Portland Monthly Magazine December 2009

What Killed the What Killed the

Oneinchpendentgraspinganauthenticgreentourmaline, ourbeautiful,StateofMainegemstoneofunusualcrystalstructure.

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Maine's"gold"isitslobster. Itshistoricpredator,cod,has beenoverfishedbyothers,soMaine hasabountifulsupplyofsuperiorlobsters.

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Mainelobsteringfamiliesworkinsmallboats andtheycannotsurvivewithoutalivingwage. Theestimated20milesleftofMaineworking waterfrontisimperiledtoextinction.

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Historic Homes of Maine

Historic Homes of Maine

Historic Homes of Maine

Historic Homes of Maine

Historically significant homes add their

Historically

Kimberly

Kimberly

Kimberly Swan, President of The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty is proud to announce the launch of the niche specialtymarketing division, Historic Homes of Maine, dedicated to the compelling stories of historic Maine properties for sale.

specialtymarketing division, Historic Homes of Maine,

BARHARBOR. RotchandTildenArchitectsof BostondesignedthisBarHarborShorepathHome. Devilstoneisthewingoftheoriginalhouse,builtin 1928.Themainsectionwasrazedin1968.$2,850,000

BostondesignedthisBarHarborShorepathHome. Devilstoneisthewingoftheoriginalhouse,builtin 1928.Themainsectionwasrazedin1968.$2,850,000

BARHARBOR. RotchandTildenArchitectsof BostondesignedthisBarHarborShorepathHome. Devilstoneisthewingoftheoriginalhouse,builtin 1928.Themainsectionwasrazedin1968.$2,850,000

BLUEHILL. KalmiaKnollinBlueHillwasdesigned byArchitectCECutlerandbuiltin1913forJohn Davidson.Thehousewasdesignedasafamilysummer retreatontheocean.$4,500,000

KalmiaKnollinBlueHillwasdesigned byArchitectCECutlerandbuiltin1913forJohn Davidson.Thehousewasdesignedasafamilysummer retreatontheocean.$4,500,000

BLUEHILL. KalmiaKnollinBlueHillwasdesigned byArchitectCECutlerandbuiltin1913forJohn Davidson.Thehousewasdesignedasafamilysummer retreatontheocean.$4,500,000

ThisGeorgianGreekRevivalwasbuiltin 1844forprominentlawyer,editorandbusinessman JosephWilliamsonbytherenownedMainearchitect CalvinRyder.$1,500,000

a successful

BELFAST. ThisGeorgianGreekRevivalwasbuiltin 1844forprominentlawyer,editorandbusinessman JosephWilliamsonbytherenownedMainearchitect CalvinRyder.$1,500,000

BELFAST. ThisGeorgianGreekRevivalwasbuiltin 1844forprominentlawyer,editorandbusinessman JosephWilliamsonbytherenownedMainearchitect CalvinRyder.$1,500,000

PORTLAND. Thishomeandcarriagehouseonthe cornerofPortland’sWesternPromenadeandPine Streetwasbuiltin1906forCharlesB.Clarke,theformerMayorofPortland.$2,400,000

Thishomeandcarriagehouseonthe cornerofPortland’sWesternPromenadeandPine Streetwasbuiltin1906forCharlesB.Clarke,theformerMayorofPortland.$2,400,000

PORTLAND. Thishomeandcarriagehouseonthe cornerofPortland’sWesternPromenadeandPine Streetwasbuiltin1906forCharlesB.Clarke,theformerMayorofPortland.$2,400,000

GEORGETOWN. GreyHavensInnwasbuiltin1904 byWalterReid,thearchitectanddesigner.Builtasan innamongathrivingsummercommunity,itwasoriginallycalledSeguinland.$2,990,000

GreyHavensInnwasbuiltin1904 byWalterReid,thearchitectanddesigner.Builtasan innamongathrivingsummercommunity,itwasoriginallycalledSeguinland.$2,990,000

GEORGETOWN. GreyHavensInnwasbuiltin1904 byWalterReid,thearchitectanddesigner.Builtasan innamongathrivingsummercommunity,itwasoriginallycalledSeguinland.$2,990,000

$849,500

$849,500

$849,500

ISLESBORO. TheDarkHarborHouseonIslesboro wasdesignedbyArchitectsFredSavageandMiltonV. ScrantonandbuiltonJettyRoadin1896forGeorge PhillerofPhiladelphia.$1,595,000

wasdesignedbyArchitectsFredSavageandMiltonV. ScrantonandbuiltonJettyRoadin1896forGeorge PhillerofPhiladelphia.$1,595,000

ISLESBORO. TheDarkHarborHouseonIslesboro wasdesignedbyArchitectsFredSavageandMiltonV. ScrantonandbuiltonJettyRoadin1896forGeorge PhillerofPhiladelphia.$1,595,000

© MMVSotheby’sInternationalRealtyAffiliates,Inc.AllRightsReserved.StreetinSaintes-Maries,usedwithpermission.Sotheby’sInternationalRealty®isalicensedtrademarktoSotheby’sInternationalRealtyAffiliates, Inc.AnEqualOpportunityCompany.EqualHousingOpportunity.EachOfficeIsIndependentlyOwnedAndOperated,ExceptOfficesOwnedAndOperatedByNRTIncorporated. Visit us at www.historichomesofmaine.blogspot.com to learn more.

Boston designed this Bar Harbor Shorepath Home. Devilstone is the wing of the original house, built in 1928. The main section was razed in 1968. $2,850,000

Kalmia Knoll in Blue Hill was designed by Architect C E Cutler and built in 1913 for John Davidson. The house was designed as a family summer retreat on the ocean. $4,500,000

This Georgian Greek Revival was built in 1844 for prominent lawyer, editor and businessman Joseph Williamson by the renowned Maine architect Calvin Ryder. $1,500,000

This home and carriage house on the corner of Portland’s Western Promenade and Pine Street was built in 1906 for Charles B. Clarke, the former Mayor of Portland. $2,400,000

Grey Havens Inn was built in 1904 by Walter Reid, the architect and designer. Built as an inn among a thriving summer community, it was originally called Seguinland. $2,990,000

$849,500

was designed by Architects Fred Savage and Milton V. Scranton and built on Jetty Road in 1896 for George Philler of Philadelphia. $1,595,000

PORTLAND. John Calvin Stevens designed Queen Ann Victorian was built in 1882 as a single family home on the corner of Pine and Vaughn in Portland’s West End. PENDING

BAR HARBOR. In-town Bar Harbor Victorian was built in 1890. Currently ready to be sold as four condominium units, would also make beautiful Bed & Breakfast Inn. $595,000.

GEORGETOWN. Grey Havens Inn was built in 1904 by Walter Reid, the architect and designer. Built as an inn among a thriving summer community, it was originally called Seguinland. $2,990,000

ISLESBORO. The Dark Harbor House on Islesboro was designed by Architects Fred Savage and Milton V. Scranton and built on Jetty Road in 1896 for George Philler of Philadelphia. PENDING

CASTINE. Originally named Villa Conselya and built in 1906, Northrup Cottage on Boulder Drive in Castine was later renamed by Mrs. Charles Baker after the surname of her grandchildren. $1,495,000

CAMDEN. Timbercliffe, currently a successful Bed and Breakfast Inn in Camden, was built by Jesse Thomas in 1790 and the large porch section

PORTLAND. John Calvin Stevens designed Queen Ann Victorian was built in 1882 as a single family home on the corner of Pine and Vaughn in Portland’s West End. PENDING

BAR HARBOR. In-town Bar Harbor Victorian was built in 1890. Currently ready to be sold as four condominium units, would also make beautiful Bed & Breakfast Inn. $595,000.

GEORGETOWN. Grey Havens Inn was built in 1904 by Walter Reid, the architect and designer. Built as an inn among a thriving summer community, it was originally called Seguinland. $2,990,000

ISLESBORO. The Dark Harbor House on Islesboro was designed by Architects Fred Savage and Milton V. Scranton and built on Jetty Road in 1896 for George Philler of Philadelphia. PENDING

CASTINE. Originally named Villa Conselya and built in 1906, Northrup Cottage on Boulder Drive in Castine was later renamed by Mrs. Charles Baker after the surname of her grandchildren. $1,495,000

CAMDEN. Timbercliffe, currently

Bed and Breakfast Inn in Camden, was built by Jesse Thomas in 1790 and the large porch section was added by Captain Pendleton in 1860. www.timbercliffecottage.com

Photography by Dana Moos

PORTLAND. John Calvin Stevens designed Queen Ann Victorian was built in 1882 as a single family home on the corner of Pine and Vaughn in Portland’s West End. PENDING

BAR HARBOR. In-town Bar Harbor Victorian was built in 1890. Currently ready to be sold as four condominium units, would also make beautiful Bed & Breakfast Inn. $595,000.

GEORGETOWN. Grey Havens Inn was built in 1904 by Walter Reid, the architect and designer. Built as an inn among a thriving summer community, it was originally called Seguinland. $2,990,000

ISLESBORO. The Dark Harbor House on Islesboro was designed by Architects Fred Savage and Milton V. Scranton and built on Jetty Road in 1896 for George Philler of Philadelphia. PENDING

CASTINE. Originally named Villa Conselya and built in 1906, Northrup Cottage on Boulder Drive in Castine was later renamed by Mrs. Charles Baker after the surname of her grandchildren. $1,495,000

CAMDEN. Timbercliffe, currently a successful Bed and Breakfast Inn in Camden, was built by Jesse Thomas in 1790 and the large porch section was added by Captain Pendleton in 1860. www.timbercliffecottage.com $1,389,000

PORTLAND. John Calvin Stevens designed Queen Ann Victorian was built in 1882 as a single family home on the corner of Pine and Vaughn in Portland’s West End. PENDING

BAR HARBOR. In-town Bar Harbor Victorian was built in 1890. Currently ready to be sold as four condominium units, would also make beautiful Bed & Breakfast Inn. $595,000.

GEORGETOWN. Grey Havens Inn was built in 1904 by Walter Reid, the architect and designer. Built as an inn among a thriving summer community, it was originally called Seguinland. $2,990,000

ISLESBORO. The Dark Harbor House on Islesboro was designed by Architects Fred Savage and Milton V. Scranton and built on Jetty Road in 1896 for George Philler of Philadelphia. PENDING

CASTINE. named Villa Conselya and built in 1906, Northrup Cottage on Boulder Drive in Castine was later renamed by Mrs. Charles Baker after the surname of her grandchildren. $1,495,000

CAMDEN. Timbercliffe, currently a successful Bed and Breakfast Inn in Camden, was built by Jesse Thomas in 1790 and the large porch section was added by Captain Pendleton in 1860. www.timbercliffecottage.com $1,389,000

Featuring Celebrity Chef Carmen Gonzalez

Photography by Dana Moos

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Hutcheon

When Hewnoaks on Kezar Lake found itself in search of a worthy non-profit organization to be its next owner…the University of Maine Foundation took up the torch.

Molly MacLeod

know the ghosts of State Theatre’s past, present, and future.

Discovery Channel star Linda Greenlaw shares tips on health and wellness deep in the blue.

Colin Sargent

Portland Harbor 11 x 14 oil

Paul Black

Featuring original works of fine art, photography, and limitededition prints by regional and local artists.

372 Fore Street

Portland, Maine 04101

207 874-8084

www.forestreetgallery.com

editorial Colin Sargent, editor & Publisher

From Away

I love the story of the People of the Dawn mooning Giovanni da Verrazzano’s ships as they first sailed down our wild coast in 1524 to document their own claim of having ‘discovered’ Vacationland. After all, Verrazzano was From Away.

But a few centuries after this first contact, how can any of us laugh at someone From Away when we can’t even agree on what From Here is? When even Tim Sample doesn’t talk like Tim Sample?

When did some of us become so insular and self-conscious?

“My theory is, it started in the world of art,” says William David Barry of Maine Historical Society. “Through the John Neal (1793-1876) era, it was possible to launch yourself as an internationally famous painter or art critic here–Neal was ‘America’s first art critic’–and stay here. You really could live in the Forest City and sell your work in London, Paris, and New York” without risking censure for your eccentric behavior. “Then, after the Great Fire of 1866, when shipping went down here, forget it.”

Barry says, “You can actually see the dividing line where people look at Maine and Portland as being as good or better than anywhere else in the world, and then see a kind of jealousy for other places settling in, as though all that was left to us was the right to argue who’s been here the longest.”

In fact, “you can track it to quotes about Winslow Homer. In 1888, John T. Hull, in Handbook of Portland, makes a point of saying, ‘Winslow Homer, the well-known New York artist, has his summer studio at Prouts,’” with all the suspicion and veneration that attends to that. A few decades earlier, “John Neal would simply have called Homer a Maine painter.“

Then there’s 1889. Barry points to the story of some “Walter Corey chairs having been praised as ‘fine Philadelphia furniture’” at a local soirée, only for a guest to flip them over and discover the Exchange Street labels. An embarrassed Portland Sunday Telegram lamented, ‘We know that it is a too frequent characteristic of Portland people to deem everything which emanates from our own city inferior until it is proven otherwise.’”

Nowadays, no one’s immune from being accused of being From Away. In just the past year, someone has come up to me and whispered, “Where you from?”

“I’m from right here.”

“No,” he said, lifting an eyebrow, “I mean, where were you born?”

“At the Maine Eye & Ear Infirmary,” I said. It’s where many Portlanders from the Dave Astor Show years were born. Stephen King was born there, I think. What could be more Maine than that? Game, set, match, even if Bob Skoglund jokes and calls me a “year-round summer person” because he correctly senses that part of me doesn’t know if I’m from anywhere.

“Oh yeah?” the man said, deepening his suspicion. “What floor?”

Rhonda

Portland

New England’s North Star

165 state street, Portland, maine 04101

Phone: (207) 775­4339 Fax: (207) 775­2334 e­mail: staff@portlandmonthly.com www.portlandmagazine.com

Colin Sargent Founding editor & Publisher editor@portlandmonthly.com art & ProDuction

Nancy Sargent art Director

Jesse Stenbak associate Publisher staff@portlandmonthly.com

Robert T. Witkowski Design Director aDvertising

Jane Stevens advertising Director jane@portlandmonthly.com

Anna J. Nelson senior advertising executive anna@portlandmonthly.com

Josh Charczenko advertising & marketing coordinator josh@portlandmonthly.com

Colin S. Sargent advertising/Production eDitorial

Jason Hjort Publisher’s assistant · Webmaster

Diane Hudson goings on · Flash · reviews

J. Walker Matthews copy editing

Cynthia Farr-Weinfeld contributing Photographer accounting

Alison Hills controller ah@portlandmonthly.com interns

Molly MacLeod, Tina M. Phillips subscriPtions

to subscribe please send your address and a check for $39 (1 yr.), $55 (2 yrs.), or $65 (3 yrs.) to Portland Magazine 165 State Street Portland, ME 04101 or subscribe online at www.portlandmagazine.com

Portland Magazine is published by sargent Publishing, inc. all correspondence should be addressed to 165 state street, Portland, me 04101. advertising office: 165 state street, Portland, me 04101. (207) 775­4339. repeat internet rights are understood to be purchased with all stories and artwork. For questions regarding advertising invoicing and payments, call alison hills. newsstand cover Date: December 2009, published in november 2009, vol. 24, no. 9, copyright 2009. Portland Magazine is mailed at third­ class mail rates in Portland, me 04101 (issn: 1073­1857). opinions expressed in articles are those of authors and do not represent editorial positions of Portland Magazine letters to the editor are welcome and will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to Portland Magazine’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. responsible only for that portion of any advertisement which is printed incorrectly. advertisers are responsible for copyrights of materials they submit. nothing in this issue may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publishers. submissions welcome, but we take no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

Portland Magazine is published 10 times annually by sargent Publishing, inc., 165 state street, Portland, maine, 04101, with newsstand cover dates of Winterguide, February/march, april, may, summerguide, July/august, september, october, november, and December.

Portland Magazine is the winner of NewsStand Resource’s maggie Zine cover contests for four consecutive years; Portland Magazine is the winner of eighteen Graphic Design USA’s 2007, 2008, and 2009 american graphic Design awards for excellence in Publication Design.

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Publishing, inc.

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Hell’s KitcHen in Maine

What a great article [“Yes, but is it Maine Lobster?” in “10 Most Intriguing People in Maine,” November 2009, featuring a cover story/interview with Chef Gordon Ramsay]! Maine = Lobster = Quality.

Governor John Baldacci, Augusta

Thank you for the mention in this month’s issue for One Dock (or maybe we need to thank Gordon)! We appreciate it! Thanks for your support.

Debra Lennon, Kennebunkport

Is he still around? I think I just spotted him in Kennebunkport.

Christopher Larochelle, Waltham, Massachusetts

I love Chef Ramsay!!!!!

Cathy Ellen Steiger McAlister, Cape Elizabeth

Gordon Ramsay is a badass.

Benjamin Christensen, via Facebook

My name is John Shaw; I am the chef of the One Dock restaurant at the Kennebunkport Inn. I was reading your article in the November issue with Chef Gordon Ramsay. To my surprise I read that the best meal he had while visiting Maine was at my restaurant. I enjoyed reading your article and always enjoy the magazine.

