Portland Monthly Magazine May 1986 by portlandmonthlymagazine

From TheJReah Fred Bonnie: 1

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FEATURES

10 The Newsmakers. By Marcia Feller. 26

Microbrewery The Toast of Portland. By Derek Nelson.

34 The View! By Richard Bennett.

D EPAR TM EN TS

2 On The Town: Performing Arts and Entertainment Listings. By Michael Hughes. 30 The Waterfront: Boutiques And Other Strangers. By John Taylor. 40 Politics: No! Theatre, Starring Alva Morrison. By Robert Kemp. 46

Portlandiana: Casco Bay’s Sea Serpent. By Loren Coleman.

Commercial Real Estate: Richard McGoldrick, Commercial Properties. By Richard Bennett.

56 Restaurant Review: Roma Cafe. By George Benington. 57 The Arts: Juris Ubans’ New Performance Art. Review By Mary Snell. 59 Residential Real Estate: Mark Stimson. By Richard Bennett. 61

Style: Dating 1986. By Lynn Campbell.

64 The First Eight. New Fiction By The Real Fred Bonnie. 68 Flash.

May, 1986 Volume 1, No. 2

_____________ M U S IC _____________ C ontem porary A m erican Choral Festival. The Bow doin Cham ber Choir, th e Oratorio Chorale, th e Bowdoin O rchestra, and soloists will perform th e music of Richard Felciano, O tto Luening, and others. Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Thursday, May 1 through Sunday, May 4. Time an d place to be an n o u n ced at a later date. For m ore information, call 725-8731, x253. E vangeline, an o p era by O tto Luening. T he opera will be perform ed by th e Choral Festival o rch estra and soloists, co n d u cted by Robert K. Greenlee, Assistant Professor of Music at Bowdoin College. Bowdoin Col lege, Brunswick. Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3; both perform ances take place at 8 p.m. Admission to be announced. For m ore information, call 725-8731, x253. David M axw ell, org a n ist, State St. Church, 159 State St., Portland. Friday, May 2, 8 p.m. Free/donations. 774-6396. N isht G eferlach K lezm er Band, a red-hot, seven piece traditional Klezmer ban d performing traditional Yiddish songs, tu n es and stories on clarinet, accordian, piano, trum pet, tro m b o n e and tuba. University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus, College Room in the S tudent Center. Saturday, May 3. $3/$2. 780-4090. The New England Piano Quartette. Turina, Piano Q uartet in A minor, Op. 67; Shostakovich, Seven R om ances, Op. 124, for Soprano, Violin Cello and Piano; and Dvorak, Piano Q uartet in E flat, Op. 87. Sponsored by the Portland Cham ber Music Society. Immanuel Baptist Church, corner of High and Deering Streets, Portland. Tuesday, May 6, 8 p.m. 772-8038. Eighth A nnual A m erican C ancer S o ciety B all, fea turing dancing, dining and a raffle at the Sonesta Hotel in Portland. Tony Boffa and his band will provide the music following cocktails in th e lobby and an elegant black tie dinner in th e ballroom . The Ball is open to the public and directly benefits Maine: The funds raised in-state proportionately affect the funds directed here for re sea rc h by th e national office of th e American Cancer Society. Saturday, May 10. $75. For more infor mation, call Betty Green at 772-6683. S in g e r /a c to r T h eo d o re B ikel, o ne of th e w orld’s best-know n folk singers. Bikel is know n to m oviegoers for films ranging from “Fiddler on th e R oof’ to “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The African Queen.” As a singer, h e specializes in w hat can only be described as ‘po p ’ w orld folk music. Bikel has a particularly charm ing gift for th e role of th e sage buffo o n /en tertain er of Jewish folk tradition. Sponsored u n d e r th e auspices of the JWB L ecture Bureau. Deering High School Audito rium, 370 Stevens Ave., Portland. Sunday, May 11 at 7 p.m. S10/S12. 772-1959. T en or S a x o p h o n ist Frank F oster w ith the Joy Spring Jazz Quartet. Foster w orked for years with Count Basie, writing and arranging som e of the Basie b a n d ’s biggest hits, including “Shiny Stockings.” In the sixties, F oster’s ten o r playing began to reflect the influ en ce of John Coltrane. Foster later form ed his own big band, The Loud Minority. In recen t years, he has per form ed and reco rd ed with flutist and tenorm an Frank W ess, a n o th e r Basie alum nus. Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville. Sunday, May 18, 4 p.m. $6. 873-6526. C harlie J e n n iso n and F riends. Jennison, a fiery and lyrical jazz saxophonist and pianist from New Hamp shire, is well-known to Maine audiences for his perform ances with d ru m m er/co m p o ser Steve Grover in the Friends of Jazz. Jennison currently perform s with the DO’A w orld music ensem ble. T heater of Fantasy, 50 D anforth St., Portland. Sunday, May 18 a t 7:30 p.m. $5. 775-5957. C lark-Schuldm ann D uo, w ith R obert J. Lurtsem a, Narrator. Chopin, Introduction to Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 3; Prokofiev, Sonata in C, Op. 119; Liszt, Lenore (for N arrator and Piano); an d P oulenc, B abar th e Elephant (N arrator, Cello and Piano). Imm anuel Baptist Church, corner of High and Deering Streets, Portland. Friday, May 30, 8 p.m. 772-8038. An A m erican Portrait, perform ed by th e Choral Art Society un d er th e direction of guest co n d u cto r Joseph D. Henry. The perform ance features choral arrange m ents of songs by Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, G eorge Gershwin and Randall T hom pson. Trinity Epis copal Church, Forest Ave. and Coyle St., Portland. Sun day, June 1, 3 p.m. 799-7997. 2

PORTLAND MONTHLY

O N THE TOW N _____________THEATER____________ M agician W oody W oodw ard. Centre of Movement, 19 State St., Gorham. Sunday, May 18, 2:30 p.m. $4/$2. 839-5939. Portland P u blic P u ppets, a p u ppet show by Mary Peverada and M argaret Soule. A series of short puppet skits b a se d upon popular children’s books. Recom m ended for ages three to twelve. The show is the fifth p erform ance in Children’s Festival of the Arts. Portland Public Library, Rines M eeting Room. Saturay, May 17, 10:30 a.m. Free. 773-4761. Portland Players. 420 Cottage Road, South Portland. The Wiz, based on The W onderful Wizard o f Oz, by L. Frank Baum. Book by William F. Brown, m usic and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. The W icked Witch of the West m eets M adonna in this souped-up, rock-gospel-soul staging of th e popular m odern myth. May 23,24,25,30, 31; and June 1, 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14. Friday and Saturday perform ances a t 8; first and third Sunday perform ances at 7; seco n d Sunday m atinee a t 2:30 (n o evening per form ance). $7. 799-7337. Portland Lyric T heater, 176 Sawyer St., South Port land. “Hello Dolly,” through May 17. Friday and Satur day p erform ances at 8; Sunday at 2:30. $8.50 799-1421, 799-6509. The M aine Playw right’s C om petition is being con d u cted by th e Portland Stage Company under the aus pices of th e Rockefeller Foundation’s Fellowships for A merican Playwrights. An aw ard of $3,000 will be aw arded for an original full-length play by a Maine playwright. Deadline for entries is May 1; the winner will be announced June 15. For m ore details write: Rocke feller Playwright’s Competition, Portland Stage Com pany, Box 1458, Portland, Maine 04104, or call 774-1043.

w orkshops, an old-fashioned lobster bake and an aw ards banquet. May 16 through May 18. For registra tion information, write to the Maine Track Club, P.O. Box 8008, Portland, Maine 04104.

_______________ FILM______________ F for Fake, by Orson Welles (America, 1976). Welles as narrator is the consum m ate mystifier in this pseudo detective story which Vincent Canby called “a funny m arvelous m editation upon fakery, forgery, swindling and art.” This is the last film in the M useum’s w inter/ spring Great Directors series. Portland M useum of Art, Thursday, May 1,7 p.m. $2.50 for M useum m em bers/$3 for non-members. 775-6148. G o d zilla M eets Mona Lisa. A zany docum entary in which filmmaker Ralph Arlyck visits France’s “Demo cratic a rt com plex,” the Pompidou Center, and later the Louvre in an effort to discover how we respond to m useum s. Presented by the Portland M useum of Art in celebration of International M useum Day (se e W ork s h o p s ). Portland M useum of Art, Sunday, May 18 at 1 and 2:30 p.m. Free. 775-6148. The G raduate, by Mike Nichols (USA, 1967). Univer sity of Southern Maine, Portland Campus, Student Cen ter. Monday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. Free. 780-4076. Lifeboat, by Alfred H itchcock (USA, 1943). University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus, Student Center. W ednesday, May 21 at 6:30 p .m. Free. 780-4076. 10th A nnual M aine Student Film and V ideo F esti val, Open to Maine residents 19 years old and younger. Deadline for entries is May 15, 1986. Public screening and aw ards presentation June 7,1986,1 p.m., Portland M useum of Art. For entry forms, write to Maine Alliance of Media Arts, 4320 Station A, Portland, Maine 04101. C inem a City, W estbrook Plaza, W estbrook, 854-9116. M aine Mall C inem a, Maine Mall Road, South Port land. 774-1022. The M ovies at Exchange Street, 10 Exchange St., Portland. 772-9600.

OTHER EVENTS O F INTEREST T he M aine A udubon S ociety is located on Gilsland Farm, off R oute 1 in Falmouth. O pen year-round for self-guided and guided tours, the beautiful saltw ater farm is a sanctuary of 60 acres bordering the Presu m p sco t River. The Farm is also the location of the Society’s N ature Store, an Art Gallery, and Solar Build ings which display contem porary applications of solar and wind technologies. For m ore information, call 781-2330. The Second A nnual Festival of F low ers and Art at th e P ortland M useum of Art. This springtime fundraiser features flower arrangem ents designed by representa tives of participating Maine garden clubs to com ple m ent o r interpret w orks in the M useum ’s collection. A related lectu re and dem onstration will be held on each day of th e event. For further information, call 775-6148. A C lean S w eep , a traditional ‘housecleaning’ planned by Intown Portland Exchange for dow ntow n Portland on Sunday morning, May 4, from 8 a.m. to noon. Planned activities include painting all trash recepta cles, scraping posters from utilities and signal boxes, s tre et and g u tter sweeping, and more. Beyond its value as a spring cleaning for the city, “A Clean Sweep” is a fundraising event targeted to help raise m oney for planting trees and installing protective guards and grates in th e dow ntow n area. For m ore details, call 772-6828. M onday M orning Bird W alk, with Ray Riciputi, Asso ciate P rofessor of Biological Sciences a t the University of Southern Maine. Scheduled to m eet and leave from in front of Bailey Hall on the University’s G orham cam pu s on M onday m ornings at 6:30 a.m. Free. 780-4076. R oadrunner C lubs o f A m erica C onvention, an annual convention of ru n n e rs’ clubs taking place for th e first tim e in Maine. Events include races, clinics and Deadline for listings is six w eeks in advance of publica tion date. Please send m aterials to Michael Hughes, Listings Editor, Portland Monthly, The Lafayette, 638 C ongress St., Portland, Maine 04101. Please include: date, time, place, co n ta ct person, telephone number, co st and a description of your event. If you have any questions, please call Portland M onthly a t 775-4339.

N ick elo d eo n C inem a, Tem ple and Middle Streets, Portland. 772-9751.

COURSES/W ORKSHOPS The Y oga C enter offers courses in yoga for all levels, including pre-natal yoga, Tai Chi Chuan and meditation. C lasses are offered a t several locations in P ortland and in Falmouth. From May 8 to May 11, Asha Devi and her husband, Deepak, will offer a series of free yoga classes from 7 to 9 in the evening at W illiston W est C hurch on Thom as St. in Portland. For m ore information, call Jen nifer a t 799-4449. Exploring Nature w ith th e Y oung Child: H ow to be an E ffective C om pan ion G uide. A tw o-session work shop. The first, for adults on Satuday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, takes place a t the Maine A udubon Socie ty’s Gilsland Farm in Falmouth; the second, for adults and children together, takes place Saturday, May 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on M ackw orth Island in Falmouth. The w orkshop, one of several in a Saturday W orkshops series, is sponsored by the Maine Environmental Edu cation Association. For preregistration information, call 781-2330. International M useum Day a t th e Portland M useum of Art features an anim ated film, “This is Your M useum Speaking,” as well as a w orkshop for children. The fifteen-minute film depicts a m odern-day m use w hose mission is to inspire m useum -goers. Each showing of the film will be followed by a w orkshop in which child ren and their p aren ts will be able to use box a rt to fashion their own m useum s. W orkshops are limited to tw enty people on a first-come, first-serve basis; they are recom m ended for ages nine to adult. The film will show on Sunday, May 18, at 1 and 3 p.m. $1 in addition to M useum admission ($3/$2/$l). 775-6148.

_____________ D A N C E _____________ C oppelia, a full-length ballet based on a story by E.T A Hoffman, perform ed by the Portland Ballet Repertory Company with special guest artist Tony M ontanaro in the role of Dr. Coppelius, the Dollmaker. The s ets w ere designed by Lisa Bess, w hose set design for a recent

pro d u ctio n of “Gynt” garnered a p lace as a finalist in a national competition for set design. Portland Perform ing Arts Center, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. Friday, May 2 a n d Saturday, May 3 a t 8 p.m. M atinees a t 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, followed by “Meet th e Dancers,” an opportunity for children to m eet the d a n ce rs and ask questions. $8/$6/group rates availa ble. 772-9671. R am Island Dance Com pany’s Y outh C oncert for K ids. Performances for school groups and o th ers in the P ortland Performing Arts C enter a t 25A Forest Ave., Portland. W ednesday and Thursday, May 7 and 8 at 10:30 a.m. $2.50 for stu d en ts an d teachers. O ne free ticket for every 20 reserved. 773-2562. Ram Island Dance Company’s H om e S e a so n Per form an ces. The program s feature w orks by Doris H um phrey and Yvonne Rainer as well as tw o new pie c e s by Company Artistic Director Daniel McCusker. Portland Performing Arts Center, 25A Forest Ave., Por tland. May 8 through May 11 a t 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees a t 2 p.m. For tickets an d m ore infor mation, call 774-0465. D ance and F itness C la sse s a t th e Portland D ance Center, Portland Performing Arts Center, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. All levels of jazz, ballet and m odern dance for adults and children. B allroom /Social d an ce classes and Athletic dance classes are also offered. Students may start at anytim e during sessions running through June 27. For a schedule an d m ore information, call 773-2562. Scottish Country D ancing, with Paul Sarvis, a profes sional dancer who has taught m aster classes and w ork shops in Scottish dance throughout th e U.S. and Can ada. Williston West Church, 32 Thom as St., Portland. Every W ednesday evening at 7:30. $3 p e r class. 775-4019.

" If th e C h o co late does n o t p ro v e good, th e M o n e y w ill b e r e tu rn e d .”

W e have taken special care to ensure proper handling o f our chocolates in a temperate atmosphere. If for som e reason you are n o t satisfied with the contents o f this box, please send it to us along with the location o f the store where it was purchased. T h e Joh n H a n n o n C om p an y

READINGS/EVENTS “Grant W ood and Marvin C one: An A m erican Tra d ition ,” by John Coffey, cu rato r of th e Bowdoin Col lege M useum of Art. Bowdoin College, W alker Art Build ing, Brunswick. Sponsored by th e M useum of Art. Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m., and Friday, May 23,3 p.m. Free. 725-8731, x253. “Thom as Buchanan R ead’s Portrait o f H enry W ads worth Longfellow, Class o f 1825”, by A LeRoy Greason, President of Bowdoin College. Bowdoin College, W alker Art Building, Brunswick. Sponsored by the Museum of Art. W ednesday, M ay 7, 1 p.m. Free. 7258731, x253. “E ugene Isabey’s Massacre o f St. B artholom ew ’s Day, by John Coffey, C urator of th e Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Bowdoin College, W alker Art Building, Brunswick. Sponsored by th e M useum of Art. Sunday, May 11 a t 3 p.m., and W ednesday, May 14 a t 1 p.m. Free. 725-8731, x253. A1 P ou lin Jr., reading from his work as p a rt of the M o n th ly M aine Authors Series. Poulin’s reading will be followed by a question and answ er period, refresh m ents and an opportunity to mingle with th e writer. Lisbon Falls Community Library, 28 Main St., Lisbon Falls. Thursday, May 15 a t 7:30 p.m. Free. 353-5454.

1765 John H annon, an Irish immigrant, was the first man to bring chocolate manufacture to N orth America. H annon’s chocolate-making venture brought th eO ld W orld standard o f high quality chocolate to the New W orld. Although the business prospered, John H annon was n o t long in enjoying his success. In 1779 he em barked on a sailing voyage and was never heard from again. W e, at the John H annon Company, pledge to bring you the finest chocolates and candies from Europe, Canada, the U nited States and our own fudge kitchens. A nd in keeping with our proud name, we would like to extend to you the same guarantee that John Hannon offered his customers in 1777: I5VX1FP) O ' T \

390 Fore St.

Portland, Me. 04101

773-3705

“ When the w o rld w ea ries an d ceases to sa tisfy, th ere is alw ays the g a rd en .” Walt Whitman Plan a visit to this delightful indoor garden at 5 Milk Street in Portland, Maine (207)774-3125. Sundials, fountains, urns, furniture and other fascinating botanical accessories. Opening in May.

th e

CONSERVATORY F ive M ilk S tree t • P o rtla n d , M ain e 04101 • (207)774-3125

P erform ance Poetry by four p o e ts working with sound as the primary medium. The p o e ts are: Elizabeth McKim from Boston, and M ainers Bern Porter, Mark Melnicove and Anne Witten. With sup p o rt from the New England Foundation for th e Arts. T h eater of Fan tasy, 50 Danforth St., Portland. Friday, May 16 a t 8 p.m. $5. 775-5957. “John Sin ger Sargent’s P ortrait o f Mrs. Elizabeth Nelson Fairchild”, by K atharine J. W atson, D irector of the Bowdoin College M useum of Art. Bowdoin College, W alker Art Building, Brunswick. Sponsored by th e M useum of Art. Saturday, M ay 24 a t 10:30 a.m. Free. 725-8731, x253. “Nutrition and W om en,” by Jan et Burson, A ssociate Professor, School of Nursing a t th e University of South ern Maine. Thursday, May 29 at th e University’s Student C enter on the Portland Cam pus a t 7 p.m. Free. 780-4076. C hildren’s Enrichm ent Program s, offered by th e Children’s M useum of Maine, W estbrook College, Stev ens Ave., Portland, on Saturday mornings in May. 3-5 year-olds a t 9 a.m.; 6-8 year-olds a t 10:30 a.m. $2 nonm em bers/$l members. 797-5483.

d o c h jb r e 3 3 6 F o re S t., P o r tla n d , M e ., U n d e r th e R e d C a n o p y , in th e O ld P o rt Y o u lik e d us. W e re g o o d a t fo o d & d rin k s . W e re th e b e s t o f th e n e ig h b o r h o o d W h a t a n e ig h b o rh o o d ! R e m e m b e P

MAY 1986

GALLERIES/EXHIBITS Student Show , University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus, Center Gallery. May 4 through June 12. Sun day to Thursday, 12 to 8. Free. 780-4076.

PORTLAND MONTHLY

Senior Editor Colin Sargent Art Director Susan Garry, Fit To Print Advertising Director Bobbi L. Goodman Advertising Elizabeth Williams-Coates

Contributing Editors On The Town Movers & Shakers Restaurant Reviews Flash Commercial & Residential Real Estate The Arts The Waterfront

Faculty Show , University of Southern Maine, Portland Cam pus, Student Center. Beginning May 11. Free. 780-4076. M aine Photo B iennial, T our 1985-86. A juried exhibit of 30 Maine artists, including prizewinners Katie Fagan and William Thuss (Fagan’s work is included in the cu rren t show at the Nopo Gallery in Portland). The tour will b e at the Seashore Trolley M useum from May 30 through June 27. For m ore information, call Fred Perry at 967-2712. B o w d o in C o lleg e M useum o f Art, Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Four Israeli Artists (through June 8); Ameri can A bstract Expressionism: Works from the Perm an e n t Collection (through May 11); Grant W ood and Mar vin Cone: An American Tradition (through June 1); and Hunt Slonem: Cucuruchos (M ay 13 through August 17). Tuesday to Friday, 10 to 4; Saturday 10 to 5; and Sunday 2 to 5. Closed M ondays and holidays. 725-8731, x253.

Michael Hughes Marcia Feller George Benington Madeline McTurck

Peary-M acM illan Arctic M useum , H ubbard Hall, Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Continuing exhibits from th e collections, including artifacts, carvings, costum es an d paintings of the tw o famed explorers. Tuesday to Friday, 10 to 4; S aturday 10 to 5; and Sunday 2 to 5. Closed M ondays and holidays. 725-8731, x253.

Richard Bennett Juris Ubans John Taylor

H aw th om e-L ongfellow Library, Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Selected books from the Thom as W allcut Collection (through M ay), and the British imprints and history books in Special Collections (through May 17). M onday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to midnight; Sun day 10 a.m. to midnight. J oan W hitney P ayson G allery o f Art, W estbrook College, Stevens Avenue, Portland. 1 + 1 = 2, a show of work by married couples, suggests “an o th er way of looking at art, one th a t em phasizes the ‘com m unal’ asp ects of its creation, the natural relationships and associations that occur in a system of shared values,” according to Grace Glueck in the New York Times. Through May 18. T uesday to Friday from 10 to 4; w eek ends from 1 to 5. 797-9546. P e n o b sc o t N ation M useum , C enter St., Indian Island, Old Town. T he Penobscot Tribal M useum displays tra ditional and contem porary north-east Indian arts and crafts, including basketry, w ood carvings, stone sculp ture, and prehistoric stone im plem ents. Paintings, arti facts and costum es are also on display. M onday through Friday, 12 to 4; mornings by appointment. $l/$.50. 827-6545.

