Portland Monthly Magazine - December 2022

Travelers from all over the world visit Downeast Maine for its natural beauty and relaxed quality of life. You can plan your stay at West Quoddy Station for a comfortable itinerary. Visit lighthouses, sight and photograph seals and eagles, go on a whale watch, hike, birdwatch, picnic or enjoy the vistas from one of our decks. There are opportunities for art, music, photography and yoga. West Quoddy Station offers many ways to create your personal Quoddy Vacation.

Controller JENNIFER LORD

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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Portland Magazine, aka Portland Monthly Magazine, is published by Sargent Publishing, Inc. Repeat Internet rights are understood to be purchased with all stories and artwork. For questions regarding advertising, invoicing, and payments, call Jennifer Lord at 775-0101.

Newsstand Cover Date: December 2022 (ISSN: 1073-1857).

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. All photography has been enhanced for your enjoyment.

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&Caribou Of Reindeer

What ’ s the deal with reindeer and caribou?

I must have been thinking out loud with Alexa eavesdropping, because she interrupted my train of thought with, “I can’t find any deals on reindeer and caribou.”

Let the holiday games begin.

Reindeer, as they’re known in Europe (from Old Norse) are called caribou (derived from the Mi'kmaq word γalipu) in North America. According to Wikipedia, both refer to “a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. is includes both sedentary and migratory populations.”

Are reindeer and caribou identical cousins?

Yes! A caribou is the same critter (from creature) as the reindeer: both are the same and only species in the genus Rangifer. Caribou, being wild, would play the irrepressible Patty in the 1960s sitcom e Patty Duke Show Reindeer are domesticated, so that would make them the re ned Cathy.

How many of each are here in the U.S.?

“At present there are about 42,000 reindeer in sixteen private and two government Alaskan herds but less than a dozen caribou is all that remains in the United States today. And the Canadian population…continues to shrink as well.” (Note to self: turn o Alexa when you’re reading a story back to yourself.)

Alexa: “Resuming e Blind Assassin.”

New York Times, “ e last caribou from a native Maine herd was sighted on mile-high Mount Katahdin in 1908. In 1963 two dozen caribou were released in Baxter State Park in northern Maine. All of them disappeared because of poaching, disease, predators, and natural dispersal, biologists believe.” Another attempt failed in 1990.

I nally give in and ask Alexa if the proper name for the o spring of a caribou and a reindeer is “carideer” or “reinbou.”

“Sorry, I don’t have an answer to that.”

See you in (hoof) print. And happy holidays!

For Now And Ever

A Most Unusual Gift of Love

BLUEBIRDS ON MY SHOULDER

I'm going to send [“Senses & Sensibility,” December 2021] to my friend who also had COVID. She was at a market and could smell the Christmas trees. She was so excited—that's one of the best smells there is!

Susan Porter, Bu alo, NY

BEGINNING AGAIN

I read “Senses & Sensibility” last night and this morning again. We so o en take everything for granted. Losing those particular senses a er COVID has been a horrible experience, but the road to full recovery sounds promising. Beautiful words about Eddie [Fitzpatrick].

Steve Mavin, Ore eld, PA

MOST INTRIGUING

THE POEM READS:

Jenny Van West, Portland

ETERNAL FLAME

ank you so much for such wonderful details of Jean and Dan [Fogelberg]’s private world [“Wild Child,” April 2010]. What a blessing to all of us who are Dan’s fans! So much they experienced in such a short time, as if they both lived 100 lifetimes in just one.

Louis Valentino, Waterford, CT

KEEPIN’ IT REAL

I have always loved Dan’s music. rough Jean’s beautiful words I see more and more the real Dan, and it makes me love both of them more and more.

Leslie ompson, Ripley, OH

We’d love to hear from you!

Send your letters, comments, or quips to editor@portlandmonthly.com or message us on Facebook.

Dear Reader,

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“There is no moment of my life when you are not a part of me; you hold my heart; you guard my soul; you guide my dreams so tenderly. And if my will might be done, and all I long for could come true, with perfect joy I would choose to share eternity with you.”

Navigating Sexton

Anne Sexton (1928-1974) grew up spending summers on Squirrel Island in Southport, at a family retreat owned by her maternal grandparents (her father was a Newton, Massachusetts, wool exec.). rilling readers with her verse (“Love and a cough cannot be concealed./Even a small cough./Even a small love.”) the poet/model won the 1967 Pulitzer for Live or Die years a er workshopping with fellow Maine poet Robert Lowell. A er decades struggling with mental illness, she took her own life in an idling car a er a divorce.

Silver Anniversary

December marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Titanic, with South Portland’s own SS Jeremiah O’Brien in the title role. The Liberty ship still floats at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, where she stood in for the spooky steampunk engine scenes below deck. All brass and shine, they drive the movie. She’s named for Irish-American Revolutionary War captain Jeremiah O’Brien (1744–1818), born in Kittery and buried in Machias. She was built in 56 days and launched for $2M in 1943. The $200M movie has grossed $2.2B so far. How much was Jeremiah O’Brien paid to be a “stunt double”? Shipkeeper Phil O’Mara says, “I’ll never forget it. James Cameron gave us $10,000. We asked for a credit too. He said, ‘Okay, but that’ll cost you $10,000.’” George Lucas Industrial Light and Magic was more gracious. “He gave us credit for the engine sounds.”

Have We Met Before?

Keen-eyed Colby College admissions counselor Will Sideri ’20 was hoping for a KitchenAid mixer when he popped into an estate sale in Waterville on a whim. Instead, reports Artnet, he spotted a page from the Beauvais Missal, a 13th-century illuminated manuscript he recognized from a Medieval literature course he’d taken at Colby, and scooped up the single leaf of vellum worth $5,000–$10,000 for the sticker price of $75

FRANKEN-FUNGUS

Meet the terrestrial counterpart to one of our favorite crustaceans, the “Shrimp of the Woods,” a parasitic combination of Entoloma and honey mushrooms. Truly a tasty example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

Flaming Shame

Welcome to the Case of the Bafing Beach House. When “Pebbledene”—built in 1896 and named for the small stones on nearby beaches—caught fre at 99 Freeman Street in York on May 13, the town couldn’t reach the owner, a limited partnership in Nevada. There’s 2022 in a nutshell. Ironically, the classic Victorian cottage was built for Eliot native Edwin Rogers, president of Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company of New England.

CA Smith Photography

Brea McDonald Photography

Emilie Inc.

r Brea McDonald Photogaphy Brea McDonald Photography

Ordinary No

Dear, is there something you need to tell me?

BY GWEN THOMPSON

Cue the Hollywood romantic pairing of a woman in her mid-twenties with a man twice her age. The previously widowed Susan Blanchard Russwurm is already caring for four children (three from her first marriage and a newborn), only to find her new husband is on his deathbed—and he has a bombshell to share. Now what? Bankruptcy? Bigamy? Syphilis? Did the mysterious Jamaican boy whose education in Quebec he’d been underwriting flash into her mind?

All we know for certain is that when her husband acknowledged his paternity in extremis, she took young John Brown Russwurm straight into her heart. And it wasn’t just any teenager the 26-year-old welcomed into her Portland home, sight unseen.

John Brown Russwurm, Class of 1826, was Bowdoin College’s first African-American graduate and the third African-American graduate from any U.S. college, according to bowdoin.edu. He was the co-founder of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper in America. He later became the governor of Maryland in Liberia . And he was one of us—a Mainer. The white frame farmhouse on 75 acres in Back Cove where his stepmother’s act of courage transpired still stands (see “Across the Street from Cheverus...Portland’s AnteBellum Brady Bunch,” Summerguide 1997).

According to his friend and colleague Dr. James Hall in “Monument to Governor Russwurm,” when Susan Waterman Goold Blanchard Russwurm learned of her husband’s child born out of wedlock, she “decided, at once, to adopt

WIKICOMMONS

the boy into her family, and he was immediately sent for.”

THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE “From that time, I tried to act the part of a friend and mother,” she wrote to Hall. Her husband’s death a few months later left his son “entirely dependent on me, and for two years after his father’s death he continued in my family, and went to school about half of the time. It was rather difficult at that time to get [him] into a good school where he would receive an equal share of attention...and this I was very particular should be the case.”

But in the financial maelstrom after her

husband died, Susan “had much difficulty in settling the estate, and most of the legacy to him was lost.” More than a decade later, she would still be disputing her late husband’s estate with his Tennessee nephew, John S. Russwurm, objecting in 1826 to his seizing: “the last cent I ever expected to get out of your uncle’s estate...I have taken...pains to explain it to you...for I cannot think you mean to wrong me or mine. Therefore I write in full confidence that you will restore to me my right.”

No doubt shaken and possibly disillusioned about his vanishing prospects, her stepson determined to return to the land of his birth. “The sorrow he expressed at parting with my children, particularly his infant brother, showed how strongly he was attached to us all,” Susan wrote to Hall. If circumstances had been different, “He

said ‘...I would never leave your family, but I think it is best for me to go.’” However, “When he got to Jamaica, he was very unhappy, not nding any of his father’s friends alive whom he hoped would assist him in getting an education. He wrote me a sorrowful letter, which I answered immediately.”

WHAT GOES AROUND

But their letters crossed, as was not uncommon in the age of sail, and John returned to as big a surprise from his stepmother as his existence had been to her. While he was away, Susan had remarried and relocated from Portland to North Yarmouth. “I received a note from a friend...saying that young Russwurm was in town; that he looked very much cast down, and seemed to feel a delicacy about returning without an invitation...We both felt very badly that he hesitated about returning to us, and a er passing a sleepless night, we arose very early and sent a man to P[ortland], with strict orders not to return without John, and before 9 o’clock he arrived. I was much relieved, and the children as much rejoiced.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY

As Sarah Elizabeth Hawes, one of Russwurm’s eight stepsisters, recalls in Old Times in North Yarmouth, Maine (1881): “When William Hawes married Susan W. Russwurm he had two children and she had four,” plus a stepson only 11 years her junior. But this indomitable woman “had not forgotten my adopted son, I had so much reason to love, and part of my new marriage contract was that John should have a home when he needed one.” As well as taking him in, she and her third husband went on to have seven more children together, for a total of fourteen children from ve parents, with an age gap of 38 years between the eldest

(Continued on page 98)

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The conduct of Mrs. R. on this occasion evinced... true nobility of soul and high moral courage.

—Dr. James Hall

Lobsteur Provocateur

Right now, everybody’s seeing red.

BY COLIN S. SARGENT

Maine lobster has become a political football in trade wars with China, COVID politics, and saving the right whale. We can expect it to continue to be targeted as an international symbol of luxury consumption in the future.

