Historic Homes of Maine & Maine’s Lodging Brokerage
currently a successful Bed and Breakfast Inn, built by Jesse Thomas in 1790 and the large porch section was added by Captain Pendleton in 1860. $1,389,000
Originally named Villa Conselya and built in 1906, Northrup Cottage on Boulder Drive was later renamed by Mrs. Charles Baker after the surname of her grandchildren. $1,495,000 #939539
Bar Harbor shore path estate. Spacious 3 bedrooom, 4 bath main house with 4,000+/square feet of living space. Nearly 2+/- acres of lush grounds with ocean views. $2,850,000 #952074
$849,500
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
Re-built 1906 Victorian carriage house. Seven bedrooms and two person Jacuzzi. Large great room, library, living room, dining room and theatre. Indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna. $1,395,000 #940692 1786 Colonial situated on 2.4+/- acres.
guest rooms, private baths, 5 fireplaces, wonderful setting for events. Owners quarters with kitchen, den, and private entrance. $950,000 #955350
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.
Kalmia Knoll in Blue Hill was designed by Architect C. E. Cutler and built in 1913 for John Davidson. The house was designed
John
“All To Soon” soft pastel and gold leaf, 37” x 37”
LOVE LAUGH LEARN
Multiple cabinet manufacturers
Traditional to contemporary cabinet styles and finishes
17 full size kitchen displays
Resources to meet your budget requirements
Sinks, faucets, knobs & more
Ability to consult online Granite fabrication facility
Your number one resource… our people!
esource enter Passionate, experienced designers make all the difference.
Come
JAMES WOLFORD ~ Coastal Village, oil on linen, 24” x 36”
Jim Wolford cannot be characterized as a landscape painter in the traditional sense. His works often feel like intimate portraits or still life paintings. Though light is often impeccably rendered as he captures the details of buildings or entire harbors, he seems to remove any atmosphere that would obscure the strong linear nature of his design. His paintings evoke a sense of place; he often takes subjects considered mundane and transforms them by finding and pointing out their inherent beauty.
Tina M. Phillips
Looking to
Volume 25, No.1
Featuring original works of fine art, photography, and limitededition prints by regional and local artists.
2 ore ree or l nd ine 2 ores ree ller co The Crooked Mile Cafe 2 2 oil on c n s ruce o s i
If you want to see stars, really see stars, you need a place of enchantment “with no stray man-made light,” according to the star-gaing site allroutes.to thestars. No “light pollution,” as they’re calling it now.
A spot where you can take the long view.
Simply put, star observation areas are ust places far from the shopping centers where it isn’t ust dark, but rather a “dark area” so black it almost swallows you whole. Like the Brower Observatory in Whitefield, the Gala y uest Observatory in Lincolnville, and the Damariscotta River Association in Damariscotta.
Enthusiasts familiar with these dark matters love to brag about whose dark is darkest. Consider these blog descriptions of the famous “dead diamond” in Diamond River alley, ust a few ticks into New Hampshire after traveling west on Maine Route 1 , where, almost as though to show off, “there is no electricity.”
“We came out after dark, and it was dark Of course you may have to deal with a moose or coyote tripping over your telescopes, but what a memory for later. The more I think about it, that valley is probably the only one with absolutely no stray man-made light around in this part of New England that you can drive into. I’m sure there are more WAY up in the boondocks of Maine, but ”
So dark you can’t see your feet.
The Central Maine Astronomical Society has some rules for things like this at their hip-chic “star parties.” For starters, “smoking around the scopes is discouraged. The smoke particles will condense on the optics, and lighting up usually blinds the dark-adapted eyes of others.”
Then there’s “DON’T shine bright lights.”
How about “We discourage pets, as there may be a problem of loss, or conflict”? What, my Scottish terrier can’t even catch a glimpse of Sirius, the dog star?
You’ve got to hand it to a group of cats who’ve found a way to dismiss what Broadway has in abundance lights, ta is, the flashing Castro Convertible sign, fun as light pollution in order to make our inkiest spots in Maine and Wyoming and New ealand seem more numinously vibrant. “My observatory in Lincolnville is pretty good, but it’s not as dark as places in Mt. Desert and Aroostook,” says Jacob Gerritsen, whose wife, Tess Gerritsen, e plores darkness via the dark side of human nature in her novels. “I can still see the sky glow from Camden and Belfast, but you can see the Milky Way pretty easily. That’s something you can’t do in New York City.”
So is creating this singular product, Portland Maga ine. As we begin a new year in new uarters at 1 State Street, we are reminded again how lucky we are to be part of an incredible team, working to give you, our readers, a uni uely Maine e perience where every issue’s a star party shooting for e traordinary perspective. Close your eyes. Now open them. It’s good to be standing beside you as we begin our 2 th year.
To view light litter across the globe: in uinamentoluminoso.it worldatlas pages fig2.htm laps.noaa.gov albers slides ast places mode .gif shine.net astronomy dark sky Central Maine Astronomical Society maineastro.com
Alison Hills Controller ah@portlandmonthly.com I NTERNS
Molly MacLeod, Tina M. Phillips, Melissa Walls
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 O ce: 165 State Street, Portland, ME 04101. (207) 775-4339. 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: Winterguide 2010, published in December 2009, Vol. 24, No. 10, copyright 2009. Portland Magazine is mailed at third- class mail rates in Portland, ME 04101 (ISSN: 1073-1857). 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.
Hip hip hooray [for “Who idnapped the State Theatre,” December 2009, by Todd Richard] Hearty congrats. Well-deserved Great ob. Love the snippets at the end where you get the runaround. “Go talk to ” “Have you talked to ?” Jenny nastaso , Portland
Nice.
Ji Marks, ouston, T
I really, really en oyed the article about the State I’d always wondered about that, but no one could answer it for me.
Mac en ie Rawcli e, a pden
Nice goin’, Todd YOU ARE AMA ING Yes, I am so e cited that I am yelling at you. Melissa arris, Portland
For years one tenant owner after the ne t would take over and slowly let the place fall apart, letting the ne t guy deal with the damage and issues. This went on until eventually it was not safe for operation. Improvements have been ongoing for years now to get it up to code, [including] new fire escapes, upgraded fire safety, upgraded replaced electric, new bathrooms, etensive masonry work inside and out, and many, many more improvements that most people never see. It will be back someday,
but the ne t tenant will be held to a much higher standard to keep the place operating safely and up to code.
.L.Jack, acebook
A HIKER’S BEST FRIEND?
Loved your “Notable Maine Dogs” story [December 2009], but I’ve got a black Coon cat that hikes with me and is smarter than some three-year-olds. How about some e ual time???
Sherry Miller Welch, al outh
FOREST CITY MADELEINES
I read your article about Cushman’s Scotch cookies [“Your Summer is ery Important to Us,” Summerguide 2009]. I do remember. How delicious
Marion Ross, al outh
I have had another wonderful conversation with a Mrs. Joyce Curry, who read the Scotch cookie piece in Portland Maga ine s Summerguide 2009 and wanted a copy of the recipe. She has a 10 -year-old friend who used to work at the Cushman Bakery, and Joyce read out your article to her. Hope you are well and en oying this fine life eborah Bow an, Chebeague Island Library
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Wow. What a wonderful, scary, and appropriate illustration for “Ice” [December 2009]. THAT is my favorite story illustration ever. It actually gave me a chill.
As always, I am proud to be in your maga ine. Thank you for letting me be part of your work for so many years. Your work has helped made Portland a real city. See this month’s arper s for a terrific essay about newspapers that would also apply to your maga ine.
PM matters.
an o ench, nion
JUMPING JACK’S FLASH
I’m writing on behalf of Federal Jack’s in ennebunk. We’re interested in purchasing the photo of our building on pages - of [“Winter Colonies,” December 2009].
We’d like to frame a copy of this photo to put on our wall, and we’re also interested in purchasing usage rights so we could use this image on our website and so forth. Thank you very much for your consideration.
Ta i ennedy, ederal Jack s, ennebunk
Winterguide ’10
A u burn Winter Festival , Auburn. January 29 to February 7. 333-6601 or laarts.org
B-52 Commemorative Snowmobile Ride, Greenville. Ride to the site of the wreckage of the B-52 that crashed into Elephant Mountain in January 1963 during a training flight. January 23. 695-4561
Banff Mountain Film Festival. Hosted by Cadillac Mountain Sports at Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth, February 5 to 7, 667-7819; by Epic Sports at the Bangor Opera House, Bangor, February 9 and 10, 941-5670; by Maine Sport Outfitters at Strom Auditorium, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, February 12, 236-7120; and by Chestnut Mountain Productions at South Portland Auditorium, South Portland High School, South Portland, February 16, (215) 923-9161.
Can-Am Crown International Dog Sled Races, Fort Kent. 30-team races of 30, 60, and 250 miles, with combined purse of $40,000. The Irving Woodlands Can-Am 250 is a qualifying race for the Alaskan Iditarod. March 5 to 9. 444-5439 or can-am.sjv.net
Caribou Winter Carnival , Caribou. Snow sculptures, Kiwanis Keystone Kops, ski race, snowmobile events, music, and a chocolate festival sponsored by the Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum. February 12 to 14. 4986156 or cariboumaine.net
Moose Country Safaris and Eco T o urs , Sangerville. Maine back country guide Ed Mathieu offers snowshoeing, ice fishing, and tubing trips. 876-4907 or moosecountrysafaris.com
Moosehead L a ke R e gion Snofest , Greenville. 100-mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race,
“The Iditarod is in Alaska…the Can-Am is a qualifying race,” boasts Jesse Jalbert, executive director of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce. Dog sled teams will be leaping to capture the $40,000 in prizes during the 30-, 60-, and 250-mile races at the 18th annual Can-Am Crown International Dog Sled Races in Fort Kent. The March 5-9 event attracts over 5,000 people, some as far as Florida.
February 6. Moosehead Riders Chili/Chowder and More Cookoff, February 12. Annual Moosehead Lake Chocolate Festival, February 14. 695-2702 or mooseheadlake.org
Moosehead Lake Togue Ice Fishing Derby with Ricky Craven , Greenville. January 29 to 31. 695-2702 or mooseheadlake.org
Mushers Bowl Winter Carnival , Bridgton. Dog sled races and rides, skijoring (cross-country skiing by a dog team), horse drawn rides, ice fishing derby, and more. January 23-24. Call 647-3472 or visit musherbowl.com for a schedule of events.
Naples Winter Carnival , Town Dock, Long Lake, Route 302 in Naples. Helicopter rides, radar runs, horse and buggy rides, ice fishing derby, fireworks, bonfire, poker rally, vendors on the ice, and a bouncy house for kids. February 13 and 14. 3186965 or muddyriversnoseekers.org
Oxford Hills Snowfest , Lake Pennesseewassee, Norway. Snowmobile drag racing, radar runs, antique snowmobile show, and Chowder Fest. January 30 to 31.
U.S. National Toboggan Championships, Camden. The only recognized National Toboggan Championships in the U.S., featuring 400 teams competing at the Camden Snow Bowl. Pancake breakfasts and chili-and-chowder contests. February 5 to 7. 236-3438 or camdensnowbowl.com
White White World Week , Sugarloaf Mountain. Nightly theme parties, live music, contests, and races. January 24-28. 237-2000 or sugarloaf.com
Ski Guide
10th Mountain Center , Fort Kent. Over 40 km of cross-country trails for all levels of difficulty; lodge, night skiing, biathlon facilities, and free use of buildings and grounds. Hosting the North American Biathlon Championships & U.S. Biathlon Championships March 18-21; the USSA Marathon Finals, March 24; and the USSA Supertour Finals, March 26-28. 834-6203 or 10thmtskiclub.org
Baker Mountain Ski Area , Moscow. 460-foot vertical drop, 1 T-bar, night skiing. Volunteer-run, with a club operating a ski school. 612-9300 or skimaine.com/areas/bakermountain
The Bethel Inn Resort in Bethel offers a Nordic Ski & Snowshoe Center with 30 km of cross-country trails groomed daily, over 15 km of snowshoe trails, and 10 km of competition trails with skating lanes and tracks, as well as women’s ski group and guided snowshoe tours. K’s for Kids hands out prizes for reaching distance milestones. 824-6276 or bethelinn.com
Big Rock Ski Area, Mars Hill. 980-foot vertical drop, 27 trails, 1 triple chair, 1 double chair, 1 poma, 1 carpet, 1 handle tow, night skiing, cross-country skiing, 80 percent snow-making, 800-foot snow tubing park. 425-6711 or bigrockmaine.com
Big Squaw Mountain, Greenville. 800-foot vertical drop, 11 trails with new glades, 1 triple chair. Open on weekends and Maine ski weeks. Overlooking Moosehead Lake, this mountain has “the best views
Ski Esta!
Fabulous Sunday River area luxury vacation rental home: 10BR, 12BA, sleeps up to 38 people, unsurpassed views, and ve-star resort quality amenities. Whether it is the indoor pool, the steam rooms, the sauna, the 3 outdoor hot tubs, the movie theater room, the outdoor re pit, the 50-foot roof deck, the 5 replaces, the two gourmet kitchens, the dining room that seats 28 comfortably, the recreation room, the foot spa, the dog shower, the 14-pair boot dryer, or any of the other amenities this home has to o er, it will make for an unforgettable vacation!
Call 1-877-SKI-ESTA for more information, or log onto www.SkiEsta.us for a virtual tour, more photos, and our live Sunday River Ski Area Web Cam.
Snodeo 2010 in Rangeley January 21-23
your
Mark Thursday, February 11, 2010 on your calendar for an evening of great food from more than 20 of the area’s top restaurants and caterers all to benefit Gary’s House
Tickets $40
To purchase tickets, or for more information call (207) 400-7169 or go online to www.garyshouse.org
in North America,” says president Jim Confalone. 695-1000 or bigsquawmountain.com
Birches Ski Touring Center, Rockwood. Snowshoeing trails available, with “25-30 miles of well-groomed trails, three warming huts, and hot chocolate as well as a restaurant and lounge at the Birches Main Lodge,” says Cathy Ladd. (800) 825-9453 or birches.com
Black Mountain , Rumford. 1,150-foot vertical drop, 20 trails, 1 triple chair, 1 double chair, 1 T-bar, 2 handle tows, night skiing, cross-country skiing, 90 percent snowmaking, tubing runs, and 300foot halfpipe. 364-8977 or skiblackmtnofme.org
Camden Snow Bowl, Camden. 850-foot vertical drop, 12 trails, 1 double chair, 2 T-bars, 1 handle tow, night skiing, 45 percent snow-making, new glades, terrain park. Adult-ed snow programs will be available this season. Manager Jeff Kuller says, “We’ll have a weekly alpine racing series every Friday night. Some races are open to the public.” 236-3438, 236-4418 (snow info) or camdensnowbowl.com
Carter’s XC Ski Centers and Shop , Oxford (35 kilometers) and Bethel (50 kilometers). Beginner to advanced trails, snow shoeing available. Trail-side lodging is available at both locations. “Both of our locations have lodges, snack bars, and warming huts, and we have gorgeous views of mountain ranges and rivers. We offer both skating and classical terrain,” says Jessica Person. 539-4848 (Oxford) 824-3880 (Bethel) or cartersxcski.com
Five Fields Farm , Bridgton. Over 30 kilometers of trails, back country access to the summit of Bald Pate Mountain. Warming house, rentals, dog friendly. Elizabeth Algeo says, “We host the Mushers Bowl in January 23 and 24.” 647-2425 or fivefieldsfarmx-cski.com
Harris Farm XC Ski Center, Dayton. 40 kilometers of groomed trails for classical or skate skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding hill. Dogs allowed mid-week; snack bar on weekends. 499-2678, harrisfarm.com
Lonesome Pine Trails, Fort Kent. 500-foot vertical drop, 13 trails, 1 T-bar, 1 J-bar, night skiing, 60 percent snow-making, alpine and nordic skiing on the Canadian border, or Top of the World, with international views from the trails, and halfpipe. 834-5202.