Portland Monthly™ is published m onthly by Colin and Nancy Sargent, 638 C ongress Street, Portland, ME 04101. All correspondence should be addressed to 638 C ongress Street, Portland, ME 04101. A dvertising Office: 638 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 775-4339. S u b scrip tio n s: In th e U.S. and Canada, $18 for 1 year, $30 for 2 years, $36 for 3 years. M ay 1986, Vol. 1, No. 2, copyright 1986 by Portland M onthly. All rights reserved. Application to mail to second-class rates pending a t Portland, Maine 04101. (ISSN: 0887-5340) Opinions expressed in articles are those of au th o rs and d o not represent editorial posi tions of P ortland Monthly. Letters to th e editor are w elcom e an d will b e tre a te d a s uncondiitionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes an d as subject to Portland M onthly’s unrestricted right to edit a n d co m m en t editorially. Nothing in this issue m ay be reprinted in w hole o r in p a rt w ithout written permission from the publishers. Postm aster; Send ad d ress changes to: 638 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101. Return postag e m u st accom pany all m anuscripts and p h o to graphs subm itted if th ey are to be returned, an d no responsibility can b e assum ed for unsolicited materials.

PORTLAND MONTHLY

A bacus G allery, 44 Exchange St., Portland. Fine a n d decorative crafts and jewelry. M onday to W ednesday, 9:30 to 6; Thursday to Saturday 9:30 to 8; Sunday 12 t o 5. 772-4880. B arridoff G a lleries, 4 City Center, Portland. Selection of Gallery artists, selected nineteenth and tw entieth century works, and esta te paintings. On May 31 a t 7 p.m., Barridoff presents a Fine Arts Auction of European and American paintings. The auction will preview Fri day, May 30, from 10 to 5, and Saturday, May 31, from 10 to 6. Gallery hours are M onday to Friday, 10 to 5; and Saturday 12 to 4. 772-5011. Cafe A lw ays. 47 Middle St., Portland. “Suitable for Framing,” a show of recen t paintings by Toni Wolf. T hrough May. Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 774-9399. C on gress Square Gallery, 594 Congress St., Portland. A show of work by w om en represented by the Gallery, including paintings by Sherry Miller and W endy Kindred, p astels by Rebekah Raye, and collages by Erica Bogin. Friday, May 9 to the end of June. M onday to Saturday 10 to 6. 774-3369. Frost G ully G allery, 25 Forest Ave., Portland. Exhibi tions of recent works by artists represented by the gallery. M onday to Friday 12 to 6. 773-2555. David H itchcock G allery, 602 Congress St., Portland. C ontem porary Maine artists and works from the Hitch cock Collection. M onday through Saturday, 12 to 5; Thursdays till 9. 774-8919. H obe Sound G a lle r ie s, 1 Milk Street, Portland. A show of works by artists represented by the Gallery will close May 3. From May 7 to June 7. Hobe Sound p resents “T he Figure,” a range of works in m any media with the hum an figure as its central focus. Opening on W ednesday, May 7, from 5 to 7. Tuesday to Saturday 10:30 to 5:30. 773-2755. M aine P otters’ Market, 9 M oulton St., Portland. Stoneware, porcelain and earthenw are by 14 Maine craftspersons. M onday through Saturday 10:30 to 5:30. 774-1633. M aple H ill G allery, 367 Fore St., Portland. Four One Person Shows, featuring Ronald Hayes Pearson, jewelry; Sharon Townshend, ceram ics; Sondra Bogdonoff, wear ables; and Beth Changstrom , ceram ics. Through May 11. The Gallery carries fine contem porary works in ceram ics, glass, wood, jew elry and fiber. Monday to Saturday from 10 to 6, T hursday evenings to 8, Sunday from 11 to 4. 775-3822.

Portland M useum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Port land. “Winslow Homer: The Charles Shipman Payson Collection.” The collection of 13 w atercolors and four oils by Homer (1853-1910) w as formed betw een 1945 and 1974 by the late Charles Payson; the gift of the collection in 1980 was the catalyst for the M useum’s expansion. M useum admission $3/$2/$l. Free admis sion Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 775-6148. Sum m er H ours for the Portland M useum of Art begin on Tuesday, May 27. The M useum will be open Tues day to Saturday 10 to 5; T hursday till 9; and Sunday from 12 to 5. Portland P u blic Library, 5 M onum ent Square, Port land. Sculptural L andscapes by Nantz Comyns, May 2 through May 30, Level 1 Exhibition Area. Monday, Wed n esd ay and Friday 9 to 6; T uesday and T hursday noon to 9; Saturday 9 to 5. 773-4761 x l 10. Portland S ch o o l o f Art, Baxter Gallery, 619 Congress St., Portland. Senior Show, an exhibit of the final proj ects of the 1985-86 graduating class. The show will encom pass the entire Baxter Building, including the p h o to gallery, the auditorium and the Baxter Gallery. T he show features works in all mediums, including sculpture, design, photography, painting, jewelry, printmaking and ceram ics. M onday through Friday 10 to 5, Thursday to 7, Sunday 1 to 5. 761-1771. U niversity o f Sou thern M aine Art G allery, on the cam pus of the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. From May 24 thru June 22, a Maine Historical Society Exhibition, including historical artifacts. Gallery hours 12 to 8, Sunday thru Thursday. 780-4509.

N opo G allery, 60 York St., Portland. R ecent works by local photographers, including Jay York, Rose Marasco and Katie Fagan, a prize-winner in the Maine Photo Biennial Tour. T hursday through Saturday, 12 to 5. 774-4407. T he P ine T ree Sh op and Bayview G allery, 75 Market St., Portland. Serigraphs (silkscreen prints) by Kate Emlen. From May 3 through May 30. M onday to Satur day 9:30 to 5:30. 773-3007. P osters P lus G alleries, 146 Middle St., Portland. Through May 3, mixed media aerial views, drawings and silkscreens by Peyton Higgison. M onday to Saturday 10:30 to 5:30. 772-2693.

The Stein G la ss G allery, 20 Milk St., Portland. New experim ental joined pieces in glass by Peter Green wood. Through May 12. From May 15 through June 23, graal and san d b lasted pieces by Lucy Bergamini. Graal is a com plex glassblow ing technique in w hich th e origi nal blank is fired, coldw orked an d refired. Opening reception o n Thursday, May 15, from 5 to 7. M onday to Saturday 10 to 6, Sunday 12 to 5, a n d by appointm ent. 772-9072.

JILL HOY T im es Ten, 420 Fore St., Portland. Fine functional crafts from ten Maine craftspersons, including clocks by Ron Burke, earthenw are p o ttery an d tiles by Libby Seigars, and handw oven rugs by Sara H otchkiss which w ere recently featured in th e New York Times. M onday to Saturday from 10 to 6. 761-1553.

SCHOONER IN GOLDENROD

C o n g re s s S q u a re Q a ttc r y Gallery Hours M onday-Saturday 10 AM-6 PM

594 Congress Street Portland, M aine 04101 Phone 207-774-3369

THE GARDEN WAY SUNROOM ____________ s e r v ic e s ____________ The C um berland C ounty Child A b u se and N eglect C ouncil has b een newly organized as a non-profit social service with offices in Preble Chapel, 331 Cum berland Ave., Portland. T he group functions as an advocate for children and as a voice for th e community. For m ore information, call 774-0076.

_________ RESTAURANTS_________ A lberta’s. 21 Pleasant Street, Portland. All th e selec tions from A lberta’s ever-changing m enu are cooked to order over their m esquite charcoal grill. Steaks, seafood, and butterflied leg of lam b are accom panied by hom e m ade soups, breads, and desserts, including “D eath by Chocolate.” Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch. Major credit cards. 774-5408. Afghan R estaurant. 629 C ongress Street, Portland. Delicious and exotic Afghani cuisine in a family setting. A tm osphere includes paintings by ow ner with fun p er spectives. 773-3431. A m igo’s. 9 D ana Street, Portland. A wide selection of Mexican food in a relaxed setting. Enchiladas, tacos, burritos, everything m ade from scratch. Brings th e Mex ican experience to th e Old Port. Lunch and dinner T uesdays through Saturdays, closed Sunday and Mon day. 772-0772. T he B aker’s T able. 434 Fore Street, Portland. Relaxed bistro beneath th e Old Port B akehouse offers diverse European cooking, veal, fish, tournedos, hom em ade chow ders, soups, stew s including bouillabaisse are available, as well as fresh bread s and pastries from upstairs. Local artists exhibit occasionally. M ajor credit cards. 775-0303.

• • • • •

C a ll fo r fre e c o lo r b ro c h u re K it sales availab le P re -m a n u fa c tu re d d esign I n s ta lla tio n se rv ic e availab le 5 -y e a r w a rra n ty

CHELLIS Wood & Sun, Inc.

774-7018 A u th o riz e d G A R D EN W AY DEALER

MAY 1986

B o o n e ’s. C ustom H ouse Wharf, Portland. They’ve been serving an extraordinary range of seafood since 1898. Portland m em orabilia an d antiques are displayed in the heavy-beam ed dining room , and th e re are nightly sp e cials in addition to th e extensive m enu. Lunch and dinner daily, all major credit cards. 774-5725.

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

B ram hall Pub. 769 Congress Street, Portland. Soups and sandw iches in a pretty brick-walled setting beneath the Roma Cafe. 773-8329. C afe A lw ays. 47 Middle Street, Portland. One of Port land’s new est restaurants. Features strong, ambitious m enu and a rom antic atm osphere. C afe C orn erb rook . C ornerbrook shopping plaza, opposite th e Maine Mall, South Portland. The th eatre kitchen serves up such specialties as sau teed soft-shell crab, philo pie, seafood a n d p a sta salads. Q uiches and soups are c re ated daily; jazz bands play nightly. Break fast, lunch, and dinner, Saturday and Sunday brunch. 772-3224. Camp H am m ond. 74 Main Street, Yarmouth. Lunch and dinner are served in four room s of a beautiful Victorian home. Veal and lam b are featured on a m enu th a t changes weekly; steaks and seafood are great, too. M arble fireplaces warm the room s of this historic build ing, and conference sp ace is available. Reservations suggested. 846-3895. Carbur’s. 123 Middle Street, Portland. Carbur’s is fun, from th e m enu to the antique advertisem ents, to the “Kitchen Sink Club,” a sandw ich accom panied by a parade of th e restaurant staff. A lthough th e m enu fea tures sandw iches, soups and salads are hom em ade and inventive, too. C arbur’s has a new b an q u et room with a special menu, and they have a prime rib special Thurs day, Friday, and Saturday nights. Lunch an d dinner, m ajor credit cards. 772-7794. C hannel C rossing. 23 Front Street, South Portland. An e legant re stau ran t with an elegant view of Portland from its p erch on th e w ater. Teriaki sirloin is a favorite, as is “Fresh C atch,” the very freshest fish available each day. Lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch, major credit cards. 799-5552. C hristopher’s. 688 Forest Avenue, Portland. Greek wines can b e had with the baked lamb in tom ato sauce and o th e r Greek specialties. Philo pies and stuffed grape leaves lead crisply into th e fresh baklava and other desserts. A relaxed, spacious restaurant. Lunch and dinner M onday through Friday, dinner only on Saturday, closed Sunday. Major credit cards. 772-6877. D eli O ne. 106 Exchange Street, Portland. Spinach and sausage pie, pasta, om elets, deli sandw iches are am ong th e international attractions in this cozy place. The soups and chow ders are intriguing as well. A sunny patio w hen seaso n perm its. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Sunday brunch. Art exhibits by local talent. MC, V. 772-7115.

Dogs on the to p of Ballard Oil trucks. King Cole p o tato chips. C ushm an cookies. T h e T im e s-S q u a re -sty le flash in g Coca-Cola sign a t th e to p of Congress Square . . . By now any P o rtland sentim entalist know s w hat I’m talking about: things th a t have disappeared. I d isappeared for 10 years myself b ack in 1973-1983, b u t now th a t I’m back, I’d like to w o n d er o u t loud why th e re are no p re tty flashing night bill b o ard s in the city anym ore. Yes, I know, th ey w ere legislated away, an d th a t’s fine for th e sta te at large, w here Kendall M erriam tells m e th a t th e Burma-Shave signs really w ere a bit extrem e, after all, b u t in Portland,

D iM illo’s Floating R estaurant. Long Wharf, Portland. Unique floating restau ran t h as steaks, seafood, Italian cuisine, ribs, and, always, lobster. Fine wines, nightly chef’s specials, and entertainm ent. Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. Major credit cards. 772-2261. D ock Fore. 336 Fore Street, Portland. Daily specials in this cozy Old Port setting include burgers, quiches, soups, chow ders, fresh fish, steam ers, and mussels. Lunch and dinner. 772-8619. The G alley. 215 Foreside Road, Falmouth. Located at Handy Boat Yard, The Galley offers a beautiful view of C lapboard and Chebeague Islands plus sleek racing yachts and an impressive, varied m enu of seafood sp e cialties. Cocktail lounge on u p p er deck. A m ust for the yachting set. 781-4262. The G ood Egg Cafe. 705 Congress Street, Portland. Breakfast is th e specialty in this com fortable cafe. House favorites are th e hom em ade hash, English muffins, and multi-grain pancakes. The egg variations are endless, and th ere are herbal teas and fresh ground coffee. M onthly exhibits by stu d en t artists. W eekdays 6-12, Saturday 7-2, Sunday 8-2. 773-0801. G orham Station. 29 Elm Street, Gorham. A lovelyfull-service restau ran t in a restored railroad station. Steak and seafood; American favorites. 839-3354. The G reat Lost Bear. 540 Forest Avenue, Portland. The exotic burgers, th e friendly service, th e etch ed glass, the hilarious m enu make The Bear a special spot. T here’s 6

PORTLAND MONTHLY

vision

-pantor.

a delightful little city with a skyline all its own, w here artists from William W allace Gilchrist, Jr. to Jon Legere have celeb rated us because of th e bill b o ard taxi Gershwin snow y m etro feel ing w e’ve been giving off since 1925, w hy c o u ld n ’t th e en d angered signs have b een p ro tec ted like th e rare birds th a t th ey were? We could have com e up with a nifty 1970s aw areness term for saving the signs: icon management. Lovers of cam p co u ld have sav ed th e Planters P eanut Man w ho d an c ed a tw o-step dow n Congress Street! T he D onnelly Adv. billboard atop th e Hay Building w ould still light up th e heavens, even though th ey serve ban k n o tes instead of m ilkshakes in the old pharm acy sp a ce below. T he only sign w o rth its sa lt left in dow ntow n P ortland is th at w onderful loaf of N issen’s b read th a t floats 10 feet above the bakery itself on M unjoy Hill. Now th a t th e billboard u n d er th e railroad o v erpass n ea r th e Expo is gone, th a t red light at St. John Street seem s like the longest in th e w orld . . .

In that year, colonists built their first o cean-going vessel. C hristened the Virginia o fS a g a d a h o c k , it sailed from a little shipyard just twelve miles dow n river from the present site of the Iron Works. Since its founding in 1884, Bath Iron W orks has ad d e d many “firsts” to Maine’s catalogue of maritime achievements. A nd through the years, we’ve m ade the hallmark “B ath-built” a synonym for shipbuilding excellence. In the years to come, we will build ships in Bath and repair others in Portland. And each ship will carry a part of Maine’s proud maritim e heritage to the oceans of the w o rld . Thanks, Maine, for a great shipbuilding tradition.

A history of Bath Iron Works is on exhibit at the M aine Maritime M useum in Bath.

® BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION A Congoleum Company Bath, Maine 04530

W HEN YOU CA N HAVE WHATEVER YOU W ANT OM EGA DeVILLE. M eticulous craftsm anship with supple lizard strap. Precise Swiss quartz accuracy. M ineral crystal. R ound: $325 Cushion: $325

O M EG A

also award-winning chili, ribs, chicken, and steak, an d of course, the hom em ade Toll H ouse Cookie Pie. For sum m er days, there is a patio in Bearidise Alley, and for Sundays, a cham pagne brunch. Lunch and dinner 7 d a y s served right to 11:30. 772-0300. G reen M ountain C offee R oasters. 15 Temple Street, Portland. Exotic coffees and teas, interesting conversa tions, great location n ear One City Center and Nickelo deon movie theatres. Open late in the evenings. 773-4475. H am ilton’s India R estaurant. 43 Middle Street, Port land. P ortland’s popular new Indian restaurant is reviewed in this issue of Portland Monthly. 773-4498. H o r se fe a th e r s. 193 Middle Street, Portland. The award-winning m enu offers fresh char-broiled fish, stirfries, steaks, veal Oscar, as well as notorious “Horsefries” and nachos. Many daily specials, served by a cheery, creative staff. Elegant and fun. Entertainment nightly. Lunch and dinner, 11:00 to 11:45 daily. Major credit cards. 773-3501. H uShang II. 11 Brown Street, Portland. Award-winning Szechuan, Shanghai, Mandarin, and Hunan cuisine. Spicy and inventive. A Portland mainstay. Lunch and dinner daily. 774-0800. Hu Shang III. 29 Exchange Street, Portland. Shrimp in black bean sauce, cashew chicken are am ong the Sze chuan, Hunan, Shanghai, and M andarian dishes offered. Daily luncheon specials, hom em ade Chinese soups. Two brick and glass dining room s. Lunch and dinner. Major credit cards. 773-0300.

Sp r in g e r 's

A C e n t u r y O f Q u a l it y A n d Value , 580 Congress Street, Portland 7 72-5404 • Bath • Portsm outh, N H Springer’s C h arg e/M asterC ard /V IS A /A m erican Express

J’s O yster Bar. 5 Portland Pier, Portland. Delicious w aterfront spot for seafood lovers. O ysters, steamed clams, very fresh seafood. 772-4828. J a m e so n Tavern. 115 Main Street, Freeport. Steaks, veal, seafood, and daily chef’s specials. Veal sauteed with proscuitto, provolone, and m ushroom s is a favorite, served in an historical colonial home. Lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch. 865-4196. L’A ntibes. 27 Forest Avenue, Portland. Elegant French cuisine served in the Portland Performing Arts Center. Perfect sp o t before and after Portland Stage productions and o th e r Arts Center events. Extensive wine list. 772-0453.

We’re proud to be selling Greater Portland The MacBride Dunham Group Industrial/C om m ercial Real Estate Portland, Maine (207) 773-7100

PORTLAND MONTHLY

Maine’s economy is booming, that’s for sure. At the MacBride Dunham Group, we want that growth to be healthy, sustained, and solid for many years to come. After all, we live here, too. We care about what’s right for this community, and for the state. That’s why it’s such a pleasure doing business in Greater Portland.

La Salsa. 444 Fore Street, Portland. Spicy, new-age restaurant features Chile verde enchiladas, Indian blue corn tortillas and tam ales, Colache burritos, distinctive soups, and New Mexican and South American fish dishes. New location sports high-design interior, daily specials. Also: lamb dishes and Mexican bread pudding. 775-5674. L obster Shack. 246 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth. Striking ocean view and picnic seafood to match. Great spot to w atch Portland and C enterboard Yacht Club events. 799-1677. Madd A pple Cafe. 23 Forest Avenue, Portland. Unus ual, delicious, original cuisine by R ebecca Reilly in the Portland Performing Arts Center building. Many interna tional specials. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch. 772-6606. Maria’s R istorante. 337 Cum berland Avenue, Port land. Formal dining, good wines, and fine Italian cuisine. O wner and chef, A nthony Napolitano specializes in veal dishes, including veal scallopinim arsala,andthereisan em phasis on fresh seafood, as well. Dinner 5-10 week days, 5-11 weekends. MC, VISA. 772-9232. M ichel’s at Exit 8. 202 Larrabee Road, Westbrook. Seafood and steaks in a pretty, plant-filled diningroom. Among the selections are a tw o-pound prime rib, baked haddock, and Sicilian scallops. The portions are large, dinner specials change every two weeks, lunch specials every day. Lunch and dinner. Major credit cards. 854-9496. Old Port Tavern. 11 M oulton Street, Portland. Steaks, seafood, salad bar, find live music in the heart of the Old Port. Award-winning Bloody Mary’s. 774-0444. Pagoda. 5 Forest Avenue, Portland. Chinese food by Danny Wong in a pretty new location. 773-5071. P asta V illage. 154 Middle Street, Portland. A variety of fresh p a sta s are m ade on the prem ises of this familystyle restaurant, and there are hom em ade sauces to choose from. O ther Italian favorites, and wines are available, too. Lunch and dinner, major credit cards. 772-8885.

Portland W ine and C h eese. 8 Forest Avenue, Port land. Pates, im ported ch eeses and m eats, sandw iches, soups, and salads to tak e out o r enjoy a t a window table. Open 10-3 w eekdays, 9-6 w eekends. Major credit cards. 772-4647. Rib Room. Sonesta Hotel Portland. 157 High Street, Portland. Elegant dining with impressive full-service menu (pates, m ussels in basil an d lem on sauce, steaks, seafood dishes w ith a ccen ts on rare flavorings), and a highly rom antic atm osphere. Also, try The G reenhouse and the newly rem odeled Top of th e East lounge for cocktails and a stunning city view. Reservations and major credit cards accepted. 775-5411. The Roma. 769 C ongress Street, Portland. Classic Ital ian cuisine has b e en served in this Victorian m ansion for 61 years. Enjoy seafood linguine o r veal parm esan in one of the intim ate diningroom s. Daily specials, and a unique collection of Portland Glass. Smoking and non-smoking available. Lunch and dinner. 773-9873. Sapporo R estaurant. 24 Free Street, Portland. Port land’s new Jap an ese restau ran t excites th e tasteb u d s with colorful sushi dishes and o th e r traditional favorites. Beautiful waterw alk into restaurant. 772-1233. S eason s. 363 Maine Mall Road, South Portland. The Sheraton’s pride and joy, Seasons features a wide variety of seasonally changingAm erican favorites a s well as live entertainm ent and fashion shows. 775-0555. Seoul H ouse. R oute 77, Cape Elizabeth. A uthentic Korean favorites. Intim ate atm osphere and delicious, unusual food. Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sat urday. 799-4031. Smith Farm. 226 Gray Road, W est Falmouth. The Roast Turkey Feast is a special attractio n in this post-andbeam family restaurant, as are th e desserts: T he Indian pudding, apple pan dowdy, and shortcakes are all hom em ade. The staff w ears overalls and sings on th e weekends. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, closed Mon days. MC, VISA. 797-3034. Snow Squall. 18 O cean Avenue, South Portland. Plants and sunshine, and a view of th e w aterfront by day,

Open seven days a week

Breakfast Lunch Dinner & After 106 Exchange Street Portland, Maine

candlelight by night. All the seafood, veal, chicken, and beef is p repared from scratch. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch. Major credit cards, reservations accepted. 799-2232.