“On November 11, 2019, at 4:04 a.m., China Eastern Airlines ight MU298 landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport A batch of U.S. cold chain cargo on board was unloaded from the cabin of the North Cargo Terminal of the airport and transported to the international cargo entry area for customs clearance. Among them were 55 boxes of chilled American [Maine] lobsters totaling 823.4 kilograms...From July to the end of October 2019, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local media, and residents’ personal social accounts repeatedly reported ‘e-cigarette pneumonia,’ which is the ‘suspected new coronavirus pneumonia’ case that has been hidden in the United States...I am afraid it is this batch of American lobsters that opened the Pandora's box of the epidemic in the South China seafood market.”

So states an article from Sina News, which cites “Red Net” as its source. In November 2020, the Chinese government banned Maine lobster a er having increased its tari s during the trade dispute which began in 2017. Funnily enough, at about the same time, the Chinese government also banned Australian lobster because COVID was supposedly detected— right in the middle of a series of retaliatory tari s being imposed by the Australian and Chinese governments.

But according to the National Fisheries Institute, “Simply stated, people cannot get COVID-19 from eating seafood. NFI’s Seafood Safety & COVID-19 website demonstrates over and over that the coronavirus is not related to seafood. Seafood is a safe and wholesome food with nutritional benets that contribute to a strong immune system.”

It’s clear that the COVID-related bans on Maine lobster had far more to do with attacking an imported luxury product during a tari dispute. COVID protocol was a way to confuse the issue in order to carry on an economic disagreement over unrelated matters. e Chinese government ban, however, is not the only politicized accusation of Maine lobster grounded on an uncertain premise. Seafood Watch put Maine lobster on its “red list” in September in

order to save the right whale, which had been hunted nearly to extinction. How many right whales had become fouled in crab pots and lobster pots? Zero, but apparently “current Canadian and U.S. management measures do not go far enough to mitigate entanglement risks and promote recovery of the North Atlantic right whale.”

More could always be done to protect endangered species, but according to Governor Janet Mills, “ ere has not been a right whale entanglement attributed to Maine lobster gear in eighteen years. is designation is at out wrong. It sends the wrong message about Maine lobster, and it insults thousands of hardworking lobstermen who risk their lives to put food on the table while practicing responsible stewardship and taking action to protect whales. Consumers

and businesses must see through this list and recognize that lobstermen are partners in conservation and sustainability and that the delicious Maine lobster can and should continue to be enjoyed.”

Whether there’s been not one in eighteen years is not quite certain. According to Bill McWeeny in e Ellsworth American, June 18, 2021, “Innovation can save whales and lobstermen. e Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction website clearly shows that the right whale named King sher was undoubtedly entangled in Maine lobster gear in 2004, and another right whale was entangled in what was described as New England lobster gear in 2012 that matched gear from near-shore Maine shing grounds. e 2012 whale was found dead in three sets of lobster gear, and King sher is presumed dead a er carrying the Maine gear for 11 years and disappearing in 2015 with the rope deeply embedded in his ipper.”

at’s three. ree out of the 16 entanglements of known origin—out of 1,617 documented, untraced entanglements. If Seafood Watch were asked what is their ideal number of operating, well-regulated commercial shing vessels, my bet is that it would be a global zero. Seafood Watch is targeting Maine lobster as a high-pro le luxury product so it can make a public case about entanglement and raise its public pro le and social media reach. It’s not responding to a recorded rise in right whale incidents, but rather on a given day its board felt that not enough was being done.

e old saying is, the tallest nail is the rst to be struck. While there may never be an end to the politicization of Maine lobster, Maine’s shing and regulatory communities can at least have condence that their conservation e orts have helped Maine lobster become the world’s premier luxury seafood product to propagandize for the cause of the moment. For English noblemen, it may once have been eels. You have to do a lot more to an eel to make it palatable than you do to a lobster. n

Reality Theater

You know Nikki Glaser. When the group of friends in Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck plays Skeletons in the Closet, her uptight character confesses she’s uncomfortable because her children have just seen Glee. Glaser is a powerhouse: reality TV star, writer, producer, podcaster, Comedy Central host, Net ix luminary, and standup standout. A master at saying that which should not be spoken.

When you’re warming up an audience, what’s your cleanest dirty test joke?

My niece is four, and I was visiting her while my brother-in-law was taking pictures of her. She said, “Ooh, get my good side!” Which made me so sad... Because she doesn’t have one.

Lobsters have been quiet for too long. If you wrote an opening line of dialogue for a lobster, how would a lobster break the ice?

Well, I’m a vegan, so I would say, “ ank you so much for boiling us alive instead of just hitting us with a hammer. Who doesn’t like a slow death! at hiss you hear is us screaming. Don’t make us crawl to our death just to be in your TikTok.”

Actually, the hardest thing about being a vegan is not eating lobster. Because. I. Love. It.

Ever been to Maine before?

Never. De nitely scratching o the last few states I haven’t visited and performed in!

But you’ve been close, recently, with a stop at Mass General last month. So how will you know you’re in Maine if you haven’t been here yet?

e accent. You can hear it from Pittsburgh.

What’s the funniest thing you didn’t get a chance to say and thought of later?

e roast of Alec Baldwin where [attack comic] Je Ross was one of the other roasters. My seat was up on the dais beside the microphone stand. While Je was doing his roast he got really parched, so I gave him my water...I really regret not pouring his water behind me when I got it back!

Oh, it would have been so good. I was distracted just thinking about the missed opportunity. I’d spent a lot of my roast joking about how repulsive I found him.

What’s your favorite 30 seconds of “you” in a movie? I’ve never acted more than 30 seconds in a traditional movie!

I’m not proud of my acting back then [she played “Woman in LL HC” in 2018’s I Feel Prett y]. I cringe when I look back. I don’t really consider myself an actress. ose two early lm appearances happened because of my friendship with Amy Schumer.

You were an English Lit. major. Considering your fun reality show, did you ever read Thomas Wolfe’s You

Can’tGoHomeAgain?

No. Unfortunately, I didn’t read much in college. I’d already decided to write comedy before I began my English pursuits. My parents thought I needed a degree. ey were wrong. I was too consumed with writing jokes to read e Canterbury Tales.

We’ve seen Bangin’. You could have written The CanterburyTales! One day I may return to it.

COVID is forcing people to explore Plan B and try to fnd some love in it. Returning to your roots in St. Louis to get closer to your parents and your chihuahua in WelcomeHomeNikkiGlaser? seems unscripted and real. How’s the show going?

I love reality shows, but cable networks are up in the air. Network networks are up in the air. TV is a confusing place, even if your show is good. It has not been picked up for a second season. Huh. So there is a second season—it’s just that it’s not being lmed.

So how’s it going with Chris Convy, your romantic ex and co-star from the show?

Chris and I have recently moved to L.A. We’re in counseling together and getting closer every day.

What’s your 30 most embarrassing seconds doing standup?

I like people’s tattoos. I do. One time I asked

(Continued on page 79)

Our new friend Nikki Glaser needs little introduction.

INTERVIEW BY COLIN W. SARGENT

COURTESY OF NIKKI GLASER

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AShrimp,Mystery

Get ready for one delicious scoop!

BY DIANE HUDSON

Every December my mind wanders away from the holidays to Pandalus borealis, or baby Maine shrimp —the inimitable, one-of-a-kind treat that thrilled my senses from the moment I arrived in Maine in the 1970s till the very recent past. Now’s the time the season traditionally starts, so my Pavlovian shrimp nose twitches big-time as I begin my quest, optimistically asking around, “Are they back?”

GONE BABY GONE

No such luck. Research reveals that, shockingly, these delicacies have been unavailable for almost a decade. A moratorium placed on the shery in 2014 has not been li ed since, and this past fall, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) extended it till 2024, with talk of a permanent closure. Say what?!

It appears that the culprit is climate change. e Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming bodies of water on the planet, and scientists have warned that this cold-water species cannot adapt to the rising temperatures. According to a recent report from the ASMFC, the number of shrimp able to spawn in 2021 was “extremely low,” and “recent environmental conditions continue to be unfavorable” for them to make a comeback, with voracious new predators—speci cally the long n squid—drawn by the warmer waters likely contributing to their demise.

New England shermen traditionally caught millions of pounds of shrimp every winter, with the catch topping 10 million pounds in the 1990s and exceeding that total in 2011, but then dropping to 5 million pounds in 2012 and collapsing in 2013 with a woeful haul of less than 800,000 pounds.

FORGOTTEN DELICACY

Spencer Fuller, a veteran in the shrimp business for 45 years (president, Resource Trading Company, and shrimp product manager for Cozy Harbor Seafood, Inc., once the largest shrimp processor in the state) questions the ongoing moratorium placed on the industry. “ is shrimp species has been around for 15,000 years and has survived huge cycles in the climate, both hot and cold, and has maintained itself. e Maine shery for a long time

was dominated by trawlers, and a trawler could produce two to three thousand pounds a day. Another shery was later developed along Pemaquid , South Bristol, and Boothbay using traps, mostly done by lobster shermen in the winter. e fact is that the shery can support a realistic number a year. at may only be 300 or 500 tons, and it may be by limiting it to traps—no trawlers.

“But the regulators are taking one big piece out of the equation, and that is the

shery. e only shrimp survey is done by [Northeast Fisheries Science Center] out of Woods Hole, Massachusetts ey should be using the boats and the shermen who catch the shrimp to come up with the data.”

SURVEY SAYS: SUSPENDED

Starting in 2017, the ASMFC regulators did take that approach to monitoring shrimp activity during the early years of the moratorium, with a sampling program allowing eight participating trawlers and ve trappers to seek and sell their shrimp catch. I spoke with one of the shermen, David Osier, out of Bristol, who took part in this project.

“I ran the boat myself, the Lori Ann We did very good only [being] allowed 1200 pounds one day a week, for eight weeks. We caught our limit every time except for the last week, but that was in March and [the shrimp] were moving out then. ey come in from deep water and

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“Death to the Dracu grandson!” In terror, Iordana Ceausescu of Romania disappeared in secret to Old Orchard Beach with her son while the world searched for them. She lived a buried life among us for fve years. Drawn from 800 hours of unique interviews with Iordana. Colin W. Sargent’s Red Hands—“an astounding account of the Romanian revolution in the voice of Ceausescu’s daughter-in-law.”

–Martin Goodman in the Morning Star

“Brilliant. If the novel is Macbeth then it is Romeo and Juliet too, for the pounding heart of the book is a great love story that never fails to move. A tale from last century and a warning for this one, Red Hands is a novel of rare power that teaches us much about Romania and even more about ourselves.”

–D. D. Johnston

&Breaststrokes

Brushstrokes

BY COLIN W. SARGENT

This long-distance swimmer who ‘owns’ Kennebunk Beach understands the human form as few can.

By the time I reach Brad Maushart, I’m out of breath. He’s not.

Since May, he’s been doing the Australian crawl the full length of Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk—back and forth every single day. I grew up living on this beach, and I’ve never done it once.

He emerges from the surf near the rocks below the Narragansett condos.

“I’ve seen changes here.” He takes o his wetsuit cap and shakes his hair. “I’ve been coming here all my life, and I’ve lived in Kennebunkport the last 25 years.”

