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SCOOPS

13 FROM THE EDITOR

“Baby, You Can Drive My Car” By Colin W. Sargent

15 LETTERS

17 CHOWDER

A tasty blend of the Fabulous, the Eyebrow-Raising, and the Just Plain Wrong.

55 FINE LIVING

“What is it, Anyway?” By Clif Travers

CULTURE

21 “Making the Cut” By Colin W. Sargent

49 “Radio Bangor” By Bruce Pratt

63 HOME & GARDEN SHOWS

“Knowing Your Growing”

64 GET OUT

95 “The Man on the Beach” Fiction by Will Hodgkinson

SNOOPS

25 “There’s a Camp for That!” By Clif Travers

35 “Camps Ahoy!” By Clif Travers

SHELTER

81 TALKING WALLS

“A Real Thirst Trap” By Colin W. Sargent

88 NEW ENGLAND HOMES & LIVING

REFRESH

59 CORNER TABLE

“Do The Continental” By Colin W. Sargent

60 SELECT AREA RESTAURANTS

EXPLORE

18 MADE IN MAINE

44 CAMPING, MOUNTAINS, LAKES & LODGES

72 LET’S PARTY!

102 Baxter Blvd, Portland, ME 04101

COLIN W. SARGENT

Founding Editor & Publisher

ART & PRODUCTION

Art Director NANCY SARGENT

Associate Publisher JESSE STENBAK

Design Director CLAIRE HANLEY

Design MEAGHAN MAURICE MERCEDES VILLENEUVE

ADVERTISING

Advertising Executive ANDIE EWING

Advertising Executive KAREN DUDDY

Advertising Executive PER LOFVING

EDITORIAL

Assistant Editor & Publisher CLIF TRAVERS

Contributing Editor GWEN THOMPSON

Special Features & Archives COLIN S. SARGENT

Special Projects JASON HJORT

Associate TESS DAVIS

ACCOUNTING

Controller JENNIFER LORD

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscribe online at www.portlandmagazine.com.

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.

Feb/March 2025, Volume 40, No. 1 (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.

Portland Magazine is proudly printed in the USA by Cummings Printing.

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Especially when my “Baby” is an AI-directed robot.

Because Portland has been called “the San Francisco of the East,” I like to keep track of our alter-ego metropolis.

Last week, my wife and I rode in a driverless car from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill. e Waymo was an all-electric white Jaguar I PACE, and I was oored by its magical ways. With no one in the front seat, we luxuriated in the back, enveloped in calming yoga music, hypnotized by the steering wheel turning ahead of us like we were watching the ghost movie Topper. e robot car turned right, left, evaded a cat, slowed to let a car back out of a herringbone slot, and whisked us back to our hotel—all without drama, uncomfortable dialogue, or a tip. e price was $5 less than the Uber quote for the same ride. https:// waymo.com/waymo-one-san-francisco/ I used to sco at driverless cars. Now, I’m a believer. My un-driving made San Francisco a safer place and let me glimpse attractions like the Liberty Ship Jeremiah O’Brien on Pier 35, made in Maine and still a oat. Isn’t it marvelous that Cousin’s Island Lobster has a restaurant on Pier 41 in the Portland of the West? Not only that, the work of Maine playwright and screenwriter Samuel A. Taylor inspired the movie e Pleasure of His Company, all shot on Nob Hill and around the city. Fred Astaire’s character’s name? Biddeford Poole. His co-star was Mainer Gary Merrill. Did you know that Taylor also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, for some of the ‘quintessential’ (see our interview with Jonathan Van Ness in this issue) San Francisco movie? (Taylor also wrote Sabrina, based on a garage in Bar Harbor). See [link].

Not that AI is always dead on. Last night, Alexa asked me if I wanted to hear a new piece of music just released by Johann Sebastian Bach. Really? e B Man is dropping new tunes? Now, this is news.

Driverless Waymos have seized and taken over San Francisco. I predict these cars will be all over Portland in the next three years. What a world—

BEYOND THE USUAL

I want to thank you for your story [“When We Was Fab,” December 2024]. You didn’t have to bring all of that history forward, but you did. Highlighting Una Richardson was special.

What it shows to me again, and proves, is that all through the years, you have always brought forth justice and truth in your own special ways. So, thanks for everything, always. Dan Domench, Union

CARDINAL NUMBERS

I read with great interest your article about Maine license plates [“We’ve Got Your Number!” April 1997], and am curious, how did you obtain the list of owners for the 20 or so low numbers in order to contact them? I am interested in the same type of list but for those who have single letters. Stuart Dickstein, Portland

MIRACLE IN SCARBORO MARSH

e review was well-written and just lovely [“Back to the Future,” Winteguide 2025]. I was impressed by how the writer covered everything from start to nish.

e restaurant industry is hard work accompanied by long hours, and a kind word is always nice to hear! We appreciate that.

Anna DiSanto, AnJon’s Restaurant, Scarborough

Year-round coffee shop in Kennebunkport

Espresso | Smoothies | Baked Goods

Grab & Go Sandwiches, Soups, Salads

Wine | Cheese | Beer

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Indy Boot in dark brown reverse chamois leather Commando sole Handcrafted on the Trubalance last Pre-stitch reverse welt, antique Tonal eyelets & speed hooks Made in New England since 1884 For these, and more “Good Shoes,” shop with us in- store in Portland’s Old Port - and online at davidwoodstyleshop.com. See you soon.

Hackmatack Swag

Host a visiting Hackmatack Theater actor and make this summer your stage. “We have some current hosts who have loved the program and have been hosting for upwards of 20 years,“ says Aram Guptill. Hosts receive a gift basket of homemade goodies from our farm. If they’re meat-eaters we include 2 packages of pasture-raised bison burgers or 2 packages of bison hot dogs or 2 packages of Italian sausages (depending on the host’s desires) alongside some homemade jams, bison soap, and some Hackmatack merchandise. Additionally, they receive a season pass (good for 8 tickets to any show) to be able to enjoy the creative work of the individual they are hosting.

Private Eye

If you’re wondering how extraordinarily close Back Cove is to being a perfect circle, consider this night shot from space.

Musical Chairs

We had artisans before the 21st century! Here’s an 1887 delivery memo from the Walter Corey furniture factory on 28 Free Street, near today’s Cross Arena. His creations are in the collection of Rhode Island School of Design.

Katahdin

Even Wikipedia is marveling about the Arctic Katahdin: “ is astonishing butter y resides in only one place in the universe, the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park.”

Indoor mini golf is taking over the old World’s Gym space on Marginal Way in Portland starting in June. Also worth a swing: the massive sports bar and restaurant that will debut with it.

“ We were driving the coast, so to speak, I think maybe in a station wagon. He fell in love with wherever we went, and now he’d fallen in love with Maine. We talked excitedly in the car. We were looking for a house on the water. We did examine the place! We kept driving north along the water until I don’t really remember the name of the town. We went quite a ways up, actually, because it was so beautiful. To John, each place was more beautiful than the last."

—Interview with Yoko Ono by Colin W. Sargent, Summerguide 2003.

the Cut Making

Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye loves the Forest City, and the feeling’s mutual.

Looking forward to your March 30 stop here at the State Theatre?

Portland is the coolest city. It’s so beautiful, the people are so henny—my husband [Mark Peacock] can attest. He loves it. We’ve been talking about Portland a lot since I was there in October 2023. at last time, we walked all over the place. We ate on the waterfront downtown and walked back to State eatre, which was kind of a good stroll! Portland is physically so gorg. I can’t think of any places that look like it—the physical beauty is so stunning, the art studios, brick streets, the people I met at restaurants. Everybody’s warm, but it’s not a midwestern warmth where they say, “Hey, there, how are you?” It’s a very cool warmth and energy. ey don’t chat for the sake of chatting.

I read somewhere you nearly passed out eating crab legs once. So, I’m guessing you like lobster when you come here. Yes! We went to that shamazing bar restaurant on the harbor [J’s Oyster Bar].

Will there be shifts or changes you’ll make to your show when you come here?

I do like to do an original piece for wherever I am, like at the top of the show. is will be a new show.

I’m updating my special FUN & SLUTTY, and I’ll be workshopping all new material on the way to Portland, so I’m excited.

Are you a river person or an ocean person at heart? Beyond Austin, TX, you have a New York address in Chelsea near the Hudson River. I think I’m probably…an ocean person. Once, I saw a couple of bodies pulled out of the Hudson. And I’ve seen people taking a dump in the Mississippi.

When you lived in Arizona, how close were you to the Grand Canyon? Was that like living near an ocean?

I lived four hours away. And you know, I lived there three years, but the answer is…no, I never went to it! at’s so strange. I have own over it.

How did you frst meet [Passamaquoddy activist, artist, and storyteller] Geo Neptune? rough a very close friend of mine who is a loc.

What’s your understanding of Geo’s being a “two spirit”? How has Geo described it to you?

I’ll message with Geo on Instagram. I’d really like to defer to them because to describe it authentically in the Native American community, it’s best when people are speaking to that for themselves.

Portland is far from north of nowhere; we’re spectacularly somewhere: Stephen King was born here, Longfellow, Anna Kendrick. Do you read Stephen King?

Let me Google to be sure. Not so much Stephen King, but I am an Anna Kendrick fan. My favorite show of hers is Perfect Pitch.

Your native Quincy, Illinois, is right on the Mississippi River, north of St. Louis, isn’t it? It sure is!

Is Quincy quintessential middle America, or is that an illusion?

Um, I think of Quincy as very quintessential, assuming anything can be quintessential. Is anyone’s quintessential ever a thing? It’s a small city with picturesque parts, but some of the other parts need their own little Queer Eye.

