They're everywhere. But these condos are targeted for a new demographic, vastly different from the first wave in the 1980s. By Lindsay Sterling
Maine's former Senator George Mitchell on the Magic Kingdom. By Lance Tapley Longfellow:sexyagain
A new book on Maine's bard inspires a fresh look at the life and times of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. By Stephen May
Maine women who stick to their guns.
Kathy Ostrander
America's new Kwanzaa postage stamp is the work of a talented Portland artist. By Elizabeth Valente
There's a world of taxidermy beyond your uncle's stuffed bass. By Chris Busby
Portland's winter carnivals of the 1920s. By Matt Barker
From Ramadan to Chinese New Year, there are dozens of celebrations to enjoy. By Amy Louise Barnett
Colin Sargent
PHOTO BY BRIAN VANDEN BRINK
his is so much.
...likeatimecapsule!Becauseit is a time capsule, and it's being opened during packed ceremonies at 75 State Street to celebrate Portland's oldest assisted-living community's 150th anniversary.
Sealed on October 2,1975, as part of the grand opening of the plush, modern brickand-glass Seventy Five State Street residence, the galvanized box swings open as the crowd leans in.
"Nineteen seventy-five was the year jaws came out," says marketing director Lori Maxwell, building up anticipation. "Space Mountain was opened that year. In 1975 they televised the first kidney transplant on the Today show," she adds, contrasting these events with happenings from 1854, another special date for this first-rate organization providingassistedlivingfor184Portlandseniors.
"AnthonyFosspatentedtheaccordion.Majorstreetswerelitforthefirsttimebycoal gas. Abraham Lincoln made his first political speech at the Illinois State Fair. And the Association for the Relief of Aged and Indigent Women, our own Seventy Five State Street, was founded!"
How's that for an enduring contribution to Portland? In the warm wave of applause, longtimeSeventyFiveStateStreetexecBobUsingerpullsobjectscarefullyoutofthebox and hands them to Maxwell. She holds up something shiny.
"Abeautifulpieceofchina,"shesays,holdingupa19th-centurysaucerforalltosee. "Veryoldchina,"oneoftheresidentsintheaudiencechimesin,"goingbacktotheearly days," when Seventy Five State Street operated from a large brick building at 64 Emery StreetthatstillstandsaspartoftheWaynfleteSchool.SeventyFiveStateStreetwentco¬ edin1988.
"And what is this?" Maxwell brightens. "Ah! It's an 8x10 black-and-white photo of the groundbreaking of Seventy Five State Street, with our own Betty Adams [now a res¬ ident! with her leg up on a spade." In the background: a heartbreaking image of St. Dominic'sChurchacrossthestreet,stilllovedandreveredbyitscongregation,itsbricks perfectlv pointed and painted. Neglected for decades and abandoned, it's now being rebornastheIrishHeritageCenter.
Remember 1975? Back when SaturdayNightLive wasreallylice?TheyearBillGates firstusedtheword'Microsoft'inalettertohispartner?
The intervening years drift across the room as the crowd moves on to coffee, cake, and cookies, many pausing to sign a guest register that has just been removed from the time capsule,afewpossiblywitnessestothecapsule'ssealing. Some turn the pages back to see if they recognize the names of friends or even possibly their own. Somehow kamagiccircleiscomplete-andallshareabrief,intenseB ly poignant sense of nostalgia as one age toasts the next. Wherever or whoever we are, we're all 29 years older. One of the contents of a time capsule, no mat¬ terwhatelseyouputin,isirony.
Tosubscribepleasesendyouraddressanda checkforS29(1yr.),S45(2yrs.),or$55(3yrs.)to PortlandMagazine 722CongressStreet PortlandME04102 or subscribe online at www.portlandmagazine.com
Thank you PORTLAND MAGAZINE forprinting "Shudder Island" [October 2004] but more emphatically, thank you Jan Grieco for using a critical history aproach to how Maine has developed over the years. It is easy for Mainers to sit on the old history laurels that we helped free slaves, but the reality'isthatwehavenoideaofwhatreal¬ ly went on during those times. Things in the pastremainthereandruntireriskofbeing repeated if we do not uncover them. Un¬ derstanding history for history's sake is a precious commodity and it's important peopleseeit.
SueEms,senosl@nuiine.rr.com,Portland
Fascinating article! My son is taking a course on American slavery at Dickinson college-1 would very much like to email this piece to him-is there any way I can do that? I'll purchase the magazine [if 1 can find it in our local bookstores], but that createsadelay,ofcourse...Pleaseadvise... Thank you!
CaroleSt.Pierre-Engels,MD,PresqueIsle
I was a young boy raised in a good neigh¬ borhood where we looked out for one another,and1alwaystrytotakethoseval¬ ues with me, even now that I'm an adult. 1 can t even come close or imagine how those Poorsoulsmust[have]feltintheirheartsat being ripped from their homes in the night and then shunned from the human race in
their time of need. Seems like Maine had a (Malaga) holocaust of its own back then.
RichardBeers,Raymond
A most interesting and very disturbing (shameful) piece of Maine history.
FranFairfield,Yarmouth
Concerning "Shudder Island" in your October 2004 issue [by Jan Grieco], this letter is a response on behalf of all the hundreds of "unknown" living descen¬ dants of Benjamin Darling. It is undoubt¬ edly beneficial for Malaga Island and its history to finally be given its due publicity,butonlyifitisfactual.Forwhat¬ ever reason, this article contains many statements which I know through my own family research are just plain untrue.
The article states Malaga Island "was home to a black man and his descendants" and that "Benjamin Darling appears to have removed to Malaga Island in 1847." Although it is, of course, impossible to de¬ termine that Benjamin Darling "never" lived on Malaga Island, the facts show that it is extremely unlikely. He bought Horse Island (now Harbor Island) in 1794. He was living on Horse Island in March of 1829 and died in August of that same year. He could not have removed to Malaga Island in 1847 because he had died 18 years earlier. Also, the census shows that Isaac's widow and childrenwerestilllivingon"HossIslen"in 1850. [Isaac was Benjamin's son.]
The article states that in 1912 on "one darknight,localofficialsstoleuponthe island's cabins, captured the families who didn't manage to elude them, and illegally committed them to the School for the Feeble-Minded [Pineland], and they never madeitout."Firstofall,itwasnotatnight, but in the morning of December 14, 1911 (not1912"atdaylight'');andsecondofall therewereonlyseven(JakeMarks,hisfam¬ ily, and one other) taken to Pineland that morningandtheyall"lefttheislandpeace¬ ably." In addition, William A. Marks was actually not committed, Abbie Marks wa.discharged in 1916, and Lottie May Mark¬ in [was discharged] 1925.
Thereisalsoastatementinthearticle which says that the remaining buildings "including a once viable school were destroyedbythestate."Inreality;however the school was moved to Louds Island to lx used as a church.
Finally,thearticlestatesthat"therearene known Darling descendants today." Notonh are there many hundreds of documentec descendants with various surnames alive today, but actually hundreds of them si cany'ontheDarlingname.Infact,Imyselfair marriedtoaverylivelyDarlingwhohappens tobeamemberofaven.'largeandextender! Darlingfamily,andthese"unknown"descen¬ dantswouldreallyappreciateitifallthesto¬ riespublishedabouttheirfamilywouldceas unlesstliefictionandthefactswerecheckec outbeforepublicationandlabeledassuch. DelVoter,SouthPortland
Thank you for writing about a story that had never heard (although I grew up anc wenttoschoolrighthereinPortland). nanton@maine.rr.cont,Portland
A really sad episode in time, but fc wasn't a bowl of cherries for anyone. Or¬ those who lived it can properly explar and pass judgment...
In today's world, miss a payment e your taxes and they grab the whole thins worth 5200,000, for a couple thousanowed and apparently sell and keep it a! LeahKozloff,Saco
I was somewhat aware of this dark chaptv in Maine's history; as 1 am a history buc And it is mentioned also in some nauhw books. But it had only been a footnoted
ThanksforthiswonderfulinsightintoMaine (andYankee)history.Havinggrownupinthe deepsouthinthesixtiesandearlyseventies,1 get sickened and dumbfounded by Yankees' commentsofhowhorribleprejudiceisinthe south (with emphasis on "the south"), as if that'stheonlyplaceit'severexisted.I've heardmanyhorrorstoriesofracialprejudices inthenorthaswell.
I personally had a wonderful experience growing up in the south among mixed races, and was fortunate to have gained much appreciation of diverse cultures as well as insight about how much all humans have the sameneedsandmotivations.Ihopethisstory helpssomepeoplegainasenseofrealityand historicresponsibilitytowardprejudice. Bobbi,bbuismal@iitaine.rr.com,Portland
[havelonghadaninterestinMalagaIsland anditshistory.Ihavealsocollectedpost¬ cards with photos taken by George Graves, a summer resident of West Harpswell at the turn of the 20th century who took many photosofthearea.
Itisinterestingtonotethathisphotosof Malaga before the eviction call the island "picturesque," etc. But afterward, Graves changed the caption on the back of the postcards: "The noted Malaga Island. For 20yearsthechainofislandsattheeastern endofCascoBay,andlyingalongthewest¬ ernshoreofPhippsburg,havebeenasortof 'No Man's Land.' Among them, 'Malaga,' ! between Bear Island and Sebasco, has been :notoriousforitssquattersettlement.Until thelawon'shorts'wasrigidlyenforced,the squattersgotalongfairlywellintheirsim¬ ple life, but of late years, having become morefrequentobjectsofcharity,andpaying no taxes, they have been a 'thorn in the flesh'of BEAUTIFUL MAINE.
By the law court's decision 20 years since,alltheseislandswereapartofCum¬ berlandCounty,butin1911,theDemocratic attorneygeneraldecidedtheywereapartof Phippsburg in Kennebec County, but an Act oftheLegislaturewillprobablybeneededto j make Phippsburg take them over.
" hi August, 1911, Governor Plaisted and 'Council,withleadingcitizensofPortland, ilanded on Malaga and saw the condition of ?affairs.Asaresult,eightoftheresidents
• We offer Advanced Diagnostics Care, Cancer Medicine, Ultrasound. Endoscopy. Surgery.Dermatology.OphthalmologyandRadioactiveIodineTreatmentfor HyperthyroidCats.
LETTERS
have been moved to the State Home for the Feeble Minded, and the State has bought theIslandofitsproperownersfor$400. "AllpraisetoGovernorPlaistedandhis Democratic colleagues for they have again made good.'"
Interesting-Also,Ihavetwopostcards(I understandthereisathird,butIhavenot seen it) showing black residents of Malaga The caption on one, showing a old womar andyoungchild,is"Thedeuceofspades."The other shows the same woman with two chil¬ dren,andthecaptionis"TheTreyofSpades."
1 enjoyed your article, which was for¬ warded to me by my daughter who has just movedtoPortland.Feelfreetocontactmeit you want copies of the postcards. saiiiiiel.hartnian@dol.net
This is horrible! A more poignant exam¬ ple of apartheid in Maine can hardly bt imagined, until y'ou stop and think about what happened over hundreds of years It the native people of Maine. The story d MalagaIslandisallthemoreabhorrentir. that we are not insulated from our out proximity' to the event by the passage « time, since this occurred within living memory',lessthanahundredyearsago.The legacy of Malaga should make us more than a little circumspect about the intru¬ sions of powerful private and govemmer.: interestsinthelivesofprivatecitizens, imagine at the time, for the sake of the: ownconscienceandoutofselfjustification theperpetratorsportraitedtheirattacker the residents of Malaga Island as being "k their own good." What a shame.
KevinC.Murphy,Portland
I'm ashamed of my countrymen, but nr surprised. Many children as well as add: were placed in the school for feeble-mta ed, most times without reason! inbLancha@inerr.con:
My great great grandparents were bomt BearIsland.MylineextendstoBenjaminI# ling, James McKenney onto Wallace. I am^ familyhistorianandgatheredinformation parents,etc.IfIcanbeofanyhelpinreseaucontactme.
IfyouwerenearPortlandthisfall,chancesareyousawtiremassive Queen Mary 2- all 1,132 feet and 151,000 tons of her-anchored in the harbor near Fort Gorges for 16 hours.Localswhodidn'tseeheractually heard her: QM2's whistleradiusis10miles.
In addition to her 2,300 passengers and 1,200 crew, keep in mind people came to Portland all day long just to see her," says Capt. Jeff Monroe, Portland's director of Ports and transportation. Thirty cruise ships stopped here this year, bringing 13,528 passengers into port. Twenty-seven cruise ships are already expected n«tyear. -ElizabethValente
ConsiderthisveryfineYorkCounty Chippendaleserpentine-fronttiger-maple drop-frontdesk,whichstarredinarecent auction at Cyr Auction Company on Route 100inGray.
You've purchased a lakefront lot and dream of building a rustic cabin there, evocative of the Maine cabin featured in the Gene Tierney movie LeaveHerTo Heaven. Will this dream have to be deferred? Maybe not! Just like in the 1920s, adorable, tiny lakefront cabins are now available for delivery to any location you desire for as low as $2,000. Models include stone fireplaces and couldn't be more charming. Call Bear Camp Garden at 603-539-1099.
TIME PASSAGES
This 19th century saucer,datingto theearlydaysof the75StateStreet retirement com¬ munity, was pulled from a time cap¬ sule opened dur¬ ingfestivitiesthis fall.Foundedin 1854,SeventyFive StateStreetis celebratingits 150thanniversary.
"NAMiTS is an easy way to connect with your child, and the bonus is that it's educational, too," says Barbara Jerome of Falmouth. She should know, she invented the game. And she has seven children. NAMiTS is an award-winning interactive game for all ages. The challenge is to name things that belong to specified categories-sort of a hybrid of "I Spy" and "Scattergories."It'sportable,durable,perfectforcartimeand waiting time. NAMiTS sells for $9.95 at www.namits.com. -ElizabethValente
0/3
World's largest snowman...
still
Meet Angus, snowman extraordinaire from Bethel. Back in February 1999, this 113-foot-tall behemoth set the record for the tallest snowman in world history-a record that still stands. Named for former Governor Angus King, the 4500-ton snowman still appears in the GuinnessBookofWorldRecords. Angus the Snowman is gone now (the best of them 'only fade a"'ay'), but keep him in your thoughts while snow-blowing your driveway this winter. -Julia Knox
A snapshot of
Bourke-White
Photography buffs can view the work of pioneer and socialite MargaretBourke-White (1904-1971) at the Portland Museum of Art January 20th through March 20th. Bourke-White, discovered by Henry R. Luce of Time magazine, set the standard for adventure, style, and substance for photojournalists everywhere. Her enormous talent is illustrated by the industrial images highlighted in this show of her works from 1927 to 1936. portlandmuseumofart.org. -JuliaKnox
Imagine this bumper sticker: "I lost my braininPortland,Maine."It'scertainly on target, given the spate of breathless PressHerald investigativearticles accusing MatthewCyr of brain-donor improprieties related to his allegedly receiving$1,000to$2,000perbrainfrom Stanley Medical Research of Bethesda, Maryland, and shipping them there by 1 Ah,sothebrainsfromMaineflyniainl' onaplane.
According to stories filed by staff writer Kevin Wack, 99 brains were harvested from Mainers and sent to th institute between 1999 and 2003, earnin
Cyr, a Bucksport police officer who had liestothestatemedicalexaminer'soffice in Augusta, including "a contract to answer the medical examiner's phones after normal business hours," over 5150,000.Theseactivitiesare legal, though ghoulish. The alleged crimes have more to do withlackoffulldisclosureto someofthedonors'relatives.