John Shaw, Kennebunkport

I was thinking of you the other night–was it right after you dropped off the magazine that you guys were featured on the CBS

local news (or Fox)–with the cover of the magazine in full view, talking about the chef on the cover! Great press for you guys! I am so glad we were in it!

Allison Holt, Reed & Barton, Kittery

even More intriguing

Please forward our thanks to the staff at Portland Magazine for the great article about Chief James Craig [“Climate Control” in “Ten Most Intriguing People in Maine,” November 2009]!

We loved the photo of him with the school children and are wondering if we could get an electronic copy of that, by any chance? Throughout the year, we gather various photos taken of the current chief of police for use in our annual report, which is distributed to local politicians, community members, local business owners, and department employees (about 1,000 copies are sent out). We do give credit to the photographers whose pictures we end up using.

Please let me know if that is possible, and what steps I should take. Thank you for your assistance!

Linda Wiley, executive assistant to Chief James E. Craig, Portland Police Department, Portland

Knight Writer

I had no idea your interview with me would be contained in a piece as exciting as the “10 Most Intriguing People in Maine”!

I was up in Rockland last night for the Maine Arts Commission Fellowship Awards (I’m a commissioner), and I got an e-mail from someone I hadn’t seen in many years congratulating me on the article. I went to the website and was flabbergasted.

Laura Paine did a lovely job writing the interview as part of the article.

Thanks very much for thinking of me and including me in this issue.

Felicia Knight, Scarborough

Another MAn’s Poison

Really? The 10 most intriguing people in Maine? A chef who buys lobster here, an actress playing a role based on a Maine woman’s story, and a tugboat captain waging war on his family? Really? How about featuring the people fighting for their rights on the No on One campaign? Or how about that same tugboat captain’s granddaughter’s valiant fight with epilepsy and her raising over $11,000 for the Epilepsy

FREE RIDE TO WORK OR HOME

We value your time

FREE TIRE ROTATION

For the life of the tires

It’s winter tire season–come in to get your car winterized! Get ready for winter tire season–come in to get your car winterized!

Century Tire Co. & Auto Service Centers

185 Kennebeck St., Portland, ME (207)775-3777

Pine Tree Shopping Center, Portland, ME (207)775-1602

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“We’ll Keep You Rolling!”

Maide for You

Your Personal Cleaning Service

Foundation. Who chose these people? Did you really look that far and deep?

Michael Donovan, South Portland

why do you think it’s real fur?

Your October 2009 cover is morally repugnant, and the article “Sex & the Wilderness” is obscene and distasteful. A story about recession-proof, wealthy women frolicking on safari in the northern Maine woods in between spa treatments and lavish meals is just plain vulgar. Rich women killing Bambi and Thumper? What rock have you been hiding under? Most cultured and enlightened people do not condone hunting for fun, let alone ostentatiously flaunting the dead skin of their victims. Both the cover and article are just plain offensive. Shame on you.

Jennifer Angelone, Portland

I find the cover of your magazine, “Here Come the Survivalistas,” disgusting and demoralizing! As a native Maine woman, I have raised my daughter to be proud of her natural beauty and nature’s beauty equally. Turning a living creature into a fashion accessory is barbaric. We have a saying in western Maine…Take only pictures, leave only footprints! You are completely out of touch with what REAL women want…get a grip!

Lauren Phillips, homewehs@yahoo.com

real woman

Thought you’d like to see a picture of a real Maine survivalista.

Jon Frothingham, Falmouth

Tricia PironE, oD / MicHaEl D. PironE, oD 595 BRIghTON Ave.PORTLAND, Me 04102 / 207.210.6700

eyesonrosemont

Tricia PironE, oD / MicHaEl D. PironE, oD

Portland and its attractions

On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank you for your generous donation of two dozen copies of Portland Magazine last week.

Our board members thoroughly enjoyed reading your publication. As a result, when the Deaf Children’s Literacy Project board members think of Portland and its attractions, they will think of your magazine.

Thanks again, please let me know if I can assist you in any way in the future.

John Brubaker, Vice President, National Cued Speech Association

imPeratives, imPeratifs

Thank you for the nice promotion of [my husband, the late Verner Reed’s, book of photography] A Changing World [“A Good Reed” in Imperatifs, November 2009]. It looks good…

Debbie Reed, Falmouth

Breeze from west Palm

I need to get a new subscription…ran out last year and thought I could handle life without it! I was wrong…I need a little Maine in my life! Call me…

Marg Watts, Palm Beach, Florida

kickoff cause for claws

My company represents Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine. Starting in January, we will be launching a national PR campaign to educate consumers across the United States about the plight of the Maine Lobster Fishermen and how they are becoming an endangered species, not the lobsters. As you know, codfish are the main predators of lobsters. Codfish in Maine have been overfished for years, which has led to an abundance of lobsters. A huge supply of lobster means lower prices to the fisherman. We are looking to correct that and increase consumer demand for lobster which in turn will return a higher price back to the fishermen.

I will be sending Linda’s lobsters to all of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants along with a copy of the November issue of Portland Magazine and information regarding how our PR campaign will benefit the fishermen. Our goal is to launch the campaign in Portland and have Gordon Ramsay be part of our launch.

Alan A. Casucci, Principal, Thought For Food

RICHARD P. WALTZ

music

Bay Chamber Concerts, Rockland, Rockport, and Camden. Odeon Fall Concert, December 13; Moscow Boys Choir, December 17; and Bluegrass Jam Session, January 24. 888-707-2770, 236-2823, or baychamberconcerts.org

Choral art Society, Portland. Annual Messiah SingAlong, December 14 at St. Patrick’s Church, Portland; Christmas with Cornils, Merrill Auditorium, December 22 and Epiphany Celebration, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland, on January 2. 828-0043 or choralart.org

AGENDA

December

SeCond annual polar Bear plunge natural resources council of maine east end beach, Portland DECEMBER 31, 622-3101, NRCM.ORg

evolution: Five deCadeS oF printmaking

By david C. driSkell

Portland museum of art

ThROugh JANuARy 17, 775-6148

PORTlANDMuSEuM ORg

Franco american Heritage Center, 46 Cedar Street, Lewiston. The Mike Willette Christmas Show, December 19; and the Gawler Family, December 29. 689-2000 or francoamericanheritage.org

one longfellow Square, 181 State Street, Portland. A myriad of musicians perform including: Erin McKeown with Gregory Douglass, December 10; An Evening with Garnet Rogers, December 11; Darol Anger’s Winter Bash, December 12; Inanna: Winter Solstice Celebration, December 19; Ellis Paul, December 26; and Greg Brown, January 8. 761-1757 or onelongfellowsquare.com

port City Music Hall, 504 Congress Street, Portland. Enter the Haggis with Hot Day at The Zoo, December 12, and Ryan Montbleau Band, December 18. 899-4990 or portcitymusichall.com

portland Symphony orchestra, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street, Portland. Magic of Christmas, December 11 to 20. 842-0800, 842-0812 TTY, or portlandsymphony.com

the landing at pine point, 353 Pine Point Road, Scarborough. Anthony’s Dinner Theater & Cabaret, December 20, and New Year’s Eve at the Landing at Pine Point, December 31. 774-4527 or thelandingatpinepoint.com

University of Maine School of Music, Corthell Hall, Gorham. 780-5555 or usm.maine.edu/music

Dance

portland Ballet, 517 Forest Avenue, Portland. “The Victorian Nutcracker,” performed with the Portland Ballet Orchestra and the Victorian Festival Singers, December 12 and 13 at Kennett High School, North Conway, New Hampshire, and at Merrill Auditorium, December 16. 7729671 or portlandballet.org

theater

portland Stage Company, 25 Forest Avenue, Portland. Maine’s largest fully professional, non-profit theater, founded in 1974. The Christmas Carol, to December 24; and The Mystery of Irma Vep, January 26 to February 21. 774-0465 or portlandstage.org

the theater project, 14 School Street, Brunswick. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, December 11 to 20; Wales and Tales, December 22; and Storytelling with Al and Phyllis, December 24. 729-8584 or theaterproject.com

galleries

abbe Museum, 26 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor. “Arthur and Nita Wood Artifacts Collection” and “Ash and Sweetgrass Baskets,” ongoing through 2009. “Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds,” to January 15, 2010. 288-3519 or abbemuseum.org

art Gallery at UnE, Westbrook College Campus, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland. “Going Forward, Looking Back–Practicing Historic Photographic Processes in the 21st Century, to January 31, 2010. 221-4499 or une.edu/artgallery

atrium arts Gallery, University of Southern Maine, Lewiston-Auburn College, Lewiston. “Spineless Wonders: Inspiring Invertebrates,” to December 18. 753-6500 or usm.maine.edu/lac/art

aucocisco Gallery, 89 Exchange Street, Portland. Richard Van Buren, Ken Greenleaf, and Scott Davis, to December 24. 775-2222 or aucocisco.com

Bates College Museum of art, Lewiston. “Mao Jacket,” through December; “Our Positive Bodies: Mapping Our Treatment, Sharing Our Choices,” to December 11; “Barry Nemett: Drawings from Italy,” to December 18; “Joel M. Babb: The Process Revealed,” ongoing. 786-6158 or bates.edu/museum.xml

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Walker Art Building, Brunswick. “Collages by Romare Bearden,” to December 20; “From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden,” to January 3, 2010; and “For All the Saints,” to January 10, 2010. 725-3275 or bowdoin.edu/art-museum

Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 162 Russell Avenue, Rockport. “Ordinary Life;” Isaiah Pottle, “High Risk;” “New Fangled Destiny;” and “Planes of Abstraction,” all to December 19. 236-2875 or cmcanow.org

Farnsworth Museum of Art, 16 Main Street, Rockland. “Maine in America” features works by Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Hugh Lane, Frank Benson, Childe Hassam, and Maurice Prendergast. Exhibits include “Louise Nevelson,” to January 04, 2010; and “Achieving American Art: American Art Between the Wars,” to January 24, 2010. 596-6457 or farnsworthmuseum.org

Fore Street Gallery, 372 Fore Street, Portland. Gallery group show includes Paul Black, Sylvia Dyer, Claudette Gamache, and Stan Moeller. 874-8084 or forestreetgallery.com

Galeyrie Fine Art, 190 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth. Gallery artists show, new offerings from the Osher Map Collection and Falmouth Historical Society. Opening presentation of the 1932 Illustrated Map of Maine by Berta and Elmer Hader. 781-3555 or galeyrie.com

Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle Street, Portland. “Above and Below” Annual Invitational theme show at Greenhut Galleries to January 2, 2010. Maine artists paint, draw, sculpt and install works which address a vertical vantage point. 772-2693 or greenhutgalleries.com

Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College Art, 522 Congress Street, Portland. MECA faculty, to December

NOMIA a

sensuality boutique 24 Exchange Street, Suite 215 (2nd Floor) Portland 773-4774

nomiaboutique.com

20. 775-3052, (800) 639-4808, or meca.edu

June Fitzpatrick Gallery, 122 High Street and 522 Congress Street, Portland. At Congress Street, “POTS,” featuring artists Paul Heroux, Warren Mackenzie, and Sequoia Miller, to December 23; at High Street, Group Exhibit, Works on Paper. 772-1961 (High Street), 699-5083 (Congress Street), or junefitzpatrickgallery.com

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington Street, Bath. Current exhibits include ten acres of galleries and exhibits on 25 acres of waterfront, and the upcoming “The Sea Within Us: Iconically Maritime in Fashion and Design, January 16 to April 19. 443-1316 or mainemaritimemuseum.org

Maine State Museum, 83 State House Station, Augusta. “Maine Bounty: The People and Resources That Shaped Maine,” “12,000 Years in Maine,” “Made in Maine,” “Struggle for Identity,” and “Maine Gems.” 287-2301 or maine.gov/museum

Museum of African Culture, 13 Brown Street, Portland. Ongoing: “Spirit Masks of the Igbo,” a collection of the traditional masks and ritual objects from the nine villages of Obaldemili people of South Eastern Nigeria. Showing currently is “The World of the Dogon” through January 2010. 871-7188 or museumafricanculture.org

Penobscot Marine Museum, 5 Church Street, Searsport. Current exhibits include “Gone Fishing: Maine’s Sea Fisheries;” “Rowboats for Rusticators;” and “Souvenirs from the Orient.” 548-2529, ext. 216, or penobscotmarinemuseum.org

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland. Current exhibits include: “Charles DuBack: Coming to Maine,” to January 3, 2010; and “Evolution: Five Decades of

Printmaking by David C. Driskell,” to January 17, 2010. 7736148 or portlandmuseum.com

Susan Maasch Fine Art, 567 Congress Street, Portland. “Home for the Holidays,” a show curated by Nancy Davidson, features many regional artists in sculpture, photography, painting, ceramics and more, to December 22. 699-2966 or susanmaaschfineart.com

University of Maine Museum of Art, 40 Harlow Street, Bangor. “Roadside Ghosts: Photographs by David Anderson;” “Abstract New England: Six Perspectives;” and “Evergreen: Installation by Wendy Wischer,” all to December 31; Paintings by Meg Chase, January 15, 2010, to April 3. 561-3350 or umma.umaine.edu

Victoria Mansion, 109 Danforth Street, Portland. Christmas at the Victoria Mansion, to January 3. 772-4841 or victoriamansion.org

Wiscasset Bay Gallery, 67 Main Street, Wiscasset. “Holiday Exhibition,” opening December 2. 882-7682 or wiscassetbaygallery.com

Book Readings

Borders Bookstore, 430 Gorham Road, South Portland. Colin Sargent reads from the new paperback version of Museum of Human Beings, 2 p.m. December 5. 775-6110 or borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_133

L.L. Bean Retail Store, Main Street, Freeport. Colin Sargent reads from Museum of Human Beings on December 13, noon to 3 p.m. llbean.com or museumofhumanbeings.com

–Compiled By Diane

Hudson

iNto the Wood–sometimes, indecision can be bewitching. this fanciful margo Petitti scarf has a pattern to please everyone. “it’s the perfect gift for people who can’t make up their mind,” laughs David hodgkins of david Wood clothier on market street.

holiday idolatry–“my son is graduating from Cheverus this year,” says springer’s Jewelers owner rick beaulieu, “and i graduated myself, so our 22nd-edition ornament of cheverus high school means a lot to me. we’ve done portland and Deering, so choosing Cheverus was the next step. $25. springersjewelers.com

the iceboats cometh–Your neighbor on the lake has an ice boat…and you don’t. Correct this injustice by ordering one from Northwind ice boats in hanover, massachussetts, $6,700-$15,000. northwindiceboats.com

bar harbor blackberries–”we used to make our luxuriant, leather-covered journals, calendars, and photo albums for Coach and tiffany’s,” says geoffrey lafond of Gallery leather. “now, we proudly distribute our own signature line made from spanish leather–the best. we hand craft them in trenton on the shores of frenchman’s bay.“ galleryleather.com

“it’s a wearable work or art that goes with anything–including you. it’s supposed to have attitude and be a little jaunty.” $248. davidwood.com

What Would chef ramsay eat?–”our Chipotle Cheddar macarconi & Cheese with lobster, $14.95, is inspired from the sea up,” says Debbie lennon of one dock restaurant at kennebunkport inn still sailing from gordon ramsay’s recent praise in “10 most intriguing people in maine” last month, lennon says, ”every one of our items is maine-based, with an amped-up flavor inspiration.” kennebunkportinn.com

iN this corNer– gary robinov, producer/director of the documentary Canvasman–The Robbie Ellis Story, needs you. “we need funds to complete our biopic on local professional wrestler turned auction maverick, rob elowitch, co-owner of barridoff galleries. White dog arts will lose all our funding for this project if our goal of $17,950 is not pledged by January 26 by 8:30 a.m. i am asking for [everyone’s] support–and it doesn’t have to be financial. people can do as much good by helping spread the word,” says robinov. to keep this Canvasman off the mat, visit canvasmanmovie.com/donate. see also Portland Magazine’s interview “Double man rob elowitch,” september 1987.

chowder a tasty blend of the fabulous, noteworthy, and absurd

Great Expectations

This is an unforgettable, intimate time of your life, so why not let Eliot native Elizabeth Barnes cast your baby bump as a sculpture? “I usually cast at 81/2 months, but some people record each trimester.” Composition variations include whole families, “with the arms of the mother, father, and siblings [what, no nasty uncle?], even adding, in the future, the hands of the new baby at six months.” $200-300, plus travel. artfulexpectations.com

By comparison, body masks from Tanzania’s Makonde tribe (lower left), such as a 23-inch-tall piece from the early 20th century, are going for $5,200 at Sarajo.