L o st Valley , Auburn. 240-foot vertical drop, 15 trails, 2 double chairs, night skiing, cross country skiing, 100 percent snow-making, PSIA Certified Ski School, and a stone grinder for perfect tuning of skis and snowboards. Brand new terrain park features, snow-making efficiency doubled, and widening of trails. 784-1561 or lostvalleyski.com
Maine Handicapped Skiing, Newry. Offers free
winter recreation opportunities for children and adults with physical disabilities at four of Maine’s finest ski resorts: alpine skiing and snowboarding at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Saddleback; nordic skiing and snowshoeing at the Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center and Pineland Farms. Call (800) 639-7770 or visit www. skimhs.org for more information.
Millinocket Municipal X-C Ski Areas , Millinocket. 23 kilometers of groomed trails and 20 kilometers of ungroomed trails. The Bait Hole offers skiing loops of up to 7 kilometers and 6 kilometers of snowshoe trails with views of Mt. Katahdin. Northern Timber Cruisers Clubhouse offers cross country ski trails with longer loops up to 14 kilometers and a halfway-point warming hut, where light breakfasts, lunches, and homemade soups are served. The trails are all beginner to intermediate and are all free, and are run by volunteers. 723-4329 for trail conditions or northerntimbercruisers.com
Mt. Abram , Greenwood. 650 acres with 44 trails and glades, 1,150-foot vertical drop, 2 double chairs, 1 T-bar, 1 surface lift, 1 magic carpet, 85 percent snow-making, longest tubing park in Maine, weekend community racing. “With our two base lodges with great views of the slopes, it’s easy to stay connected with family and friends,” says Kevin Rosenberg. 875-5000 or mtabram.com
Mt. Jefferson , Lee. 432-foot vertical drop, 12 trails, 2 T-bars, 1 rope tow, night skiing, snowboard park, half-pipe, and views of Mt. Katahdin. 7382377 or skimtjefferson.com
New Hermon Mountain , Prospect. 350-foot vertical drop, 20 trails, 1 double chair, 1 T-bar, 1 handle tow, night skiing, 100 percent snowmaking, half-pipe, 600+ foot tubing run with a lift. 848-5192 or skihermonmountain.com
Nordic Heritage Center , Presque Isle. Snowshoeing and mountain biking, world-class cross-country and biathlon facilities, and a stateof-the-art lodge with sauna, kitchen, and fireplace. 762-6972 or nordicheritagecenter.org
Oxford Plains Snow Tubing , Oxford. 100-foot vertical drop, 1 T-bar, 100 percent snow-making, 4 lanes, snack bar trailer, and the oldest tubing hill in Maine. 539-8865.
Pineland Farms , New Gloucester. 26 kilometers of trails, 7 km snowshoe trails shared with skiers, views of Mt. Washington, ski rentals, changing room, wax room, chariot sled rental, retail shop, visitor’s center with rest-room facilities, snacks, and ski tuning. 688-6599 or pinelandfarms.org
Quoggy Jo Ski Center , Presque Isle. 215-foot vertical drop, 1 T-bar, 5 trails, free Saturday morning lessons, first-time skier area, nordic and biathlon center. 764-3248 or mainewsc.org
Rangeley Lakes X-C Ski Trails, Rangeley. 65 kilometers for cross-country skiing, groomed for
North Atlantic
Programs for children between the ages of six weeks to six years old
Programs for children between the ages of six weeks to 6 year olds.
Full and part time programs.
Full and part time programs
Loving, nurturing Montessori Certified Teachers, 1st Aid and CPR certified.
Loving, nurturing Montessori teachers certi ed in rst aid and CPR
Brand new, state of the art school with enticing Montessori materials.
Brand new, state-of-the-art school with enticing Montessori materials
209 Western Ave. So. Portland 1/2 mile from #295 518-9573
Loon Lodge Inn &Restaurant
Located on the easterly shore of Rangeley Lake,Loon Lodge is unlike any place in the area. Just a short drive from Saddleback and easily accessible by snowmobile, we offer distinctly rustic guest rooms and suites and fine dining cuisine. Enjoy cocktails and lighter fare at our Pickford Pub. Come and sit a spell beside our stone fireplaces and woodstoves,while you relax and enjoy our warmth and hospitality. Expanded parking accommodates trailers. Wi-Fi. Open year round.
Loon Lodge on Rangeley Lake 16 Pickford Road • Rangeley,Maine (207) 864-Loon www.loonlodgeme.com
both classic and skate. Great new single track for snowshoeing. Rental equipment, food, and beverages at the lodge. Nestled on the side of Saddleback Mountain. 864-4309 or xcskirangeley.com
Saddleback, Rangeley. 2,000-foot vertical drop, 66 trails, 2 quads, 2 double chairs, 1 T-bar, 85 percent snow-making, lodge, and terrain park. Modern lodge with fieldstone fireplace, pub, food court, coffee bar, and day care. New to Saddleback this year is Casablanca, the largest glade in the East, offering 44 acres of exciting tree skiing, and a new mid-mountain yurt called Kenembago Station to offer warmth, food, and beverage. Family Fun Days January 16 and Mach 13. 864-5671 or 864-3380 (snow info) or saddlebackmaine.com
Seacoast Snow Park, Windham. 100-foot vertical drop, carpet lift for 2,000 people per hour, up to 12 lanes of tubing, 100 percent snow-making. Kick back at the bar, arcade, and coffee shop. For hours, call 892-5952 or visit seacoastfunparks.com
Shawnee Peak, Bridgton. 1,300-foot vertical drop, 44 trails and glades, 1 quad/2 triple chair/1 double chair/1 carpet, night skiing, 99 percent snowmaking, 400-foot half-pipe, 2 terrain parks. “A new beginner trail off the top of the mountain called Sunset Blvd features spectacular views of Mount Washington and a gentle pitch for skiers and snowboarders of all ability,” says Melissa Rock, director of marketing. 647-8444 or shawneepeak.com
Smiling Hill Farm, Westbrook. Over 25 kilometers of trails, snowshoeing, child friendly “with rentals available for children ages 4 and older, hot beverages, ice cream, and snacks,” says Deb Knight. Open seven days a week. 775-4818 or smilinghill.com
Spruce M o untain , Jay. 300-foot vertical drop, 11 trails, 3 rope tows, night skiing, cross-country skiing, 50 percent snow-making, and ski classes for all ages. 897-4090 or sprucemountain.org
Sugarloaf , Carrabassett Valley. 2,820-foot vertical drop, 138 trails, 4 quads (2 high-speed), 1 triple chair, 8 double chairs, 1 T-bar, 1 magic carpet, crosscountry skiing, 95 percent snow-making, Olympicsize superpipe, completely redesigned terrain parks, tubing park, antigravity complex with skate park, gym, and trampolines. New this season is a new line on Gondola Line Extension and new lines on the superpipe and the Sidewinder Snowboard Cross Course. Children’s Festival Week January 10 to 14. 1.800.THE LOAF or sugarloaf.com
Sunday River, Bethel. 2,340-foot vertical drop, 132 trails, 1 Chondola, 9 quads (4 high-speed)/3 triple chairs/2 double chairs/1 surface, 92 percent snow-making, 4 terrain parks, 1 superpipe, and 1 minipipe. Sunday River celebrates its 50 birthday this winter with a season-long celebration and $3.5 million in capital enhancements. Children’s Festival Week January 11 to 15. Massive spring events like Sunday River’s second annual Dumont Cup, set for March 26-27, keep the party going. 824-3000, 8245200, or sundayriver.com
Titcomb M o untain , West Farmington. 340-foot vertical drop, 17 trails, 2 T-bars,1 handle tow, night skiing, 70 percent snow-making, terrain park, and 16 kilometers of groomed nordic trails. 778-9031 or titcombmountain.com
Music
AGENDA
Bay Chamber Concerts, Rockland, Rockport, and Camden. Bluegrass Jam Session, January 24; Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys, January 24; Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats, February 13; and DBR and the New Clef Coalition, March 7. 888-707-2770, 236-2823, or baychamberconcerts.org
Choral Art Society, Portland. At Merrill Auditorium: “Life, Death, Transfiguration,” with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, March 9; and Mozart’s Requiem, with Portland Ballet, March 30. 828-0043 or choralart.org
Franco American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar Street, Lewiston.
The Androscoggin Valley Community Orchestra Winter Concert, January 29; Chiharu Naruse with Ben Noyes, January 30; Broadway Melodies, February 20; and Duncan Cumming and the Capital Trio, February 27. 689-2000 or francoamericanheritage.org
Maine Center for the for the Arts, Orono. Suzanne Vega, January 24. 5811755 or collinscenterforthearts.com
O l in A r ts Center , 75 Russell Street, Lewiston. Suzanne Vega, January 22. 786-6135
One Longfellow Square
Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade with Chirstabel and the Jons, January 15; Eilen Jewell with Milton, January 16; The Portland Jazz Orchestra, January 21, February 11, and March 25; Aoife Clancy and Robbie O’Connell, January 22; An Evening with Chris Smither, Jaunary 23; An Acoustic Café Evening with Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Sollee, January 26; Grupo Mofongo, January 28; Jonathan Edwards, January 29; Jim Weider’s Project Percolator, January 30; Lucy Kaplansky, February 6; An Evening with Dar Williams, February 12; Robinella, February 16; Cliff Eberhardt, February 19; Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, February 25; Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers, February 27; Po’ Girl, March 3; Iris DeMent, March 6; Firefall with Craig Bickhardt, March 18; and Bob Franke, March 20. 761-1757 fellowsquare.com
Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress Street, Portland. The New Deal, January 20; Darien Brahms, January 26; Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper, February 2; Dilly Dilly, February 2; Marie Stella, February 9; Haru Bangs, February 9; Boo Tiddy, February 16; Montroller, February 16; This Way, February 23; Jacob Augustine, March 2; Dreamosaic, March 16; Cyborg Trio, March 16; By Blood Alone, March 23; and Ocean, March 23. 899-4990 or portcitymusichall.com
Portland Symphony O
20 Myrtle Street, Portland. “Woodwinds: Aesop’s Fables,” January 19; “Head and Heart,” January 24; “Strings: Strings at Sea,” February 10; “Rach and Romance!,” February 16; “Isn’t It Romantic?,” February 20; “Life, Death, Transfiguration,” March 9; and Chris Thile in Concert with the PSO!, March 28. 842-0800, 842-0812 TTY, or portlandsymphony.com
Being Earnest,” March 4 to March 28. 885-5883 or goodtheater.com
Stone Mountain A r ts Center , 695 Dug Way Road, Brownfield. Suzanne Vega, March 28. 9357292 or stonemountainartscenter.com
Women in Harmony, Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland. Winter concert, “Sun, Moon and Stars,” January 23 and 24. wihmaine.org
Dance
Portland Ballet, 517 Forest Avenue, Portland. Mozart’s Requiem, with the Choral Art Society, March 30 at Merrill Auditorium. 772-9671 or portlandballet.org
Theater
Good Theater, at The St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. “The Spitfire Grill,” January 21 to February 14; and “The Importance of
Portland Stage Company, 25 Forest Avenue, Portland. Maine’s largest, fully professional nonprofit theater, founded in 1974. “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” January 26 to February 21; “The Real McGonagall,” February 18 to March 7; and “Master Harold,” March 2 to March 21. 774-0465 or portlandstage.org
The Theater Project, 14 School Street, Brunswick. “Storytelling with Al Miller,” January 23 and March 20; “La Fille at Tess’ Market,” January 22 to February 13; “Wonder of the World,” January 23 to February 14; “Macbeth,” March 12 to 21. 729-8584 or theaterproject.com
Galleries
Abbe Museum, 26 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor. Ongoing: “Layers of Time;” “Sieur de Mont;” and Online “Wabanaki Timeline.” 2883519 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; UNE Faculty Exhibition, February 9 to 28; and “Celebrating Women,” opening March 8. 221-4499 or www. une.edu/artgallery
Atrium Arts Gallery, University of Southern Maine, Lewiston-Auburn College, Lewiston. “The Inspired Hand IV,” January 19 to March 26, a biennial exhibition of work by members of the Maine Crafts Association with work in ceramics, metal, fiber, stone, wood, and mixed media. 7536500 or usm.maine.edu/lac/art
Aucocisco Gallery, 89 Exchange Street, Portland. Works by William Saunders, January; and “Love in a Cold Climate,” February. 775-2222 or aucocisco.com
Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston.“Joel M. Babb: The Process Revealed,” to March 26; “Barry Nemett: Drawings from Italy,” to March 26; and “Collection Project 4: Alumni Collections,” to March 27. 786-6158 or bates.edu/museum.xml
Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Walker Art Building, Brunswick. “For All the Saints,” to January 10; “8 Possible Beginnings or: The Creation of African America, a Moving Picture by Kara E. Walker,” to February 14; “Basquiat/ Warhol,” to April 4; “In Focus: Photographs from the Permanent Collection,” January 19 to March 14; and “Learning to Paint: American Artists and European Art, 1876-1893,” January 26 to May 16. 725-3275 or bowdoin.edu/art-museum
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 “Achieving American Art–American Art Between the Wars,” to January 24; and “Elegantly Attired: Victorian Apparel and Accessories in Coastal Maine,” to April 25. 5966457 or farnsworthmuseum.org
Fore Street Gallery, 372 Fore Street, Portland. Gallery group show includes Paul Black, Sylvia Dyer, Claudette Gamache, and Stan Moeller. 8748084 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. “Olio 2020,” to January 30; Variety Show and side gallery with a.k.a. Sandra Donnelly, Roy Germon, and Lori Tremblay, February 7 to 27; and Glenn Renell, March 4 to 27. 772-2693 or greenhutgalleries.com
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, 522 Congress Street, Portland. “Exchange,” featuring work by Caitlin Berrigan, Lewis Hyde, Max Gimblett, David Ross, and Deb Todd Wheeler, January 20 to April 11. 775-3052,
By Blood Alone rocks the Arts District at Port City Music Hall on March 23.