Here in Portland, according tothe PressHerald, Jim Allen, husband to the late Carol Allen, a drowning victim from a swimming pool accident at their home, remembers discussing donating t'ssue samples from his wife's brain with aStanley Institute representative during hineral preparations, only to be floored latertolearnthathiswife'sentirebrain was sent to Stanley Medical Research.
"To me, tissue is not the whole brain. Tissue, to me, would be a sample," Jim Allen told the newspaper. Frank and Lorraine Gagnon of Gorham were astonished to learn "their son A.J.'s entire brain was taken, even though they only agreed to donate a small sample of brain tissue." The Stanley' Institute has since returned what they claim is A.J.'sbrain.
Lessons learned from this brain drain? It's an invitation to bad guy's whenever human body parts carry a high price instead of being made available for the benefit of science or humankind. Of course the Attorney' General's office is looking intothis...
Innotimeatallthisfiascowillbeon Law and Order.
CHOWDER Eagle rebound
"Maineleadsthepack."Notwolves,but eagles. PhillipDemaynadier, wildlifeexpertwiththeMaineDepartmentofInlandFisheries& Wildlife,says,"WearetheleaderinallofNewEngland."Sofarfor 2004,Mainecounts346nestingpairsand298eaglets.When eagleswereaddedtotheendangeredlistin1967,therewereonly500pairsin theentirecountry.Hasaneagleeverattackedahuman?"Well,neversaynever," quips MDIFW biologist Andy Weik. "How about almost never." -JuliaKnox
TROIANO WASTESERVICES
THE HOLIDAYS
Sea creature double feature
"Does the scallop have a pearl?"
First grader Kahsi Latham enthusiastically awaits the answer to her question as Portland lobsterman anc Maine native Chris Robinson displays his traveling aquarium at Portland's Adams School.
"I want to educate the community about how cool lobstering is," says Robinson. Children are introduced to the allure of the sea with Robinson's video and a hands-on confab with a wide array of the spiky denizens he catches in his traps.
Learn more about the wonderful world of lobsterinat www.letsgolobstering.com. -Andrew Sparda
How long would i/orr wait in line to get intotheMerrillAuditoriumto'see'a radio program? The first person in line for a noon broadcast of "The Al Franken Show" on Air America (870 AM) showed up at 7:30 a.m. Franken and co-host Katherine Lanpher were on a final swing before the November elections, with Portlandtheirfinalstop.Thedie-hard fan in the front? Jim Ridgway of Portland, who waited solo until joined by hiswife,AnastasiaLang,at9:30.
Anthony Nicolich stands in his newly finished third-floor condominium overlooking deep blue Portland Harbor from the Eastern Promenade. The condo is still unfurnished except for a TV 2nd his computer on the counter. He's keepingthiscondoforhimself,andselling offtheotherthreeinthebuilding.He'sjust soon some interested buyers in the last of hiscondostoday.Oncetheworkisfinished and the last condo sells, the value of his property at 38 Eastern Promenade will have doubled. Another landowner about to build condosinFreeportcapturesthespiritofthe craze when he says, "I can smell the
money." He believes he'll triple his money on his development project. "The market is hot," he says. "It's the magical condo formula-you can't lose."
The reason people are selling condos is clear-to make money-but why are so many people buying? One reason is simply that living in a condo is easier than living in a home. You never have to mow the lawn, weed, clean the gutters, shovel, or snow blow. You're a homeowner without home¬ owner baggage. Beyond that, realtor Rita Yarnold explains where all the buyers are coming from: "They're baby boomers, in¬ ternet-based people who don't need to live
NO LIMIT ON CONDOS
The Portland Planning Officesaysthere'snolimit on the number of condo conversions allowed. Ifitwasjustamatterof time before the rest of the world learned how great Maineis,isitnowjusta matter of time before we arealllivingincondos?
where they work, investors, people with college-age children who might live in the condos, people who want to retire here." She also explains, "Homeowners who live on the islands, Freeport, Yarmouth, and Cape Elizabeth have city condos for nights on the town." She believes that "the condo crazeistheresultofthedesirabilityofMaine and a larger picture of economic health."
Does anyone who owns a condo actuallv live here year round? Ken Hall, owner of Maine Coast Properties, estimates that only 10 to 20 percent of the condo owners of the Atlantic House, a colony of million-dollar condos in Prouts Neck, live there year round. Bob Mitton, owner of Bob's Bar¬ bershop in the Old Port, lives in his Break¬ water condo all year. Two of his customers live in condos on the wharf during the sum¬ merandspendtherestoftheyearinFlorida.
easy living and proximity to desirable loca¬ tions like downtown and the ocean at a fraction of the price of comparable single¬ family homes-condo living isn't for every¬ one. Marie Grenier, a first-time homeowner inherthirties,says,"Acondowasn'tevena consideration for us. I grew up in a home. 1 just wanted a home. I wanted to own it and
PORTLAND'S CONDO SALES TRENDS
make my own decisions. I wanted to plan what I want to plant."
While some people simply choose nott 1iveinacondo,otherpeoplearegoingsofe astoactivelyprotestthecondocraze.Bon¬ nie Blythe, an apartment dweller on Munjo' Hillformorethan20years,hungasignouiside her apartment building on the Easter Prom: "No Condos." She's angry about th cultural impact of condos taking over he: neighborhood. "I don't know who's living inallthesenewunits!"Shesuspectsmost: them live here only a couple of weeks or oftheyear."IthinkoneisfromColoradc anotherisfromCalifornia,andthepersff financingcondosisfromPhiladelphia.Id; know, however, who's not livingonMunjc Hill anymore: my old neighbors-Mrs. Kin: who used to work for Nissen bakery, an Mr. Murphy, who liked to talk about th olden days in Portland. Munjoy Hill ha
always been a working-class neighbor¬ hood,"saysBlythe,"Itisbecomingincreas¬ inglyclear,however,thattheworkingclass isnolongerwelcomeonthishill."
The East End isn't the only neighbor¬ hood sprouting condos. Local newspapers have recently reported that a condo devel¬ opmentintheArtsDistrictisdisplacing20 rented artists' studios as well as the per¬ formance venue Geno's. On the other hand, the shiny glass project on the corner of Congress and Brown Streets to be called The Kimball Building is simply exciting.
James Griffin of Coldwell Banker Residen¬ tialBrokeragesays,"Therewillbe19units, starting at $239,900, one-bedroom or loft¬ styles for the more affordable units. There willbeachoiceofflooring,fromhardwood tocementorcoloredconcrete,15-footceilings, centralair,andunitsizesfrom850squarefeet to as large as 2,500. We imagine some of themtobeworkingstudiospacesforartists, hence the option for cement floors. The facadeisgoingtobeanicemixofcontempo¬ raryandperiod."
The most glamorous condo? "The most expensive double unit we could see hap¬ pening, with three bedrooms, master suite withalltheamenities,anddeckoverlooking theharbor,willgo"intheeights."Meaning $800,000.Ofcourse,themostrarefiedlevels are always subject to change: "The master suiteswillbeabuildoutontheroofs,unless they change their mind next week."
Griffin's target market? "We've had artists coming up from New York who also own property on Vinalhaven. They hope to have a complete studio here," steps from theMaineCollegeofArt.
Withtheseprices,theartistsherewon't be quite as 'starving.' But what's wrong with outside investors buying and selling condos in Maine? According to a yearround customer at Bob's Barbershop in the OldPort,"Nothing.It'sjustajealousyis¬ sue." Al Austin, president and owner of CHR Realty/GMAC Real Estate, says, Folks are concerned that people 'from away'aregoingtotakejobs,butifbuilding condosfillsahousingvoid,whynot?"
If anything, outside investment in Maine has created a glut of local subcontracting work. Wayne Magee, who works for At¬ lanticShorePaintingandDrywall,sayswith excitement, "The money bounces." Someone buysthebuilding.Thatpersonpaysthecon¬ tactor.Thecontractorpaysthesubcontrac¬
tor."Ilikethework,"saysMagee."1linedup fourjobssimplyfromthevisibilityofwork¬ ing at 38 Eastern Prom."
While the condo craze may be pushing out longtime Portland residents, the profitability of turning buildings into con¬ dos is actually encouraging preservation of some of the city's historic architecture. Crandall Toothaker converted a Federalstyle town house at 99 State Street, circa 1833, into three condo units last year. He originally envisioned selling the building and carriage house for around $950,000, but sold the four units as condos for between $200,000 and $400,000 each, for a total of $1.1million.Nicolich,theownerof38East¬ ernProm,isretainingthel920sarchitectural flairoftheexteriorbecauseitwaswhatlured himtobuythepropertyinthefirstplace."It reminded me of the architecture where I grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn."
There's no denying Blythe's point. With the expediency of condo-ization comes a senseofloss,agrowingdistancebetweenour connection to the people and organizations thatmadethecitywhatitistoday.BobMitton recalls,"TheCentralWharfyearsagousedto haveabar-restaurantcalledtheHolyMackerel. Andthereusedtobeaprocessingplantwhere theycutfish.That'sChandler'sWharfnow."
The wistfulness sounds almost Proustian untillocalsrecallthatthefishstenchfrom areaprocessingplantswasdeadlytotourism, worse even than Westbrook's S. D. Warren paper mill. "It was so bad in Portland they had to shut one plant down in order to hold the National Governors' Conference here in tineearly1980s,"anold-timersays.
So maybe the smell of mackerel isn't always so holy. Chandler's Wharf is a private, gated community of condos. Before the eighties, this was where people worked, and worked hard. Today, this is where people vacation. Next door to the Chandler's Wharf condos are not working fishing boats, but tour-by-boat companies. Maine is, after all, Vacationland, and people from here to CaliforniatoFloridawantapieceofit.
The million-dollar question is: How long willthiscrazelast?We'reatthemercyofthe markets and the overall health of the econ¬ omy to decide. The Portland Planning Office says there's no limit on the number of condo conversions allowed. If it was just a matter of time before the rest of the world learned how great Maine is, is it now
justamatteroftimebeforewe'reallliving in condos?
Portland has lived through one condo crazebefore.Forthosewhowerehereforit, the memory brings both laughter and reserve, especially when asked the names of people who lost money. Rita Yarnold, who was a young real-estate agent at the time, says she was eating peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for a couple of years in the early nineties, and thought about leaving the field. But Yarnold, now president of Bay Realty, says she's sure this condo craze is very different than the one that ended dis¬ astrously in the early nineties. "All market indicators are positive through next year." There are no looming signs like there were inthelateeighties,likebanksfailing.Yar¬ nold herself owns an office building down¬ town that she plans to turn into condos. And most importantly, there is a new dem¬ ographic. During the first wave, develop¬ ment teams like Pritham Singh and his Singh Partners IV ingeniously discovered and restored abandoned brick warehouses
in the Old Port into affordable condos for young singles and couples. Locals knew what toexpectinsuchacondo:exposedbrickwalls, rudimentary oak or pine stairways to a loft, orange or blonde Formica countertops, and Kenmore appliances, most of them in almond.
Ocean Ridge condominiums in Port¬ land, a 46-unit development near the Falmouth border with sweeping ocean views looking over the rooftops of A Sum¬ mer Place toward the Casco Bay Islands and the sea, has exactingly met the new demographic in this new battlefield, with stainlesssteelkitchens,lusciouscherrycab¬ inetry, and sumptuous granite countertops. Instead of wall-to-wall carpeting, there are glossy hardwood floors. Master baths with travertine marble whirlpool spas. The walls and trim are gallery white, a tabularasa for buyers with a yen for interior decorating.
And just as popular as newly construct¬ ed condominiums are historic restorations. The recent condominiumization of the Portland artist William Manning's former home at 301 Spring Street in the West End
ISSUED PERMITS FOR CONDO UNITS IN PORTLAND
■November2001thruOctober2002
35UNITSfrom7issuedpermits
■November2002thruOctober2003
57UNITSfrom16issuedpermits
■November2003thruOctober2004
128UNITSfrom25issuedpermits
is a case in point. Converted to gorgeous units-the facade is lit up at night-the sale of individual condos will probably greatly exceed the building's $359,000 purchase priceanddeservedlyso,giventhefirst-rate renovation.
Across town, Sheila and Derek Towne, a young couple who bought an apartment building not far from the water in the East End six years ago, are currently deciding whether to turn their apartment into a condo or keep renting it out. Derek, a car¬ penter, wants to turn the building into con¬ dos, sell them fast, make a couple of
thousand dollars, and be done with it. Sheila, a waitress at School Street Cafe in Freeport and former restaurant managerat theDry'DockintheOldPort,wantstohold onto the apartment building. She likes the ongoing income from rent and wants to hold ontothebuildingtoseethepropertyX'alue increaseovertime.Whatwillthey'decide?
After some shaky' years in the earlv 1990s, condos are emerging as a sound in¬ vestment the 21st century'. In the case of Atlantic House [first building phase 1987 second phase 1995], Maine Coast Properties owner Ken Hall says, "A condo that was $200,000 a decade ago is now worth over a million. In 1994, the same unit would have soldforlessthanhalfamillion,andtakena y'eartosell.Thecondomarketisverystrong right now, has been since 1997. Each year hasgottenbetter,asteadyincreaseinboth demand and value. The difference between 1997 to current and 1985-89 is that there were so many condo developments built duringthe1980sthatwhenwewentintothe recession there was over-supply' and prop-
erties.biz] has had more than amillionhitsfromoutofstate this year. Tine condominium market will stay strong be¬ cause of these seasonal outof-state prospects-not so much the year-rounders. Most of them are coming here July-August or May-October."
Over at Ocean Ridge, Mat¬ thew Chamberlain of Regency RealEstate,agentforthe840 OceanAvenueproject,isequalertyvaluessank,sometimes50percent.
"Iwastherefortineauctionoftheunitsthat bottomed out at Chandler's Wharf all those yearsago.Goodforbuyers,badforsellers.
"This time, we're in a manufacturing recessionbutnotreal-estaterecession.After the stock crash everything went bad in
lain, is that she's preserving woodlands by building up instead of out, but Chamberlain saysit'sagambitforhertoincreasethenum¬ berofvaluableocean-viewunitsshecansell. In his view, approval might be a win for the environmentalists, a win for the developer, butalossfortherestoftheneighborhood.
Crandall Tmthaker brings a cautious opti¬ mism to all of this: "There's a lot more de¬ mand for condos this time around. Overall, peoplearereallytryingtodoag<xxljobwith thecondoconversions.Somepeopleaivinthe condo business who probably should not be."
"People locked in prices in the high 3's for the oceanfront units. Now, less than a year later, they're reselling them for $455,000,"hesays.
Ridge's success, a developer from Saco is tryingtogetazoningvarianceforhighrises onaneighboringlot,7-10storieshigh. Out here,neartheFalmouthborder?
Her argument, according to Chamber-
What next? In the wake of Ocean manufacturing. One of the things we have going for us today is we have a lot of baby boomers; kids are off to college, they're downsizing, have more cash available. Our real-estate website [www.mainecoastprop-
If investment in condos is such a sure thing, why isn't everybody doing it? "They are," says Yarnold. Of course, she's being facetious. People like Blythe have to live with the reality that if thev could have scrounged up the money to buy property years ago, not only would they be safely ensconced as owners in their neighbor¬ hood, but they could have made a lot of money. Surely for many Mainers, that's the worst part of this condo craze. Everyone else seemstobegettingrich.■
1Mitchell's Disney Al World
What makes George Mitchell run? And run sohardandwell?