“I’m 68,” I say. “How old are you?” My guess is 50.

“I’m 70.”

“What do you do when you aren’t swimming out here? I’ve watched you all season and never once been tempted to do what you do.”

“I’m an artist. I own the F8 Gallery in Dock Square, opposite the Kennebunkport Inn I live in the same location.”

“Are you married?”

I like the paintings that you picked out...playing it safe!

“Yes.”

“What does your wife say when you come out here every morning?”

“I’m in the water every morning by seven.” He knows how to do the crawl, and he knows how to deadpan. “Donna says, ‘Have a good swim.’”

“Ever swim competitively? In college?”

“No, but I’ve always loved it. I’ve swum Peaks to Portland and the Isleboro Crossing from Northport to Islesboro for LifeFlight of Maine.”

“So each year you swim the length of Gooch’s Beach every day from midMay until…?”

“December.”

“How many times have you missed swimming the length of this beach this season?”

“Five.”

“You mentioned the beach has changed

since you started.”

“Do you see the Narragansett? I’ve had a drink at the Quarterdeck bar there when it was a hotel. e Sea Spray too.”

As a swimmer, he exists in the here and now as he travels between now and then.

“How many sharks have you seen—not in Dock Square, but out beyond the breakers, in the water?”

“I’ve seen one n.”

“Did that make you reconsider swimming out here?”

“Never. I mean, they’re out there.”

“Eric Hopkins ies in planes and ultralights o the Maine coast and islands to get inspiration for the extraordinary perspective he has in his work. Is this part of your method as a painter—total immersion—to see us from 500 feet out in the swells as you go along the beach?”

“I paint nudes.” n

Side Effects

Could cannabis save us from opioids?

BY SIONA HENZE

Oxy tabs

Said the DEA, never.

But Falmouth-based integrative medicine physician Dustin Sulak found in a 2020 survey of over 500 patients at three medical cannabis practices in Maine and Massachusetts that 40 percent of patients with chronic pain stopped opioid use altogether when cannabis was added to their treatment plan; 45 percent reduced their opioid use; and 80–90 percent reported improved quality of life and ability to function.

According to a review and analysis of 19 preclinical studies in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, co-administration of THC with opioids can reduce the e ective dose of morphine 3.6 times, and codeine 9.5 times. In other words, addictive doses of opioids are no longer needed for pain management.

With Maine Public reporting a state death toll of 636 from opioid overdose in 2021, and the CDC reporting 107,000 opioid deaths nationally, why are some medical practitioners reluctant to treat their patients with cannabis? Dr. Sulak and longtime orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eric Mitchell of Livermore Falls agree that it’s a question of education. “Most physicians today have not been taught the endocannabinoid system,” says Dr. Mitchell. According to an article in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 85 percent of medical students report receiving no education in medical school or residency about medical cannabis, and only 9 percent of medical schools in the AAMC Curriculum Inventory database document any content on cannabis.

Although the CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain recommend against urine screening for THC in

f

Ihad a little THC, this world would be a safer place.”

opioid-using patients with chronic pain, Sulak nds that many patients who choose to co-administer cannabis and opioids to treat their symptoms are denied their prescriptions and/or discharged from medical care because THC has been detected in their urine. Yet “80 percent of heroin users start on prescribed pills.” Rather than blaming patients, Sulak believes “it is the provider’s responsibility to reduce the potential for addiction” by using the synergistic effect between the two substances to prescribe lower opioid doses initially and as treatment continues. While opioids “have side e ects instead of side bene ts, cannabis has global bene ts” that Sulak uses to treat patients with chronic pain, PTSD, depression, neurological disorders, and cancer.

ough Sulak says there’s some evidence that cannabis can help with a pre-existing opioid addiction, “it could be a much easi-

er path if [medical providers] implement cannabis appropriately instead of too late.” But because of cannabis’s general exclusion from mainstream medicine, psychiatrists and support groups treating addiction—including opioid addiction— may seem to project so much bias about cannabis that patients “end up hiding things from their doctors. ey have this guilt about using cannabis that is really not ideal for their recovery.” e federal government “picked some of the most e ective medicine to make illegal.”

Medicine that could potentially alleviate Maine’s opioid epidemic, if we can get past the irony of prescribing a Schedule I substance appropriately to save thousands from getting hooked on Schedule II substances. n

They have this guilt about using cannabis that is really not ideal for their recovery.

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get to know the FAM

INTERVIEW BY NATALIE FOSTER

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Typically, you talk to a writer and they'll tell you about how they grew up loving books and reading and writing, but my writing journey began mid-college. I’d just read a novel that I loved, and that voice in my head said, “Hey, I can do this!” But it turned out I was wrong. Everybody will tell you, those rst few manuscripts—we don't talk about those. Five years later, I said, I'm going to try to write a middle-grade book. I really like this age category, but you see so many middle-grade fantasies, and I wanted to do something original. I’m an Arab-American I have Lebanese citizenship. I lived in Lebanon for a few years, and I speak uent Arabic. I was like, what part of my culture can I draw from that’ll be unique in this book? And I thought, no one's really done anything

with alchemy, even though it’s one of the original magic systems in the world and the precursor to science itself. Being that it was so prevalent in the Middle East and in the region I grew up in, I said, all right, I'm going to write an Arabic character who becomes an alchemist. Shad is in many respects a re ection of who I was at twelve years old.

Do you see this as bridging a gap in children’s literature?

As authors, we're all trying to nd our readers. As an Arab, I want young Arabs who, like myself, didn’t have representation growing up to nd this book. But

I also want everyone to nd it, because with fantasy you can more indirectly critique systems that are unjust without spoon-feeding it to the reader. And I don’t think children are less deserving of that depth than adults are. In fact, I think that’s why so many [fantasy] books have appeal across age categories. I'm hoping that Shad does the same.

Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria is billed as the frst book in a series. How many will there be? is is the rst book in a duology. Right now it's a big trend in publishing to acquire two-book series. So as of now, there are two books planned. However, I never say never to adding more.

How did you make the move from editing to writing? It's actually the opposite. I got my rst book deal and then was approached by a boutique agency about editing professionally. Before I got published, I found that the process of writing a book involves so much working with other writers to improve your own work. We can't just write our book and have it be ready for other folks’ eyes. We must solicit feedback along the way, and in the process of giving and receiving it, I found that I was an e ective editor. And I wanted to give back to the [writing] community, because I had wonderful authors who had given me advice along the way, so I started editing for major mentorship competitions like Pitch Wars and WriteMentor to help aspiring authors nd their agents and land their book deals.

What are your favorite conditions to write in?

I like to nd small windows between

Move over, Harry Potter and Rumpelstiltskin! Maine author George Jreije’s debut fantasy novel is all about alchemy.

GEORGE JREIJE

meetings or on a bus or plane ride. ose random in-between moments where I'm unbothered are when I write most of my work on my phone in Google Docs. I only write a page or two—500 words—a day. I’m not someone who can do a marathon of writing. I'm slow and steady. But you get the manuscript done through consistency.

How did you end up in Maine?

I took a job that was based in Massachusetts, where I grew up. But their [Unum, now BerryDunn] main o ce was in Maine, in Portland, so I got the opportunity to move up here in early 2019. I met my ancé here in Maine and really settled into Portland. I’ve traveled all over the world, but I found my creative groove in Maine.

What does it mean to you to be Lebanese-American in Maine?

We o en think of Arabs as “the other,” but seeing the world through the lens of Arab-

ture growing up here, and also the Lebanese culture my family instilled in me gives me the advantage of seeing more similarities than di erences from halfway across the world to here. I grew up with a lot

of Vietnamese, Black, and Latino friends in Massachusetts, and I loved immersing myself in their cultures and sharing my culture with them. So I want to hear from the Somali population in Portland. I've always sought out diverse perspectives, because my own experiences are so di erent from what is normally represented in traditional media. And that's a major theme of my writing.

What’s your favorite place in Lebanon?

Tripoli, which is a major port city, but not one of the richer areas. Folks don’t have much, but there’s always this vibe of gratitude that you don’t necessarily see elsewhere. I'm always inspired by this reminder that in a world where we’re told more is better, sometimes having less allows you to be thankful for what you have. Not to mention the best Arabic sweets bakery in the world is there, in my opinion.

How would you characterize traditional children’s books in Lebanese culture?

is is something my Arab author friends and I talk about. ere’s not a huge reading culture in Lebanon, and it’s not because people don’t want to read. It’s just that life is more complicated in that region. Some of the luxuries that we get to enjoy in the West—such as being able to walk into a library and pick out a book and get it for free—we don’t have in Lebanon, unfortunately. I’m highly thankful for the bookish culture that exists here. ere’s so much going on with libraries, and it’s such a huge privilege. e Portland Public Library was a place where I did a lot of writing and editing.

What kinds of books do you like to read in your free time?

It's a loaded question to ask an author who their favorite authors are, because if I don't say someone's name, I'm going to annoy them. I was always a much bigger comicbook reader growing up, and that has continued to this day. I’m not allowed to say too much, because there may or may not be another book deal on the horizon for graphic novels. But I’ve recently enjoyed e Stardust ief by Chelsea Della. It’s an Arab-inspired adult fantasy. A middle-grade novel I've read recently is Jamar Perry's Cameron Battle. I love the diverse perspective Jamar brings as a queer Black author.

How did you celebrate the release of your frst novel?

On the “Rich Kid, Poor Kid: Exploring Socioeconomic Diversity in Young People’s Literature” panel at the inaugural Maine LitFest, and with signings at Print: A Bookstore and Green Hand Bookshop. And with tons and tons of baklava. n

In a world where we’re told more is better, sometimes having less allows you to be thankful for what you have.

On a late fall visit to Bunker Brewing Co. in Portland ’s Libbytown neighborhood, “All About at Bass” blared from a young couple’s car as they pulled into the parking lot. It seemed tting, since Bunker Brewing—maybe more than any other Portland brewery—is all about that beer.

Unlike breweries that offer an allinclusive experience of high-end food, mood lighting, good acoustics, and sleek design, Bunker reminds us of the early days of Portland’s craft-brewing scene, when beer was brewed in an industrial setting and the emphasis was on high-quality beer, not the amenities and ambience.

PROS & CONVICTS

Doubling down on its industrial park vibe, Bunker is in a gutted re station at the end of an easily missed deadend road o a one-way street in the middle of nowhere (arguably worse than nowhere: Libbytown). Its street address is “Unit D,” and it’s closer to the county jail than to the next brewery on the Maine Beer Trail

So a few more lights would be nice, as would a bit of heat.

Bunker Thrill

e garage-sale tables and benches, too-loud music, and cavernous interior make conversation a challenge on busy nights, and the lighting is mostly provided by Christmas lights.

But here’s the thing: the beer is great. Here’s a breakdown of

BY PETE LYONS & JEFF LYONS

some of the highlights:

Machine Pilz (5.2% ABV), Bunker’s agship beer, is true to the style. Light and refreshing, yet avorful, and very drinkable.