(800) 639-4808, or meca.edu
June Fitzpatrick Gallery, 122 High Street and 522 Congress Street, Portland. At Congress Street, “From the Inside,” an annual exhibit of work by behind-the-scenes staff at Maine College of Art, to January 23; at High Street, “Six MECA Painters, 10 Years Later,” featuring John Alexander, Matt Cote, John Foddrill, Erica Hansen, Cheryl Johnson, and Elizabeth Prescott, to January 30. 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 “Some Burdensome: Big Ships, Big Cargoes,” to June 28. 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. 871-7188 or museumafricanculture.org
Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland. “Collage: Piecing it Together,” to February 28; ”Objects of Wonder: Four Centuries of Still Life from the Norton Museum of Art,” February 4 to June 6; and “Division and Discovery: Recent Work by Frederick Lynch,” February 27 to May 16. 7736148 or portlandmuseum.com
Susan Maasch Fine Art, 567 Congress Street, Portland. Joseph Begnaud: Paintings; Sean Harris: Photographs, Silver Gelatin, and Digital; and sculpture by all gallery sculptors, January 23 to February 23. 699-2966 or susanmaaschfineart.com
University of Maine Museum of Art, 40 Harlow Street, Bangor. “Resonant Places: Paintings by Meg Chase,” “Simple Complexity: Installation and Works by Gerry Stecca,” “Burnt Cove: Watercolors of the Maine Landscape by Gerald Matthew Immonen,” and “BioPermutation: Sculptures by David Isenhour,” January 15 to April 3. 561-3350 or umma.umaine.edu
Wiscasset Bay Gallery, 67 Main Street, Wiscasset. “Gallery Selections,” contemporary New England art and recent selections, to March 31. 882-7682 or wiscassetbaygallery.com
Book Readings
Borders Bookstore, 430 Gorham Road, South Portland. Joe Hill reads from Horns, March 9, 7 p.m. 775-6110 or borders.com/online/store/ StoreDetailView_133
Wells Public Library, 1434 Post Road, Wells. Colin Sargent reads from Museum of Human Beings on January 27, 6:30 p.m. 646-8181 or wells.lib.me.us
–Compiled By Diane Hudson
IMPERATÍFS
CHRISTIE’S WORLD–A collector from Germany recently bid $6.9 million at Christie’s New York for Andrew Wyeth’s Above the Narrows–the No. 2 auction price ever recorded for a Wyeth (behind $10.3 million for Ericksons in 2007). Here in Maine, you can play follow the Wyeths for roughly “$1,000 a ticket” to join the Farnsworth Museum’s round-robin tour of Wyeth masterpieces April 13-16 at Philadelphia’s Museum of Art, Academy of Fine Arts, Rodin Museum, Barnes Foundation, and Wilmington’s Brandywine River Museum of Art (including a visit to N. C. Wyeth’s studio). Museum art historians accompanying your tour will bring Wyeth and his world alive. farnsworthmuseum.org
IF THEY BUILD IT…WE’LL NAME A MICROBREW FOR IT!–
Leave it to Gritty McDuff’s to whip up zesty, fresh Red Claws Ale, named for our new Celtic’s NBA development league team. Catch some during Expo games and at Gritty’s locations in Portland,
LA POÊME–Your valentine will love “this crystallized inkwell filled with aphrodisiac-infused chocolate body ink, which comes with a silicone-tipped feather pen, gold-colored foil envelope of poetry, and an evening mask from Poême,” says Nelly Hall of Condom Sense. “It’s the perfect gift for couples looking for fun on long winter nights or just spicing things up–also a wonderful wedding or anniversary present.” $60, qualitycondoms.com
OVE WITH YOU–You knew at some point we’d start selling rocks up here. Kathy Chadwick of Island Granite Works deadpans, “Everything is natural. We don’t alter the rocks at all.” ctured left: vase, $15; lamps reach $135. islandgraniteworks.com
LOVE SHACK–“We’re proud of our Maine concept,” says banker Luke Holden of his East 7th Street sideline, Luke’s Lobster, where the Cape Elizabeth native offers lobster rolls created with a “hot dog roll, lobster, mayo, and celery salt.” Don’t worry, Gordon Ramsay: Dad Jeff Holden (Portland Shellfish Co.) ships fresh representatives of homerus americanus directly to the new East Village eatery to ensure authenticity. lukeslobster.com
ROOF CANAL–For sale, by former working-waterfront activist Karen Sanford: the fourth bicuspid at 354 Danforth Street, among five identical cubes with commanding views of the Fore River. Affectionately known as one of “Teddy’s Teeth,” for Theodore Roosevelt’s famously square masticators, this 1906 concrete block boasts four bedrooms, a gas fireplace, and three tiers of sunny decks opening to the harbor below. Taxes are $7,664. mainestylerealty.com
Illustration by Douglas Smith
Air Support
“How can I be the same person who went to Deering High School in Portland, Maine, and be in a movie like this?” [see our cover story “Shooting Star,” April 200 ] recently told The Circuit in Los Angles about co-starring with George Clooney in p in the ir, a film that’s generating early Oscar bu and already earned endrick a Golden Globe supporting actress nomination.
Added to her si ling Twilight stardom, it’s little wonder she’s ust been honored by the Palm Springs International Film Festival with its Rising Star Award January . Previous recipients include Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, and Dakota Fanning.
After a promotion stop in London, endrick recently hosted a screening of her new flick on an American Airlines et chartered from JF to LA to an audience of 0 ournalists.
Welcome to My Camp Welcome to My Camp
In 1921, L.L.Bean and two pals built a line of three cottages on Crystal Lake in Gray. “They’re still in great condition, each with a fireplace, privy, and driven well,” L.L.Bean archivist Ruth Porter tells us. Beyond a shared three-car garage, L.L.Bean’s founder threw in two official horseshoe courses. “He loved to practice by the hour,” says Porter. “The state horseshoe championships were held here.” Talk about a dead ringer. –Molly MacLeod
Snow Falling on Bicycles
Regarding lost bicycles left in the snow, “If a resident complains a bicycle is impeding pedestrians or traffic, we’ll send down a supervisor [at exactly how much per hour?] to assess the situation. If it’s a pedestrian hazard, we’ll remove it and bring it down here, to Public Services. If no one calls to claim it, we bring it to the recycling station,” says dispatcher Ed Aceto. Wheels within wheels, you see. –Molly MacLeod
✈
Revered Bells Revered Bells
Branding didn’t start with Dolce & Gabbana. At least four towns in Maine get a kick out of ringing your chimes with bells personally cast by Paul Revere Made in 1802, the bell at left was originally purchased by North Church in Bath for $491 (it currently resides in Davenport Memorial City Hall). The other three personally cast Revere bells are ringing endorsements for Kennebunk, Gardiner, and Damariscotta Mills, though Bath’s Jennifer Geiger counts at least “23 bells in the state ‘attributed’ to Revere’s firm.” Hey, even Andy Warhol had a factory.
Mass Appeal
“I didn’t have a lot of toys growing up, so when I was si , I’d go behind our house where we had a pile of aluminum foil and make little dinosaurs and scorpions and stuff.” Now Robert Wilson showcases his sculptures all over Portland most recently at Coleman Burke Gallery , teaches kids at schools including Ba ter School for the Deaf, and creates new work on commission, including a rendering of “Elvis Presley with guitar in hand for $2 and a boatload of aluminum foil. It took me two days to make it.” So much for overnight success.
Molly MacLeod
The Hilton Garden Inn Portland Airport® is adjacent to the Portland International Airport, and only 10 minutes from downtown. Guest rooms offer complimentary wireless Internet, 2 line telephones, voicemail, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, Herman Miller Ergonomic desk chairs and 32” flat screen HDTV. Our heated indoor pool & whirlpool, NEW fitness facility by Precor Now open and a 24 hour airport shuttle and business center will keep you relaxed and connected. While American Grill serves breakfast & dinner daily, or our Pavilion pantry is open anytime!
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On wild nights, Maine’s ski resorts are Spring Break on ice.
BY MOLLY M AC LEOD
SUGARLOAF
“We’ve had cross-dressing night, luau night, pirate parties, Spam-eating contests, and hard-boiledegg-eating contests,” says Sugarloaf’s Ethan Austin of “White White World Week,” five days in January (24-28) during which couples sponsored by local watering holes vie for the prize of ‘King and Queen of the ‘Loaf’ in competitions on and off the slopes. “Those eating contests can get out of hand. I’ve never done one myself, but I’ve seen enough to know I don’t want to. See, it’s the darkest month of the year. It’s just how people let loose.”
The week also features a “dummy jump” in which “people build dummies out of anything they can get their hands on–I’ve seen an old toilet bowl on a pair of skis”–and send them careening down the mountain.
HAPPY HOURS–Sunday River’s Matterhorn Ski Bar serves as an oasis of pulsing energy during frosty winter evenings.
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The winner, says Austin, is “the one with the most spectacular crash.”
Add that to Sugarloaf’s long list of wintertime shenanigans, which include partying at the Widowmaker Lounge, or attending the Snowmaker’s Ball (4/7), live performances by Little Feat (1/16) and Rustic Overtones (3/27), and the annual Reggae Fest in April (4/5-7), which draws a crowd of 4,000-5,000 and regularly schedules local reggae bands like Royal Hammer, plus headliners from Kingston and Clarendon, Jamaica, like The Wailers and Barrington Levy
(Picture a sea of heads bobbing to live reggae on “The Beach” flanking the base lodge amid a Budweiserscented breeze–and you’re right there.)
Don’t count on Austin for detailed anecdotes, though.
“It’s just a weekend-long party. Once it starts, you just kind of blink and then you wake up and it’s over.” In any case, it feels okay.
SUNDAY RIVER
Sunday River has long been a skiing Mecca for its activities centered around the resort’s eight peaks. But after the lifts close, Sunday River scenesters make the Matterhorn their first stop. The Bethel ski bar has “great food, cool peeps, and some of the largest drinks in the state,” says a blog posting by house band Last Kid Picked, whose regular wintertime gigs “draw a line out the door,” according to bar owner Roger Beaudoin. The band isn’t exaggerating about the elephantine proportions of the Matterhorn’s token libation, the 60-ounce Glacier Bowl
But the wood-fired pizza (they have pies with Swiss-Alps-themed titles like the Monte Rosa) and ample people-watching opportunities (sightings include Katie Couric, the Gin Blossoms, and exercise infomercial guru Tony Little) should keep patrons from spiraling off into an après-ski stupor.
The Matterhorn warms big crowds to raucous events like annual Mardi Gras and New Year’s Eve parties, as well as shows by disco-revival band Motor Booty Affair . “Every night here is an event,” Beaudoin says. “We call ourselves the greatest show off snow.”
Further downtown, The Jolly Drayman, an English pub nestled within The Briar Lea Inn, is “a smaller version of Cheers,” according to bartender Duncan MacDougall. “People come in just to see what’s on draft, and we take pride in our beer selection. One Monday night, we had eight Canadian doctors come in and basically take the place over.” Faster than you can say Great White North, “they were loud and obnoxious, throwing money around,” as though surprised by the potency of Maine’s spirits or simply the notion of ‘happy hour.’” “One of them tried one of those Dogfish Head 120-minute IPAs [20 percent alcohol] and passed out on the couch. When people have a few beers after skiing, they tend to get drunk quicker than usual. Or maybe they’re just happier.”
SNOW PARTY–Clockwise from left: the Matterhorn Ski Bar; throngs of skiers flock to the slopes during Sunday River’s Parrot Head Festival; a few brave souls seek refuge in the heated pool outside Locke Mountain Townhouses.
Home Accents
MT. ABRAM
All winter long, Mt. Abram hosts full-moon hikes to the summit, where a bonfire awaits starry-eyed expeditioners “who then ski back down the mountain to shrug off their parkas, drink Fearless Leaders, and dance to music by Brand New Mixture in the Loose Boots Lounge,” Kevin Rosenberg says.
In March, the mountain hosts Gritty McDuff’s Whitegrass/Bluegrass Music Festival (3/27), “the only bluegrass festival on snow in the U.S., with local bands Jerks of Grass, the Swamp Donkeys, and Cumberland Crossing.” On top of that, “I’ve seen a lot of kneeslappin’ bluegrass” at the Jolly Drayman, which is “small in size and big in heart.” Also in March (3/7), “we’ll be hosting the ‘Knees in the Breeze Telebration.’” The New England Telemark Ski Association visits in style, with instructors and equipment for people to try.”
After working up a thirst skiing Mt. Abram’s three new double-diamond glades, “I’d hit The Suds Pub [at The Sudbury Inn] for Thursday night ‘Hoot Night,’ where local musicians get up and play, then end up at the Funky Red Barn on Bethel’s Main Street, more of the local scene,” Rosenberg says. “Everyone from local firefighters to gubernatorial candidates shows up here–it’s like a class reunion, cruise ship, and dance
party all in one.”
“My friends and I go there after work sometimes just to people-watch,” MacDougall says. “I’d compare it to goin’ out on Fore Street in the Old Port.” Any specialty drinks? “Two-dollar PBRs and Allen’s Coffee Brandy,” Rosenberg laughs. “That’s my snap on it.”
SHAWNEE PEAK
Shawnee Peak’s Spring Fling in March (3/20) is another explosion of riotous energy, steeped by months of cabin fever. The party includes barbeque, live reggae music, and a slush cup–a water-filled, dug-out hole that brave souls try to skim across on their skis. “It never gets old,” says Melissa Rock, the mountain’s marketing director. “It’s always fun to watch people land in a pool of cold water.”
Year-round opportunities for dancing (or a quiet, cozy pint) include Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples, which has “live blues music, a great oatmeal stout, and some of the best pulled pork North of…the South. I don’t know where pulled pork originated, but theirs is awesome,” says Shawnee Peak’s Josh Harrington. He also likes Ebenezer’s in Lovell for the knowledgeable staff, Belgian-style beer, and perfect location–“they’re right off a snowmobile trail.” The morning after, stamp your boots at The Blizzard pub inside Shawnee’s base lodge–“they have some of the best Bloody Marys around,” says Harrington, who dares the bloodies at Sugarloaf and Sunday River to match up.
and we have entertainment in the lounge by [Portland band] Under the Covers,” says snow sports director Tad Bettcher.
Lost Valley also hosts visits from “the Jäger girls and the Volta [‘energy’ vodka] girls, where the bar runs an energy drink special [featuring a delicate admixture of Volta and Monster],” says King.
That’ll get you amped up for a visit to Lost Valley’s twangy neighbor, Club Texas, an all-ages dance club in Auburn that invigorates “a mechanical bull once a month, sells Western hats and buckles, and provides the venue and the official to perform ‘the rite’” for couples lookin’ to get hitched (you can even hire a country band like Dirty McCurdy, The Honkytonkers, or Shania “Twin” for the reception). Or stop by Gippers Sports Grill, a longtime favorite of Dodge’s for its reliable après-ski
grade promises to address this, with new trails and a restaurant/bar), “Downtown, there’s Peter Ott’s [Steakhouse & Tavern], Gilbert’s Publick House, Smokestack Grill, and Waterfront Restaurant,” says Dailey. “I wouldn’t say it’s a rowdy town, but it depends on where you go.” And perhaps when–“We’re big on college breaks.”
SADDLEBACK MOUNTAIN
“The trick about Saddleback is it takes just 15 minutes to get from the mountain to downtown Rangeley,” says Matt Dodge, “so I’d recommend having your first decompressing beer upstairs [at the Swig ‘n Smelt Pub in the base lodge].” While you’re there, stay for the music–“We host a weekend concert series featuring (this winter): Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (1/1, $25), [folksinger] Jonathan Edwards (2/13, $30), The Derailers (3/27, $20), and Bob Marley (2/16, $20),” we’re told by a mountain staffer.
Heather Waild, Shawnee Peak’s operations manager, also likes The Blizzard for après-ski or après-work margaritas, but watch where you sit–“I have a special seat at the bar. When people see me coming, they get out of my chair.”
LOST VALLEY
Lost Valley is romantic, nostalgic, and a hometown blast. “It’s where my friends and I all learned to ski,” says local Matt Dodge, 22, of the Auburn attraction. “Since they were the first mountain in Maine to offer night skiing, we could take lessons after school.” February 26 is Lost Valley’s “Turn ‘til 12 Night,” when the lifts run till midnight, according to co-owner Connie King. “Then there’s Thursday corporate racing and Bud nights, where the bar is just packed. People [from firms such as Advanced Orthotics, the Lewiston Sun Journal, Chipman Farms, and a motorcycle stunt team by the name of Vertical Outlaws] go out and race and then just party. We also have live bands every Friday night and a beach party on the first Friday in March.”