BY LANCE TAPLEY
e answers with his usual modesty: "One of the keys to a successful life is maintaining a high level of intel¬ lectualcuriosity."
About success in the corporate world, he adds:"Youhavetobereadytolistentooth¬ ers.Youhavetoactwithtotalintegrityand candor. And you have to be able to say 'no.' "Idosay'no'often,"hepronouncesquietly. And he's fully in the corporate world now. At 71, with a much younger second wife, a three-year-old son, and a seven-year-old daughter, the former Maine Democratic senator has thrown himself into the challenge of reshaping the troubled leadership of one of America's most illustrious cor¬ porations, the Walt Disney Company. Last March, after a company shake-up, he became Disney's chairman of the board. Challenge-or call it curiosity-is his middle name. This is the George Mitchell who, for the Clinton administra¬ tion, negotiated a peace settle¬ ment in Northern Ire- land and developed a peace plan to end theIsraeli-Palestinianconflict-the George Mitchell who would
havebeenaleadingcontenderforsecretaryof state had John Kerry been elected president. Asmajority'leader,heranthefractiousUnited StatesSenateforsixyearsbeforedecidingnot toseekre-electionin1994.
And throughout his late-blooming inter¬ national diplomatic career, Mitchell has had another occupation. As a lawyer, he works for a large firm in Washington, DC, Piper Rudnick, as well as in the Preti Flaherty offices in Portland. He describes his legal labor as counseling businesses on such thingsasglobaltrends.
Harold Pachios, a Preti Flaherty partner who has been a close friend for 42 years, says clients often heed Mitchell's advice. "He's very helpful in judgment and strate¬ gy," Pachios say's. Plus, "he knows every'oneinthecountry."
Pachios believes the secret of Mitchell's successinlifeishisversatility:"He'sunique because he has extraordinary' talents in many'differentareas."
He'snotjustalawy'er,adiplomat,apol¬ itical and now a corporate leader, but this
"People are people whereveryougo.I managed the Senate forsixyears.Iman¬ agedseriousconflicts."
Renaissance man, Pachios adds, is also a "terrific" tennis player even at his age-as well as an aggressive sports fan (and a member of the corporate board of the world-champion-at-last Boston Red Sox).
Among reporters, Mitchell has a reputa¬ tion for being reserved and lusterless, but Pachiossay'shisfriendhas"atruly'genuine interest in other human beings. Many' peo¬ ple as brilliant as he is don't suffer fools gladly.Hesuffersfoolsgladly'."
But how does he successfully' balance it all, Sen. Mitchell is asked? He replies: "In the Senate, I became accustomed to work¬ ing long hours."
On the Disney board, says Judith Estrin, who has served with him there since
1998-and for years as a fellow member ot the FedEx Corporation board-Mitchell's skills are "diplomatic...He has integrity, judgment, communication skills." He neve loseshiscool,shesays.EstrinisCEOofthe Internet software company' Packet Design. MitchellneedsallhisskillsatDisney.lr recentyears,thecompanyhashadfinancial difficulties,frommovieflopstoslidesir theme-parkattendance,plusintensecontro¬ versy'becauseofdissidentshareholderRov Disney's fight with longtime CEO Michae, Eisner. This fight has become one of the greatrunningbattlesofcorporateAmerica
Roy' Disney', founder Walt Disneys nephew, and his advisor Stanley Gold qur theboardthisyearandengineereda43-percent shareholder vote of no confidence ir Eisner at the March annual meeting. This move forced the board to strip the chair¬ manshipfromEisnerandgiveittoMitchel who had been on the board since 1995 ant had become "presiding" director.
Disney' and Gold also organized a 24 percentstockholdervoteagainstMitchell:
reelection. Speaking to the annual meeting, Gold was quoted in the BostonGlobe assay¬ ing Mitchell was partially responsible for the poor financial performance that he believed Eisner had brought the company: "Intheboardroom,hedoesn'thavetheabil¬ ityorcouragetoconfrontabullyingCEO."
Mitchelldismissesthisseeminghostilityas justpartoftinecorporatepowergame.Tirevote against him wasn't personal, he claims. He hascordialrelationswithbothsides,hesays.
As a "nonexecutive chairman," he earns $500,000 a year. The Disney board room is acosmic distance from his youth in Water¬ ville,wherehismothertoiledinatextile millandhisfatherworkedasajanitor.Still, heflies"commercialalmostallofthetime" instead of on Disney jets, he says, and he I doesn't find a disputatious corporate culIturetremendouslyalien:
"People are people wherever you go. I managed the Senate for six years. 1 man¬ agedseriousconflicts."
majority [of executives] are people with in¬ tegrity,ability,andahighlex'elofintelligence."
In managing the Disney conflict, he has reformed the board by shrinking its size and getting more independent directors elected. He spends much time trying to get Disney executives to focus on the compa¬ ny's operations rather than its turmoil. He works out of an office at Disney's ABC net¬ work iii New York City, where he 1 ives.
Therehas"beenacoolingovertirelastsev¬ eral months" of the company's troubles, he reports. Eisner's September announcement that he will depart as CEO in 2006 may have helped calm the waters. Soothingly, too, the company has experienced a financial upturn.
Despite these developments, Mitchell may believe that taking the chairmanship of Disney was one time when, against his bet¬ terjudgment,hewasunabletosay'no.'Tire LosAngelesTimes says he has complained to friends about the job's demands.
IsheunhappyatDisney?Hedeniesit.But Harold Pachios says the chairmanship is "an added burden."
"He's the busi¬ est man I know," Pachios adds, aird "now superimpose Disneyontopofit. He did not want that job. He hopes nottostaylong."
Inevitably, that will be the case. Company policy will force him to retire when he turns 72 in August.
George Mitchell retire? With his level of-asheexpressesit—intellectualcuriosity? More than likely, he will look for new worlds to conquer.
Possibly, post-Disney, he'll spend more time at his second home in Seal Harbor, where his wife and children spend the summer. "They love Maine," he says of his kids. Meanwhile, though he hints he wasn't obsessed with Disney movies as a kid, with twosmallchildrenhesaysheismakingupfor losttimebywatchingalotofDisneyvideos.■
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Planet Dog knows that lightning fast broadband can be a growingbusiness''bestfriend.'Becausetheysourceproducts from all over the world, Planet Dog can use Road Runner Business Class to download huge email files, such as videos of production techniques from overseas—or graphics from across town. No wonder over 3,000 businesses, large and small, in Maine and New Hampshire have chosen Road Runner Business Class to keep them ahead of the pack. WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING ON?
NE OF THE great figures of 19-century American cul¬ ture,Portlandnative Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(18071882) was the most popular poet in the English language of his era, master of vers¬ es of lyric beauty and moral messages. A New Englander through and through, he trawled widely in Europe, where he learned a dozen languages, taught at Bowdoin and Harvard, and, as the nation's first profes¬ sional poet, heralded a new spirit in Amer¬ ican letters. His fame grew so large that it tookonalifeofitsown;hewasreveredand belowd to a degree unsurpassed in the an¬ nalsofAmericanliterature.
When Longfellow launched his literary careerinthefirstquarterofthenineteenth century, poetry was widely regarded as a needless luxury by the pious, industrious, pragmatic people of the young Republic. Along with such other genteel poets as
Itwouldbeanexaggera¬ tiontosaythatLongfellow inventedAmerica.Butthat he imagined...so many ways of how America is conceivedremainshismost^ enduringachievement.
William Cullen Bryant, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and John Greenleaf Whittier, Longfellow played a crucialroleinattractingmiddle-classread¬ ers and helping to make poetry respectable and popular.
Longfellow's special place among the lit¬ erary giants of his time grew out of his learnedbackground,poeticgifts,affinityfor regional history and myth, unrivaled celeb¬ rity, and the extraordinary appeal of his poems at home and abroad.
Over and above the success and influ¬ ence of his poetry, he himself became a liv¬ ing icon, a personification of all that was
thoughttobethebestintheAmericantra¬ dition.Hisfellowcitizensread,memorized and recited his poems, as well as enjoying musical renditions of his verses. Childrer celebratedhisbirthdayinschool.
A few decades after his death, Long¬ fellow's exalted reputation began a stead; declineinthefaceofincreasinglyharshlit¬ erary critics who denigrated his poems a; sentimental, overly moralizing, naive, ant out of date. At the head of the vanguar; was e.e. cummings, scoffing, "Christ anc Longfellow-both dead."
Inrecentyears,however,therehasbeer arevivalofinterestinthemanandhisoeu¬ vre, spearheaded by scholars who placeh.work in the context of Victorian-age Amer¬ ica and find many of his poems worthy c study and enduring appreciation.
Charles C. Calhoun's comprehensive ant insightful new book, Longfellow:ARedt anml Life (Boston:BeaconPress,2004;$275 hardcover)isthepoet'sfirstmajorbiograph indecades.Itisboundtogiveaddedimpe¬ tustothepro-Longfellowforces.
A native of Louisiana, educated at the University of Virginia and Oxford, Calhoun is on the staff of the Maine Humanities Council. Employing extensive research and eruditeprose,hedemonstratesafullaware¬ ness of Longfellow's roots in Maine and a keen understanding of the poet as human being and man of letters. This thoughtful, 317-pagestudy,withanumberoffreshrev¬ elationsaboutthepoet'slife,shouldappeal toawidereadership.
As Calhoun's book underscores, Long¬ fellowledafullandproductivelifemarked by myriad successes as well as significant tragedies and sorrow. Born into an old, well-establishedfamily'oflawyers,judges, and generals, the future bard grew up in a Portlandthatwasabustlingportofcall,still partofMassachusetts.
His parents were staying temporarily in a house at the corner of Fore and Hancock streetsathisbirth.Theysoonmovedtothe large brick house at 487 Congress Street, now called tine Wadsworth-Longfellow House
and maintained by Maine Historical Soci¬ ety. It was built and formerly occupied by Longfellow's paternal grandfather.
The future poet's father, Stephen Long¬ fellow (1776-1849), was a Harvard-trained lawyer, civic leader, one-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, trustee of Bowdoin College, and a founder and president of Maine Historical Society. His mother, Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow (1778-1851), granddaughter of Peleg Wadsworth-a Revolutionary' War general in charge of all of Maine's troops, seven-term member of Congress, and merchant-was an intelligent and religious woman whose love ofbooksandcultureencouragedherson'slit¬ eraryambitions.
Startingatthetenderageofthree,Long¬ fellowattendedaseriesofschools,graduat¬ ing from Portland Academy at the age of 14 before going off to Brunswick to attend Bowdoin. While Portland was hardly a cul¬ tural backwater, Calhoun says Longfellow needed exposure to wider horizons "to
learn how to be a nineteenth-century' poet." Longfellow summed up his feelings for his native city years later in the nostalic poem "My Lost Youth."
During his schoolboy years, he often visited Longfellow Farm, grandfather Long¬ fellow's house in Gorham, as well as Wads¬ worth Hall, grandfather Wadsworth's es¬ tateinHiram,afamily'palacebuilttopro¬ tectthefamily'incasetheBritishshelledor captured Portland as they did in 1775. Both Longfellow Farm and Wadsworth Hall are extant today, in private hands.
Longfellow's first published poem, "The Battle of Lovell's Pond," recalls a skirmish near Hiram between white settlers and Native Americans during the French and Indian War. After The Eastern Argus de¬ clined to publish the 13-y'ear-old's verses, they' appeared in the city's other weekly, ThePortlandGazette. This remarkably' ma¬ ture poem and others by the precocious teenager that followed in the Gazette were signed simply "Henry'."
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Longfellow was a member of the distin¬ guished class of 1825 at Bowdoin that included President Franklin Pierce and author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Curiously, in a class of only 45 students, Hawthorne and Longfellow did not become friends until a decade later. While still an undergraduate, Longfellow had a number of poems and essays published in outside magazines, fuelinghisliteraryaspirations.
Graduating near the top of his class, Longfellow was offered Bowdoin's new¬ ly established professorship in modern lan¬ guages, contingent on spending years of preparatorystudyinEurope.Returningfrom extensivetravels,duringwhichhemastered French, Italian, and Spanish, he taught at Bowdoin from 1829 to 1835, where he be¬ came an admired teacher, published modem language textbooks that found a national market,andwroteproseabouthistravels.
Feeling confined by his provincial sur¬ roundings in Brunswick-"! lead a very' sober, jog-trot kind of life," he wrote a friend-Longfellow welcomed a ticket out of the provinces. At 28, he accepted the prestigious post of Smith Professor of Mod¬ ern Languages at Harvard, succeeding re¬ nowned scholar George Ticknor.
In 1831 he married Mary Storer Potter of Portland,daughterofBarrettPotter,long¬ time Cumberland County probate judge andcloseassociateofLongfellow'sfather. They' had met at Portland Academy'. For a time the newlyweds lived upstairs in the Joshua Chamberlain house, near the BowLongfellow,IsleofWight,1868,byJulia MargaretCameron
SAT. DEC 11 11 AM, 3 PM and 7:30 PM SUN. DEC 12 2 PM and 7:30 PM THUR. DEC 16 7:30 PM FRI. DEC 17 2 PM and 7:30 PM SAT. DEC 18 11 AM, 3 PM and 7:30 PM SUN. DEC. 19 2 PM and 7:30 PM
Itwasasuccessful,iftragicallybrief,love match.GrantedayeartotravelontheCon¬ tinent,primarilytohonehisGerman,before taking up his new duties at Harvard, Long¬ fellowwasinRotterdamwhenhisfrailwife suffered a miscarriage and died. The poet wasgrief-strickenforyears.
In addition to his weighty teaching re¬ sponsibilitiesinCambridge,Longfellowvig¬ orouslypursuedliteraryprojects.Anauto¬ biographical novel, Hyperion (1839),anopti¬ mistic poem, "A Psalm of Life," and Voices^ theNight (1839)establishedhimasaleading American author. Calhoun, who frequently offers confident judgments, says the poem "Hymn to the Night," in the latter volume, has the "best first line yet written by an American poet: "1 heard the trailing gar¬ ments of the Night/Sweep th rough her mar¬ blehalls.""TheJewishCemetery'"(1859)1-
"one of the greatest American poems of the century,"writesthebiographer.
These successes were followed by BAi andotherPoems (1841)containingsuchcele¬ brated poems as "The Wreck of the Hes¬ perus," "The Village Blacksmith," and "Excelsior." On the other hand, "The Rainy Day," composed in the Wadsworth-Long¬ fellow House, is "perhaps the worst poem. [Longfellow] ever published."
Spurred by the strong antislavery' view of Charles Dickens, with whom he spen: time in London, in 1842 Longfellow penned his most overtly political verses, Poems e: Slavery. Althoughheconveyedlittleofthe righteousangerofhisfellowpoetWhittier these poems preached the evils of slavery and warned of possible conflicts to come.
Impressed,staunchabolitionistWhittier asked Longfellow to run for Congress or thenewantislaveryLibertyPartyticket,W he declined, saying, "Partisan warfare be comes too violent-too vindictive for my taste..."AsCalhounobserves,Longfello'' "shunned confrontation and public contm
In1843,aftersevenyearsoffitfulcourt¬ ship,Frances(Fanny)Appleton,fromadis¬ tinguishedandwell-establishedBostonfam¬ ily,finallyagreedtomarryhim."Allparties wereaware,"writesCalhoun,"ofthesocial gulf separating 39 Beacon Street [the Ap¬ pletons' prestigious address] and 'the old Ordinary' [as Longfellow dubbed his boy¬ hood home] on Congress Street, Portland, butthereismuchevidenceovertheyearsto come that Fanny was gifted with enough
tastetobridgeit."