Barn Cat (4.8% ABV) is mild, smooth, and malty. Bunker calls it a Mild Ale , a description that ts the avor better than the name. Feral cats aren’t particularly mild to other living beings.

Salad Daze (4.7% ABV) is a dry-hopped India Pale Lager. It’s smooth at the front with some bitter rounding, but leans more malty than bitter. Great when paired with a salad! Out There (5.7% ABV) is a wet-hopped American Lager. It’s light and refreshing, with a killer can depicting the Maine Atlas.

Chick-A-Dee (4.3% ABV) is a classic English-style bitter, so not bitter at all. If you’re wondering what “nitro” means, think Guinness texture. Replacing some of the carbon dioxide with nitrogen adds long-lasting foam and a silky mouthfeel. You could drink this for a whole cricket match.

Terrarium IPA (6% ABV) is Bunker’s mandatory hazy IPA. It’s well-balanced for the style, which by de nition leans toward hoppy and bitter.

Bunker’s proximity to the Fore River walking and biking path is another plus. Before you settle in for a session, exit the

parking lot via a short path through the dirt berms that make for a private setting and pick up the walking trail. A 45-minute loop walk that includes the Western Prom yields a great sunset view.

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Bunker’s neighborhood is somewhat infamous: the magni cent Union Station—the passenger rail terminal with its wonderful clock tower and gabled roof— was torn down in 1961. Any hope of a resurgam from that bureaucratic act of violence was dashed in the 1970s, when the construction of I-295 decimated the once vibrant community and le it cut o from

batsonriver.com/holidaycamp

Any gem in that part of town is pretty well hidden.

BREW REVIEW

the rest of the city. e Union Station Plaza Shopping Center now features two pawn shops among its tenants, once-majestic architecture superseded by the ubiquitous strip mall.

HUNKER DOWN

The space that houses Bunker is equally unremarkable, but set aside a desire for niceties like lights and food (beyond a bag of pretzels or popcorn, which Bunker sells) and Bunker has a bit of the comfortable dive bar feel that’ll bring back fond memories of your favorite local hangout. And nearby “hidden gems” like Huong’s Vietnamese Restaurant and Saeng ai House provide great meals you can bring back to the brewery to pair with your drinks.

Bunker is like Maine: independent, somewhat isolated, and unapologetic. It might just be the quintessential Portland—and Maine—brewery experience. n

Surfside Snug

Toast 2023 by the beautiful sea.

BY COLIN W. SARGENT

What a place to say goodbye to 2022: oceanside at the romantic Union Blu Grill at e Union Blu Hotel in York Beach.

A er the Civil War, tourism was in its infancy. But in short order, rail travel headed directly to Short Sands Beach. It de ned Maine. O ering windswept views of the sandy crescent, the Union Blu House rose to rave reviews in 1868.

steps away).

A er a 1987 re, a new Union Blu replaced the original with identical signa ture towers. In December 2021, Giri Hotel Management bought it for $23M and raised the bar for guest goodies and dreamy cuisine.

e Union Blu Grill is warm and spacious, the vibe Colonial Revival with teal paneling. We’re in an episode of Grace eating at a cozy restaurant, except it’s us this time and they nev er had this view. e romantic replace lights up the evening, not just the room. You can see the lights of the beach from almost anywhere in the dining room (we’re in the far back corner). Yes, the hotel also o ers a casual pub across the lobby with wincing sports coverage on multiple TVs, but this still-casual grill with so jazz playing in the background makes a wonderful point of delivering the sense that you’re in the Grand Dame of York Beach.

Since it’s rowback ursday, we start with a Maker’s Mark Manhattan (bright red cherry, $9.50) and a glass of Brickmason Red Blend ($9.50). Next is Lobster & Wild Mushroom Crêpes ($18) “served with sherry cream sauce,” a showstopper. e sauce is close-your-eyes delicious, the crêpes warm, so , and exactingly toasty on the edges. Endive and radicchio salads are apparently having a moment, so we share one of these too, crunchy and seasonal, “tossed with dried cherry, walnuts, and blue cheese dressing” ($14).

How could we not order the sentimental Filet Mignon Diane ($39) “topped with Sauce Diane, served with garlic cream potatoes

ere was a boardwalk across the beach in those days. In 1896, the Goldenrod was built at 2 Railroad Avenue (yes, the train stopped just (Continued on page 54)

FINE DINING

Andy’s Old Port Pub…Best traditional lobster roll on Portland’s waterfront, extraordinary pizza (even create your own!) and pub fare. Local fresh seafood. Live acoustic music. Never a cover. Local brews and waterfront style cocktails, 94 Commercial Street, Portland, 874-2639

Anthony’s Italian Kitchen 30 years of Old World recipes. Best meatballs in town. Mile-high lasagnas, fresh-filled cannoli pastries, 54 sandwiches, pizza. A timeless great family spot. Beer and wine. Free parking. 151 Middle St., Portland, AnthonysItalianKitchen.com, 774-8668.

Bandaloop has moved into a restored 1700s barn on Route 1 in Arundel. Since 2004 we have offered locally sourced, globally inspired, organic cuisine. Our new home has plenty of space, parking, outdoor seating, takeout, and an event space in the loft. We continue to offer something for every palate—from vegans to carnivores and everything in between. bandalooprestaurant.com

Bruno’s Voted Portland’s Best Italian Restaurant by Market Surveys of America, Bruno’s offers a delicious variety of classic Italian, American, and seafood dishes–and they make all of their pasta in-house. Great sandwiches, pizza, calzones, soups, chowders, and salads. Enjoy lunch or dinner in the dining room or the tavern. Casual dining at its best. 33 Allen Ave., 878-9511

Surfside Snug (continued from page 53)

and broccolini.” It’s perfectly cooked, with ever-so-slightly charred edges, and juicy tender on the inside.

But wait, the Pistacchio Salmon ($29) is terri c and almost musically chewy with its “glazed with honey, lemon and Dijon sauce, served with melting potatoes and baby spinach.” What’s better than four stars? We say “Try this!” four times tonight.

We linger, order two black co ees, and devour the year’s last slice of blueberry pie à la mode. e pie’s blueberries are the small Maine ones, garnished outside by some larger ones. A blue blend.

More cause for joy: there’s plenty of free parking 50 feet away on the hotel’s private parking lot facing the beach. is is all extremely gracious and easy.

My grandmother, Helen Mills Sargent, was among the early waves of crowds to come here early in the 20th century by the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea—by train, with parasol, and in the company of a covey of visiting girls. A er dinner I walk out to the dark beach and spin a shell out into the surf for her. n

Bull Feeney’s, authentic Irish pub and restaurant. Hearty Irish fare, from-scratch sandwiches, local seafood. Maine craft & premium imported brews. Maine’s most extensive single malt, Irish & Bourbon whiskey selection. 375 Fore St. 773-7210, bullfeeneys.com

El Corazon Mexican food from the heart. Authentic family recipes passed down through generations & “oversized tequila selection.” Try our “Marisco”—a Mexican seafood cocktail of shrimp, bay scallops, clams, octopus & Maine lobster. Lun. & din., Mon.–Thurs. 11–10. Fri.-Sat. till 11. Sun. 9–9. 190 State St. 536-1354, elcorazonportland.com.

Fish Bones Grill Creative American Cuisine beside the historic Bates Mill canal in the heart of downtown Lewiston. Serving Dinner, Tuesday – Saturday from 4:00 PM. Get hooked at 70 Lincoln St. in Bates Mill No. 6! Reserv.: 333-3663, fshbonesgrill.com.

Flatbread Company Portland Tucked between two wharves with picturesque waterfront views. Family-friendly restaurant w/ signature pizzas, weekly carne & veggie specials. Made w/ local ingredients, baked in wood-fired, clay ovens. Everything’s homemade, organic, and nitrate-free. 24 local drafts & cocktails showcase all-local breweries & distilleries. 72 Commercial St., 772-8777, flatbreadcompany.com.

Hurricane Restuarant New England cuisine with

an international twist. Lobster & blueberry pie! Local produce and seafood, full bar, award-winning wine list, in-house dessert chef. Sunday brunch. Live music Wednesday nights. Lunch and dinner seven days a week. Bar menu always available. Good restaurants come and go. Great restaurants get better and better. Reservations suggested. 29 Dock Square, Kennebunkport. 967-9111, hurricanrestaurant.com

J’s Oyster Premier seafood destination & locals’ favorite w/indoor & outdoor waterfront seating on a scenic Portland pier. Since 1977, classic favorites, friendly service. Named by Coastal Living one of “America’s Best Seafood Dives 2016.” 722-4828.

Maria’s Ristorante Portland’s original classic Italian restaurant. Greg & Tony Napolitano prepare classics: Zuppa di Pesce, Eggplant Parmigiana, Grilled Veal Sausages, Veal Chop Milanese, homemade cavatelli pastas, Pistachio Gelato & Maine’s Best Meatballs. See our own sauce in local stores. $11.95-$22.95. Open at 5 Wed.-Sat. Catering always avail. 1335 Congress Street 772-9232, mariasrestaurant.com.

Po’ Boys & Pickles..Small, easygoing joint constructing oversized po’boy sandwiches along with other hearty cajun eats! CAJUN...CREOLE... SANDWICHES...BURGERS...SEAFOOD...WINGS. 1124 Forest Ave, Portland, 518-9735.

Sisters’ Soap

Molly Angie

Belted Cow

Benoit’s Design Co. eArchipelago.net Store and Gallery Hours Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Rendezvous

Holiday Happenings

Auburn’s Christmas Shopping Village, Main Street Festival Plaza, downtown Auburn. Experience Auburn’s version of a European Christmas market, with tiny shops nestled around the Christmas tree, Dec. 3–24. goauburn.me/christmas-village.

Aura, 121 Center St. Spose’s PDank Xmas 8, Dec. 17. 772-8274. Belfast Maskers, 17 Court St., Belfast. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Dec. 2–11. 619-3256. Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. Heather Pierson Plays Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec. 2; Isabel Stover & Molly Flannery’s Jazz Holiday, Dec. 11; Pat Cowell & The Soul Sensations Mowtown Christmas, Dec. 17. 560-5300.

Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. Lúnasa: Irish Christmas, Dec. 10. 236-7963.

Center Theatre, 20 E. Main St., Dover-Foxcroft. Bangor Ballet: Nutcracker in a Nutshell, Dec. 4. 564-8943.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath.

Swingin’ Christmas with the Volunteers Jazz Band, Dec. 2; KindKids Holiday Concert, Dec. 3; Còig, Dec. 9; Primo Cubano Latin Christmas, Dec. 16. 442-8455.

City Theater, 205 Main St., Biddeford. Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash, Dec. 2–18. 282-0849.

Coastal Maine

Botanical Gardens, 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay. Gardens Aglow, through Dec. 31. 633-

8000.

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. Yuletide

Celebration, Dec. 4; Nutcracker, Dec. 17–18; The Doo Wop Projtect: A Doo Wop Christmas, Dec. 22. 581-1755.

Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Christmas with Kennerley, Dec. 19 (on-demand Dec. 22–Jan. 21, 2023). 553-4363.

Gracie Theatre, 1 College Cir., Bangor. Christmas Chronicles by Cellophane Flowers, Dec. 4; Bangor Ballet: Nutcracker in a

Nutshell, Dec. 10–11. 941-7888. Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. Frogtown: The Grinch, Dec. 2–3; 3D Film: Polar Express, Dec. 3; A Musical Christmas Carol, Dec. 9–18. 667-9500.

Greenhut Galleries, 146

Middle St. Holiday Show, Dec. 1–Jan. 28, 2023. 772-2693.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92

Bourne Ln. Chris Collins & Boulder Canyon: A John Denver

Christmas, Dec. 9; New Years Eve Dinner, Dec. 31; New Years Eve Gala, Dec. 31. 646-4777.

Kittery Art Association, 2 Walker St. KAA Annual Holiday Show and artisan gift bazaar, Dec. 1–18. 451-9384.

Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland.

Scrooge: The Musical, Dec. 2–18.

799-1421.

Maine State Ballet, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. The Nutcracker, through Dec. 4. 842-0800.

Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St. St. Lucia’s Day Procession with Northbound, Dec. 10–11. 879-4629.

Mystic Theater, 49 Franklin St., Rumford. Cassie and Maggie Celtic Christmas Concert, Dec. 2; Còig Celtic Christmas Concert, Dec. 11. 369-0129.

Ogunquit Playhouse, 10 Main St. Elf The Musical, through Dec. 18. 646-5511.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. A Charlie Brown Christmas w/ Heather Pierson Trio, Dec. 4; Winter Solstice Mini-Fest featuring Matt Flinner & Low Lily, Dec. 8; Lúnasa: An Irish Solstice Celebration, Dec. 11; Portland Jazz Orchestra Swingin’ Holiday Show, Dec. 15; Primo Cubano New Year’s Eve Dance Party,

Primo Cubano: Dec. 16 Chocolate Church, Bath; Dec. 31 One Longfellow Square.

ORCHARD BEACH PIER (ADOBESTOCK); PRIMO CUBANO

RENDEZVOUS

Dec. 31. 761-1757.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. Paul Sullivan Holiday Concert, Dec. 3; Sons of Serendip Holiday Concert, Dec. 9; John McCutcheon Winter’s Solstice Virtual Concert, Dec. 11; Gingerbread Spectacular, Dec. 16–18; Holiday Potluck & Carol Sing, Dec. 21. 633-5159.

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. Another Kick in Your Dickens, Dec. 7–23. 942-3333.

Portland Ballet, Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St. A Victorian Nutcracker, Dec. 17–23. 857-3860.

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St. Holiday Chamber Music Student Recital, Dec. 11; Noonday Concert Series: December Holiday Sing Along with Choral Art, Dec. 15. 775-3356.

Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St. The Rock and Roll Playhouse plays Music of the Beatles for Kids & More: Holiday Concert, Dec. 18. 805-0134.

Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave. A Tuna Christmas, through Dec. 24. 774-0465.

Portland Symphony Orchestra, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Magic of Christmas, Dec. 9–18 (on-demand Dec. 16–Jan. 1, 2023). 842-0800.

Railway Village Museum, 586 Wiscasset Rd. (Route 7), Boothbay. North Pole Express, Dec. 3–4, 10–11, & 17–18. 633-4733.

Richard Boyd Art Gallery, 15 Epps St., Peaks Island. Holiday Offerings, Dec. 2–31. 712-1097.

Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St. Holiday Family Movie: Elf, Dec. 3; Holiday Family Movie: Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Dec. 10; Noel Francais Concert with Down East Singers feat. T-Acadie, Dec. 11; Bay Chamber Concerts: Songs of Solomon, Dec. 15; Holiday Family Movie: Klaus, Dec. 17. 542-0836.

Saco Museum, 371 Main St. The 18th Annual Festival of Trees, through Dec. 29. 283-3861.

Saco River Theater, 29 Salmon Falls Rd., Buxton. Neil McGarry’s A Christmas Carol, Dec. 16–17. 929-6473.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. The Fogcutters Superfantastic Christmas Extravaganza, Dec. 17; Dark Star Orchestra: Cosmic New Year’s Run, Dec. 28–29; Twiddle New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. 956-6000.

St. Lawrence Arts, 76 Congress St. Don Campbell

Christmas, Dec. 21; Welcome to Maine Yuletide Yuhts Christmas Comedy Show, Dec. 22; Magic 8 Ball, Dec. 23. 775-5568.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Kat Edmonson Holiday Show, Dec. 3; Stone Mountain Annual Christmas Craft Fair, Dec. 4; Taste of Christmas Rooster Luncheon, Dec. 7; Dana Cunningham and Carol Noonan Annual Christmas Concert, Dec. 9; Stone Mountain LIVE for Christmas, Dec. 16–17; Shemekia Copeland for NYE, Dec. 31. 935-7292.

Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth, NH. Candlelight Stroll, Dec. 3–18. (603)433-1100.

United Maine Craftsmen, Portland Expo., 239 Park

Gardens Aglow

New York City

New Year’s Eve in Boston

Quebec Winter Carnival

New England Aquarium & Quincy Market

Cyr Northstar Tours’ Upcoming Tours

Dec. 3 | $144pp

Dec. 9–11 | DBL: $1129

Dec 30–January 1

Feb.10–13, | SGL: $1574 / DBL: $1224pp / TPL:1132pp

Feb. 21, 2023 | $207pp

Boston Bruins

Myrtle Beach Getaway

Our Nation’s Capital/Cherry Blossom

Feb. 25 | $275pp

Mar. 11 | $260pp

Mar. 19–28 | SGL: $3416 / DBL: $2526pp / TPL: $2229pp

Apr. 12–17 | SGL: $2326

/ DBL: $1836pp / TPL: $1682pp

Annie @ Hanover Theatre

Ave. 44th Annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show, Dec. 3–4. Unitedmainecraftsmen.com.

Vivid Motion, St. Lawrence Arts, 76 Congress St. ‘Twas the Night Before… Burlesque, Dec. 9–11 & 14–18. 775-5568.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. The Nutcracker, Dec. 9–11; Kennebec Dance Centre’s Winter Holiday Spectacular, Dec. 17–18. 873-7000.

Wells Christmas Parade, Route 1. The 37th Annual Christmas Parade, beginning at Wells Plaza and ending at the Wells Junior High School, Dec. 11. wellschristmasparade.com.

Windswept Gardens, 1709 Broadway, Bangor.

Windswept Gardens 2nd Annual Winter Market, Dec. 3–4. 941-9898.

WW&F Railway, 97 Cross Rd., Alna. Christmastime Train to Sealyon Farm, Dec. 3 & 10. 882-4193.

Theater

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. NT Live Broadcast: Straight Line Crazy, Dec. 2; The Met Live in HD: The Hours, Jan. 7, 2023; NT Live Broadcast: Henry V, Jan. 13, 2023; The Met Live in HD: Fedora, Jan. 14, 2023. 581-1755.

Community Little Theatre, 30 Academy St., Auburn. It’s Only A Play, Jan. 19–29, 2023. 783-0958.

V ISIO NAR Y F LAVORS F ROM

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HOLI D A Y MAGIC

We’re all invited!

Dec. 4 Chester Greenwood Day

Dec. 5 Krampusnacht

Dec 6 St. Nicholas Day

Dec 8 Bodhi Day

Dec. 13 St. Lucia Day

Dec. 16 –24 Las Posadas

Dec. 18–26 Hanukkah

Dec. 21 Winter Solstice

Dec. 21–Jan. 1 Yuletide

Dec. 23 Festivus

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve

Dec. 25 Christmas Day

Dec. 26 Boxing Day

Dec. 26–Jan. 1 Kwanzaa

Dec. 31 Hogmanay

Jan. 1 New Year’s Day

Jan. 6 Epiphany/Three Kings Day

Jan. 16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Jan. 22 Chinese New Year

Jan. 25 Burns Night

Jan. 30 Sadeh

Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Sq. Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate, Dec. 15–18; Paw Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure, Jan. 3–4, 2023. 791-2200.

Good Theater, St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St. Carousel, through Dec. 4; Crimes of the Heart, Jan. 11–29, 2023. 835-0895.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. MET LIVE: The Hours, Dec. 10; MET LIVE: Fedora, Jan. 14, 2023. 667-9500.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. The Met Live in HD: Magic Flute (Mowzart), Dec. 3; NT Live: Much Ado About Nothing, Dec. 8–9; The Met Live in HD: The Hours (Kevin Puts), Dec. 10; The Met Live in HD: Fedora (Giordano), Jan. 14, 2023; NT Live: The Seagull, Jan. 26–27. 563-3424.

Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland. Wait Until Dark, Jan. 27, 2023–Feb. 12, 2023. 799-1421.

Mad Horse Theater, 24 Mosher St., South Portland. Straight White Men, through Dec. 11. 747-4148.

Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St. The Coldharts’ Edgar Allan, Dec. 17. 879-4629.

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. Peter and the Starcatcher, Dec. 1–29. 942-3333.

Portland Players Theater, 420 Cottage Rd., South Portland. The Great Gatsby, Jan. 27, 2023–Feb. 12, 2023. 799-7337.

Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave. Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, Jan. 25, 2023–Feb. 12, 2023 (ondemand Feb. 8–Mar. 5, 2023). 774-0465.

Saco River Theater, 29 Salmon Falls Rd., Buxton. Bella, An Immigrant’s Tale, Dec. 2. 929-6473.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. NTLive: Much Ado About Nothing, Dec. 1; Met Opera Live: Put’s The Hours, Dec. 10; Met Opera Encore: Put’s The Hours, Dec. 20; NTLive: The Seagull, Jan. 5, 2023; Met Opera Live: Giordano’s Fedora, Jan. 14, 2023; Met Opera Encore: Giordano’s Fedora, Jan. 24, 2023. 594-0070.

Dance

Belfast Flying Shoes, First Church in Belfast UCC Fellowship Hall, 8 Court St., Belfast. Flying Shoes on First Fridays, Dec. 2. 338-0979.

Maine State Ballet, Lopez Theater, 348 U.S. Route One, Falmouth. Tap, Tap, Jazz, Jan. 28–Feb. 4. 842-0800.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Dancing with the Stars Live! 2023 Tour, Jan. 12, 2023; Memphis Jookin: The Show featuring Lil Buck, Jan. 31, 2023. 842-0800. Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St. Cold, Cold Night Burlesque and Ragtime Rebellion, Dec. 3. 805-0134.

Music

Aura, 121 Center St. Thievery Corporation, Dec. 10; Tusk, Dec. 29. 772-8274.

Blue, 650A Congress St. Soggy Po’ Boys, Dec. 3; The

Mill Burners, Dec. 15; Samuel James, Dec. 23; Jazz Sesh, every Tue; Irish Session, every Wed. 774-4111.

Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. Katie Daggett & Ed DesJardins, Dec. 3; Half Moon Jug Band, Dec. 10; Ocean Ave Band, Dec. 15; Dan Pelletier and Lara Herscovitch, Dec. 16. 560-5300.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. Yellow Brick Road; Dec. 10. 442-8455.

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. Symphonic Band, Dec. 1; Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock & Roll, Jan. 20, 2023; Masterworks III: Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Jan. 29, 2023. 581-1755.

Gracie Theatre, 1 College Cir., Bangor. Classic Rock Orchestra, Jan. 21, 2023. 941-7888.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. Judy Collins, Dec. 16–17. 646-4777.

Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St. Palaver Strings’ Beehive Chamber Series: What If?, Dec. 3; Palaver Strings’ Beehive Chamber Series: Painted Dreams, Jan. 7, 2023. 879-4629.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. Tom Rush with Matt Nakoa, Dec. 1; Tall Heights & Friends Present 1997 with Kaiti Jones, Dec. 3; Tom DiMenna, Dec. 10; Inanna: Sisters in Rhythm, Dec. 17; Rock My Soul, Dec. 18; Chris Pureka, Dec. 20; Ellis Paul, Jan. 1, 2023; Joe K. Walsh feat. Darol Anger, Grant Gordy, John Suntken, and Brittany Karlson, Jan. 21, 2023; Jon Spencer & the HITmakers,

Rugged Seas

Our brand is as tough as those who fish our oceans and live in our coastal communities. Rugged Seas isn’t just for the fishermen. It’s for everyone who loves and respects the ocean and what it does for us. Our goal is to take something that represents every fishery—fisherman’s hauling pants (bibs)—and turn them into something recognizable for everyone to utilize and enjoy.

Jan. 25, 2023; Funkationland, Jan. 27, 2023. 761-1757.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. The Boneheads, Jan. 13, 2023; Larry & Joe, Jan. 21, 2023; January Open Mic, Jan. 27, 2023. 633-5159.

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St. Noonday Concert Series: Scheckmate, Dec. 1; Dimensions in Jazz: The Return of El Noticiero, Dec. 17. 7753356.

Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St. Machine Head, Dec. 1; Kat Wright & GoldenOak, Dec. 2; Moon Hooch, Dec. 7–8; An Evening of the Music of Fleetwood Mac, Dec. 9–10; Pokey LaFarge, Dec. 11; Bonny Light Horseman, Dec. 17; Rigometrics, Dec. 22; Maine Dead Project; Dec. 30–31. 805-0134.

Portland Ovations, Hannaford Hall, USM Portland Campus, 88 Bedford St. Janice Carissa, Dec. 10. 842-0800.

Portland Symphony Orchestra, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. The Rite of Spring, Jan. 29–30, 2023. 842-0800.

Saco River Theater, 29 Salmon Falls Rd., Buxton. Duke Robillard, Dec. 9. 929-6473.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Rubblebucket, Dec. 1; The Mallett Brothers Band, Dec. 3; The Ballroom Thieves, Dec. 9; Foals, Dec. 18; BoomBox feat. The BackBeat Brass, Jan. 27, 2023. 956-6000.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd.,

A MERI CA ’S OLD ES T S HO E ST OR E

Joshua L. Noddin, Host

Brownfield. Shawn Colvin, Dec. 8; The Rough & Tumble, Jan. 20, 2023; Mike Farris, Jan. 28, 2023. 935-7292.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. Shawn Colvin, Dec. 9; Mike Farris, Jan. 27, 2023. 594-0070.

University of Southern Maine, Corthell Hall, 37 College Ave., Gorham. USM Jazz Ensemble Fall ‘22, Dec. 1–3; Osher Composers Ensemble Fall ‘22, Dec.

3–5; Alexandra Dietrich Studio Recital Fall ‘22, Dec.

4–6; Tori Leonard & Shelby Hagan Senior Recital, Dec.

4–6; Ryan Geary Senior Voice Recital, Dec. 6; USM Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Dec. 8–10; Devin DelCampo Senior Recital, Dec. 9–11; Huskapellas Fall ‘22, Dec. 10. 780-5555.

Comedy

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Nikki Glaser, Jan. 14, 2023. 956-6000.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Comedian Bob Marley, Dec. 14. 935-7292.

Art

Bates College Museum of Art, 75 Russell St., Lewiston. And So Did Pleasure Take the Hand of Sorrow and They Wandered Through the Land of Joy, through Mar. 18, 2023; Expressions of Compassion: Selections from the Barbara Morris Goodbody Photography Collection,

through Mar. 18, 2023. 786-6158.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine St., Brunswick. Antiquity & America: The Ancient Mediterranean in the United States, through Feb. 5, 2023; Helen Frankenthaler and Jo Sandman: Without Limits, through Mar. 12, 2023; In Light of Rome: Early photography in the Capital of the World: 1842-1871, Dec. 8–Jun. 4, 2023; Turn of Phrase: Language and Translation in Global Contemporary Art, Dec. 15–Jun. 4, 2023; Masks of Memories: Art and Ceremony in Nineteenth Century Oceania, through Jul. 9, 2023; Re|Framing the Collection: New Considerations in European and American Art, 1475–1875, through Dec. 31, 2023. 725-3275.

Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk. Sea of Stories: History Through Art & Archives, through Dec. 31; The Great State of Illustration in Maine, through Feb. 28, 2023. 985-4802.

Carol L. Douglas Studio and Gallery, 394 Commercial St., Rockport. Landscape and marine paintings, workshops and instruction. Watch-me-paint.com. 585201-1558.

Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 21 Winter St., Rockland. Ian Trask: Mind Loops, through Jan. 8, 2023; Elijah Ober: Calcium/Your Future Ex Squirrelfriend, through Jan. 8, 2023; Daniel Minter & Eneida Sanches: Through This to That, through Jan. 8, 2023; Interior, through Jan. 8, 2023; 2023 CMCA Biennial, Jan. 28, 2023–May 7, 2023. 701-5005.

Made

Come Visit Us in the Purple House in Freeport!

Colby College Museum of Art, 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. Sarah Cain: hand in hand, through Dec. 11; Light on Maine Street, Dec. 17–Jan. 23, 2023; Alex Katz: Theater and Dance, through Feb. 19, 2023; Naeem Mohaiemen: grace, through Apr. 23, 2023; Time and Tide Flow Wide: The Collection in Context, 19591973, through Jun. 11, 2023; All in One: Selections from the Alex Katz Foundation Collection, through Jun. 11, 2023. 859-5600.

Cove Street Arts, 71 Cove St. Matt Blackwell: Worry Later, through Dec. 3; Stephanie Rayner: The Boat of Eternal Return, through Dec. 31; David Estey: Emergent Phenomena, through Dec. 31; Bernard C. Meyers: Urban Abstracts, through Jan. 14, 2023. 808-8911.

David Lussier Gallery, 66 Wallingford Sq., Kittery. Gallery with works by artists including Benjamin Lussier, David Lussier, George Van Hook, and Pamela Lussier. 860-336-9051.

Farnsworth Art Museum, 16 Museum St., Rockland. Farnsworth Forward: The Farnsworth Collection, through Dec. 31; Ashley Bryan: Beauty in Return, through Dec. 31; Andrew Wyeth: Islands in Maine, through Dec. 31; Andrew Wyeth: Early Temperas, Dec. 31; Leonard Baskin: I Hold the Cracked Mirror Up to Man, through Jan. 15, 2023; Louise Nevelson: Dawn to Dusk, through Dec. 31, 2024. 596-6457.

First Friday Art Walks, Creative Portland, 84 Free St. Dec. 2; Jan. 6, 2023. 370-4784.

HOLIDAY GIFTS & EVENTS GUIDE

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. Exhibition On Screen: Hopper: An American Love Story, Dec. 15–16. 563-3424.

Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St. Northern Threads: Two Centuries of Dress at Maine Historical Society, Part II: Clothing circa 1890–1980, through Dec. 31; Chansonetta Stanley Emmons: Staging the Past, through Mar. 31, 2023; Fashion for the People: Maine’s Graphic Tees, through Apr. 8, 2023. 774-1822.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. Sustaining Maine’s Waters: Understanding the Changing Gulf of Maine, through Dec. 31; Shipwrecks & Salvage, through Dec. 31; Featured Finds, through Feb. 23, 2023. 443-1316.

Maine Sculpture Trail, Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. An outdoor exhibit of 34 sculptures spanning over 273 miles along the coastal region of Downeast Maine. schoodicsculpture.org.

Moss Galleries, 100 Fore St. Nick Benfey, Dec. 4–Jan. 12, 2023; Charlie Hewitt, Jan. 21–28, 2023. 804-0459.

Moss Galleries, 251 US-1, Falmouth. John Santoro & Torrie Dorsey, through Jan. 7, 2023. 781-2620.

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Sq. The Draftsman in Society: German Expressionist Prints, through Dec. 11; Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder, through Jan. 15, 2023; Kathy Butterly: Out of one, many / Headscapes, through Mar. 5, 2023. 775-6148.

River Arts, 36 Elm St, Damariscotta. Celebration, through Dec. 30. 563-6868.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. Exhibition on Screen: Hopper: An American Love Story, Dec. 8; Exhibition on Screen: Cézanne: Portraits of a Life, Jan. 12, 2023. 594-0070.

University of New England Art Galleries, UNE Art Gallery, 716 Stevens Ave. Michael Kolster: Home and Other Realms and Work from the Stephen K.

Halpert Collection of Photography, through Jan. 22, 2023. 602-3000.

University of New England Art Galleries, Jack S. Ketchum Library, 11 Hills Beach Rd., Biddeford. River to the Sea: UNE Faculty Exhibition, through Dec. 16; Of and About the Road: The Automobile in History, Society, and the Environment, Jan. 13, 2023–Apr. 7, 2023. 602-3000.

Film

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. Vacation Matinee: Disney’s Encanto, Dec. 26–30. 667-9500. Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. Gratitude Revealed, Dec. 1; Red Headed Woman, Dec. 1–2; Gold Diggers of 1933, Jan. 5–6, 2023. 5633424.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. The 13th Annual Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film Fesival, Dec. 2. 761-1757.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Granite Backcountry Film Festival, Dec. 8. 956-6000.

Don’t Miss

Lobster Dip 2023, in front of The Brunswick Hotel, 39 West Grand Ave., Old Orchard Beach. Fun event to raise

funds for Special Olympics Maine, Jan. 1, 2023. secure. frontstream.com/lobster-dip-2023.

Polar Bear Dip & Dash, Southern Maine Community College, 2 Fort Rd., South Portland. Gather your friends, start a team, or fundraise on your own to support NRCM’s climate change work for this 15th Annual event, Dec. 31. nrcm.org/events/polar-bear-dip-dash.

Snodeo, Rangeley Lakes. Celebrate winter with snowmobile races, an antique snowmobile parade, fun games in town, and more, Jan. 19–22, 2023. rangeleysnowmobile.com/events/snodeo-2023.