I looked into Quincy and saw that actress Mary Astor [The Maltese Falcon] was from there, a shimmering legacy. Do performers there have to work in her shadow?

I think people probably don’t know who she is.

[“Crop failure!”]

How about James Earl Ray, then?

He was from Quincy!? ank you for teaching me that.

Ok, ok, I’m sorry! I’ll spare you my third example [Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, who dropped the frst atomic bomb on Hiroshima]. This next question isn’t world news, but it touches on something large and local. There’s a high school in Maine with bullying in the locker room in the news today. Have you got a message for the students?

I was bullied a lot in high school and junior high. It leaves lifelong scars. I hope the students and the school administration will understand that when you’re cruel to someone, it isn’t just that moment or moments. It causes lifelong issues and long-term impacts.

I saw on Wikipedia that you use all the pronouns. Less rigidity and more acceptance?

As a nonbinary, I never fully felt male or female. Linguistically, I don’t mind what box you want to put me in because I’ve always existed outside of that. I don’t exist in that binary, so I don’t care.

Any tips for surviving in a dystopia? I’m approaching the next years knowing that queer joy is active resistance. I refuse to let an administration rob me of my joy. And my hope.

Your comedy, your observations, are both personal and global. But do you have a zinger you can tell me, a sampler?

All my jokes are, like, buildup and punch. But let’s see: “Before I got married, I used to cruise on Grinder. Now we cruise on Uber Eats!”n

Jonathan Van Ness during his last time here.

Outreach at the University of Southern Maine

SUMMER DAY CAMPS

iverse se ection of ca su ects inc u in rotatin s ecia ty ca s s

revention of Su er earnin oss y ee in stu ents in s active

usto curricu u tau ht y assionate an e erience e ucators

eve o ent of aca e ic an socia s i s in a su ortive environ ent

e ister here or More nfor ation

STEM Su er a s

SUMMER RESIDENTIAL CAMPS

The est of the co e e or e eriece hi e earnin on the University of Southern Maine s historic orha a us

Three e icious an nutritous ea s in the ai ey inin a us t o snac s a ay urin ro ra s inin

iverse se ection of ca su ects ith o ortunity to e ore u ti e conce ts

eve o ent of socia s i s in the c assroo an urin fun ac e evenin activites evenin

There’s a Camp for That!

Not your parents’ summer camps.

STORY BY CLIF TRAVERS

Maine has always o ered kids the best in water-and-woods adventure, but what about younglings who’ve got a yen for the unusual?

Here are three camps that will satisfy their o -the-grid curiosity.

DAVINCI

EXPERIENCE

June to August.

Standard price: $4,400 per session.

Day camp locations in Falmouth, Cousin’s Island, Freeport, and North Yarmouth.

For any kid who has a passion for discovery, this summer program encourages creativity and curiosity

with classes that dive into the arts and sciences. With over thirty themes that change weekly, it’s likely that every child between the ages of toddler and 16 will nd their niche.

Take e Crime Lab, for example. What kid doesn’t love solving mysteries? e older campers—12 to 14—get to go deep into crime solving through the world of forensic science with professionals who teachthem ngerprint identi cation, chromatography, and undercover police work. Younger campers—4 to 11—get to play the roles of detectives and police o cers, acting out scenes with the guidance of real crime solvers. e week will culminate with a mystery

in which campers will use their acquired knowledge to solve a crime. Future Monks and Matlocks are encouraged to attend.

It’s learning in the summer… but we don’t tell them that.

e week of “Loose Parts and Contemporary Arts” gets kids into sculpture. ey learn how to work with found objects such as plastics, trash, and even food. e week ends with—what else?—an art show. So, what is art? at’s a question examined daily as campers play with materials that are rarely considered art supplies. Dreaming of a sculpture made of recycled cans? is is the place to be.

Shark week? Yes, please! “Shark Shenanigans,” a beach day camp, will address what sharks eat, why they behave as they do, and where

they hang out. (Hopefully, the ocean.) It’s a week of exploration into the often misunderstood predator of the sea. Ages 4 to 14 will learn about the ocean ecosystem and how it a ects us all.

Other themes include Dr. DaVinci, which explores medicine and healing; Meteorology Magic, where kids learn about weather and its e ects; and Farm Vet, allowing campers to learn about caring and nurturing farm animals. Pigs and cows included.

LEGO ROBOTICS CAMP

June through August. Day camp for ages 9 to 12. Multiple locations from Saco to Machias.

Standard price: $200 per session Who doesn’t want to play with Legos? And robots? Come on!

2025 • 31st Annual

“Twice the program at half the price!”

Montville, Maine

Fiddle, guitar, piano, bass, banjo, cello, mandolin, ukulele, accordion, dulcimer, harmonica, whistle, flute, voice, and more

Workshops, concerts, surprise guests, dances, songs, and loons!

for

family in a traditional Maine summer camp setting

All Ages • Individuals • Families • Beginners to Advanced Musicians AUGUST: Week 3-8 • Week 10-15 www.mainefiddlecamp.org

JUNE: Weekend 13-15 • Week 15-20

Wholesome meals, cabins, tent/RV sites, swimming, campfires

OUT THERE

But this STEM camp (science, technology, engineering, math) goes way beyond play. It focuses on the programming needed to create a robot, a perfect t for the math-andscience-savvy kids out there.

Open to newcomers with little or no experience, the camp reveals techniques for “scratch-style block coding,” a method for beginners to learn about programming by dragging and dropping color-coded, pre-de ned blocks that represent di erent functions. No text editing needed.

“On the morning of the rst day, we bring out a basic robot—a simple model with about 50 parts,” says Tom Bickford, the director and creator of the program. “By lunch, everyone has built their robot. en they learn how to program it.” e programming, a form created by MIT, enables each motorized block to be controlled through a

OUT THERE

hand-held remote. “Eventually, they’re able to drive their robot up to a wall and stop a few inches from it.” ere are over a dozen Lego Robotic Camps in Maine, attracting over 800 girls and boys between late June and early August. Each session employs three sta members overseeing the work of roughly sixteen kids. “It’s an extension of school, sort of,” Bickford says. “It’s learning in the summer. But they’re having so much fun we don’t tell them that.”

JOHNNY MERCER YOUNG SONGWRITERS INTENSIVE

August 4 to 10. Ages 14 to 20. Sydney, Maine. Free to accepted applicants. Got a kid with a song in their heart and dreams of Broadway or Nashville? We’ve got you covered. Located

June 23rd - July 12th

Ages: 13 - 17

July 14th - 26th

Ages: 10 - 12

July 28th - August 9th

Ages: 6 - 9

Camps & Expedition Camps

at Snow Pond Center for the Arts, this 7-day songwriting intensive o ers ten lucky campers an opportunity to work with some of the best in the biz, hone their skills, and set their sights on a future in music.

With only ten spaces, this program has an application process. Interested teens are asked to submit two audio song samples along with lyric sheets. e descriptive “intensive” is not taken lightly. Once the camper arrives, the music begins with both group and individual instruction, tutorials, and writing workshops. Plus lots and lots of performance time.

Now in its second year, the intensive is a new addition to the o erings of the New England Music Camp, founded in 1937. Unlike the other camps in the program, the entire week is supported by the Johnny Mercer Foundation. If accepted, the campers receive free tuition, lodging, meals, and transportation. All for a song.

But it’s not just work. e campers get to participate in what most Maine summer camps are known for: boating, swimming, and singing around the camp re, although the singing might be a bit better than most. ere may even be a little competition to be the loudest, the most creative, and the one with the greatest range. Still, the camp encourages friendship and mutual support toward every camper, regardless of their genre, from hip-hop to country, pop to jazz.

Applicants come from around the world, but Mainers are encouraged to apply. “We love having Maine represented at the camp,” Matthew Wiggins, managing director, says. “Since we’re funded by the foundation, we’re not a camp for just rich kids from out of state. Our philosophy is that if a kid wants to be here, they should be.”

So many possibilities for the kids to get red up. n

MCamps Ahoy!

Not for landlubbers.

STORY BY CLIF TRAVERS

aine boasts a tidal coastline of 3,478 miles, so it’s no surprise that we’re home to over a dozen summer camps that get kids out on the ocean—safely. Here are three that introduce all ages and levels of experience to the joys of boating—with and without sails.

Two campers sail the waters in South Portland with the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in the background.

SAILMAINE, PORTLAND

“We have eets for every level from the little 8-foot Optimists to the 14-foot Turbo 420 racing dinghy for the older kids,” SailMaine executive director Michael McAllister says. “ e Turbo requires two or three sailors.” e pride of their eet is the J/22, a 22-foot keelboat capable of being handled by 2 to 5 sailors. “ at one’s for the advanced juniors and the adults.”

With twenty-seven years of sailing instruction and campers ranging from 5 to 18, SailMaine keeps its fees low thanks to its aggressive fundraising. “It subsidizes about 30 to 40 percent of the cost of the program,” McAllister says. “It allows us to

“Nurturing confidence, creativity, and compassion throughout everything we do.”

Growing Routes Camp Chloë

1 & 2 week overnight sessions

A different summer camp experience where kids flourish in a relaxed, small-group, family-like atmosphere. Each day is flexible based on camper interests, blending activities like swimming, art, gardening, cooking, yoga, ultimate frisbee, exploring in nature, and scavenger hunts, with the simple, timeless joys of summer - the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, and FUN.

www.growingroutes.org/camp-chloe

@growingroutes

info@growingroutes.org

keep the two-week/full-day session at $865 and the half days at $433, and there are scholarships available. Our mission statement is to give a ordable access to the water through community sailing and educational programs.”

Sessions start on June 23 at Portland Landing.

SEASPRAY KAYAKING

Ages 8 and up.