“The City of Auburn Winter Festival runs from January 29 through the first week in February,
food and beer and familiar wait staff.
On March 14, the mountain hosts the “Lost Valley Snodeo,” with “pond skimming, cardboard box races, a chili contest,” and, of course, the indispensable mechanical bull–an aptly kickin’ finale to a lustrous winter here.
CAMDEN SNOW BOWL
The annual U.S. Toboggan National Championships, held here from February 5-7 at Camden Snow Bowl, “is a big tailgate party, but it’s also a serious event,” says ski school director Andrew Dailey. “Thousands of people crowd in to watch 400 teams compete. We’re talking fireworks, a chili-chowder challenge, and this year, comedian Bob Marley will be here.” Is it something about the toboggans inspires onlookers to dress up in costumes here, too? “I’ve seen everything from Thing 1 and Thing 2 to The Incredibles characters,” Dailey says.
Although the municipally-owned mountain (which is, by the way, “the only [ski mountain] in the lower 48 from which you can see the ocean”) doesn’t yet offer an après-ski scene on site (a $6.5 million up-
“After that,” says Dodge, “head downtown for the party.” Specifically fuel up at The Red Onion, a long-standing pizza joint that makes the brief sojourn from the mountain worthwhile, then to Sarge’s Sports Pub, where you can dance to music by The Snowtones, a band led by ski patrol member Bob Greene, or classic rock covers played by the Tom Ball Band. Sarge’s is “the sports pub,” according to Dodge’s father, Rick, another ski patrol member, and, says a Saddleback employee; “You don’t leave without seeing something happening .” “There’s a parquet floor like in the Boston Garden,” says Matt Dodge, and everyone agrees the dance floor fills up fast. “I remember coming off the mountain after a full day of skiing and going straight to Sarge’s because my dad had to catch the UMaine hockey game. I was so tired, I fell asleep on the PacMan machine.”
Too bad, because then he missed going to The Club House, another rite of passage in Rangeley. “It’s a half-restaurant, half-bar and pool hall–right off the snowmobile trails, so it’s absolutely inundated with snowmobilers, who are a pretty rowdy set,” says Dodge. “You can barely find a table because they’re all covered with snowmobile helmets and gear that people have stripped off.”
Ah, the release of the sweaty parka-shuck! But then, sharing the streets with the “rough and tumble snowmobile crowd,” as Rick Dodge calls them, is part of Rangeley’s appeal–down-to-earth, with a dash of two-stroke engine fuel. ■
>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.
The Season is back! The Season is back!
The season for fabulous SunSet Specials and the best Happy Hour in Portland has returned!
Every table has a view, and free parking at DiMillo’s is always in season. Visit DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant on Long Wharf in Portland this week. Now more than ever…THIS is the season!
4 to 6PM Monday thru Friday
• Complimentary Buffet ($5 minimum)
• 50% OFF many appetizers
• 50¢ OFF all beer, wine and mixed drinks Happy Hour!
• Huge savings.
• New and tempting entrees!
Shots Hot
You’ve tried all the other new winter drinks. So you might as well start sipping “ The Sunlight Deprivation Disorder.”
BY MOLLY M AC L E OD
Eastland Park HotEl mi ologist Ben Antonio Forgione dares you to tie on one of his new winter specials to brighten up your dark ages that desolate period in Portland when all your former best friends start te ting you from the Caribbean. “I ust concocted it, with Maker’s Mark, Gran Gala orange li ueur, a splash of simple syrup, a splash of lime uice for acidity, and a splash of cranberry uice. I’m calling it the Eastland CranbErry CoCktail $10 . I’m also working on a winter dessert drink, the Mint ChoColatE EsprEsso piE-tini,” he says. “I’m thinkin’ Baileys Mint, a combination of espresso and chocolate vodka, and simple syrup, shaken and served with whipped cream, shaved dark chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs on top.”
In the hotel’s starry toP of tHE East lounge, bartender Chris Segal begs to differ. “Up here, they’re loving thE painkillEr $ , a mi ture of Mt. Gay Eclipse Rum, pineapple uice, OJ, cream of coconut, and ground nutmeg it’s nice and robust. It’s almost like you’re eating a snack.” Does it kill the pain? “Oh yeah, definitely. It makes you forget about everything,” until ta time, at least.
From top: Blood Orange Martini from Portland Regency Hotel’s The Armory mixes Grey Goose blood l’orange, blood orange puree, and a champagne topper; Blizzard’s Pub at Shawnee Peak offers The Mogul, a delightful blending of peppermint schnapps, raspberry liqueur, and hot chocolate; Blizzard’s also creates The Liftwarmer, made of coffee brandy, regular brandy, galliano, orange liqueur, and coffee.
Many of Maine’s winter novelty drinks share a dash of black humor. “Many of these look like antifree e some glow red, yellow, orange, or grape,” says Roger Beaudoin of the GlaCiEr bowl $1 , one
of his signature drinks at tHE attErHorn, a popular ski bar in Bethel. It’s 0 ounces of boo e in one of si uice flavors with names like otto rrEr s rE EnGE, t MblE o dEath, ICEpiCk “tastes like grape soda till it strikes you between the eyes” , and a alanChE “They’re made for two people to share, like a Scorpion Bowl in a Chinese restaurant, complete with a glow stick and two neon straws.”
“My favorite is the p Mpkin piE Martini $9. 0 ,” says Portland rE En HotEl bartender Mike Barris. “It’s Stoli anil, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon-infused simple syrup served in a glass with a graham cracker rim. It sounds intense, but it’s delicious. We’ll be selling it all winter.” Adds his associate Dave Roger, “I like the GEnEral lEdbEttEr $9. 0 , which is Maker’s Mark, up, with a touch of maple syrup and orange est, and pEarEd p with basil $9. 0 Grey Goose La Poire, basil simple syrup, and pear puree. Our blood oranGE Martini $9. 0 is popular, with Grey Goose L’Orange, blood orange puree, and a champagne topper. Then there’s our EsprEsso Martini $9. 0 that people love Stoli anil, ahlua, Bailey’s, and a good helping of chilled espresso.”
“People see our signature bloody Mary $ 1 ounces, with our own bloody mi not one of those nasty little bottled ones coming across the room with a shrimp, onions, olives, peperoncini, celery, lemon, and lime, and they think, ‘What’s that? I gotta have me one of them ’” says Steve Barnes of Shawnee Peak’s l ard s P in Bridgton. “But our most popular is thE li twarMEr $ . 0 , with coffee brandy, regular brandy, Galliano, orange li ueur, coffee, and whipped cream. He ticks off several other hot cocoa- or coffee-based cocktails, including thE snowball $ . 0 , a flavor-packed missile umping with Malibu rum, hot chocolate, coffee, and whipped cream, or another drink concoction with Captain Morgan, spiced cider, and orange. “I don’t have a name for it yet,” he says before e claiming, “thE piratE s applE $ . 0 how about that?”
“A big local drink is thE EGas baby $ . 0 e ual parts Crown Royal, Peach Schnapps, and Parrot Bay coconut rum in a shot glass, dropped into a pint glass of Red Bull,” says Heather Fortin, bartender at tHE ra k, a restaurant and bar on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett alley owned by Olympic snowboard-cross champion Seth Wescott. Co-owner Jeff Strunk adds, “The li ty lEMonadE $ . 0 a mi ture of Absolut
Citron, Absolut Mandarin, Stoli Ra beri, Sprite, a splash of cranberry uice, and a splash of sour mi is also a big seller. It’s named after the guys who run the ski lifts.” Mostly, though, says server Sean Daigle, “it’s a beer mountain, with a focus on Mainebrewed beer. GEary s h s a and bEl ast bay lobstEr alE $ pint are really popular.”
“Our signature bloody Mary $ has everything in the chef’s kitchen but the sink, combined with horseradish and ing-badabing ” says loosE oots lo n E at Mt. Abram’s bar manager Dick Fahey. “If you like spicy, it’s good. And it’s thick you almost have to eat it with a spoon.” Another house
mi .” But if you want something that’s “fruity and light year-round,” try the baCkstaGE p nCh named after the previous owner’s wife, who used to gu le them coconut rum with pineapple uice and a splash of cranberry uice. “It makes you feel like you’re in the tropics year-round,” says Wheeler. “You gettin’ thirsty?”
Step into the ‘Snowshoe’ and make a big footprint on your evening–Black Point Inn-style–by mixing
Step into the ‘Snowshoe’ and make a big footprint on your evening–Black Point Inn-style–by mixing
Baileys Irish Cream,
Baileys Irish Cream,
Ellsworth’s Mark Boshko likes to warm up with hoMEMadE hot b ttErEd r M, or if he’s feeling creative, he’ll whip up a batch of sCandina ian Gl GG, a mi ture of red wine, brandy or vodka, cardamom, cinnamon, orange peel, and raisins or figs, simmered and strained. Brooksville native Marisa Chapman prefers a similar version of M llEd winE “Gl hwEin” “Warm up a big pot of dry red wine, cloves, allspice, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and throw in a few cranberries and splash of brandy or port if you fancy it.”
Dark Chocolate Godiva Liqueur, Ghirardelli hot cocoa, and whipped cream. Asked if there’s a diet version, bartender
Dark Chocolate Godiva Liqueur, Ghirardelli hot cocoa, and whipped cream. Asked if there’s a diet version, bartender
Tommy Brita laughs, “A diet version would be hot water.”
Tommy Brita laughs, “A diet version would be hot water.”
favorite is “thE EarlEss lEadEr $ a general’s pour of Jack Daniel’s, a strategic amount of Dr. McGillicuddy’s mentholated Schnapps, and Grand Marnier, served over ice or straight up.”
“This is more of a local scene than the apr s-ski scene, because we’re off the mountain [Sunday River],” says Deb Wheeler, bartender at tHE f nk rEd arn in Bethel. “But we get a lot of people who come down because they want a different scene.” The straight skinny is, “We go through a lot of Allen’s [Coffee Brandy],” laughs Brooke Hallett, co-owner. “But I love The nky rEd $ 1 o . Apple Pucker, Watermelon Pucker, Grape Pucker, pineapple uice, cranberry uice, and vodka.” Bartender Deb Wheeler says, “We have weekly drink specials for $ . 0, and in the winter I pour on thE antirEE E Absolut Citron, Allen’s melon li ueur, and pineapple uice or a sunny-sounding drink like wEEkEnd at thE bEaCh, with well whiskey, Peach Schnapps, Apple Pucker, and sour mi . The aCk rost has Jack Daniels, a splash of Drambuie, grenadine, OJ, and sour
“It’s like you died and went to Belgium,” boasts E EnE Er s rEsta rant P in Lovell on their website they feature mostly Belgian beers on tap and a collection of 1,000 bottled beers, including dElEri M alE, which the pub offers in 0 mL bottles. Then there’s oatMEal sto t $ . 0 pint $2. 12 o . glass at ra s rE P in Naples, where wintEr solstiCE spECial alE is also made.
January 2 - 0, Portland Har or HotEl’s annual E ar sparkles with free hors d’oeuvres, martinis, beer, wine, and a deluge of ice-cold vodka. A portion of proceeds $10 cover, plus cash bar benefits local charities.
But what about that drink we’d dub “thE s nliGht dEpri ation disordEr?” Area bartenders are enthusiastic ate To ier at GraCE envisions “an orange-infused Patron shaken over ice and strained into a martini glass, garnished with a cinnamon-dipped orange wedge.”
Says lo al ’s Johnny Walker, “I’m a chef, not a bartender. I’d probably ust put three shots of whisky in a glass and call it good.” What kind? “Think spring,”he says. “Bulleit or Johnnie Walker Green.” ■
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Three fantastic waterfront estates light the way to spring & summer
Shoring U p
BY COLIN SARGENT
Why do we knock three times when we’re on the other side of a door?
Why not two, or four? Scholars of serendipity say three is a mystic number, inviting collectives like Father, Son, and Holy Ghost eat, drink, and be merry or location, location, location. As a matter of practical magic, it ust eels right. And oh, do the three snuggly lu ury waterfront listings we’re about to travel to ever feel right.
$2.25 MILLION
5 PILLSBURY DRIVE, Scarborough
Where: Drive out Pine Point Road to the tip of Pine Point. Before you crash into the Atlantic Ocean, stop. With its glassy side facing the water, it’s hard not to call this ‘The Doll House.’ What You Can See From Here: “Designed in 200 by Mark Sengelmann, this oceanfront contemporary has private access to seven miles of beach,”says listing agent Jessica Perkins of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty. Striking views across the water feature the mansions on Prouts Neck and the Black Point Inn.
Show Me the Magic: “I’d call the style Frank Lloyd Wright Asian fusion. Five bedrooms one on the first floor , two baths, and a full finished basement make the most of , 00 feet of living space. There are ocean views from almost every room.”
Special Considerations: “The gourmet kitchen is a true cooks’ kitchen, as [the sellers] both cook and own the French restaurant in town, Evangeline.” Included commercial Sub- ero refrigerator, two Miele free er drawers, two Miele dishwashers, commercial-grade iking cooktop with grill, two iking ovens, two iking warming drawers, and a ,000-bottle wine cellar.” Bon app tit
$4.5 MILLION
Where: “From downtown Blue Hill, take Parker Point Road for three miles past Blue Hill Country Club along the coast beside coves, vistas, and really elegant large homes until you reach the gate of the long, gracious drive that brings you to this stone-and-shingle-fronted home,” says listing agent Mary Purslow of The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty.”
What You See From Here: “Panoramic views. From the left, you see Blue Hill Mountain standing above all the land mass of the area. Continuing across Blue Hill Harbor, you see the end of Newbury Neck, a peninsula behind Blue Hill. Then, looking across Blue Hill Bay, Long Island is the prominent feature in the bay with the Nub, a famous granite outcropping here. At this point, you’re looking at the mountains of Acadia National Park as the backdrop to one stunning waterfront view.”
KALMIA KNOLL, Blue Hill
Show Me the Magic: “A dramatic granite pia a with an arched stone entry defines the house at the water’s edge. Every room in the house offers ocean views with beautiful morning light, and each has been meticulously preserved in the original character with period furnishings.”
Backstory: Designed by Westport, Connecticut, architect C. E. Cutler for Philadelphia banker Josiah N. Davidson, “ almia noll is a historic treasure built in 191 as a summer home for the Davidson family. This magnificent private estate, with . acres and 1,090 feet of shorefront, sand and pebble beaches, granite pier, and deep-water mooring has bedrooms, -plus baths, a servants’ wing, and 2 sleeping porches. All in all, the home has been maintained ust as it was built, right down to the old wooden walk-in cooler, coal chute, and butler’s pantry.”
Special Considerations: “The way the two
wings swing back away from the center of the home gives the feeling of it pushing into the Bay, almost like the prow of a ship. Sitting on the rocks at the water’s edge adds to the drama it’s something that would never be permitted again along the coast.
The residence’s main chimney has been a navigational landmark on charts of Blue Hill Bay for many years. Latitude is degrees, 2 minutes north. Longitude is degrees, . minutes west.” Odds are, you’ll find yourself here. The interesting name derives from al ia, a short, evergreen mountain laurel of sorts that flowers in pink, purple, and white. A less romantic monicker is “lambskill,” as it’s to ic to gra ing animals.
Tim Blagden, the son of sellers George
and Josephine, posts on the realestate blog Historic Homes of Maine, “This part of the bay, north of the tip of Long Island, has no ocean swell ever. It is absolutely lake-like on the surface with the peculiar addition of a 12- to 1 -foot tide.”