Melting Pot

“They’re just recognizing Portland now?” is Museum of African Culture’s founder Oscar Mokeme’s response to USA Today’s singling our city out for its “rich mixture of African communities” as one of “10 Great Towns with International Flair.” Still, “We feel deep gratitude that our museum has been chosen [to represent Portland].” museumafricanculture.org

Letter of the Law Letter of the Law

A loophole in recent economic-recovery legislation allows for a “$4,100 tax credit if it falls into the criteria of being street-legal and purchased before December 31,” says Orlando Peña of Country Club Enterprise in Saco of his firm’s luxury golf carts. This applies to electric-powered, low-speed vehicles (under 35 mph) on Maine’s inspectionfree offshore islands such as Great Diamond and Peaks, along with a $4 annual registration fee, excise tax, sales tax, and insurance. Patriots are invited to call 800-576-1771 or visit ccegolfcars.com or luxurycarts.com

See, They Return See, They Return

Brook Where?

Brook, here! “I’ve moved to 37B Wharf Street to get more space and to open up a retail presence,” says Brook There fashion designer Brook DeLorme [first profiled in “Longfellow Serenade,” December 2008]. “I love to see how excited the customers are about the fit, colors, and fabrics. Business has been really good, better than I expected.” And next door? “I’m opening an art gallery, 37A, with [Rogues Gallery designer] Daniel Pepice. brookthere.com

Snowball Express

“It’s nice to see everyone get out and enjoy themselves during winter,“ WinteRush coordinator Nicole Clegg says of the festival designed to transform the Forest City from February 6-14. “We’re looking for a crowd of over 3,000 this year.” winterush.com

What’s old is new again. Back when downtown Portland had a giant incandescent Coca Cola sign in Congress Square, we could also boast of a curved, Art Deco Walgreen Drug Store from 1942 to 1956. Torn down during urban renewal, the site of the former Walgreen store is the empty plaza right beside the Eastland Park Hotel. At press time, at least two Walgreens are being built in this city (Northgate and Woodford’s Corner), with another in the works downtown. Welcome back, guys.

All Fired Up

Who needs volcanic Diet Coke? Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz [“10 Most Intriguing People in Maine,” November 2008] are now making fire dance to a live audience in Buckfield with Pachelbel’s Canon as part of a TV pilot. eepybird.com

What do you do if your interview subject goes beyond captivating your audience and actually captures you instead? Newly liberated New York Times reporter and maine native David Rohde wrestles with the shadow existence of being…

What do you do if your interview subject goes beyond captivating your audience and actually captures you instead? Newly liberated New York Times reporter and maine native David Rohde wrestles with the shadow existence of being…

uiet mericanQVThe The uiet QVmerican

by Donna Stua R t

On June 19, 2009, New York Times reporter David Rohde and Tahir Luddin, the Afghan journalist serving as his translator, escaped from the Taliban in Pakistan. It was 7 months, 9 days after they, along with their Afghan driver, Asad Mangal, had been kidnapped–and just 9 months, 13 days after Rohde had married his wife, Kristen, at St. Brendan’s Chapel in Biddeford Pool.

During this interval, the Times and the international media had kept quiet about the kidnapping out of concern for the three men’s safety while the newspaper, the U.S. government, and the captives’ families tried to negotiate their release. No ransom was ever paid, no rescue mission mounted. While their captors slept after a mentally exhausting checkah (a Pakistani version of parcheesi) marathon–shades of the Epic of Gilgamesh–with the captives, Rohde and Luddin simply slipped over a wall under cover of a rattling swamp cooler and walked to the safety of a nearby Pakistani military base, with only barking dogs taking note of their anticlimactic departure.

and rigorous in its judgments.”

Rohde spent his formative years in Maine, graduating from Fryeburg Academy before attending Bates College for two years, then transferring to Brown University, where he graduated with a major in East Asian history. He tells us he’s loved Maine holidays in the past, so it’s easy to wonder if he’s up here with us now.

But what even he must still be wondering is, what elements of his psychological makeup inspired him to court acute journalistic and personal danger a second time around? And what has he learned about himself and our Starbucks culture that seems to demand such risks from him and his colleagues?

i enjoy journalism and exposing the truth. that is, i think, a by-product of growing up in Maine…where part of the culture is being a straight shooter and of [having] the focus on others, rather than on yourself.

Rohde was part of the Times team that won a Pulitzer for its 2008 coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was his second Pulitzer–and his second kidnapping. The first was in Bosnia in 1995 when, working for the Christian Science Monitor, Rohde played a pivotal role in exposing the ethnic cleansing of Muslims. He was released after 10 days, thanks to the efforts of his family, his editors, and American diplomats, most notably Richard Holbrooke, now the Obama Administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the aftermath, Rohde published a book about the massacre, Endgame: The Betrayal and Fall of Srebrenica, Europe’s Worst Massacre Since World War II, which one reviewer called “journalism at its committed best–painstaking, compassionate, full of telling detail,

In “Casting the Inevitable David Rohde Movie,” BlackBook Magazine’s Ben Barna says the obvious choice to play you is George Clooney, but says that you’re “kinda nerdy,” so he’d cast Casey Affleck, 20 pounds thinner and wearing glasses. He sees the British actor who played the lead hijacker in United 93, Khalid Abdalla, as Tahir Luddin and Naomi Watts as your wife. Do you agree–or do you have other choices? If there’s a movie that will thoughtfully teach people more about the Taliban, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and why 885 American soldiers have died there, that’s a movie worth making.

After returning home around Labor Day, there were signs put up along Route 1 [as part of the Ogunquit-to-Portland Run for the Fallen] with photographs of [59] soldiers with ties to Maine who’d all died fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq. It’s much more dan-

notable maine Dogs…and their bFFs notable maine Dogs

“Ruffing” it in Maine

Clockwise from left: Penny, a Pomeranian Maltese, with Bar Harbor’s Susan Sarandon.

Weimaraner calendar girls Bobbin (eager for a boat ride), Penny, and Candy enjoy their retreat in between takes with Rangeley Lake resident William Wegman.

as Sam relaxes in the Blaine House, gov. John Baldacci and Maine first Lady Karen Baldacci, who heads the state literacy organization Maine Reads, review a book with Mia.

Top left: Abby, a retriever-chow mix, moved north to beat the heat after WGME-13 news anchor Jeff Peterson rescued her from a shelter in New Orleans.

JC, named for singer Joe Cocker, oversees the Portland Downtown District with the assistance of Jan Beitzer. The PDD executive director rescued the five-year-old cocker spaniel-dachshund mix through Almost Home Rescue in July 2008. According to his CV, JC attends Dinky Dogs Daycare on outer Congress Street three days a week.

A star-struck former First Lady Barbara Bush takes pictures of her springer spaniel, Sadie, and daughter Doro’s dog, Griffin, at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport in a photo provided by the George Bush Presidential Library in Houston.

Australian shepherd mix Sushi keeps Planet Dog running with Planet Dog manager Ken

brary; molly macleod;

Hahn.

Top left: Jasper (brown) and Nathanial (yellow) romp and play at the future site of the much -anticipated Yordprom Coffee Co., 722 Congress Street, established by their owner, restaurateur Thomas Yordprom. These golden retriever pups are taking advantage of the open space until the business, which will serve coffees and teas imported from Thailand, opens in late December.

Jack Russell terrier Digger waxes poetic in the beloved city of his best friend, Portland’s poet laureate & The Café Review founder and publishing editor Steve Luttrell.

Francesca loves Skylands on Mount Desert Island. The French bulldog loves escaping Manhattan and Connecticut with pal Martha Stewart to their long-time Maine estate, originally built for Edsel Ford.

For day-trips along the coast, magic places warm the heart in maine’s…

Winter Colonies Winter Colonies

by Molly M ac leod

Where to hang out when the summer colonies roll up their sidewalks? Maybe the question should be, where do we start?

BAR HARBOR–Heather Walls, 23, loves to ground herself at Reel Pizza Cinerama in downtown Bar Harbor because “it’s nice to come here in the winter, watch a movie, and have a beer and good pizza [try the ‘Godzilla’ and the ‘Casino Royale’].”

Beyond the great films they play, there’s a sense that you can get your bearings here. “They have special events, like Oscars night, where you get all dressed up and watch the Oscars on the big screen. Otherwise, Bar Harbor is just a dead zone.”

Then there’s the funky decor that provides the kind of relaxed ambience that Starbucks tries to copy. “The couches are flowered, dingy, like something you’d see in your Nana’s house,” says a former Acadia National Park ranger familiar with the matter. “Sitting down, you feel you’re traveling back in time. So get there early.”

Owner Chris Vincenty says, “You can spot the first-timers because they get this deer-in-the-headlights thing, and you have to sort of lead them in by the hand. They’re thinking, ‘It’s not a movie theater, it’s not a pizza joint, what is it? Some time ago a woman came in, and I helped her through all the steps

of getting her ticket and ordering her pizza, and then she was like, ‘Now what?’ So I told her, ‘Now, you take the pizza and you stick it in your mouth and you eat it.’” Like many Maine winter attractions, the attitude here comes free. reelpizza.net

EASTPORT–The Pickled Herring, barely open for a year, “has very quickly come to feel irreplaceable” in this town “two hours from Bangor and light years from anywhere else,” says novelist Sarah Graves. “You can come here for a special dinner or a romantic date, or if you’re just hungry for some good food. They have a snazzy atmosphere and a wood-fired grill you can smell down the street.”

Dan Harden of Coffin’s True Value Hardware praises the signature steaks and local microbrews, while Graves raves about the “baked fish with spinach and lemon sauce, fresh salads, and pizzas with toppings like walnut-gorgonzola or lobster.” Look for fresh local ingredients such as organic chicken and beef from Tide Mill Farm.

The dreamy atmosphere here is scuffed with the reality

of having once been the first floor of Eastport’s old Masonic Hall, which owner Gary Craig “gutted like a herring” during restoration. “We’re all so glad it’s here–we’re really out in the wilderness. As far as something that gives you hope right through the winter, this is it,” says Graves. Harden agrees. “It’s a diamond in the rough.” thepickledherring.com

BUCKSPORT–MacLeod’s Restaurant and Pub “is just a cozy little spot to go so you don’t have to eat at home. And it’s beautiful, really warm–you get that casual and intimate sort of deal,” says regular Brigid Wentworth of this comfort food mecca on Main Street. “You can always count on it.”

This is no idle boast. Owner George MacLeod has kept this point of light open in the direst of circumstances since 1980, driving his truck around the front of the building to shine the headlights in the dining room during a power outage, or delivering hot soup to Central Maine Power workers repairing power lines during the ice storm of 1998.

His rough-and-tumble spirit seems to have rubbed off on

his customers. “One winter, the pipes froze and burst in one of our third-floor apartments, but nobody noticed until the middle of dinner, when a cascade of water came streaming out the middle of the ceiling into the dining room,” MacLeod says. “People just moved their tables and kept eating, nonplussed, like it was a water fountain in a Las Vegas showroom.” Located in the 170-year-old Bradley Block on Main Street, this landmark is guaranteed to sign your reality check. As for his lack of a web site, “It’s a Hobson’s choice. But we’d rather have people take the place on its own terms. I think the trick is to exceed expectations and have people find you, and there isn’t a lot of hoop-dedah about it.” 469-3963

ROCKLAND–Conte’s 1894 has “waitresses with brass balls and Italian food that’ll knock your socks off, if you’re wearing any,” says Mark Boshko of Ellsworth, who drives an hour and a half to decompress here on stately, historic Commercial Street “just to get away on a winter Saturday. “They bring you a Buick-sized loaf of bread; a huge, fresh romaine salad

Shipyard Brewery’s Federal Jack’s Brew Pub in Kennebunk is a hot spot on a cold night to wrap yourself around a pint of Winter Prelude Ale. Its commanding view of the Kennebunk River and weekly karaoke add to its “relaxing yet bustling wintertime vibe,” says Linsey Bernard, 31.

with their own dressing; and a huge bowl of pasta. You order a scallop, and you get a pound of scallops, served on top of pasta with a light olive oil and garlic sauce.”

On the other hand, Conte’s isn’t for everyone: “There’s no phone, it’s kinda grungy, and when the owner doesn’t feel like cooking, or if he runs out of food, he shuts down, bit I think it’s just the best. It’s not for the fruity, Grey Goose Cosmo types.” Insider’s secret: “When they play opera music, you know it’s going to be a good night.”

BATH–“We make everything ourselves–onion rings, salad dressin’s, pies,” says J.R. Maxwell & Co. owner Ed Rogers, “and we haven’t changed the menu in 30 years.” The interior here is a classic slice of old Bath–Commercial Street meets nautical museum. “Friday and Saturday nights we have a prime-rib special. A lot of people say it’s the best they’ve ever had–I got the recipe from a lumberjack in Eustis, an old Frenchman who could hardly speak English.”

While they may never be featured by Forbes Magazine, “January kind of holds on here,” in part because all of the summer restaurants are closed, but mostly because “We’re a regular restaurant, catering to regular people.” Maybe Maine’s greasy spoons really are the most sensitive ‘instruments of community understanding.’ jrmaxwells.com

BRUNSWICK–The Broadway Deli “was my first waitressing job,” says Marielle Vander Schaaf, 31. “Fifteen years later, I still go back and see the same customers, who order the same food they always did.” Open for 22 years, the deli is memorable “for its spinach salad, a side of local sausage patties, and coffee that is always hot.”

“Everything’s made from scratch. Nothing Sysco,” says owner Nancy Bigelow, who’s employed all six of her children here over the years.

“We welcome everyone from local families with nursing mothers [there’s a rocking chair just for them] to old-timers [the deli plays old, folky music on the AM stations] to celebrities from Angus King to Sam Hayward to Drew Barrymore. I swear, my sons wouldn’t let me wash her plate for months.”

When you come right down to it, “It’s more than just cooking. I think I fulfill a need here. And I like what I do. Did I say it’s not about the money? Because believe me, it isn’t.” 729-7781

Historic Maine maps, Rangely and Moosehead Lakes, Vintage Coastal Surveys, Antiquarian Maps from the Osher Map Collection & Falmouth Historical Society

OLD ORCHARD BEACH–There’s

just something about beach pizza, and it seems to get even better when the sidewalks are rolled up during the winter, according to town clerk Kim McLaughlin of Jimmy the Greek’s. “I love the Tuscan veggie pizza from the brick oven and the seafood pie, but everything is good no matter what you end up getting.” In the quiet months, McLaughlin says, “it’s quieter, but it’s not dead by any means.”

Employee Monica Shaw says, “On ladies’ night, Tuesdays, we have $5 martinis and free manicures. We also have a mechanical bull on Saturdays, a “tailgate brunch” on Sundays,” and, when the occasion requires it, a gripping bratwurst-eating contest.

“We stay busy all winter,” says Shaw, “because once the tourists leave, all the locals come out. You should see the New Year’s party, with local bands like Eric Bettencourt and Giraffe Attack. Last year, on Valentine’s Day, our owner renewed people’s vows. It’s always alive here.” If this is a winter ghost town, it’s the kind of place you want to haunt. jimmygreeks.com

OGUNQUIT–“There’s just always singing,” says novelist, playwright, and screenwriter Michael Kimball of The Front Porch, a restaurant and bar on Shore Road. “There’s a traditional piano bar upstairs, and the best way I can describe the people there is a happy mixture of gays and straights. They just sing, sing, sing all night long. There’s this great pianist from Boston, Michelle Currie, who comes up, and whenever I go in I ask her to sing ‘At Last.’ She just kills it.” When the piano bar is open on Friday and Saturday nights, says Kimball, “it’s loud and raucous–standing room only.” He also adds that Khris Francis, who performs ‘extreme adult musical comedy’ has “quite the following.”According to The Front Porch’s website, he’s been dubbed the “Don Rickles of gay comedy.” Kimball likes to go in just to watch people and have a drink or a margherita flatbread from the late-night menu. Even in the dead of winter, “The atmosphere is like you’re on vacation. You walk in and just feel like it’s summer, but it could be minus ten outside. You don’t see a lot of frowns.” thefrontporch.net n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images and even more examples of Maine’s winter colonies.

Did you know that iLASIK is a qualified expense under flexible

right off the top…and it gets better, for a limited time, LaserVision at Maine Eye Center will take another $400.00

iLasik is the result of over a decade of technical refinement; it combines the most refined, all-laser LASIK

Morrison and Dr. Curtis Libby are the only experienced iLASIK surgeons north of the Boston region and are located here at Maine

rescuers are running out of patience for inexperienced adventurers who have 911 on speed dial and are…

Texting Wolf

911?

I’ve run out of ice!

WBY Moll Y M ac leod

e got a call on July fourth this year from some hikers up near Ragged Lake–they said ‘our friend hurt his ankle yesterday, and now he’s up at his leanto and needs to be littered out.’ I looked at my map and thought, ‘this is bad,’” says Sergeant Kevin Adam of the Maine Warden Service. “[The hiker] was four or five miles in, and it was five in the afternoon. We wouldn’t have even gotten any wardens in there until the next day.”

Adam told the hikers to go back to their friend and get him to hike out, but “they said they didn’t want to, because it was a long way for them to walk. A little later, I got a phone call saying that their injured friend had gotten up and walked back to the trail head alone.”

Adam, who is the search and rescue coordinator for the State of Maine, says, “In 2008, we responded to about 500 calls for service for Search and Rescue (SAR). That could be anything from a lost child to an injured hiker to someone that has Alzheimer’s, and it could be a search that lasts for five minutes or five days.” But, he says, calls like the above are “just classic. I almost send six wardens and an SAR team for someone who could have just gotten up and walked out.”