Owner Scott Shea started teaching kayaking to kids when he was barely more than a kid himself. Nearly thirty years later, Seaspray Kayaking is working with six coastal towns— Cape Elizabeth to Brunswick—introducing ages eight and up to ocean kayaking and water safety.

“We’re a traveling camp, so we work with towns who help to create the schedule, register the kids, and set

Summer Ecology Adventure Camp

Sign up your rising 5th-9th grade student for summer camp to explore the woods, farmland, and waters of River Bend Farm. A summer of wonder awaits!

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up the launch locations. We provide all the gear.”

Seaspray started as a kayaking and water safety camp. However, across thirty years, they’ve expanded to include paddleboarding and canoeing. “A lot of our campers

A lot of our campers arrive with no idea what a canoe is. They’ve been introduced to kayaks, but canoes are old school. We’re bringing them back.

—Scott Shea, Seaspray

arrive with no idea what a canoe is. ey’ve been introduced to kayaks, but canoes are old school. We’re bringing them back.”

It’s a day camp, but Seaspray o ers a multi-day camping trip for those over ten. “If the kids have some experience and they’ve learned about rescues, then they can do the longer paddle,” Shea says. “ ey learn about a lot more than just kayaking on that trip. ey plan out everything: the tent, the food, and the setup. e experience lasts three days, sometimes four, including a full day of safety.

• Summer science programs for middle and high school students

• Customized programs and support for schools year-round

• Research opportunities for higher education classes and college and post-grad researchers www.hurricaneisland.net registration@hurricaneisland.net • 207-867-6050

Maine has the allure of the exotic–a place we’ve all been to in our dreams. I became a Mainer in 1957 when I played at the Kennebunkport Playhouse. It was beautiful. I was just married, and my wife and I were busy exploring all the nooks and crannies.

“I don’t think people from Maine have an accent. If they did, how come Meryl Streep never played anyone from Maine?

“It’s funny, I’m planning a one-man show as Margaret Thatcher. But it’s not too late to change it to Margaret Chase Smith. I could use the same handbag.” —Interview with Alan Alda by Diane Russell, February/March 2005.

Our camp is a place where children and teens feel comfortable expressing their creativity while meeting likeminded kids. Because campers receive a lot of personal attention from our exceptional staf, they grow in extraordinary ways that help them lead happy, meaningful and productive lives.

OUTDOORS

We explore the islands of Casco Bay, including Cousins and Little Chebeague. But we go anywhere from Portland to Brunswick. e kids get a choice if they want to stay on the rst island or keep going to another.”

e program o ers a few scholarships, but the cost for the week is between $200 and $300. “We get a lot of return campers. Since we’ve been around for so long, the earlier campers are all grown up and into their careers. I hear from them occasionally, and it’s cool how many have gone on to become Maine guides. ey often credit this program, and that makes me proud of what we do here.”

e 2025 session starts in June.

SAILING SHIPS MAINE, FREEPORT

Ages 13 to 18

“It’s like Outward Bound Lite,” director Alex Agnew says of the week-long tall ships adventure. Six inexperienced “sail trainees” and two sta members board the 40-foot ships on Monday for a ve-day trip to Rockport and back. is camp is not for everyone. It’s by invitation only, intended to give students an opportunity to experience the ocean and the teamwork necessary to sail a tall ship.

Book your summer getaway!

Beaver Cove Camp at Moosehead Lake

is lovely waterfront property sits on Moosehead Lake with access to two pristine beaches. is cozy, comfortable camp has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, deck overlooking the lake, and all the comforts of home. Just a short drive to Greenville, and abutting Lily Bay State Park, you will enjoy the quiet and serenity of the Maine woods with beautiful wildlife to observe. All the outdoor activities

are steps out the door from hiking, biking, boating and four-wheeling to shing, snowmobiling and skiing! Bring your whole family and have a blast enjoying all the Moosehead region has to o er!

“It’s life-changing,” Agnew says. “Seeing land from the sea for the rst time is transformative.”

gnew and his sta spend months reaching out to Maine schools, inviting them to participate. “We guide the schools through the process of recommending students who have never had this kind of experience before and would bene t from it. It’s completely free to the students. We tell the schools, ‘Give us your kids. We’ll worry about the funding.’” e ships are donated, and if they’re not appropriate for the sail, they’re sold to fund the program.

“ is is no vacation, it’s work. Together, the crew will cook, learn the fundamentals of sailing, and explore the islands and waters along

Small Town, Big Love.

OUTDOORS

the Maine Island Trail system. ey learn about working together and about leadership. ese are kids who have never had the opportunity to sail or even spend that much time on the water.” No phones allowed. “ at’s probably the most di cult rule for them, but they get used to it. And it’s even harder on the parents to not stay in touch with their kids who are o

It’s like Outward Bound Lite.

—Alex Agnew, Sailing Ships Maine

on their own adventure.”

e program is academically accredited, so the students accrue credits while on the sea. “We sort of re-wire their brains, help them to see the possibilities beyond the world they’ve experienced so far.”n

Radio

Bangor

Six

characters in search of an audience.

For a dozen years, my radio show “Sports Lit 101” on Downtown with Rich Kimball aired on WZON AM 620 Bangor, est. 1926, one of Maine’s oldest radio stations. On New Year’s Eve 2024, after 98 years, the transmitter went silent.

e sister signal WKIT FM, slated to shut down as well, was sold just weeks ago by novelist Stephen King to area businessmen Greg Hawes and Je Solari at a price that keeps the signal local despite rumors of much larger o ers from corporate

radio conglomerates.

“I’m sorry as hell to be closing down WKIT and its sister stations,”

King posted on reads. “I held o the suits for as long as I could.”

Over more than 13 years, 3,000 shows, and 20,000 interviews, Downtown developed an audience in several countries and dozens of U.S. states. Rich cultivated an astonishing guestlist, including the late lm director Peter Bogdanovich, former Maine Senator and Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen, documentarian Ken Burns, Carl Reiner, former Red Sox star Rico Petrocelli, Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, musician/songwriter Jimmy Webb, Virginia Poet Laureate Ron Smith, Elizabeth Strout, and

STORY BY BRUCE PRATT

1968 Olympic sprinter/protester John Carlos. Downtown is about the guests, not the host. No hot takes, no rants. Initially, the show primarily focused on sports, but as sports talk radio died in most markets, Rich sought guests from the entertainment, literary, and information worlds.

At times, we had wine and food tastings in the studio courtesy of Bangor businesses. Sometimes, I subbed for Rich when he was on the road with the UMaine football team—he’s been the playby-play voice for more than a quarter

century—or was with his drama students from Brewer at a theater competition.

I was alone in the studio one day when the phone rang. I answered, “WZON.”

At 3:45 each afternoon, my internal radio alarm tries to convince me it’s time to tune in.

e caller said, “Is Stephen in?” “ ere’s no one here named Stephen,” I said.

He raised his voice and said, “I know Stephen King owns the station, and I need to speak to him.”

“Been here for years,” I said, “and never seen him.”

e o ce folks told me it happens all the time. It says even more

about King that he chose to support his small constellation of local radio shows with an invisible hand.

On my Wednesday segment, I discussed hundreds of books, scholarly treatises, essay and poetry collections, historical studies on the entire scope of sports, novels, biographies of forgotten or underappreciated athletes, and more. Rich would then read the book, and in a week or two the author would join us on air to tell us more. We called it the double dip. I gained a PhD worth of knowledge about sports, culture, history, and society from those books and segments.

When not in the studio, I listened. Even now, at 3:45 each afternoon, my internal radio alarm tries to convince me it’s time to tune in.

e last half hour included a calendar of events in the day’s history, prominent birthdays, and a roundup we called e Good, e Bad, and e Ugly—a look at the day’s news and events. We’d nish with e Grapevine—humorous, poignant, or ridiculous posts gleaned from social media.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

In 2023, listeners enshrined the inaugural Downtown Hall of Fame class: Allen Adams, Heather Cox Richardson, John Davidson, Mike Farrell, Peri Gilpin, David Lee Roth, Gary Tanguay, Curtis Armstrong, Roseanne Cash, Bryan Cranston,

Bruce Pratt makes a point.

Roseanne Cash

Mark Duplass, Chad Finn, Paula Poundstone, and Stephen Tobolowsky. Many had appeared more than twenty times: some, a hundred. e studio walls, once adorned with their photos alongside shots of Je Daniels, Ed Asner, and others whom we met through the show, are now bare. Learning of the impending shutdown, several of these folks contacted Rich, expressing their appreciation for his work, asking to be on again before the end of the year, and a rming they’d be part of the new iteration.

RADIO IS THE NIGHT

For two decades, I made my living as a traveling musician. Late-night radio was often my road companion. News, weather, lonely voices calling into a stranger. I’ll miss the venerable WZON studio. I confess, I never tired when listeners recognized my voice.

In my o ce, bookshelves over ow with titles provided by presses like Nebraska, Illinois, Syracuse, Soulstice, and others. ey remind me of the great privilege this has been.

O58 Main Street • Liberty, Maine 207-589-4035

4

I’ve loved radio since I was a ten-year-old listening through my ear phone under the covers to my Philco transistor. For years, I’d troll the clear channel AM dial, discovering stations far from my northern Connecticut home with strong signals from Wheeling, West Virginia; Chicago; Cincinnati; Detroit; Nashville; Knoxville; Montreal; and Windsor, Ontario. On the clearest nights, I picked up staticky signals from Atlanta, New Orleans, and a few times from the 100,000-watt Mexican station home to Wolfman Jack. I logged those call letters and cities in a notebook that I lost in a move long ago.

n New Year’s Eve, we held celebratory last rites for the station. Producer Carey Haskell, who works remotely from New Orleans, drove up and joined Rich; Allen Adams, Downtown’s most frequent guest; former WZON on-air folks Pat Spekhardt and Wayne Harvey; previous producers Brian Stackpole and Ryan Waning; and regulars Danny Cashman, Eric Mihan, and me in studio. We reminisced, laughed, drank a little Prosecco and maybe some premium rye. As the witching hour of six p.m. approached, there were a few misty moments as well. Before leaving the studio, I said goodbye to the guys and packed up some mementos. Members of the King family were in the lobby and hallway loading dozens of books, signs, posters, and other items from 40 years of benevolent ownership into boxes and crates.