$2.873 MILLION
LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Deer Isle
Where: Borrow one of John Travolta’s smaller planes something in the Cessna 1 2 range and fly it to Stonington Municipal Airport. It’s a short cab ride from here to the beginning of the end of the world, off Goose Cove Road.
What You See From Here: “From this distinctive lighthouse tower, you are treated to 0-degree views of the ocean, spruceclad islands, and the Camden Hills beyond. This sensation is truly uni ue,” says agent Story Litchfield of Land est in Northeast Harbor. The seller, Dr. Charles Beasley, Jr., of Indiana, says, “We have three favorite places to be 1 sitting in the great room on a couch, looking out on the water you see no land and have the feeling of being on a ship 2 sitting in bed in the master bedroom looking out on the ocean and identifying the water fowl looking directly west at Camden from the [spectacular windows and observation decks of] the lighthouse.”
Show Me the Magic: You’ll love the “soaring cathedral ceiling and massive Blue Hill granite fireplace. There are four bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and a great room with dining area,” Litchfield says.
Backstory: “The designer and first owner, [Dr.] Steve nowlton, was a surgeon in Philadelphia who grew up having family
in Deer Isle,” Dr. Beasley says.
Almost from the first, nowlton found himself enchanted by the beauty of Felsted, the nearby summer cottage associated with Frederick Law Olmsted and more recently with Mel Gibson’s movie The Man Without ace
Years later, “When Steve retired to Maine, he created [Lighthouse Point] in 1992 or ‘9 ,” based on dreams for the perfect retreat he’d toyed with as a young man, all the way to sketches and drafts. As a nod to Felsted, he named his new place “‘Insted.’
“I purchased it after he died,” Beasley says. “In a November 1 , 2009, story, orbes Maga ine listed this property as one of the top 10 uni ue and weird homes for sale in the United States.”
Special Consideration: “Total acreage is .2. For the yachtsman, the deep-waterfront property could have a dock and moorings in front,” Litchfield says. ■
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Shorefront bargains abound across the state for as little as $109,900.
D own
Comforters
BY T I NA M. P H ILLIPS & MOLLY MACLEOD
764 RIVER ROAD, CALAIS, $159,900
Where: “Heading north from Eastport on Route 1, you come up the road and pass these three ictorian houses. No matter what conversation you’re having, you can’t help but turn your head to look at these houses we call ‘The Three Sisters.’ The sister that’s for sale is magnificent,” says Billy Howard of Due East Real Estate. What You See from here: “Canada. You’re looking directly across the St. Croi River. The grassy backyard slopes gently to the water. You can see the downtown of St. Stephen, New Brunswick.”
Show me the magic: “The style is the draw four fireplaces, four bedrooms on the second floor, four bedrooms on the third. There’s a grand living room, big dining room, library, and huge foyer ”
Backstory: “I get a lot of phone calls on it from people from away. It needs some e terior TLC, but the price reflects that, and you get almost an acre and a half of in-town waterfront property.”
Special considerations: “Imagine this as a B&B.” Ta es are $ , .
16 REDOUBT HILL ROAD, EASTPORT, $245,000
Where: “A little ways beyond the ‘Welcome to Eastport’ sign on Route 190,” says Samra useybi of Due East Real Estate. “You’ll see Redoubt Hill Road on your left. It’s an s-shaped curve and you ust go up the hill. There’s only nine homes up here, so you can’t get lost.”
What You See From Here: “It ust opens into Passama uoddy Bay.“
Show Me the Magic: “There’s an eating booth area in the kitchen and original tall country cabinets. The sink is the old stainless steel kind with the grooves in it.”
Backstory: ”The nine houses up here were built in the 19 0s for Roosevelt’s tidal dam pro ect. These were all built for officers involved in the pro ect. It’s the only house up here in its most original form.”
Special Considerations: “Everybody cares for everybody up on the hill. And the road gets plowed very uickly.” Ta es are $ ,1 .
1 KENDALL HEAD ROAD,
EASTPORT, $299,000
Where: ”You’re right in Eastport,” says Al Rummel of Due East Real Estate.
What You See From Here: “It’s a pretty high view over Johnson’s Cove. You have a sand beach down below one of the only sand beaches in the area with volcanic sand, almost black. It overlooks Deer Island, a Canadian island. At the other side of the house, you’re looking beyond Carrying Place Cove to North Lubec Road, Matthew’s Island, and gorgeous sunsets. Everywhere you look, it’s water views.”
Show Me the Magic: “ ery high ceilings, all new appliances. The master bedroom has a balcony. Over five acres of land.”
Backstory: “It’s a converted barn, huge. The previous owners stored their motor home in it in the winter.”
Special Considerations: “It’s surrounded by an apple orchard, so deer hang out on your back lawn.” Ta es are $ ,10 .
31 HARDY POINT ROAD, PEMBROKE, $199,500
Where: “It’s a nice peninsula miles beyond Machias,” says Billy Howard of Due East Real Estate.
What You See From Here: “The view is looking up Cobscook Bay, right where the Pennama uan River runs into the ocean.”
Show Me the Magic: “A 1. -story cape with 0 feet of shorefront and easy access for boats and kayaks.”
Backstory: “It’s an old home that’s been updated, with two bedrooms on the second floor and one on the first. It’s part of fishing history. The warehouse built on it was used back in the sardine fishing days.”
Special Considerations: “We’re not seeing a boom in Washington County we’re slow and steady, and that works for us. The water is tidal when it’s in, it looks deep when it’s out, it disappears.“ Ta es are $1,20 .
70 MAIN STREET, MILBRIDGE, $109,900
Where: “As you come down the hill on Route 1A into Milbridge, look for the white ueen Anne on the right ust before the center of town,” says Gail L. Caruso of the Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty.
What You See From Here: “Imagine living here and catching a glimpse of a three-masted schooner or a lobster boat coming up the Narraguagus River at the end of the day.“ Now imagine your B&B guests doing that, too.
Show Me the Magic: “Beautiful mantel in the living room, beautiful hardwood floors, a bay window that looks over the Narraguagus, and a turret on the front. There’s a big parlor space where you can ust spread out.”
Backstory: “Milbridge is a uiet, seaside village with a lot of blueberry growers and fishermen in the area. Walk right to the grocery store or post office.” Special Considerations: oned for business, too. Ta es are $2, 0 . ■
It WorkingIt Working
In an era where once-vibrant storefronts gaze vacantly onto Portland’s downtown artery, Port City Music Hall’s front windows–its story-high ‘eyes’–are wide open. Owner Rob Evon lifts the curtain.
Meet the man behind the curtain. Standing in a lighting closet filled with dimmer racks, Port City Music Hall owner Rob Evon says, “This is my favorite place to see shows. It’s a great sidestage view, and I can look out at the crowd and watch them react to the music. It’s a great thrill to see 00 people completely engaged with an artist and en oying one of the most memorable concert e periences of their lives.”
Boasting original 1 0s interior design elements such as the winding staircase to the basement inside a 19 0s Moderne fa ade, Port City Music Hall has arrived at 0 Congress like a lu ury cruise liner.
“The louvers were installed circa 1912, largely influenced by oceanic designs emerging from vessels like the Titanic, all the rage at that time.”
Adding to this effect is the sublime decor and detail seen everywhere throughout the interior, giving the room the air of a ballroom that can travel through an evening without a hint of pretension. It’s this marriage of classy, casual, and cool that has local and nationally-touring talent clamoring for a booking.
“Already, we’re considered the top live music venue in Maine,” Evon says. “Performers like Susan Tedeschi, John Scofield, and Reid Genauer from the Assembly of Dust have all told me personally that we’re becoming known as one of the top 10 clubtype rooms in the country.”
In an era where once-vibrant storefronts ga e vacantly onto Portland’s downtown artery, Port City Music Hall’s front windows its story-high “eyes” are wide open. Since opening a year ago, the venue has turned the tides here and created waves rippling throughout the industry even while the State Theatre a few blocks away has gone dark [see “Who idnapped The State Theatre,” December 2009].
Evon and wife Lesley, the venue’s hospitality coordinator, relocated here from ermont in August 200 .
“The idea was solidified over a couple of beers. From 2002 to 200 , I’d watched the routes of bands playing tours through New England, and Portland was falling off the map because there was no place to play.” Inspired, “I spent the better part of 200 courting private capital.”
Scouring city streets as though with a divining rod, “we began looking at vacant
Amanda Palmer trades the stage in for the bar as she rocks the house at Port City Music Hall.
spaces, searching from August 200 to March 200 .” Again and again, “we found ourselves coming back to the ‘Stadium’ space, as it was known.”
Not that it was love at first sight. With its desultory window displays, the location had all the charm of forced-march public art. “There was a used furniture business here post- eystone,” Evon says. “A place called The Furniture Barn thought it would be a good idea to paint and acid-etch the storefront windows.”
Talk about horror “The Congress Street half of the building was vacant for 2 years and had become an indoor dump. During demolition, we removed 2 0 cubic yards of unk.”
Aware that clubs’ finances are usually shrouded in smoke and martinis, Evon is candid about his decision-making process all the
Continued on page
Emile
Clockwise: Music lovers converge on Portland’s popular Port City Music Hall as a line of patrons snakes up Congress Street; the Hall’s bar helps fans warm up; a wall of windows overlooking Congress Street makes Portland’s cityscape part of the experience.
It Was a Dark & Stormy
r nding rtunit
If L.L.Bean isn’t courting Hollywood, why is Tobey Maguire walking around with the Boat and Tote bag ($17.95-30.95)?
BY TINA M. PHIL L I P S
From left: L.L. Bean rounds out wardrobes both casual and critical for Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, Angela Simmons from MTV’s Daddy’s Girls , and Tobey Maguire.
MAINE MYSTIQUE
L.L.Bean
has climbed atahdin, fly-fished the Allagash, and camped out in Acadia. Now a spry 9 years old, the Freeport retailer is trekking a new terrain ollywoodland. But what guerilla force could possibly seduce filmmakers, wardrobe designers, and celebrities into dreaming about durable goods lined with 200-gram Thinsulate?
”We pursue media coverage through seasonal previews with editors in NYC, provide press kits,” says Mary Rose Mac innon, L.L.Bean’s public relations manager. “We’ve been in Lucky, InStyle, and Good ousekeeping, ust to name a few. L.L.Bean products convey authentic Americana.”
Whappy to give them a ringing endorsement.” If the fashion maven herself is carrying it, you know the cameras are flashing.
Then there’s L.L.Bean’s understated presence in films. “Taking Woodstock, The Spider wick Chronicles, The Loneliest Planet, The River Why, and ternal Sunshine o the Spotless Mind are a few of the films that sought us out,” Mac innon says. “Also the television shows addy s Girls, Ca ping with the In Laws,” and the series famous for making the world truly McDreamy courtesy of Harpswell’s resident star Patrick Dempsey.
“We love L.L.Bean,” says Mimi Melgaard, the costume designer for Grey s nato y “[The character] ‘Meredith’ carries a bag in almost every episode. ‘Joe,’ the bartender, always has an L.L.Bean T-shirt on. I like that
L.L.Bean for his 2009 summer release Taking Woodstock? “L.L.Bean was the first brand to come to mind when I thought of the outdoors, and it was around at the time the film was set in,” says Emily Gannett, who handled the product placement for the film. She adds, “I have one of their canvas totes, and I get the catalog all the time.”
Joshua issi and Travis Gumbs run streeteti uette.com, a blog situated “where a rebirth of style meets the street.” These two New Yorkers recently featured the Norwegian Sweater $129 for its “traditional prep intertwined with an urbanes ue touch.” issi writes, “The brand L.L.Bean is no stranger to our site here.”
Another fashion blogger, Michael Williams of acontinuouslean.com, features
henever I’m on location, everyone immediately thinks that severe weather is brewing in the area, and they get paranoid,” notes Jim Cantore, on-camera meteorologist for the Weather Channel, and if the guy known for reporting in severe weather is wearing L.L.Bean as all Weather Channel on-air personalities do , you can trust its uality.
Even the ‘Devil’ has been spotted carrying Bean’s Boat and Tote bag. E plains ogue maga ine communications director Patrick O’Connell of his celebrated editor [on whom Meryl Streep’s character in The evil Wears Prada is partly based], “Anna Wintour is one of L.L.Bean’s loyal customers. She is only too
they have a comfortable, outdoorsy-yet-approachable feel that’s almost classic American. L.L.Bean has something for everyone, and I think people find that on camera and off.”
Gia Clark, costume department assistant for the upcoming independent film The Loneliest Planet, reveals, “It’s a story that takes place over a couple of days about a couple backpacking in the mountains. As they’re going to be wearing the same clothes [throughout], we had to make sure what we chose for wardrobe successfully portrayed the characters. We needed something that looked ti eless, which is why we decided to go with L.L.Bean. We like the way L.L.Bean products convey a certain simplicity and down-to-earth uality.”
And what drew director Ang Lee to
L.L.Bean regularly in his posts and has the brand included on The erican List. Regarding this list, he writes, “There are many Made in the S lists throughout the internet, nearly all of them tacky and in poor taste. These awful websites have led me to compile a list of stylish and cool brands that make their goods in America.” With a readership of over 00,000 a month, Williams’s blog can’t be hurting the Bean bu .
And where did Maguire get his tote? It was probably part of a celebrity gift bag from an event like the Nickelodeon ids Choice Awards, the Tribeca Film Festival, or the ACE Eddie Awards. Just another way Bean gets its name out there, and it seems to be working Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Michael Macko, and Bobbi Brown are ust a few of the many other celebrities who
Above: Michael Macko takes one of his dozens of Boat and Totes out on the town.
L.L. Bean plays a supporting role in Taking Woodstock, Ang Lee’s recreation of the watershed 1969 music festival. Boat and Tote bags are also the bag of choice at the Tribeca Film Festival.
emote with the iconic Boat and Tote. “It’s sort of become my signature item,” says Macko, who has held fashion directorships at Saks Fifth Avenue and etails maga ine and has “probably two do en” of the Boat and Totes. “I think [the brand] looks perfect sitting front row at a fashion show or on the streets of rainy Paris. There’s no more uintessential American brand than L.L.Bean. I can’t imagine not wearing it.”
Maybe it’s because ‘ everybody knows L.L.Bean,’ as enthusiasts invariably say.
Jason Oliver Ni on, elta Sky maga ine’s global lifestyle editor, outdoes even Macko. “I have Boat and Tote bags and pairs of shearling-lined boots. I’m obsessed.” With editorial direction credentials at Gotha , a ptons, and Los ngeles Con idential, Ni -
on e plains, “The brand is a classic American icon. It never goes out of style. I carry my Boat and Tote while wearing a sport coat in Milan or a suit in Paris I really can’t think of a more timeless American brand. It’s inepensive but looks like a million bucks.”
With all the Boat and Tote celebrity sightings and embedded brand-name awareness, it seems Bean is cresting the hills of Hollywoodland, and beyond. Why carp if not all of the burgeoning client base appreciates the importance of the “200-gram Thinsulate Insulation polyester” aspect in the lining of a boot? L.L.Bean is creating a bu beyond Maine that the world now considers inseparable from the American vein. ■
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Our showroom features decorative lighting, ceiling fans & unique home accents priced to fit any budget. for 55 Years
The House of Lights is a locally-owned family business that has been serving Maine and beyond since 1955.
A NON-SKIER’S A NON-SKIER’S
Why save the best for last when you can cut straight to it and skip the rest? Enjoy the best après-ski offerings around the state without slogging through the traditional prelude.