Also common, according to Adam, are “bastard searches” for under-prepared or melodramatic adventurers, such as a pregnant woman who got lost at Chesuncook Lake, about 50 miles north of Greenville, while looking for a friend’s camp. “The woman drives up to a remote part of Maine and calls her friend, saying she was lost and her car was breaking down. The friend called her friend, and, long story short, we started a search with four game wardens. Eight hours later, she finally called us saying she was back home in Portsmouth. I was really concerned for her.

Chesuncook is the third-largest largest body of water in the state of Maine. You’re not just going to find a camp up there. It’s all dirt roads, and no houses. People just don’t understand that.”

A lot of precious time and resources could be saved, says Adam, if people would “just be honest with [themselves]. Are you lost? Don’t call your friend. Call 911. Say you’re lost. Make sure they have your cell phone number, and stay where you are.” He also emphasizes the importance of telling people where you’re going and bringing food, water, a compass, and a GPS, if you’ve read the owner’s manual, know how to use it, and have extra batteries. However, Adam says, “I see a lot of people who bring a GPS and a cell phone, but those things break,” and since cell phones came out, he says, they have often been overused. “People call and say, ‘I’ve hurt my ankle,’ and they’re four hours in. Sometimes I tell them they just have

to suck it up and walk. People have the TV mentality of ‘someone’s going to rescue me,’ but they don’t realize that sometimes it takes twelve hours to get someone out on a litter.” What’s more, he adds, “you can’t always rely on cell phones. People see it as a lifeline, a little metal box that connects you to another person, but what do you do if that little metal box breaks?”

Recent media coverage about excessive calls to search and rescue teams in other parts of the country has also sparked debate about the backcountry use of handheld distress devices such as Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs, which retail for $400 and send calls for assistance to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center) and interactive Satellite Emergency Notification Devices (SENDs, which cost $150 and dispatch to local search and rescue crews). Lieutenant Shawn Maddock of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that unnecessary searches triggered by these devices cost “thousands of tax dollars–you spend all this money going after this bread

crumb trail, but when the bread crumb trail stops, it turns out to be an unnecessary expense.”

Maddock does assert the fact that since NOAA’s Search and Rescue Program began in 1982, over 6,000 people have been rescued in the U.S. thanks to PLBs. However, over 98 percent of all PLB distress calls since 2003 have been “non-distress or false alerts,” according to Dan Conley, Chief of Operations at the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

What is also interesting is that none of these alerts took place in Maine, although there are 358 PLBs registered in the state. And Sergeant Adam recalls only two instances when SENDs were erroneously engaged. It is unclear why this is the case, but Acadia National Park rangers Richard Rechholtz and Chris Wiebusch don’t see technology misuse as a problem in Acadia–the larger issue being hiker underpreparedness and unfamiliarity with basic orienteering skills. Moosehead District forest ranger Bruce Reed of Greenville agrees, saying, “We get a lot of phone calls from people who just wander into the woods and don’t have a compass or GPS, or don’t know how to use one.”

In most cases, it’s impossible to know whether rescue calls are false alarms or real emergencies, and whether these emergencies are due to unpreparedness or not. So avoiding unnecessary costs is a tricky business. Depending on the circumstances, the costs could reach $25,000 to $50,000 per search, which comes out of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s dwindling general fund, paid for largely by Maine sportsmen and taxpayers.

Maine is one of eight states that has laws allowing the state to bill people for rescue costs, but for the most part, Maine doesn’t exercise this privilege–“We eat it,” says Sergeant Kevin Adam. “It’s a huge waste.”

On one hand, says Adam, it can be difficult to gain enough legal leverage to collect money for these civil violations. But on the other hand, it’s really a moral question. “But we want people to call,” says Adam. “We don’t want them to be afraid that they’ll get charged, because the sooner they call, the smaller the search will be. We’re here to rescue people.”n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

www.waynflete.org

Carolyn Walton Gallery Oil and Acrylic Paintings

Holiday Exhibit & Studio Sale

December 5th through January 6th

Opening Reception – December 5th 1-5pm

C. Walton, “Marsh Sunset (Brunswick, Maine)” 24˝ x 30˝, oil.

SecretGardens

really about the internet? In downtown Portland, voluptuous private libraries–oases of the tangible–preserve hidden treasures from an increasingly electric fire.

Okay, I admit it. I am a book hound. No, make that a library hound. Even though I’m a librarian, and I work in a library, on my lunch hour you’ll find me in any number of libraries in downtown Portland. As I exit the front gate at Maine Historical Society, where I’ve been employed as the archivist and cataloger for the past 12 years, I can take a left and head toward Portland Public Library, where a marvelous world of books, films, and music is at my fingertips. Or, I can take a right, and a block away is the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association’s library, a private library which dates to the 19th century. By

Although created as a library for apprentices in 1820, today it boasts an outstanding collection of fiction and non-fiction, as well as Maine books. Just heading up the stairs puts you into a different world. You enter through double doors into a large enclosure with high ceilings, portraits of “mechanics” staring balefully at you, and exhibits in glass cases showing off the association’s treasures. Mostly, though, you’ll see wonderful books

“i don’t have room for books in my library because they take up valuable wall space i need for my flat screen and gaming equipment.”

–Overheard

in Portland

that you’re encouraged to touch. Pat Larrabee, the librarian, says her collection is a great resource for book clubs, who often read the classics. They don’t usually ‘weed’ at Maine Charitable Mechanic, so you’ll often find well loved copies of old books that are usually tossed onto the booksale cart at most libraries if they haven’t been checked out in the past decade. The library also has art exhibits and is open outside their usual hours on First Fridays. Highlights of this collection for me are the travel videos and DVDs–many of which are products of the travelogue series the association sponsors. Books and videos aside, it’s worth a visit just to enjoy the ambience. (And one of the things I love most about visiting this library is the chocolates and cookies often lying around–more luscious evidence of the tangible.)

I

just recently added another library to my list of places to visit on the lunch hour:

the Maine Irish Heritage Center library, on the corner of Gray and State streets. Housed in the old St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, the library opened just this year. Under the guidance of volunteer librarian Susan Flaherty, this library has grown into a respectable resource of Irish literature and boasts subjects such as religion, travel, history, and language. They even have Irish music cassettes. Members are allowed to check out items, for a period of one month. Often on the Tuesday afternoons that the library is open, you can enter through the shared front door of the church, which allows you to wander through the beautiful sanctuary before enjoying the library’s high ceilings and large, wooden sacramental dresser–now used for storing library materials.

Speaking of churches, if your interests lean towards religion and spirituality, Portland is most fortunate to have the Bangor Theological Seminary General Theological Library. This library is in the same building as the State Street Church offices, just six buildings down the street from Longfellow Square. (Go upstairs for the church office and downstairs for the seminary offices, classrooms, and library). Librarian Laurie McQuarrie is available to help you navigate through their collections of theological books and periodicals. While their primary mission is to serve their faculty and students, this thoughtful resource is open to the public.

Newly moved to 93 High Street, in the Stafford House, is Greater Portland Landmarks’s Frances W. Peabody Library. Volunteer librarian Joan Bennert says “We’re the only local library specializing in architecture, preservation, and restoration.” She is dedicated to making her collection of books and magazines on architecture, home improvement, and preservation a useful resource to members of Landmarks, as well as researchers interested in the history of their house and neighborhood. Be

The Perfect Gift for People Who Love Maine

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3 Wade Street • Augusta, ME 04330 www.nrcm.org • (800) 287-2345

Protecting the Nature of Maine

Library at the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association on Congress Street

Where to Go If You’re a Material Girl in a Kindle World

Bangor Theological Seminary, general Theological liBrary 159 State Street www.bts.edu/library

774-5212, x201

Open during regular campus hours

greaTer PorTland landmarkS

FranceS W. PeaBody

reSearch liBrary 93 Stafford Street portlandlandmarks.org/resources/library.php 774-5561

Tuesday through Thursday, 9-5

Membership fee: $35 (free to research, although membership is encouraged)

maine chariTaBle

mechanicS liBrary

519 Congress Street mainecharitablemechanicassociation.com 773-8396

Tuesday through Thursday, 10-3, and First Fridays

Membership fee: $35

maine college oF arT

Joanne Waxman liBrary 522 Congress Street meca.edu/campus/library.aspx 775-3052

Monday through Friday, 9-5

Saturday, 12-5

The library is open to the public; members of the general public can obtain a library card for an annual fee of $25.

maine hiSTorical SocieTy liBrary 485 Congress Street mainehistory.org/library_overview.shtml 774-1822

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10-4

Non-members: first visit free, $10/day afterwards

Membership fee: $40

maine iriSh heriTage

cenTer liBrary

34 Gray Street maineirish.com

780-0118

Tuesdays, 4-6

Membership fee: $50

maSonic grand lodge oF maine, JoSiah hayden drummond

memorial liBrary

Temple Building

415 Congress Street, third floor masoniclibraries.org

773-5184

Tuesday through Friday, 8-4

PorTland PuBlic liBrary

PorTland room

5 Monument Square portlandlibrary.com/locations/portlandroom.htm

871-1700, x747

Tuesday through Thursday, 10-7

Friday, 10-6

Saturday, 10-5

Although the Portland Public Library is not a private library, it does contain the Portland Room, which functions as a special collection of its own and includes rare books (the earliest was printed in 1540), Maine newspapers, maps, photographs, broadsides, and other ephemera. No fee to use, but items don’t circulate and have to be used on site.

sure to consult their street files, which tell the back stories of many of the Forest City’s most majestic homes.

If art is your thing, Maine College of Art’s Joanne Waxman Library on 522 Congress Street has the best view and sunshine in which to relax and read. Although you have to be a student or own a library card to check books out, library director Moira Steven welcomes visitors to just enjoy reading, in this large, open, modern library, the numerous art books and periodicals she has available. Steven says, “We have 30,000 titles and 100 journal subscriptions, 85-percent of which are art-related. Our Special Collections room holds over 500 titles, many of them examples of Victorian printing and binding as well as an artist book collection of over 150 titles. We hold exhibitions of student and community art and thematic displays of art and design titles throughout the academic year.”

Last, but not least, is Maine Historical Society’s Alida Carroll and John Marshall Brown Library. Tucked behind the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the Maine Historical Society library, built in 1907, was recently renovated and expanded, and it’s not only more beautiful than ever but has more storage for all of its collections. The reading room is a delight to behold, with olive green walls lined with portraits of people who are associated with the collections; new, handsome wooden shelving and furniture; and high-arched windows overlooking the newly landscaped Longfellow Garden. The library retains the original glass floors in the mezzanine to let in the light, while iron stacks are lined with old and new books where members can browse. The society was founded in 1822 as the third oldest historical society in the nation and has among its treasures Benedict Arnold’s letterbook from the 1775 expedition to Quebec, given to the library by Aaron Burr, as well as tickets to the Elvis Presley concert that was cancelled due to his death. (Both of these can be seen in the current library exhibit, “Re/Collected: Great Works and New Discoveries from the Brown Library,” on view through the end of May 2010.) The collections in the library don’t circulate, but researchers can use the books in house to delve into subjects ranging from genealogy to Maine history to architectural monographs. n

>> For more information about these and other libraries as well as additional images, visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com.

My Book Playlist[ [

Lest you think this article is only for Luddites, Portland is also home to Tim Spalding, creator and founder of LibraryThing, an influential online reader site designed to help people catalog their books easily. Described as a “Facebook for books,” LibraryThing has over 44 million books available and some 850,000 users.

“I aim to expose personal libraries,” Spalding tells me over coffee at Maine Bean Café on Commercial Street one recent afternoon. “I started this business as a way for individuals to catalog their own libraries, but beyond that I’m interested in the cataloging of more famous people’s libraries, such as Alexander Hamilton and George Washington.” Here in Portland, we are fortunate to have several personal libraries, such as those of John Neal, the Longfellow family, and John Calvin Stevens, all of which are located at Maine Historical Society, as well as the libraries of Portland mayor and historian William Willis and businessman James Phinney Baxter, both located at the Portland Public Library’s Portland Room. The Neal Dow House on Congress Street has Neal Dow’s library. Off the peninsula, the Maine Women Writer’s Collection at the University of New England (Westbrook College campus) owns several important authors’ libraries, including May Sarton’s.

Beyond individual libraries, Spalding is trying to tap into more traditional libraries open to the public, such as the Portland Public Library and the Bowdoin College Library, who use his services. Currently 1512 libraries use LibraryThing to allow their patrons more interaction and content. Susan Flaherty at the Maine Irish Heritage Center catalogs her collection of over 900 books into LibraryThing. She says LibraryThing “is a great resource for smaller libraries who can’t afford to catalog their collections” (there’s a nominal fee of $10 for over 100 books).

Spalding is also interested in finding libraries in unexpected places, such as church libraries–First Parish Church of Portland has cataloged their library using LibraryThing

“LibraryThing knits together various communities to talk to each other, such as booksellers, libraries, and book lovers,” he says. Whether that’s in downtown Portland or worldwide, he seems to have made a great start in that direction.

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Maine in Manhattan Maine in Manhattan

yes, there used to be a bar in Berlin called Kennebunkport, where patrons wore blue blazers and khakis and drank vodka collinses. But now, the sense of a bizarro maine is taking over new york and giving us yet another chance to see ourselves as others see us.

yes, there used to be a bar in Berlin called Kennebunkport, where patrons wore blue blazers and khakis and drank vodka collinses. But now, the sense of a bizarro maine is taking over new york and giving us yet another chance to see ourselves as others see us.

Top, from left: L.L.Bean Signature line creative director Alex Carleton, chief merchandising operator Fran Philip, and vice president Chris Vickers are flanked by L.L.Bean models at Manhattan’s Hosfelt Gallery for the Spring 2010 collection preview; the lobster & lager reception for the runway show brought out fashionistas in search of the Maine mystique; model displays Carleton’s men’s black and red plaid shirt with dark denim pants. Libations featured Geary’s Pale Ale, Hampshire Ale, and Autumn Ale.

By sean hutcheon

NEW YORK–A good chunk of Manhattan’s West Side of Chelsea and Midtown is dedicated to event spaces and countless galleries. Across the pulsing nightscape, one can roam from art openings to photography shows, absorbing original art and sipping on a glass of red wine–usually free from the gallery of choice. But on a recent Wednesday, I was invited to attend a soirée celebrating a new line of style from L.L.Bean.

The venue in question was one of the three event spaces on the block. It was located in a remote area on the west end of 36th Street, stuck between an auto body shop and an impound lot. I used to work steps from the Hosfelt Gallery, and there are always fashion events going on. On this night, I finally had my chance to check it out.

My expectations of the RSVP-only gathering were fairly high, and I was happily impressed with the layout and the vibe of the space. What did it for me was the worn, wooden floors throughout. They made me feel like I was in a barn or a boat house in the country. The lighting was sparse: small halogens beaming in just the right places. Perfect and settling.

After checking my coat and enjoying some Geary’s Pale Ale with a lobster roll, I was greeted by Chris Vickers, who, I found out later, is L.L.Bean’s vice president. He was inviting and comforting, and he set the tone for the party: to have a great time.

About half an hour into the soirée, the space was filled comfortably to capacity and a line-up of models took the floor, all sporting the new clothing. Everyone was interested, and fans of creative director Alex Carleton’s work at Rogue’s Gallery swarmed him. It was difficult to get a word in. Seeing a hole to Chris Vickers, I grabbed him to ask a couple of questions about Alex and the new line.

So why did you choose Alex to transform the L.L.Bean look?

CHRIS: We’d worked with Alex in the past, and he brings an edge. We want to broaden the wearing occasion by having a wardrobe where one can mix and match the clothes as needed–like wearing the sport jacket with a pair of jeans [vs.] wearing a whole suit for a formal occasion.

Who is your target audience?

CHRIS: Folks who live an active and busy lifestyle. This supplements our existing lines. We want to create an evolution, not a revolution.

After my brief discussion with Chris, I finally had a quick chance to speak to Alex Carleton.

Alex, congratulations on the new line. When will this line launch to the public?

ALEX: Thank you. The line is due to launch March 2010.

Tell me, this isn’t a typical style for L.L.Bean. What were your inspirations when designing this new look?

ALEX: I did lots of research on the archives of L.L.Bean. It’s about keeping L.L.Bean fresh, American, optimistic…nature. This is the next generation of culture. It’s about updating the fit: youthful, modern, versatile–good, American, classic, preppy style. n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

Hewnoaks is owned by the University of Maine Foundation and is used by Camp Susan Curtis during the summer.

GiftHorse

Whencentenarian Jessie Volk tried to give beautiful Hewnoaks on Kezar Lake to nonprofit organizations in maine, Dan Willett of the University of maine Foundation jumped on the opportunity and hit jackpot.

By Leah Wha L en

In February 2005, Jessie Volk began casting about for a Maine organization willing to accept her in-laws’ fabulous Arts & Crafts mansion and compound on Kezar Lake. Despite the rich history of the site, demand for it wasn’t guaranteed, and rumor has it that several non-profits may have passed it up. “Not everyone wants to snowshoe in a quarter of a mile in winter to see a property,” says Dan Willett.