I sat a moment in my truck, composing myself before pulling onto Broadway. As I wound my way back to Swanville, I was heartbroken. But the heartbreak is over. I’ll be a part of what comes next, thanks to Rich Kimball’s inviting me along on the next wild ride.

e new podcast has begun. All the previous shows are archived on the website. ere are more to come. I hope never to outlive radio, and I’d like to live a long time. n

Paula Poundstone

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What is it, anyway?

The skinny on CBD.

STORY BY CLIF TRAVERS

How do we know what we’re getting in those little bottles or in the roll-ons that look like deodorants? And what about the glut of gummies that come in every avor from celery to cotton candy?

Research on cannabidiol has focused on relief from epilepsy, anxiety, chronic pain, and certain addictions. But that’s as far as the FDA’s regulations

have gone. What about Maine and the Maine consumer?

We’re way behind other countries as far as regulations.

“Since CBD is not regulated, it’s hard to tell what you’re getting,” says Eben Sumner of Casco Bay Hemp. Sumner consults with Peru, ailand, Kenya, and South Africa on their policies. With an MA in International Political Economy from King’s College in London and a BA in Organizational Communications from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, Sumner has been well-equipped to help other

countries create standards for compliance. “We’re way behind them as far as regulations. e U.S. is dragging its feet, and that’s a dangerous place.”

Sumner, who grew up in South Berwick, believes it’s best to inform his customers rather than wait for the government to step in. “We have a QR code on our products which gives an exact analysis of all the ingredients, but it’s now up to the consumer to do a little research to discover what’s going to work best for their needs. Since there’s no regulation and therefore no FDA research, we can’t say what the products are for. We can’t suggest it’s for sleep or arthritis or anything like that. We can recommend a tincture or a gummie, but we have to be very careful. We can only direct the consumer to the ingredients and how to understand the e ects.”

CBD makes up about 40 percent of the hemp plant. e most common way to separate it from other cannabinoids is “winterization.” It’s a puri cation process where hemp extract is mixed with ethanol and then brought down to freezing temperatures, causing the unwanted waste to lter o e result is a concentrated CBD with better taste and potency. According to Sumner, the demand for the non-impairing cannabinoid has exploded since the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed certain states to cultivate hemp for research purposes. “We deal with a lot of people who care for themselves and are willing to take the time to do the research.”

For now, Casco Bay Hemp is an online store and a wholesale outlet, but Sumner has plans to open a brick-and-mortar in March. “It’ll be attached to the lab in Biddeford where all the research is done. Until then, we have QR codes on our webpage and a sta that knows all about CBD and its e ects. We can help people nd exactly what they’re looking for. But until the FDA gets involved, we need to be careful about the words we use.” n

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Do The Continental

“Beautiful music, dangerous rhythm. It’s something daring. The Continental.”

Fred Astaire’s incandescent dance song rings in my ears as we park on e Continental Portland’s large lot at 170 Brighton Avenue to grab dinner before a show at Portland Stage.

e vibe is zhushed but cahjzzz pub fare: Fish & Chips, French Onion Soup, Scotch Eggs, Chicken Schnitzel, Boxty (potato cakes with chive sour cream), Lamb Lollipops, Poutine, Roasted Cod.

What a relief, a warm feeling, this place glows with. Relaxation is a high bar. Happily, they make a big deal out of not making a big deal of things here. Regulars and rst-

STORY BY COLIN W. SARGENT

time daters chat on the long bar. e booths and the easy, medium light (this is not an operating room!) help you feel you’ve found the pub Portland keeps looking for.

We ease into two gorgeous glasses of Field Recordings’ Fiction Red Blend (Paso Robles, $14 each), then share the pub salad (bib lettuce, golden beets, eggs boiled hard, pickled onion, cucumber, creamy tarragon dressing, $14) and the Clams Chorizo (presented with crunchy grilled focaccia wedges for dipping into the white wine, sausage, and garlic broth—delicious, robust, savory, exceeding all expectations, $16). For entrees, we enjoy the Bangers and Mash (deeply satisfying Irish sausage and onion

gravy, $20) and the Roasted Cod, a show stopper (the bright white sh delicate, hot, deep, and soft, nestled on baby carrots and ngerling potatoes with a garlic lemon panko crust, $27).

A note on setting: e night views here surprise. If you squeeze your eyes and look out the big front windows, there’s a wink at Vegas. In the darkened corners within, you’re almost in a Pinter play. Elsewhere, why not mediate the di erence between these two extremes?

Congrats to co-owners Michael Barbuto and Kevin Doyle. Doyle, Barbuto, and Michael Fraser are co-owners of CBG (Congress Bar and Grill) and Nosh Kitchen Bar. Here, the third time is charming. n

Sincerely, your Sweet Friends Sinceramente, i vostri Dolci Amici

Anthony’s Italian Kitchen 30 years of Old World recipes. Best meatballs in town. Milehigh 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.

The Corner Room features bright, wide-open space with towering ceilings complemented by handcrafted woodwork. Patrons can expect a warm, comfortable atmosphere, marked by the arich aromas of house-made pastas, pizzas, antipasti and artisanal breads. Come and enjoy the taste of Venice in the heart of Portland, ME! 8794747, 110 Exchange Street. Visit thecornerroomkitchenandbar.com for more information.

Boone’s A Portland landmark since 1898. Original home of Alexander Boone’s world-famous Baked Stuffed Lobster. Two waterfront decks, two full bars, two cozy dining rooms, fireside tables. Perfect setting to enjoy the finest seafood from Maine and the world. Steaks, chowder, lobster rolls, grilled dishes, daily features. Visit Boone’s for a romantic date, business luncheon, family gathering or large banquet. BoonesFishHouse.com

Bruno’s Portland’s Best Italian, Market Surveys of America. Silver medal, Best Italian, Best of 207. Seriously delicious Italian, American, seafood dishes with signature in-house pasta (Bruno’s Pasta Co. goodies entice in statewide culinary stores). Great sandwiches, pizza, calzones, soups, chowders, salads. Lunch/dinner in dining room or tavern—casual dining as an art form. 33 Allen Ave., 878-9511, restaurantji.com/me/portland/brunos-restaurant-and-tavern-/

Docks Seafood We pride ourselves on our Maine roots. Our mission is to source our seafood locally and regionally. This is noticed by discerning diners who appreciate the value of their food being made fresh from scratch. Our bar features a rotating list of Maine craft beers and signature cocktails. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wed.-Sun.

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 7729232, mariasrestaurant.com.

DiMillo’s On the Water Now’s the time to enjoy everything DiMillo’s has to offer: fabulous dishes prepared by Head Chef, Melissa Bouchard, voted one of Maine’s Chefs of the Year, plus Certified Angus Beef, Italian and the best lobster around. Our outside dining is unparalleled. Open Monday thru Saturday at noon, Commercial St., Old Port 772-2216. Always FREE PARKING while aboard.

Flatbread Company Portland Situated on the working waterfront next to Casco Bay Cruise Lines in Portland’s Old Port. Family-friendly restaurant with signature woodfired, pizzas, fresh salads, local craft beer, spirits and local, organic fresh ingredients. Pet friendly, deck seating on the water during summer. 72 Commercial St., 772-8777, flatbreadcompany.com.

Joseph’s by the Sea in Old Orchard Beach offers breathtaking views of Saco Bay. Enjoy indoor dining, outdoor seating, an upstairs lounge, and a rooftop deck. We specialize in locally sourced seafood and fresh Maine lobster. Closed for the season, we’ll reopen in March. Contact us at info@josephsbythesea.com or call 207-934-5044 for more info.

Knowing Your Growing

Step into spring at New England’s fnest foral festivities, home shows, and antique exhibits.

Exhibitions

Bath Antique Sale Find the chic, the quirky, and the captivating at the Bath Antique Sale, boasting 50 New England dealers of fine antiques, vintage goods, furniture, art, and jewelry. Bath Middle School, Bath, Apr. 13. 396-4255.

Boxborough Antique Shows Bring your antiquing dreams to life with the help of 55 exhibitors from throughout New England displaying authentic American antiques, ceramics, dolls, and more. Boxborough Regency Hotel, Boxborough, Massachusetts, Mar. 2. 229-0403.

Falmouth Kitchen Tour. Don’t miss the chance to take an exclusive peek at a range of kitchens, each one featuring a culinary guest and designs from Southern Maine’s most highly regarded builders and designers. The tour start location to be announced. Falmouth, May 10. falmouthkitchentour.com.

Great Home Expo. You can find a little bit of every thing at the Great Home Expo, from contractors and home builders to financial advisors and insurance agencies. Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Apr. 4–6. 573-1158.

Green Home and Energy Show. If you’re looking to go green this spring, check out the exhibitors from Maine’s sustainable home and energy industries sharing their eco-friendly products and services to create or enhance your green home. The Point Community Center, South Portland, Apr. 5. 221-3450.

Home & Food Truck Show. Hungry for home renovation? Explore a range of exhibitions while nibbling

the offerings from an array of food trucks at Topsfield Fairgrounds, Topsfield, Massachusetts, Apr. 26–27. (508)823-0389.

