious’ then shocking novel, with a foreward in later editions penned by Cameron, is requested. Bookstores, including Stone Soup and the
(Top) The Peyton Place world premiere in Camden on Dec. 11, 1957 the Bangor Daily News story about the premier. (Above) Actress Bette Davis and husband, actor Gary Merrill, attended the premiere. (Above, right) Today the theater is an antiques store. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 61
FEATURE Owl and Turtle Bookshop Cafe carry it too. The Smiling Cow tourist shop and Marriner’s Restaurant are still Main Street staples, as they were in the movie, but the Tweed Shop, where Constance MacKenzie sold women’s apparel, Village Restaurant, and Western Auto closed years ago. Tamblyn, now 83 and the father of actress Amber Tamblyn, is one of the few “Peyton Place” stars still living. Some years ago, the library invited him to speak at the Camden Opera House on the making of the movie. It was a happy time in his life, he said. He hitchhiked to different sets every day, and spoke often by phone with Elvis Presley, who was renting his beachfront home in California. The only scene from the book he refused to film, he said, showed his mother bathing him. How could he ever face his colleagues back to Hollywood?
“THE BOOK HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN,” SAID CAMERON, WHO HAS SPOKEN AT FILM SCREENINGS IN CAMDEN. “METALIOUS WROTE ‘PEYTON PLACE’ TO MAKE MONEY, AND ENDED UP WRITING A FABULOUS BOOK ABOUT CHURCH STEEPLES AND SMALL TOWN SECRETS.
The Camden Public Library’s display of “Peyton Place” memorabilia.
He capped his Camden visit with a drive to Mount Battie’s summit, where he kissed his wife, Bonnie, just as he had done decades earlier in the iconic scene with Diane Varsi. “The book has a life of its own,” said Cameron, who has spoken at film screenings in Camden. “Metalious wrote ‘Peyton Place’ to make money, and ended up writing a fabulous book about church steeples and small town secrets. But the movie, with all its differences, is pretty riveting. You know, I actually like it a lot.”
(Left) “Peyton Place” movie still of Russ Tamblyn as Norman Page and Diane Varsi as Allison MacKenzie, at summit of Mount Battie in Camden. (Above) The viewing area at the top of Mount Battie today.
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GET OUT
CHICAGO
In Millennium Park ice skaters glide around the rink beneath The Chicago Bean.
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Visit
CHICAGO Get blown away by Chicago — just a plane ride away from Bangor. STORY & PHOTOS BY JULIA BAYLY
IF CHICAGO isn’t on your travel bucket list, it should be. I’ll admit it. Chicago had me at cupcake. I mean, really, what’s not to love about a city that is home not only to legendary blues, iconic buildings, major culinary spots, world class museums, five professional sports teams and comedy hot spots but also to an ACM — Automated Cupcake Machine. More on that ACM in a bit. The Windy City really does seem to have something for everyone. And it’s all within reach thanks to regularly scheduled flights from Bangor International Airport. Hugging the shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third largest city in the country, so for a first-time visitor like me, it can be a tad overwhelming. Luckily, Chicago is also a city that can be broken down into manageable itineraries. So, let’s break it down! The best way I found to get an overview was to board one of the open-air boats for a water tour of the city with Shoreline Sightseeing (600 East Grand Ave. at Navy Pier). The 90-minute trip on the three branches of The Chicago River included an introduction to the myriad of historic and cutting edge architectural styles that make up the city’s skyline. Along the way, our river docent William pointed out well known attractions like Willis Tower (which every self-respecting Chicagoan still refers to by its original name: The Sears Tower) and lesser known sights like the railroad drawbridge, near the Kinzie Street Bridge, an historical landmark that is only lowered once a year to allow a single vehicle to drive across it, thus maintaining its status as a working and — more importantly — federally funded bridge. Speaking of bridges, there are 32 over the Chicago River, all pedestrian-friendly and all offering varied and wonderful views of the waterfront and the city’s famous riverwalk. River cruises do run year round, except in cases of extreme weather, and the decks are open so it’s a good plan to dress accordingly. They are also pet friendly. My tiny dog Chiclet seemed to
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GET OUT
CHICAGO A river view of Chicago's iconic Willis Tower. Formerly known as the Sears' Tower, the 110-story skyscraper dominates the city's skyline and is a popular destination for visitors wanting a 360-degree view of The Windy City.