V alle’s. 1150 Brighton Avenue, Portland. First-rate steaks and seafood a t reaso n ab le prices in a family atm osphere. A favorite for m any Portlanders for decades. Just off Exit 8. 774-4551.

Sp ortsm an’s Grill. 905 C ongress Street, Portland. Ital ian and A merican favorites in four hom ey dining room s. Spaghetti, of course, lasagne, breaded veal cutlets. Daily specials. Lunch and dinner. 772-9324.

The Vinyard. I l l Middle Street, Portland. Seafood Diablo and baked quail are am ong the specialties of this beautiful restaurant. The em phasis is on French and Italian cuisine, with an extensive wine list to match. The m enu changes bi-monthly. Lunch and dinner w eekdays, dinner only Saturdays, closed Sundays. 773-5424.

34 E xchange Street. Old P ort Exchange. French Con tinental cuisine and fine w ines served in two Victorian dining room s. T he m enu of beef, seafood, chicken, and veal changes often w ith the exception of the Beef Wel lington. Dinner5:30-10:00, reservations suggested. Major credit cards. 775-1100.

T he W est Side. 59 Pine Street, Portland. Homemade delights in a stylish little neighborhood cafe with great breads, pastries, specials, find a seasonal patio. Menu always fresh, original. 773-8223.

LETTERS FROM MRS. HURLEY D ear Colin: I ju st received y o u r prem iere issue of P o rtla n d M o n th ly a n d th o ro u g h ly enjoyed it. Well done! I rem em b er you at D eering with fond m em ories. I wish you co ntinued success. Sincerely, M aria Hurley English D epartm ent Deering High School

_________RAT-A-TAT_________ To T he Editor: Ju st finished yo u r prem iere issue. Care for a rat-a-tat review? T he lovely Ms. T eas w as do n e a tre m en d o u s injustice by Mr. M acom ber. N ext tim e, h ead forward, body turned, a n d th e d evastating p o u t, please! D ennis G ilbert is brilliant, a n d his a sse ssm e n t of o u r eating scen e is so b ering an d accu rate; b u t w here c an we sam p le his cuisine? Is th e re any h o p e at all for sch lep p s like m e w ho a re n ’t real e sta te d ev elo p ers? Say th e re is, m aybe in a future issue. I like y o u r style. O bviously th e sta rt of som ething big. Sincerely wishing th e best, P e te r J. Hyszczak C om m unications Design

MORE MAJOR FILM STARS To T he Editor: 1 h av e o n e suggestion regarding the Ju d d N elson article you featured. In asking Mr. N elson ‘w hy th e gap’ in M aine ta le n t after th e 1940s, you n o t o n ly n eg lected Linda Lavin b u t also at le a st tw o o th e r nationally know n te le vision stars. One, B rett Som ers, ex-wife

of Jack Klugman, a p p e a re d as his wife on th e “O dd C ouple” series as well as a regular for y ears on “The M atch Game,” se a te d right n ex t to C harles N elson Reilly. B rett is p u rp o rted from th e P ort land area. T he other, A ndrea Martin, is definitely a Portlander! She has b ee n a big hit in C anada for years on th e “Second City Television (SCTV) show. This sam e p rogram w as picked u p by NBC several y ears ago, allowing th e re st of us to enjoy h e r im m ense talent. Her father is John M artin of th e Art Gallery. B est of luck w ith y o u r new venture. Cliff Richards P ortland

_______ SWAN DIVE________ Congratulations. Ju st received an d re a d yo u r new publication. E xtrem ely well d o n e ... good c o p y . . . g ood looking. I certainly h o p e it do es well. O nly o n e sm all criticism. I have been w aiting for several m o n th s now to know “W hy T he Swan Dive Dove.” After reading th e article, I still d o n ’t know. It w as far to o general an d n o t very specific. My p e rso n al rea so n is th a t th e Swan Dive co m m itted o n e of th e cardinal sins of b e tte r restau ra n ts. T hey felt th ey w ere doing u s a favor by letting u s eat th e re , ra th e r th a n a c c e p t th a t w e w ere doing th em a favor! In o th e r w ords, after a great and su c cessful opening, th e y ju st didn’t give a d am n a b o u t ste a d y cu sto m ers. If you look back, th a t’s how a lot of o th er su ccessfu l re sta u ra n ts have bit th e dust. Keep up th e good work. Sincerely, Richard O ransky MAY 1986

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

BY MARCIA 10

PORTLAND MONTHLY

MAY 1986

“ ta n d by! Ten seconds!” Bluejeaned technicians in Nikes and Bean B oots roll th e cam eras up to the set. “Five seco n d s. T he o p e n is next. You’re up on one!” T he cavernous space is cool and dam p. Thirty feet overhead, a grid-

"Some of the moves have been controversial, but the ratings out in mid-March showed Channel 6 had caught up to 13, reaching 86,000 to 78,000 homes." w ork ho u se s studio lights, while dow n below , ca m eras glide clo ser with the familiar m otion of R2D2.

PORTLAND MONTHLY

A diminutive w om an w ith p o stu re like d an ce r studies h e r n o tes, sm iles at th e m onitor, and winks a s h e r co l league d a sh e s o n to th e se t w ith a last seco n d update. ortland Maine, th e 75th m arket, h as beco m e a pit sto p on a fasttrack ca re e r p a th for a new b reed of television professionals. T he p ro d u c t is new s, th e com petition fierce,

th e b o tto m line m oney. News in this tow n is big business. Q uarterly Nielson and A rbitron ratings determ ine share points and n um ber of hom es each new s team reaches. The m athem atical results, in b alance book jargon, d e te r mine how m uch will b e charged for eac h 30 sec o n d s of advertising. This is a bu sin ess w here even a single point can co st a station th o u san d s of dollars. For as long as new s professionals in this m arket can rem em ber, WGME-TV, Channel 13, has had th e edge. But th at

MAY 1986

h as changed. Jeff Marks, News Direc to r at WCSH-TV, C hannel 6, has fielded a new te a m — a b len d of local favorites an d slick new free agents. Some of the m oves have b een controversial, b u t th e ratings o u t in mid-March show ed C hannel 6 had slipped p a st 13, reach ing 86,000 to 78,000 hom es. With th e new s p ro d u ct fairly generic, th e com petitive edge is in the p resen tation. T h at b reaks dow n to format, writing, and personality. And in the final analysis, it is th e personality of the statio n, th e individuals w ho deliver the m essage, th a t determ in es w h eth er we w atch o r tu rn th e dial. T he new s d irectors w atch th e ra t ings, review resea rc h with consultants, an d th e n fine-tune th e approach. Peter Weil at Channel 8, WMTW-TV, in Lewis ton, bro u g h t M organ Jam es up from New York a y ea r ago. M organ, a Strassburg-trained actress, m ade th e transi tion into new s after a d ec ad e of p e r forming and m odeling. “I w as th e Old F ashioned Girl in the Virginia Slims ad series, and th e Som e tim es You Feel Like A Nut Lady in the A lm ond Joy com m ercials. I w ent to w ork for INN (In d e p e n d e n t News N et w o rk ) in New York as a production assistant. C hannel 8 h as given m e the o p p o rtu n ity to finally get back in front of th e cam era.” Her co-anchor, M artin Morenz, is a journalism m ajor w ho alw ays w anted a b r o a d c a s tin g c a re e r. He c a m e up th ro u g h th e radio ranks like m any of his colleagues. “I got my big break after covering th e B arney Frank vs. M argaret Heckler cong ressional race. At th a t point I had nev er b een in front of th e cam era. We did a panel discussion, and it w ent p re tty well. I h ad good feedback, so I s e n t m y ta p e s out. Fred N utter a t C hannel 6 to ld m e ab o u t a position in

"A Strassburg-trained actress, Channel 8's Morgan James w as the 'Old Fashioned Girl' in the Virginia Slims ad series, and the 'Sometimes You Feel Like A N u t' Lady in the Almond Joy commercials before coming to M ain e."

PORTLAND MONTHLY

Bangor. The P ortland m ark et is like that. The new s directors know w h a t’s going on, and if th ey think yo u have potential, th ey p ass you along. I w ent to Bangor and th en landed h e re at WMTW a year and a half ago. I cam e as a reporter, m oved to w eekend anchor, and finally to my cu rren t position.” M artin h a s positive feelings about his radio experience. “You learn to ho n e y o u r writing skills quickly. You have h o u rly dead lines and definitive tim e fram es. You perform o r yo u ’re history. T h ere are real joys in reporting. W here e lse can you go out, observe th e d a y ’s events, and com e back and p ro d u ce a mini movie about it?” Both anch o rs are h o n est a b o u t their fru s tra tio n s . T he h a rs h re a lity is, WMTW-TV is in third place. You sense th e Avis, “We Try H arder” attitude. M organ’s in terests run to th e meta physical. She is a sensitive, artistic w om an w ho has m ade th e transition from th e fast p a c e of New York’s upper East Side to rural com m unities in Maine. She w orks th e 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, th e fate of all prim e-tim e new scasters in this m arket. “T hat m akes it very difficult to meet p eo p le and cultivate friendships. So m uch energy goes into producing the new s th a t th e re is little tim e left for o th e r things. T h a t’s w hy I look inward a lot. I have a lot of com passion and re sp e c t for m y colleagues, here and at th e o th e r stations. I know just how hard it is to be good.”

red C aesar’s te am a t 13 is tried and true. C o-anchor Kim Block is th e rookie, and sh e ’s been with WGME-TV six years. B ruce Berlinger w as b ro u g h t to P ortland in 1978 from O rlando. He h a s a M asters in Televi sion and Critical Studies from UCLA “A lot has changed since I started in this b u siness a d eca d e ago,” Bruce begins. “Ju st think ab o u t th e technol ogy a d v a n ce m en ts alone. I w as in Lan caster, P ennsylvania in 1975.1was the n ew s re p o rte r, w eath erm an , sports ann o u n cer, and h o st of a noon talk show . I w as c o n tra c te d to do three stories a day as well. Sometimes I w ould go o u t with th e cruisers, when new s w as light. W hen th e police got th e call, I w as w ith them and first on

the scene. T here w ere tim es w hen it w as gruesom e. As long as I looked through th e view finder an d th o u g h t about F-stops, 1could rem ain d etached. It w as w hen th e cam e ra w en t b ack into th e case th a t so m etim es I felt sick. This is before th e im pact of video, w hen we sh o t m ovies o r 35mm. Here, m y d ay is very different. 1 co m e in at 3 p.m . an d review th e new s th a t w e h av e so far. Then I w rite and ta p e a “News B reak”

w orking for WCSH and finally WGAN: “In th o se d ay s our television and

m ake-up, an d clothes. Look at this card: Please go b ack to y o u r d a rk h a ir

for 4 p.m . We have o u r m eeting w ith Fred, look at th e stories, packaging, voice-overs, an d live cam s, an d w ork o u t th e timing. T h ree an d a half h o u rs later w e’re finished w ith th e 6 o ’clock and readying th e 11.” Kim is petite, charm ing, an d direct. She is at e a se w ith h e r life an d h e r position. She feels ex trem ely fortu n ate to be w here sh e is today. Eight y ears ago, w h en sh e w as only 21, sh e joined WLOB radio as new s director, later

radio sta tio n s w ere integrated. I w as d o in g th e n e w s on ra d io a n d a p pro ach ed th e new s director ab o u t m ak ing th e transition. T hey w ere su p p o r tive a n d gave m e a shot. Today, th e field is so com petitive, it probably w o u ld n ’t h ap p en . I love th e business, th e p ace, th e unavoidable deadlines. T he view ers have b een w onderful to me. I g et a lot of mail, m o st of it posi tive, b u t th e re is th e o th e r side, too. P eo p le call th e station a b o u t m y hair,

. .. i t ’s m uch p r e ttie r ___ lohn. T he m en d o n ’t get this ty p e of criticism. Theirs te n d s to b e m ore co n stru ctiv e style of delivery o r c o n te n t issues. T h at is th e dow n side. T he up sid e is th a t in a m arket like Portland, th e new s anch o rs have a certain celebrity, especially w ith th e kids. T hey look to u s a s role m odels. Steve A dam son, o u r m ete o r ologist, visits th e sch o o ls all th e time. The kids love him. He gets incredible fan mail. Yes, a t tim es you h av e a lack

"look at this card: 'Please go back to your dark hair . . . it's much prettier . . . John.' The men don't get this type of criticism.

— Kim Block

MAY 1986

'Trank Fixaris has b een on th e Portland scene since 1956. In th e fall of 1959 he w a s g ra v e ly injured in a ca m p explosion , a disa ster w h ich cost th e life of one

of his b u d d ie s a n d se n t him to th e burn tre a tm e n t center a n d a y ea r of hospitalization . His person al spirit a n d th e su pport of his friends brou ght him through his recovery a n d back into th e business."

PORTLAND MONTHLY

of privacy, b u t m ostly th e recognition is w onderful. It m eans th ey ’re w atch ing. In an average half-hour new s show th e re are 13 m inutes of new s, 3 min u te s of w eather, 4 of sp orts, and the b a la n c e is com m ercial time. T h at’s not a lot of tim e to let th e viewers get to know you. And th e y w an t to feel com fortable with you.” Like M organ, Kim talks ab o u t the perso n al sacrifices in th e business.

injured in a cam p explosion, a d isa ste r w hich co st th e life of one of his bu d d ies an d se n t him to th e burn tre a tm e n t c e n te r and a year of hospitalization. His perso n al spirit a n d th e su p p o rt of friends brought him through his r e covery and back into th e business 1 Vi years later. W hen he becam e n ew s d irecto r a t WPOR, h e u sed his a u th o r ity to nam e him self spo rtscaster, a ro le he kept w hen he m ade th e final transi-

Both are single, independent w om en trying to juggle professional lives with p erso n al issues of relationships and families, w hile very m uch in th e public eye. W hile Kim, Bruce, Morgan, and Mar tin re p rese n t th e gentrification of local news, Frank Fixaris, sp o rtsc aster on 13, is th e tradition. He h as b een on th e P ortland scene since 1956, doing everything in radio: writing, producing, new s, and w eather. In th e fall of 1959 h e w as gravely

tion into television. Reminiscing w ith him is a history lesson in sports. “This b u sin ess h as b een and con tinues to be a joy. So m uch has changed. First, of course, th e re ’s video. 1 loved p lay -by-play a n n o u n c in g on radio. T here w as a certain magic in creating th e illusion of th e gam e. Then, w hen w e sta rte d filming, w e w ould shoot 1,000 feet of film, co m e back to the studio, review th e w hole thing, and only u se 150 feet. It w as painstaking

Views nfNorthern Ireland rarely seen in the media. 66 The processes"" developed here are saving us millions of dollars worldwide...99 E rn ie C h ilto n , G e n e ra l M anager, AVX C o rp o ra tio n , C o le ra in e.

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PORTLAND MONTHLY

work. Now, w ith video, th e w h o le p ro cess speed s up, an d as far as view ers are concerned, th e y can w a tc h th e game and see th e plays again an d again on replay. T he n ex t big chan g e was Title 9. T hat m ean s locally w e cover girls an d boys. It h as b e e n fabu lous to w atch th e yo ung w om en co m e along on ce th e y w ere given th e o p p o r tunity. “There have b een so m e rem arkable

p lay ed football. T he following year, th e y p lay ed in th e T angerine Bowl. “O ther highlights have to b e cover ing th e first M aine M ariner te a m w hen th e y b e a t th e R ussians an d televising th e se v e n th gam e of th e Calder Cup finals th e sam e year. It w as a thrill just to b e a p a rt of it. “O ur job is to co v er local sp o rts. It gives th e kids a lot of pride to see th em selv es on TV. Every now an d th en

ru c e G lasier, F rank’s c o u n te r p a rt a t C hannel 6, is o n e of th e few natives on th e air. He sp e n t tim e a s a sportsw riter, a public rela tions specialist, a night m anager at an ice arena, an d a hockey coach. He did a radio sp o rts show with Frank, w ho en co u ra g ed him to co n sid er going into th e business. W hen Don MacW illiams w as a b o u t to retire, B ruce applied. He finished seco n d , got th e w eekend spot,

m om ents, too. In 1964, th e University of Maine w en t to th e College W orld Series for th e first time. It w as th e big gest thing to h a p p e n in M aine sp o rts, and I co v ered it. M aine w as th e u n d e r dog—at th e national level, n o o n e ha d heard of us. T h ey w e n t all th e w ay to th e final th re e te a m s an d lo st in th e semi-finals. T he te a m th a t b e a t th em had Sal B ando an d a few o th e rs w ho w ent on th e p lay in th e m ajors. W hat w as even m o re exciting w as th a t so m e of th e y o u n g m en o n th e te a m also

a t th e local level y o u get to do a n ational event. Certainly th e Ali vs. Lis to n fight is o n e for th e re c o rd books. We got to know L iston b e c a u se his cam p arrived early a n d w orked o u t in P oland Springs. Clay’s cam p arrived later. In retro sp e ct, a high point w as interview ing H ow ard C osell in Steckino’s. W hen w e got to th e fight, it w as so brief th a t m o st p eo p le at ringside s p e n t th e ir tim e looking a t th e crow d to se e w ho h a d paid a h u n d re d b u ck s a p o p to get in.”

and so o n after b e c am e first string. His perso n al in te re st in sp o rts is genuine, b u t w h a t h e brings to th e ta b le is his unique sen se of hu m o r and v ery stro n g opinions. He is straig h t forw ard an d open. You are certain th a t w h a t yo u se e is w h a t you get a n d th a t n o m edia wizard is going to m ake him u p o r d re ss him differently. He tak e s a lot of pride in pro d u cin g his report, com bing th ro u g h v o lum es of ta p e s to edit highlights o r “B ruce’s B est.” Al th o u g h Frank still h a s th e highest

MAY 1986

PORTLAND MONTHLY

nam e recognition in th e sp o rts c a te gory, Bruce is head-to-head with him in th e ratings. T he cam araderie in the News Room a t 6 is a p p aren t during th e 4 p.m. prep meeting. W hen Joe Cupo e n te rs the room , Jan Fox, th e latest addition to th e team , says, “W atch o u t for th at m an, h e ’s a m o n ste r sadistic. He tea c h e s an a ero bics cla ss at th e Y ... If you ca n survive

a w eekly show , and m oved to Portland to take her first sh o t a t prime-time anchor. “It is a big m ove and an exciting opportunity. Jeff Marks, my new s di recto r, even found an ap artm en t for me, so w hen I a c c e p ted th e job I signed th e lease. It all h ap p en ed p re tty fast. D ecem ber 28, th e m oving truck cam e for my belongings; D ecem ber 2 9 ,1 did m y last show in B oston; and I show ed

an h o u r with Joe, you can survive anything.” The March 12 issue of “Sweet P otato” highlighted C upo’s and Steve Adam s o n ’s avocation, sitting in with the Inspectors, th e rock ’n rollers w ho won th e S troh’s com petition. Jan adds, “T he guys do n ’t let up.” T he r e p a r te ' is fast and funny, b u t it is obvious th a t this is a team , playing a te a m sp ort, with a h ead coach w ho is o u t to win. Jan left B oston, w here she produced

up for w ork in P o rtland on January 1.” Jan is full of surprises. “I b ecam e a te a c h e r 100 years ago b eca u se it w as th e prerequisite to mis sionary work. I w an t to go to Africa— th ere is a p a rt of m e th a t will alw ays be sorry I didn’t. Didn’t you have a dream w hen you w ere young? T here is tre m endous responsibility in w hat w e do. People tru st us. As rep o rte rs we are th ru st into situations in which p eo p le ’s lives are in turm oil. Their stories are com pelling. O ur job is to b e objective

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but sensitive. We h av e to d e ta c h o u r selves a t m o m en ts, b u t w e can n ev er appear callous o r self-interested. 1have a 16-year-old d au g h te r an d have b een a single p a re n t for a long time. T he world is n o t an e a sy p lace today. Som etim es, th e sto ries are to o close. O ther tim es, th e y a re enlightening, often entertaining. Functioning as a rep orter stim u lates grow th. I n ev er w ant to sto p learning. This o p p o rtu n ity is a cataly st to o th e r things. “I d o n ’t know how long I’ll b e in Portland. I’m co m m itted to it an d to my job. Time will tell, b u t so far, w e love it h ere. T he o th e r d ay it w as p o u r ing; I w as tired. I did th e 6 o ’clock, pro d u ced “On T h e Line,” an d th e n cam e back an d did th e 11. On th e w ay out, a m an o n th e street, a p erfect stranger, said, ‘Hey Fox, you look great.’ You kn o w it energized me. N ot ju st th e com plim ent, b u t th a t h e w as w atching. In this business, real app ro v al is w ho is w atching.” Jan, like a n u m b er of h e r asso ciates,

m an ag es to find so m e tim e for co m m unity involvem ent. She is working clo sely w ith Big B rothers/B ig Sisters to p ro d u c e a w eekly sp o t a b o u t children w aiting to be m atched. In th e m iddle of a b u sy p roduction schedule, sh e took a taxi, fighting a M arch rainstorm , to

m ake an a p p e a ra n c e a t th e Big B roth ers fund raiser. “I didn’t h av e m uch time. I w as dis ap pointed I co u ld n ’t sta y longer, b u t I w ant th em to know it’s n o t just glitz. I really do care.” As a single p arent, juggling family

"Richard Rose was a Fuller Brush man and — for eight years— an executive w ith a Wall Street securities firm before taking an 80percent pay cut and moving to Alliance, Nebraska to host a radio talk show . After two years a t a Pueblo, Colorado television station, he answered WCSH-TV's ad in a broadcasting trade journal."

MAY 1986

an d c a re e r is co n sta n t com prom ise. “Kris and I try to have dinner together several nights a week, even if it’s just an hour. She h as se ttle d into h er new sch o o l and is making friends. She did so m e m odeling in B oston, so sh e w ent to se e L aura B utterw orth w hen w e m oved here. L aura h a s taken Kris u n d e r h e r wing, an d sh e h as h ad sev eral m odeling jobs already. We have ad d e d a new m em ber to o u r family.