Not to mention the natural superstition people have about a gift horse.

For his part, Willett, planned giving officer for the University of Maine Foundation, had the daring to accept the gift of this stunning retreat near Lovell to the benefit of organizations such as the Susan Curtis Foundation, whose young artists’ paintings catch the sunlight off the lake here.

But what was Hewnoaks during its heyday to make it such a rewarding catch in the 21st century?

At the end of the 19th century, it was built as an artists’ colony centered on the extraordinary family of New York portraitist Douglas Volk (1856-1935) and his wife, Marion, both of whom were enchanted by the romantic imagery of the Aesthetic Movement in Britain. Strongly influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, the cultural wave sought to restore to fine and decorative arts the human touch lost in the Industrial Revolution.

Having trained in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts, Volk and his work became household words when his portrait of

Talking Walls

Abraham Lincoln, which still hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, was used as the basis for the three-cent stamp. Between 1898 and 1908 he primarily painted at his summer home in Maine.

The house earned its name when Marion told the Lewiston Journal in 1904, “The walls are thick, and tons of oak are in the heavy beams.” These beams are adorned with carvings made both by guest artists and young Wendell Volk, an extraordinary artist himself who often made ornate frames for his father’s paintings. Like chapters in a storybook of fairy tales, the Volks added gables, wings, and additions until it sprawled comfortably along the starry blackness of the lake.

Here, Marion established a rug-weaving cottage industry called Sabatos, after nearby Sabbatus Mountain. Weavers hand-wove rugs on an enormous loom with wool from local sheep, spun by local women. Inspired, Wendell experimented with Navajo-style patterns in his rugs and published a small number of pamphlets and newsletters under the imprimatur of Sabatos Press.

When Wendell married Jessie McCoig in 1931, and they acquired Hewnoaks after his father’s death, Jessie’s creativity was added to the mix: she painted elaborate murals on the ceilings of the cottage that transport the viewer to different worlds.

The cumulative sense of all this creative energy is still palpable at Hewnoaks. Most of the house and its original furnishings remained intact until Jessie’s death at age 100 in 2005. Jim Cyr of Cyr Auctions, who handled the lucrative art and frames auction for the University of Maine Foundation, recalls, “I walked through to the dining room, and I could see through to the living room fireplace: Everywhere you looked there were old paintings, interesting artifacts, carved furniture, Mission furniture, period furniture.”

Even without the furnishings, most of which were sold through Cyr (who laudably took no commission) to benefit the University of Maine Foundation, the house is stunning. Wood runs everywhere: along the floors, up the walls as panels, across the ceilings as rough-hewn beams, even as a nearly intact tree limb supporting the ceiling by the staircase. The living room fireplace still boasts an original fire screen and andirons, practically unchanged by a hundred years of use. The dining room panels glow with cheery yellow and red, making the most of the

autumn light that streams in through the mullioned windows. Upstairs, small bedrooms nestle under the eaves, with views of the lake and pine trees outside their windows.

Those views, of course, are what is most unchanged about the property since its zenith as an Arts & Crafts colony: gorgeous long views over pristine Kezar Lake to the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the distance. Jessie Volk knew just how precious they were: Willett recalls that Mrs. Volk “especially wanted [Hewnoaks] to stay undeveloped.” The views inspired Douglas Volk over a hundred years ago; now, thanks to his daughter-in-law’s generous gift, they can inspire a new generation of artists:

The contents of Hewn Oaks raised over $700,000 for the University of Maine Foundation. The Foundation currently leases the property to Camp Susan Curtis as a summer arts center for their disadvantaged and at-risk young campers. n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

From top: Living room of Hewnoaks; Douglas Volk painting of his daughter Marion; table in the front lawn lookout.

When you follow the pointed fingers, the answer to this question may surprise you.

by todd M. richard

Patrons pack tables to catch a live performance during the State’s salad days. Headliners included George Thorogood, Bob Dylan, John Hyatt, Bo Diddley, Judy

The specter of an empty State Theatre has been haunting Congress Street for years now. Restored and reopened to acclaim between 1994-2006 (with its gilt balconies and Moorish theme, it was like stepping into a vaulted palace in New Arabian Nights), it has remained shuttered since and shrouded in silence with no promise of reopening ever.

Its decline from grand-dame cinema status to that of a smut-film street mistress and the rocky road to its current dormancy is one of the more tragic stories rattling its chains along Congress Street. Built in 1929, it operated as a first-run movie house until the 1960s, when it became a porn theater, closing in 1989.

If the world made sense, you’d have to imagine angry Portland residents thronging the doors to demand the circumstances of the State’s current closure, especially given the good will campaign launched in the early 1990s to build support for its reopening–a triumph for downtown community volunteerism. But instead, we’ve largely been quiet, with only the sound of cars slushing past its darkened interior on their way to the Maine Mall.

Christmas at the Cathedral

December 5, 2009

12:00 noon preview | 8:00 p.m. concert December 6, 2009 2:30 and 7:00 p.m. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Portland, Maine

December 14, 2009, 7:30 p.m.

St. Patrick's Catholic Church Portland, Maine

January 2, 2010, 7:30 p.m.

Immanuel Baptist Church

Portland, Maine

www.choralart.org (207) 828-0043

A Kotzchmar Christmas December 22, 2009, 7:30 pm Merrill Auditorium Portland, Maine

Ray Cornils, Municipal Organist Kotzschmar Festival Brass Choral Art Camerata Parish Ringers

It was bad enough when the theater was reduced to a desultory venue for porn flicks. Now, we’ve discovered there’s a plane of entertainment existence even lower than that, something that’s happened on ‘our’ watch as we’ve watched it die–that is, nothing. To better understand what series of events has conspired to kidnap the State Theatre from its audience, and by association, our city’s dreams from a decade ago, let’s visit the ghosts of the State Theatre’s past, present, and future to find what really happened and what the future may hold.

The GhosT of sTaT e TheaT re pasT : Kevin LeDuc, phoToGrapher

In the years leading to 1993, the State was in a state of being and nothingness quite similar to where it is today: shuttered, in disrepair, and struggling with the expectations of a city which had previously held high hope for this grand drawing card.

Photographer Kevin LeDuc was there from the very genesis of this renaissance. As the official photographer of the State Theatre, he worked under Kelly Graves and Steve Bailey, who were the operators of the business and producers of the exciting new events.

It may not be a surprise to learn that Nick and Lola Kampf, the owners of the wondrous new State, were perhaps in over their heads.

“Lola was a great woman to work with,” LeDuc says. “She was gracious, gregarious, really excited about the theater. But my recollection is, we never saw Nick, unless he was there to stop any one of Lola’s projects. She would work with Kelly to establish these great plans, and Nick would refuse to fund them. It was obvious there was something really wrong there.”

In spite of the apparent disconnect at the management level, the State greeted the community of Portland with open doors and arms, reclaiming its 1920s grandeur as a vital part of the city. A showing of the classic The Wizard of Oz on the State’s enormous cinema screen was no average affair; kids in full regalia walked down a Congress Street as though following the Yellow Brick Road. With cafe tables, drinks, and an artsy menu bringing the audience right up to the stage, the theater regularly held “dinner and a show” nights where featured artists often mingled with the crowds before taking to the stage.

“The night Bob Dylan came, Dylan’s people were really strange about photographs, and they had made it clear that none would be taken during the show,” LeDuc says.

But the resourceful Graves found a way to snap some shots celebrating the event in spite of the dictum. “Kelly told me to stick around. Before long, at the pre-show dinner, I was under banquet tables with my camera, shooting Dylan from customers’ laps.

“Dylan was there as a favor,” LeDuc says. “They were friends, Dylan and Kelly and Steve. They’d worked together before, and he came to play the State to help out.”

Favors poured in from everywhere, not just from on high. The groundswell of support was so massive for the reopening of the State, most of the people working were actually volunteers, allowing the State to be staffed with as few as three people sometimes. With this kind of stone soup in playºand a Rolodex containing famous friends, the State seemed poised for limitless success. To put things over the top, the owners permitted the installation of top-notch audio equipment. “We had the best sound system in New England–a huge selling point.”

But, altogether too soon, the ceiling came crashing down, literally. During a show, a huge chunk of plaster from the theater’s ceiling fell on the audience, creating an immediate fiasco and a far more troubling long-term concern. As far as observers can

(Continued on page 95)

isn’t open… why i think the state theatre isn’t open…

why i think the state

theatre

Hilary Bassett, executive Director of Greater Portland landmarks “I’m not precisely sure why it isn’t open. It was amazing when the whole volunteer group got the stage repaired--a great community effort. Lots of people are hoping to see it open again. You should call Jan Beitzer of Portland Downtown District to learn more about this.”

DeB anDrews, Historic Preservation Program Manager for the City of Portland “I really don’t know. I don’t have a strong knowledge of the circumstances there to offer something particularly germane. I’m not trying to be coy, but there are probably others who could help you. You might want to talk to Nelle Hanig or Jan Beitzer.”

Jan Beitzer, executive Director of Portland Downtown District “Because they can’t make the building code. I’m not being flip, but...the building has public safety issues, and they have to put a lot of money into it to bring it up to code. I don’t know exactly what the codes are…Have you called Nelle Hanig?”

nelle HaniG, Business Development representative for the City of Portland “It’s my understanding there are a lot of code issues needed to modernize it and make it safe for events. I really don’t know the extent of what needs to be done at the building. You should call the city fire marshal.”

FreDeriCk laMontaGne, Fire Chief for the City of Portland “I don’t know if there are any outstanding issues with the fire codes, but it would depend on the use, and outstanding violations don’t have a lot of relevance if the previous tenants are no longer there. We would love to work with anyone interested in starting up on the property and would very much like to see it occupied and a thriving part of the neighborhood up there. I suggest you talk to the economic development office.”

Jill Duson, acting Mayor, City of Portland “It’s been a while since I’ve touched those issues, but I think there are coding and repair issues. Our staff is uniquely qualified to work in partnership to match up the kind of resources that are out there to leverage dollars, if that’s what’s needed. We stand at the ready to meet with the management team and any developers who might be involved to discuss where are we and where can we go. In terms of dollars, the city’s ability is limited in this economy, but our energy level and desire to lend assistance is high.”

BarBara wHitten, President of Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau “I don’t really know, because [the CVB] hasn’t been connected to the State Theatre in years. But I remember going to the opera there, and it was spectacular. And driving down the street, I’d see a line out the door. It’s a stunning facility, and if it had the support that Merrill Auditorium has, it would be great. But it’s uncared for by people in the community, and it’s too bad. Portland is becoming a destination for cultural events, and the State Theatre could be a jewel in that crown.”

roB eVon, owner/General administrator of Port City Music Hall “It’s because of the renovations that are needed to reopen it as a music venue. And the owner doesn’t want to pony up the money. The last estimate I think was over a million dollars. The investment and recovery period for the investment would be huge, and they don’t have the interest in that. My inside track is that the Wilsons are focusing their investment money on places other than Maine. I don’t know why, but I think operating the State Theatre would be financially difficult. It was popular, but 80-90 percent of all State shows were filled to limited capacity–around 300-700 people [out of a possible 1,500]. Being beneficial for the music scene and operating a financially profitable business are two different things.”

DaViD MarsHall, Portland City Councillor, District 2 “As I understand it, Stone Coast Properties is doing some work inside the building to bring up some of the codes. They’re eliminating the bathrooms in the basement that didn’t have two means of egress and putting in new bathrooms. They’re putting in some fire escapes and are looking to lease it to a theater company, where the tenant will be responsible for keeping up with the electrical codes. I don’t know what Grant Wilson’s involvement is. I think his parents are more involved at this point. Originally, Stone Coast was trying to find a tenant that would do all the upgrades, but they’ve started to do some things to help prospective tenants out.“

Joe Gray, Portland City Manager “I have no idea why they stay closed. I know they’ve been working with our inspection staff on fire-escape and bathroom improvements that they needed to make. I don’t know whether or not there is a code problem or a market-condition problem. My understanding from the inspections is that the fire escapes and bathrooms have already been made, and there are some electrical improvements that they need to make, but nothing that’s preventing them from opening.”

kerry ann MCQuaDe, receptionist for stone Coast Properties “I get calls about that all the time, but it’s dormant. We don’t have tenants; it needs to have a lot of money to renovate it. The building here is commercial space that we have–that’s just locked up and not being used.”

Perry GliDDen, stone Coast Properties Building engineer “It needs a lot of renovation--bathrooms, alarm systems, life-safety systems. People don’t look at the building and see anything but the theater, but they don’t know it’s 100,000 square feet of space that needs to be worked on. Someday the State Theatre will rise again. But it has to do with the economy and the City of Portland. They don’t offer us a lot of incentive. It’s expensive. We’re not talking hundreds of dollars, we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. I can’t give an exact amount; it all depends–do you want the Pinto version or the Cadillac version? Either way, we’re not interested in leasing anything that’s not 100 percent up to code. Money’s always an issue, but we’ll get there.“

Grant wilson, Jr., stone Coast Properties “I haven’t had much to do with the State since I signed my lease for the theater over to Chris Morgan in 2005. The fire department and licensing at the city level have been helpful.”

Open Full Page Advertisement 58

“Let them see cake.” Tina Ingraham’s painterly landscapes of gourmet tableaux are portraits of delicious synaesthesia.

Eyes Feast Feast

Eyes

Most people, after baking a luscious yellow cake with raspberry filling and vanilla icing, would simply devour it. Tina Ingraham bakes her cake to watch it age and then records its decomposition on canvas.

“As the cake dried, it shrank and the icing pulled away…It developed crevices in the interior and all around the layers with the filling. It was wonderful,” says the artist, in her lofty, airy studio in downtown Bath.

Ingraham loves to paint all sorts of food, usually with oils and in abstract settings. If art

can be food, sustaining and inspiring us, food can also be art, where both nourish and reflect each other in ways she finds fascinating.

“I love grocery shopping for my paintings,” she says. “I glory in the beautiful colors. Walking through a farmers’ market is like walking through a rainbow. I look for special groups” of vegetables or fruits. “I find great joy in this.”

Ingraham’s paintings are all about raw ingredients, closely and intensely observed–bunches of radishes or carrots or beets, for instance, newly

harvested and with the greens still attached. Lining her studio walls are some of the fruits of her labors, including Bunched Radishes, Beets in Rubber Band, New Garlic, and Radishes in Twist Tie. What’s striking about her veggie images is how much they resemble her paintings of people, such as Dune Bathers I, Mirage, and Dune Bathers III. The subjects sprawl on a sandy beach, legs and arms overlapping in a way that invokes root vegetables assembled at table, the string bikinis resembling twist ties or rubber bands.

“It’s not something I sought,” Ingraham says, referring to how the shapes echo each other. “It just happened.”

She remembers a day in 1997 when, driving through Cumberland, she was struck by some beautiful pears hanging on a tree. With the owners’ permission, she clipped a pear with attached twig and some leaves from the branch, and then painted it. Soon she did the same with apples and mandarin oranges, putting them “in nameless settings, on a table surface surrounded by air, or maybe with a wall behind it. I found that doing this brought out questions of memory, identity, spirit. It became metaphorical. It would suggest states of being, time passing, even the human form.”

The twigs and leaves fairly exclaim their date of harvest by their decay “and what has grown with them. They give information about their home and their life,” she says. Grocery stores usually remove this foliage, “but at the farmers’ market, you see roots, leaves, stems, twigs–which offer wonderful opportunities for angles in the composition. And with the twigs, I think of fluids moving through the tree veins, the passage of time, life forces.”

“I watch the radishes slowly wilt and soften,” she continues. “They become like fingers wrapping around each other. It’s all revolving–a cyclical, ever-changing process that feels intimate. The produce assumes a character of its own outside my will. It transpires.”

Throughout her life, Ingraham, now 63, has worked as a fashion designer making bridal gowns, an advertising artist for department stores, and an art instructor in several academic settings. But painting and drawing–with oils, pastels, or watercolors–is her first and abiding love. She handcrafts the surfaces on which she works, gluing muslin or linen to a panel and then painting on it, sometimes with pigments she grinds and mixes herself.

Green arsenic smeared on an egg-white cloth, Crushed strawberries! come, let us feast our eyes. –From lustra, by ezra pound, 1916

Born in Ohio, she came to Maine in 1969 to go canoeing on Lake Sysladobsis and stayed with her husband at an old hunting lodge in Grand Lake Stream. They loved it so much they returned year after year. “Once we came for ice-out,” she recalls. At first the lake was frozen over, but then it began to melt. “The ice turned black, and as it broke up it made little tinkling sounds, like bells. There was a big wind storm. It was wonderful.”

Gradually, she realized that Maine was where she wanted to live. She moved to Lewiston, then North Yarmouth, Falmouth, and Cumberland–with side trips to Brooklyn, New York (where she got an MFA), and Italy (on a Guggenheim Fellowship). In 2003, she moved to Bath, lured by the availability of an attractive, well-located studio on Centre Street. It sits between the Bath Natural Market and a popular hangout called Cafe Creme. And, tellingly, it’s “a three-minute walk to the farmers’ market,” she says. n

Ingraham’s studio is occasionally open to the public during Bath’s Art Walks, and her paintings are on display at Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle Street, Portland. Visit tinaingraham.com or greenhutgalleries.com.