BY JUDITH GAINES
Many people admit that the best thing about skiing is the time a ter their ski runs, when they can gather round a big, crackling fire to sip a hot buttered rum or some other great winter drink with perhaps a few nice nibbles, followed by a fine meal. This aspect of the ski e perience is so well-known and loved, it has its own name Apr s-Ski. But who says you have to ski in order to en oy the apr s?
Why put up with all that slushy snow and ice, all the physical e ertion, and the threat of broken bones? Forget the skiing part and ust do the apr s. You don’t have to pay for lift tickets and all that e pensive gear. You don’t have to worry about snow conditions at all. While others are out shivering on the slopes, grab the choicest seats in the lounge, savor the warmth of a roaring fire, and en oy the best of apr s-ski or in this case, since you’re not skiing at all, you might call it n’apr s-ski.
For a great range of options, it’s hard to beat the Sugarloaf ski area in Maine’s Carrabassett alley, where several casual eateries and fine dining spots all are devoted to the apr s scene. You might want to start at Widowmaker Lounge, with its famous Brown Comforter a soothing mi of Frangelico, ahl a, Baileys Irish Cream, and hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream. Then, head for The Bag & ettle, a classic beer and burger oint but what a burger Skiing Maga ine rates it “the best burger” in ski country for 200 -2009. “People all over the world crave this big, uicy burger,” claims Darcy Liberty, director of communications for Sugarloaf and Sunday River ski resorts. “Not many people who go to Sugarloaf can resist it.” N’apr s fans also should check out The Bag’s cheeseburger soup.
Diners at Bullwinkle’s at Sugarloaf ride to the top of the mountain via snow cat for a five-course, fine-dining experience for the fixed price of $99 at the uniquely situated restaurant. Offerings include a homemade chocolate truffle tart and brandied pumpkin apple soup with spicy pecans.
Diners at Bullwinkle’s at Sugarloaf ride to the top of the mountain via snow cat for a five-course, fine-dining experience for the fixed price of $99 at the uniquely situated restaurant. Offerings include a homemade chocolate truffle tart and brandied pumpkin apple soup with spicy pecans.
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MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM
Visit us in Bath
New Exhibit
Some Burdensome: Big Ships, Big Cargoes through June 28 sponsored by
Family activities include Crossing the Line event on March 20 with King Neptune and his court –music, food, storytelling and more
Open daily 9:30 – 5:00
School vacation camps, private events, special insider tours
Call for information (207) 443-1316
CUI S C E NE
Another interesting option is The Rack, a family-oriented pub full of skiing memorabilia. Here you might spot co-owner Seth Wescott, a boardercross champion who will be defending his gold medal at the 2010 Olympics. Try the slow-roasted BB ribs with the chef’s own St. Louis-style rub.
For a more sophisticated evening, kick back with a hot toddy or a warming glass of wine in the Double Diamond Steakhouse and Winebar of the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel by its large, inviting fieldstone fireplace. Its bar also offers a long list of martinis named for different ski runs. For dinner, apr s favorites include the charred Delmonico steak with bacon potato cakes the bistro filet with carameli ed onions, roasted red peppers, and roasted garlic, dri led with homemade teriyaki gla e and the lobster ravioli with seared sea scallops and shrimp in a pesto cream sauce.
At Sunday River in Bethel, the place to see and be seen, especially if you’re part of the snowboard set, is the Foggy Goggle, an eatery located in the South Ridge Base Lodge. Manager Clint Erwin claims the Goggle “is the number one most happening place in the U.S. for apr s-ski You can look right out of our huge windows and see the brand new chondolas combination chair-lift and gondola-like creations going up and down North Peak while you’re listening to live music like the reggae band Dani Tribesmen, or ack Tyler, a cra y 19 0s group with spande , long hair, and screamin’ guitars. Here you’re right in the middle of everything.” This is the perfect place to watch the scene, and you can en oy it all without ever touching a ski
Among the Goggle’s most popular drinks are the 2-ounce Goggle Grog, a mi of rum, fruit uices and cherries Peppermint Patty, a yummy blend of hot chocolate and Baileys mint li ueur enade, which is iced
Bullwinkle’s bacon-wrapped rabbit loin with wild mushrooms, mascarpone pumpkin purée, and a demi-glaze
Bullwinkle’s bacon-wrapped rabbit loin with wild mushrooms, mascarpone pumpkin purée, and a demi-glaze
tea spiked with raspberry and green tea liueurs and the warming Caramel Apple blend of apple vodka, caramel li ueur, and coffee. For eats, nachos are always a big hit with this gang, Erwin says, as well as the Downeast Lobster Mac & Cheese. “And we have a Cuban sandwich everyone loves. I’m originally a Florida boy, so I know about Cuban sandwiches,” he crows.
For a more upscale e perience literally up ride the chondola up the mountain for Dining at the Peak. This restaurant, perched atop North Peak, opens for dinner on Saturday nights only. Here, $99 per couple buys champagne, hors d’oeuvres, soup, salad, entrees such as roast duck with fig and shallot compote or sesame-seared tuna , dessert, and the chondola ride. “On a clear night, you can see skiers on the lighted trails,” says Darcy Liberty. “If you’re lucky enough to ride on an evening when there’s a full moon, it’s spectacular, and even picky gourmets would en oy the food.”
Saddleback Mountain in the Rangeley Lakes region of western Maine is a bit of a trek. But its Base Lodge, with what one fan called “a gigundo fireplace,” imaginative winter drinks, and appealing alpine scenery make the trip worthwhile for devoted n’apr s aficionados. This lodge, says Conrad lefos, Saddleback’s marketing director, “is traditional post-and-beam construction, with lots of stained wood and big windows that look out on Saddleback Mountain. It’s elegant, classic.”
Here the Family Secret that’s its name is the hot buttered rum. Other apr s favorites include the Dark Wi ard, a blend of Tuaca Italian li ueur, Godiva dark chocolate, and a splash of Baileys Irish Cream with hot chocolate or coffee and Frost Bite, a drink with Magellan gin, cucumber spirals, and tonic on the rocks. Saturday concerts in the fireplace room feature groups such as Ca un singer Steve Riley and his Mamou Playboys, or folk rocker Jonathan Edwards.
For a warming winter meal, try the brie fondue with fresh fruit and crusty bread, a homemade soup or chowder, the chargrilled fresh dough pi a, or the Friday night prime rib in the lodge’s pub, called the Swig ‘n Smelt. “Everything here is named for something to do with fishing,” lefos eplains. “It’s kind of weird but fun.” ■
>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.
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Worst Maine Wintah A Survivor’s Guide to the
“I
New Mainer at Wal-Mart’s checkout line:
know the black stuff in the parking lot is technically snow, but the pretty, fluffy, white snow I’ve always heard about–the real snow–that’s going to get here soon…isn’t it?”
There are people who aren’t suited to live up here during the deep free e, and I’m one of them, even though I’m a dyed-inthe-wool Mainer. Fortunately, it’s possible to buy insulated garments that keep heat in against your body and the cold out, and for countless people like me who can’t stand the cold, sensible winter clothing is the only thing that makes our ice capades up here tolerable. As early as the first of October, I’m already wearing fu y socks and warm, woolly, World War II Army Air Corps boots that keep my feet and ankles warm. I wear insulated pants over my dungarees. I put on a warm sweater, and on top of that my snowmobile suit. It goes without saying that I wear mittens and a knit watch cap that comes down over my ears. And, dressed like that, I can manage to stay toasty-warm and comfortable unless I have to go outdoors.
The difference between surviving a Maine winter and en oying a Maine winter has to do with
!EVAH
your genes. Give my brother Jim or Lawyer Crandall a smelt pole and they can stand in the free ing rain for hours with perfectly balmy hands, wearing nothing but a smile of contentment. They are Real Maine Men RMM . When it’s 20 below ero, RMM lounge outside Maine dance halls during intermission, wearing only dungarees and a Jimmy Parker T-shirt that says, “If you can’t stand Maine winters, you don’t deserve the summers.”
A wimpy man, however, can’t survive a Maine winter without a Type A woman like my wife Marsha, The Almost Perfect Woman, who generates heat summer and winter. On the coldest winter day
BY RO B E R T SKOGLUND
MAINE LIFE
I can stick my hand down the back of my wife’s shirt and warm an ice-cold hand on her sweaty back. Marsha says, “Oh, that feels good.” I say, “Oh, that feels good.” We have the ideal symbiotic relationship. Wide-eyed starter couples planning to survive 0 or more Maine winters should also seek out a mate with whom they’re genetically compatible.
If you’ve heard the old snow-removal ape that ends, “Harry plows deep” a variation on the vaudeville gag behind Eugene O’Neill’s play The Ice an Co eth ‘Has the
iceman come yet?” “No, but he’s breathing hard” you can understand why the cognoscenti in my socioeconomic class do whatever it takes to keep professional Maine snowplowmen out of our driveways.
But plowing on your own can also be epensive. A while back, my doctor says to me, “You’re lucky to spend the winter in Maine, where there is no stress.”
No stress in a Maine winter? Wouldn’t you like to see that doctor’s wife drag him out of bed at five o’clock some January morning when it’s two below ero? Wouldn’t you like to see him bundle up and head out to start his 19 diesel tractor the one with the plow but no cab on it? Wouldn’t you like to see him go out through a window because last night’s slush on the doorstep had turned into solid ice when the temperature dropped 0 degrees? And after spending an hour free ing his fingers while getting that old tractor with no heat plug started, wouldn’t you like to see that doctor try to move three feet of ice and snow in front of the garage door so his wife could get out and drive 0 miles to teach school? We’re speaking hypothetically, you understand. And then wouldn’t you like to hear
his wife yapping at him to take an a e and chop the ice off the doorstep so she, who is already half an hour late in leaving, can get out of the house without climbing out the window like he did? And after he’s knocked a corner off his granite doorstep and ruined his a e while chopping away the ice, can’t you see his wife stepping into a two-foot drift and getting snow in her boots because he hadn’t had time to shovel a path? Oh, wouldn’t you like to be there right then when he turns to his wife and says, “I love to winter in Maine, where there is no stress.”
I once fro e my nose while standing watch on the bow of the cutter Laurel between 2 and a.m. one January morning while running from Southwest Harbor to Moose Peak. Even before that, I worked in Russ Thomas’s garage where I fro e something else s uirming around on a snow bank while taking a rear end out of a school bus that wouldn’t fit into the garage.
So many of the cheerfully uninitiated, outfitted by L.L.Bean, who ip up hill and down dale on skis or snowmobiles have never really e perienced Maine winters or even begun to earn the second sight you get after making it to the other side of life’s black ice. So it comes down to this
Regardless of your fortunes, here’s a tip If you’re not bothered by the cold but simply can’t afford to live through another Maine winter, move in with your parents anyway. They’ll be glad to see you, and, when you move back to your own digs in the spring, you can make them a present of your pet dog or rabid cats.
How do most Maine natives get through a Maine winter? Ask master stonemason Jay Cook, and he’ll tell you “Denial.” ■
Robert Skoglund is better known as the humble Farmer. He hosts a weekly radio show. >> E-mail us at staff@portlandmonthly.com to share your own tales of Maine winters.
Helping You Stay Radiant Into the New Year
The West End’s
Exceptional Exception
Like sherbet between courses, 107 Vaughan Street stands out among the stately Colonial Revival homes that surround it.
Sometimes a little contrast is called for. Think of sea salt sprinkled on sweet caramel, or the one white iris among the many purple ones in an Gogh’s Les Iris. A contrast of flavors, or of colors, sharpens our perceptions of the elements of a composition. On aughan Street in Portland’s West End, a similar phenomenon is at work A contemporary house, newly refurbished and reinvented, stands out from its nineteenth-century brick and clapboard neighbors and the effect deepens our understanding of the West End.
Realtor John Hatcher describes the original owners of the house, Drs. Robert and Mary Morse, as “very green before green was green ” when they bought land in the West End they chose to build an ecological Acorn house rather than a copy of the John Calvin Stevens houses around it. Acorn Structures, founded in 19 , was one of the first companies to create what we know as “prefab” houses today. Whole sides of buildings were put together at their factory in Acton, Massachusetts, enabling a builder to put up an Acorn house in as little as a week. What appealed to the Morses, building their home so soon after the energy crisis of the 19 0s, was its efficiency. John Hatcher recalls, “They had a wood stove on the lower living level and were able to heat the whole house with wood with only a bit of backup from a natural-gas furnace.” The large win-
107 Vaughan Street’s transformation was spearheaded by architects Tom Daniels and Mike Richman of Custom Concepts.
dows that ran the length of the house were also designed to heat the house with passive solar energy. The interior was open plan, with plenty of une pected nooks and crannies there was even a darkroom for developing Mary Morse’s photographs included as part of the master suite.
The house suited the Morses perfectly “This was their dream home they loved the West End, loved walking to the hospital,” says Hatcher. But after Mary Morse died a do en years ago, the house’s beauty faded. The wood siding dulled. Already set back from the street unlike its neighbors trees and bushes grew up around it, making it almost invisible from aughan Street.
Enter Stephen Harvey. A builder for more than 20 years and a longtime resident of Raymond, he wanted to move to Portland to be closer to family members. He was also looking for a new pro ect, a challenge and he found it. When he first saw the house, he says, tactfully, “I knew it needed uite a bit of updating.” And while he appreciated its modern look, he knew some of his neighbors did not. “I heard from a couple of neighbors that they wished the house had never been built,” he says. So his goal was to walk a fine line “I tried to update the house stylishly, not to mimic the brick mansions but to do some things that would be palatable to the neighbors.”
The house has been transformed. Hatcher says admiringly, “This was a complete re-
do from stem to stern, and the workmanship and style are impeccable.”
As an e perienced builder, Harvey didn’t balk at taking the house down to the studs to achieve his vision “I didn’t find it daunting at all.” Like the Morses, Harvey is concerned about energy efficiency, so he took out all the interior walls in order to super-insulate the house. The e terior has been recovered in gleaming cedar, with copper flashing on the roof. He worked hard to make sure that the copper beech tree in the front yard which is one of the oldest in the state, according to Hatcher remained unharmed during construction. Now that the unruly bushes in front of the house have been tamed, the beech tree stands revealed, with the house peeking out from behind it.
The result is a parado The house draws attention to itself in its new incarnation, yet also blends more into the neighborhood. The contrast is subtle rather than arring. Now, instead of coming by to tell him they wished the house had never been built, Harvey says his neighbors have been generally positive about the changes he has made. “For months I’ve had people stopping by, happy I did fi it up,” he says. ■
Mason: Brian Bogdan B&B Masonry (Casco); general contractor: Black Birch Construction (Portland–all carpentry, roofing, finish work); architect: Custom Concepts, Tom Daniels/Mike Richman (Scarborough); plumbing: Bob Miles & Son (Freeport); electrician: Morellco Electric (Casco); painting: Swift & Swift Painting (South Portland); hardwood flooring: Atlantic Hardwoods (Portland); lighting: House Of Lights (Scarborough); tile/carpet: Paul G. White Interior Solutions; HVAC: HVAC Services (Westbrook); steel/metalwork: Pettingill-Ross Co. (Gorham); garage door: P.D.Q. Door, Inc. (Bath); windows/doors/lumber: Hancock Lumber; security: Cunningham Security (Yarmouth); insulation: Warm Tech Solutions (Yarmouth); glass: Glass and Mirror Services (Westbrook). >> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.
TROIANO WASTE SERVICES
Blade
Think you’re a bad girl? Then doncha need a pair of Tonya Harding autographed ice skates?
Imagine skating on Deering Oaks Pond in a pair of skates signed by risti Yamaguchi or Michelle wan. For you bad girls out there, how about lacing up some signed Tonya Hardings?