Theirweddinginitiatedthelongestperiod of sustained happiness in Longfellow's life, marked by both domestic bliss and soaring professional prominence. As a wedding pres¬ ent his wealthy father-in-law, Nathan Ap¬ pleton,boughtthecoupletinehistoricCraigie HouseonBrattleStreetinCambridge,notfar from tine Harvard campus.
In this large mansion, used by George Washington as his headquarters during the Revolutionary War, the Longfellows
raised five children while living in great comfort, contentment, and privilege. They entertained extensively, and spent summers at the shore in Nahant. In 1854 Longfellow was able to resign his burdensome position at Harvard, and concentrated on writing. In 1847 the Longfellows spent six weeks at the Verandah Hotel, just north of Port¬ land on what is now Martin's Point. T hat summer he became reacquainted with pio¬ neering critic John Neal and the family's long-timeministeratFirstParishChurch,Dr. Ichabod Nichols.
A visit to the venerable Portland Head Light led to a poem, "Tire Lighthouse." Vis¬ itingdesolatePortlandafterthedevastating fire of 1866, Longfellow said it reminded him of Pompeii.
Toward mid-century', Longfellow's liter¬ arycareerreallytookoff,aidednotonlyby thereadibilityandappealofhispoetry,but by the support of influential cultural and socialfriendsonbothsidesoftheAtlantic. His verses, overflowing with heroes, ap¬ peals to moral decency, and exhortations for the public good, were enormously popular. By his 50th birthday, he calculated that his books had sold 300,000 copies.
After Hawthorne rejected suggestions that he write a novel about the expulsion of French-speaking Acadians from Nova Scotia by the British, Longfellow turned the idea into the epic poem Evangeline. Thestoryofa young Acadian couple separated for years until they reunite at her husband's deathbed
DANNY LOUTEN
Camp Hammond inYarmouth
in Philadelphia was a "popular sensation, says Calhoun. It made Longfellow "the most famous writer in America."
The biographer acknowledges that Ew gelitie makes difficult reading today. "The long,lumberinglines...tendtoputoffmod¬ ern readers," he writes. "Yet when read aloudbyapracticedvoicetoapatientaudi¬ ence, the music of the poem remains haunt¬ inglybeautiful."
Poems like The Song of Hiawatha (1854i. inspired by early tales of Maine's Abenakis, "The Courtship of Miles Standish” (1858), and "Paul Revere's Ride" (1860 achieved a wide readership all over the world. They enhanced Longfellow's image asafigurelargerthanlife,aniconofAmer¬ icanqualities.
While we know the poet's description ot Revere'sexploitswaslargelyfictionalized the verses are easily memorized and it re¬ mains "the only work by Longfellow that lstill widely read, occasionally learned by heart," says Calhoun.
A fascinating exhibition, "Paul Revere! Ride and Longfellow's Legend," organizes by the Brandywine River Museum in con¬ sultation with the Paul Revere Memorii Association,willbeonviewattheNationa: Heritage Museum in Lexington, Massa¬ chusetts,January'29-June26,2005.Itiscom¬ posed of works by artists who drew on Longfellow's poem to create visible image of Revere as a legendary symbol of Amer¬ ican heroism and patriotism.
Calhoun advances several versions c the circumstances of the tragic fire tha: killed Fanny at Craigie House in 1861. The "official"versionsaysshewasengulfedby flames from a candle she was using to meh waxtosealapacketwithlocksofoneofhe daughters' hair. The conventional descrip tion says a gust of wind may have spread theflame,orFanny'sloosesleevemayhan brushed it, or the candle may have bee' knocked over.
Calhounoffersadifferentscenario,a; related by Longfellow's daughter Anni' yearslater:thatthefirebeganwhenalight¬ edmatchfelltothefloorwhilefive-year-oL Annieplayedwiththem,ignitinghermoth¬ er's hoop-skirted white muslin dress.
Inanycase,Fannyrantoherhusband' study,butLongfellow'seffortstodouseth blaze failed and he was burned in the pr cess. Fanny died the next day.
Calhoun also casts doubt on the "muchpublicized family tradition" that Long¬ fellow grew his famous white, wooly beard to cover scars left by his burns. "[P]hotographs...from the mid-1860s show no ob¬ viousscars,"hewrites,"andthefullnessof the beard suggests that it grew without the patchiness one would associate with per¬ manently damaged skin."
In the decades of melancholy that fol¬ lowed his wife's death, Longfellow pro¬ duced his landmark, three-volume trans¬ lationofDante's Divine Comedy, some lyric poems, and narrative poetry such as Talesof aWaysideInn (1863). "The technical vir¬ tuosity"ofepisodesinthelatter,writesCal¬ houn, "is unsurpassed in 19th-century Amer¬ icanpoetry."
Longfellow's teaching of comparative literatureatHarvardandhis PoemsofPlaces, an anthology of lyrics from all over the world, "give him standing as 19th-century America's most ambitious multicultur¬ alist,"saysCalhoun.
Longfellow continued to write to the end of his life, although burdened by ill health, feelings of depression, concern abouttheunsettledstateofthenationafter the Civil War, and handling the voluminous correspondence and steady stream of ad¬ miring visitors that resulted from his cel¬ ebrity, including his final visitor, Oscar Wilde. "Some of his visitors," wrote New England cultural sage Van Wyck Brooks, thought he was greater than Shakespeare." Longfellowdiedattheageof75in1882. The immediate cause of death was listed as peritonitis," writes Calhoun, "but the ^TOptoms suggest cancer of the stomach."
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By the time of his death, Longfellow had becomeanationalpatriarchalfigure,awhitebearded eminence with an endless range of admirers the world over. He was the first American honored with a bust in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Statues im¬ mortalizing him were created in countless American cities. Franklin Simmons's seated figure (1888) still graces Portland's Long¬ fellow Square, and a fine marble bust (c. 1870) by Hiram Powers is in the collection of the Portland Museum of Art. The bard's face has appeared on postage stamps and allmannerofobjectsovertheyears.
With the notable exception of such dis¬ senting voices as the vitriolic Edgar Allan Poe and Margaret Fuller, Longfellow's rep¬ utationamongthepublicandliterarycritics remained uniformly high well after his death. Then, as Calhoun puts it, "How quicklyitallevaporated."
Aslongagoas1907,thecentennialofthe poet's birth, writer/editor William Dean Ho¬ wellssingledoutthecharacteristicofLong¬ fellow's poetry' that has come to concern
modern critics. Throughout Longfellow's early career, Howells wrote, "the poet... loved best the tale which would teach some¬ thingorwouldturnthetellingintoaparable."
Heplayedacentralrolein establishingNewEngland's culturalhegemony-inthe sense that Americans were persuaded that America' was NewEnglandwritlarge.
Since that time, increasingly harsh judg¬ ments have been rendered about Longfel¬ low's poetry. Modernist critics have tended to find him hopelessly old-fashioned, deni¬ grating the moralizing tone, quiet verities, andsentimentality'ofhisversesandattack¬ ing his poetic craftsmanship. They seem to take pleasure in reducing him to a hearth¬ siderhy'mer.
The pendulum may, however, be begin¬
ning to swing in Longfellow's favor. It school children no longer have to memorize "The Wreck of the Hesperus" or "The VillageBlacksmith,"heisstilltheonepoet whom average Americans know by heartor at least via memorable snatches. Phrases such as "ships that pass in the night" and "footprints in the sands of time" have become part of our everyday language.
While many' scholars remain skeptical and dismissive of much of Longfellow's work,someagreethatthereisaconsiderable portionthatisquitegoodandwillendure.
Calhounobservesthat"Todaythereis... evidence that Longfellow is being treated with greater academic respect..." As far back as 1975, Brown University professor George Monteiro wrote that "[A|ny reader who can accept the idea that there was nothing wrong with the way' Longfellow thought and can be tolerant of the moral mission of his poetry' will discover an im¬ pressively large body of poetry combining suggestive symbols, high technical finish, ethicalstraightforwardness,andaclear,re-
Calhoun's admirable, informed, and fullvillustratedbiographyiswell-writtenand impressively researched. He seems to have visited every place where Longfellow ever set foot-herc and abroad. He adds to the 21st century's positive reassessment of Longfellow's virtues. "It would be an exag¬ gerationtosay,"Calhounwrites,"thatLong¬ fellow invented America [as an interesting exhibition in 2002 at the Maine Historical Societysuggested].Butthatheimaginedand perfected and made so memorable so many aspects of how America is conceived remains his most enduring achievement."
In the final analysis, observes Calhoun, "Longfellow's power to endure is very much rooted in place," meaning New England, stretching from Brunswick, Portland, and Casco Bay to Boston, Cambridge, and Cape Cod.
The lad from Fore Street made himself into the most popular poet in the English language and wrote verses of lasting inter¬ est.Itisaproudlegacyindeed.■
have children of my own, I know that would never allow them to wander off will a loaded gun! What were my parents think ing?Butthat'sjustit:timesweredifferentMi grandfather, having grown up with guns probablvthoughtofitasariteofpassage. Those memories came to me when I rar into an image (see page 46) in the Brid Store Museum (Kennebunk) archives thf other dav. Look at these ladies and thet guns in this circa-1910 photo! These gak look like they mean business! Notice th barbells at their feet! These Kennebuni women were part of a group known as th "Pvthian Sisterhood," and they regular!: held ceremonies such as weapon drills, cal isthenicscompetition,andIndianclubdnlf-
Just two decades prior to this image AnnieOakleywastheworld'sfirstathletii superstarwhousedarifletowinacclaimir Bill Code 's Wild West shows. Her incred ble displavs of marksmanship earned he thetitleof"LittleSureShot."
Sf/k and Steel: Women at Anns, anew book by R.L. Wilson, states: "From Queer Elizabeth I through...Queen Elizabeth II thenumbersofaristocraticarmsenthusiasthave been impressive...Thomas Jeffersonmatched pair of Queen Anne-style flintloa pistols were made by London gun-maker Marv Dealtry. Pioneer American worrier took bold steps to defend home and heart andtheircouragefirstearnedthemtherip to vote in Western states, where hardineandself-relianceweretakenforgranted.”
The topic of women and guns is hotl debated. There are websites for women militia groups such as those headed h Maine novelist Carolvn Chute, women advocacy groups such as Women Again? Gun Control and the Second Amendment Sisters,aswellasmanygroupsinfavorofpr controlsuchasthosewhoformedtireMillie Mom March. Here in Maine the relation4r women have had with firearms since ear colonialtimesLsunique.Fromtheearliest< tiers to contemporary times, women in Ma^ havebeenclosetogunsandevenfeelacertar bond witfl them.
Cathy Plaisted, 44, of west Gorham.oneofthem.Herfather,anavidfishermar introduced her to the outdoors from h earliest davs. "I was fix e when my fath gave me a tackle box and fishing pole f mv birthdav. That night he took me t Gadabout Gaddis movie." She ear through the Junior Maine Guide progra'
Mowshe'samother,wife,hunter,registered Maine Guide, and divinity student at Ban¬ gor Theological Seminary. Really, how does onereconcileshootingwiththedivine?
"Iintendtopursuewildernessministry," she says simply. "My husband has some friends from New York and New Jersey who certainly have a different attitude towardgunsthanIdo,becausemostoftheir experience has been negative. They saw them as a means of violence rather than a meanstoputsomethinginyourfreezer.
"1 bought my first rifle myself, when I was31or32,a20-gaugeshotgun,stillhave it.1alsohavea7mm.08-agooddeerrifle.I don't have handguns; I'm a hunter. I go to camp up north in Medford every summer and often hunt with Andrea Trefts from Maxfield,agoodfriend.Forthoseinterest¬ ed, I recommend taking the "Becoming an Outdoor Woman in Maine" course from Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, as 1 have. I'm not opposed to handguns-that'sjustnotme.Ihuntgrouse, whitetaildeer.
"My husband doesn't hunt," she grins. "OnedayhebabysatsoAndreaandIcouldgo huntingallday.HewatchedoursonForrest andherthreechildren.Whataman,huh?"
In urban settings, she cautions: "Re¬ member, there's no hunting in Portland at any time and only bow hunting allowed in Westbrook during hunting season."
Plaistedfeelsakinshipwiththefirstreg¬ istered Maine Guide in history, Cornelia Flyrod" Crosby, from Oquoussoc, also Starks. "She registered in 1897. She was a greatshotaswellasanastoundingfisher¬ man. She had PR skills, too, representing Maine in Madison Square Garden with dis¬ plays of furs to entice people up to the Maine wilderness."
So how again do guns mix with being a "’Oman? In many cases, owning and enjoya firearm used by' a father, mother, or great-grandparent offers women a strong emotional connection to that relative. Gtm ownershipandusecanoftenprovideasense ofconfidenceandmastery'ofskillforwomen, *oo.ForothersitisaConstitutionalrightthey feelpassionatelyabout.Regardlessofwhich sideyoustandonwithregardtoguncontrol andtheSecondAmendment,gunsafety'isan Kue to always remain clear on, whatever yourgender.■
Kwanzaa is about giving of yourself and establishing a connection with your community," says Portland art¬ ist Daniel Minter. When Minter, 43, heard the United States Postal Sendee was thinkmg of redesigning their Kwanzaa stamp, he didntmissalick.His37-centstampdesign "’asreleasedthispastOctober.
Kwanzaa, a non-religious holiday "loose¬ lybasedonharvestcelebrationsinAfrican
BY ELIZABETH VALENTE
culture/' according to Portland NAACP president Winston McGill, is celebrated from December 26 to January 1.
"I like the participatory nature of Kwanzaa," Minter, who studied at the Art In¬ stitute of Atlanta, says. "Someone will lead a song, someone else will acknowledge another's deeds, and so on; energy spreads around the room." Minter received $3,000 forIrisdesign.■
Theisland,green,anoasisuponar<xk.asanctu¬ ary. awaj. protected from the world by its blue, blue ocean. This is Island, the ring. Within our Double-End Dory Design, a green tourmaline cen¬ ter and blue tourmaline sides. Maine gems, ol course.Thecolorsblendinadream-likesoftfocus reverie.Hieringisnatural,(’omeseeyourisland.
AtlanticSunrise SpringLilac
FromthefirstgreensparkatEarth'sliquidedge. Red-amber,goldflowingoutuponthesea. Dawn's lemon yellow light revealsablue-bluesea. ThisisAtlanticSunrise,thering. ColdAtlanticblue. Center, blue Maine tourmaline: Africancitrinesides,assunandreflectedlight.
0X1878_$965.00
Nexttotheswinginthegarden,lilacsinlush grape among warm spring-green leaves. Maine amethyst center, greenMainetourmalinesides.
0X1975.$965.00
Strawberry Fields
Eyesclosed,tinymorselsattipoftongue, firstsweettasteattheedgeofsummer. Redberriesnestledamonggreenleaves. School'sout.Vacationbegins. We all remember. Pinktourmalinecenter,greentourmalinesides. Maine gems, of course.