Passengers on Chicago’s Shoreline Sightseeing cruise snap photos of the city’s skyline.
Travel Tip
TOURING BY BOAT Chicago’s open-air boats are a great way to get a different perspective on the city and get your bearings. Shoreline Sightseeing offers a 90-minute trip on three branches of the Chicago River, with great views of the city’s many bridges and the Willis Tower (formerly The Sears Tower). 66 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
enjoy checking out the sites and exploring the boat’s main deck. The cruise begins and ends at Navy Pier. Once you’re back on dry land and your legs have recovered, it’s time to explore Chicago by foot. While there I was staying in the city’s trendy Gold Coast neighborhood, tucked up against the lake and an easy stroll from countless restaurants, museums and shopping. One day we took a walk along Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile,” the city’s upscale commercial district running 13-blocks north from Michigan Avenue. Money’s no object on what locals refer to as the “Mag Mile.” Can’t afford to shop at places like Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston or Dolce and Gabbana? No worries, window shopping is free and many of the shops welcome visitors who just want to eyeball the merchandise close up. The Mag Mile is also home to the historic Chicago Water Tower, the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building and the 100-story John Hancock Center. Our own window shopping took us three blocks up from The Magnificent Mile to the Oak Street shopping area where we wandered into The Frye Company (1007 North Rush Street) to check out the selection of leather shoes, boots and bags. There, we — and our tiny dogs — were welcomed by the staff and told we could look to our hearts’ content. I looked, I found, I liked and I ended up buying what is now my most favorite hat. Another day we put on our walking shoes and hoofed it over the Chicago River to Millenium Park to see one of the city’s most iconic works of art — the Cloud Gate Sculpture, more commonly known as “The Chicago Bean” due to its shape. The giant “bean” was designed by Anish Kapoor and is constructed out of 168 polished pieces of stainless steel plates. Visitors and the surrounding cityscape alike are reflected on its outer surface and walking through the sculpture is an auditory and optical illusion as both sound and reflections bounce off and are distorted by the metallic surfaces. It is one of the must-see areas for a touristy photo or selfie, but be advised — that means it’s also pretty crowded, so your photos are going likely have a lot of strangers in them. It’s also worth mentioning that Millenium Park, which has an ice skating
rink, concert hall and green space, is not pet-friendly. We were asked to leave by a park security official when she spotted the tiny dogs at our sides. Even the hardiest pavement pounders can get tired, and when that happens there may be no better city than Chicago to grab a cab. Simply raise your hand and within minutes a taxi is in front of you — even if they had to pull a U-turn and cross several lanes of traffic to do it. I took several cab rides while there and I have to say, those are some of the nicest drivers I have ever met. Everyone of them knew the city like the back of their hands and loved to talk about it. In fact, in two instances, our drivers made sure we were at the right destination and safely inside before leaving us. Fares getting around the city averaged around $20.
Chicago's skyline provides the perfect backdrop for a stroll along the city's riverwalk.
All that walking, shopping, sightseeing and cabbing around can work up one heck of an appetite. And when you are hungry, Chicago has you covered. I have to say, it wasn’t just the cabbies — everyone I met in Chicago could not have been nicer. As one resident told me, “Midwestern hospitality is a real thing.” All that walking, shopping, sightseeing and cabbing around can work up one heck of an appetite. And when you are hungry, Chicago has you covered. On my Chicago bucket list was trying Chicago deep dish pizza, something I found at Gino’s East. And not just any deep dish, we were able to dive into the eateries new “Deep AF Pizza” which contains even more cheese than the regular deep dish pie. They’ve been making the Chicago-style deep dish pizza the same way at Gino’s for 50 years with mounds of cheese, toppings and sauce slowly baked in cast iron pans and served table side right out of the skillet. There are five Gino’s in the city and we ended up at Gino’s Brew Pub on 500 North Lasalle Street. Located on the second floor of a three-story building, the pub is sort of a one-stop shopping experience for three things that make Chicago a fun city. The ground floor is home to Gino’s Brew Pub serving six flagship handcrafted beers along with a rotating selection of five seasonal brews. On the third floor is a comedy club featuring both known and up and coming comics live on stage in addition to musical acts. When not thinking about Chicago pizza, I was thinking about Chicago BBQ. We’ve all heard of Weber Grills, right? Who knew Weber was also a restaurant in Chicago at 539 North State Street? With a menu of just about anything grilled, I decided to try of all things the grilled black angus meatloaf served with green beans and mashed potatoes.