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

Recent auctions

show that history keeps a disturbing, and sometimes politically incorrect, Christmas tree.

Holiday

Hangings

Nazi bombs, dirigibles, Uncle Tom, and Happy Hooligan–the microcosm of antique Christmas ornaments offers a peephole into popular culture and history. Not all of it is merry, but these little tree trinkets provide beautifully crafted documentation of the highs and lows of questionable, and even downright strange, obsessions.

With surfaces as fragile as eggshells, these unsettling blown-glass ornaments are treasured by collectors, as are those crafted from cardboard in Dresden.

Germany spawned Christmas as we know it, and, during the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was responsible for the production of most ornaments. For enthusiasts, the cut-off point is World War II. Before World War II, 95 percent of Germany’s ornaments were made in the mountain village of Lauscha. It was a cottage industry, producing blown-glass ornaments made by men and then hand-painted and silvered by their wives and children. By the 1920s, manufacturers were dictating production to include comic figures, automobiles–anything and everything that was popular–resulting in what were often quirky interpretations of a world far removed from these mountain people. The ornaments were then exported for sale to America, where the market was booming. When Lauscha became part of East Germany, molds and existing stock were lost, and the export business died. After the war, ornaments were largely made in West Germany, and these are not valued by collectors.

Because Dresden was nearly burned from the face of the Earth, few Dresden ornaments exist today. They are the most prized of ornaments for their detailing, beauty, rarity, and certainly

poignancy. Produced in the Dresden-Leipzig area of Germany primarily between 1880 and 1910, Dresdens were 2-3 inches in size. Subject matter ranged from people to candy containers, household items, and animals. Made of cardboard that was dampened and then fitted into a stamping dye, the subsequent embossing was so detailed as to show the hairs on the animals’ backs. Although some were painted, most were gilded or silvered–a finish that in some cases has aged to resemble pewter.

“Dresdens are the cream of the crop,” noted Rich Bertoia, sales coordinator for Bertoia Auctions of Vineland, New Jersey, where ornaments from the major collections of Fred Cannon and Mary Lou Holt were auctioned recently. “Collecting antique ornaments is big. Everyone can relate to the holidays, and when else does anybody decorate a house, really?”

Two hundred dollars for an antique blown-glass or Dresden ornament at auction is pretty standard, although some go for less and some for much more. With glass ornaments, condition is everything. Flaking paint, cracks, and replaced or missing “caps” all reduce the value. Silvering, the interior coating of the ornament, should be present. But if a mold is extremely rare, these imperfections, at least, may be overlooked. n

Sarah Cumming Cecil, a principal in the interior design firm Rose Cumming (www.rosecummingdesign.com), writes frequently on art, antiques, and interior design. Her work has appeared in ARTnews, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Connoisseur, and The New York Times. >> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

from

one

and gold-painted rat with twine tail from Dresden; three Nazi-Germanythemed glass ornaments, including two “bombs” and a swastika-decorated ball; two mica-covered candy containers done as Uncle Tom’s Cabin characters Uncle Tom and Eliza

Clockwise

bottom left: Man’s head with monocle; bat (with “Germany” embossed on

wing)

by Charles Dickens

2 dine In is a specialized culinary courier service delivering over 15 restaurants to Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, and Cape Elizabeth. Order by telephone or the user-friendly website, and experience how easy and quick it is to dine at home or the office! Lunch MondayFriday 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., dinner Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m. 2dinein.com, 779-DINE (3463)

51 Wharf Indulge in Chef Tom Johnson’s avantgarde cuisine, featuring exceptionally creative courses, local ingredients in a from-scratch kitchen, the freshest seafood including local Maine lobster, and a menu with savory chicken, steak, and pasta. Available for private parties and events. 51 Wharf Street in Portland’s Old Port. 51wharf.com, 774-1151 *

anthony’s Italian Kitchen, 151 Middle Street, lower level, Portland. Voted “Best in Portland” three years in a row. Pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. All homemade recipes, including lasagna, chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, meatballs, and Italian sausages. Variety of hot and cold sandwiches. Beer and wine. Catering available. 774-8668 *

Beale Street Barbeque continues a tradition of eclectic American cuisine at their new location in South Portland. Still serving the best hardwoodsmoked and grilled meats, poultry, fish, and seafood, as well as tasty appetizers, specialty sandwiches, salads, and creative daily lunch and dinner specials. Full bar featuring Maine microbrews on tap. No reservations needed, children welcome. Open all day, every day at 725 Broadway in South Portland. mainebbq.com 767-0130

Becky’s at 390 Commercial Street, featured in Esquire and recommended by Rachael Ray, is “a slice of diner heaven,” according to Gourmet. Serving classic diner fare within the call of gulls, it’s Maine’s best familyfriendly place to keep it real. Open 4 a.m.-9 p.m., 7 days a week. 773-7070

BiBo’s Madd apple Café is located at 23 Forest Avenue, Portland, in the heart of the Arts District. Focusing on creative, affordable cuisine with an eclectic wine list to match, served in a bright casual atmosphere. Lunch WednesdayFriday 11:30-2, brunch Saturday and Sunday 11-2 and dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5:30-close. Menus change with the local growing season. bibosportland.com, 774-9698 *

Billy’s Chowder House makes seafood dreams come true, serving the freshest seafood around, whether you like it fried, grilled, broiled, stuffed, or over pasta. The chowders are all homemade and the lobster rolls have been featured in Bon Appétit. Located at 216 Mile Road in Wells, and surrounded by the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge. billyschowderhouse.com, 646-7558

the Black tie Market and Bistro will satisfy anyone’s craving for great food served with flair and fun. Now serving light breakfasts and lunches, and everything you need to entertain at home. Madeto-order paninis and wraps, soups, home-baked desserts and fresh salads. Try our candy bar, gelato, or a great bottle of wine. Now hosting wine tastings! theblacktieco.com, 756-6230

Clementine restaurant located at 44 Maine Street in Brunswick. Chef-Owner Dana Robicheaw offers the culinary expertise that he acquired at Johnson and Wales and other Portland fine dining establishments. Clementine offers exquisite food and fine wine in a

relaxed atmosphere. Join us for a multi-course tasting menu for parties of two: $45 /person or $60/person with paired wines. Open Tuesday-Sunday 5-9 p.m. 721-9800, clementinemaine.com

Cleonice Chef Richard Hanson presents the cuisine of the Mediterranean prepared from the finest local ingredients. Cleonice offers both delicious cuisine and affordable selections for lunch and dinner in the casually sophisticated atmosphere of the landmark Lucini Building. Nominated for the James Beard Award two years in a row. 112 Main Street in Ellsworth. Visit cleonice.com or call 664-7554.

diMillo’s Floating restaurant offers the freshest lobster, seafood, Black Angus cuts of beef, Italian fare, and more. Located on Commercial Street in the Old Port, DiMillo’s offers fabulous water views of Portland Harbor from every table. Try our famous clam or haddock chowder, lobster stew, or one of our delicious salads. Serving from 11 a.m. Enjoy our famous Lobster Roll. Visit us at www.dimillos.com or call 772-2216.

the dogfish Bar & Grille, 128 Free Street, Portland, 772-5483, and the dogfish Cafe, 953 Congress Street, Portland, 253-5400. “Great food, drink, and service in a casual and unpretentious atmosphere.”

The Cafe (Monday-Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday Brunch) offers a more intimate setting while the Bar & Grille (open daily at 11:30 a.m.) offers live music Wednesday-Saturday nights. For a real local feel, reasonable prices, and great food, check out either one or both! thedogfishcompany.com

Eve’s at the Garden, 468 Fore Street, Portland, promises a unique experience and a fresh, local approach to food. Chef Earl Anthony Morse and his team utilize products from Maine’s coastal waters and farms: jumbo diver-harvested scallops, naturallyraised organic pork and beef, sustainably-raised fish and shellfish, and fresh Maine lobster. Free valet parking during dinner. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner 5-9:30 p.m. portlandharborhotel.com, 523-2040

the Farmer’s table American bistro supports the local farming and fishing community. Specialties include locally-raised Angus beef, fresh Maine lobster roll, “right-off-the-boat” beer-battered haddock, and fresh-roasted turkey club, all prepared by chef Jeff Landry. Open Tuesday – Friday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 205 Commercial Street, Portland. 841-9114

Fish Bones american Grill is a casual upscale restaurant offering American cuisine with a multinational flair. Techniques include light grilling, sautéing, and use of homemade food paints to further enhance our plated creations. Located in the heart of Lewiston in the historic Bates Mill complex, Fish Bones offers dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday brunch. Come get hooked! fishbonesmaine.com, 333-3663 *

the Fishermen’s net a full-service fish market featuring an assortment of fresh seafood supporting Maine’s local fishermen. Also offering an extensive take-out menu and lobsters steamed to go, Fishermen’s Net will satisfy all of your seafood cravings. For your convenience, offering platters, entrees and chowders. Call ahead to order. Special orders welcome. 59 Portland Road, Gray, 657-FISH (3474)

G & r diMillo’s Bayside 118 Preble Street, Portland. You’ll find a comfortable sports bar with excellent food! Catch the season’s most exciting

David Sedaris’

Top: Bodhi Ouellette and Paul Barry. Cast of A Christmas Carol

Bottom: Dustin Tucker. All photos by Darren Setlow.

Winter crowds are delighted with the zesty new Italian restaurant where exchange meets Federal meets delicious.

Turning a

Corner

Here’s why there’s always a line outside the door of Harding Lee Smith’s newest venture, The Corner room. It’s not a mall-style Italian restaurant, and it’s not trying to recreate The Village. Instead, it’s worldly and exuberant, transporting diners directly into a three-dimensional excursion into present-day Italian cuisine. Remember the time you dreamed of visiting Mt. Vesuvius? To help you recall it, they’ll serve you a crisp, cold bottle of Lacryma Christi here, from a vineyard on its lush, ashy slopes. Fancy a Roman holiday? Dive into a dish of Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Remember Death in Venice? Try tasting Venice with a Bellini just like they serve at Harry’s Bar. A notch above ‘Italian for Beginners,’ this raucous, fun eatery, perfect for a winter snuggle, is more like ‘Italian for Intermediates’ than anything else in Portland.

tHe corner room, 110 exchange Street, Portland. monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. 879-4747, thefrontroomrestaurant.com.

Even the menu has the feeling of a tour through Hesperia, with all its choices. From the antipasti selection of meats, we opted for the “all for $25” option rather than getting two or three for $8 each, served on a large wooden cutting board with zesty bread and good olive oil, viz. Prosciutto di Parma, Sopressata Salami, Nostrano Salami, Speck, Bresaola, Mortadella, Lardo, Hot Capicola, and Lamb Prosciutto. The opulent mortadella really stands out, as well as the speck, with its deep, dark color and pungent bite. All beautifully hit the spot with sips of our server-recommended deep red Elio Perrone, “Tasmorcan,“ Barbera d’Asti ($26).

Italian wines rule (a staggering list) and are grouped according to regions, including Piemonte, Toscana, Sicilia, Veneto, Abruzzo, Campania,

Lazio, Umbria, Puglia, and Sardinia, all from $20 to $110.

The seafood antipasti ($6 each or all for $21) add briny authenticity, with marinated mussels, marinated squid, shrimp and ceci, clams and fregola, and octopus and potato.

The fresh and crunchy Corner Room

dining guide

games on multiple wide screen flat panel TVs. Featuring homemade pasta and bread, classic appetizers, soups, sandwiches, burgers; and homemade, hand-tossed dough for fantastic pizza. Monday–Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday noon-8p.m. grdimillos.com, 699-5959

the Good table lives by its motto, “honest food, honest prices” offering made-from-scratch meals with brunch, lunch, and dinner. A well-rounded menu with choices to please every palate. Featuring inspired blackboard specials, the kitchen always takes advantage of locally-grown produce and seafood. Full bar with seasonal cocktails. 527 Ocean House Road on Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth. [Check for seasonal hours] thegoodtablerestaurant.net, 799-4663

the Great Impasta, premier Italian Restaurant in Brunswick, recognized as one of the “top 25

Salad, consisting entirely of local greens and sherry vinaigrette ($6), aptly cleansed our palate, though soon after we found ourselves looking jealously at other diners attacking the bitter greens salad, with walnuts, onions, pecorino cheese, and raisins ($7). Decisions are vexing here.

Moving on to the warm antipasti (perhaps the genius here is in the small-plate offerings) we savored the baked crespelle ($8) a delicious crepe stuffed with oxtail, ricotta, and herbs. If the dozen or so other warm offerings live up to this one, this place will be our newest addiction.

For pasta, we shared the candelle and wild boar ragu, again a taste treat to remember. The pasta–large, hollow, and resembling candles–soaked up the juices of the perfectly braised meat.

A dream dessert is the cheese assortment (3 for $13, 5 for $18, 7 for $22), fairly swaggering with La Tur, Caprotto, Paglierino, Marzolino di Pienza Al Peperoncino, and Parmigiano Reggiano Cravero Riserva. But there is much more to discover here. n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

Italian restaurants in all of New England.” Intimate dining room setting, fun and varied wine list, and creative Italian & Mediterranean-inspired dishes at surprisingly reasonable prices. Open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday. 42 Maine Street, Brunswick. thegreatimpasta.com, 729-5858

Great lost Bear, 540 Forest Avenue in the Woodfords area of Portland. A full bar with over 60 draught beers from local micro-breweries and imported specialties. Our menu features salads, sandwiches, steaks, a large vegetarian selection, and the best nachos & buffalo wings in town. Discover where the natives go when they’re restless! Every day 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. greatlostbear.com, 772-0300

In Good Company offers an Old World atmosphere of unhurried dining, coupled with a compelling wine selection and limited bar. The ever-changing

menu of light tapas to full entrees utilizes locallyproduced cheeses, sausages, meats, wild-harvested seafood, mushrooms, and greens. The daily dessert offerings are decadent yet sublime. Open Tuesday-Sunday at 4:30. 415 Main Street, Rockland. ingoodcompanymaine.com, 593-9110

Jacqueline’s tea room and Gift Shop, experience authentic afternoon tea in an exquisite English setting. Select from over 70 of the finest quality looseleaf teas to accompany your four-course luncheon of scones, finger sandwiches of all kinds, and desserts. Great for intimate conversations and parties. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and alternating weekends. 201 Main Street, Freeport. Reservations only. jacquelinestearoom.com, 865-2123 *

Jameson tavern, with a casual bar, lounge & dining room. The building is the site of the signing of the

Nighthawks a La itaLia

Previous page: the corner of Exchange and Federal streets in the Old Port is now a magnet to foodies for late dinners and drinks; Doppo Pizza; tuna Crudo.

this page: the lively dining room is an open theater, with bar and kitchen in view; arancini rice balls.

Constitution for the state of Maine when it broke away from Massachusetts. Classic preparations served in a graceful & elegant setting make this a fine retreat from frenzied outlet shopping. 115 Main Street, Freeport. 865-4196 *

KON Asian Bistro and Hibachi Bar is inspired by the senses. Décor and music will invigorate the international essence of taking you to a different land. Thursday–Sunday evening a DJ will transform the bar into an Asian night club. Experience the world-class New York chefs prepare you a fresh, succulent dish. 1140 Brighton Avenue, Portland. konasianbistro.com, 874-0000

Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll is coming to Portland! The new location on Exchange Street will include the sweetest Maine lobster with the company of a full-service bar. Using a ¼ pound of Maine lobster fresh from her own wharves and adding her special mix of herbs earns it the right to be called “Perfect.” lindabeansperfectmaine.com

Lotus Chinese and Japanese Restaurant, 251 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth, Maine (Falmouth Shopping Plaza). We feature full-service bar and lounge area, sushi bar, Chinese traditional food not available outside of Boston, friendly atmosphere and courteous service. 781-3453

Margaritas Mexican Restaurants & Watering Hole! Two locations in Portland, others in Lewiston, Augusta, Orono, and Portsmouth. Always free hot chips & salsa, legendary margaritas, & the house specialty, the sizzling fajita. Happy hour MondayFriday, 4-7 p.m., free hot appetizers. In Portland at 242 St. John Street, Union Station Plaza, 874-6444, and 11 Brown Street near the Civic Center, 774-9398.