Wild Blueberry
Downtheroadandthroughthewoodstoaclear¬ ing that only you and the family know. That's where the wild blueberries grow. Among the greenleaves,blue...deliciousblue.Muffins.a pie.nofinertastethanwildMaineBlueberries. This is the Maine Blueberry ring. Blue tourma¬ linecenter,greentourmalinesides.Mainegems, ofcourse.
Love
Love's first glance, then words caress. Hearts stir.Love'scolor:red.thecolorwhichmakesthe pulsequicken,deep,intense,acolortobecome lostwithin...andatitsedges,violet,thepassion leading to love. This is Love, the ring, red Arizona garnet (center), violet amethyst from Maine (sides). You know the feeling of love. Come see the ring which goes by its name.
To learn more about the Cheverus experience, contact the Admissions office at 774-6238 or visit our website: www.cheverus.org
It'snaturaltofeelalittlesadwhendriv¬ ing by an animal struck dead on the side of the road. Howard Whitten has seen more than his share of roadkill, and he still feels sad when he sees a deerorapossumcurledupintheBigSleep on the shoulder.
But then he often does something most folks would consider most unnatural: he pickstheanimalupandbringsittoschool. Whitten,50,aMainenative,teachesthe only public high-school taxidermy class in the nation, at Nokomis Regional High School, west of Bangor. He made news this fall when the Smithsonian Institution don¬ ated $1 million worth of taxidermy, mount¬ ed animal parts, and frozen specimens to his program. The booty will be shared with theCollegeoftheAtlanticandwillsoonbe available to students throughout the state viaalendingtaxidermylibraryWhittenhas in the works.
A science teacher, Whitten first intro¬ duced taxidermy to Nokomis in the early 1990s. It began when some students asked him who'd prepared and mounted the specimens they were studying. Whitten had done the work himself, and student interestintheprocessledfirsttoaclub,then to Whitten's creation of a curriculum fora
classbasedonthepractice.
Theclassisopentostudentsingrades10 and up. "Freshmen are too overwhelmed with life and hormones and everything else,"Whittensays."Ican'tdealwith'em." This from a man who routinely deals with dead skunks.
The students begin by taking meticulous measurements of the specimens, data nec¬ essary to accurately reproduce the original animal after the organs and other viscera have been removed (these are freeze-dried, rightattheschool,forfurtherstudy).
The next step is to decide how the ani¬ mal will be posed, a decision that deter¬ mineshowtireanimaliscut.
This is followed by removal of the skin. "It'snodifferentthantakingasockoffa
Whitten made news when the Smithsonian donated$1million worthoftaxidermy, mountedanimalparts, and frozen specimens tohisprogram.
foot,"Whittensays.Butitcanbedifficult
Odoriferous
ric softener "to make it smell pretty," and then fitted over a pre-formed mannequin or infrastructure that groups of students construct themselves.
Prior to the Smithsonian's donationwhich includes a pair of mounted African lions,agrizzlybearfromRussia,andared stag deer from Austria-state fish and game officersprovidedWhittenwithtirebulkofhis specimens, which they culled from roadkill or confiscated from unethical hunters. Past donations from locals and Whitten's friends in the taxidermy world include an ostrich andagiraffe,thelatteragiftfromacolleague inNewJersey.Noanimalsarekilledspecifi¬ callyforuseinthetaxidermyclass.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are usually moregirlsthanboysinWhitten'sclass,and thegirlstendtobemoreadeptattaxidermy. You show the average teenage boy a deer head,andheseesonlytheantlers,"hesaid.
SkijumpersflyingofftheWesternPromandlandingonSt.JohnStreet?Dogsledracing andicedancing?Portland'sWinter Carnivalcrowds of the 1920s knew how to party!
intercarnivals,withtheiricecas¬ tles,dog-sledraces,skiing,skating, and frozen fun, have put many of Morth America's hyperborean cities on the ma P- Lake Placid. Quebec. Anchorage, bethel. Berlin, New Hampshire. Portland, Maine. Portland? Believeitornot,Portland
was home to a Winter Carnival that attracted thousands throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Little known today, photographs of our Forest City capture the fun and fantasy of a simplertimewhentirestate'spremiermetro¬ politanarearightlyclaimedtohaveitall.
Tire February 1924 Winter Carnival, held
just a few days after the death of President Woodrow Wilson, went down in history as one of the biggest of the era. More than 5,000 people flocked to the Western Prom to witness ski jumps, toboggan races, and the end of a Maine Iditarod. At Deering Oaks, hundreds of children skated in costumes,
■Whetherit'sjustalittleguidanceto
• get you started, or comprehensive ‘ project management, we can I ? custom-tailor your bath remodeling h project from concept to completion.
and an Ice Castle was built to showcase a King and Queen of the Carnival. Everyone had caught the Winter Carnival bug.
Thethree-dayfestivitiesbeganonThurs¬ day with the Coronation Ceremony of Ma¬ jor E. E. I’hilbrook and Miss Winona Dre" as the carnival's king and queen. The nee day, Miss Drew made a whirlwind shop¬ ping tour of Congress Street with the Harold Whitehouse dog sled team. Cross¬ country ski races, skating, and even a hos raceonthefrozentrackoftheDeeringOak Speedway' topped off the day.
Saturdayseemedtobetheday'everyont was waiting for. The first big event dre" cheers as Harold Whitehouse of Boothba' Harbor came across the finish line on th Western Prom with his five Eskimo "’o*1 dogs, finishing a 25-mile dog-sled raff throughthecitylimits.ArcticexplorerDoff aid MacMillan owned one of the winning dogs.Latercametheski-jumpingevent.O' ajumpbuilthighoverSt.JohnStreet,skies suchasMargaretTowneofBerlin,a""’’ff
T. Michaels
Photo by Wi
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some miss of 15"; Portland boy Allen Bell; Adolph"Birger"Olsen,alocalcarpenterand champion ski jumper; and noted skiers from dioverthecountryparticipatedinexhilarat¬ es contests in both the junior and senior divisions. Erling Anderson of Berlin, New Hampshire, took the senior event with a 922" jump, only after Birger Olsen wowed crowdswithhisrecord92'6"footleapbefore beingdisqualifiedforfallingonhislanding. Alien Bell earned gasps when he did an "npromptusomersaultintheairafterlosing disbalancetakingofftirerunway.Hisquick 'brokingprobablysavedhimfromseriousor evenfatalinjuries.
By 1926, the Winter Carnival shifted its
Miss Drew made a whirlwind shopping utourofCongressStreet e PX!"withadoqsledteam... T the 61!rs’ at aft w W the cob •ace (on¬ line Or jen sin-
base of operations to Deering Oaks, where the Portland PressHerald declared "Port¬ land's First Real Winter Carnival" would be held. Skiing, skating, and snowshoeing races delighted thousands, as well as a "most original costumes" contest for skat¬ ing couples. Once again, an ice castle was built and a King and Queen chosen.
As late as 1934, the State Theatre and a local paper sponsored a Winter Carnival on December 26th at Deering Oaks. The popu¬ larity of these carnivals appears to have waned in the late 1930s. Perhaps World War II, coupled with the ongoing Great De¬ pression, put an end to such winter mirth and myth. These photographs illustrate the wonder of the time more than words ever could. A news article noted in 1926 that "motion pictures" were made of the 300 contestants in a skating event at the Oaks. Where are these movies today? But, more to the point, where are we-the winter festival¬ goers who flocked to events like Portland's Winter Carnival-today? ■
Winter Holidays, Windswept Beach
Rustic,simple,direct,the ShingleStyleistheperfect modeofexpressionfor thiscoupleandtheirnew home on Prouts Neck.
BY SCOTT SIMONS
What is so appealing about the Shingle Style? At the end of the 19th century architects in the northeast were inspired to create houses that were less formal and more whimsical, playful, and "cottagey."
Detailed with painted white trim and white cedar shingles, these cottages weath¬ eredtoasilvergray.Someofthebestarchi¬ tects of the day experimented with this aesthetic,bringingittotheforefrontofresi¬ dential architectural design in America.
H.H. Richardson, who designed Trinity Church in Boston, designed some of the
Dedicated to BeautifulYou
inside |.story
earliest Shingle Style homes in Massachu¬ setts in the 1880s and 1890s. New York's Stanford White designed the Newport Cas¬ ino in 1881 and numerous early Shingle Style houses in Newport, Rhode Island. Maine's own John Calvin Stevens designed beautiful homes in the Shingle Style on Portland's Western Prom, Little Diamond Island, and Cushing Island. From this early outpouring of design and creativity, the Shingle Style was born and soon became the preferred mode of expression for sum¬ mer cottages of the wealthy.
So when a family from Washington, DC, contacted Mary Drysdale about designing a house for them in Prouts Neck, the Shingle Style was an obvious choice.
"They wanted a big house but with a relaxed feeling, well designed and well built," Drysdale explains, so the Shingle Stylewasaperfectfit,becauseit'sallabout the qualities of the Maine landscape and seascape.Itisdirect,simple,andtextured.It has a simplicity of materials, a modesty of style, and a direct connection to the land¬ scape. In this house on Prouts Neck you can sit in the living room and enjoy the stone fireplace while looking out the window at the rocky coastline. You can enjoy the wideplank pine floors inside and see towering white pine trees out the windows. There is
nourbansensetothishouse.Itisdirectlycon¬ nectedtoitssiteandthematerialsofMaine. Weareconnectedtotime,too,withthis modem interpretation. There are moments in thishousewhenitissometimeshardtotell whetheritwasbuiltinthe1890sortire1990s According to Drysdale, the owners first approached her to help them plan the inte¬ riors here. They brought in Rick Renner,a talentedarchitectinPortland,todesignthe exteriorofthehouse,withitstraditional gambrelroofdesignsimilartosomeofJohr. Calvin Stevens's houses on the Westerr
Prom. They hired Larry Wagner of Eider Construction, a contractor well known for attentiontodetail,tobuilditfortheages. Everyone worked together as a team to design and build a house "that was truly significant, without going over the top," saysDrysdale.
Withthismagnificentsiteonthecoastof Maine, a key inspiration was "to make sure the views from any spot in the house would belovely.Itiswonderfultoopenthefront door and see through to the water on the other side." Drysdale has certainly accom¬ plished that, and more. The house has a wonderful sense of spaciousness. The rooms are generous in size and proportion. They open up to each other, making each feel evenbiggerthanitsindividualsize.Large windows and French doors flood the inte¬ riorswithnaturallightandleadouttocov¬ eredporcheswithviewsoftheocean.
The interiors are classic, the woodwork¬ ingextensive."Withviewsthisbeautiful,we chose materials that wouldn't detract" but instead form a backdrop for the landscape. Thoughtfully detailed and executed, the moldings,paneling,andcabinetryareremi¬ niscentofabygoneeraandmaketheinteri¬ ors warm and comfortable. Hand-painted "'oodfloorsandastarfishmotifaddaplay¬ fultouchtotheinteriors,enhancingthere¬ laxed atmosphere of this gracious home so comfortable amid the powerful landscape andseascapesurroundingit.■
And people think wedon'tcelebrateDecember31uphereinthewoods.
BY CATHY NELSON PRICE
New Year's Portland
Last year's surprise hit is back, bigger and better.Nolongertheexclusiveturfoflatenight revelers, New Year's Portland boasts family-friendliness, fireworks, and free admission. Aimed to please teens and young adults, the day's goal is to "get your kids worn out and then go have fun your¬ self,"saystheCityofPortland'sLizDarling.
Chem-free and as economical or expen¬ sive as each participant determines, this "firstnight"celebrationismorelikealast day, though it includes many of the ele¬ ments of its nocturnal cousins during the six hours of daylight it encompasses.
At 11 a.m., celebrants in wacky costumes
line up and participate in a 5K road race down Congress Street.
Too cold to stand and cheer? At the Mer¬ rill Auditorium, Portland's own comic comet Bob Marley is home for several shows. Tire Merrill's Rehearsal Halls hold a hypnotist and a Make-Your-Own-Noisemaker workshop. "Because last year we ran out of everything!" Darling says.
hr nearby Portland High School gym, children's musician Rick Charette holds court, while in the cafeteria, crafts work¬ shops and balloon activities continue.
Later on, future superstars can partici¬ pateinthe"TeenIdol"(think AmericanIdol) program in the auditorium, with the win¬ nerreceivingacashprize.
At the Portland Public Market, food demonstrations and an art maze take center stage,alongwitha"sea/touchtank"forthe children. Monument Square boasts a heat¬ edstageforall-daykaraokeandalateafter¬ noonconcertbyrecordingartistsIllnatural.
The YWCA offers public swimming all day, and the Children's Museum promises ahostofspecialeventsonFreeStreet.
Dressappropriatelyforthiswintercarni¬ val, the better to enjoy an old-fashioned countdown at sunset, complete with fire¬ works.Finally,thosewithtickets(andener¬ gy left) can take in the Portland Pirates hockey game at the Cumberland County CivicCenter,wherethelargestindoorfire¬ works display in Maine follows the game. Call Portland Downtown District at 7726828 or visit www.newsyearsportland.com
Romance, Sleigh Rides
Looking for romance to bring in the New Year? Try one of the area's dining-anddancing getaway packages. Bear Mountain Inn in Waterford offers a New Year's Eve packagefortwothatincludestwonightsof lodging, a four-course candlelight dinner fortwo,ahorse-drawnsleighrideatdusk, framed pictures of each couple at New Year'sdinner,andagiftfromtheinn.Call theInnat583-4404.
BestPartyNorth of Time Square
Skiiersandpartygoersmaystillbeableto get into The Balsams Resort in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, for a world-class New Year's Eve in the tradition of Sonja Henie(yes,she'sskatedhereattheirnightlitrink)andFredAstaire.
Cocktails start at 5:30, followed by a Grand Buffet Dinner. So send the kids oft to a party of their own while you enjo) dancing and entertainment at 10 p®Then re-gather for unforgettable fireworks in this hidden valley7 atmidnight.Thisis the most luxuriant celebration north oi New York. Call The Balsams at SOO-25^ 0600foravailability.
Heading south?
Trythe YorkHarborInn, featuring a champagne-laden evening of fine dining and a midnight extravaganza of dancing to live music until the wee hours of the morning. Sleep late and wake up to spectacular ocean views and a bountiful brunch. (Postpone your New Year's res¬ olutions and dash out to the nearby out¬ letstoresduringyourstay.)Forprices and availability, contact the York Harbor Innat800-343-3869.
Wake Up Oceanside
The Samoset Resort in Rockport draws an internationalcoterieofvisitorsduringthe holidays, culminating in a New Year's Eve package for two including dinner at award¬ winning Marcel's (don't miss the Chateau¬ briand for two). In the ballroom, dance to Coronados and join your fellow celebrants inatraditionalnoisywelcomingof2005.In the morning, a full breakfast awaits and you'llhavetimetostrolltheplowedpaths along the deserted beach. For prices and availability,calltheSamosetat800-341-1650.
Frozen Badge of Honor
Finally,ifyou'rehavingalittletroubleshak¬ ingofftheeffectsofallthispartying,we have a drastic but memorable antidote. Checkoutoneofthe PolarBearSwims tra¬ ditionally held on New Year's Day at lakefront or oceanfront towns (memorably at Portland's East End Beach). Designed to separate the hardy from their body heat, thisquickdipinfrigidwaterfeaturesadash intotireoceaninbathingsuits,aquickgasp, andarushbacktodry'land,warmblankets, andperhapsahottoddy.■
IfPortland'sincreasinglydisplacedartists migrate to Westbrook for affordable stu¬ diospace,they'llbehappytofindagrow¬ ingpaletteofeclecticandsatisfyingdining options, including the deservedly popular art-deco Chicky's Fine Diner.