Tasty

Earth at Hidden Pond, 354 Goose Rocks Rd., Kennebunkport. Earth Mixology Class, Dec. 3. 967-6550.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. Talking Food in Maine: Intimate Conversations with host Cherie Scott and guest Christian Hayes, Jan. 19. 563-3424.

Now You’re Cooking, 49 Front St., Bath. Facebook Live cooking demos with a rotating list of staff & local chefs, every Thu. 443-1402.

To submit an event listing: portlandmonthly.com/portmag/submit-an-event/

Compiled by Bethany Palmer

Cathy Heinz Designs

Reality Theater (continued from page 23)

the audience about their tattoos. A lady had an interesting one. “Oh, what is it?”

“It’s my baby’s footprint.”

“Oh, how cute! How old is your baby now?”

“She’s passed.”

A catch-22 there—another book I didn’t read.

I kind of like it when honesty comes out.

I read that early on, in college, you walked into the Student Union which was doubling as a study hall—a ready-made audience—and it grabbed you: Whatwould SarahSilvermansay?She’s from Manchester, New Hampshire—dark, New England humor. Have you ever performed with her?

Oh, yeah, lots of times. It’s a crazy business. I get to meet my heroes. We did the Today show together in July. She knows what a fan I am. She’s the reason I started working in comedy. She’s still the G.O.A.T. to me, because she follows such a ne line in comedy, honesty, really kind. People say she got where she is because she’s cute. It’s not that she’s cute—she’s de nitely cute— it’s the kindness she radiates [while savaging hypocrisy and stilted conventions]. She’s the queen of that.

So what didyou say when you walked into that cafeteria/study hall?

To myself, I’m supposed to be studying for my nals, but I’ll just write jokes instead. Here’s an early one: “I would love to be pregnant one day. I just want to be mature enough to handle abortion.” Or molestation, domestic violence. I don’t want to o end anyone— I just like to surprise people. But on the serious side, if you don’t talk about molestation, guess who gets to keep doing it?

Portland is where Stephen King was born. Abby Elliott grew up spending her summers in Harpswell, and still does. I’m reading my rst Stephen King book right now! It’s called 11/22/63. I love Abby! Maine knows comedy—Bob Marley country. It’s always exciting to go somewhere you haven’t been..

When does your flter kick in—when you know you’ve gone too far?

When someone gets up and leaves. It doesn’t happen very o en. Let’s see.

When I shock myself. Sometimes I do a lot of just ri ng. But if I look at myself and sense that what I’m saying is getting really dark or out of line, I say, let’s all forget that.

INTERVIEW

An out-of-body experience?

No, very in-body. My adrenaline really rises. But my friends and parents tell me I’m the same person on both side of the curtain. I have out-of-body moments. But “out of line...” If it happens, it usually happens with material that’s new. Disassociation happens. en the most absurd thing: you think you’ll know where the joke is going, but you don’t know where the joke is going at all.

But thankfully, the more I perform, the more I really know who I am on stage, so I’m getting to be no di erent when I’m on or o stage.

Is there a face people make when they don’t get a joke? Yeah. ey laugh.

ey don’t want to be insecure when they don’t get a joke. ey want to let everybody know they’re smart, or they get it. It’s kind of scary. You usually don’t know who doesn’t get a joke.

You’ve said you were looking forward to a month of silence following vocal cord surgery in Boston. An out-of-voice experience. I watched your podcast about it. The idea of silence seemed to energize you.

I’d been talking nonstop for 20 years— podcasts, standup. Silence was something absolutely new.

It beckoned to you. It made me appreciate timing.

I guess comics live and die on silence.

I am not a comic who likes silence. I don’t take beats. I’m very ADD. I want to meditate, but at two times the speed. I mean, I appreciate things like timing, pace, valleys of silence. Maybe someday I will allow silence to creep into my shows, but not too soon.

What’s the nicest thing a stranger has ever said to you?

“With a mask on, you look like Jennifer Lawrence.” en I take it o , and it’s “Oh, no.” [She waits a beat.] “God. you look like Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

Quick: Favorite romantic poet? Taylor Swi n

Give a warm welcome to Nikki Glaser in Maine at the State Theatre on January 14.

Roger’s sculpture covers the gamut from fine art to whimsy, including functional garden elements, weathervanes, birdbaths, gates, fountains, and more. Given the sculptures’ unique eclectic qualities, they work in sophisticated to comfortable environments. www.ditarando.com

Plan Your Winter Getaway Today

Overlooking Maine’s largest glacier lake, Blair Hill Inn’s stunning ten room country estate offers guests a beautiful, expansive lake view and one of the fnest restaurants in Maine serving fresh farm-to-table cuisine.

Whether you enjoy winter sports adventures or prefer a relaxing day by the fre, we look forward to welcoming you to the Blair Hill Inn.

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“Your Real Estate Source for The Rangeley Region”

“Your Real Estate Source for The Rangeley Region”

SADDLEBACK IS BACK!! Fantastic GREEN DRAKE slope side Condo is ready for your immediate enjoyment! Beautifully appointed, this 3BR, 2BA unit offers sun filled open kitchen/living area with vaulted ceilings, gas fireplace, radiant heat. Main floor bedroom w/bathroom, plus 2 bedrooms w/full bath & game room w/pool table on lower level. Heated mudroom entry with plenty of room to store belongings and gear. Savor the Top of the World panoramic mountain and Saddleback Lake views, ski in/out access from your door, water access to tranquil nomotors Saddleback Lake. Good rental potential. Buy now and enjoy this upcoming ski season!

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Swiss Miss

The style that brings a smile

BY COLIN W. SARGENT

As a decorating motif, Swiss chalets may be among the earliest examples of nostalgic irony in American architecture.

Just add cocoa and marshmallows. Wildly popular to this day, these storybook structures o er not just shelter but true

(as opposed to false) whimsy to the woods, lakes, and hills of Maine.

PRE  COLONIAL REVIVAL

Heidi’s grandfather’s prototype may go back 700 years in the European Alps, but the Swiss chalet in the U.S. was rst popularized by landscape architecture pioneer Andrew Jackson Down-

TALKING WALLS

ing (1815-1852) of Newburgh, New York, who included a Swiss chalet design with overhangs, wide eaves, large carved brackets, and gingerbread in his 1850 dream book e Architecture of Country Houses

We searched on Zillow. ere's no category for antebellum Swiss chalets, but we do have a more recent charmer from the Carrabassett Valley sweet enough to warm your cocoa and ignite a blaze in its own replace.

LIGHT THE WOOD STOVE

The mountain chalet at 3004 Rogers Circle in Sugarloaf Village, Carrabassett Valley is not only sweet enough to star in its own snow globe, it’s fashioned from cedar logs, so you don’t need to bring a can of Forest Fragrance aerosol spray when you stay.

O Route 27, which runs between the sublime panoramas of Sugarloaf Mountain and Bigelow Preserve, this 1,800-square-foot, 2-story skiers’ getaway boasts seven rooms, including 3 bed-

rooms and 2 baths. Its 1.13-acre lot vibrates with the proximity of the nearby mountain slopes, embellished with Sugaraloaf’s ski-trail zigzags. A “quiet and relaxing deck overlooks a pine forest and private back-

yard.” e same family lived here for many years, so there’s a “here” here, too, with the woodsy air of past get-togethers almost palpable. Holiday reunion laughter, so music from romantic dinners, Valentine’s Day enveloped in deep snowdri s outside...the best retreats have tracks across time in Sensurround: you can hear the photos as well as see them.

“Our house was built in the 1960s or 1970s,” says seller Jen McCormick, who is represented by CSM Realty. “Julie Parisien and her siblings, all skiers, grew up

here. We bought the house from the family in 1993. In 1998, we heard a knock at the door. Julie wanted to check in on some memories. My two daughters, who’d always looked up to Julie and her participation in three Olympics, were furious that they’d missed getting to meet their hero” on shared turf.

Parisien wasn’t the only one to drop by. “I was lying on the couch when my husband, Jim said, ‘You’ve got to get o the couch—there’s a bear outside!’ Sure enough, there was a big bear, clomping around. Almost at the same time, a huge moose entered the cul-de-sac! Our chocolate lab raced under the moose and barely made it into the house with the moose charging behind.”

THE ANGEL’S IN THE DETAILS

e foundation is concrete, with no basement. Wood stove replaces add charm to the forced hot-air heating system. “On winter shuttle service and low association fees…Short walk or bike ride to Carrabassett Valley Academy, Hugs Restaurant,

a recently renovated

a 3rd story, and the lot.. This is a prominent investment opportunity in an established community. Recent capital improvements as well as residential and commercial leases are established, creating a solid foundation to partner with the locals and reinvigorate Main St Kingfield. Call for details.

Julie Parisien and her siblings, all skiers, grew up here.

town library and [everyone’s requirement] Anti-Gravity Center.” Fitness complex or comedy club?

BIRTH OF THE CUTE

Swiss-style architecture took a great leap forward in the New World when the rst Great Northern Railroad hotel, Glacier Park Lodge, was built in 1912–13 in Glacier National Park, Montana. For many travelers, this in uential lodge was (and still is) “a grand entry to the wilderness, as most visitors came by train from the east,” according to nps.gov.

Cincinnati boasts world-famous Swiss Chalet neighborhoods still vibrant with tours of homes created from the mid-1880s till at least 1910.

Sadly, Downing, the dashing visionary who introduced the Swiss Chalet concept to America, was onboard the ill-fated steamer Henry Clay on July 28, 1852, when a boiler exploded and she caught re in the Hudson River, killing nearly 50 passengers [including Downing, former New York mayor Stephen Allen, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s sister Maria Louisa], who either burned to death or drowned as they tried to jump and swim to the riverbank. Friend and fellow dreamer Nathaniel Parker Willis of Portland mourned the editor of e Horticulturalist who was transforming the National Mall in D.C.: “Our country’s one solitary promise of a supply for the-scarcity-of-beauty coin in our every-day pockets. He was the one person who could be sent for…to look at elds and woods and tell what could be made of them.”

e in uencer who put the “central” in Central Park was just 36.

What’s the cost of this little corner of heaven? $549,000. n

Taxes are $1,086.

My favorite spot is where I keep my grandmother’s rocking chair right as you walk in the door, facing the wood stove.

831-4934

Freeport - Building Lot

MLS#1406473 (Land)

Rosewood Lane (Lot 36), Cobb Bridge Commons, Gloucester, ME

This 50 x 50 lot is in the VC zone (Village/Commercial). There are several upgrades to the lot; foundation, garage pad, power, sewer and water are in place. A home design has been created by Waltman Architectural. Create a unique living style (condo living) without the associated fees. Located on Morse Street, you can walk to Main Street for shopping, theater, dining, schools and parks and the Bow Street Market.