Home Outdoor and Living Show. Looking to show your home a little love? Browse home-related products and services, from home heating to eco-friendly roof cleaning. WIN Waste Innovations Field House at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, Mar. 21–23. (508)823-0389.

a home than by exploring design ideas with local builders, contractors, home-improvement stores, and more at the Portland Home Show, Brick South at Thompson’s Point, Portland, Apr. 12–13. 577-2721.

Maine Home Show, Augusta. Home makeover in mind? Meet with the experts and take advantage of show-only discounts and offers from exhibitors at the Augusta Armory, Augusta, Apr. 26–27. 577-2721. Nantucket Daffodil Festival. Wake up and smell

Theater

Belfast Maskers, 17 Court St. Becky’s New Car, Mar. 7–16. 619-3256.

Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. Mary Poppins Jr., Apr. 5–6. 236-7963.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. The Mousetrap, Mar. 5–9. 442-8455.

City Theater, 205 Main St., Biddeford. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Mar. 14–30. 282-0849.

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. Lightwire Theatre: Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey, Mar. 30; NT Live Broadcast: Dr. StrangeLove, Apr. 10. 581-1755.

Community Little Theatre, 30 Academy St., Auburn. Nunsense, Mar. 7–16. 783-0958.

Footlights Theatre, 190 US-1, Falmouth. We’re Sending You to the Nuns, to Mar. 8. 747-5434.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. G&S Society: Ruddigore, Mar. 7–16. 667-9500.

Heartwood Regional Theater Company, 81 Academy Hill Rd., Newcastle. Sonnets to Orpheus, Mar. 14–22. 563-1373.

The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St. FAUST in the Anthropocene, Apr. 4–13. 347-7177.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. NT Live: Dr. Strangelove, Mar. 27–28. 563-3424.

Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland. The SpongeBob Musical, Mar. 21–Apr. 6. 799-1421. Mad Horse Theater, 24 Mosher St., South Portland. Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Mar. 6–30. 747-4148.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Menopause The Musical 2, Mar. 20. 842-0800.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. Seussical!, Mar. 28–30. 633-5159.

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play, Mar. 20–Apr. 6. 942-3333.

Portland Ovations, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. A Year With Frog And Toad, Mar. 23; Broadway National Tour: The Addams Family, Mar. 26–27; Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live, Apr. 5. 842-0800.

Portland Players Theater, 420 Cottage Rd., South Portland. The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, to Mar. 16. 799-7337.

Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave. Madeleines, Mar. 5–23; Not Quite Almost, Apr. 2–May 4. 774-0465.

Public Theatre, 31 Maple St., Lewiston. Halfway There, Mar. 14–23. 782-3200.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and The Middle Passage by Antonio Rocha, Mar. 7; Jungle Tales: The Footprint

of Kindness by Antonio Rocha, Mar. 8; NT Live: Dr. Strangelove, Mar. 27. 594-0070.

USM Department of Theatre, Russell Hall, Gorham Campus. The Birds, to Mar. 2; Little Women, Apr. 4–13. 780-5151.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. School Show: Once Upon a Time: Cinderella & Jack and the Beanstalk, Mar. 5; School Show: Red Riding Hood, Apr. 3. 873-7000.

Dance

Blue, 650A Congress St. Salsa Nite, Mar. 28. 774-4111. Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. Paul Taylor Dance Company, Mar. 28. 581-1755.

Maine State Ballet, Lopez Theater, 348 U.S. Route One, Falmouth. Don Quixote, Mar. 21–Apr. 13. 781-3587.

Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St. Movement Workshop with Loculus, Mar. 1; Night Moves with Loculus & Rosie Borden, Mar. 1. 879-4629.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Shen Yun, Apr. 1. 842-0800.

Portland Ballet, Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St. New Works, Mar. 14. 857-3860.

Portland Ovations, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Apr. 11. 842-0800.

Portland School of Ballet, Westbrook Performing

Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St. Don Quixote, Mar. 15. 857-3860.

Music

Aura, 121 Center St. Adrian Vandenberg, Mar. 1; Thievery Corporation, Mar. 4; Dirty Deeds, Mar. 8; Spafford, Mar. 15; Pete Best & The Pete Best Band, Mar. 20; Paul Cauthen, Mar. 26; Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mar. 28; Coal

Chamber, Apr. 2. 772-8274.

Bay Chamber Concerts, Hammer Hall, 5 Mountain St., Camden. Zachary Sweet & Kerry Mizrahi, Mar. 1; Halcyon String Quartet, Mar. 28–29; Minetti Quartet, Apr. 12. 236-2823.

, 650A Congress St. Asa Meyer’s Chordless Quartet & El Malo, Mar. 7; Songwriters in the Round, Mar. 13 & Apr. 10; Thin Lear, Niagara Moon, Heather Lynn, & Emily Irving, Mar. 21; Miracle Blood, Viqueen, Going2Hell, & Armus, Mar. 22; Big D and the Kids Table, Apr. 4; Foreside Funk & J3ST, Apr. 12; Open Mic, every Tues.; Jazz Sesh, every Wed. 774-4111.

Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. Joëlle Morris, Mar. 14; The Collins Duo, Mar. 15; The Potboilers, Mar. 20; Kat and the Kool Gang, Mar. 28; Onward, Mar. 29; Blues on a Sunday with Nelson Checkoway, Apr. 4; Maine Middle Eastern Ensemble, Apr. 11; Pat Colwell & The Soul Sensations, Apr. 12. 560-5300.

Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. Michelle Foster, Mar. 1; Dan Possumato & Friends, Mar. 14; The Mallett Brothers Band with Chris Ross, Mar. 21; The Jacob Jolliff Band with Anna May, Apr. 12. 236-7963.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. Groovetide, Mar. 20. 442-8455.

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. The Gesualdo Six, Mar. 2; Jason Palmer Quartet, Mar. 7; Concert for a Cause: UMaine Concert Band, Mar. 11;

The Met Live: Fidelio, Mar. 15; Masterworks IV: Pride & Prejudice: Shostakovich 5, Mar. 23; Trailblazing Women of Country, Apr. 3; Minetti Quartet with Andreas Klein, Apr. 13. 581-1755.

Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Sq. Brantley Gilbert, Mar. 28; Killswitch Engage, Apr. 12. 791-2200. Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Bach Birthday Bash, Mar. 22 (on demand Mar. 29–Apr. 28). 842-0800.

Gracie Theatre, 1 College Cir., Bangor. Frigg, Mar. 8. 941-7888.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. MET LIVE: Fidelio, Mar. 29. 667-9500.

The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St. Highway Kind: Townes Van Zandt Birthday Celebration, Mar. 7; The Soggy Po’ Boys, Mar. 21. 347-7177.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. Dueling Pianos, Mar. 7; 19th Nervous Breakdown, Mar. 8; Driftwood, Mar. 21; Runnin’ Down A Dream, Mar. 28; Martin Barre, Apr. 4. 646-4777.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. The Met Live: Fidelio (Beethoven), Mar. 15. 563-3424.

Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville. Met Opera Encore: Fidelio (Beethoven), Mar. 29. 873-7000.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Breen, Rynne, & Murray, Apr. 15. 780-0118.

Sons of Mystro, Mar. 23 at One Longfellow Square.

Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. Ladies of Flame, Mar. 15; Erica Brown & the Bluegrass Connection, Mar. 22; Matt Flinner & Joe K. Walsh, Mar. 29. 8650040.

North Star Baroque, Woodfords Church, 202 Woodford St. Bach, Brandenburg, & Vivaldi, Mar. 28. 842-0800.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. Dalton & the Sheriffs, Mar. 1; Ragtime Destroyers, Mar. 4; Jeffrey Martin, Mar. 5; Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms Band, Mar. 6; May Erlewine, Mar. 7; Maine Middle Eastern Orchestra, Mar. 8; Church of Cash, Mar. 13; The Knickerbocker All-Stars, Mar. 14; Choir!Choir!Choir!, Mar. 15; Joe Crookston, Mar. 16; The Portland Jazz Orchestra, Mar. 20 & Apr. 10; Little Lies, Mar. 21; Andy McKee, Mar. 22; Sons of Mystro, Mar. 23; Reverie Road, Mar. 27; Hallowell Does The Last Waltz, Mar. 29; Holly Near, Mar. 30; Savani Latin Jazz, Apr. 11; Cheryl Wheeler, Apr. 12. 761-1757.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. March Open Mic, Mar. 7; April Open Mic, Apr. 4; Lonesome Ace String Band, Apr. 11. 633-5159.

Portland Chamber Music Festival, Hannaford Hall, 88 Bedford St. Winter Warmer Series: Slavic Strings (Mar. 6) & Illuminations (Mar. 8). 320-0257.

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St. Neil & Ed Pearlman, Mar. 6; Russ Lossing & Charles Farrell, Mar. 8; Cello Choir, Mar. 20; Diane Walsh, Mar. 23; The

New Old Timers, Mar. 28; Lakes Region String Quartet, Apr. 3; Lehmann Duo, Apr. 4. 775-3356.

Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St. Say You Love Me, Mar. 1; Palaver Strings: Songbook, Mar. 6; The Sophomore Beat, Mar. 15; Hazlett, Mar. 16; Ally the Piper, Mar. 27; Midnight North, Mar. 28; One Time Weekend, Apr. 3; Adam Ezra Group, Apr. 11. 805-0134. Portland Ovations, Hannaford Hall, 88 Bedford St. Conrad Tao, Mar. 9. 842-0800.

Portland Symphony Orchestra, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Also Sprach Zarathustra, Mar. 4; Classical Mystery Tour, Mar. 15–16; Mozart Meets Klezmer, Mar. 30; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Hear Them, Apr. 6. 842-0800.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Inhaler, Mar. 4; Charles Wesley Godwin, Mar. 13; Juvenile, Mar. 14; Rubblebucket, Mar. 15; Eggy, Mar. 22; Neal Francis, Mar. 29; The Dip, Apr. 12; Bright Eyes, Apr. 13. 956-6000. Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Kat Edmonson, Mar. 1; The Christian Martin Trio, Mar. 7; Ward Hayden & the Outliers, Mar. 8; Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Mar. 13; The Tom Snow Jazz Quintet, Mar. 28; Altan, Mar. 29; Lonesome Ace String Band, Apr. 12. 935-7292.