You feel like you've walked right into a Hopperpaintinghere,excepteverything'sin motion. Performances are frequent and gar¬ ner rave review's. Chicky's co-owmer Chicky Stoltz-formerly of the bands Munjoy Hill Society and Dulce De Leche-has long¬ standing connections w'ith the music scene and uses them to good advantage. On the other hand, you don't need a show to make a visit to Chicky's worthwhile. The food is justplainterrific-andnicelypriced.
Westartwithabigbow4ofexcellent Ger¬ man potato soup and good-sized garden salad dressed tastily w'ith creamy blue cheese,each$2ifyouorderanentree.
NextW'etry' Chicken-friedsteakwithcream gravy ($9.50),kismetformypartner,whois deep into Annie Proulx's ThatOldAceinthe Hole, set in Texas. "Everybody keeps eating this chicken-fried steak in the book," he says. When the waitress explains it's cube steak done in a deep-fry batter, he dives into it, pronouncing it a terrific, although rich, choice, accompanied by "the best fries I've had in a very' long time" and really'
good,freshcarrotslightly'sauteedinbutter and brown sugar. Entrees are served w'ith a choice of two "sides." Selections include succotash, glazed carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, curly fries, sauteed corn, potatosalad,andcoleslaw.
With my GrilledBlackAngushangersteak ($17) I choose mashed potatoes and green beans. The potatoes-a delicious, colossal mound-are even better when drenched w'ith some of the gorgeous cream gravy that graces my' partner's dish, and the beans, although frozen, are crisp and tasty. The steak is superb, as tender as it gets, cooked exactly as ordered and prettily pre¬ sented with extra good fried onion rings overthetop.
Accompanying all is Penfold's ShirazMourvedre ($17),anAustralianred.Geary's Pale Ale, Casco Bay Pilsner, Widmer Hefew'eizen ($3.50), and Guinness ($4.50) are on tap here. Other beers ($2 to $3.50) in¬ clude Newcastle Brown Ale (a.k.a. The Dog), Corona, Red Stripe, Budw'eiser, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Cocktails? Try the Presump¬ scot River Rum Runner.
Homemade desserts like hot apple pie, banana cream pie, cheescake, and heavenly' sounding chocolate affairs beckon.
MORE THAN almost anyone else, Spencer Albee has influenced re¬ centtrendsinPortland'smusiccom¬ munity as a band member with Rustic Over¬ tones, Rocktopus, and now As Fast As. His position as booking agent for The Big Easv makes him even more powerful, amplified by the great news that As Fast As has just signed a record deal with Octone Records. I ventured out to the back woods of West Kennebunk (where As Fast As is recording a new CD) to catch up with Spencer about the stateofthelocalscene.
WCYY, WCLZ, WMPG-that's where you find new music. If you want some out¬ side [material], hang out on MPG. If you want something that's a little less daring but still daring, check out CLZ, and if you want it hard, check out CYY. At any given time you'll find three, four, or five local bands in regular rotation at CLZ or CYY.
I'mnotsureit's10yearsbehindbutit is behind; people are ignorant of stuff. The eightiesdefinitelylastedalotlongeruphere. Like Portland's budding hip-hop scene. There are 5-10 people paving the way and you've got this audience I can only compare toeightiesmetalheads.It'snotstupidity,it's anignoranceofstuff,they'renotexposedto lotofstuff.
My taste goes out the window as a book¬ ing agent...There are some bands I really likethatIjustcan'tbookherebecausethey won'tdrawatthisclub.Ilookforbandswho have enough self respect to actually go out and put up posters and really work to pro¬ mote their show. The more successful I am, the more chances I can take musically down theroad.
What'sabandgetforplayingatTheBigEasy?
Generally speaking, we do door deals. A
band'sexperiencewilldeterminetheticket price, usually between $3 and $7. Ifthe band puts in 200 people at S7, do the math Ifthebandbringsin15peopleat$3,well do that math, too. At the Big Easy, l'ir proud to say the band gets what they bring in.There'snosetguarantee.
Doyouseebandsfeelingsmotheredby the alternativerockformatyou'vebeenembracing atTheBigEasy?Whoisbreakingaway anc experimenting?
Itotallydisagree.Wehaveanincredibh diversegroupofbandsattheBigEasy,frar. funkandsoultoheavytoaltcountrytopop rock. I don't think anyone is smothered.
ParanoidSocialClubjustreleasedadouble disc. It's arguably the best band in town/ like where 6Gig is going. Even All Out is writingsomecoolstuff,butI'mnotsurewhat the}' are doing...Tony McNaboe is workin; on a new record. Some of Pete Kilpatricks stuffisreallycool.Sontiago,Ithoughthe: record was great and her CD release parr, was some of the most fun I've had watchin; anotherlocalartistrecently.I'malwaysin terestedinwhateverWaltCravenIsdoing.ILI theLeftovers,they'rereallyfun,reallygood.
Asfarasbeingpoisedforgreatthings,al watch Ray Lamontagne. The Ponys an great,butIdon'tthinktheywillhitbig,the. aim is on smaller things.
Whatbandsaredrawingthebiggestcrowds’ Paranoid,EvenAllOut,6Gig,anythin; Mike Taylor touches. He throws parties or a weekly basis. Pete Kilpatrick draws wet Stars Look Down had a good-sized CDfr leasepart}'.
Whatotherpromoters?
Jim Ahearne (Clear Channel), Bill Beas ley (when he was doing it), Johnny Lomba Lauren Wayne is doing a great job, De^ Lombardi has taken on a slew of you”1 bands. TJ McNaboe has got a lot of banc noticed, though he's not really a promote
Atthislevelit'slike,yougetthebandto show up and you print up posters.
I hatetosayitwasn'tourfault,'cause1 don'tthinkitwas,butforClive[Davis,CEO ofAristaRecords]nottoputoutourrecord was,well,I'veneversoldamillionrecords and he has. Then he was fired and we got put on the back burner. Eventually we broke away and signed with Tommy Boy. And then when our second single was just about tobreak, they went under. The first time it happened I was crushed. The second time I laughed and said "Wow, imagine that."
Did thatcausethebandtobreakup?
No, we'd been through a lot and people started to question everything. But we al¬ ways wanted to go out on top and we played our last show to a sold-out State Theatre rather than playing it out on Route 18atJoe'sTavernorsomesuchplace.
DescribeyournewmusicwithAsFastAs.
We are a four-piece pop/rock band, in the classic sense of Badfinger or The Clash or The Who. Bass, drums, guitar, a little keyboard. Our sound is like if Tire White Album and Odelay had a baby.
Sinceyouweresignedtoamajorrecordlabel withAristainthemid1990sasamemberof Rustic Overtones,whatadvicewouldyougive to yourselfandAsFastAsaboutyournewdeal with Octone?
Don't jump up and down with excite¬ ment till you have a big pile of money to cushion the fall. When I'm on Cribs, I'llbe literally jumping up and down. What we have now is a great opportunity and a promise from a really' good company' to help break us out. One of the first things that happened with Octone is they called me to help them with one of their new artistsuphereinPortland.AndIfigured, hey,iftheyarecallingmetohelpthemin Portland, then who knows, they' will probablybecallingsomeoneinTulsatohelp me down the line. I thought that was pretty c°ol; that would never have happened on Arista. Actually, nothing ever happened at Arista [laughs]. Arista exists only as an 'mprint now, which warms the cockles of myheart.
Whatwereyourmusicalinfluencesgrowingup?
The Beatles. The Ghostbusters soundtrack, the first tape I ever bought. Also The Beach Boys,BillyJoel,andStevieWonder.Igrewup in York, 15 minutes from Portsmouth, so we used to go to see bands like Groove Child. Later, when I moved to Portland, I really liked Goud's Thumb. Walt Craven's been a biginfluencejustbecausehedoessuchgreat stuff. Pete Giordano and Twisted Roots.
Howimportantisradiotoyourband?
It depends on what kind of band it is. It wasn'timportantatalltoPhish.Ithinkit's somewhat important to us but it's not the be-all-end-all.Radioisgoingtoplayapret¬ ty important part in our success. Can you sell 10 million records without radio suc¬ cess?No,butyoucansell100,000.
No one's getting signed right now. The industry is kind of in shutdown mode. The labels are overspending and overcharging for everything and kids at their computers downloadforfree.Sothesmallerlabelslike Victory or Octone or Nonesuch are signing more acts and at the same time being more careful and working harder and longer on making it work. A case in point is Octone. They had Maroon 5 as their only act for a while and they kept at it, working hard until they made it happen as opposed to the old big-label model of let's throw it out there and see what sticks. Jeremiah Freed and Rustic went through that.
But even in this new world of technolo¬ gy' you need a company of some kind behind you. You need the investment; you can't just go out there and play' shows and expect to succeed.Ify'ouwanttoself-distributeaCD and tour regionally, you can do it without a record company and have some success. But eventhatisatonofwork.Italldependson whaty'ourdefinitionofsuccessis.
Whatlocalrecordlabelsarehelpingbands?
Mainly, the ones we create for ourselves. Blackfly just started up; they' put out the Stars Look Down record. Muscle City is starting a label Division. But since Rip¬ chord,therehasn'treallybeenalabel.Tune Lag put out The Ponys. Northeast Indie. Our label, FPFC, sold about 10,000 CDs but we'renotreallyaproperlabel.Itmostly'comes
The most different bands, bands doing there own thing, are, not to pat myself on the back, but us (As Fast As), Paranoid So¬ cial Club, Seekonk, and The Ponys.
Whyareaudiencesheresoenthralledwithmetal bands?
Because that's what they' hear on the radio.Ifthealternativerockplaylistweredif¬ ferent,thenpeople'stastewouldbedifferent. That'swhat'sofferedtothemfor'rock.'But it'spopularineverytertiary'market,sameas Des Moines.
Goud's Thumb put out a great record on a label that didn't know what to do with it. Critique was a dance label that decided to get into pop. A few years later the same guy, Walt Craven, wrote a song "Hit the Ground," a great song, a hit song, and the label dropped the ball and that folded. I'm sympathetic to the situation Jeremiah Freed was in but I don't know enough about how they' structured their business. For whatev¬ erreasonitdidn'twork.
Well, I don't know Devonsquare, but we quit while we were ahead. We said, this is going really well but it's going to suck down the road so let's stop now.
WhatwasitlikecuttingasongwithDavidBowie?
IwaseatingasandwichinthelobbyofAvatar StudiosinNewYorkCity'andthislittleguy walkedbyinaflannelshirt.Ididn'treallypay him any mind; he probably came up to my shoulder.ItwasBowie.Ican'tstressenough how completely normal and easygoing David Bowie was. He was totally cool: you expect a lightshowwhenhewalksinbuthejustwalked inwithhisbackpack,aperfectlyadjustedhuman beingwholikesjokeslikeeveryoneelse.■
t'sarainydayinGalway,Ireland.Abeau¬ tiful woman appears out of the mist, turns, and disappears around a corner. It'sallAnneLindsay,onvacationhere,can dotokeepfromfollowingher,"becausethe woman is wearing our Mandarin reversible raincoat!" designer Maralyce Ferree laughs in her offices at in Scarborough. The next week, when Anne came home, she men¬ tioned it to us and we said, "Yes, we know Shejustcalledustoorderanotherone." She's in good company. In 20 years Ferreehasbuiltathrivingbusinessoffash¬ ioning outerwear for women. It started "when people saw me wearing a fleece shirt I'd made," Ferree says. Her friend went crazy for it. "They all wanted mete makeonelikeitforthem!Backthen,polar fleece was only known by hikers, but we saw the potential to use this comfortable warm, easy to wash fabric to make func¬ tionalbutflatteringclothingthatcatchesthe eye.IfIcouldsayjustonethingthatdistin-
guishes them, it would be "our coats make anentrance."
Ferree and Lindsay and the other 18 employees here start a new season of designing "by making a mess," Lindsay laughs. "We need chaos before there can be anyhopefororder."
Swatches of colors and fabrics, pictures from magazines, and patterns cover the design studio. First, "we draw a sketch, oftenfarfromthefinalproduct,andthenwe sewatestrun."Theprocessisfullofluck, love, and laughter. "Just look at these rejects!"Ferreesays,includingapatchwork jacket with fur trim. "The patchwork was beautiful,butitwastoodifficulttocutand mass produce." In the design process, Lindsay explains, "The hardest part for me istrustingthatsomeoneIcan'talwayssee willlikemycreativity'."
That's why' the incident in Galway' means so much.
Eventhoughcelebrity'clientslikeAmyTan andevenFrankSinatrahaveorderedherlove¬ ly designsovertheyears,"I'dratherseemy coatsontheextraordinarywomannextdoor," Ferreemuses.Oftenpraisehasdelicateinter¬ stices: "The ultimate compliment for me is when a woman tells me that a man compli¬ mentedheronthestreet.Foramantonotice and make the effort to compliment means he mustreallylikeit."
Ferree does not list her prices on her website, www.coatsusa.com, because she likes hercustomerstocallherdirectlysoshe canmakespecificrecommendations."It'san intimate process," she explains, no matter how world renowned Ferree's business has become,withretailersorderinginbulkfrom Xew York to San Francisco. Her colorful visionsarefullofstyleandindemandallover the world. It's almost as if the woman from Galway'issmiling:Whatbeautifulcreationwill you be wearing when you disappear around acomer?■ AvailableatAbacusinPortlandandFreeport, TheRightStuffinCamden,Kyle'sKeepinBar Harbor,DryDockinStonington.
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Whoneedstostealbeauty whenyoucansteal holidays?Festivalogically speaking,youcanbegina party in November and celebratestraightthrough toValentine'sDayand beyond.Isthisagreat seasonorwhat?
STORY AND PHOTOS BY AMY
LOUISE BARNETT
Youdon'thavetobeIrishtocelebrate St. Patrick's Day (yes, you with the green beer), and you don't have to be Chinesetocelebrate KongShiFaChai.
"Hanukkah is a fun holiday," says Ken Levinsky, 51, administrator of Portland's TempleBethEl."Everyyear,wecelebrateas a family and we enjoy doing things in the community." Daughter Andrea, 11, adds, "Hanukkah isn't the biggest Jewish holiday-Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashona are." The word 'Hanukkah' means dedication: The holiday commemorates the rededication oftheTempleinJerusalemafteritsdesecra¬ tionbytineGreeksalmost2,000yearsago.
Eid, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the Month of Ramadan, is also a cel¬ ebration "by the whole community," says Mohamed Abdalla, owner of the resturant ■n the Amei Balaal Market in Portland. "For kids, it's just like Christmas. We buy them clothes and toys, the whole family goes to the Mosque in the morning to pray, then we comehome,cook,andeatallday."FossAli, "’ho cooks in the restaurant, adds, "We ^ght eat goat meat and rice, and spaghetti, then lots of different cookies. The whole community goes to Mosque that day, even
Portland's Chinese community ushers in theYearoftheRoosterin2005.Celebrating ChineseNewYear,or KongShiFaChai, "is like a family reunion," according to Chris¬ tina San, 50, of Falmouth. "On New Year's Day [February 9], nobody works. We visit relativesandfriends;thekidshavealotof fun." Even the food is symbolic. Says San, "Chinese people usually have a dish of a whole fish, including the head and tail-a symbol of abundance. Then we have a whole chicken, symbol of reunion of the family and a blessing to family members."