Kris h a s a d o p ted a tarantula. I d o n ’t sh a re h er enthusiasm , bu t o n ce a w eek w e drive to a p lac e called th e Blue W hale to b u y vittles. Kris and I are a team . W hen w e arrived in Portland, th e sta tio n se n t m e flowers, b u t th ey had a special gift for Kris, too. 1 w as deeply to u c h e d w hen th e y th an k ed h er for supporting m e in o u r m ove.” Richard Rose, h er co-anchor, is a y o u n g m an w ho also tried a n u m b er of things before finding his direction. Born

PORTLAND MONTHLY

in Brooklyn, one of nine children, he w orked in a local g ro cery store, w as a Fuller B rush m an, and th en sp en t eight y ears on Wall Street with a securities firm. T he pull to w ard s m edia w as probably inherited from his dad, an Off-Broadway a cto r during th e 1950s. “I knew I w as going to have to pay a price to m ake a c a re e r change. I took an 80-percent salary c u t an d m oved to Alliance, N ebraska to h o st a radio talk

show . 1 knew th a t if I could break into radio, I had a sh o t a t television after I se a so n e d a bit. We p ro d u ced historical docu m en taries recreating th e Scopes M onkey Trial an d th e Pilgrims’ arrival at Plym outh Rock.” After 2/2 y ears in N ebraska, first in radio and later as new s re p o rte r for th e local television station, he m oved to Pueblo, C olorado. Two years later he answ ered an advertisem ent in a b road casting tra d e journal and landed his p re se n t a n ch o r sp o t at WCSH-TV. His

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wife, S hana Rose, w as a top-ranked radio disc jockey in C olorado and is working part-tim e here for FM-103. “This is th e b est job I have ever had. I signed a three-year co n tract, have lots of input, th e organization h a s ex ten sive reso u rces, and th ey back us up 100 p ercent. I recently had th e op p o r tu n ity to do a 7-part, 26-m inute series o n th e w aterfront. As a new com er to P ortland, I cam e here last su m m er— I

d id n ’t know th a t m uch a b o u t th e poli tics o r history of th e area. As a re p o r ter, it w as fascinating to learn the in terp lay of th e developers, th e fish erm en, and th e w harf ow ners. As a p roducer, it w as a luxury to have the statio n dev o te th e tim e and m oney to p ro d u c e su ch in-depth coverage. But th a t is th e kind of organization w e have becom e. P ortland is a city w here indi viduals have a m ajor im pact on the grow th and future of th e com m unity. “R eporters usually are able to keep

a professional distan ce from the sto ries w e report. T he Shuttle w as differ ent. For th e first tim e in m y career, I felt w hat it w as like to rep o rt a tragedy. I never m et Christa McAuliffe. I never interview ed h er o r covered any part of h e r saga. But I w atch ed for m onths as th e station rep o rted h e r progress, and I w as glued to th e se t w hen Challenger to o k off. I saw it blow up ju st like the re st of th e world, and I w as devastated. For me, sh e w as a sym bol, and her loss w as extrem ely personal. It was very difficult to an ch o r th e new s th a t night, an d I still feel it in th e pit of m y stom ach with each new developm ent.” T h e re a re tim e s w h e n a major national sto ry o r event hits hom e or, as it has tw ice in th e last year, to o close to hom e. We w atch ed with pride when John D ougherty e sc o rte d Samantha Smith to th e Soviet Union. John is the kind of re p o rte r w e feel w e know. His quiet, relaxed style is com fortable and professional. Born in Portland, he lives with his family on Littlejohn Island, and enjoys a view th a t W inslow Homer m ight have painted. He’s a familiar fig u re w ho view ers have com e to trust, p erh a p s even feel close to. So when we h e ard th e new s th a t fateful morning— an d w e h eard it from John—w e didn’t know w hich em otion w as stronger: the pain of o u r loss, o r o u r co n cern for the m an w ho had to tell us. “I w as at hom e w hen th e phone rang aro u n d midnight. It w as Jeff, asking me to co m e b ack to th e station. We knew th e re h a d b ee n a p lan e crash, but we d id n ’t know w ho w as on it. We sent a te am up to A uburn to investigate the crash sight. U nexpectedly, Sam antha’s g ran d m o th er called Jeff Marks and asked him n o t to go off the air; her gran d d au g h ter w as on th e plane, and sh e w an ted to know w hat w as going on. T h a t’s how w e found out. I came in aro u n d 1 a.m. N obody said much. I w ent through th e files and p u t together th e background m aterial. We worked right through th e night. It w as all so m echanical. I w asn ’t dealing with my feelings. T here w as a job to do. At 6:30 a.m., Clif R eynolds w en t on th e air with th e early m orning new s. He did the lead-in and th e n tu rn ed it over to me. W hen I spoke, I could feel m y voice cracking, b u t I felt in control. When I w as finished, Clif looked a t m e and

COMPLETE BATHROOM ACCESSORIES asked m e how I w as. T h a t’s w h en I fell apart. There w as n o w ay I w as going to rem ain d e ta c h e d from th e story. Jeff and I talked, an d w e d ecid ed th a t I would go up to b e w ith th e family. I pu t together biographical pieces an d p ar ticipated in th e funeral, b u t 1 never covered any p art of th e tragedy. “My feelings are so com plex. Sam an th a’s en to u rag e w as given th e royal treatm ent b y th e Soviets. It w as th e personal and professional thrill of a lifetime. T here I w as, in Red Square, where I had w atch ed Cronkite and Brokaw only rarely, a n d w e w ere cov ering Sam an d being co v ered b y th e International Press. It w as a m ajor kick. And Sam antha. She w as a w arm , loving child. I w as privileged in so m any ways. But I miss her.” It is Jo h n ’s vulnerability an d approachability th a t m akes him an ex cel lent choice to in tro d u ce M aine to live, on-location telecasts. We enjoy seeing him out an d a b o u t in P o rtlan d in th e 6-Alive van. On th e o th e r h an d , th a t is the sam e re a so n w hy a lot of p eo p le miss him at th e prim e-tim e anchor. his industry is filled with m en and w om en w ho c o m e to it from diverse backgrounds. Some, like John D ougherty, B ruce Glasier, an d Frank Fixaris, are ro o te d h ere in M aine and ch o o se to stay. O thers, like so m any w e have w atch ed o v er th e years, will m ove on to th e bigger m ark ets an d perhaps national statu re. W hile th ey are here, th e y sacrifice p erso n al lives to fulfill their com m itm ent to o u r co m munity. T h ese a re v ery real, caring people. The hom ogenization of th e news media disguises their unique inner qualities. To this writer, it is d isappoint ing that th ere is little c h a n c e to get to know them .

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J i m T h o r n e , P a t V ilv e n , H . B u d S in g e r, D ia n e S h e v e n e ll, B a rn e y B u r r a ll S e a te d : S u e L a m b , J a n ic e D r i n a n , C h r i s Ja c k s o n

Movers and Shakers is a column dedi cated to those individuals who have the drive and energy to make things happen in this town. Whether in a corporate setting, a studio, or out in the trenches, each month we will salute unique people or groups who come to our attention. Let me hear from you. Until next month. Marcia Feller.

A T r a d i t i o n o f E x c e lle n c e i n R e a l E s ta te B r o k e r a g e f o r M o r e T h a n 3 0 Y ears.

M A IN E M U L T I P L E L IS T IN O

O n e U n i o n W h a r f , P o r t la n d ( 2 0 7 ) 7 7 3 -0 2 6 2

MAY 1986

MICROBREWERY The Toast Of Portland 26

PORTLAND MONTHLY

BY DEREK NELSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN SINCLAIR

a t a slice of w hite b re a d from a su p erm ark et. T hen try a p iece of whole w heat fresh from th e n e a re st bakery. Or listen to th e so u n d tra c k a t a shopping mall. T hen go to a concert. Hugh Nazor an d Jon Bove of M aine Coast Brewing C om pany are offering Portland b e e r drinkers th e c h a n c e to make a liquid version of this com pari son. On o n e h a n d yo u h av e y o u r s ta n dard A m erican d o m estic beer: weak, pale, fizzy, serv ed to o cold, brew ed in part with non-barley grains, an d m ar keted with a billion d o llars of advertis ing aim ed at convincing y ou th a t y ou actually prefer it. On th e o th e r h a n d y o u h av e P o rtlan d Lager: all malt, w ell-hopped, full-bodied w ithout being heavy. Its a m b e r co lo r delights th e eye; its flavor a n d after taste are gifts to th e palate. P ortland Lager w as lau n ch ed in early March w ith a cerem onial delivery to Peaks Island an d a b ib u lo u s b a sh a t DiMillo’s. T hose lucky en o u g h to get a sam ple ta ste d w h at th e b rew ers d e scribe as M aine’s “first traditional b e e r” since 1873, th e y e a r w h en th e s ta te ’s last brew ery clo se d dow n. T hey h o p e to bring b ack a t le a st tw o o th e r preProhibition sty les of b e e r a s well, a sto u t an d an ale. For b o re d b u t d iscern ing b e e r drinkers, M aine C o ast’s p lan s are cau se for c e le b ra tio n ... w ith a m ug of Portland Lager, n e e d le ss to say. Bove an d his wife, Lynn M organ, began form al plan n in g for a local brew eryin 1983,joined b y N a z o ra n d h is wife, Linda Murnik, a y e a r later. T h ey w ere u nable to raise th e e stim a te d $1.5 mil lion n eed ed to build a new brew ery; th at isn’t surprising, since sm all, inde p enden t brew eries h av e b e e n drying u p steadily since Prohibition. For starters, then, P o rtlan d L ager is b rew ed u n d e r co n tract by Hibernia Brewing C om pany of Eau Clair, W isconsin. H ibernia also m akes som e interesting se a so n a l beers, including an a u th en tic b o ck an d a dark w heat beer. T he c o n tra c t brew ing ar rangem ent isn’t unusual. New A m ster d a m of N ew Y ork C ity, a w id e ly acclaim ed new beer, h a s b e e n brew ed

at th e F.X. M att brew ery in Utica, New York. If P o rtland Lager su cceed s, Maine C oast h o p e s to s ta rt building a brew ery of its ow n this year. If th e y do, th e y ’ll join w h at is now called th e “m icrobrew ery m o v e m e n t” in America. T h ese new b rew ers a re convinced th a t th e re is a growing b an d of A m erican b e e r drinkers w ho reject th e u se of additives, sp e e d c o n sc io u s brew ing te c h n iq u e s, an d n on-barley ingredients now p revalent in th e industry. For ev ery group of lightb e e r fans, th e y figure, th e re m u st b e o th e rs w ho w an t a richer, fuller flavor. P eo p le like m e, in fact. I’d ra th e r drink tw o g o o d b e e rs an d four g lasses of w a te r an d th a n a six-pack of o u r socalled “national b ran d s.” T h e re are b e tw e e n 10 an d 15 m icro b rew eries active now, an d a t le a st a d o zen o n th e draw ing boards. C hesa p eak e Bay Brewing Com pany, w hich in tro d u c ed C hesbay A m ber b e e r in 1984, o p e ra te s a consulting service for m icrobrew ers. T hey rep o rt c o n tac t with p ro sp ectiv e b rew ers in N orth Carolina, New Jersey, W isconsin, an d Vermont. T he original m icrobrew eries w ere c o n c e n tra te d o u t W est; since then, th e m iddle of th e co u n try h a s co m e on strong, w ith active brew eries in Iowa, Texas, Michigan, an d W isconsin. “S om ething am azing is happening h e re ,” say s Fritz M aytag, o w ner of San F ran cisco’s legendary A nchor Steam brew ery, “an A m erican culinary renais sa n c e .” Ironic th a t M aine C oast can reach b ack a c e n tu ry a n d co m e up w ith so m e thing m o dem , eh? It all so u n d s v ery prom ising, b u t m icrobrew ers like M aine C oast are bucking so m e om inous trends. T he dem ise of th e ind ep en d en t A m erican b rew er is as w ell-docum ented as it is d epressing. Before W orld W ar I th e re w ere 1,250 su c h brew eries. Prohibition d e c im a ted th eir ranks, leaving 750 in 1935. By 1950, th a t num ber had dwindled to 250, y e t even th e n W isconsin and P ennsylvania e a c h b o a ste d m ore brew ing co m panies th a n exist in th e entire c o u n try today.

“Portland Lager’s m arket plan was modest enough: one tenth o f one percent o f the lo ca l m arket, about 6,000 cases a month. They sold 15,000 in the first m o n th ”

MAY 1986

“Portland Lager offers a valuable alternative, a sort o f delicious liferaft.”

PORTLAND MONTHLY

Oh, th e re are p len ty of bright labels an d familiar nam es, yet this m um bojum bo illusion of variety, co upled with a dozen ritual adjectives on th e labels, d o e s n ’t alter th e ta ste of th e contents. O ur ta s te buds are th e casualties. A m erican b e e r a d s are aggressive a n d expensive, b u t o u r brew s are em barrassingly timid. On television, m us c u la r a th le te s and h earty sp o rtsm en foist off th e w o rld ’s w im piest b e e r on paralyzed co n su m ers w ho seem only to d e m a n d th a t their b e e r is cold and plentiful. P o rtland Lager offers a valuable

alternative, a so rt of delicious liferaft. T he niche is there. Beer rem ains a gigantic m arket. It is th e fourth favorite drink of A m ericans (b ehind milk, soft drinks, and coffee). We drink a billion gallons a year, y et m ost b ee r drinkers h av en ’t th e foggiest notion w here it com es from o r how it is m ade. Half of all A m ericans drink an occasional brew; 14 of every 100 drink at least one a day. P ortland Lager’s m arket plan w as m o d est enough: o n e-ten th of one p e r cent of th e local m arket, a b o u t 6,000 c a se s a m onth. T hey sold 15,000 in th e first m onth. T he targ et of m ajor brew ers, Nazor points out, is th e co n su m er w ho seem s to w ant a b lan d pro d u ct. T hat b e e r is m ass-m arketed on a high-volume, low-

cost basis. M icrobrew ers rev erse this approach. Many h o p e to a ttra c t b e e r drinkers who like im p o rted b eers, a rapidly growing seg m en t of th e m arket. Al though th ey a c c o u n te d for ju st 4 p e r cent of th e to tal b e e r sales in ’83, im ports w ere u p 15 p e rc e n t in ’84 a n d 10 percent last year. New b ra n d s ap p eared alm ost w eekly in so m e stores. “We a re n ’t after im port drinkers,” Nazor says, alth o u g h h e ex p ects th e y ’ll attract a few. “We a re n ’t going to get m any light b e e r drinkers, either. W e’re targeting th e p eo p le w ho tried A nchor Steam last y ear an d liked it,” he says. “We get a very positive re sp o n se from people w ho say, ‘I’m n o t a b e e r drinker, but ’ T hat w as a p le a sa n t surprise. “We h o p e th e re will b e so m e local loyalty,” he adds, “p eo p le w ho will b uy our beer at least half th e tim e.” P ortlan d Lager is priced a little below th e least expensive g o o d im port, a c a teg o ry th a t does n o t include H eineken, a v astly over-rated b e e r th a t I’v e alw ays found to be bitter, thin, an d cheap-tasting. Foreign b e e rs a t le a st offer g rounds for com parison. Unlike th eir A m erican cousins, th e y offer a rew arding ran g e of rich, dark sto u ts, w onderful ly b itter and tasty ales, an d m outh-w atering pilseners. It is no surp rise th a t A m erican b eers pale in com parison: O ur brew ers u se only half th e barley, op tin g for th e less flavorful c o m o r rice, a n d only a b o u t one-quarter th e am o u n t of hops. P ortland L ager u se s only b arley m alt (actually, a blen d of five m alts), an d is brew ed w ith a d o u b le-h o p p in g p ro c e ss th at will let th e b e e r drinker ta s te w h a t beer is su p p o se d to b e like. Or, a t least, w hat it w o u ld h av e ta s te d like given m odern m eth o d s o r quality control and b etter ingredients. They sh o u ld h av e an edge over imports, furtherm ore, b e c a u se b e e r doesn’t travel very well. M any im ports are dam aged a n d stale. A Norwegian filter salesm an o n c e to ld m e th a t h e found som e Ringnes ( a b e e r from Nor way) in W ashington, D.C. th a t w as 15 m onths old. The liquor sto re m anager shrugged w hen h e w as informed. G ranted th a t m any of th e s e foreign styles (a n d P ortlan d Lager as well, for th at m a tte r) m ay surp rise an d confuse American p alates. “B efore British b e e r can be enjoyed, experience is required,” writes beer critic M ichael Jackson, “b u t the sam e could b e said of sex.” Fortunately, w e d o n ’t n eed experts, reference books, o r television ad s to tell us w hat w e like. W e’re all eq uipped

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with a built-in expert: o u r tongues. With a b it of e x p o su re an d experience, it tells u s all w e n e ed to know. P e rh a p s Hugh N azor’s father can serv e as an inspiration. A confirm ed drinker of low -priced b eers, an d no p a r ticu lar fan of p o p u lar im ports, his son n e v e rth e le ss gave him am ple o p p o r tu n ity to try P ortland Lager. “He didn’t like it for a co u p le of c a ses,” Nazor recalls, alth o u g h h e gets high m arks for p e rsiste n c e, “a n d now h e w o n ’t drink anything else.” Give P o rtlan d Lager a chan ce. Give

it six c h an ces, o r tw o dozen, for th at m atter. Believe m e—it is a p le a sa n t education.

D erek N e ls o n is chief justice of Virginia’s

Supreme Court of Suds, a private beertasting group th at has sam pled m ore than 130 im ported and 25 dom estic beers. He is one of th e few professional journalists in America w ho has been paid to drink beer on several occasions.

■ MAY 1986

THE WATERFRONT

BOUTIQUES & OTHER STRANGERS BY JOHN TAYLOR ILLUSTRATION BY LOIS LEONARD

bu can se e th em in Fort Allen Park at all h o u rs of th e day, staring so u th dow n th e m ain ship c h a n nel tow ard th e o p en se a beyond. Except for the pizza nuts, p reo ccu p ied with their pepperoni, th e y a p p e a r to be transfixed b y th e scen e. On occasio n an ocean-going v essel p a sse s by, b u t m ost of the tim e th e o u te r harb o r is still and em pty a p a rt from a few sm all craft. During su m m er to u rists arrive by th e b usload to gape a t th e sailb o ats an d wave at th e Scotia Prince. But o n c e th e season ends, w ater-gazing re su m e s and it co n tin u es w ell into th e c o ld e st m onths. No reg u lar co u ld imagine ever tiring of th a t view. T he c o n tra st w ith life in Santa Fe is striking. D espite th e m ag nificence of th e scen ery , th e re is no park in tow n w h ere th e locals g ath er daily to survey th e surrounding m o u n tains. It se e m s th a t o n ly sa ltw a te r h a s the pow er to m esm erise.

R apt c o n tem p latio n of th e d e ep is by n o m e a n s a local aberration. M ore th a n a h u n d re d y ea rs ago H erm an Melville n o ted th e sam e tendency in New Yorkers an d d e sc rib e d it on page o n e of M o b y D ick: “C ircum am bulate th e city of a d ream y S abbath afternoon. Go from C orlears Hook to C oenties Slip, and from th en ce, by W hitehall, northw ard. W hat d o you see? — P o ste d like silent se n tin e ls all aro u n d th e tow n, stan d th o u sa n d s u p o n th o u sa n d s of m ortal m en fixed in o c e a n reveries. Som e lean ing again st th e spiles; so m e se a te d u p o n th e pier-heads; so m e looking over th e b u lw arks of ships from China; som e high aloft in th e rigging, as if striving to get a still b e tte r seaw ard p e ep . . . ” 1 m en tion th e se w ater-gazers a p ro p o s of an a n o n y m o u s p o s te r th a t re c e n tly ap p e a re d in th e Old Port. “D on’t,” it enjoins us, “tak e th e p o rt o u t of P o rtlan d .” (N or sh o u ld we, it w ould MAY 1986

se e m to follow, take th e b a n g o u t of B angor, assum ing th ey decide to p u t o n e in.) I find th e p o ste r sym pathetic a n d will give it su p p o rt if m y alternative p ro p o sal fails of adoption. Until it does, I shall c o n tin u e to p ro p ag a te th e view th a t w e co u ld m ake th e m o st of Port land h arb o r by zoning th e entire w ater front for th e exclusive u se of w atergazers. Everything else w ould have to go— ships, b o a ts, condos, m arinas, re s ta u ra n ts, everything. Picture th e sp e c ta c le th a t w ould result: “th o u sa n d s u p o n th o u sa n d s of m ortal” P ortlanders thronging th e h a rb o r “fixed in o cean reveries.” It w ould see m th e ultim ate in m ass therapy, as benign and d ep e n d a b le as low tech , an d com p letely free of charge. But 1am to ld this is to o m uch to h o p e for, th a t w e will have to se ttle for som ething m ore advanced. I m ight feel easier a b o u t leaving th e p o rt in P ortland o r refraining from tak ing it o u t if this slogan w ere less am big uous. Do o u r sloganeers distinguish b etw een a h a rb o r and a p o rt? T he dif ference, after all, c o u n ts for a good deal. You c a n n o t h av e m uch of a p o rt with o u t a harbor, b u t you can have a lovely h a rb o r w ith no p o rt at all. T he question, therefore, is how m uch of a p o rt do you w ant, an d above all, w hat ch a ra cter w ould you have it assum e? ft is o n e of th e sa d peculiarities of A m erican cultu re th a t even though th e e a ste rn sea b o a rd is well endow ed with good n atu ral harbors, w e have never m ad e th em th e organizing principle in th e design of o u r p o rt cities. W hereas