Maria’s Ristorante, est. 1960, 337 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, one street down from Congress Street. Portland’s finest Italian cuisine. Maine Sunday Telegram’s four-star restaurant. Homemade sausages and finest meatballs around, thick Veal Chops a la Maria, Zuppa De Pesce Fradiavolo, homemade gelato, and Italian-style cakes. Lunch and dinner TuesdaySaturday, $13-$25. “Preserving the authentic Italian dining experience.” mariasrestaurant.com, 772-9232

Mia’s at Pepperell Square, located in Saco’s historic Pepperell Square, serves seasonal American cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Mia’s features a full bar and a wine list expertly matched to our menu. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mia’s also offers a $24 three-course menu Sunday through Wednesday and monthly five-course wine dinners for $55. miasatpepperellsquare.com, 284-6427

Miss Portland Diner Visit the famous 1949 Worcester diner car #818, an architectural landmark in Portland. Back in operation and serving all the diner classics, Miss Portland is open for breakfast and lunch

Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday-Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and breakfast, lunch and dinner on Wednesday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Located at 140 Marginal Way in Portland. missportlanddiner.com, 210-6673

Moussé Cafe & Bakeshop located in Monument Square serves breakfast and lunch all day and features a weekend brunch. Casual atmosphere with a full bakery, homemade ice cream, and outside dining on the patio. Favorites include huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, scones, herb focaccia paninis, and award-winning turkey meatloaf sandwich. Open Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. One Monument

Way, Portland, 822-9955

o’naturals serves natural and organic flatbread sandwiches, tossed salads, Asian noodles, soups, and kids’ meals. Quick service, but our leather couches, wireless internet, and comfortable atmosphere will entice you to stay. Flatbread pizza after 4 p.m. and pesto chicken, roast beef, wild bison meatloaf, wild Alaskan salmon, and many vegetarian items–something for everyone. Falmouth, 781-8889

papaya King has been called by Zagat the “best, cheapest (stand-up) lunch in New York City”, and now can be found in Portland’s Old Port! Famous for its hot dogs made with all-natural products and juice drinks made from “the fruit, the whole fruit, and nothing but the fruit.” Located at 5 Dana Street. Check out papayakingme.com, 899-0600

the pepperclub is a prize-winning restaurant (“Best Vegetarian” & “Best Value” in Frommer’s Guide to New England) with creative world cuisine. Blackboard menu lists five vegetarian, three fish, & three meat entrées, including an organic beef burger. Relaxed, affordable dining on the edge of the Old Port w/ free parking. Open nightly at 5 p.m. 78 Middle Street. pepperclubrestaurant.com, 772-0531

pier 77 and the ramp Bar and Grill are owned and managed by Kate and Chef Peter Morency. Pier 77 has a formal dining room with stunning views of Cape Porpoise Harbor and live music each weekend, while The Ramp is more casual, with its own bar menu at hard-to-beat prices. pier77restaurant.com

has all the details. 967-8500 * pom’s thai taste restaurant, noodle House, and Sushi Bar at 571 Congress Street in Portland, 772-7999, voted “The Best of Portland ‘09” by Phoenix readers. Featuring vegetarian, wheat-free, kid’s menu, made-to-order noodle soup, and $1 sushi every Monday & Tuesday. Other locations in South Portland: Pom’s Thai Restaurant at 209 Western Avenue, 3473000 and Thai Taste Restaurant at 435 Cottage Road, 767-3599. thaitastemaine.com

Saeng thai House serves authentic Thai food at two locations in Portland. With an upbeat tempo and tantalizing dishes, zesty flavor awaits you. Entrees include house specialty seafood choo chee, pad Thai, ginger fish, and much more. Eat in, take out or delivery available. 267 St. John Street in Portland, 773-8988, or Saeng Thai House 2 at 921 Congress Street, 780-0900.

the Salt Exchange American-style tapas using local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Extensive beer and wine list. Wine tastings Wednesdays from 5-6:30 p.m. include complimentary canapés. Open for lunch 12-2:30 p.m., and dinner Monday–Thursday, 5:30-9 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m. Lounge open for “The Hours” Monday-Saturday 5-7 p.m. Includes heavily discounted beers, martinis, and sangria with discounted appetizers. 245 Commercial Street, Portland. thesaltexchange.net, 347-5687

SeaGrass Bistro, 30 Forest Falls Drive, Yarmouth, an intimate 40-seat dining room with an open kitchen.

Chef Stephanie’s style of American bistro cuisine, with Asian, French, and Tuscan influences, uses fresh local ingredients. Music while you dine Thursdays in October & December. Open Wednesday-Saturday for dinner, reservations starting at 6 p.m. For cooking class information: seagrassbistro.com, 846-3885 *

twenty Milk Street, in the Portland Regency Hotel, serves U.S.D.A. prime and choice steaks and the freshest seafood, combining award-winning classic American cuisine with fine wines in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Featuring crab cakes with lemon shallot mayonnaise, baked escargot, charbroiled chili-lime scallops, and sumptuous desserts. Dinner seven nights a week; also serving breakfast, lunch and brunch. Complimentary valet parking. theregency.com, 774-4200

Varano’s Italian restaurant–food so good, you may never cook again. Featuring stunning views of the coast and the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, Varano’s serves the best Italian food north of Boston. The menu offers signature Italian dishes and special family recipes, and the comprehensive all-Italian wine list is a Wine Spectator award recipient since 2002. 60 Mile Road, Wells. varanos.com, 641-8550

Verrillo’s features a variety of fresh seafood and shellfish along with choice steaks and chicken dishes. Moderately priced with emphasis on quality, service, and value. If it’s not fresh, it’s not here! Open Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30 p.m.

to 10:30 p.m. 155 Riverside Street, Portland. verrillos.com, 775-6536

Walter’s eclectic menu changes seasonally with popular blackboard specials. The best in casual fine dining, featuring cuisine with international influences. Bar manager Steve Lovenguth’s wine list complements chef Jeff Buerhaus’s menu selections. Open Monday-Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch; dinner from 5 p.m. Look for us in our new location, 2 Portland Square. Coming Soon! walterscafe.com, 871-9258

Wells Beach Steakhouse and T-Bone Lounge serves prime and all-natural steaks, fresh seafood, and delicious salads, featuring Kobe sirloin steaks, set in a plush atmosphere. Enjoy a selection from the highly allocated new world wine list, or a signature Wells Beach martini under the starry ‘sky’ of the lounge. 73 Mile Road, Wells. wellsbeachsteakhouse.com, 646-2252 *

Yosaku, at 1 Danforth Street, is an authentic Japanese culinary experience, designed by owner Sato Takahiro and lead chef Matsuyama Masahiro. Premium sushi, sashimi, and rolls, including Yosaku roll, Portland Pirates roll, and traditional cooked Japanese cuisine for the sushi-shy. Enjoy a bento box beside a tranquil Japanese waterfall. Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday-Sunday noon-3 p.m. Dinner 5-9:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 510:30 p.m., 780-0880

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Dine in the historic “Birthplace of Maine.” Upscale, casual, and patio dining available. Serving continental cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood.

The Eastland Park Hotel

Play to the last note.

CTI Communications Technologies salutes Hospice of Southern Maine

Live with peace, dignity and joy for the rest of your life.

At Hospice of Southern Maine and e Gosnell Memorial Hospice House our mission is to improve the quality of life at the end of life for patients and families living with a life-limiting illness. 11 Blackstrap Road Falmouth, Maine 207-797-9123

“ e older I get the more sensitive I become to those that provide comfort. Hospice of Southern Maine provides such a wonderful service. e patient and family are both included in the care plan and emotional, spiritual and practical support is given based on the patient’s wishes and family’s needs. Our “hats are off” to the folks at Hospice of Southern Maine”

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President/CEO Communication Technologies, Inc.

Twilight in the Park

An Annual Celebration of Remembrance at Deering Oaks Park – Portland, ME Sunday, December 6, 2009 4:30-6:00pm

Improvingthequalityoflifeattheendoflife.

Twilight in the Park

Sea Legs

Sea Legs

beyond seasickness and cravings for fresh green vegetables, capt. Linda Greenlaw, star of the Discovery channel’s Swords: Life on the Line, shares tips on health and wellness when a hospital is many horizons away.

Where are you, this very instant?

I’m sitting in the captain’s chair, and the weather’s not that bad. Latitude is 40 degrees, 40 minutes north; longitude is 61 degrees, 42 minutes west. I’m a day off Georges Banks. Let’s just say I have an unobstructed ocean view.

As a swordboat captain, how do you maintain a healthy diet?

It’s very difficult at sea. After the first week, nothing’s fresh anymore. We left port 40 days ago, out of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, where there’s a grocery store that delivers things to the boat based on a list our cook gives to them. The first week we might have some salads and veggies. After that, we can always rely on fresh potatoes, onions, carrots–root vegetables–because they don’t go bad. But I have to confess, I find myself dreaming about things like green peas.

Tell us about these dreams.

Right now I’m jonesing for a green vegetable salad. I’d kill for a nice, cool, fresh salad, with a variety of lettuce. Just greens are what we’re lacking now: spinach, romaine, arugula. And a bowl of ice cream–mint chocolate chip, maple walnut, black raspberry. You understand, I’ll take just about anything at this point, because more often than not, we’re shoving down a Pop-Tart or a Snickers bar.

So you must really eat well on land to get ready for this kind of abuse. I do eat healthy at home. I love to cook. I eat healthy stuff–lots of seafood.

How do you exercise for aerobics on your boat?

There’s absolutely nothing aerobic about being on a boat, but you’re exercising constantly just staying on your feet. Imagine a giant medicine ball. You’re holding on and balancing. You’re on it 24 hours a day, 40 days at a time, and that takes energy, even when you aren’t thinking about it.

Even Lord Nelson got seasick during his famous naval battles. Have you ever been seasick, or what’s the closest you’ve ever come?

I’ve been seasick. I just felt lousy two or three days ago, riding out the waves of a storm, just pounding into it, pounding into it. There are very few guys who say they’ve never been seasick. I don’t believe the guys who say they’ve never been seasick.

What’s the biggest injury you’ve experienced without the luxury of returning to port?

A broken ankle. I was offshore lobstering in the Hannah Boden, the boat featured in The Perfect Storm. A pile of traps fell on me, so the guys dug me out, and I had a broken ankle. Thing was, I didn’t know it was broken. It hurt like hell. The skin turned black and blue. But by the end of the cruise I was barely showing signs of hobbling. It had to be re-broken during surgery. Not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.

Swordfishing captain Linda Greenlaw survived The Perfect Storm and now stars in the Discovery Channel’s real-time TV documentary Swords: Life on the Line (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.). The Isle au Haut native is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Hungry Ocean and the mystery novel Fisherman’s Bend.

What’s the coldest moment out there?

One Christmas Eve, I was working in the Gulf of Maine in a dragger called the Walter Leeman, in a snowstorm–a major nor’easter. We had a snarl on the net drum which had to be dealt with…[telephone crackling]…Oh, by the way, I’m talking to you on a Globalstar message system via satellite, and I just need to warn you there’s a chance the signal might–

We’re back. We lost the connection. You must have been driving through a tunnel. How did you get in shape for the voyage you’re on now?

I love to hike on Isle au Haut, where I live. Half the island is Acadia National Park. We have a freshwater pond in the middle of the island, for ice skating. I cross-country ski there, too. The way I keep in shape is through activities and experiences. I can’t imagine going to a gym.

Do you ever experience insomnia at sea?

It’s primarily due to bad weather, when things are bouncing around so badly I find myself thinking, I hate this bunk. Besides, there’s our work schedule. If you get four to five hours a night, it’s a luxury. Once my head hits the pillow, I’m out. I’ve never had to count sheep.

What’s the biggest wave you’ve ever slept through?

Oh, God. I don’t sleep when the weather’s bad. You can’t let the crew take the wheel in a bad storm.

Tell us about other cravings you’ve had at sea, beyond the green peas.

I miss privacy. Right now, I have five crew members and two film-crew members on board, so there are men everywhere. I turn around, there’s a guy right here. You go on deck for some air, and there’s a guy smoking there because it’s not good for the electronics–it kind of coats everything and gets on everything. I’ve got a man sleeping on the deck in my stateroom. I get out of bed, I’ve got to step on the guy’s head.

Ever get sick of swordfish yourself? How do you like it served? I love it. I’ve never gotten sick of it. I could eat

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it four times a week. My favorite way is on a hot grill, just plain, a little salt and pepper. But then, pan blackening is awesome–oh yeah!–with fresh salsa.

Tell us about falling overboard–whether it’s you or your crew. I’ve never fallen overboard. I’ve never had a crew member fall overboard. But we had a close call last year. It’s documented on the Swords show. We almost lost a man out the fish door, where the fish come through.

What’s your weirdest bycatch story?

Once I caught the wing of an airplane on the long line. I had dreams of a giant bluefin tuna. Then, slowly, we pulled it partway out of the ocean, covered by a lot of barnacles, gooseneck muscles, seaweed, gross things that grow at sea. We just let it sink back down.

What’s the most famous dirty joke about swordfishing? I don’t happen to know any dirty jokes about swordfishing.

In your life, has any repressed individual ever called your activities ‘unladylike’?

Other than my mother?

What’s your 21st-century definition of being a ‘lady’ in the destructive wilderness?

I’m definitely not one of the guys. I don’t do the physical parts of the job the way the men do them, but there’s no job on the boat I can’t do. I’ve had to develop my own techniques. Guys just grab bait boxes with their arms and throw them on deck, where I’ll grab the box and lean it on my thigh and use my leg to hoist it up.

Your 30 most beautiful seconds at sea. Something that knocked you out.

A meteor shower I experienced way, way, way out of the middle of nowhere. We shut off the deck lights and watched the stars fall.

What do other people in the fishing industry call you–your nickname or call sign?

One guy is e-mailing me with ‘yankeelady.’ Crews have called me ‘Ma.’ Oh, yes, ‘Moby Dickless.’ There’s your dirty joke. n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

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gerous for soldiers and much more difficult for their families. So many American and Afghan soldiers are risking their lives right now in Afghanistan.

Some people turn away from war and devastation. You’ve walked towards it. What’s the draw?

I wouldn’t say I have an unusual desire to walk toward those kinds of things. I enjoy journalism and exposing the truth. That is, I think, a by-product of growing up in Maine as a teenager, where part of the culture is being a straight shooter and of [having] the focus on others, rather than on yourself.

Why expose the truths of Bosnia and Afghanistan rather than those of, say, rural Maine?

In Bosnia, I was a young journalist covering the leading international story at the time. There was media attention, but there didn’t seem to be much international will to stop the abuses and war crimes going on.

[As for Afghanistan,] I was in New York on September 11, went down to the Twin Towers after the planes hit, and ran after they collapsed. I was eager to follow that story after the attack.

most disturbing was how much more hostility the taliban [directed] toward afghans who work with americans than toward myself as an american.

What was it like to be the first outside reporter to come upon the Srebrenica massacre scene?

The most gratifying stories I’ve ever done were about Bosnia and helping to expose the mass executions in Srebrenica. To see the Serbian leader, Radovan Karadžić, now before a war crimes tribunal is amazing.

While you were held captive, first in Afghanistan and then in remote Pakistan, you weren’t locked in a cell. Instead,

you were with your captors constantly, even when they watched hours of what were essentially snuff videos. Did that situation, between the threats and “boundless hatred of the U.S.” voiced by the commanders on one hand and the occasional moments of levity with your guards on the other, seem like a form of psychological torture? I was treated well physically but frustrated by the kidnapping and the irrational demands [our captors] made [for example, a $25 million ransom from the New York Times]. My two Afghan friends and colleagues were in much more danger than I was. Most disturbing was how much more hostility the Taliban [directed] toward Afghans who work with Americans than toward myself as an American. Since 2001, roughly five times as many Afghans and Pakistanis have died fighting the Taliban as Americans. The Taliban see any moderate Afghans and Pakistanis helping Americans as traitors. There was a sense throughout that our translator and driver would be killed before I would be, so they were under much more strain.

So, was it worth it in the pursuit of journalistic excellence?

Dangerous situations don’t necessarily make better stories. I regret this kidnapping. I’ve tried to take calculated risks, and this kidnapping was a disaster. I did research on [the Taliban commander I was going to interview]; he’d given interviews to two other foreign journalists. After seeing the published reports of rising support for the Taliban in Afghanistan, I was trying to get perspective to better understand how the American effort had gone so wrong [from a source] I thought was a moderate Afghan who’d turned against the U.S.-backed government created in 2001.

While you were captive, did you think about Maine? I thought about high school in Fryeburg… about hiking in Baxter State Park with my father…about getting married in Biddeford Pool. I thought about watching Maine Mariners and Portland Pirates games with my dad in Cumberland County Civic Center. Maine was the place I thought of most while in captivity.

Did Maine ever come up in discussions with your captors? I told them I was from a small village in America, a town that doesn’t sell alcohol, to explain there were religious people in America. [The Taliban has] a very warped perception of people in the U.S. as all amoral,

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rich hedonists. I talked about how the people love their families, are hardworking, and respect God. I wasn’t exaggerating or trying to lie about what Maine is like; I was telling them…that their stereotypes about the U.S. aren’t true.

You escaped June 19. Why did the Times wait until recent weeks to publish your account of what happened?

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I didn’t do anything until Asad was released–five weeks after I escaped, on July 27. That was my main focus.

Do you think that direct, immediate reporting cuts into aesthetic distance?

I’m a reporter, not an artist. I’m just trying to lay out, as much as possible, facts and balanced descriptions of events, so I’m trying to keep it as precise as I can. It’s not a question of crafting a work of art; I saw it and still see it as writing news stories and just trying to convey information.

I might have remembered more detail [if I’d been able to keep notes while I was kidnapped], but I don’t think there’s a difference in how I wrote the story because of the delay. There were some incidents I remembered vividly, and some things that were less clear–those I left out.

You were in Afghanistan because you were working on a book. Had you begun to write it?