Hanukkahfarealsotellsastory.Whenthe Jews returned to their homeland after being drivenout,theyfoundonlyenoughoilinthe Templetolastforoneday.Miraculously,the oillastedforeightdays,thetimeittakesto preparenewoilfromolives.Thus,themeno¬ rah holds eight candles to commemorate the event,and,AndreaLevinskysays,"It'stradi¬ tionaltohavejelly-filleddonutsandlatkes (potato pancakes) at Hanukkah because they're fried in oil." What else comes in eights? The presents! "You get one even night,traditionally,"shegrins,"butsome¬ times you get more."
WillieNelson,54,ofBiddefordtravelsto New York most years to celebrate Kawnzaa with his family. "One year I went to Green Memorial Church up here-they celebrate Kwanzaa with singing and burning can-
"If you want you can exchange gifts/' says Nelson, "but it's not necessary. Just being there is im¬ portant. We burn candles in honor of people who have gone- each candlehasaprayertoit."Andtire food? "Nuts, apples, oranges, bananas. We have fried chicken.
Christmas in their native Vietnam, butitwas"notasbigasitishere," says Ta. "Here, the whole family comes over, and sometimes we have turkey, or we have Viet¬ namese food." Tire reason Decem¬ ber 25th is extra-special for Ta? "It'smybirthday,too!"
So indulge yourself. Have some goatforEid,alatkeforHanukkah, or some nuts and fruits for KawnWe talk, laugh, eat, celebrate our fathers, our mothers, our ancestors. Have a good meal!"
And then there's Christmas in Portland. There'sthetraditionalwaytocelebrate,and then there are some 'imported' versions. Erlinda Alvarez, who works at Tu Casa
zaa. When the holidays roll around, it'sachancetokeepthemrolling,atimefor sharing cultures, traditions, and symbolism. Just be sure to get enough rest so you're ready for Cambodian New Year in April. ■
Anumberofholidayeventswillhelp restaurant, comes from El Salvador. All of the celebrating takes place on December 24th,withfamily,presents,dinner-tamales, polio guisada (chicken stew), rice, and beans- music, and the tree. "Christmas Day 15 forchurchandforthefamilytobetogeth¬ er,saysAlvarez.
Michael Ta, 32, and Cindy Le, 30, owners Magic Nails in Portland, celebrated
December13: Eid celebration presented by Somali Community Development of Maine, CenterforCulturalExchange.761-0591
December17: Candlelight Carol Parade from Congress Square to Monument Square. Caroling led by the Windham Chamber Singers.
DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS; DECEMBER 26JANUARY 1: KWANZAA; FEBRUARY 9-22: CHINESE NEW YEAR; APRIL 13-15 CAMBODIAN AND THAI NEW YEARS.
Galleries
ArtGalleryattheUniversityofNew England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland. "The Wit and Whim of John Kimball." 797-7261 or www.une.edu/artgallery
AucociscoGallery, 615A Congress Street and attheEastlandParkHotel,Portland.Jessica Gandolf. 874-2060 or www.aucocisco.com BatesCollegeMuseumofArt, Lewiston. ■Videodrome II" and "Marsden Hartley: Image andIdentity"throughDecember18,"Localand Global Contemporary Photography" through May 20. 786-6158. www.bates.edu
BowdoinCollegeMuseumofArt,
November 26 - December 19
ArabyRug
Brunswick. Rebecca Goodale through December 16. 725-3275 or www.bowdoin.edu
CenterforMaineContemporaryArt, 162 Russell Avenue, Rockport. "Sublime Geometries," Photographs by Michael Alpert, and "on LINE" through December 19. 2362875 or www.artsmaine.org
Children'sMuseumofMaine, 142Free Street,Portland."CulturalCreations"and holidaycelebrationscontinue,andtheHurdy Gurdy Puppet Theater December 11. 828-1234 or www,childrensmuseumofme.org
ColbyCollegeMuseumofArt, Waterville. "Currents1:JulianneSwartz"toFebruary6,anc "Photography at Colby" through February 13. 872-3228 or www.colby.edu/museum
FarnsworthMuseumofArt, MainStreet, Rockland. "A Wyeth Family Christmas" through January9;"MaineinAmerica"toFebruary13; Maine Fiber Arts to February 20. 596-6457 or www.farnsworthmuseum.org
FilamentGallery, 181CongressStreet, Portland. Fifth Annual Holiday Show through December 22. 774-0932 or www.filamentgallery.com
JuneFitzpatrickGallery, 112 Highstreet and 522 Congress Street, Portland. "Naked" through December; "Sensual Matter" and "Pots" through January. 772-1961 or www.junefitzpatrickgaliery.com ForeStreetGallery, 372ForeStreet, Portland. Paul Black through December 31.8748084 or www.forestreetgallery.com
GaleyrieFineArt, 240 U.S Route One, Falmouth.HolidayShowthroughJanuary.7813555 or www.galeyrie.com
GreenhutGallery, 146MiddleStreet, Portland. Holiday Show reception December r showing to January 3. 772-2693, or www.greenhutgalleries.com
HayGallery, 594CongressStreet,Portland Holiday Show through January 2. 773-2513 o' www.haygallery.com
InstituteofContemporaryArtat Maine CollegeofArt, 522CongressStreet,Portland "LivingGreen:ExaminingSustainability"to December 12. 879-5742 or www.meca.edu. MaineHistoricalSocietyMuseum, 489 Congress Street, Portland. "Amazing Maine Stories" to December 21. 774-1822 or www.mainehistory.org
Maine Maritime Museum, 243Washingto" Street,Bath."Lobstering&theMaineCoast' and"AMaritimeHistoryofMaine"continue. 443-1316 or www.bathmaine.com/programs.asp
Maine State Museum, 87 State House Station, Augusta. "Made in Maine" and "ReflectionsofMaine"continue.287-2304or www.state.me.us/museum/
MaineWomenWritersCollection, West¬ brook College Campus, University of New England, Stevens Avenue, Portland. Correspon¬ dence,photographs,manuscripts,andartifacts of Maine women authors. 797-7688, ext. 4324. PortlandMuseumofArt, 7 Congress Square,Portland."NewAcquisitions2004" December 11 to April 10, "Americana from the Department of State" and "Freedom Collages fromKingMiddleSchool"toJanuary2.773ARTS, (800) 639-4067or www.portlandmuseum.com
UniversityofMaineMuseumofArt, 40 HarlowStreet,Bangor.WorksbyBerenice Abbot, Marsden Hartley, Winslow Homer, Carl Sprinchorn, and Andrew Wyeth. 561 -3350. VictoriaMansion, Portland. Open through December, decorated for the season. 772-4841 orwww.victoriamansion.org
ZeroStation, Anderson Street, Portland. "Zero Portfolio"continuesatZeroStation'swebsite andinflat-filesatthegallery.347-7000 www.zerostation.com
Theater
Lyric MusicTheater, 175 Sawyer Street, .ewiston. Holiday Extravaganza in December and Showstoppers inJanuary.799-1421or vww.lyricmusictheater.com
PortlandStageCompany, Portland ’erformingArtsCenter,25AForestAvenue, Portland. AChristmasCarol December 3 to 24. 774-0465 or www.portlandstage.com
The PublicTheatre, TwoGreatFallsPlaza, Auburn. AChristmasCarol&CelticChristmas December 10 to 12. 780-3200 or ww.thepublictheatre.org
St. LawrenceArtsCenter, 76 Congress Street,Portland.UniversityofMaineStudent One-Acts December 3 to 11. 775-5568 or ■'Ww.stlawrencearts.org
UniversityofMaine, Maine Stage, Russell Hall,37CollegeAvenue,Gorham.Original wk by students December 3 to 11. 780-5151 orwww.usm.maine.edu/theater
Music
ChristmaswithRenaissanceVoices, ChestnutStreetChurch,Portland.Seasonal music December 18.766-0059 or ■■ww.renaissancevoices.org
CumberlandCountyCivicCenter, ^ortiand.Trans-SiberianOrchestraDecember “ 775-3458,775-3331 or "•’wv.ticketmaster.com or www.cc.com fhendsoftheKotzschmarMemorial
Organ, MerrillAuditorium,Portland. "Christmas with Cornils" December 21. www.foko.org
PortlandSymphonyOrchestra, Merrill Auditorium,Portland.The25thanniversaryof "Magic of Christmas" December 10 to 20. 7736128 or www.portlandsymphony.com
StateTheatre, 609CongressStreet,Portlanc The Perceptionists December 11 and Dark Star Orchestra December 17. 780-8265 or www.LiveAtTheState.com
L/AArts, 221LisbonStreet,Lewiston.Vishter and an Acadian music group from Eastern Canada December 16. 800-639-2919 or www.laarts.org
PCAGreatPerformances, Merrill Auditorium,Portland.Nationaltourof Rent January 14 and 15. 842-0800 or www.pcagreatperformances.com
PortlandConservatoryofMusic, Portlano Holiday Sing-Choral Arts Singers December 16 775-3356 or www.portlandconservatory.nr
St.LawrenceArtsCenter, 76 Congress Street,Portland.WinterSolsticeconcert December 16-17, "Nutcracker Burlesque" December 20-23, and "Maine Hysterical Society" December 26-29. 775-5568 or www.stlawrencearts.org
Don'tmiss
CafeReview, CenterforCulturalExchange. Portland. Open poetry reading last Monday o the month, www.thecafereview.com
HeartwoodWinterCraftFair, 2FortRoa-
SouthPortland.WinterCraftFairDecember11 and 12.985-0985 or www.heartwoodcollegeofart.org
MaineAudubon, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth. Owls of the World December 11, Nature Poetry December 13, Winter Solstice Celebration December 18. 781-2330 or , www.maineaudubon.org
'MaineWritersandPublishersAlliance, 1326 Washington Street, Bath.Workshops in fiction,poetry,creativenonfiction,children's r .iterature, and publishing. 386-1400 or www.mainewriters.org
PortlandPiratesHockey, Cumberland CountyCivicCenter,Portland.Theseason continues with Worceste, December 14, Bridgeport December 18, Hartford December 19'Springfield December 23, and Providence December 31.828-8344 or 775-3458.
d RockyCoastRadioTheatre, Ludke 6 Auditorium, UNE Campus, Westbrook. It'sa e WickedGoodLife, aliveshowforChristmas basedon It'saWonderfulLife setinMaine, December 10-11 at 7:30 p.m., and December 12 at 2 p.m. 829-6497 or dufris@maine.rr.com. State Theatre, 609 Congress Street, Portland. Comedian Lewis Black December 12. 780-8265 or www.LiveAtTheState.com
UniversityofSouthernMaine SouthworthPlanetarium, 96 Falmouth Street,Portland."SeasonofLight"and"A ChristmasStory"FridayandSaturdaynights, '. an d weekend matinees. 780-4749 or 0 wvw.usm. maine.edu
Portland architect John Calvin Stevens isfamousforhisShingleStylepalaces all over the eastern seaboard. These sprawling"cottages,"createdforthetennisand-white-ducks set, are the pride of Port¬ land's West End, Cape Elizabeth, and Fal¬ mouth Foreside, not to mention coastal re¬ sortsasfarsouthasNewJersey.Butinspite ofthesesuccesses,thereisagrowingappre¬ ciationthatStevens,"aclosetsocialist,"took secret pride in designing more modest dwel¬ lings, creating them with the same unstint¬ ing carpentry, inspiration, and attention to detailashedidforhislargercreations.His¬ torians agree that there is truly a yin and yangtoPortland'sgreatestarchitect.
"He prided himself on his ability to pro¬ duce designs for modest year-round and summer homes that were just as sophisti¬ cated in design as his work for more afflu¬ ent clients," says Earle Shettleworth of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. "A wonderful example exists on Cottage Place in Westbrook, where he created a row of cottages along the Presumpscot River for millworkers'' in the shadow of the S.D. Warren Paper Mill.
In today's marketplace, the yin and yang are dramatically showcased just a mile from each other near the border of South Port¬ land and Cape Elizabeth.
From Shore Road, take Entrance No. 2 to exclusive Delano Park, an oceanfront devel¬ opment created by John Calvin Stevens. Here, massive Shingle Style residences are integrated into cliff, ledge, and bayberry bush as they consider the Portland Ship Channel, bell buoys, Ram Island Light, Portland Head Light, and the sea.
Perched on massive boulders and happy intheconvivialityofotherStevensdesigns sits 306 Delano Park, the former "Atlantic Lodge,"adeliciouseight-roomshinglecon¬ fection stained in driftwood gray with sweepingdecksandrailings.Dramaticasit looms out of the mist, Atlantic Lodge was purchased for "half a million" nine years agobythepresentownersandislistedfor $1.8millionby'BayRealty.
Originallybuiltin1908bythecarpentry team of Smith & Murray (plans are on file aspartoftheJohnCalvinStevenscollection atMaineHistoricalSociety)fortwosisters, Miss Emma Johnson and Mrs. N.M.J. Little, AtlanticLodgerelatessowelltotheother Stevens cottages snuggled on nearby lots that they seem in mid conversation, some
nestledintohillocksandothersrightatthe water's edge, where the waves here really dogo boom.
Inthisprivateenclave,andinspiteofthe doistered sense of quiet here, the homes roarwithplenitude.Thesenseofsafetyand protectionissoaggravatedyoualmostfeel asifyoudon'thavetolockyourdoor.
InsideAtlanticLodge,visitorsaretreated to cavernous enclosures paneled in southern pine beadboard, harder and nutherthanitsnortherncousins.Notonlydoes southern pine warm the walls, this rare breed of softwood glows on the coffered ceilings,too.
When we first came in," says seller Maureen Coyne Norris, "the beadboard bad been stained a dark mahogany. We had a team hand-sanding the walls for a week tolightenthecolortowhatitisnow."
The great room, with golden polished ftoors, french doors, and paneling all around, draws raves the moment you see it
with its enormous fireplace, inglenook, built-in bookcases, and staircase ascending fromrighttoleft(aservicestaircaseisdis¬ creetlykeptoutofview).
Four additional fireplaces make Atlantic Lodge, and its four bedrooms for family and guests, toasty warm.
Stepping out from the great room, you find yourself in a seasonal porch suspended over designer plantings that make you feel as though you are hovering over soft, green clouds. The development's signature oak trees frame the entire experience, punctuat¬ ed by birch, maple, and exotic species as diverse as those prized on Ogunquit's Marginal Way.
For the purchase price of $1.8 million, you also receive deeded right to the beach here, as well as two coves and a cinematic iron staircase conducting you down to the surf. On top of that, you own one twenty¬ ninth of all of the common land in Delano Park, named for one of the ancient Boston families who inspired this development.
Halfway down the lawn as it plunges
toward the sea is a matching gray cottage¬ stylegaragewhichcouldeasilybemistaken forasmallhouseitself.
"Deer and pheasant live in the park, which we see out of the big picture window inthekitchen,"Norrissays.
Living here has been nothing less than "unforgettable.IgrewuponTateStreetin Portland, a very modest neighborhood. My father always told me about John Calvin Stevens, so what a dream it was when my
The great room draws raveswithitsgolden polishedfloors, inglenook,french doors,fireplace,and southern pine beadboard paneling andcofferedceilings.
e- husband and I were able to live in a palace r in Delano Park.
"Though we've been living here yearL round, the whole community was built as cottages,andImeanrealcottages.