PORTLAND MONTHLY

M editerranean tow ns overlook th e ir h arb o rs in recognition th a t th e se a is th e so u rce of all th a t is m o st vital t o them , A m erican p o rt cities have alw ay s faced th e o th e r w ay a s if to den y th e re a lity o r im p o rta n c e of m a ritim e doings. M anhattan, for exam ple, is s h u t in on itself to su c h a degree th a t y o u have n ec essary to travel all th e w a y dow n to th e B attery to discover a n y se n se a t all of being in a p o rt city, o r t o se e for yourself th a t th e p o rt ow es its origins to o n e of th e great natu ral h a r b o rs of th e w orld. It is routine an d a lso m istaken to lam ent th a t N ature is ex cluded from every co rn e r of M anhat tan. W hat is in fact alto g eth er lacking is th e le ast flavor of th e m aritim e. T his sam e h arb o rphobia can b e seen in m iniature ju st dow n th e c o a st in Rockport. Though now adays a retirem en t village, R ockport w as o n ce a b u s y industrial port. The m ore im posing h o u se s to b e seen th ere dating from th a t bustling era hold tru e to A m erican form by facing aw ay from th e harbor. P erhaps it is o u r collective inexpe rience, resulting from o u r p a st disincli nation to in tegrate h a rb o r and p ort, th a t a c c o u n ts for th e kind of redevel op m en t now on display in cities up and dow n th e coast. T hough b lessed with an opportunity, w e find ourselves with ou t p re c e d e n ts ju st w hen w e n eed th em m ost. An app aren tly perm an en t decline in m erch an t m arine activity has m ade room for a radical increase in the nu m b ers of p le asu re boats, m arinas, re sta u ra n ts, and th e like along w ate r

fronts th at o n ce w ere industrial. P redict ably this new found p assio n for sa lt w ater has led to th e d iscovery of th e harbor. W hat to d o n ex t rem ains, as we all know, v ery m u ch in dispute, at least in th o se h a rb o rs w h ere th e futu re is still to be decided. If o u r slo g an eers h e re in Portland are anxious, th e y h av e reaso n to be. A nyone w ho c a re s to u p peri scope for a look aro u n d will s e e m uch th at can only b e te rm e d disquieting. The Row se com plex, for exam ple, in Baltim ore h a rb o r typifies th e c u rre n t style in redevelopm ent. B oston, w hich should have know n b e tte r, c h o se in stead to follow su it w ith th e re su lt th a t the ren o v ated w h arv es along A tlantic Avenue to g e th e r w ith th e m u ch to u te d Haym arket-Faneuil Hall district exhibit the now familiar Row sian look. Each of th e s e e x e rc is e s in r e d e v e lo p m e n t sought to fill a void left beh in d b y a seagoing cu ltu re th a t h a d largely dis appeared. T he d ev elo p ers h a d a ch a n c e to do som eth in g fresh an d arresting, som ething ap p ro p riate to a w aterfront and a m aritim e heritage. W hat th ey have given u s in stead in e a c h in stan ce is one v a st boutiq u e, subdivided into sep arate sto refro n ts for th e sak e of a nominal variety, b u t o therw ise uniform throughout. T h ere m ay b e nothing w rong w ith th is b o u tiq u e h ere, o r th a t one over th ere, an d for all 1 know th e goods th e y sell a re th e b e st y o u can buy. Q uestions of quality are seld o m a t issue. T he m isfortune, rath er, is th a t the typical b o u tiq u e te n d s to b e less a com m ercial en terp rise th a n a tro u b led

s ta te of m ind o r cu ltu ral gesture. Con se q u e n tly , w h en jam m ed to g e th e r c h e e k by jowl in large co n cen tratio n s, b o u tiq u e s lo se th eir individual identi ties an d to g e th e r g en erate an atm o s p h e re th a t is a t o n ce precious, arty, self-conscious, an d abo v e all ersatz. It d o e s seem a paradox. T he goods on sa le in b o u tiq u eto w n are real, sure enough, y e t th e prevailing am biance su g g ests intentional phoniness. T he a sc e n d a n c y of th e bo u tiq u e in c o n te m p o ra ry A m erica p ro m p ts a len g th y dissertation, b u t let m e forbear. It is e n o u g h h e re to n o te th a t th e b o u tiq u e h a s b een allow ed to se t th e to n e in so m e of o u r m o st e a rn e st efforts to in teg rate h arb o r a n d port. T he resu lts in B altim ore an d B o sto n are o p e n for inspection, an d if th e bo u tiq u e takes o v er in P o rtlan d , n o o n e will b e ab le to say h e h a d no idea w h at w as coming. T he m o st urg en t task, so it seem s to me, is to arrive a t a definition of th e term w o rkin g w a te rfro n t th a t m o st re a so n a b le p e o p le can a ccep t. W hat in P o rt land d o es, o r should, co n stitu te th e port? For m y p a rt I favor a w orking w aterfront, provided so m eb o d y else d o e s th e work. I am ful ly o ccu p ied up in Fort A llen Park, gazing o u t to sea. ■

John Taylor lives on the Eastern Prom e nade. His publication credits include The Village Voice, The Nation, The American Scholeir, and Columbia Journalism Review.

MAY 1986

C O M M E R C IA L REAL ESTATE

ONE CITY CENTER: THE VIEW BY RICHARD BENNETT £ £

“ One new One C ity Center tenant is B ill Seretta, p ro p rie to r o f Camp Ham m ond in Yarmouth, who plans to bring m esquite cuisine to the b uildin g w ith the opening o f C h u rch ill’s Grill. 34

PORTLAND MONTHLY

T t ’s

an arch itectu ral failure”— I “Ju st th e kind of speculative X developm ent w e have to be w ary of in P o rtlan d ”— “It will never get p a st groundbreaking”— “T hey should have p u t a park th e re ”— “The sp a ce is w ay to o e x p e n siv e”— “N ot e n o u g h parking”— “It ruins m y view of the w aterfront”— “It’s been a safety hazard th ro u g h o u t c o n s tru c tio n ”— “ It will never be com pleted”— “There’s already a glut of sp ace on th e m arket.” I’ve h eard seem ingly sc o res of com p la in ts an d v e ry few co m p lim e n ts a b o u t M o n u m e n t S q u a re ’s n e w e st m onum ent, b u t th e final millions of the $20-25 million th a t is O ne City C enter are p re sen tly being ex p en d ed and the building is a reality. The G olden Trian gle h as been excavated into oblivion. T he g reatest question on m ost p eo p le’s m inds is: “Can M acBride-Dunham su ccessfully m arket all 200,000 square feet of th e 13-story stru c tu re ?” As of this writing O ne City C enter office sp ace is 50-percent leased, and m arket e rs Molly W ebster and John Wise say th a t leasing is right on th e ta rg e t fig u re s se t by B urton S. Fisher, of the Fisher Group, Troy, N.Y., th e building’s owner. And W ebster and Wise seem genu inely calm , even happy, ab o u t th e rate of leasing. “Since peo p le have seen the building, w e’ve had lots of calls,” says Wise. “T he Omni C enter in Portsm outh h a s b een op en for a year and a half with only 40-percent occupancy. In New England, th e p eo p le like to touch, sm ell, and feel it. Their w hole outlook c h an g es w hen th e y se e it.” And W eb

ste r adds, “T enants had sat back and said, ‘How is this going to shake o u t?’ The te n a n ts are in th e driver’s seat.” T hey say th a t prices are “very com petitive” with o th er Class-A office build ings intown. W ebster, who is in charge of finding o c cu p an ts for th e office sp ac e on the 10 to p floors, claim s th at th e negotiated prices p er sq u are foot are “at o r below ” w hat th e Liberty G roup is asking at th e Twin Towers on Middle Street, or at P ortland Square. She w o n ’t give a price range, however, saying th a t th e re is su b stan tial varia tion w ith each lease b e c a u se of indi vidual need s and desires. W hat d o es O ne City C enter offer te n a n ts p articularly a n d the city of P ortland generally? Leigh McFarlin, th e building m anager, gave m e a to u r before th e opening so I could find out. In short, I discovered b e n eath the saw dust, fresh paint, plastic sheets, and rolled carpeting a new expression of P ortland ab o u t to unfold. If you are fortunate enough to first stum ble into One City C enter on the low est floor—the Cafe Pavilion—you will be im m ediately confronted with th e h ea rt of th e building’s interior attractiveness. Directly ahead is the atrium , fashioned from the building’s hollow core, with marble-tiled colum ns and floor, and a “lot of p la n ts” to soften th e atm osphere. E scalators rise and d e sc e n d on either side of a glass elevator which traverses the internal spine of O ne City Center. In front of the elevator, carved into th e tiled floor, is a sm all reflecting pool com plete with gushing fountains.

“A lso on this leve l is the ‘g lass croissant, a semi circle o f fo u r 700-squarefo o t spots w ith clear glass walls. One o f these spaces is claim ed b y Cy A d le r and Scott Richardson fo r a tea roo m /lo u ng e called Cafe R igoletto. ” ’

PORTLAND MONTHLY

T he com m ercial attractio n to the ground floor is th e pan o p ly of p ala ta ble p leasu res which should, beginning in April, b e available there. Of th e four prim ary spaces, one of tw o with th e m o st window-front is already leased. Bill Seretta, proprietor of Camp Ham m ond in Yarm outh, is bringing m esq u ite cu isine to P o rtla n d w ith th e opening of Churchill’s Grill. To th e left of the atrium is a food co u rt featuring 12 sm all, individualized sp a c e s behind a continuous, sem i circular light oak c o u n te r for a diverse collection of specialties. This area, like th e co n cessionary sp ace at the Maine Mall, will b e “high energy” with neon signs and com m ercial density and will in c lu d e W illy’s G o u rm et H otdogs (a n o th e r contribution from Seretta), th e A ugust M oon (C hinese cuisine), th e P ortland Pizza Pie Factory, Emack & Bolio’s Ice Cream Store (o w n ed by Ken M cK ellar), Food C ourt Sand w iches, and possibly a bakery, candy store, and soup and salad spot. General seatin g will b e available for 100 to 125 within th e crescent. M cFarlin says th at sh e intends to u se th e atrium as a prom otional area for flower, art, and fashion show s as well as live entertainm ent. The colum ns are electrified to handle th e need s of electronic so u n d system s. Vertically, th e se c o n d and third floors will rem ain o p e n for th e sights, sounds, and sm ells of th e atrium ; th e fourth and fifth floor are en c lo se d by a glass wall around th e building’s center. On th e se c o n d level is th e main

e n tra n c e for th e offices above. Leasing h e re for th e over 20,000 feet of retail sp ace is going fairly sm oothly, accord ing to John Wise. Two of the eight larger sp aces available have already b een claim ed by N orstar Bank and E x p ressio n s, a c a rd a n d gift shop ow ned by Richard Durand; three more are being negotiated. P arrots Shoes, a Philadelphia-based retailer that sells fashion sh o es and clothing in New York and Boston, is setting up shop here, as is A nthony Discatio, son of Joe Discatio of Jo e ’s Smoke Shop on Con gress Street, w ho will be leasing a sm all sp ac e here for City Center News. Traffic to the offices above will be m onitored on th e second floor from a pulse c en te r m anaged by Suburban Security of W indham , w ho will provide state-of-the-art secu rity and energy m anagem ent services. The retail space here can b e custom -m ade with the m ovable w alls for optim um design choices. Also on this level is a loading platform and freight elevator at a back door on Federal Street. W ise calls the third level a “tough floor” to m arket. A round the perim eter are 11 sm aller retail spaces, ranging in from a p p ro x im ately 1,000 to 1,800 sq u are feet. He h as sp a ce targeted for d e stin a tio n shopping, sto re s which d e p e n d on purposeful custom ers— su ch as flower vendors, beau ty shops, and laundries—rath e r th an on whim sical window shoppers. The only signed te n a n t presently in any of th ese spots is th e Perfect Touch, a hair salon. Also on this level, surrounding th e half-wall

"It is clear th at U nionm utual spared little expense in m aking the space home. Colin H am pton’s p riva te office is m arked b y a personal conference room and the m ost spectacular cityscape o f P ortland th a t I have ever witnessed. ”

PORTLAND MONTHLY

overlooking th e atrium is th e “glass cro issant,” a sem i-circle of four 700square-foot sp ots with clear glass walls. O ne of th e se sp a c e s is claim ed by Cy A lder an d Scott R ichardson for a te a ro o m /lo u n g e called Cafe Rigoletto. The m ost significant single sp a c e on th e third floor, how ever, is th e 5,000 sq u are feet reserved for a “w hite table c lo th ,” e le g a n t r e s ta u r a n t w ith a cap acity of 300. The te n a n t w ould also have th e option of seating o u td o o rs on th e te rra c e overlooking M onum ent Square. A lthough no te n a n t h a s yet signed, Wise h as a t least one very in te re ste d P o rtla n d re s ta u ra te u r in consideration. At th e tim e of m y visit to O ne City C enter, no m ajor office te n a n t had yet m o v e d in, a lth o u g h th e c u s to m designed, custom -built interiors for the U nionm utual and N orstar Bank floors w e re u n fo ld in g b eau tifu lly . Unionm u tu a l’s to p executive co rps of 150 began inhabiting th e to p th ree floors of th e building in early April, and it is clear th a t th e com p an y “sp ared little ex p e n se ,” as McFarlin says, in making the sp a c e hom e. Colin H am pton’s private office is m arked by a personal confer en c e room and th e m o st sp ectacu lar city scape of P ortland th a t I have ever w itnessed. B eginning in m id-M arch N o rstar B ank’s executive offices w ere o cc u pied and operational.' Also custom built and custom -designed, N orstar’s sp a c e b o a sts flat m arble entryw ays, English carpeting, and trem endously pleasing wallcovering. The com pany’s

boardroom with th re e b rass ch an d e liers and exquisite w oodw ork looks ou t over th e Portland w aterfront. O ccupancy d ates on the o ther leased office sp a ce are n o t generally known, although G reat N orthern P aper Com pany’s executive space should becom e occupied early this sum m er. Smaller te n a n ts will be m oving in on individual schedules. T h e o b v io u s c o m p a riso n of th e building—w ith its resp len d en t activity, recreational shopping potential, and its stylish blend of office and retail—is with Copley Plaza in Boston. A nticipat ing my thought, McFarlin says, “It h as a clean line, quiet elegance, very subtle. I d o n ’t think it’s overpow ering. W hat I love ab o u t this building is th a t it’s inti m ate. Everything is right in front of you, not like Copley Plaza. This surprises people.” W hen looking at this building and all of th e capable w orkm anship which has gone into it, I find it difficult to imagine th a t it will n o t successful. But the se c re t to th e building will be in the im age it projects into th e city, an image of b o th familiarity and novelty. Despite th e com plainers and th e pessim istic p ro g n o sticato rs and its doubtful b e ginnings, th e building is creating its ow n ch aracter, a c h a rac ter w hich will so o n be unveiled to a curious public. For m y part, 1 h o p e th a t it d o es su c ceed, th a t it d o es truly beco m e a City Center. Welcome to Portland, One City Center.

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POLITICS

No! Theatre Starring Alva Morrison t is 1 a.m., an d Alva M orrison is flat. W ith th e anti-nuke rally o v er an d m uch of his charism a sa p p e d away, Alva, ‘th e next Ed M uskie,’ is slugging dow n large gulps of P oland Spring w ater in a consp icu o u sly h eld q u a rt b o ttle — sh o u ld n ’t it b e Sebago? I am tem p ted to ask— an d answ er ing m y q u e stio n s with all th e flam boyance of a P entagon official. Half redneck, half yuppie. Rough, b u t stylish, m o re cuisine b ru te th a n nouvelle cuisine, ow ner of a large an d valu ab le tra c t of Maine w oods and a grow ing following th a t is m aking him a political force to b e reck o n ed with. Slowly his com plex c h a ra c ter em erges beyond his “Stop th e D um pers” cap an d all-too-convenient Tim Sam ple accent. Born in M ontreal, Alva grew up in C oncord, M assachu se tts. He s e ttle d in M aine 10 y e a rs ago after leaving th e University of California at S anta Cruz. “It w as interesting, a different kind of p lac e ,” h e say s of atten d in g th e University of California. He m oved into th e w oods up o n th e Sunday River n e a r B ethel an d began to m ake a living by w orking for logging o p e ra to rs aro u n d Sunday River, B ryant Pond, South Paris, an d Bethel. He gradually got o u t on his ow n with w h at h e calls “a little o p eratio n — m o stly firewood, and bringing birch dow n to th e mill.” U nfortunately the n u clear w aste issue cam e along, an d now, h e says, he h a s n ’t h ad tim e to fix his b ulldozer in tw o years. “I’ve been going p re tty m uch full-time stopping th e d u m p ers.” W ithin less th a n tw o years, his non-sto p cam paigning an d his charism atic speaking style convinced th e Republi can p a rty to offer M orrison su p p o rt for Edgar Erwin’s Dis tric t 8 se n a te seat. M orrison w as an n o y e d at Erwin for sw itching his v o te after prom ising su p p o rt, b u t h e decided again st joining a political party. “I’m registered independ en t,” h e says, “an d I really d o n ’t have a w ide grasp of all th e issues in p a rty politics. I know o n e issue inside out. You can have a tre m e n d o u s effect by focusing o n o n e issue. I’ve found th a t politicians d o n ’t know m u ch a b o u t th e issues th ey v o te on .” A lthough grass-ro o ts organizing can b e frustrating, Mor rison o verlooks m any of th e organizational problem s. “G rass-ro o ts organizing is a d elicate thing. W hen y o u ’ve m ad e p la n s for som ething, things shift an d go in a n o th e r direction. Things a re co m p letely ad hoc, b u t th e re ’s n o t en o u g h tim e to think ab o u t details. T h ey will co m e later. W e’re in an em erg en cy situation. For now w e’ll ju st have to tru st o n e an o th er.” T he Q uestion 1A cam paign d id n ’t bring o u t th e b e st side of M aine politics, h e says. “We got into a lot of mudslinging. I d id n ’t w a n t to, b u t th e y cam e o u t so w e h ad to do it th a t way. I’m glad w e did b e c a u se w e w on.” T he b est thing a b o u t a cam paign like this, h e says, is th a t it perm its p eo p le to tak e co n tro l of issu es w hich affect their lives, to

PORTLAND MONTHLY

relieve th e stre ss of feeling h e lp le ss in th e face of large bureaucracy. “It c rea te s a feeling th a t’s patriotic, th a t’s positive ra th er th an just being w orried and stre sse d .” M orrison is irritated by th e argum ent th a t w e’re all in this to g e th e r and th a t th e w aste m u st be d isposed of so m e w here in th e U nited States. “I reject th e idea th a t n u clear w a ste is th e responsibility of ordinary citizens. A few pow erful com panies developed n u clear pow er b u t didn’t w ant to think a b o u t w h at to do w ith th e w aste. T he citizens a re n ’t th e beneficiaries. Their electricity rate s have gone up. It’s th e banks in B oston an d New York th a t have m ade m oney on building n u clear plan ts.” F urtherm ore, he d o e sn ’t think th a t th e push in ess of the D epartm ent of Energy sits well in Maine. “T hey’re in a hurry b e c a u se th e n u c lea r in d ustry n ee d s to b e bailed out. T hey’re picking on our s ta te —an d peo p le take th a t p er sonally even if th e y live 100 miles from th e actual dum p site.” Som e re se n t M orrison’s “just-li’l-ol’m e” attitu d e and a too-obvious D ow neast accen t, b u t th ey grudgingly adm it th a t th e se are effective for his cause. Edward Kane, the chair of th e H ouse’s E ngrossed Bills Com m ittee, h a s said of M orrison th a t after living in M aine for 10 years, h e has develo p ed an a cc en t to rival David Em ery’s. M orrison, how ever, shrugs off the criticism. “I’ve lived in th e w oods aro u n d B ethel long enough to b e influenced by th e w ay p eo p le th e re say things. I w as talking like this long before I got involved in politics.” PORTLAND MONTHLY: Are you involved with th e sam e old N uclear R eferendum C om m ittee w hich keeps calling for th e clo se of M aine Yankee? W hat d o e s this have to do with high level w aste? ALVA MORRISON: Yup, it’s th e sam e institution. T he cast of c h a ra c te rs ch an g e from tim e to time. W hat’s h ap p en ed is th a t several new citizen groups have sprung up to an sw er th e high level n u c lea r w a ste problem : Citizens Against N uclear T rash, b ase d chiefly in Casco, an d the Lakes Region Anti-Nuclear W aste Fund, also in Casco, w hich is a m ixture of activists a n d m unicipal officials from th e Sebago Lake area. A nother is M aine Citizens Against N uclear D um ps in Lincoln. T h at’s th e no rth ern bunch. T hen th e re ’s th e Lakes Region Environm ental A ssocia tio n —th a t’s an old group w hich h a s b ee n in op eratio n for ab o u t 16 years. T hey’ve b een in on all kinds of environm en tal ca u se s a t o n e tim e or an o th er, m o stly c en tere d in a very sm all a rea aro u n d Bridgton. W hat w e’ve d o n e is to form this so rt of free association of organizations and called it th e Alliance Against N uclear D um ps. We all have basically th e sam e goals. I generally re p re se n t th e R eferendum Com m ittee at th e Alliance m eet ings. And I’v e b een coordinating a lot of th e Alliance p ress co n feren ces and th a t so rt of thing.