Stonington Opera House, 1 School St. Open Mic Night, Mar. 5 & Apr. 2. 367-2788.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. Met Opera:

Fidelio, Mar. 15 & 25; Sons of Mystro, Mar. 20; Reverie Road, Mar. 28; Veronica Robles’ Mariachi Band, Apr. 4; Nershi Hann Trio, Apr. 11. 594-0070.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, 1 Middle St. Women in Harmony, Mar. 15; Guy Davis, Apr. 12. 729-8515.

University of Southern Maine, Corthell Hall, 37 College Ave., Gorham. Masterclass with Conrad Tao, Mar. 10; Student Recital: Sarah Krause, Mar. 13; Faculty Concert: Regnier, Sonenberg, & Brahms, Mar. 28; 49th Annual Honors Recital, Mar. 29; Faculty Concert: Migration, Apr. 11; Osher Wind Ensemble, Apr. 12; Student Recital: Josie DiPhilippo, Apr. 13. 780-5555.

Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St., Waldoboro. Jonathan Richman & Tommy Larkin, Mar. 8; Alan Doyle & Fortunate

Nikki Glaser, Mar. 8 at the Merrill Auditorium

Ones, Mar. 13; Katie Matzell & Friends, Mar. 23; Dalton & the Sheriffs, Mar. 29. 975-6490.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. Dirty Deeds, Mar. 7; Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Mar. 12; Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Mar. 13; Femmes of Rock, Mar. 14; Portland Symphony Orchestra, Mar. 26; Floydian Trip, Mar. 29; LeAnn Rimes, Apr. 8. 873-7000.

Comedy

Blue, 650A Congress St. Matt Shore, Mar. 1; Comedy Open Mic, every Tues. 774-4111.

Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. Karen Morgan, Mar. 29. 236-7963.

Center Theatre, 20 E. Main St., Dover-Foxcroft. Logan Rouse, Mar. 22; Andy Gross, Apr. 5. 564-8943.

Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Sq. Sebastian Maniscalco, Mar. 5; Kevin Hart, Mar. 15; Gabriel Iglesias, Mar. 29. 791-2200.

Gracie Theatre, 1 College Cir., Bangor. The Bride, Apr. 5. 941-7888.

The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St. David Nihill, Mar. 2. 347-7177.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. Frank Santorelli, Mar. 1. 646-4777.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Sal Vulcano, Mar. 1; Nikki Glaser, Mar. 8; Chris D’Elia, Apr. 12. 842-0800.

A MERI CA ’S

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Sam Morril, Mar. 8; Jonathan Van Ness, Mar. 30. 956-6000. Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. Juston McKinney, Apr. 5. 873-7000.

Art

Bates College Museum of Art, 75 Russell St., Lewiston. Across Common Grounds, to Mar. 15; Array: Recent Acquisition Series, to Mar. 15; Senior Thesis Exhibition 2025, Apr. 11–May 24; Beth Van Hoesen, Apr. 11–May 24. 786-6158.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine St., Brunswick. Hello, Stranger: Artist as Subject in Photographic Portraits since 1900, to Mar. 23; Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island: The Monhegan Wildlands, to Jun. 1; Irreplaceable You: Personhood and Dignity in Art: 1980s to Now, to Jun. 1. 725-3275.

Carol L. Douglas Studio and Gallery, 394 Commercial St., Rockport. Landscape and marine paintings, workshops, and instruction. Watch-me-paint.com. (585) 201-1558.

Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 21 Winter St., Rockland. Katrina Weslien: i forgot to remember, to May 4; Kyle Downs: From The Collection of Lord Red, to May 4; The Sun, Trying to Disappear, to May 4; Allison Cekala & Nate Luce: Fruition, to May 4. 701-5005. Colby College Museum of Art, 5600 Mayflower

Hill Dr., Waterville. Square + Triangle, to Apr. 21; Into the Wind: American Weathervanes, to Jun. 8; Radical Histories: Chicanx Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, to Jun. 8. 859-5600.

Cove Street Arts, 71 Cove St. Color Therapy, to Mar. 15; What Calm!, to Mar. 29; Munjoy Hill & The Portland Waterfront: 50 Years, to Apr. 5; Fiber & Fire, to Apr. 12. 808-8911.

Farnsworth Art Museum, 16 Museum St., Rockland. Andrew Wyeth: 1982, to Mar. 23; Farnsworth Mural Project: Rachel Gloria Adams & Ryan Adams, to Apr. 27; Arts@theIntersection: Year Two, to May 4; Native Prospects: Indigeneity and Landscape Painting, Mar. 8–Jul. 6. 596-6457.

First Friday Art Walks, Creative Portland, 84 Free St. Mar. 7 & Apr. 4. 370-4784.

Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle St. Maine Show 2025, Mar. 6–Apr. 26. 772-2693.

Kittery Art Association, 2 Walker St. Take A Risk & Works On Paper, to Mar. 16; Bill Paarlberg: Beginning Watercolor Class, Mar. 22; Color Fields & Mark Making, Mar. 20–Apr. 13. 451-9384.

Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St. Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History, to May 17; Best Friends: Mainers and their Pets, to Jun. 6; Of Note: Maine Sheet Music, to Jul. 28. 774-1822.

Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress St. Masha

Ryskin & Serge Marchetta: Traces, Mar. 6–May 2; Craig Becker: Lorica: Masks of Eternity, Mar. 6–May 2; Henry Isaacs & Lucy Winner: Surviving Visions: Vienna & Prague, 1939–1942, Mar. 6–May 2. 773-2339.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. Upta Camp, to Nov. 28; Upon That Isle in Maine: The Story & Works of Chris Van Dusen, to Mar. 29, 2026. 443-1316.

Maine Sculpture Trail, Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. An outdoor exhibit of 34 sculptures over 200 miles Downeast. schoodicsculpture.org.

Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. Healing Through Color: Youth Art Show, Mar. 6–9; Micro Mosaic Jewelry Workshop, Mar. 16. 865-0040.

Moss Galleries, 100 Fore St. Kate Hargrave: The Journal, to Mar. 8. 804-0459.

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, 9500 College Station, Brunswick. Northern Nightmares: Monsters in Inuit Art, to Mar. 23; Collections and Recollections: Objects and the Stories They Tell, to Mar. 23; At Home In the North, to Jun. 1, 2026. 725-3416.

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Sq. As We Are, to Apr. 27; Jo Sandman: Skin Deep, to Aug. 17. 775-6148.

Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth, NH. Cabot Lyford: Winds of Change, Apr. 1–Nov. 2. (603)436-8433.

Richard Boyd Art Gallery, 15 Epps St., Peaks Island.

From A Woman’s Perspective, Mar. 1–30; The American Landscape, Apr. 1–29. 712-1097.

River Arts, 36 Elm St, Damariscotta. Love, Mar. 1–Apr. 5; New Works, Apr. 12–May 24. 563-6868.

Ticonic Gallery & Studios, 93 Main St., Waterville. Youth Art Month 2025, Mar. 1–Apr. 6; Community Draw, Mar. 12; Beginner Clay: Hand Building, Wednesdays Mar. 12–Apr. 16. 873-7000.

University of New England Art Galleries, UNE Art Gallery, 716 Stevens Ave. Circle of the Sun, Mar. 7–Jun. 8. 602-3000

University of New England Art Galleries, Jack S. Ketchum Library, 11 Hills Beach Rd., Biddeford. As Above, So Below, to May 4. 602-3000.

FilmCenter Theatre, 20 E. Main St., Dover-Foxcroft. International Fly Fishing Film Festival 2025, Mar. 7–8. 564-8943.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. All About Eve (1950), Mar. 6–7. 563-3424.

Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville. Mami Wata, Mar. 1–2. 873-7000.

Stonington Opera House, 1 School St. Film Club, every Tues. Mar. 4–Apr. 8. 367-2788.

Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St., Waldoboro. Craft Cinema: Pretty in Pink, Mar. 2; Fly Fishing Film Tour 2025,

Mar. 28; Craft Cinema: Pride and Prejudice (2005), Apr. 13. 975-6490.

Don’t Miss

Blue, 650A Congress St. Stories Told Live, Mar. 6. 774-4111.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. Gardenfest: Equinox Awakening, Mar. 22. 442-8455.

Maine Audubon, Fields Pond, 216 Fields Pond Rd., Holden. Project Bird Feeder Watch, every Tues. and Thurs. 781-2330.

Maine Audubon, Gilsland Farm, 20 Gilsland Farm Rd., Falmouth. Gilsland Farm Bird Walk, every Thurs. to Mar. 27. 781-2330.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Paddy Cullivan’s I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ireland, Mar. 7. 780-0118.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. STEAMbox Family Workshop: Barometer Besties, Mar. 15; Wellness Workshop for Event Professionals, Mar. 30. 443-1316.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mar. 19. 842-0800.

Mountainfilm on Tour, March 2, 1:00pm at Aura, 121 Center St., Portland. $25 per person. Film screening to support Hurricane Island Outward Bound. Open to the public. FMI: www.hiobs.org/events

Owls Head Transportation Museum, 117 Museum St. STEAM Saturdays: Be a Marshmallow Engineer (Mar. 8) & Tin Foil Boats (Mar. 22). 594-4418.

Portland Ovations, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Champions of Magic, Mar. 12–13. 842-0800.