The Smithsonian Institute displays a star-spangled collection of skates used by Olympic stars, including speed skater Apolo Ohno’s. More easily obtained, however, are skates signed by the champions, and the results are not what one might guess. On eBay, a pair of skates signed by Harding can be yours for a mere $ 9.9 , practically what you might pay at Play It Again Sports for a previously-owned pair. Harding may have grabbed more headlines in her day, but Yamaguchi can claim that skates signed by her sell for a heftier $1 9.9 .
As with baseballs, the more signatures, the better. A pair of ice skates signed in 2002 by si gold medalists carried an eBay purchase price of $1, 00.
Run
If se uins aren’t your style, check out hockey skates. There isn’t a lot of original Bobby Orr merchandise out there, but if you find a pair of his game-used skates, e pect to pay $ ,000-10,000.
Collectors are more interested in the autograph and whose foot perspired in the skates during that critical triple lut than the uality of boot and blade. It’s unlikely that all those buyers of celebrity-autographed skates are taking them for a spin instead, they’re bagging them and watching them increase in value. Included in this group are Olympic collectors, a big group that focuses on sports e uipment associated with the Olympic Games.
Skates worn by the athletes are more valuable than ones merely signed by them. And the circumstances under which they were worn can be a difference of several thousands of dollars. Skates worn at a ma or competition trump gameused skates in other words, pairs cast aside during minor events
or everyday use.
The Smithsonian collection also includes the skates Brian Boitano wore when he won the gold medal at the 19 Lake Placid Olympic Games. They are unsigned, but evin Johnson, appraiser and owner of Sports Artifacts in Portland, Oregon, estimates they’re worth upwards of $10,000. “Olympic collectors remember that e act moment he threw up his arms,” he noted. “It’s all about the gold.”
“If they are to have any value in the future,” warns Johnson, “you need ironclad proof the skates were used by the athlete. A letter from the player it can’t get better than that.” He recommends purchasing skates and other sports memorabilia at charity events where the players themselves have donated the items with letters of authenticity and sometimes appear themselves.
If the visually beautiful is more to your liking, prices for anti ue ice skates run from $2 for manufactured or “common” clampon skates to $2,000 for a pair of rare handwrought 1 0 swan skates, which feature e aggerated swan silhouettes for the curl. Most 19-century, hand-wrought skates run in $ 0- 00. “They’re works of art,” said Russell Herner, the author of nti ue Ice Skates or the Collector and the country’s premier skate collector. ■
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.
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 or 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 family-friendly 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 Wednesday-Friday 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. Made-to-order paninis and wraps, soups, homebaked 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 WednesdaySaturday nights. For a real local feel, reasonable prices, and great food, check out either one or both! thedogfishcompany.com
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” beerbattered 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 *
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 games on multiple wide screen flat panel TVs. Featuring homemade pasta and bread, classic appetizers, soups, sandwiches, burgers; and
Lewiston’s snappy fish house is anything but run-of-the-mill.
Fish LovelyBones
Built in 1 0, Bates Mill is an architectural wonder of Maine, once drawing throngs of workers. Today, after a tasteful restoration of the comple , you still see lines of people here, but it’s largely crowds of diners heading for Mill No. and the bright lights of
Restaurant owner Paul Landry says he and his wife, ate, opened this companion to their steak house across the river in Auburn “because we thought Lewiston needed a really good fish restaurant, concentrating on a more upscale culinary presentation.”
Landry also embraced the chance to take part in the Lewiston-Auburn renaissance.
Warmed and welcomed immediately upon entering, we passed through a lively bar lounge and plunged into a great deal one pound of succulent clams steamed with garlic, herbs, and Geary’s ale, for ust $9.
Ama ing. Served with ample clarified butter, bread, and a huge bowl of broth, there was enough for four of us to dip contentedly without coming close to depleting the supply.
Sharing more apps like the Maine lobster crepes $10 and tomato herb tart $ proved taste tantali ing and not too filling. The crepes, filled with asparagus, carameli ed onion, and Fontina cheese, are covered in tender lobster meat and truffle oil a hit with all, as was the tart a fine, flaky pastry baked with rich ricotta, basil, and vine-ripe tomatoes.
Ne t up, a classic Caesar salad, included with our entrees delighted all with lots of shaved Parmesan and the perfect amount of anchovies.
In spite of fish ruling here clam chowder is a must on the ne t visit, as well as linguine with clams, red or white sauce $1 I surrendered to the delicious “Land and Sea,” a filet-
style Angus sirloin served with grilled sea scallops and shrimp $21 . Served rare per my re uest, the meat was tender and tasty enough for the cut, and the garlic mashed potatoes and ample veggies, including carrots and broccoli, provided perfect background music. The large shrimp and scallops two of each topped it off nicely.
The fish and chips do not resemble any we’ve ever seen, the haddock served, towerlike, over garlic mash, baby spinach, and mushrooms, and topped with a few crispy potatoes $1 . My partner devoured the entire dish with gusto.
70 Lincoln Street, Lewiston
Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch (now till June) 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 3333663 or www.fishbonesag.com
The swordfish one of us ordered $2 , a special of the day, was as good as it gets, fresh and flavorful, and a large portion as well.
Then, too, the plate of grilled sea scallops $20 accompanied by ample asparagus, a warm salsa of mango and cilantro, and a delightful green onion citrus couscous won kudos from all.
Thoroughly impressed, we couldn’t resist continuing the fun with a couple of fine desserts blueberry cobbler with homemade ice cream and chocolate ganache cake $ each .
Bottom line You can feast heartily at Fish Bones on a bare bones budget Net result? A great evening. ■
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 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 locally-produced 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 loose-leaf 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. No reservations required for shopping. jacquelinestearoom.com, 865-2123
Jameson Tavern, with a casual bar, lounge & dining room. The building is the site of the signing of the 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, 7749398.
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 Tuesday-Saturday, $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 MondayTuesday 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
One Dock o ers creative, contemporary, New England Cuisine and traditional Maine favorites in a relaxed setting overlooking the Kennebunk River. The menu o ers “small plates” such as duck spring rolls, atbread signature pizzas, pan-seared scallops in a maple glaze, and the lobster and chipotle cheddar macaroni & cheese, which are proving to be fan favorites. Wednesday-Saturday 6-9 p.m. 967-2621 or onedock.com
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, wheatfree, 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, 347-3000 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 awardwinning 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 5-10:30 p.m., 780-0880
*reservations recommended
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A sport in which one excels by lying down doesn’t seem very challenging, but rocketing down ice chutes at 100 miles per hour easily makes Maine’s Olympic USA Luge‘s Julia Clukey a champion.
Just Don’t Call Her The Biggest Luger
Just Don’t Call Her The Biggest Luger
INTERVIEW BY WALKER MATTHEWS
What’s the correct term for a person in your sport? Luger? Lugist? Lugite? Lugie? Luger is the proper term, but we prefer “slider.”
When Slider Search came to Portland in 1998 looking for luge talent–shades of American Idol–you showed up for auditions. Why?
Growing up, we used to slide down Winthrop Hill in Augusta, a ten-minute walk from my house. Slider Search took place ne t to Holiday Inn on Spring Street in Portland. I was so young and wide-eyed. There was something about the speed and adrenaline that ust grabbed me right away. We spent two hours taking runs down the hill [past Cumberland County Civic Center] through cone courses. After that, we did a series of physical tests pull ups, long umps, fle ibility and then we got a free T-shirt.
Now you have an Olympic uniform, having just been named to the U.S. Luge team headed for Vancouver. Tell us about the moment the news reached you in Lillehammer, Norway, during World Cup competition that you’d made the squad.
I had a split-second of over-the-moon e citement, but my thoughts uickly went to changing my flight so that I could get back to Lake Placid as soon as possible. All of my hard work over the past ten years was paying off I remember walking through JF and seeing an ad for Omega, the official timekeeper of the Olympics. It’s funny, but I think that’s the moment it hit me most.
TV audiences are still watching reruns of comedian Stephen Colbert’s excursion with the U.S. Bobsled Team, which he compared to “being hit in the head with ice hammers” and “losing the worst snowball fight of your life.” How might someone like Colbert describe an intense luging?
I think he’d compare it to riding down a 0-story fro en water slide,
only there are no walls to keep you in. Or simply driving a car 100 miles per hour and then throwing the steering wheel out the window, since we only use our body and weight to steer the sled.
We’ve heard about your dramatic recovery from knee surgery for a torn meniscus recently. Then all of a sudden you’re winning the USA Luge women’s start championship. How was that possible?
I was back on the sled after two weeks, although I was on crutches for five. I’d crutch out to the start, and my teammates would help me with my sled and e uipment. I also slid with a knee brace to stabili e my MCL and knee up until the first World Cup [in Calgary, November 20-21].
My recovery e ercises include leg press, single-leg s uats, leg e tensions, and a lot of stabili ing balance work. I’ve had to rebuild my strength in my glutes, hamstring, and uads. As far as actually sliding goes, the knee is relatively unimportant. A lot of the steering comes from your core and shoulders.
So, what’s the Breakfast of Luge Champions?
Fruit, three eggs, and steel-cut oatmeal. For lunch I usually have a large salad and either a sandwich or pasta I’d say lunch is usually my biggest meal of the day. For dinner I have some sort of protein usually fish or other seafood and pasta. Pasta is my favorite food I eat it for at least one meal a day. I don’t eat any red meat I eat fish, seafood, and chicken. My guilty food is ice cream and Dr Pepper.
What about strength exercises?
I lift weights four days a week weighted pull-ups, bench press, and rows, as well as smaller e ercises for individual muscle groups. All of this is for the start, which is very important it’s the only time that you are accelerating yourself on the track.
Twice a week I do sprints under 100 meters, twice a week I do agility workouts, and I do a core workout every day, for body control and coordination.
Is there a Zen exhortation about luging, where you try to “be your sled”? Or does your sled try to be you?
You definitely want to try to be your sled, in that you want to create as little friction as possible while going down the track to ma imi e your speed. You never really
want your sled to become you, because that most likely means it’s now on top of you due to a crash, and you’re riding facefirst on the ice.
Tell the truth–in competition or in practice, have you ever, for any reason, taken a cell call on a luge?
I’ve never taken a phone call while sliding, although I know some of the freestyle skiers used to have their helmets hooked up via Bluetooth. I’ve taken my iPod down before but only during training, after the competitive season has finished.
MAINERS AT THE OLYMPICS
Athletes selected at press time for the 2010 U S.A. Winter Olympic with connections to Maine.
BIATHLON
Lowell Bailey, 28, Saranac, NY (trained at Maine Winter Sports Center in Caribou)
Lanny Barnes, 27, Durango, CO (trained at MWSC)
Tracy Barnes, 27, Durango, CO (Trained at MWSC)
Grace Boutot, 19, Fort Kent
Tim Burke, 28, Paul Smiths, NY (trained at MWSC)
Russell Currier, 22, Stockholm
Haley Johnson, 28, Lake Placid, NY (trained at MWSC)
Andrea Mayo, 19, Wallagrass
Hilary McNamee, 20, Ft. Fairfield
Walt Shepard, 27, Yarmouth
Laura Spector, 22, Lenox, MA (trained at MWSC)
Jeremy Teela, Medway, UT (trained at MWSC)
Meagan Toussaint, 22, Madawaska
ALPINE SKIING
Bode Miller, 32, Franconia, NH (trained at Carrabassett Valley Academy)
FREEST YLE SKIING/AERIALS
Emily Cook, 30, Belmon, MA (trained at CVA)
SNOWBOARD CROSS
Seth Wescott, 33, Farmington
Where are your favorite, and least favorite, places to luge?
My favorite place to slide is nigssee. I en oy nigssee because the track is very uni ue from top to bottom. It has a certain flow to it so that when you have a good run, it almost feels like a dance. The track is in southern Germany, and you’re surrounded by the Alps and ama ing scenery. My favorite place to compete is Lake Placid, because there is nothing like being able to share my passion with my friends and family.
My least favorite place is Sigulda, Latvia. It’s a very damp place, and the sun seems to never shine there.
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What are the best 30 seconds in your luge, I mean, sliding career? Worst 30 seconds?
I’ll never forget my fifth-place finish at the World Cup in nigssee [in 200 ]. It was my first World Cup race in over a year and a half, because I kept missing the team, and it [proved to me] that all the training I’d done had paid off my first taste that I was moving in the right direction.
The worst 0 seconds of my luge career are repeated every year when I return to Calgary. This was the last place my dad, who passed away in 200 , saw me compete and slide, and it’s a memory that sticks with me every time I return there.
What is the first thing you do when you return to Maine?
Sleep. For a long time. I always sleep the best when I’m home in Maine. [It’s a great visit when I can] eat mussels and lobster, visit the coast [and] hit up the Goldenrod candy store in York Beach. I like to spend as much time with my mom [at our home in Augusta] and sisters as possible. In the winter and late spring I try to get a few days of skiing in.
Profile a slider for us.
You can’t have any fear, and you have to en oy going really fast. The track in ancouver e ceeds 90 miles per hour for the women, and the men have reached speeds ust under the 100-mph mark. [I think a lot of lugers are non-conformists, too.] I really was ust lucky that I found something I was so passionate about at a young age. And I mean, who really wouldn’t want their professional attire to be a full-body spande suit?
Are there any jokes about lugers? What’s your favorite? The most common oke is that if you say “luger” fast, it sounds like “loser.” But to be honest, it wasn’t funny the first time, and now it’s ust annoying whenever I hear it.
Well, we’ll just have to make sure nothing like “There may be only one winner, but we’re all lugers here” slips into the end of the story… ■
>> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images and up-to-date rosters of Maine’s Olympic representation.
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Working It continued ro page way to timing and possible competitors.
“In March 200 , I got wind that several other groups with identical business models had interest in the space.” They included Higher Ground, a venture out of Burlington, ermont, and a local group headed by SPACE gallery founder Todd Bernard. “Once I verified that both parties really did have [immediate] interest, I worked uickly to secure the lease and closed the deal on the tenth of April 200 .”
The balance of April “was spent meeting with Todd Bernard’s group and trying earnestly to work out some type of partnership, to no avail.”
Daring to go it alone, Evon and his team have en oyed an impressively successful first year.
“Bookings have been great Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Neko Case, They Might Be Giants, Ween, The English Beat. A lot of venues would be reciting that type of list of names after a decade in business, not after year one ”
Almost from the start, “there’s been a great bu about PCMH spreading within the touring artist community. Bands coming here can e pect comfortable accommodations, professional staff, state-of-theart e uipment.”
The greatest validation came from Derek Trucks, virtuoso guitarist for the Allman Brothers, who was in the first flush of headliners. “While he was here, he got a phone call from Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes. I’ll never forget hearing him say, ‘Warren, there’s a great new room up here in Portland you should check it out ’ And it’s been that way ever since, with people in the industry sharing the news with each other. The word spreads uickly, and we’ve already had some of our biggest artists re uest return engagements. This also has to do with the vibe of the city, the great local music scene, and supportive fans.”
Many of whom are local, not global. “I get constant feedback about how much fans love PCMH, how badly it was needed, and lots of thank yous for bringing top uality nationally touring musicians back up here. Out of 29, 00-plus tickets sold this past year, I can count the number of written complaints on my hands ”
Then there’s the collateral celebrity effect. “Port City, hands down, no doubt in my
C. Walton,“Pumpkin Island Light”, 16" x 20", oil
mind, was the catalyst for the conversion of The Stadium into Binga’s Wingas, and they’ve improved their half of the building tremendously. Combined, these improvements add up to at least a million in renovations. Factor in our ticket holders, who go out to dinner at Shay’s, David’s, Margaritas, Binga’s, . They get hotel rooms at The Eastland Park, Holiday Inn by the Bay, and the Portland Harbor Hotel. They support our neighborhood’s retail shops and municipal parking garages. I’ve spoken with realtors whose clients have purchased condos downtown because of the nightlife Port City Music Hall provides. It is tough to put a value on it, but I assure you it is high.”