BY ROBERT KEMP PHOTOGRAPHS BY RHONDA FARNHAM

PORTLAND MONTHLY: W ere you involved in anything like this before, o r is this yo u r first sh o t at this so rt of thing? ALVA MORRISON: Well, I lived a p re tty secluded life befo re I got involved in th e R eferendum Com m ittee. I c u t a lot of w ood o u t in th e country. Oh, I cam e o u t to tow n for this an d th at, b u t basically I lived back in th e w oods. T hen I found o u t th a t th e federal go v ern m en t w as going to p u t a n u c le a r w a ste d u m p right a c ro ss th e river from w here I lived. T h ere w as a survey in 1983 w hich identified p o tential low-level w aste sites all over th e state, and a t th a t point I ju st h a d to com e o u t of th e w oods. We beg an a very loose organization tying to g e th e r th o se affected by all of th e low level sites in th e s ta te called Friends Against N uclear Gar bage (it’s n o t p resen tly functional) and at ab o u t th e sam e tim e 1w as talk ed into—dragged o n to — th e Board of Direc to rs of th e N uclear R eferendum Com m ittee. T here w as a lot of en erg y g en erated by th e stu d y th a t kicked off th e low level n u c lea r w aste referendum , w hich eventually b ecam e Q uestion 1A. We began petitioning for th a t in ’84. It w ent aro u n d for a year, and in ’85 it w as on th e ballot. PORTLAND MONTHLY: And it w on by a little over 300 v otes? ALVA MORRISON: Well, th a t’s o n e w ay of looking at it. You have to realize th a t even if it h a d g o tten in the 40s as far as p erc en ta g e points goes, it w ould have b een in a run-off. So it w as really quite a landslide to get th a t 50 p ercen t in a 3-way race. 1 m ean, w e n ev er e x p e c te d in o u r w ildest d re am s to get 50 p ercent. We th o u g h t w e’d do well to get in th e high 40s. PORTLAND MONTHLY: After y o u ’ve b ee n in M aine for a w hile yo u get u sed to th e faces asso cia te d with c a u se s like this, an d you realize how hard it is to hold to g eth er th ese p e o p le a n d keep up th e energy, th e com m itm ent to th e cause. I realize th a t this is bigger th an m ost, b u t do you have a problem keeping things together? ALVA MORRISON: This is different. It’s no t th e sam e thing a t all. It h a s b ro u g h t in a w hole se t of activists an d o th e r p eo p le like th a t w h o ’ve never b een involved in anything before. T h e re ’s a difficulty in th a t, though, b ec au se th ey have to b e gro o m ed and trained, an d you have to go th ro u g h reinventing th e w heel, making all of th e sam e m istakes th a t p e o p le have m ade before. But I’d m uch ra th e r have th em th an not. T h a t’s w hat keeps m e going in this issue. It’s n o t th e sam e old peo p le you see a t activist functions plunking aw ay at som ething th a t seem s to have a h ard tim e ever really going anyw here. I m ean, w e’re m ov ing. We’re turning M aine politics upside down. PORTLAND MONTHLY: I d o n ’t m ean to be personal, b u t th e re is a problem w ith things like this: How do you keep going financially? T he referendum com m ittee c a n ’t pay you m uch. MAY 1986

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“Im ea n, w e’r e moving. We’re turning Maine p o litics upside-down. ” —Alva M orrison

ALVA M ORRISON: Well, th e re is a little bit of m oney available th ro u g h th e Com m ittee, an d I’m getting my ex p en ses paid through th e H ancock Lum ber fund. PORTLAND MONTHLY: M ost p e o p le have to take a little tim e o u t to m ake a living. ALVA MORRISON: 1c o u ld n ’t right now. I’m going 92 h o u rs a day, dealing w ith th e high-level du m p situation. I’m on the p h o n e o r in th e office in Bridgton all day, an d I’m either speaking som ew here o r at a m eeting alm o st every night. PORTLAND MONTHLY: I d id n ’t realize y ou give a lo t of talks. ALVA MORRISON: Oh, yeah. It’s b een generally inform a tional situations. You know, talking to p eo p le in tow ns clo se to th e d u m p site areas. T hey ju st w a n t so m e basic facts an d th e n to b e ab le to ask so m e q u estio n s. I give a p ictu re of w h a t th e d u m p site w ould look like an d so m e thing a b o u t th e tim e line an d th e n go into freewheeling q u estio n s an d answ ers. Som etim es o th e r p eo p le com e along to help. A local d o cto r, m aybe, o r so m eo n e with som e geological know ledge. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W hat so rt of thing d o you do all d ay o n th e p h o n e in Bridgton? ALVA MORRISON: A lot of things. For instance, w e found o u t ju st a c o u p le of w eeks b efore it h a p p e n e d th a t th ere w as to b e an e x tra D ep artm en t of Energy briefing in Con way, N.H. It to o k u s q u ite a w hile to d ev elo p literature aim ed a t Conw ay w hich b ro u g h t u p b o th th e c o n cern s of th e New H am pshire d u m p site an d th e M aine site, and to co o rd in a te th e leafleting of Conw ay an d th e general a rea in o rd e r to p ack th a t briefing. T hen th e re a re th e activities with th e Alliance to m ake su re th a t w e are all w orking in the sam e direction. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W here e lse h av e you been? Casco, of co u rse, Conway, R aym ond . . . ALVA MORRISON: . . . Standish, W indham , Fryeburg, Lovell, Sw eden, D enm ark, Lincoln, Farm ington, P oland— m o st of th e to w n s in th e Sebago Lakes area. I also atte n d lo ts of m eetin g s of civic groups. For in stan ce, th e Fryeburg Lions Club, th e W estern M aine Board of R ealtors, th e W hite M ountain B oard of R ealtors. PORTLAND MONTHLY: I have noticed th a t realto rs are keenly in te re ste d in this. Are th ey really involved? ALVA MORRISON: R ealtors are taking a leadership posi tion in this issue. It’s w onderful to see, b e c a u se th ey ’ve decid ed th a t it’s to their b e st benefit, practically, to take th e stro n g e st position. In o rd er to h av e th e b e st defense to avoid lo ss of p ro p e rty value, th e re a lto rs p u t o n th e biggest show of being in th e b a ttle w ith th e n u c le a r dum pers. T hey’re taking v ery stro n g positions, so m ew h at co n trover sial ones. 42

PORTLAND MONTHLY

PORTLAND MONTHLY: You’re th e sp o k esp erso n for the MNRC an d on its B oard of D irectors; w h at is th e B oard’s stru ctu re ? How d o you m ake policy an d parcel o u t work? ALVA MORRISON: We d o n ’t go in for a lot of titles. PORTLAND MONTHLY: You n eed som e so rt of hierarchy to get th e w ork done. ALVA MORRISON: Not inside th e R eferendum Committee, really. We do it p re tty m uch by staying in to u c h with each o th e r regularly. We d o n ’t really have a hierarchy, b u t w e all know w h o ’s in tere sted in w h at a sp e c t of w hat, and we develop cle ar policy guidelines w ith th e Board within the b o u n d s of w hich it’s very easy to work, to decide w hat w e’re cap a b le of doing and not. T h a t’s a b o u t all w e really n eed to do. Besides, w hen w e p u t o u t a p re ss release or som ething like that, w e co n su lt am ongst ourselves. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W hat so rt of m eetings d o e s the R eferendum C om m ittee have? ALVA MORRISON: T he only regular m eetings w e hold are th e annual m eetings an d th e regular m onthly m eetings of th e Board. PORTLAND MONTHLY: How m any p eo p le a tte n d the annual meeting? ALVA MORRISON: It varies m assively from y e ar to year, depending on w h at activities w e’re doing and w hat kind of in terest th ere is in an issue. PORTLAND MONTHLY: And y o u ’re on th e ro ad a lot, spreading inform ation, coordinating activities? ALVA MORRISON: T h a t’s quite a bit of it. Going to A ugusta, o r going up to Lincoln, o r o u t to New Hampshire. PORTLAND MONTHLY: You also coordinate a lot with New H am pshire? ALVA MORRISON: W e’re trying to sta y in to u c h w ith w hat th e y ’re doing over there. Of course, th e re ’s th e Conway area, too. We help o u t with som e of th e tow n m eeting v o tes th e y h ad over th e re on nu clear w aste. We p a sse d o u t som e literature, an d w e c o o rd in ated th a t w ith th e tu rn o u t effort for th e Conw ay briefing. Things are ju st getting going over in New Ham pshire. I’ve spoken to th e W hite M ountain B oard of R ealtors, an d it looks like th e New Ham pshire B oard of R ealtors m ay go th e sam e w ay th e M aine B oard of R ealtors did. W hich is p re tty stro n g medicine. You’ve taken o n th e n u c le ar industry p re tty m uch nationw ide o n ce you d o that, b e c a u se this is th e n u c lea r in d ustry’s bail-out bill. T he re a lto rs h av e th e kind of lobbying pow er th a t will get u s through th a t kind of an effort. PORTLAND MONTHLY: T hat d o e sn ’t necessarily m ean y o u ’ve tak en on th e in d ustry nationw ide, d o e s it? T hey can have a dum p in o n e of th e w estern states. ALVA MORRISON: W hat do you m ean? PORTLAND MONTHLY: Let m e p u t it this way: Are you in te reste d in keeping th e d um p site o u t of Maine, o r do you w ant to sto p th e n u clear industry, period? ALVA MORRISON: Well, it’s clea r to everybody involved th a t th e realto rs and everybody in th e Alliance are all talking th e sam e thing, w hich is th a t th e burial of n u clear w aste is wrong, an d th a t th e n u clear w aste policy a c t h a s to go b e c a u se th e w hole ac t focuses on burial. T h at’s a posi tion against th e n u clear industry b ec au se burial is their bail-out m ethod. It’s th e only cost-effective w ay th e y can

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MAY 1986

deal with th e w a ste an d justify th e use of n u clear energy for th e generation of electricity. PORTLAND MONTHLY: D espite th e m oney in it now, the A lliance d o e s n ’t seem to b e a very high-tech effort. You d o n ’t have c o m p u ters an d so forth. ALVA MORRISON: Oh, w e h av e so m e co m puters, b u t not a lot of them . PORTLAND MONTHLY: You n e e d to run off lists, and things like th at, of course. ALVA MORRISON: Oh su re, th e m ailing lists. The R eferen dum C om m ittee h a s d o n e th a t for years. But w e hire a co m p u te r service. We d o n ’t have o u r ow n com puter. The Lakes Region Fund h a s got m o st of th eir lists from school districts, o r by running off a list of o u t of sta te p ro p erty o w n ers—th a t kind of stuff. T h a t’s all com pu terized any way. P e te r Lowell, th e d irecto r of th e L akes Environm ental A ssociation, h a s a sm all c o m p u te r th a t he d o e s w ord p ro c essing on. PORTLAND MONTHLY: It s o u n d s as th o u g h th e Alliance is a fairly lo o se organization. ALVA MORRISON: It h as to be, b e c a u se it ‘sprung u p ’ overnight. PORTLAND MONTHLY: I think th e MNRC itself is p retty well organized. ALVA MORRISON: Well, o v er th e y ears w e’ve dev eloped a system th a t w orks, an d it’s well in p lace an d easy for us to o p e ra te , bu t this issue h a s b ro u g h t in a w hole b u n ch of new peop le, an d th e sy ste m s to d eal w ith th a t are still being created . E verybody’s tied into th e 90-day co m m en t period. P eo p le’s lives are being e a te n up by this. A fterw ards w e’ll have to develop som eth in g th a t can b e an ongoing thing. T h at will ta k e a lot of discu ssio n an d h ash in g around, but it’ll be done. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W hen d o you ex p ect you will h e a r a b o u t th e D ep artm en t of Energy’s recom m endation? ALVA MORRISON: It certain ly will b e after th e elections in N ovem ber. You can ju st figure on th at. T h ey will keep us in limbo until then. PORTLAND MONTHLY: T he m ajor political parties have difficulty keeping p eo p le active over th e long haul. W on’t you h av e th e sa m e p ro b lem w ith com m itm en t during su ch a long period? ALVA MORRISON: T h a t’s possible, b u t th e re ’s a big differ e n c e b etw een p e o p le involved in a political p arty and

H O C U A *W « T f

IN MAINE

PORTLAND MONTHLY

peo p le w ho are living un der th e th re at of having their land and their h o m es taken. T h e re ’s som ething going on out th ere th e likes of w hich h a sn ’t been seen in this sta te in any b o d y ’s living m em ory. The kind of energy th a t’s been g en erated by this has cre ate d a w hole new class of acti vists, people w ho’ve just su ddenly becom e aw are that th ey c a n ’t sta y at hom e and do nothing. T hese are high school track coaches, building co n tracto rs, realto rs— p eo p le like th a t w ho are su d d en ly faced with th e fact that th e n u clear du m p ers are com ing and taking their lives aw ay from them . PORTLAND MONTHLY: But w hen th e site decision is m ade, a re n ’t a lot of th e se p e o p le going to say, Oh, well, I d o n ’t live th a t close to it? ALVA MORRISON: O nce people realize the facts, th ey ’ll know th a t it will affect them even though th e y ’re 50 or 100 m iles away. All you have to do is paint a picture of th e size of it. PORTLAND MONTHLY: Do you think th at if this had com e earlier th e vo te on closing Maine Yankee w ould have been different? ALVA MORRISON: Of course. No question ab o u t it. People m ake th e co n n ectio n instantly. You d o n ’t even have to tell them th a t n u clear w aste is bad; therefore you should shut dow n th e pow er plant. You never have to say th at o u t loud. T hey decide it on their own. People know th e y ’ve b een lied to by C entral Maine Pow er on th e referendum s now, and th ey ’re angry. A lot of people are very angry. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W hat w as th e a tte n d a n c e at the Lakes Region High School briefing by th e DOE? ALVA MORRISON: T here w ere nearly 4,000 people. They p ack ed th e gym, th e lunch room ; th e y h ad to run speakers o u t to th e on es w ho co u ld n ’t get in. T here w ere 2,500 at the one h ere in P ortland City Hall. PORTLAND MONTHLY: Do you have c o n tact with the o th e r sta te s on th e dum p site list—besides New Hamp shire, I m ean? ALVA MORRISON: Not ongoing co n tact. W e’re to o busy getting o u r ow n thing together. But I w as on th e p h o n e to Texas today. PORTLAND MONTHLY: L et’s see, th e o th e r sta te s are G e o rg ia . . . ALVA MORRISON: T here are 12 sta te s in the second round and th ree in the first round. T here are o th ers that m ight b e m oved back on o r off. A m ong th e tw elve are

Georgia, N orth Carolina, Virginia, W isconsin, M innesota, New Ham pshire, an d Maine. T he th re e a re W ashington, Nevada and Texas. T here are a lte rn a te s still hanging in limbo—Utah, Mississippi, Louisiana. PORTLAND MONTHLY: H ave you h ad an y c o n ta c t with others on th e list b esid es Texas? ALVA MORRISON: Oh yeah, th e re w as a n atio n al confer ence of nuclear w a ste activists in D ecem b er before Maine was notified by th e DOE. We w en t dow n b e c a u se w e’d b een involved in th e low-level thing, an d w e knew th e high-level thing w as coming. We h ad begun to keep an eye on it. PORTLAND MONTHLY: W here w as th a t held? ALVA MORRISON: Down in Boston. T he conference involved som e of th e s ta te s th a t w ere beginning to reco g nize this crystalline re p o sito ry danger, an d all of th e w est ern states, w ho h a d alread y b een th ro u g h it. T here w ere some pretty b ro a d p o in ts of a g reem en t am ong th e state s, which w as good to see. PORTLAND MONTHLY: O bviously y ou like living in Maine and plan to b e aro u n d for a while. ALVA MORRISON: Oh yeah, this is m y hom e; I’m n o t going anywhere—u n less it’s to fight th e n u clear dum pers. PORTLAND MONTHLY: You m ean y o u ’d go o u t o f state to fight them ? ALVA MORRISON: Well, th e y ’ve m ad e m e so disgusted with their w hole pro g ram th a t I’m p re p a re d to fight them to the end, w herever th e y go. I’ve also develo p ed an intim ate knowledge of how th e y o p e ra te an d th e skills n eed ed to com bat them . T h o se sh o u ld b e offered to w hom ever is dealing with them . PORTLAND MONTHLY: Do you sp e n d a lot of your tim e reading ab o u t th e issue? ALVA MORRISON: Oh, I h av e to, serving as th e sp o k es man and doing speaking en g ag em en ts. T h ere w o u ld n’t be m uch point in m y doing it u n less I w ere a t a higher level of knowledge th an th e o th e r p eo p le w ho co m e to h e a r me. PORTLAND MONTHLY: But y o u ’ve also said y o u ’ve deve loped an “intim ate know ledge” of how th e y operate. ALVA MORRISON: T h at co m e s from experience; th a t doesn’t com e from reading. PORTLAND MONTHLY: B ut y ou d o n ’t h av e a lot of direct contact with them . ALVA MORRISON: I’ve only b een fighting th em for two years.

PORTLAND MONTHLY: T hat isn’t all th a t long, really. ALVA MORRISON: No, b u t th ere are p a tte rn s th a t you recognize. W hat d o you m ean —are you saying th a t I have to talk to th em to figure o u t how th ey o p erate? I observe th eir actions. I’v e b ee n fighting them. You have to u n d er sta n d th a t w hen y o u ’re fighting som eone, w h eth er o r n o t you sit in a room and duke it o u t w ith them , you learn how th e y operate. T h a t’s w h at I’m talking about. PORTLAND MONTHLY: Now do you m ean th e DOE? ALVA MORRISON: T here’s a w hole netw ork involved in th e n u clear industry. T here’s trad e groups th a t th e indus try w orks with, and th e D epartm ent of Energy is a front for th e n u clea r industry. T hey’re all con n ected . People jum p back and forth betw een sup p o sed ly non-profit groups like th e B echtel Institute an d governm ent service, and working for th e utilities. T hey cam e to M aine w orking on th e lowlevel w aste fight. And th ey have su p p o rt from th e national n u clear industry, b eca u se it’s a fairly significant battle being fought here. I’ve found th a t th e y w an t to draw you into discussing th e technical issues, b e c a u se th e y have the m oney to supply th e physicists and so forth, and attem p t to confound you in th a t so rt of d ebate. T he w ay th a t you win is to define th e grounds of th e d ebate. You m ake th e d e b a te som ething th a t th ey c a n ’t argue with, like d em o c racy. W ith th eir program for high level n u clear w aste dis posal, th e y are attacking private p ro p erty rights and d em o cracy. It’s th e stu p id est thing th e y co u ld have d o n e in the long run, b e c a u se it’s turning th e A m erican peo p le o n to th em in droves. People are rising up sp o n tan eo u sly w hen th e y find o u t th a t their land is going to b e yanked o u t from u n d er th em and th ey ’re not going to have any say. PORTLAND MONTHLY: But if y o u ’re talking ab o u t dem oc racy, y o u ’re also talking a b o u t num bers, and if th e dum p site is only going to b e six sq u a re miles, will it affect th a t m any peo p le? And again, p eo p le in New Jersey m ay think th a t an u n d erp o p u la ted sta te like M aine is th e b e st place for it. ALVA MORRISON: Well, th e average A m erican thinks th at dem o cracy m eans th a t y o u ’ll have a say in your future, and this n u cle ar dum p program is just a b o u t th e opposite of that. If you d o n ’t think it’s having an effect, y o u ’d b e tte r co m e o u t an d se e w h a t’s going on. It’s n o t a little m ove m en t th a t’s going to rise up and die an d th en p eo p le are going back hom e again. I th a t th ey ’ve b een to u ch ed in a very, very sensitive nerve center.

MAY 1986

PORTLAN D IA N A

“For over 235years, the coast of Maine, including the Casco Bay and Portland Harbor area, has been the host of sea . . . . serpents. Yes, creatures often reported to "be over fe ffa ffe g s [swimming the verywemfm the r’s promenades.

PORTLAND MONTHLY

MAY 1986

MOST PORTLANDERS JUST DO NOT PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO SEA SERPENT SIGHTINGS ANYMORE . . . But it w asn ’t alw ays so. In May of 1780, Captain G eorge Little of B oston saw a 45-foot-long se rp e n tin e form in R ound Pond, B road Bay, Maine. C aptain Little said th e m an-sized h e a d w as carried a b o u t 5 feet o u t of th e w ater. On a n o th e r occasion, Edward Preble, an 18-year-old ensign w ho w as later to b e co m e a com m o d o re, h a d a very clo se e n c o u n te r with a Maine sea se rp e n t in 1779. Writing in his biography of Preble’s life, J. Fenim ore C ooper n o ted th a t P reble an d a Captain Williams, on th e P rotector, w ere lying in a M aine b ay on a cle ar and calm day “w hen a large se rp e n t w as discovered outside the ship. T he anim al w as lying o n th e w a te r q u ite m otionless. After inspecting it w ith glasses for so m e tim e, Capt. Willi am s o rd e re d P reble to m an an d arm a large b o a t ... Preble sh o v ed off, an d p u lled directly to w ard s th e m onster. As th e b o a t n e a re d it, th e se rp e n t raised its h e a d ab o u t ten feet ab ove th e su rface of th e w ater, looking a b o u t it. It th en began to m ove slow ly aw ay from th e b o at.” P reble fired a ro u n d at th e creatu re, b u t this “p ro d u ced no o th e r effect th a n to quicken th e sp eed of th e m onster.”