USEFUL WEBSITES Shoreline Sightseeing: shorelinesightseeing.com The Frye Company: www.thefryecompany.com Ginos East: www.ginoseast.com Weber Grill Restaurant: www.webergrillrestaurant.com Tavern on Rush: www.tavernonrush.com Sprinkles Cupcakes: sprinkles.com Hash House A Go Go: www.hashhouseagogo.com Chicago Tourism: www.choosechicago.com
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GET OUT
CHICAGO
Fresh cupcakes are available 24-hours a day thanks to Sprinkles Cupcakes and the bakery's ACM — Automated Cupcake Machine. Make a selection, swipe a credit card and voila... the door slides open and out comes your treat.
It was the ultimate in comfort food — smothered in barbecue sauce. Then there was Tavern on Rush (1031 North Rush Street), an upscale steakhouse serving an amazing brunch inside or on the patio in nicer weather. Over the years I’ve had my share of Eggs Benedict, but the Crab Cake Benedict I had there has rocketed into my top five favorites. Speaking of brunch, it’s also worth heading to the whimsically named Hash House A Go Go (1212 North State Parkway) where they serve — in their own words — “Twisted farm food.” Portions are massive — as good as the waffle, eggs, pork and gravy were, there was no way we could finish our individual portions. The whole place is decorated with tractor and farming memorabilia. And remember the cupcake machine? It’s part of Sprinkles Cupcakes on 50 East Walton Street and bills itself the world’s first cupcake ATM. Stocked 24-hours with freshly baked cupcakes like chocolate coconut, Cuban coffee, lemon, peanut butter chip and triple cinnamon, all you have to do is make your selection, swipe your credit card and moments later a door slides open to reveal your boxed pastry. They even have pup-cakes for your four-legged friends. I was in Chicago for a week and did not begin to scratch the surface of all there is to do and see there. But I got a pretty good taste of the city and can’t wait until the winds blow me back there again.
Travel Tip
DOG FRIENDLY CITY Chicago is a very dog-friendly city. While health codes do not allow pooches inside restaurants, places like Tavern On Rush do have outside patio seating and welcome four-footed friends.
At Acadia in Chicago, Chef Ryan McCuskey uses ingredients sourced from Maine to create whimsical gourmet spins on traditional coastal foods, like these tiny lobster rolls.
Spotlight On:
ACADIA RESTAURANT, CHICAGO
I TRAVELED MORE than 1,000 miles from Maine to enjoy some Down East and coastal cooking at Chicago’s four-star Acadia Restaurant. Chef Ryan McCaskey opened his Mainethemed eatery in the up and coming South Loop area of Chicago in 2011 with a menu inspired by childhood visits to the state. His menu reflects his time on the coast and features selections he’s created with ingredients sourced directly from Maine growers and producers like Yellow Birch Farm in Deer Isle and Island Creek Oyster Co. in Portland. To start the evening off, I had a Maine Campfire — served in a glass, not a fire pit. Bartender Jacob Ansari said the bourbonbased drink featuring Creole bitters was created to evoke those warm Maine evenings around a campfire with friends. McCaskey’s multi-course tasting menu
A little bit of Maine in Chicago. BY JULIA BAYLY reflects his love affair with the food of Maine, but with its own unique and decidedly upscale twist. Take the lobster rolls that we started off our meal with. Not only did they burst with the flavor of fresh Maine lobster pulled directly from the traps, they were the quintessential lobster rolls in appearance and presentation, but scaled down to a fraction of regular size. These mini-lobster rolls were served on a moss-lined wooden box and accompanied by trout roe. And that was only the beginning. For the next two hours our server and sommelier Michael Lanutti brought course after course including dishes like buttermilk biscuits with caviar, pumpkin and parsnip; Cod “billi bi” — or soup — made with spruce and cabbage; a playful spin on risotto made with Yukon gold potatoes in place of rice with green apples, truffles and herbs; a massaman
curry lobster dish; pork tenderloin with sauerkraut; and for dessert grapenut pudding with mango, fennel, mint and apples. At each coarse Lanutti also served the perfect white or red wine to accompany the food. “Chef loves Maine and really draws his inspiration from his time there,” Lunutti told us. “In fact, he goes back every summer and rents a house and we are all invited to come along.” And to further prove his love for all things Maine and his gourmet take on the state, each guest leaves Acadia with a goodie bag containing a print out of their menu, a list of local sources, a miniature whoopie pie and a small bag of fresh granola. Acadia is located at 1639 S Wabash Ave. Reservations may be made by calling (312) 360-9500. For more, visit acadiachicago.com.