MLS#1406283 (Land & House)

Sweeping

views of the Katahdin Range

Freeport, Maine (207) 831-4934

kelly@kellywentworth.com

Beaches, Mooring, Kelly Wentworth-Lowe Sales Manager Freeport, Maine (207) 831-4934

Private sandy beach with over 250’ feet of crystal clear water front. The cottage offers an open floor plan on the first floor with two bedrooms and two baths on the second floor. One side of the cottage has a three season room and

and Views! Cottage sited atop Bluff Head Rock outcropping. Motivated seller, recent favorable interest rates, and charming location make this sweet spot worth strong

Pleasant Lake 1.7 acre lot with 152-feet of pristine clear spring fed waterfront on Pleasant Lake. Over 1800 acres with a depth of 60” and home to many types of fish. Year round adventure for all—swimming, kayaking, fishing, ATV, snowmobiling and more.

$250,000

©2018 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An Independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.

®

Gilbert D. (Specs) Eaton III

$195,000

Island Falls – Waterfront Lot

Village Center Estates, North Yarmouth

A WELL-ROUNDED LIFE BEGINS AT THE SQUARE

NEW CONDOMINIUM HOMES | 65 MCAULEY WAY, PORTLAND, MAINE

Whether you’re interested in a low-maintenance single-level residence, a location that supports your active lifestyle, an age-qualified community, an intimate enclave, or anything in between, Portland, Maine’s Stevens Square at Baxter Woods has what you are seeking. It is not easy to find a wooded refuge just minutes from Portland’s busy downtown, but Stevens Square is just that. Expected move in Autumn 2023

Ed Gardner, Broker ed@gardnerregroup.com 207.415.4493

Kelley Craig, Broker kelley@gardnerregroup.com 207.615.4406

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James L. Eastlack, Owner Broker 207-864-5777 or 207-670-5058 | JLEastlack@gmail.com

Rangeley Lake Waterfront - 407 Feet With Beach!

RANGELEY

Located on the Eastern Shore of the lake this property is 2.80 acres and has 407 feet of gorgeous shorefront. One of the nicest beaches on Rangeley lake with great privacy on both sides. This seasonal cottage ofers 2 bedrooms with sleeping loft, 1 bath and a nice large living area overlooking the lake. Daily sunsets are included at no additional charge!

– 2582 Main St - Wonderful commercial business on Main Street w/ 105' on Rangeley Lake, Marina/ Convenience Store, 25+ Slips, Gas, Shop, Downtown Commercial Zoning, High Traffic Location, $965,000.

Nice deep water frontage for boating and mooring included. This is a wonderful location and possibilities are there to build

a second dwelling or winter home. Call today, this camp 'Little Paradise' won't last long! $995,000

SPRING LAKE – 6 Spring Lake Rd - Escape to nature and a wonderful waterfront property on a great remote body of water. Off grid w/generator, year round building, detached garage, Ice fish, hunt, enjoy all seasons! $495,000.

RANGELEY LAKE VIEWS – 100 Proctor Rd - Shadow Pine, a one of a kind property with 48.32 acres, Saddleback Mtn Views, Rangeley Lake Views, 6 beds, 6 baths, 5+ car garages, addition 40 acres available for purchase! $1,495,000.

RANGELEY LAKE VIEWS – 21 Pine Grove - 4 Beds, 3.5 Baths, Fully Furnished, SW facing views w/LOTS of sun, Snowmobile and ATV from your doorstep, Detached 32x32 garage fully heated, a must see! $639,000.

LAKE

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RANGELEY LAKE

when I can get them—IQF [individually quick-frozen] whole, or the raw meat. Folks o en buy the entire box (11 pounds) for their freezers, but you can get them by the pound if you want. e frozen raw meat is most popular, but I haven’t seen it for a while.” (He just got a shipment in a couple days a er this interview).

On their Facebook page I notice comments like “ ese are Maine shrimp” alluding to the fact that, yes, Canadian shrimp are the same species, also known as northern shrimp or pink shrimp. O en you’ll see Canadian-caught shrimp in packaging that states “Maine Shrimp,” such as the ones sold at SoPo Seafood labeled “Smoked Maine Shrimp,” smoked by a Maine seafood company called Grindstone Neck in Winter Harbor.

But none of the Canadian-caught shrimp is available to us fresh; the species has a very short shelf life. So those of us who remember don’t have “our” Maine shrimp anymore. For Jay Villani at Local 188, nothing can replace them. “I remember getting them right o the boat still crackling, tasting so good. We could get them back then for 30 cents a pound! Now it’s double digits.”

Don Lindgren of Rabelais Books in Biddeford takes the nostalgia a step further: “You can go anywhere in the country and nd a Maine lobster, Maine blueberries, Maine potatoes, and all those other things that Maine is identi ed with. But because of the delicate nature of Maine shrimp, you have to have them here. at makes them even more special: this is the only place in the world where you can get them.”

Well, where you could get them. Once upon a time. n

Really? You heard that they've returned?

Can you give me a link? If this is true, that's a huge and welcome surprise!

—Sam Hayward of Fore Street

No Ordinary Woman (continued from page 19) and the youngest, who “All lived as one family, pleasantly with each other,” according to Sarah Hawes, who “never knew my father or mother to strike one of the children; a mild reproof was the only punishment.”

NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED

Determined to further John’s education even as his father’s family deprived her of the means to do so nancially, Susan “immediately applied to Mr. [Calvin] S[tockbridge],” one of the owners of the paper mill her husband managed, “to accept the guardianship, which he did...and he remained his rm and faithful friend,” underwriting John’s studies at Hebron Academy until it burnt down in 1819—which, John wrote to a friend, “I consider as the judgement of Heaven for their treatment of the few independent souls who resided with them during this past year.”

Perhaps sensing her stepson needed to stretch his wings in a wider sphere, Susan anticipated his future destiny and “advised him at that time to go to Liberia, but he rmly declined doing so until he had taken his degree,” teaching in Black schools in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston to pay his way. By 1824 he’d earned the means to enroll at Bowdoin College as a 25-yearold junior alongside fellow intellectuals and literary greats Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, initially making the grueling 19-mile commute by stagecoach from his home in North Yarmouth, where four more new stepsiblings had by now arrived.

WHERE THE HEART IS

With instantaneous communication at our ngertips today, it’s hard to grasp the oce-

John B. Russwurm house at 238 Ocean Avenue, Portland

anic gulf between Russwurm and his family in Maine a er he eventually emigrated to Monrovia, Liberia in 1829 to serve as superintendent of schools and colonial secretary, re-launching the Liberia Herald, West Africa’s rst Black newspaper, along the way. While he was getting married and having his rst child at 35, he likely had no idea his stepmother was having her eleventh and last at 47. “It is so long since I have heard from North Yarmouth that I know not but half the town may be dead,” he wrote to his half-brother, Francis Edward Russwurm, in 1834. “ e departure of the Brig Anne...for Bath, a ords me an opportunity of dropping you a few lines...Remember me to all the family; and I should feel particularly honored by a letter from Mr. or Mrs. Hawes.”

A year later, he’s still nudging his brother for news: “I have written so o en of late without receiving any answers that I begin to despair of hearing from you again...I felt con dent that you would receive my letters by the Brig Anne...If received, why have you all been silent so long...I promise myself, blow high or low... to cross the Atlantic again...I live in Africa but my friends in America can never be forgotten.”

As governor of Maryland in Liberia, Russwurm was unable to return to Maine for a family reunion until 1848. As overjoyed as he was to be reunited with his stepmother, he was dismayed at how much she was depended upon. “We are staying at...my old home: all appear glad to see us, not only in the family— but all my old acquaintances,” he wrote to James Hall. “Very unfortunately, her eldest daughter has been, & is still quite unwell: it grieves me much to see the old lady have so much to do in her old age...after having raised so many.”

Although Russwurm himself had become so accustomed to equatorial weather that he found Maine in August “very cold, so that we have slept under 2 and 3 blankets,” this did not deter him from educating his own children there. An extraordinary woman’s work is never done, and as the saying goes, if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. “A er some years, two of his sons, George and Frank, were sent to Yarmouth and attended school...boarding in mother’s family,” his stepsister Sarah Hawes noted. Where else? n

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Seven Arctic explorers, one Snowy Owl—what could possibly go wrong?

Awild dog howled. e tide had gone out gently and slowly started to return, but there was something eerie about the calm ere was no red sky warning, nothing but clear skies on the NOAA Doppler. Yet Emily could feel an approaching battle deep inside her bones. Or maybe the assailant was already here.

From a cracked window, she watched the naked shoreline as the strong coffee percolated.

e early morning darkness hid the sharpest details of the jagged cli s, but she knew them each by heart. She wasn't really looking anyway; her mind was already a turbulent sea of thoughts.

e morning brought deep shivers despite the sun. She pulled on rubber boots and grabbed the heaviest hoodie and a wool hat from the rack beside the door. It wasn't a fashionable selection, but it would fend o the rugged bite of December air.

jackets. Pete ran in circles, excited to jump aboard. In a blink, their boat was cruising toward the edge of the bay and beyond.

Breaths held at the pulling of each line.

e cold revealed the condensation of each sharp exhale. Another hu of disappointment, then on to the next.

Emily had the bands ready and made quick work of the two mature lobsters before re lling the bait. Will gently tossed a juvenile free and returned the trap with a silent prayer before moving on.

Emily rubbed her hands together to fend o numbness for as long as she could stand before reaching for the thermos of co ee she’d stowed.

Quietest Catch

BY CHARLOTTE NYSTROM

She and Will savored its brief warmth before continuing in synchrony.

After two decades together, words were unnecessary.

Six hours later, they heave the heavy rope and tie up.

Outside the weathered cottage, a young German shepherd named Pete led the way to the battered truck. A year ago Pete had adopted them, largely against Emily’s will, having followed her home from a walk. With no luck nding the stray's family, and no local takers, he'd become theirs—or they became his. He had a stubborn propensity for leading.

She opened the passenger door and followed the pup into the warm cab, where Will smiled faintly. ey didn't speak during the drive to the dock—didn't need to.

e truck shuddered into motion along the desolate road following the Cutler coastline, beautiful but harsh. Soon they were parked, donning rubber bibs and thick

Emily watches the scale. A small catch. Will shakes his head, and she squeezes his hand. It's not enough to see them through the quiet season. Not enough to cover the new lines, doubled bait and fuel costs, recent repairs...or the holidays.

Pete whimpers, ready to return to his food bowl and warm bed.

Emily sighs heavily at the so waves, ghting back tears. She's tired of battling winds and weather, storms and tides, bureaucratic policy, the damaged economy, and sinking prices. Battle weary but unable to quit, with mouths to feed and bloodlines to keep.

Tomorrow they’ll wake again and head back out to sea. It’s all she knows. All her village knows. ey’re all in over their heads, with no choice but to keep the generations swimming, one quiet catch at a time. n

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTO BY JOZEF FEHÉR: HTTPS://WWW.PEXELS.COM/PHOTO/DOG-FETCHING-1800314/

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