Rangeley Lakes Trails Center, 524 Saddleback Mountain Rd. Rangeley XC Loppet, Mar. 1–2; Marty’s Moose Dash Snowshoe 5K, Mar. 9; Snowshoe Night Sky Tour, Mar. 21. 864-4309.

Stonington Opera House, 1 School St. Talk of the Towns, Mar. 7; Trivia Night, Mar. 20. 367-2788.

Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. Berry Basket Workshop, Mar. 8; Garden Basket Workshop, Mar. 22; Easter Basket Workshop, Apr. 5. (603)433-1100.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. The Peking Acrobats, Apr. 9. 873-7000.

Windswept Gardens, 1709 Broadway, Bangor. Windswept Gardens 3rd Annual Open House, Apr. 5; Mother’s Day Kids Planting Class, Apr. 12. 941-9898.

Literary

Kennebunkport Community House, 2 North St. Colin W. Sargent discusses Portland Monthly feature stories and reads from Flying Dark, Apr. 3. colinsargent.com.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Maine Irish reads Long Island by Colm Tóibín, Mar. 13; Maine Irish reads Prophet’s Song: A Novel by Paul Lynch, Apr. 10. 780-0118.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. Story Time, Mar. 11; Story Time with Chris Van Dusen, Apr. 1. 443-1316.

Print: A Bookstore, see website for locations. Drag Storytime with Chartreuse Money, Mar. 2; Ada Calhoun (Crush), Mar. 3; Caleb Mason (Thickafog), Mar. 4; Amal El-Mohtar (The River Has Roots), Mar. 5; Tiana Clark (Scorched Earth), Mar. 8; Ron Currie (The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne), Mar. 25; Shana Youngdahl (A Catalog of Burnt Objects), Mar. 28; Nicole Graev Lipson (Mothers and Other Fictional Characters), Apr. 8. 536-4778.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, 1 Middle St. Beyond the Gender Binary, Mar. 26, Apr. 2 & 9. 729-8515.

Tasty

Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, see website for sugarhouse locations. Visit the sugarhouses for Maine maple syrup samples, demonstrations, activities, treats, tours, music, and more fun, Mar. 22–23. mainemapleproducers.com.

Maine Restaurant Week, see website for locations and details. Mar. 1–12. mainerestaurantweek.com.

Now You’re Cooking, 49 Front St., Bath. Girl’s Dinner Class, Mar. 6; South African Indian Class, Mar. 9; Tuscan Wine Tasting with Winebow, Mar. 13; Mocktails Class, Mar. 19; Middle Eastern Cooking Class, Apr. 2. 443-1402.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. St. Paddy’s Celebration and Dinner, Mar. 15. 935-7292.

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

Compiled by Bethany Palmer

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Aviator Charles Lindbergh’s aw-shucks schtick is a mask for a monster who destroys strangers and loved ones with equal indifference.

Hunter makes a fortune exposing fraudsters. When he stumbles across the corpse of his German teacher on his old reformatory grounds, he’s certain he is onto something evil and becomes drawn into the mystery.

Unsure who his own father is, Hunter is no angel himself. A former “black ops” military offcer, he knows what he has to do to get the job done,no matter the cost.

Nightmares, hallucinations, and fragments of grisly memories knock on the door of his subconscious. Even the stage prop “Old Sparky” in his new lover’s lurid Grand Guignol connects a deadly circuit in Hunter.

Orisa cards warn of air disaster. Brainy Pia offers a path out of his disintegration. Traveling the globe—Paris, Berlin, Geneva, and London—Hunter can’t resist the magnetic scene south of New York where the Crime of the Century once played out.

Hunter is falling through the universe’s trap door. He’s headed for hell—unless he can redeem himself with one final flight.

A Real irst Trap

In the Rangeley Lakes region, it’s location, location, vacation. This glamour cabin has all the right moves.

Seller Blake Laughlin has studied his audience. He’s boned up on wilderness chic. And he’s reverse-engineered all of our L.L. Bean dreams into a single perfect Maine cabin.

You run a busy surf shop near the pier at Old Orchard Beach. This spot is in another world, near Rangeley. We understand Loon Lake Cabin was built in 1976, with three bedrooms, one bath. Fill in the mystery for us. There must have been a lakefront idyll in your long ago to lure you out here. I grew up in Naples, near the Cause-

STORY BY COLIN W. SARGENT

way. My grandfather had a camp on aNeal Pond, right over the border in Lancaster, New Hampshire. When we lost him, and I was 18, I didn’t have the nances in order to buy the family camp for $10,000. I had only $300. So I had to let it go.

I can hear the longing in your voice. A dream deferred? Sometimes, it’s about people when you’re assembling a memory. I went to SMCC but didn’t graduate. I opened the surf shop in 2015. In 2019, I was looking for my rst investment. I read business stories that Saddleback was about to be bought by a new ownership team, so I immediately knew I had to buy a place up there before things went crazy. We had nothing going on, so we took the leap and bought it. I paid $252,500; I put down fty grand. Now I’m

asking $874,000.

We know it from memory: “The biggest party on the East Coast is back. Saddleback.” Can you see Saddleback from Loon Lake Cabin? From the top of Saddleback, I can see my dock with binoculars or a telescope. I have views of Saddleback

from the house. Behind us, there’s Spotted Mountain. We love to hike. You can go all the way to Canada really.

What upgrades do you feel have the most visual pizzazz?

e biggest one that changed the whole look of the cabin was when we sandblasted it and re-stained it to give the logs a visual sense of depth, shadow, and contrast.

That’s an Incredible transformation. Before we did the upgrades, the logs were painted in at brown paint like you might see slapped on a state park outbuilding. Once we nished that project, Loon Lake Cabin and what it could be jumped out at us. Very few log homes are properly stained. You can see the wood just shining. We also swapped out the white windows for green. at made a big di erence, too.

Did you work with a decorator? It’s not decorated by an amateur or a sub-contractor; it’s done by an infuencer type with an audience in mind. [Laughs.] It was really all me.

We’ve asked your wife, Melissa, about that, and she agrees: “That’s his baby. He’s done so much work on that place.” What are some of your favorite tweaks?

You ’ ve got the sher cat in the mantle, an old gun, a moose hanging over the door. An antique lamp is kinda dark in the corner, a little more dim than some might like, but I like it that way for a sense of mystery. I tried to replicate an L.L. Beantype feel. Everybody ocks to L.L. Bean.

Except L.L. Bean has a trout pond... And we have a whole lake! It’s a private lake, though there’s a public launch. ere’s some trophy-level trout shing out here. ey’re stocked every year.

Ever catch one?

I’ve seen them but not caught them.

The restoration verges on the cinematic. What’s your favorite little cabin-in-the-woods movie to summon the spirit of the house?

Far From Home, where the kid gets lost in the woods. e Secret Window, with Johnny Depp. It’s in our DVD collection in the camp.

What are your 30 most memorable seconds in the cabin?

Catching and releasing brook trout on the dock.

Full service with a wide array of cabinetry and countertops.

Free estimates and design services.

Hockey rink included.

Hands

TALKING WALLS

Our readers are going to say that you work oceanfront at Corners Surf Co. at Old Orchard Beach with “free lessons, affordable rentals, apparel.” What about this lake called you away from your work on the ocean? It gets crazy hectic in the summer where I work. I go from 105 hours a week to nothing when I come here. I really value the quiet.

There are different kinds of quiet. I’ve been to East Grand Avenue in Old Orchard on a Summer Saturday. Just how quiet is it two miles north of Rangeley?

at depends. ere are weekends on the lake in the summer when everyone’s at their cabin. But only a quarter of the lake has cabins on it. ere’s no hunting, no anything, just protected loons. Other than that, you can hear a pin drop. In winter I leave the light on when I go walking across the ice. at’s because I’ve stopped to look back at the cabin without the light on. You go halfway across the lake—if you didn’t get the light on, you couldn’t get back to the house.

Some of your rental photos have skis out front and trails down to the lake. Are you a big cross-country skier?

I’m not! I bought those skis in the picture for $10 at an antique store. To me, they’re décor.

What’s the most frustrating thing out here?

We’ve been renting Loon Lake Cabin from Memorial Day through Labor Day. No matter how long or short their stay, we’ve had tenants who love to move all the red Adirondack chairs and the picnic tables to all kinds of di erent places.

Like chess pieces or musical chairs?

I’ve thought about where they moved them, on the dock, under trees, along the lake, and so on, and now I’ve bought enough so no one needs to move them anymore.

Henry David Thoreau wrote that a lake makes a great “booming sound” when the ice breaks up in the spring. Have you heard that? It does, and it does it all winter. You could be inside, and you can hear it. It’s like someone dropped a bowling ball on your hardwood oor. But it’s a watery sound. Imagine a submarine coming through the ice.

Do you have a food and wine pairing for Loon Lake camp?

My most recent investment for the cottage was a commercial lime press. We hugely do chicken wings or steaks on the grill. And margaritas.

What a thirst trap. One acre.

Dallas Plantation taxes: $2,175. n

designs@kennebunkkitchens.com

207-967-2819 | 169 Port Rd. Ste. 11 Kennebunk, ME 04043 kennebunkkitchens.com

“Since taking ownership at the start of the year, my wife and I are committed to

- Mike & Brooke Joly, Owners

SANDY

DALLAS PLANTATION

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

SPRING LAKE –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.

Ski-in-Ski-Out

SADDLEBACK Maine

Ski Condo !

20 Vista Lane – RANGELEY LAKE – A rare offering, the Buena Vista Estate on 567 feet of deep water frontage,53 private acres w/south facing exposure, total privacy, development potential.

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 – Lakeside Marina & Convenience - Wonderful business opportuinty in downtown commercial zoning, convenience store, 25 boat slips, gas, boat rental business, great waterfront location! $965,000.