I’d written the first couple of chapters. I’m only now beginning to look at the book [again] and figuring out how I’ll write it and how the kidnapping will change it.

‘09PortlandMagazine

Your teacher at Fryeburg Academy, John Atwood, says you don’t like to be the center of the story. Has all of this been difficult for you?

Nobody from Maine likes to be the center of the story!

It’s much more dangerous for soldiers and much more difficult for their families.

Tell us about those fast times at Fryeburg. It was one of the happiest times of my life. Fryeburg is a very special town with very special, warm, and welcoming people. I think the diversity of the student body sparked my interest in travel.

What do you like to do when you come back to Maine? Walk on a beach with my wife. Go to Pirates and Sea Dogs games with my father. Visit aunts and uncles around the state.

What’s next for you?

My days as a war correspondent are over. I hope to do some other form of journalism–I don’t know what. I do want to work to set up guidelines and training for reporters and editors on how to avoid the mistakes I made, how to prevent a kidnapping from happening, and then if it does happen, how to handle it, both for the journalist and for the family. [I’ll be working with] the Dart Center [for Journalism & Trauma] at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Committee to Protect Journalists. It would be me, my wife, and members of my family trying to help them. It would not just be from my experience, but talking to other journalists who’ve been kidnapped.

…What’s happening in Afghanistan is serious, and I’m very lucky to have survived. It’s not a movie opportunity. I hope my story [doesn’t] read that way. n

>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

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State Theatre (continued from page 57)

determine, because the ceiling had recently been rehabbed, the Kampfs refused to pay

“In August of 1995, an argument took place about who was really to pay for these repairs, the owners or the operators, and this effectively closed the theater until an agreement was reached.”

After repairs, the theater reopened, only to be silenced more soundly a few months later when a larger piece of the ceiling dislodged and fell to the audience during a particularly raucous Barenaked Ladies show.

This nail, or its apparent lack, was the last in the coffin for the Kampfs. The State was officially shuttered in January 1996.

The GhosT of sTaTe TheaTre presenT: Wally WenTzel, sound enGineer

In 2000, Grant Wilson, Jr., of Stone Coast Brewing took ownership control of the State Theatre building and reopened the venue with a new energy. Hoping to capitalize on the energy of the live music industry around the Northeast, he began hands-on operation to ride the wave here.

During this time, local soundman and musician Wally Wentzel was brought on board as house sound engineer. Despite a wealth of road experience managing large systems, he quickly tried to make the best of the State’s now aging sound equipment and navigate its byzantine wiring.

This challenge meant that for most of the shows, he’d have to truck in additional sound equipment at a substantial cost, diminishing their profits and budgets for necessary upgrades and repairs.

“The place was a whale. It needed an entirely new electrical system. I swear that it was still the same panels from the original 1929 install.”

Another significant repair going untended proved to be a turning point in the fate of the State. Fire escapes all over the building were broken and unsecured, and this was gaining attention.

“The State was a union shop up until that point, and then they just walked out. People refused to work because of safety conditions, saying that it was too dangerous.”

Then there was the supernatural thing. Shortly after arriving, Wentzel presented a show called “The Haunting of the State,” a multi-band showcase featuring his own fright-rock band, The Horror. It was as much an attempt at a financially solvent show as it was a chance to build some good will in the

local music community.

While it got a fair amount of local press and a respectable crowd, the show seemed equally as much a muse for Horror frontman/mastermind and “Haunting” co-presenter Ricky Boy Floyd, who debuted his shock flick Attack of the 50 Foot Liar that same evening.

The period was rife with unusual behavior. “(Floyd) had me lock him in the State overnight, wanting to see if he could freak

himself out. All he had on him was an old Walkman with a cassette of the soundtrack to The Shining. That might have been the most scared I’ve ever seen that guy.”

The following years, the State’s doors opened and closed in fits and starts. It was closed for a portion of 2003, but open long enough for the wildly popular rock band Guster to mount a production here in December for the filming of a live DVD, spanning

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two nights of concert performances. Why, then, was the State safe enough for Guster to play but unsafe otherwise?

Released in May of 2004, Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine is a thrilling reminder of a State Theatre of the past, showing a jubilant audience on their feet and a venue seemingly free of the problems that have ruined so many years. Vividly and poignantly, it shows what we’ve been missing and what’s been so curiously held away from us.

In early 2006, Maine Entertainment, LLC, the firm that had been operating the theater under an agreement with owner Grant Wilson was officially evicted due to failure to pay rent. Since then, the State has remained closed.

Flying in the face of its current emptiness, Wentzel insists that The State is occupied. “Oh yeah, it’s totally haunted. No doubt. I’ve encountered spirits around the old projection room. So many people that have mentioned getting “grabbed” while walking upstairs, like the stairway up to the green room.”

Uncannily, this is the same stairwell where, in the State’s previous incarnation, photographer LeDuc had long since displayed a veritable night gallery of his portraits of performers past.

Future: the State theatre, vacant perForming artS building

There is a fair amount of trying to reconcile past issues. “I’d point it at the ownership,” says photographer LeDuc. “At least 90 percent. If you’re the owner, you’re obligated to fix things. That’s the bottom line.”

But what about city inspectors who appear, at least from an audience perspective, one day to permit performances, only to imply it’s not up to code the next?

No matter how sordid the past or grievous the present, there’s nothing more frightening than what faces us now: a massive, vacuous, dark building occupying a central location in downtown Portland. Worse than that, it’s beauty unseen.

While stories vary from sentimental to sour, fewer people are talking about the State Theatre. It’s more of a rant now.

Some cry out that the most obvious reason for the indefinite vacancy is the lease agreement for operators, reported to be lopsided and inequitable. Soundman Wentzel confirms, “From what I understand, they’re asking for a 25-year duration and an unreasonable monthly rent. Who can do that these days?”

Andy Verzosa, owner of Aucocisco Gal-

lery, is a former tenant of the State Theatre block, where he ran his gallery for 10 years. “It’s a business, and they’ve got to get their money out of it. If you see the listing of available spaces (in the office building adjacent to the theater), you’ll see two and a half pages of open studios and storefronts because, like the theater, the rents are too high. The high rents are killing that neighborhood, so I moved. If you really want to see that whole place succeed, condo everything. Give all of the business owners the chance to own their own piece of real estate on that block. Then, take the money from selling these spaces and fund the renovation of the theater. You’ll have private individuals, not big absentee companies, owning property on Congress Street. You’ll revitalize not only that building, but the whole neighborhood.”

The most accurate and current picture of the State is revealed by the property management office itself. “There are no plans. Nothing is happening right now.”

Promoter Lauren Wayne, who presented countless concerts here for producer Live Nation, confidently states, “In order for the State to be successful you need to have three things: money, an astute business sense, and a working knowledge of concert promotion and marketing. If you only have one or two of those things, you’re going to fail. You need all three.”

Kevin LeDuc recognizes this but shows his skepticism. “I hate to be a pessimist, but I don’t know if it will ever open again. I don’t think we have the people anymore. You need lots of different strengths, and I am standing on shaky ground if I said there were all the right people, business-wise and music-wise.”

He finishes with something on everyone’s mind. “Ten years have gone by since its last real success. Shouldn’t something have happened by now?”

And, as members of the State’s lost audience, shouldn’t we all have cared more about what we’ve been missing and insisted upon more direct involvement from our city officers and arts leaders? In this light, haven’t we all killed the State Theatre ourselves or kidnapped the notion of what it could, or should, be? n

Troiano wasTeservices

87 87Lot Lot

# #

The owners of barridoff Galleries have put their Western Prom masterpiece on the block as they head for loftier digs.

The owners of barridoff Galleries have put their Western Prom masterpiece on the block as they head for loftier digs.

Eighty-seven Carroll Street has been home to Rob and Annette Elowitch “for 34 years,” says listing agent John Hatcher of The Hatcher Group. Now, with the Barridoff Galleries’ founders relocating to a loft downtown, their George Burnham-designed brick townhouse has become an exciting addition to the market, with a price tag of $1.25 million.

Particularly noteworthy are “the dramatic roof overhangs, almost pagodalike,” Hatcher says. Entering from the street, there’s a gracious center hallway with a large salon on the left and a dining room to the right featuring Verdure et Balustrade wallpaper murals by Zuber et Cie. “There was a fire here some time

ago,” Hatcher says, “and the insurance company paid to have all of this wallpaper redone, with the paper alone costing $6,600.

“Four or five years ago, Tommy Thomsen of Woodward Thomsen redid the kitchen,” which includes a Sub-Zero fridge and fourburner Viking stove. “He’s done all the renovations here over the past 20 years.”

The sunlit kitchen opens to one of the most delightful hidden gardens in Portland. This spring, look for a galaxy of incomparable tulips in the front gardens.

Upstairs and to the right of the hallway, the master bedroom (there are six bedrooms in all) features bold decorative painting by Ralph & Son, with a three-quarters (shower) bath including a washer/dryer en suite. To the left is a large bedroom now used as a den and media room. Toward the back, hooked around a corner beside a garden window, is a hidden closet filled with wrestling costumes on hangers, testimony to Rob Elowitch’s famous double life as professional wrestler Robbie Ellis [see our interview “Double Man,” September 1987]. Yes, at 66, he’s still putting opponents half his age on the ropes! This closet is the closest thing the Forest City has to Clark Kent’s telephone booth.

A back staircase jumps with photos of Robbie Ellis in action in newspaper and magazine clippings across the years.

The bathrooms upstairs are floored with cork, while a number of the closets boast cedar linings.

“Rob and Annette are looking to rent here in Portland and spend more time in Italy, where they’ve visited regularly for years,” Hatcher says.

Often, new owners believe they can oneup the previous inhabitants by putting up some dramatic artworks–say, over the five fireplaces here. Considering the gorgeous oil paintings that have graced these walls across the last three decades, good luck this time around.

Taxes are $13,185. n

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Last night I dreamed the ice broke. The river thundered and jagged floes thrust upward. Green water pushed the pieces downriver to the ocean’s edge where the waves chewed them to shreds.

Awake I went to the window and saw the river was glazed shiny with frozen rain and quiet. I watched waves hammer the arrowhead of ice jutting out of the river’s mouth into the gray saltwater. All the way down from the sea smoke on the eastern horizon to the riverbank next to my apartment where a concrete boat ramp descended under the hard white there was no weakness in the December freeze.

Kamara knocked at my door and I let him in. He wore a tweedy brown sport coat over a blue polyester shirt decorated with a tumbling pattern of displaying peacocks as if the birds had been thrown from a great height and were falling head over heels. I had not seen Kamara since my accident more than a year ago. I knew he had come to talk about the car. I sold him my Plymouth Volaré for five hundred dollars when I left the state graduate school where we were roommates.

“It was very hard to find you,” Kamara said.

“Not hard enough, evidently.”

Ice Ice

“You are always that way, Billy. Funny again.”

Kamara has a West African phrasing and oddly formal English pronunciation that at one time might have been part British, part French, part East Indian, but was now something else entirely. I have that Maine turn of phrase, which is mostly no phrasing at all. In Maine, I had told Kamara once, the first to speak aloud at any gathering is considered the idiot.

“Is this your apartment, Billy?”

I looked around and didn’t answer. I went into the kitchen and put a pot of water on the stove.

“What happened to your head, Billy?”

The scar takes up the upper­right part of my skull. I stepped into the bedroom and grabbed my damaged motorcycle helmet. I threw it to him.

“Thank Allah you were wearing a helmet,” he said.

Kamara was raised a Christian and had come to this country as part of a Catholic resettlement program, but he had forgotten that I knew that. Then he remembered.

“Allah or God, it makes no difference,” he said.

I poured very hot water into a teapot containing green tea. It helps my headaches. I poured him a cup and returned to making breakfast.

“I am having trouble with the brakes,” he said.

I nodded and turned the gas flame up under a pan of Canadian bacon.

“It will cost three hundred dollars to fix,” he said. “To say the truth, Billy, the first time I drove the car I felt the brakes with my foot and I thought, these do not feel right to me. But I trusted you.”

The trick with Canadian bacon is to heat it gently and evenly so the meat stays moist and the smoke flavor sweetens. I worked at this while Kamara continued explaining in the background. Nothing I could say would stop him. When he is in this mood, he wants hard evidence that he is understood. He is bargaining to win something tangible. He will not accept only words. He has plenty of words himself and considers them worthless.

“Billy, think on this, I have driven only a few hundred miles to and from work, and it was part­time work, only a few days a week. And I am not driving to job interviews because no district is hiring vocational teach­

ers now and I have not driven harmfully or done anything that could wear down the brakes so suddenly.”

I thought, what can I do for Kamara today? And as I have been taught in rehabilitation, I outlined the problem. How can I, a brain-damaged, university-trained actor, the son of a dangerously alcoholic doctor and a suicide mother, a man who is compelled to live in rural areas and therefore has acted professionally only in disorganized community theater groups, help a state-certified vocational arts teacher who saw his father and brothers killed by RU rebels and who has never held a job other than part-time retail work and who has no hope of ever finding a position in a state with limited teaching jobs, and few vocations to teach, because he is completely impossible to deal with? And as I have been taught, I try to simplify the problem: There are two men, financial and personal failures, each living alone. There is a car with bad brakes. I removed the bacon from the pan and put it on a paper towel on a plate and put the plate in the warm oven.

“I understand how you feel,” I said, lying, because who knew how Kamara felt? Maybe someone else who had hidden in a latrine hole and watched their family be butchered, but not me. “But Kamara, let me just say that I am having some problems as a result of my accident.”

“I am sorry to hear that, but…”

I held up one finger and he stopped.

“Kamara, we have talked many times about our cultural differences.”

His eyes burn with excitement. He has something he wants to tell me about cultural differences and it frustrates him to have to wait for me to finish whatever nonsense I am going to say before he can speak.

“I have symptoms,” I said. “I have inappropriate emotional responses. A radio commercial can make me cry. I am not always able to tell memory from imagination. My dreams seem real to me and my decisionmaking sucks incredibly. I have not been able to maintain a relationship and I experience a loneliness and emptiness that immobilizes me.”

I was done. Kamara burst into words; they spouted out of him like a geyser. They were about cars and brakes and the proper buying and selling of large items such as cars and the cultural responsibility of the seller in all that buying and selling.

I scrambled eight eggs in the pan with butter. I placed them on a plate in the warm oven. I put on my jacket and walked outside. Kamara followed me, talking.

I opened the driver’s-side door of the Plymouth and slid behind the steering wheel. I left the door open and made a show of stomping the brakes. After a moment, Kamara slid in the passenger seat, leaving his side door open. I gestured for the keys and he handed them to me. I started the car and played with the emergency brake–pulled it off and then on and then off. Kamara looked at me. I slammed the car into drive and accelerated forward. The car doors slammed shut. Kamara clawed at my right arm. Pounded at my head with balled fists. I drove down the boat ramp, bumped hard onto the ice, and roared out a hundred yards into the center of the frozen river.

I slammed on the brakes and the car spun a half-circle. I opened my door and threw the car keys on the ice.

Kamara had stopped fighting and was holding the bottom of his seat with both hands.

“Why did my accident happen?” I said. “It was not my fault, but it feels like it was. Why am I like this, Kamara?”

He was silent, staring at the shore. I got out and stood on the ice. Kamara got out very slowly. He looked solemn. He took little skating steps toward the riverbank.

I walked up alongside him. Halfway to shore, he said, “Why would you do such a crazy thing, Billy? What is the matter with you?”

“That’s what I just asked you,” I said. “I’ll get the car later and we’ll fix it somehow. You can drive me to Wal-Mart. I’ll buy one of those peacock shirts.”

He pushed me. I ended up on my ass on the ice and I fell back with my arms outstretched. He laughed at me. I laughed back like an old roommate laughs, stupid with history. Then I felt the cold through my jeans.

I hurried back to my apartment and Kamara followed. I served him breakfast at the table near the window. He dipped buttered toast in his scrambled eggs and drank tea. I ate sitting across from him, and for a moment I felt like crying, but as I have been taught I controlled my emotions. The Plymouth looked good on the ice with its grille pointed upriver. n

Turkish DelighT aT The vicToria mansion in porTlanD , from left: 1. vaughan pratt, caroline pratt, carol malone 2. laura prescott, mike stone 3. Judy lucas, candace lee 4. maddy coursen, Jay levine, alison leavitt 5. paul cormier, linda cormier

preview of l.l.bean signaTure spring 2010 collecTion

allery in manha

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seconD annual harvesT on The harbor in porTlanD , from left: 1. Jill bachman, vanessa rodriguez, patricia Duffy, lianon close 2. Dawn lockwood, John englebert, maria corliss, beau lockwood 3. Jean Jones, David Jones 4. amanda scripture, g.v. rapp, Jenn landez 5. anthony bussiere, Dennis “Denny mike” sherman 6. Jerry close, carolyn krahn, courtney mcmenamin

porT opera funraising evenT aT The home of home of russ burleigh anD Joan sTeinberg in scarborough, from left: 1. russ burleigh, molly harmon, Daniel cyr, ellen chickering, Joan steinberg, kathleen scott 2. ernst bachofner, caron Zand