“Portland, M aine’s sea serpent rem ains neglected. While the New England sea serpents sighted o ff M assachusetts’s Capes Cod and Ann have been chronicled to such an extrem e th a t the lo c a l creature is called “Nellie, ” Casco B ay’s ve ry own sea m onster does n o t even have a nicknam e despite its longer history. Perhaps o u r ve ry own sea serpent should be called ‘Cassie.’ ” J. F en im o re C o o p e r n o te d th a t P re b le o c c a sio n a lly m entioned his e n c o u n te r to a few of his intim ates in his later years, an d m erely felt h e w as “relating a fact th at m ost peop le w ould be d isposed to d o u b t.” T he sightings have co n tin u ed dow n th ro u g h th e years. On Ju n e 27th, 1818, fisherm en to ld of a s e a se rp e n t coiled a league from P ortlan d harbor. Again on July 2nd of th at year, J. W ebber an d R. H am ilton saw it in Casco Bay. In 1912, Mrs. F.W. S au n d erso n w as o n e of tw o dozen p a sse n g e rs o n bo ard a ste a m e r traveling from New York to Portland, Maine, w ho w ere surprised by an en orm ous head, long neck, an d barrel-sized b o d y appearing off th e starb o a rd side. “It ro se ab o u t 20 feet above th e w a te r . . . it rem ain ed e re c t for half a m inute o r so, an d th e head see m e d to tu rn slow ly as if th e m o n ste r w ere taking a good look at its surroundings. T hen it slipped slow ly backw ard into th e w ater, leaving scarcely a ripple,” sh e related. Down th ro u g h th e years, th e a p p e a ra n ce s of th e sea se rp e n ts h av e quietly o c cu rred , an d scarcely m ade a ripple. I investigated o n e re c e n t re p o rt early in 1985. Following an A ppalachian M ountain Club talk I h ad given o n crypto 48

PORTLAND MONTHLY

zoology (th e stu d y of hidden anim als, literally m o n sters), I w as cautiously ap p ro ach ed by an elderly Scandinavian m an. He p u lled m e aside and told m e of a friend of his w ho had seen a “sea serp en t,” and w ondered if I w ould like to speak to th e gentlem an. N eedless to say, I w as interested and took to tracking dow n this m an ’s friend. Finally, I w as able to c a tc h up to Ole Mikkelsen, p resen tly of Portland, and talk to him ab o u t his hair-raising m eeting with a deni zen of the deep. I knew th e sighting w as n o t a rec e n t one, so w hen I sta rte d to interview Mikkelsen, I expected som e vague d ate w hen 1 asked him w hen his e n c o u n te r had occurred. Instead, th e look in his eye rem inded m e of a n o th e r far aw ay stare I had seen before. It w as th a t sam e glaze I have seen com e over people alive in 1963, w hen asked w here th ey w here and w hat w ere th ey doing w hen John F. K ennedy w as shot. M ikkelsen w as reliving his experience right before me, and th e d ate exploded from his lips. “The fifth day of June, 1958! I w on’t soon forget it,” he snapped. Before m e sa t a trim, m uscular, tan n ed m an of 81. He to ld m e he h a d b een fishing since he w as six years old, and co n tin u ed up through last year. Born and raised in Den mark, h e h a d com e to M aine in 1923, and he knew th e w aters of Casco Bay well. But he had never m et anything before 1958 to p rep a re him for th e m o n ster h e saw th at June. T he 5th had sta rte d like m o st w ork days for Mikkelsen back then. Up early, he and his partner, Ejnar Haugaard, w ere o u t to se a before daybreak. It w as ab o u t one half ho u r after sunrise, a b o u t 6 a.m., w hen th e y first saw “it.” T hey w ere ab o u t five m iles off Cape Elizabeth, only a b o u t 1!4 miles so u th of th e P ortland Lightship: “Suddenly, w e saw an object com ing tow ard us o u t of a haze; w e took it to b e a subm arine, b u t as it cam e n ea r we discovered it w as som e live thing. As it cam e still n earer it dove dow n and a tail cam e up o u t of th e w ater, and slowly it w en t dow n again. In a b o u t th re e o r four m inutes it surfaced again, cam e n ear us, and dove again. T hen it cam e up o n ce m ore ab o u t 125 feet aw ay from us, stopping as if to look us over.” At th a t point, H augaard shouted: “Give m e th e knife; if it co m es n ea r w e will c u t th e n e ts and run for th e lightship.” “But luckily,” M ikkelsen says, “it decided to swim in a nice tu rn to th e so u th of us. We saw it disap p ear to th e so u th e a st in th e haze.” M ikkelsen’s m etap h o rs are, not to o surprisingly, ichthylogical. He tells m e th e thing’s c o lo r w as like th a t of a cusk, a light brow n N orth A tlantic food fish, with a less dark underside to its neck. He says th e tail w as like a m ackerel’s. But of c o u rse h e know s it w as n o t a cu sk o r a m ackerel. W hat he saw w as w ell over 100 feet long, th a t he is su re of. The h ead he saw stu ck o u t of th e w ater and w as b roader th a n th e long neck it w as on. Interestingly, th e nam e of th e craft M ikkelsen ow ned w as th e Hirsthals, m eaning “Stag’s Neck”—a clo se description of this b e a st’s long neck. He co u ld n o t pick o u t any e a rs o r eyes, b u t h e is certain it could hear. M ikkelsen rep o rts th a t every tim e th e P ortland Lightship blew its m ournful foghorn, a s th e a n ch o red C oast Guard vessel did regularly, th e c rea tu re tu rn e d its h ead in th at direction. H augaard and h e had th e thing in view for over 45 m inutes, an d he c o n stan tly s^w th e c re a tu re ’s h e ad ro ta t ing tow ard th e so und of th e Lightship’s hom .

C O M M E R C IA L REAL ESTATE

RICHARD McGOLDRICK, COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, INC. or th o se of u s w ho like to look for such things, evidence of Richard McGoldrick’s livelihood is e a sy to find in th e P ortlan d area. Real e s ta te signs bearing th e n am e “Com m ercial

P roperties, Inc.” a re as d ep e n d ab le a sight in an d a b o u t th e city as “R edm ond for G overnor” b a n n e rs on a Liberty G roup site. M cG o ld rick o b v io u sly lo v e s his

ch o sen o ccupation. “This bu sin ess is a fascinating business, an exciting busi n ess,” h e says. “You nev er have a bo r ing d a y in this business. T he o th e r thing is th a t you can b e a s b u sy as you w ant to

BY RICHARD BENNETT MAY 1986

^ a m d Q ifo c d C L O T H I E R S R o u te 1, F a lm o u th M o n .-F ri. 10-6, S a t. 10-5 a n d T h u r s . 'til 8 7 8 1 -4 1 7 7

be. T h ere is m o re th a n en o u g h for ev e ry o n e h ere, a n d I d o n ’t se e it slow ing dow n.” In 1969, M cGoldrick cam e to Maine as a sa le sm a n for a college textb o o k co m p an y an d to o k up resid en ce in a ■__________________________________

7 came to this town with $1,000. I ’ve had a lo t o f help from people. The last 10 years here have been an alm ost ideal area fo r someone like me to land in. ” — RICHARD McGOLDRICK

PORTLAND MONTHLY

sh ack by Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth. Earning only $7,500 ayear, he continual ly refused offers of prom otion w ithin th e co m p an y w hich w ould have req u ired his leaving th e s ta te — finally, h e w as required to leave th e com pany. After w orking for a sm all investm ent c o m p an y for th ree years, McGoldrick beg an his ow n en terprise in 1974 as a financial co n sultant, m ostly consulting for th e sta te and assisting clients with loan applications. His inauguration into th e real e sta te b u sin ess w as prim arily circum stantial: O n e d ay h e fo u n d h im self looking at 193 Middle Street with a business acquain ta n c e from a foreign country. M arcel’s w as going b roke at th e time, and M cG oldrick’s a c q u a in ta n c e d e m o n stra te d som e in terest in th e property. H appy to have earn ed his brokerage license several years earlier, McGoldrick m ade som e inquiries ab o u t th e building, an d 45 days later h e w as even happier with a su bstantial com m ission check. It w as n o t until th e late 1970’s, how ever, th a t he began his brokerage busi n ess, follow ed by his initiation into d evelopm ent in 1981. M cGoldrick’s first projects w ere condom inium develop m ents, th e Parker Street and Spring Street condom inium conversions, and th e creation of th e 25 tow n h o u ses of Clairm ont C ourt on Coyle Street. By th e tim e th at he and p artn er M ichael M astronardi broke ground on th e F reeport O utlet in 1983, McGoldrick w as “getting into developm ent in a big w ay.” Since then, he h as w orked on a n u m b er of p rojects with M astronardi, w hom M cGoldrick calls “m y friend, p artn er, and lawyer— in th a t o rd er.” in clu ded am ong their joint v e n tu re s is th e F alm outh Executive Park, a pro p o se d 60,000-square-foot office com plex conveniently lo cated at th e junc tions of in te rsta te s 95,295, and R oute I in Falm outh. T he tw o have also p u rch ased th e Jotul Building at 343 Forest Avenue, an d —inspired by the success of Young’s an d Pier 1 Im ports—they will begin on July 1 to lease th e building’s retail sp ace for a Scandinavia H ouse furniture store. M cGoldrick see s Forest Avenue “tu rn

ing aro u n d ” with recen t p ro perty invest m ents in th e area. “We are hoping to m ake it ‘furniture row ,’ on (th e down to w n ) side of W oodfords C orner.” Aware of a “big d em an d for ware h o u se and distribution sp ac e for the sm aller u se r” in Portland, Mastronardi and M cGoldrick are cu rrently complet ing th e subdivision of th e 75-acre Ever g re en In d u strial P ark on Riverside Street. T he project, w hich will provide 80,000 sq u are feet of usable space, is cu rrently in th e review process. A “s tro n g b elie v er in w aterfront d e v e lo p m e n t,” M cGoldrick believes th a t th e region m ust take a long-term app ro ach to th e con cern s of industrial growth. “Portland is destined to become th e focal point of developm ent in New England,” he predicts. “Decision-makers will w ant a nice place to live, and Port lan d ’s one of th e nicest places to live in th e world. We are com ing to th e atten tion of th e United States.” In general, McGoldrick has been p lease d with th e city’s m anaging of its future. “I like to see a very clearly defined se t of p aram eters and a profes sional staff and an unbiased board. T hat is w hat w e deal with in most c a s e s — c e rta in ly in P o r tla n d and Falm outh.” M cGoldrick is obviously proud of P ortland and grateful for th e success he h as found here. “I cam e to this town with one th o u sa n d dollars. I’ve had a lot of he lp from people. The last 10 years h e re have b een an alm o st ideal area for so m eo n e like m e to land in. Now, I’m trying to give som ething back to the com m unity. “We n e ed to tak e a long view,” he suggests. “We have a magnificent en vironm ent n o t only in our mountains and o cea n bu t m ost im portantly in our people. P art of th e risk is th at w e don’t lose that. This tow n can be hu rt by overly am bitious developm ent.” But McGoldrick is encouraged that “w e w o n ’t se e m uch speculative devel opm ent. T h ere’s a recognition th at if d ev elo p ers d o n ’t care, th ey w on’t go a n y w h e re . W e a r e d o in g q u a lity developm ents.”

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PORTLAND MONTHLY

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C O M M E R C IA L REAL ESTATE

SHORT TAKES

A NEW LUXURY LEVEL APARTMENT com plex, know n a s T am arlane, will con tain 115 to w n h o u se and garden units. U nder dev elo p m en t by Housing R eso u rces Corp., th e pro ject is lo cated in th e E ast D eering n eig hborhood and is a c c e sse d from b o th W ashington Avenue an d C anco Road. T am arlane f e a tu r e s a sw im m ing p o o l, te n n is co u rts, an d m any o th e r special am eni ties. Jo h n W ebb, p resid en t of M an ag em en t R esources Inc., w hich will m an ag e th e property, calls T am arlane “o n e of th e b e s t offerings in th e P o rt land a re a for ap artm en t living. W ith an o rien tatio n to w ard lifestyle it is d e signed for th e young, professional, upw ardly-m obile te n a n t.” R ents will range from $495 to $615, and units will b e available in late spring. HOUSING RESOURCES CORP. IS also com pleting th e historically signif icant re h a b of P ortland City Hospital o n Brighton A venue in Portland. Exte rior w ork features th e resto ratio n of th e building’s pro m in en t front facade an d front po rtico with its co lum ns and th e c reatio n of a park-like settin g for th e e a s t c o u rty a rd . T h e 104 o n eb e d ro o m a n d efficiency a p a rtm e n ts provide subsidized housing for elderly te n a n ts. On th e N ational Register of Historic P laces, P o rtlan d City H ospital o p e n e d in 1904 as an alm s house, b u t b y th e 1920’s m edical services dom i n a te d th e institution, w hich it c o n tinued to provide until it d o s e d in 1981. TWENTY-NINE “EXECUTIVE” HOUSE lo ts c o n s titu te S c h o o n e r Ridge on C um berland Foreside, a n o th e r H ous ing R esources Corp. project. Ranging from o n e to tw o acres, th e w o oded lots provide w ater, sew er, and pow er with w a te r a c c e ss rights th ro u g h S chooner Rocks Park. W ith ea sy a c c e ss to P o rt lan d by 295, th e lots are lo cate d on a beautiful high p o in t of lan d w ith o cea n views. THE BOULOS COMPANY HAS REce n tly re lo c ate d tw o prom inent P ort land com panies. E astern Security Sys te m s h a s m oved its h e a d q u a rte rs to 8,000 sq u a re feet of sp a c e in th e form er G eorge C. Frye building a t 685 Con

g ress Street. And G oodall B oat has m oved its bu sin ess to th e form er Value H ouse building, 26,000 sq u are feet at th e co rn er of W arren Avenue and Riv erside Street. M ENARIO/RUSS/O’SULLIVAN HAS b ee n retained a s c o n su ltan t and ex clusive representative of St. John Realty T rust, a subsidiary of First Atlantic C orporation, to assist in th e develop m ent of th e form er M aine C entral Rail ro a d Building into a general office ce n ter. R enam ed th e W est End Business C e n ter, th e h is to ric a lly sig n ifican t building is a 100,000 sq u are foot land m ark w ith exceptional architectural detailing. T h e d e v e lo p m e n t of th e building is retaining th e b e st original featu res w hile co m pletely updating th e s y s te m s a n d allow ing c u sto m finishing. THE GREAT BAY COMPANY OF B oston is w orking “fast and furiously” to re ad y th e new C rescent B each Inn for a July opening. T he re so rt inn will include 44 one- and tw o-bedroom suites co m p lete with sm all kitchens aim ed for th e “high en d of th e m ark et.” The m ain h o u se — in a cherry and Chippen dale sty le—will h o u se 26 suites, and th e rem ain d er will b e in four sm aller c o tta g e s w ith a w icker an d light pine b eac h -h o u se style. A m enities will in clu d e sto ck ed kitchens, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, a c ro q u e t lawn, shuffleb o ard an d tennis co u rts, and w ater a c c e ss th ro u g h C rescent B each State Park. O ne unit will include a jacuzzi, and som e will have b o th a show er and a b a th in se p a ra te room s. T he main lo bby w ith its m arble tiles and th e guests-only dining room will feature an a rt co llectio n including 14 o r 15 origi nal A udubons. T he grounds will also b e e n h a n c e d by foreign scu lp tu res, a te a garden, and an English gazebo. PLANS ARE UNDERWAY TO CONv ert th e form er M aine Eye and Ear Infirmary on th e c o rn e r of Congress an d Bram hall S treets to a mixed-use s tru c tu re called th e Bram hall House. Terrien A rchitects are curren tly p u t ting th e finishing to u c h e s on th e plans, and th e R ealty D evelopm ent Group MAY 1986

exp ects construction to begin this sum mer. Hoping for com pletion som etim e in 1987, project m anager P aula Craig head expects retail sp ace on th e ground floor, com m ercial office on th e second, and residential on th e rem aining five floors. LEDGEWOOD WILL BREAK GROUND o n Ju n e 1 for th e new h e a d q u a rte rs of th e N o rth eastern L um ber M anufactur ing A ssociation (NELMA) on T uttle Road in C um berland. T he sm all build ing will b e c o n stru c te d entirely of p ro d u c ts native to Maine. NELMA, c u r ren tly leasing sp a c e in Falm outh, will b e ab le to m ove into th eir new hom e by fall. DICTAR ASSOCIATES RECEIVED final local approval in M arch for their p ro p o sal to rehabilitate Fort McKinley on G reat D iam ond Island into 134 resi dential condom inium units. W ith co n stru c tio n an ticip ated to begin on June 1, th e first units are e x p ected to be read y for o c c u p a n c y during th e sum m er of 1987 at a price range of $130,000 to $200,000 each. A swim m ing pool, ten n is co u rts, a new pier, and beach a c c e ss rights will b e am ong th e am eni ties offered to m em bers of th e co n dom inium association. P hase tw o of th e over $20 million project will involve th e co n stru ctio n of 74 single-family units. W ith th e project alread y over tw o y ears in th e making, David B ate m an says, “We are as excited to d ay as m u ch a s w hen w e started , probably m ore so.” BRIDE ASSOCIATES IS NOW BEGINning to m arket an exciting new co n cept in mixed-use developm ent, located on Com m ercial Street in P o rtlan d ’s h isto ric w a te rfro n t d istrict. B axter Place, d ev elo p ed by T he Finch Group of B oston, will offer a new environ m ent of residential, com m ercial, and recreational uses. T he com plex, b o u n d ed by C om m er cial, Center, York, an d F oundry Lane, will be com prised of tw o buildings with am ple on-site parking. Baxter Building, facing on Com m ercial Street, is th e form er P orteous, Mitchell, an d Braun w areh o u se. This will h o u se 62 units of 54

PORTLAND MONTHLY

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luxury re n ta l housing, and 28,000 square feet of retail space with super ior visibility and access. Behind the Baxter Building, stretch ing toward the heart of Portland’s downtown, will be a new building encompassing three office levels with water views built over a Portland first: a 35,000 square foot full-service health club. The health club will offer six squash and racquetball courts, an in door/outdoor swimming pool, Nauti lus, gymnasium, and exercise facilities. Leasing for th e p ro ject is being handled by Bride Associates of Port land. Retail space in the Baxter Build ing is scheduled for com pletion in Sep tember of 1986, while residential units are due for com pletion in December. Leasing for the office com ponent for which som e equity participation is offered, is currently underway.

the availability of the Rich Renaissance Window System which can reproduce trim or molding of a classical piece of architecture as a casem ent to a win dow, in aluminum. The new technol ogy will be a particular help to histori cal rehab projects.

THE REALTY D E V E L O P M E N T

owned by Richard McGoldrick, also recently com pleted a lease-up at 140 and 148 Main Street, Freeport, for a total of 30,000 square feet. The com pany is in the process of developing Freeport Crossing, for new retail store space, at the junction of Interstate-295 and Route One.

Group, 75 Market Street, owned by Charles Carroll, recently received the honor of having a project they devel oped on Upper Captiva Island off Ft. Myers, Florida, nam ed the top U.S. residential resort by Harper’s Hide away Report. The sm all, exclusive resort was noted by the respected publication for its architecture, effec tive use of space, and ambience. ALLIED PR O PER TIE S HAS AN-

nounced the marketing of one of the last executive neighborhood hom e sites in Stroudwater. The com pany is selling 15 lots for custom -built hom es for approximately $125,000 to $200,000 each at the Garrison Hill Estates on Garrison Street. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF FORMER

Governor K enneth C urtis, P am ela Gleichman has found a financial part ner to once again attem pt to receive federal UDAG funds necessary for her Waterfront Park concept. David Carley of Wisconsin has agreed to commit himself financially to the project, which would develop land near the Interna tional Ferry Terminal. RICH ALUMINUM, ON THE BRIDG-

ton Road, Westbrook, has announced

AS OF APRIL 1, COMMERCIAL

Properties Inc. was looking for tenants for the Deering-Milliken Block at 164 Middle Street, formerly the Market Street Market. Seven totally rem odeled store spaces are available, from 900 to 4,000 square feet. COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ALSO

announces the availability of 10,000 square feet of office space on the fifth floor of the Storer Block, 148 Middle Street. The property, with eight decks, will be listed at $12 per square foot. C O M M E R C IA L P R O P E R T I E S ,

COM M ERCIAL PR O PE R T IE S IS

also currently selling the building at 480 Congress Street, with 10,800 square feet of office and retail space, and the Merrill Transport warehouse and trans portation center on Forest Avenue, an 11-acre parcel which Merrill will be leasing back from Commercial Proper ties for three years while waiting to move to its new location. RICHARD GROTTON OF GENERAL

Properties reports that the 20 condo minium units and the 6,000 to 7,000 square feet of office space at 40/50 Portland Pier hit the m arket in late March. GENERAL PROPERTIES ALSO AN-

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nounces that construction is under way and the building is framed up for a 4,000-square-foot c o n stru c tio n for Adam’s Marine at 388 Commercial Street. The project should be com plete on May 1. MAY 1986

RESTAURANT REVIEW

ROMA CAFE W

hen I moved to Portland in 1982, the Roma Cafe seem ed to be considered by the eating public as a fairly good restaurant, a place where one might celebrate a spe cial occasion or woo a date. I m ust admit that, regardless of the praise, I never went. The Vinyard, before it changed hands and lost its fine chefs, was my choice for a night of superior dining. The Roma, too, changed hands in 1984. So, it was with som e fairly high expec tations that my party and I headed for the Roma last week. I m ust risk a notyet-established reputation with som e readers and say th at I was not a little

disappointed. Granted this was a first impression—my fault for not having gone in four years—but I was anticipat ing a fine meal and did not find it. The paragraph on the back of the menu points out that the Roma is an ideal place for business diners. This was apparently the case the night we went, as every man, as well as several women, was in grey or bl ue pinstripe. ( I am tem pted here to point out that the color of the walls and curtains could probably be changed to com plem ent the dining attire. The apricot clashes horribly.) We, in our peculiar but still fringe yuppie fashion of Joseph’s and St. Joe’s, stood out like sore thum bs. Even

BY GEORGE BENINGTON 56

PORTLAND MONTHLY

the waitresses, in white shirts and black skirts, rem inded one of a hotel dining room gone awry. But this is not a fashion column. Let’s talk about food. The first impulse I had on entering the Roma was to eat garlic bread: The smell of it is everywhere, and they bring on heaping plates. From the m om ent we were seated the service was excellent. Our waitress was con genial and attentive and never far away. Reading the list of appetizers was a bit like listening to an old, familiar song. I’m not sure if this is a criticism or a compliment. Perhaps when the people of this world go out for a nice meal they like to know what they can expect.