But isn’t there a bottom line somewhere? Up until now, local entertainment has been among the first to take the hit in hard times. Evon is e ually candid here
“By the end of our first ten months, I had appro imately $ 0,000 in ticket receipts and $ 00,000 in food and beverage sales. These figures are good considering it’s our first year in business and the difficult economy. We’re pretty much on target with our e penses, but my pro ections are off a bit when it comes down to spending per person. Fans are still buying tickets to shows, but the days of everyone running a $ 0 bar tab and buying a CD and T-shirt on the way out the door are over.
“The first two years are really the ‘getthe-word-out’ period, building our customer base and avoiding negative cash flow. If all goes according to plan, we’ll reach breakeven after year five, leaving us 1 years of lease options to turn a profit. I’m in for the long haul.”
Regrets? He has a few. “One of the biggest is not having the fa ade and sign done in time for our grand opening. The renovations went over budget, and all available capital was directed at the interior. I still get half a do en calls per week asking, “‘Where are you located?’”
This will be remedied later this year, as PCMH is participating in the City of Portland Housing and Urban Development faade improvement grant program. “We’ve ust been awarded over $1 k in grant money toward our $ ,000 facade pro ect total.
Then, too, “business-wise, I regret not sourcing more capital. I put this together on a shoestring budget. If I’d had more capital at inception, the renovations would have been done uicker, a me anine level would e ist,
increasing capacity by 0 tickets, and the maruee would have been up when we wanted it up. Some other bells and whistles had to be cut, including billiard tables and a live A feed to the basement lounge level.”
Of course, one hotly contested and muchdiscussed issue is the venue’s li uor license, coming from the city with an une pected set of regulations.
“I’d initially planned on receiving an auditorium license, allowing an 1 audience and a greater cash infusion in these critical first years of operation. But, the license issued by the City of Portland only allows for a 21 audience. This has a large impact on our ticket sales. With unlimited capital, I’d have appealed the li uor licensing agencies’ decision, and I’m confident we’d have been successful in the appeal. We may appeal the decision this year when we renew, but it’s unlikely as I don’t want to rock the boat ”
For Port City Music Hall’s sophomore year, Evon says, “I’d like to find someone interested in e clusive concessions rights. We have some space for a kitchen and are currently e ploring options. I’ve never run a kitchen or worked in a restaurant and don’t particularly want to. But I’d like to offer an e panded food menu to our guests and increased food sales will help the bottom line.
“From an operations standpoint, we’re pushing to be open more regularly. Finding creative ways to use the space, offering private event rentals, and increasing our concert bookings will all be key to fewer dark nights.”
The venue has successfully marketed the front lounge and downstairs rooms for events such as ris Clark’s sell-out oot reunion, the th Annual SnowBall, and dance parties hosted by a stable of local DJs.
Local band Marie Stella haunts Center Street near the Civic Center en route to Port City Music Hall.
Even with a room full of happy patrons, it is a tenuous tightrope walk between taste-making and trend-following. Maybe Evon’s greatest achievement is the guts he shows in looking beyond regional formulas to understand the city’s deeper, unepressed needs.
“If I were following trends in Portland [alone], I’d turn into a cover band club. I find it uite curious that with all the great local music talent in town, the biggest local weekly event is cover music. I think it deteriorates Portland’s image as an industry town with a thriving local music scene when fans stop demanding original music. It changes the whole vibe. It becomes ust another bar with a band in the corner.”
Evon replies enthusiastically when asked for his wish list of e citing performers he hopes to lure to Portland in the ne t two years “J.J. Cale, Cale ico, the Susan Tedeschi Derek Trucks new collaboration, Gov’t Mule, Adele, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Railroad Earth, Trey Anastasio, Paige McConnell, Wu Tang Clan, and Avett Brothers. We may look to present some of these artists into larger venues such as the Maine State Pier or Merrill Auditorium.” ■
Todd M. Richard is a freelance writer musician who can be seen DJing a monthly residency with WePushButtons at Port City Music Hall. Upcoming events at PCMH include: The New Deal, January 20; Darien Brahms, January 26; Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper, February 2; Dilly Dilly, February 2; Marie Stella, February 9; Haru Bangs, February 9; Boo Tiddy, February 16; Montroller, February 16; This Way, February 23; Jacob Augustine, March 2; Dreamosaic, March 16; Cyborg Trio, March 16; By Blood Alone, March 23; and Ocean, March 23. >> Visit Online Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.
For $3.8 million, dare to be king and queen of mystical East Sebago as owners of this legendary 100-acre retreat.
Empress The of EastEmpressSebago The of East Sebago
Dorothy Spaulding was a showgirl, and so is her house. After falling in love with her millionaire future husband, she e perienced the thrill of watching their romantic getaway, Rockcraft Lodge, take shape from 191 to 1920 on 100 pristine acres with 0 feet of frontage on Sebago Lake.
Leon C. Spaulding had snapped up the enviable address now styled No. 1 U.S. Route 11 in Sebago for ust $1 an acre.
Winters were spent at the Park Pla a Hotel in New York, in a year-round apartment overlooking Fifth Avenue and Central Park. Note to golddiggers It doesn’t hurt if your paramour has a turnpike in New Hampshire named for his family, who’s amassed a fortune developing Spaulding Fiber Co.
Here in Maine, 2 Italian stonemasons converged to create Rockcraft out of “stone walls from all over the countryside,” according to a lively history of the property by Cynthia J. Goheen.
Among their fanciful legacies is a pair of matched granite fireplaces bookending the 0-foot salon facing the lake. “Tourmalines, garnets, uart , and mica are embedded into each fireplace” to make them sparkle, says listing agent Carrie Colby from Premier Properties of Naples.
The visiting stonemasons were certainly entertained during their stay. According to Goheen, one “summer day, E. Sebago had one of its famous, e ceedingly dramatic thunderstorms. Work had not uite come to a halt when there was a flash of lightning followed by a deafening crash. Nicholas Richio, master stonemason, fainted dead away and had to be carried off the site. This amused the local workmen, who apparently were accustomed to the theatricality of Lake Sebago weather.”
“Since 19 , the house has been owned by United Church of Christ,” Colby says. “Cheverus High School,” among other UCC members, regularly hold retreats here. Prospective buyers include parties “who dream of making this a place like Migis Lodge.”
Listed for $ . million today after never being offered for sale for more than $1 before due to uirks of probate, generosity, and ta monkey business , “it’s the biggest parcel for sale on Sebago Lake in ages, including a chauffeur’s cottage, carriage house [once home to a French limousine and a Pierce Arrow, according to Goheen], and boathouse [their 0-foot yacht was lost in the Hurricane of 19 , Goheen writes],” all trimmed e uisitely in granite.
We’re not finished. “There’s a crypt with Dorothy and Leon buried inside,” Colby says without skipping a beat. Usually you ust get the cat
Ta es for 2009 were $0. ■
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Jefferson - This beautiful brick home has many features. irst- oor be room with bath, open kitchen, living an ining area, a formal living an ining room, -car garage an a fabulous view of Damariscotta Lake! $250,000
Jefferson - This cozy home is awaiting your finishing touches! But the waterfront is ready now for your favorite activities - fish, canoe, kayak while you make this lovely waterfront home your own$223,400
Jefferson - Quiet and private waterfront home on Dyer Long Pond. This home has 2 bedrooms, 2 lofts, two-car-garage, and lawn that trails to the water $299,900
Pittston - What a beautiful lot bor ere on two si es by the astern iver locate in a real Maine rural village within walking istance of the general store. well-maintaine s cape inclu es chimneys, eck, porch, garage, with 4 acres of open backyar . $174,500
Windsor - This 44+/acre parcel inclu es acres of open el . itting on this parcel of lan is a privately locate Maple Leaf single-wi e home for you to live in while buil ing your rural
Private Seaside Drive
Tranquil Setting
Jefferson - Truly a beau-
New e N g la N D homes l
SHELDON SLATE is a family-owned business with four generations of experience. We mine and manufacture our own slate products from our own quarries. The range of our colors will complement any kitchen or bath. Our slate is heat-resistant, non-porous and non-fading. It has a polished/honed nish and is very low maintenance. Let us help you design and build a custom sink, countertop, or vanity. Custom inquires are handled through the Monson, Maine, division.
furniture . fabrics . wallcoverings
rockport, maine . chatfielddesign.com
IIDA . 207 - 236 - 7771
Five acres of landscaped, level land off Oak Ledge Road in Cundy’s Harbor, enhanced by 600' of deepwater frontage with dock, provide privacy and magnificent southeasterly water views for this unique, custom-designed Cape that fits right into its New England seaside setting. We must advise you, however, that the view from the water (above) promises contemporary accents also that will surprise and delight. For instance, there is a central chimney that serves a double fireplace opening to the two-story living room and first-floor master bedroom, another fireplace in the upstairs guest room, and a third in a brick wall in the kitchen that also includes openings for a woodstove and pizza oven. This intriguing property is priced at $995,000.
Two adjacent lots with deepwater frontage on the eastern point of the High Head Peninsula have recently been made available. They are shown in the aerial photograph above between the property with the private dock and the one at the end of the point. Each is 1.84 AC with an elevated home site. The southernmost lot has 309' of water frontage and is priced at $795,000. The other includes 212' of frontage and is priced at $725,000. Each includes private yacht club privileges and spectacular views of Harpswell Sound to open ocean.
Portland Back Cove Views
Lovely 1920’s Colonial just steps to Back Cove. 4BR, 2+BTH, abundant period details/built-ins, quality updates from baths to kitchen. Energy ef cient with new Pella windows, insulation, and more. $524,900 MLS # 950874
Portland
Historic Townhouse
Rare West End 3,000+ sf 5 BR, 2.5 BTH, 2 replace, single family w/ retained details, true move-in condition. Restored & updated w/ new: kitchen, baths, ef cient heat & much more. Call for a private tour. $694,900 MLS # 954804
Portland
Manhattan-Style
Loft Condo
Ultra-Rare & Chic West End 4,100+sf, 5BR, 4BTH condo. Open oor plan, cathedral ceilings, skylights, security, 1-car grg & 2-car pkng! Lives like home w/out hassles. $1,250,000 MLS# 944103
SPECIALIST : Greater Portland and Coastal Southern Maine
SERVICE : The very best client service
EXPERIENCE : Over 15 years of real estate expertise
SURE SELL SERVICES : Home improvement, cleaning, and staging
FULL SERVICE : 1st time buyers, relocations, and those buying & selling at the same time
ACCESSIBLE : Available to show any home at any time, days, nights, and weekends
MARKETING : Industry’s best marketing & advertising
RESULTS : 80% of my listings sell in 90 days
&
Hunting Season Hunting Season
shuffling in place and blowing into his hands. Molloy, his fianc e Lynn’s father, turned up the street and eased his E plorer to a stop. Henry winced, thinking of the half-hour ride. Their first time alone together. It was warm in the front seat, but pipe smoke choked him, and Bob, Molloy’s black lab, slobbered the side of his face. Molloy coughed, his narrow, washed-out face, wi ened into a beak, pecking forward. He pointed across the street as they approached Longfellow S uare at a pink, plastic sheep wearing reindeer antlers in someone’s apartment window.
“We’re looking at a deal on the Bank of America building,” Molloy said, still scowling up Pine Street. “I thought we could use a construction man’s perspective.”
They both knew the only thing Henry knew about construction was how to nail-gun two-by-fours and knock shit down with a sledgehammer. Why bring it up again? Maybe Lynn had called her father. When it came to her father Deacon Molloy, fundraiser for the renovated steeple , she had no checkpoint between her thoughts and what came out of her mouth, especially with gems like this “I’m pregnant,” she had whispered to Henry while they were at Dewey’s last Saturday. The words had made no sense the first time, but the second time she said it, yes, he sat up and stared at the line of her aw.
Not long after they crossed the bridge, strings of houses gave way to open marshes and winding estuaries whose dark waters rippled with the ebbing tide. This was a spot, between Portland and Old Orchard Beach, which still remained wild in the possession of a few landholders Molloy knew well.
Molloy pulled off the road onto the shoulder near a bridge and parked the car. Outside, he handed Henry the darker shotgun. They loaded their gear into the canoe and moved into the flow taking them deeper into the marsh. Henry wanted to turn around and say that sometimes he didn’t love Lynn, but that often, more often than not, he did, and that sometimes, maybe more often than he would admit, he ust didn’t know. Instead, he rested his paddle across the gunwales as they passed a narrowing slough, the reeds enclosing like hands. Molloy beached them and signaled for Henry to climb out on the bank, where they settled on a patch of muddy ground and crouched beneath the sky.
Bob’s breath steamed, his eyes staring straight into the folds of reeds.
“There’s one thing I’m not sure I understand about you, though,” Molloy said, but before he could finish, Henry stood straight up. A white flash sliced across the blue sky. Henry traced the beating wings with the end of the barrel and fired. And the bird was gone. He ga ed over the reeds, which shifted with the wind combing its way inland, and rested his eyes on the flickering ripples of the estuary.
“That was a sea gull,” Molloy said, pipe clenched in his teeth. Bob vanished into the reeds and returned a moment later to drop the gull at their feet. Its one wing slapped the mud while its beak strained open.
Molloy pushed the bird underwater. The tip of the dirty wing stirred in the air as small bubbles rose and popped on the surface. Finished, he tossed the bird like a dirty rag on the opposite bank and then raised his hands, palms up. They were remarkably clean and pale.
“Do you have anything you want to say?” Molloy grumbled.
Henry shook his head. “I think I’ve said enough,” he said. ■
The Telling Room
Greater Portland’s Community Writing Center
•Free workshops for students ages 6 to 18
•Upcoming classes for adults on comic book writing, secrets of the book publication process, and travel writing
Jason Brown is the author of Driving the Heart and Other Stories (W. W. Norton & Company) and Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work (Open City Books). A professor of English at the University of Arizona, he interned with Portland Magazine in the summer of 1989.
MAINE RED CLAWS HOME OPENER AT PORTLAND EXPO IN PORTLAND, from left: 1. Lady Red Claws dancers 2. Jeff Marks, Danielle Marks 3. Jack Quirk, Jon Jennings 4. Jaime Cousens, June Usher 5. Matt Rothman, Brianna Rothman
VICTORIA MANSION ANNUAL GALA IN PORTLAND, from left: 1. Bob Gorstein, Sara Gorstein, Martin Lodish, Kristin Schardt 2. Angela Dexter, Jennifer Long 3. Cindy Bolles, John Hatcher, Alexa Oestreicher, Julie Corey
DOWNTOWN PORTLAND CORPORATION 2009 ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARDS AT UNE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY IN PORTLAND, from left: 1. DPC President Andy Nelson, Michael Taylor, Jennifer Sporzynski 2. Tom Manning, Lori Paulette 3. Nelle Hanig, Barry Sheff 4. Mayor Jill Duson, City Manager Joe Gray, Dr. Danielle Ripich, Gary Goodrich, Corson Ellis 5. Dr. Brian Dallaire, Dr. Marc Hahn, Kathleen Taggersell, 6. Shawna Chigro-Rogers, Economic Development Director Greg Mitchell