www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 69
OUTSIDE
WOODS & WATERS
GEOLOGISTS The incredible history of Maine’s volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and oceans are hidden in our rocks. BY BOB DUCHESNE
70 / BANGOR METRO February 2018
IT ALL STARTED with a Big Bang. Clouds of hydrogen and helium were flung through the void to create the universe. About 4.5 billion years ago, our own solar system formed, and one of those dirty gas balls orbiting the sun became Earth. Eons of volcanic eruptions followed. Whole continents drifted around the globe, colliding with each other, then wrenching apart again. We’ve had a violent past. When new rocks are formed, they contain a locally unique set of minerals and crystals that serve as fingerprints. Thus we know that at one time Maine and Morocco were attached. They have the same rocks. One can imagine the violent earthquakes and huge volcanoes that accompanied the joining and splitting of continents. In fact, a team of Maine geologists is mapping those cataclysmic events right now. These experts can look back 450 million years, just by examining rocks in the woods. The Maine Geological Survey funds the study under the direction of Bob Marvinney, Maine State Geologist. Thirty years ago, some mapping was done in the northern Maine forest, but new techniques and opportunities are allowing geologists to improve their understanding of what lies beneath the surface. That’s critically important, because such knowledge helps to protect groundwater, locate other natural resources, and guide prudent development. We already know that Maine’s unique geology precludes hydraulic
PHOTO: RICKBERK/THINKSTOCK
are Rock Stars
fracturing, or “fracking,” in this state. We just don’t have the right kind of bedrock, nor deposits of natural gas. But we do have excess arsenic in our well water. The research is surprisingly simple. What geologists are looking for is bedrock — outcroppings in the woods where the topsoil has been removed, either through erosion or the construction of logging roads. From these little clues, they can map where similar deposits begin and end, and where they overlap with dissimilar deposits. That’s where it gets really exciting. Geologists can read the rocks and know what happened hundreds of millions of years ago. Last summer, in the North Maine Woods west of Ashland, they showed me how it’s done. Much of it is simple physics. Wherever a stream carries silt, or a volcano flings rocks, the heavier material falls out more quickly. An eruption hurls pebbles farther than it throws boulders. Rivers carry sand farther than they wash stones. From such clues, geologists can tell how big the eruptions were and how powerful the rivers were simply by mapping where deposits settled. At our first stop was a deposit of small
rocks embedded in younger sandstone and limestone, forming a mosaic of new rock called a conglomerate. This was once the ocean’s edge back when the Appalachian Mountains were as tall as the Rockies are now — about 360 million years ago. We know that the stones were sluiced down a mountain river rather than flung by a volcano, because they are worn smooth and rounded, just as they would be on a pebble beach today. We know the rocks were flushed into the ocean, because they are now embedded in marine mud. Today, this site is 1,000 feet above sea level. As I walk just 20 paces over this contact zone, I’m treading on 50 million years of ancient history — the time it took to form this rock. Cool. We visited a site that was full of chert — small volcanic stones, flung by an eruption half a billion years ago. These rocks were jagged and sharp. Such rocks make good arrowheads, and some of these deposits have great cultural significance to Maine’s Indian tribes. When lava flows to the surface, it hardens into basalt. Can geologists tell
if it hardened in air or water? Of course. Lava crusts quickly underwater, solidifying into pillow rock. It looks like big blobs hardened into a boulder, like a mass of blackened marshmallows. Some lava never reaches the surface. The dark intrusions of rock within the cracks of pink granite at Acadia’s Schoodic Point are an example of this type of lava, called diabase. It took eons of erosion to finally expose this bedrock. Somewhere along an indistinct logging road, off another indistinct logging road — a place I could never find again — geologists chanced upon a semiprecious stone the size of a card table, embedded in granite amid the shrubs. It had been tossed there from the bowels of an erupting volcano. Now extinct, the remnants of the volcano are still visible on the distant horizon. Cool. If I ever thought geology was boring, I don’t now. Geologists are rock stars.