"Upon purchasing it, I was delighted to m see such an intense Arts & Crafts flavor in in the interior," says Norris, who has studied lv at The New York School of Interior Design, in "My favorite place in the house? I love iy the inglenook, typical of Stevens. It's been fun detective work to discover how the house has changed over the years, too. We do know that a substantial addition was addedin1920,soit'slargerthanitsoriginal cottageshape.
"The bedrooms on the front of the house,Ibelieve,werebuiltforthesisters, becausetheywereidentical."
So where do you go after you've lived at 203 Delano Park?
'You go to a fabulous townhouse at 96 ParkStreet,builtin1832.ThehouseatDel¬ ano Park was right up my husband's alley, but I love being closer to downtown.
house ofthemonth
"For 25 years my husband was vice presidentofsalesatUnilever,"sheexplains. "Now he works for Pegasus International andisintheprocessofretiring[atjust55]. Butit'safunnything."
What's a funny thing?
"I've just learned that years and years ago, the former owner of our Park Street townhouse had a house at Delano Park, too, just two houses in front of the one we're selling. It burned in a fire, so she had it moved onto Shore Road, fixed it up, and gaveittoherchauffeur.Itstillstands,arow back,asmallbluecottage.Soit'sasifDel¬ ano Park is following me!"
Property taxes are $13,364. Monthly Delano Park Association fees: $900/month.
TheYang 519CottageRoad,SouthPortland
Not quite ready for Delano Park? This John Calvin Stevens charmer at 519 Cottage RoadinSouthPortlandisforsalejustamile away for less than $300,000, less than many buyersarepayingforcondos.
One hundred years before Warren Beat¬ ty filmed the movie Reds, John Calvin Stevens was offering some radical chic to Portland, Maine.
"He was accused of 'riding a socialist hobby horse,"' historian William David Barry says. "He did take pride in designing homes not only for the wealthy, but for the working class. That kind of genteel social¬ ism" was very much in vogue "from the 1890stothe1910s."
So if the yin of John Calvin Stevens is a sprawling Cape Elizabeth mansion over¬ looking the Portland Ship Channel, you can find the yang just two blocks away in the form of this pocket mansion at 519 Cottage Road in South Portland, on the other side of thestreetbutstillcloseenoughtotheship channel to hear the foghorns at night.
Setlikeajewelabovetinestreet,519Cot¬ tage Road charms from the beginning with a granite stone wall, stone gate, and curved path up to a lovely covered porch. Up here you feel as though you are lord of the leaves; though traffic whizzes below, you're reallyacutabove.
Less than a mile from Fort Williams, Portland Head Light, and just half a mile from mansions like Channelside and lovely
Delano Park, this house also offers conven¬ ient access to a local hub of culture that includes the Lyric Theater, where the Port¬ land Players strut the boards; Showtime Video, with an incredible stock of contem¬ poraryandhistoricfilms;Barbara'sKitchen, romantic street-corner dining; Thai Taste, deliciouscuisinefromThailand;adryclean¬ er; a barbershop; Daffodils for Your Hair; DiPietro'sliquourstore;TheFrontRoomart gallery;andTheCookieJar,agreatbakery. Welcome back to the 1930s. Oh, did we say thatWillardBeachisjustdowntheroad?
Even before you start up the stairway, youfeelasenseofStevensguidingyouand caring for you at every turn. By skipping thefoyerinfavorofthecoveredporch,he has gained room for a lovely salon with staircase,cofferedceilings,astainedglass window in moss and violet, and fireplace. To your right is a diminutive dining room with beadboard wainscoting and a chim-
0n the whole, beyond beingbuiltlikearock, itsthefactthatthis cottagesurveysthe worldfromthetopof itsownlittlehillthat makesitsoremarkable.
neycupboardbuiltinbehindthefireplace.
Part of a wall has been taken down here to create an enormous contemporary kit¬ chen in white. In this spot, a combination den might be added with paneling to allow thesmallerlivingroomthespaceitneedsto createanoptimumfirstimpression.
Lincrusta wainscoting guides visitors to thesecondfloor,whereallittakesisastop at the top of the stairs to know this is a Stevens house. Stevens invariably creates 'istasthattreatguestswithextendedsighthnes,andthisisnoexpection.
Also, Stevens no doubt used the same carpentry team he used for his fancy manS|°ns built just steps away. The workmanshipat519CottageRoadisexquisiteasyou consider the three bedrooms built to best advantageinthecomersofthishouse.
Bull's-eye molding in white adds crispaesstoeverywindowandthresholduphere.
We recommend the bannister and newel postbestrippedof whitepaintand refinishedintheir originaldarkwalnut
Through every window you enjoy leafy views through original waxy panes of glass.
The master bedroom, featuring a wall of white Victorian glass in different patterns and textures, is a masterwork of light pat¬ terns against a maple floor that would make afantasticlibrary,den,orsmokingroom.
Tlielargefullbathupstairsisnewlyre¬ stored with teal tile, soft green walls, and whitetrim.Hearkeningbacktoanearliergra¬ ciousness, a laundry chute behind loux'ered doorsawaitsitsnexttumbledownofclothes.
To make this home affordable, Stex'ens has finished the halls and other two bed¬ rooms up here in pine.
Stevens has even taken pains with the basement: we're here on the darkest day in two months only to discover a perfectly placed basement window glowing with views of the trunks of enormous birch
trees planted here as part of the original landscaping.
The mudroom behind the kitchen leads to a splendid back porch with railing that seems underutilized.
On the whole, beyond being built like a rock,it'sthefactthatthiscottagesurveys theworldfromthetopofitsownlittlehill that makes it so remarkable.
Builtin1900withunstintingJohnCalvin Stevensinspirationandcraftsmanship,this seven-bedroom family "cottage" has a dry cellar,lovelygardens,andmaturelandscap¬ ing.It'sreadyforafamily'tomoveinnow, though we recommend the bannister and newel post be stripped of paint and refin¬ ishedintheiroriginaldarkwalnut.
So close to the most exclusive part oi Cape Elizabeth and built with luxury' and care,thepropertyisararefindat$299,900 WhosaystheloftyJohnCalvinStevensdid¬ n't look out for the little guy? Listed bj David Banks of RE/MAX By Tire BayTaxesare$2,810.64.■
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"Reading Colin Sargent's poetry is like opening a dark bag and having a thread leap out, then several more threads fusing to luminous bands of music, one after another, along with crazy potatoes, a phone growing like a black plant, per¬ haps a soda can discarded on the beach off Kennebunkport, Maine. InUndertow, his latest book, Sargent's collocations of the magical and the mundane work together brilliantly."
- Poet Lore
KELLERWILLIAMS
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BY BRENDA SPARKS PRESCOTT PAINTINGS BY MATT DONAHUE
Iam not black. Black people don't live in Maine. A black woman doesn't know that Kenny Chesney wears a black cow¬ boy hat and wraps his arms around his lis¬ tener in the cab of her Ford F-150 when he sings Me and You.
A black woman wouldn't have a ban¬ tamweight boyfriend who she met in a city barfilledwithsummertourists,aboyfriend whose usual haunt is a small-town, win¬ dowlessdivewithaparkinglotfullofpick¬ ups. She wouldn't now feel the protective cloakofherlittleman'sbigfriendsasshe stepsacrossthethresholdinto his favorite place alone, and certainly wouldn't have thenervetoflirtwithoneofthehulkswho, a few weeks before, had tried to stare her backtoAfrica.
1callJakemyboyfriend,althoughfriend is too tame a word for how he is with me. While he hasn't moved in officially after only three months, his gear invades my whitecottageonthesideofthehillandthe smell of his grimy work clothes permeates the bathroom. His mother teaches me how to make crepe-like ployes the way the women on the French Canadian side of the familydo.
He settles in, but lightly. Some nights, whilethe ploye batterrestsandthegriddle heats, Jake arrives home but doesn't come *n.Ilethimsitinhistruck,idling,knowing he s thinking about slipping down my long driveway and pointing the truck north and goinguntilherunsoutofroad.I'vehadthe same thoughts, but my' direction is west, and I wouldn't stop until my engine stalls inthePacific.
Wemeltdeeperintoeachother,butocca¬ sionally one of us doesn't come home. This hme Jake's been gone for three days withoutaword.Dahlia,myonlysister,calls.I teUhereverything'sfine,eventhoughfolks ■n the post office cut their eyes away and ^Ve rumorsontheirlips.Iknowthedrill.
I'e been AWOL my'self, the subject of
innuendos. I leave the porch light on and peelpotatoesforhisfavoritebeefstew.
Time passes. Jake no longer stays away, and neither do I. One early morning, with fog lifting off the pond, he takes me out in the rowboat. Ducks waddle across the soft mud toward the open water.
"Where's your fishing gear?" I ask. "Here," he says. He pulls out a small, gray velvet box from his pocket and opens it on the wooden seat beside me. Inside is a large baguette diamond flanked by two sapphires and set in a white metal. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I won¬ der where he got the taste to choose such a perfect, retro ring. He says, "This belonged
to my grandmother. It's from Paris. Mama wouldn'tletmegiveittomyfirstwife,but she says it will look good on your hand."
"Oh, Jake." I slip down to get closer, careful, hyper-aware of rocking the boat. I turntheboxslightlybutdon'tpickitup.
He squints at me. "We don't have to stay here," he says. "You mentioned someplace around Seattle."
"I don't need to move."
"Iknow,butIcanifyouwantto."
Thisisthemostseriousthinghecansay; much better than a mere "I love you." Maine is his country, his heart. If he moves away, he'll have to come back when he gets old and ready to die, even if all he comes back
The Legend Rolls On!
to is a one-room shack with no electricitv. Where is that homing ground for me? Perhaps it will be that one-room shack. Perhapsbythen1won'tbeabletolivewith¬ outlaissavorysmells,hispetitesnores,and hisfailingblueeyes.Perhaps.
He hunches forward to look at the ring with me. "You like it?"
"It's beautiful." .
"Want to put it on?" ।
"Not right now." <
"You sure?" The ducks take off, squawk¬ ing,flyinglowtothewaterandrisingupat< the edge of the trees. j
"I'm sorry." s
"That'sokay.Holdontoitforawhile."Her gives me the same sad-eyed grin that snagged r meatGritty'sthefirsttimeIsawhim,andI have to look away. He sits up straight and b pushestireoarsbackintothewater.
I carry the ring with me
everywhere,safeinitsgraybox.Itryiton once,briefly.Itfitsperfectly.IcallDahliato come from Atlanta to meet my perhaps fiance.Shegrumbles,soItellherwe'reseri¬ ousbutIdon'ttellherabouttheproposal.
A black woman wouldn't know the cold wetness of snow packed in the crease be¬ hind your knees because you've gone snow¬ shoeing without gaiters. My sister, who's never worn snowshoes before and calls the ground the floor, has on my only gaiters. The whereabouts of my snow pants is a story7that'sjusttoolongandtwisted.Ican't get into all that now because there's fresh snow on the hill behind my house and we'll miss the icy dawn if we don't get out there rightnow.
Aswenearthetopofthehill,Ihearthe buzz of a snowmobile
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Louis Ouzer, BillEvans. Silver Gelatin Print
ScenesfromtheNutcracker
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approaching the house. I know it's Jake, comingfinallytomeetDahlia.Hespentlast nightathisparents'toletusgetthegirltalk outofoursystems.Itoldhereverything but didn't mention the one question I carry in my pocket. Dahlia looks back over her shoulder and sucks her teeth. "That racket so early in the morning?"
1thinkofitasthecleancutofacauteriz¬ ing knife. This version of the world has no roomfortheromanceofsleighbells."It's Jake," I say, without looking back. I know he'll grab some coffee and head up the hill afterus.
Now she turns to peer down at him. "It can'tbe.Thatlookslikealittleboy."
Hedoesn'tfeellikeonewhenhe'sontop ofme,butIdon'tsaythataloud."Goon,"I saytopushherupthehill.Shemovesnoth¬ ingbutherhandtoherhip.Ithinkthesun¬ riseshouldn'tbeavictimofherdisbelief,so I make a demi-lune trace around her and takethelastfewstepstothetop.Asingle snowmobiletrackridesthecrestofthehill. Istrideacrossitandbreaktheperfectsur¬ face on the other side. Dahlia clumps up beside me.
The valley spreads below us, shadowed fieldsholdingontothelasthintsofdarkness. Thesunhasalreadymeltedtirepinkrimof thesky'totireeastandnowstrikesuswith its auroreanlight.Itplaysupthetawnybrown ofDahlia'seyes.Ialmosttellherabout the ring,but1don't.Inthesnowmobiletrack,a river of deep blue shadow runs in the rut The sun hits countless peaks churned up by tire tread,theirstiffcontoursoutlinedin cold blue. I imagine minuscule people trudging up those tiny mounds, whining about the insurmountable obstacles.
Jakeleavesthecottage.Mysisterturns again at the whump of the back door and watches him as he makes his way up the hill.Herhandisstillonherhip."Ithought hewasatleastastallasDaddy,thewayyou talk about him." Our father was six-foot three. All my serious men have been over sixfeet,untilnow'.Sheturnsherbackonhi; ascent. "He's shorter than you."
Soon enough, Jake and his out-sized snow-shoes reach the top of the hill- He: wearing his goofy, knee-high rubber bootandhasonthatthick,sky-bluesweater, the onethatmakeshiseyeslooklikeprimordii arctic ice. My sister would make him get ofitsincehisex-wifemadeit.Heholdst"0
travel mugs in one bare hand; the other one is thrust into his jeans pocket. Knowing him,he'sgoingtoofferDahliastraightcof¬ fee.Minewillhaveashotinit.
Jake nods at my sister but offers me the red mug first. He holds my eyes with a look of hunger and want. Dahlia intercepts the look. She knows from growing up with Daddy the dangers of that kind of need. So dol.
"No,"shesaystoJake."No,"sherepeats, her hand slipping off her hip. Daddy's need was always too much, went too far, overshot all bounds. Ma neglected everything but its voracious pull. She became nothing when¬ ever he disappeared. Dahlia hated Ma for alwaystakinghimback,forlisteningtohis pleas, for always wanting more. Broken glass,lonelyhearts,shatteredpromises,ban¬ ished dreams. My sister hated herself-and me-forwantingit,too.
Jake extends the other mug to her. "What? Don't you want this?" he asks. She tries to step back, but her snowshoes tangle and she goes down in a heap. I see thatJakewantstolaugh,buthedoesn't.He has a great respect for kin, even those who reject him. He bends to help Dahlia. She waves off his hand and looks at me. 1 stand my ground. She punches new holes in the snow but can't get her feet under her. Finally, she accepts Jake's help and gets backonherfeet.
"You okay?" he asks, holding her elbow. She lifts it away from him and shakes a shelf of snow off her arm. She nods but doesn'tspeak.
The sun has now completely banished therawpinkofthenewday,andinitslight you can almost hear the snow crystals tink¬ ling like ice cubes in a glass of Coke. Introductions,Ithink,buttirebrokensnow around our feet looks like a familiar un¬ made bed and 1 want to lie down on it and laugh.IfeelforDahlia,stillwantingtopro¬ tectheryoungersister.It'stoolate,though. Daddy'ssinismine,too.1droptheredmug on the rumpled snow and pull out my little gray velvet box. Dahlia stops brushing off snow.Jakegoesstill. Iopenthebox.
A black woman would have hocked the nngorputitonherfingerlongbeforenow, butIliveinMaine.Iamnotblack.Notlike ^at.Iamme.Black.Likeme. "Yes,"Isay.■