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.

PINE GROVE LANE – Located close to the village with expansive southwest views of Rangeley Lake, 4 beds, 3.5 baths, very close to Saddleback Ski Area, snowmobile and ATV from your doorstep, heated garage! $639,000.

631 Bald Mtn. Road – MOOSELOOK LAKE – A rare offering, 4 bed, 4.5 bath contemporary lakefront home w/beach, detached garage AND private island w/2 bedroom guest cottage, 3.56 Acres! $1,899,000.

109 Peterson Lane Brunswick

Incredible opportunity to own a slice of quintessential Maine on the waters edge. This unique, one-of-a-kind property boasts 800’ +/-on MerryMeeting Lake shore frontage on 8 acres. Bring your dreams and plans for a private setting. It is a gardeners play ground with different types of landscaping. Just a short distance from downtown Brunswick and convenient to Portland.

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.

A-Frame #22—First time on the open market! Wonderfully designed A-Frame with 3 beds, 2 baths and gas viewing Woodstove. Fully furnished and ofers great rental potential. Enjoy all 4 seasons with access to Saddleback Lake! Ski-in-Ski-Out location of the Smelt Streamer trail and access to the South Branch Quad below. Situated in a quiet, peaceful four acre parcel directly on the trail. Radiant in-foor heating on the frst level with polished concrete foors, baseboard heat on the second level. Experience Maine's Favorite Mountain this winter, call today! $885,000

Gorgeous VIEWS overlooking Rangeley Lake and Saddleback Ski Area, wonderful estate property located just outside the Rangeley village, 48.32 Acres,4 bed,4.5 bath home w/ guest quarters. $1,495,000.

277 Stephens Road – MOOSELOOK LAKE – West facing Sandy Beach frontage, 4 bed, 3 bath home w/attached 3 car heated garage and detached 3 car garage w/large bonus room! $850,000.

Kelly Wentworth-Lowe Sales Manager Freeport, Maine (207) 831-4934 kelly@kellywentworth.com

A Lok Back at the Market of 2024

• Average Selling Price increased 6.6% from  $641,821 to $693,447

• Unit sales increased 5.8% from 3586 to 3794

• Sales to List Price Ratio decreased   from 103.4% to 101.4%

• Average Days on Market increased   from 23 to 29

• Available Inventory increased   from 1.6 to 1.9 months supply

These numbers show that demand for housing continues to be strong, leading to continued signifcant gains in prices. Although an increase in months of available inventory would indicate a softening in the market, this is not supported by the other indicators. Going into 2025 there is broad confdence that there will be further easing of interest rates, although not to the degree that was once thought. Although this is good news on many fronts, it will increase demand as some who had paused their search for housing will re-enter the market.

The Real Estate market continues to be a topic of great interest all across the nation as we navigate a  changing landscape. We wanted to share a quick look a the latest statistics for residential home sales  in Cumberland County. If you have any questions about buying, selling or investing in real estate, give  us a call . . . we love Real Estate and a member of our team would be happy to talk with you! Based on information from the Maine Real Estate Information System, Inc (DBA Maine Listings)   Residential sales year-to-date on 12/31/2023 vs. 12/31/2024

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MANCHESTER

Stunning 1834 Colonial with ten bedrooms and six bathrooms with 6400 SF at 60 Readfield Road. The main house has a cook’s kitchen, 22 ft formal Dining, 44 foot double parlors with two fireplaces, a bath and a living room. The second floor has the primary bedroom and private bath. Three other bedrooms with a guest bath. Third floor 2 more bedrooms. The other section of the home with separate entrance has four bedrooms and two baths. This home is bathed in natural light and has been extensively updated and is a “gem to behold”. Make it your home or family compound. This has been an Inn, approved bed and breakfast, and a duplex and a school. Take the Materport tour on line or come see!

$865 , 000 HOUSE WITH 4 . 4 +/ - ACRES

WAYNE

Welcome to this stunning Colonial-style home nestled in the heart of Wayne and in the middle of the lakes. As you approach this inviting residence, you’ll be greeted by a spacious front porch that sets the stage for the warm and welcoming atmosphere inside. Four bedrooms and 3 full baths on a very private 3.46 acres. This home has it all. Over 4,842 square feet of heated space to use! Plus 1,405 square feet of decks and porches. MLS #1602987 • $744,500

SIDNEY

3-bedroom ranch on a 4 acre lot. Rural feel but minutes to Augusta and Waterville from this delightful home in desirable Sidney. Two fabulous garages. Access o Pond Road + a driveway o Robinson. Insulated and electrified front garage. MLS #1603830 • $335,000

FARMINGTON

ANNABESSACOOK 13 ACRES!

Extraordinary 13-acre parcel of land in Winthrop; create a dream retreat on the shores of Annabessacook Lake. 560 feet of waterfrontage, idyllic setting for a family compound or a large private reserve. MLS #1612482 $420,000

MANCHESTER

Endless possibilities with this remarkable 12-acre parcel of land

$150 , 000

WITH 2 . 0 +/ -

FARMINGTON

Enchanting home nestled in the heart of Farmington. Built in 1890, 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths on 1 acre of land just a short walk to Main Street Farmington and UMaine. This Georgian Revival has been the family home for the Mills family for over 109 years. The sturdy, well-built home has over 2,493 square feet of living space plus a two story barn. Spacious kitchen, first floor living, vintage parlor, and dining. Multi family and business possibilites. Take the Materport tour online or come see! MLS 1609730 $265,000

WOODBURY POND

Classic lakefront with 4 acres and 300 feet of pristine waterfrontage on the last remaining open cove on Woodbury Pond in Litchfield. The waterfront lot is level and inviting to all and perfect for all ages with no slope at all.

MLS #1604469 $413,000

MADISON

Total privacy close to downtown The power goes by the land and only a short way to build. Plenty of room for you to have your own private homestead or subdivide and sell o some lots. MLS#1596752 $79,000

Huge potential with this commercial building in the downtown of Winthrop on busy Route 133. This property has high tra ic counts is on a major connector road. This building has 3100 square feet of usable space on the first floor. MLS #1604470 $310,000

$740 , 000 HOUSE WITH 2 . 0 +/ - ACRES MLS# 1609939

ACRES

The Man on the Beach

BY WILL HODGKINSON

Idon’t know how long I have been following the man on the beach. And I don’t know why I am following him. But reasons no longer matter—if they ever did. It is enough that we are the only two people on this beach, alone together in the white mist which has erased the outside world.

Outlined black against this whiteness, he remains the sole constant of my perspective, as permanent in his motion as I am. We move in tandem, he a hundred yards ahead: the quarry, Mr. X. Me striding behind: the hunter, the murderous stalker, the

grim detective, avenging his partner’s murder. I adopt each of these roles in turn, then shed them one after the other. None ts. Playacting cannot justify our chase. It has become its own justi cation, its own base arithmetic, one stride matching the next.

Beyond us, the sea stretches into the mist, indistinguishable from the beach. ere are no waves, no whitecaps, no bleating gulls. Shorn of its summer trappings—its towels, ladybug umbrellas, and popsicle wrappers—the sand lies featureless, unmarked by our feet. I try to picture the beach as it once must have

been—the families, the thrashing kids, the lotion-slick backs glistening in the sun. e image fails, dissolving in the white glare of its nonexistent sun. Like the guises of pursuer I’ve worn and discarded, such fantasies belong to the world the mist now hides. at beach, I know, has never existed. Once, I too may have walked its towel-strewn sands, have been one of the backs roasting in the glow of its too-bright sun, but that person too no longer exists—if they ever did. My feet ache, but I do not slow. e pain invigorates me, hardening my strides. e man remains an

It is a delightful book, a fun mash-up of natural history, maritime history, and Maine history, all told in a way that kids will find completely compelling. The illustrations are accessible in a wonderfully child-like way. And it's a true story! Bound to become a favorite at reading time.

—James L. Nelson, author of Benedict Arnold's Navy

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

Join Arcturus and his pals Lena, Captain Donald MacMillan, and a crew of friendly research sailors aboard the lovely schooner Bowdoin in 1934. The wounded snowy owl gets a lift from Portland, Maine, to his Arctic homeland. On the way, everyone learns something new in this children’s story inspired by a true adventure. $12.95

Suggested for ages 3 to 9.

outline, no nearer and no farther. His distance does not worry me; I know I will catch up with him. Our rendezvous is our destination, to which we both must go. Still, I do not quicken my pace. I cannot disrupt our rhythm, break the covenant of pursuer and pursued that binds us. e weather is getting worse; drizzle stings my face, gritty as the sand. Yet my view only sharpens, magni ed rather than obscured by the mist. Encouraged by this gray clarity, I struggle to control my excitement, to keep my strides in check. e weather augers well; the deepening overcast promises climax. We are getting close, I know it. Soon we will meet and walk together, side-by-side.

The beach ends, and the man steps onto the sea. For a moment, the illusion confounds me. en, I spy, gleaming like a petri ed wave, the rock that supports him. e man is already stepping onto the next rock when I reach the rst. Spaced to match our strides, the rocks lead across the sea. ey are slick, but my footing is sure. I know I will not fall. I cannot. Ahead, the man vanishes, reappears, and vanishes once more. e sea lies waveless, at as the sand. Almost lost in the mist, the man has stopped. I stop too, waiting. My desire to stay cancels my desire to move. I hear my pulse beating like the surf that isn’t there. I want to call out, announce myself, but I keep silent. Speaking would violate our covenant just as moving would. e man steps; he vanishes. I step after him, back onto sand.

e beach stretches ahead, as featureless as before. I can no longer see a silhouette, but its absence does not worry me. I understand. My feet no longer ache. Refreshed, I walk on into the mist, and the man on the beach follows. n

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