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 / 71
THE VIEW FROM HERE
What You
DO KNOW
WON'T
HURT YOU With so many unknowns in life, a family’s love is one certainty. BY EMILY MORRISON
THERE ARE THREE THINGS in life you can’t predict: death, sickness and winning the lottery. You don’t know when you’ll kick it, catch a nasty bug or experience the unthinkable joy of striking it rich, but you do know that death and sickness are unavoidable. I can’t decide whether pain and suffering surrounds me, or if I’m fixating on pain and suffering everywhere I go. Since I’ve spent a bit of time in the hospital with my sick father of late, it stands to reason my observations on the corporeal natural of life stem more from the former than the later. Hospitals are the jackpot of human misery, aren’t they? Everywhere you look you see visible pain: the very sick or very old whiz by on stretchers looking like they’ve been ravaged by time and high winds. Nurses stare intently at screens in little cubicles of containment while doctors whirl about in white lab coats with stethoscopes dangling loosely from their necks, immune to the general level of discontent like overly polite customer service reps. As I watch the EMTs wheel my father into the ER I hear him joke, “I’m a heavy load. You must be getting your workout for the day!” The man’s in unthinkable pain, two steps away from septic shock, and he strikes up a conversation with a nurse while she assesses his veins. “Do you pronounce your last name Chena or Seena?” he asks. “It’s CNA. That’s my job,” she laughs. It’s hard to watch my father’s face. I don’t know whether the pain or the morphine has made him delirious, but I dip a sponge-on-a-stick into a bowl of melting ice chips and pop it into his mouth like my last name is Chena. I keep his arms flat beside him, so the machines don’t beep wildly, “OCCLUSION IN THE LINE. OCCLUSION IN THE LINE. OCCLUSION IN THE LINE.” I place a wet paper towel on his forehead for the fever and wonder aloud, “How can he have so few forehead wrinkles at 69?” “It’s all the fat, Emmy. Fat people have fewer wrinkles,” my mother says. My sister agrees and tells me not to feel bad. “At least you’re skinny,” she reminds me. Humor is my family’s medicine. It’s the shorthand we’ve spent our whole lives speaking, but we don’t know how to say what we’re afraid of most. We might lose him. After Dad’s first day in the hospital, I drive Mom home and listen to her talk on the phone. She sounds good for a woman who hasn’t slept in 24 hours, so I sit at the desktop to do a little work. I tap the keyboard to see my father’s latest screensaver pop up larger than life — a selfie I took while running through a mountain range in Ireland stares back at me. I’m speechless. Before I can gaze adoringly at my face, I look down to see what I presume is a print out of one of Dad’s recent homilies or eulogies. (As a Deacon, Dad’s either marrying ’em or burying ’em.) It’s a copy of my last article. My mother moves about the house doing laundry and packing Dad’s pajamas for tomorrow, and somehow I know these things aren’t accidents: Dad’s screensaver, my story, my mother’s unshakeable strength. There may be pain and suffering all around me, but there’s also love. Predicting the impossible or rolling around in a mountain of cold, hard cash (though I admit the image intrigues me) is overrated. Knowing the future isn’t as important as living in the present. Being there for my family when they need me, witnessing my father’s sickness and the pain in all those nameless patients’ faces, I’m starting to understand that it’s okay to be afraid. Beyond my fear of the future, mostly, I can’t believe I’ve been so lucky to have one certainty in my life go so right. I’ve always known love. EMILY MORRISON is a high school English teacher, freelance writer and editor from coastal Maine. She is living happilyever-after with her handsome husband, three beautiful children and two beloved dogs. And a cat.
72 / BANGOR METRO February 2018