Perhaps they w ant all m enus to be relatively the same, but featuring things they would never cook at home. How ever, when I am faced with a choice among shrimp cocktail, fruit cocktail, oysters-on-the-half-shell (which I adore, but prefer to eat at places like J’s), and the like, I am tem pted to order nothing. Compelled to sam ple, 1 ordered mushroom caps in b u tter and garlic. They were broiled (perhaps too m uch), but had plenty of garlic, and that m ade them all right by me. We also had a bowl of seafood b isq u e w hich w as not remarkably better than canned. Our salads were enorm ous, virtually a meal in themselves, with hom em ade dress ings, but were m ade with, am ong other kinds, iceberg lettuce. The choice of entrees seem ed a combination of Northern Italian and Continental. There w ere veal dishes, pasta dishes, chicken dishes, and fish dishes, in white, cream, and marinara sauces, among others, ranging in price between $7.95 and $13.50. The special that evening was scallops with arti choke hearts and leeks served on fettucine. The soup was beef barley. Because there was adishcalled Veal AllaRoma, I assumed it was a speciality of the house and should be tried. It turned out to be veal cutlets and m ozzarella w rapped in prosciutto, then dipped in egg and sau teed. Although the veal did not seem very fresh and was som ew hat dry and overcooked, the overall flavor was appealing, and the whole thing quite filling. The Fettucine Alfredo could have been improved by using better p asta and parm esan cheese with m ore char acter (th e whole thing had a som ewhat pasteurized taste). The Chicken Saltimbocca was a tender boneless breast in a heavy sherry sauce with prosciutto and mushrooms. I have never been m ore tem pted to eat dessert, but I was too full. (The portions at the Roma are certainly ample, which is a bit at cross purposes with my idea of fine food. One pleasure of eating (o u t) is to be able to sam ple smaller portions of m any tastes and flavors. We Americans like to eat our fill, get our carbohydrates, and pay our bill.) The desserts looked sum ptuous: chocolate cheesecake, canolli, and poundcake with m ocha frosting. The wine list was average, although I was pleased to note that one of the house wines was Mondavi. ©1986 George Benington

THE ARTS

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD

JURIS UBANS BESIDE HIMSELF'

ne can begin by asking where and when does art reside? With the artist in the m om ent of crea tion? With the audience when they per ceive it? Outside of either, in infinity? In the visual arts—with physically concrete forms—an art work remains after the initial creative process has occurred. But in perform ance art, the m om ent of creation is the lifespan of the art. Certainly scripts remain, tape and video recordings can be made, but

they cannot capture the experience of the actual work in progress. Juris Ubans, an artist and professor of art at the University of Southern Maine, has initiated a process of inquiry into the nature of art in a highly intri guing, generous way with his collabora tive perform ance piece, “He Was Beside Himself.” The prem iere of this work-inprogress was held on February 6 at the Portland M useum of Art with oth er per form ances to follow as the exploration

BY MARY SNELL MAY 1986

continues to expand and change. Advance publicity and word-of-mouth generated a stam pede for tickets. The 187-seat auditorium was full during an afternoon dress rehearsal that was opened to friends and museum per sonnel. And there were 600 to 700 nam es on a waiting list for the sold-out evening performance. As suggested in the title of this ambi tious piece, Ubans attem pts to step outside himself as creator to allow the work, the art, to be created without too many pre-determined choices. He uses many artists and their ideas and many mediums, thus creating a situation

“ Ubans plans to stage several perform ances o f a slig h tly im proved version o f He Was B eside H im s e lf this summer, maybe at the Maine Festival where—with that much contrast and energy approaching critical m ass— something has to happen. Captivating issues arise here con cerning the limits of an artist’s power or involvement in his or her own work, especially in a collaboration; the deter mination of what is successful or valid and by whom; the audience’s role in creating the art; the transient nature of any art experience . . . and the debate rolls on. The program, which involves more than 50 people in the making, is divided into three sections. Part One is strongly rooted in the deceptively gentle, hyp notic forms of the T’ai Chi solo dance. Ubans says learning the ancient wis dom of these m ovem ents catalyzed a way of understanding for him which involves balance, physicality, continu ity, and yielding which he wants to share. In Part Two the myriad collaborators present their own interpretations and explorations which run from a silly/political “cartoon” to a box dream dance. Interwoven are taped and live music, slide projections, and a sculpture recon struction on stage. Some of these ele m ents work well together, others seem disjointed or predictable. But the entire section is so varied, nothing is “off” for long. Ubans wraps things up with Part Three, a slides and music experience 58

PORTLAND MONTHLY

that takes viewers into space—outside of them selves and the planet—but hopefully inward, too. It is here some of the m ost beautiful m om ents occur. One slide taken from NASA shots in space shows the earth with its thin veil of atm osphere and cold black space beyond. It is an expression of frailty, transience, and beauty that sums up certain reasons for creating art. A true work-in-progress, the piece is going through continued reworking, says Ubans, and will be performed again. Early negotiations with the Port land Performing Arts Center stalled when the director, Margay Whitlock, left. Ubans is currently looking for grant m oney to finance a major redevelop m ent yet still plans to stage several perform ances of a slightly improved version this summer, m aybe at the Maine Festival. In a major overhaul, Ubans says the direction will be toward a more theatri cal piece. He would like Part One with the T’ai Chi solo dance to remain intact. Part Two would see new collaborative ideas more tightly woven together with a them e or text. Part Three would expand and serve to tie all the elements together in summary. So much of “He Was Beside Himself” is the result of so many people, it is impossible to nam e or list them all. Throughout, Ubans sits in the center of the project—much as he does o n s ta g e serving as an impulse yet at the same time keeping still and letting it happen. Principals in the project are William Matthews, music; Larry Landau, move ment; Bill McCarthy, visuals; Image Works, projections; Stephanie Dykas, costum es; Judy Goodwin, producer; Tim Lasheway, stage production; and Margaret Burchenal of the Portland Museum of Art. Collaborators are Robin Tara and Dennis Gilbert, Christine Woelfle and Alan Bray, F.R. Vance, Christopher Moore, Tom Brennan, and Stephanie Dykas. They are assisted by performers Landau, Caroline Loupe, Jane Wendelken, Reggie Osborn, Aura Woelfle, Nathan Morse, Thomas Lindsay, Richard Wilson, and Fran Merritt. From the excitement felt in the packed auditorium the night of the perform ance, it is clear that the community is ready to be challenged, hum ored, stimulated, and entertained by such an unusual collaborative event. We await the next installment.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

MARK STIMSON

BY RICHARD BENNETT MAY 1986

he anim ated septuagenarian sign painter may telecast his aston ishment th at “They’re the only real estate folks I know that sell more SOLD signs than FOR SALE signs!” but

but he adds, “It’s beginning to get a little scary because there are a lot for sale. They sell, but it’s a slow sell.” Stimson estimates that between 2,500 and 3,000 condominium units are slated

“Stimson estimates that between 2,500 and 3,000 condom inium units are slated to enter the Portland m arket over the next 2 to 3 years.” anyone fol lowing Mark Stimson’s career over the past two decades would not be surprised with his accomplishment. March of this year marked the 20th birthday of Mark Stimson Associates. “We opened our firm with the anticipa tion of a one-, two-, or three-man office,” recalls Stimson. “But as I got into the business of managing and hir ing, it got exciting. I found that I enjoyed managing.” Afterworkingfor the Beecher Agency for 10 years, Stimson began peddling property on his own in 1966. For the first year the firm found its hom e on Forest Avenue, but then the central office was moved to its current address on Wash ington Avenue. During the first eight years the com pany expanded to four offices in th e area. Now, the brokerage has grown into 11 offices with 135 salespeople located all over the Greater Portland area—from Lisbon Falls to Biddeford—with two in Portland itself. Until recently, Stimson had always specialized only in residential real estate, particularly in the handling and sale of condominium developm ents. Current and recent marketing efforts include Tara condominium and Frost Hill single-family hom e developm ents in North Deering; the Ledges on Stev ens Avenue; Willowood, Graham Hill, Carriage Crossing, Williamsburg Place in Scarborough; and Jamestown Court in South Portland. “When it first started here, the con dominium m arket was a little slow,” Stimson says. “But then the sam e thing happened as in the other states— people got used to the concept.” Now Stimson calls the market “excellent,” 60

PORTLAND MONTHLY

to enter the Portland market over the next two to three years. He hopes that that figure is high, for he fears a poten tial glut in the market. But Stimson sees Portland’s popular ity as perhaps fending off the potential problem. “Portland has had a lot of great publicity in the last year or two as one of the top little cities in the country. There is a lot of excitem ent with the symphony, the m useum, refurbishing the downtown, and w hat’s happening

m ore economical and convenient con dominium. Over the past year, Mark Stimson Associates have begun to specialize more in commercial real estate, as well as residential. Why? “I’ve always wanted to because I’ve been in business on the peninsula and I hired a couple of people who w anted to do it,” Stimson explains. “Also, in all these offices in som e of these outlying areas, we’ve noticed that it is difficult to find com panies that will broker commercial properties. Each of our offices has one or two people that specialize in it.” When asked why he w ent into the real estate business in the first place, Stimson says quickly, “To make money.” He laughs and then explains, “I had no formal background or training, and I w anted to do som ething where the harder Iworked the m ore I got paid. And I like to deal with people.” And Stimson is a manager. Asked specific questions on the details of his business, he goes swiftly to the file cabinet and to his salespeople for the answers. People, rather than real estate, are Stimson’s forte, and his ability to handle them is w hat has given him his

“I t ’s beginning to get a little scary because there are a lo t fo r sale. They sell, but i t ’s a slow sell. ” -M ARK STIMSON

on the waterfront.” Born in Falmouth and brought up on a dairy farm there, Stimson has always lived in the Port land area. “I’ve always been big on the city. I just think it’s great, and always have.” Stimson believes that the people com ing to th e P ortland residential m arket are “a com bination of a lot of people who want to com e back or w ho’ve had ties to Maine” or those arriving from less fortunate areas of the state. Condominiums are an attractive alternative to individuals of all kinds— younger people, retired people trading their old hom es for available cash, and others selling their second hom e for a

bustling business. “Nothing really good can stand still. It has to grow,” he comments. “A busi ness can’t stand still, and neither can a city. A lot of people have been coming into Maine from out of state, and gener ally it’s been good.”

STYLE

DATING 1

elanie, 24, overflows with enthu siasm for her new job and her new city. She exchanged aero bics for matchmaking, Boston for Port land last January with no regrets. A perky brunette with Pollyanna eyes, she moves through her small New Beginnings office at 723 Congress Street with a dancer’s energy and agility. She loves to talk. And, as boss Greg Johnson observed when he hired her. “Her therm ostat’s turned way up.” Leo Buscaglia would approve. “People are tired of the typical sin gles scene and th e superficial atti tudes they find in bars,” says Melanie. “Plus, you can spend a lot of time and money finding people who are not compatible with you. A dating service can eliminate all that. “Ten years ago, using a dating service would have been a last resort, but not anymore.” Today, people talk openly about their m em bership, she says, “as long as the service is supportive, positive, personal, and open.” Melanie reports th at m ost of their 275 m em bers are betw een 25 and 38 years old, m ost are career-oriented, and m ost are male, although th at var ies. Members com e to the office for an interview, fill out a questionnaire, and are rewarded with dates and lots of TLC. Obviously, the system concentrates on compatibility; but opposites do attract, she says, as long as personal goals, intellect, and certain environ mental factors, includingreligion, smok ing, and drinking patterns, are similar. And how much does all this cost? There are three m em bership packages:

3 m onths for $50; 6 m onths for $150; and 12 m onths for $300. “I don’t believe people need to pay astronomical fees for help with their personal lives,” she shrugs. “I think our figures are reason able.”

ven reasonable fees add up fast. Within the next five years, she pro jects, New Beginnings will gross over $80,000 per year. “The m arket’s definitely there,” she says. “I can feel the rum ble.” Or is that crumble? During the past th re e years, th re e dating services opened and six closed in Maine alone. “Eighty percent of all new dating ser vices close within a year.” That sober ing statistic is offered by Tammy Town send, m anager of Together, Inc., a Boston-based dating service that has successfully passed that m ilestone 13 times. Twice in Portland.

“‘B ob was m y first date, and we were so compat ible it was uncanny. We even had the same din ingroom furniture!’ They also had the same zip code (04363)

wo o ther survivors, M atchmaker and Dateline, represent two ex trem e exam ples of the dating/ mating matrix. “My m other won a free membership in M atchm aker and gave it to me,” recalls Jackie Smith, 33, of Sydney, Maine. “I really didn’t think it would work, but it sure beat being in a bar, watching my girlfriends dance.” One m onth and three dates later, she m et her husband, Harold. “It was instant ‘want-to-be-with-you’,” she grins. Jackie and Harold represent one of at least four such success stories each m onth for M atchmaker, the Waterville

BY LYNN CAMPBELL PHOTOGRAPHS BY RHONDA FARNHAM MAY 1986

“New Beginnings has 3 membership packages: 3 m onths for $50; 6 m onths for $150; and 12 m onths for $300. ”

com puter dating service owned and operated by coffee table counselor and connubial consort Lin Olcott. Gail, a 33-year-old registered nurse, adm itted that she didn’t think a dating service would work, either. “I used to think only losers go to a dating service,” she says, “but not anymore. Bob was my first date, and we were so com pati ble it was uncanny. We even had the sam e dining room furniture!” They also shared the sam e zip code. (04363). “We lived five miles apart,” Gail says incredulously, “but our paths wouldn’t have crossed any other way.” Dave’s re-entry into the dating sphere cam e after his wife’s death four years ago. He was a “package deal,” he says wryly; a 52-year-old widower with five children. “I didn’t know where to go or what to do. The bar scene and onenight flings were just not my thing.” He joined a num ber of clubs and dating services, covering 14,000 miles in four m onths in his search for com panion ship. “I was hunting,” he sighs, “and I was tired of it.” Finally, Dave joined Matchmaker. Lin m atched him with Sue Dearborn, a divorced m other of six who lived one mile down the road from him. “As soon as Lin m entioned Sue’s name, 1started smiling,” Dave recalls. “I’d known Sue for three years.” Now they’re engaged.

“Dave joined a num ber o f clubs and dating services, covering 14,000 miles in fo u r m onths in his search fo r companionship. 7 was hunting, ’ he sighs, ‘and 1 was tired o f i t

PORTLAND MONTHLY

ogether is the Mary Kay of the dating business. With more than 100 offices in 13 states, thousands of m em bers (1,700 in Maine alone), pep talks monthly, workshops and semin ars quarterly, sales quotas, and incen tives, Together is fast cornering a grow ing segm ent of the national dating market. “We’ve been the m ost active dating service in the state,” Tammy notes. “I like to take credit for that.” Indeed, the blonde, blue-eyed part-time model won special recognition last December for attracting record num bers of new mem bers to her branch of the 16-office New England network. The success of dating services in the 1980s, she says, is due to three factors: the increasing dem ands and limited social contact of the workplace, the superficiality of the bar scene, and a new, analytical attitude.

“We’re becom ing m ore of a serviceoriented society,” she observes. “If your sink leaks, you call a plumber. If you need a date, you call a dating service.”

ell, almost. “There’s still a lot of stereotyping,” she admits. The couples who have m et and married through Together “don’t want to talk about it. It’s like going to the doctor—you d o n ’t w ant people to know.” Tammy’s clients range in age from 20 to 90, hail from Bangor to York, and represent an equal opportunity mix ture of races, creeds, and physical attributes. But all need a com m on financial baseline to afford her service. Annual fees stretch from $300 to $900, depending on the num ber of dates con tracted. “I usually recom m end 12 dates per client for the best results,” she says. That’s the $650 package. And there are no refunds. “You get w hat you pay for,” she rea sons. “Our fees m ay seem exorbitant, but they are useful in controlling the membership.” In a sense, they are part of the screening process that attracts and holds h er largely professional clientele. And what are all these single profes sionals looking for? “I think everyone, down deep, is looking for marriage,” Tammy says. “On the average, they value sincerity, honesty, and trust worthiness m ore than physical attri butes. Most people are looking for a person.”

“Most men like the idea of meeting professional wom en,” she continues. Within reason. “They say, Be inde pendent, but save time for m e.” Most women want independent men who are also romantic. “That’s a good blend,” she adds, and a good dating service can supply it. “So why waste time?” Lin O lcott c o u ld n ’t agree more. Thoughtful, witty, sincere, warm, Lin is a classic ‘people person.’ And she makes it perfectly clear that M atch maker is more than a business or nick name; it is a mission. From her cozy kitchen and den-turned-office, she wages a very personal war against what she regards as the social scourge of the

1980s: loneliness. “Loneliness is a very serious social problem ,” she says, pointing to accel erated career pressures, a 60-percent national divorce rate, and a growing fear of intimacy as contributing factors. The figures back her up. According to the 1980 census report, there are ap proxim ately 84,000 single adults in Maine; th a t’s a 68-percent increase over the 57,000 reported in 1970. In Portland alone, there are 8,000 singles betw een the ages of 25-34. Lin, 45 and divorced herself, em pha sizes that “Dating and marriage are alive and well. The em otional needs to belong—to be accepted and loved— have not changed; but the ways we go about m eeting those needs, the care fulness of our choices, have definitely changed.” Five thousand Maine singles say that M atchm aker is one way to hedge those bets. Basically, the M atchmaker system works like this: New m em bers (over 18 and unm arried) answ er a profession ally designed 200-point questionnaire concerning their backgounds, interests, values, and dating desires; then pay a $25 lifetime m em bership fee to join. C om pleted questionnaires are pro gram m ed into a Commodore PET 2001 at the rate of 7 to 11 per day, w here they mingle with nearly 2,000 other active files. (Over 3,000 are “on hold” with steady dates.) Twice a week, Lin sits down to her keyboard, enters Cupid’s combination, and w atches up to 25 brand new m atches roll off.

"There are approxi m ately 84,000 single adults in Maine; that’s a 68-percent increase over the 57,000 reported in 1970. In Portland alone, there are 8,000 singles between the ages of 25-34. ”

er formula works. Lin made her first m atch in 1981;thisyear,sheplans to expand nationally through two franchised services: M atchmates, Inc. and the m ore casual Dial-A-Date. Flagship offices are scheduled to open in New Hampshire and Vermont within the next six months. *(In sharp contrast to the expanding M atchm aker, D ateline began as a national dating service with 9 regional offices and over 20,000 members. In terested singles dial a toll-free tele phone num ber, then receive an appli cation form by mail. The service is inexpensive—$60 per year guarantees 12-80 m atches—and impersonal. There is no consultation and no follow-up).

» _________________________________ Lynn C am pbell lives in Scarborough. She is a Maine correspondent for USA Today.

MAY 1986

NEW FICTION

BY FRED BONNIE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BARRY IMHOFF

he sum m er of 1961 was a summer of heros. Roger Maris w as about to break B abe R uth’s single season hom e run record, Alan Shepard had becom e the first American astro naut in space, and John Kennedy had endeared himself to West Germans by calling himself a doughnut ( “.I ch bin ein B e rlin e r!”).

Riverside Golf Couse, where 1 cad died, was the only public municipal golf course, and m ost of the out-ofstate visitors cam e to Riverside to play. The regular club m em bers were a tightly knit bunch; many were excel lent golfers, and nearly a dozen were perennial c o n te n d e rs for th e City Championship. They had an advan tage inasm uch as Riverside was the perm anent hom e of the tournam ent. The regular guys found som e way to play golf every day. One worked nights at the post office and cam e to the course immediately after work. Another was a restaurant supply salesm an with a w ell-estab lish ed ro u te w ho had trained his custom ers to call their orders directly to his office. Another was a night supervisor at the can fac tory. Not one of them was rich, and yet they occupied the golf course with an obsession th at seem ed to dismiss all other pursuits, including work, as trivial. They were tightly knit and they never mixed with the out-of-staters, especially the French Canadians who came in droves from Old Orchard Beach to play Riverside. None of the out-of-staters were any good, not the ones who hired caddies, anyway, and the Canadians were especially inept on the golf course. The caddies had par ticular scorn for the Canadians, who were known to be bad tippers, and we’d recom m end the wrong clubs, lose their golf balls, and otherwise ensure th at they played m iserably at Riverside. The only outsiders who were ac cepted by the regular guys were Gus and R.V. They w ere a father and son duo who lived in Sarasota but had a summer place on Sebago Lake. They were rich, although no one knew how they had com e by their money. Gus was dark and balding, with bronzed, M editerranean skin and w hat sounded to us like a New York accent. R.V. was tall and thin, very shy, and his face was riddled with acne. He was in law school and confided to me th at he despised the idea of becoming a lawyer. They were both terrific golfers but in different ways.

Gus was utterly consistent, hitting fifteen of eighteen greens in regulation every single round. R.V. was the oppo site. He’d had golf lessons since he was six, and his height lent his perfect swing a mighty arc that m ade the air trem ble w hen he sw atted his ball from the grassy tees. Some days R.V. would tear the course apart, ham m ering long

'‘The caddies had p a rticu la r scorn fo r the Canadians, who were known to be bad tippers, and w e d recom m end the wrong clubs, lose their g o lf balls, and otherwise ensure that they played m iserably at Riverside. ”

drives and landing his iron shots within a club’s length of the holes. Other days, h e’d spray his powerful shots so far into the w oods that you couldn’t have chased them with a helicopter, and his putts would race by the hole as if they’d been caught in a gale. What first m ade me realize that R.V. was an unusual character was th at after h e ’d m ade a bad shot, h e’d lag behind eve ryone else and give himself a stern whack on the leg with his club. I also noticed that he played his best golf when everyone ignored him. As soon as som eone praised a shot, his game w ent straight to hell. So he often played an extra nine holes alone with me caddying. He’d explained his di lem m a with praise, and I’d learned to either keep my m outh shut or else dis parage his best shots. The last time I caddied for him, h e’d shot a ninety-six for the regular round and had clubbed himself black and blue. He was barely able to limp around the last three holes. He and Gus lost a bundle to the guys they were playing. “I’m mortified,” he told me as we drank sodas in the clubhouse. “Want to play a redem ption round?” “I would if 1 could walk.” “Too bad we don’t have electric carts here,” I said. “I’ll try it anyway.” I followed R.V. to the first tee as he limped painfully along the dirt path. I had caddied for him nearly every day for two m onths, and he had com e to MAY 1986

confide in me. His life was basically miserable; h e’d grown up under the watchful eye of parental expectation, h e ’d never been out with a girl and he was twenty-four years old, he hated the game of golf but Gus would be crushed if he ever quit, and his m other essentially w anted him to be a minister if law school didn’t work out. “Nicklaus beat Palmer today,” R.V. said dejectedly. “And h e’s a year or two younger than I am.” “You could kill him on a good day, Champ.” “Don’t call me Champ.” He nailed his tee shot, and I could hardly contain myself as I watched it blaze toward the green. The hole was a par five, but I could see that R.V. had left himself no m ore than a five-iron shot to the green. 1 said nothing. He stepped up to the ball as if he hardly saw it and sm acked it to within four feet of th e flag on the first green. The putt rolled in as if it had eyes. R.V.’s drive on num ber two was high, but it w as straight. He hit an eight iron to the edge of the green, and the ball rolled to the edge of the hole, froze there, and then dropped. I couldn’t stay silent. “Rotten shot, Champ! Couldn’t have been worse.” R.V. was still limping but I could see a little m ore life in the limp as he hobbled toward the third tee, a long par three with the green at the bottom of the hill from which he prepared to tee off. He hit a blistering four iron that sailed high and appeared to be coming straight down on the flag. The ball took one high leap and settled three feet from the hole. He knocked the putt in without even checking to line it up. “I’m losing it,” he said. “I eagled the first two and th at w as only a birdie.” “Miserable,” I agreed. “You’re five under par after three holes. Give it up.” R.V. p aired four and five, bu t on num ber six, a short par three that stretched along a ridge overlooking num ber four on the right and num ber seven on the left, he hit his tee shot into a sand trap. “T hat’s it,” he grumbled. “All over.” “Terrible shot,” I said. But he blasted from the trap to six inches from the hole to save another par. He was five under par after six holes. If he could par the last three, h e’d tie the course record for the front nine. 66

PORTLAND MONTHLY

“He stepped up to the ball as if he hardly saw it and sm acked it to within four feet o f the flag on the first green. The pu tt rolled in as if it had eyes. ”

Number seven was a short par four that w ent from a hilltop tee across a vale to a hilltop green about three hundred and forty years away. R.V. s tee shot sailed high and straight, catch ing the wind and falling just to the right of the green on the top of the other hill. I held my breath, waiting to see if the ball was going to roll all the way back down the hill. The one other time I’d seen som eone make it th at far on his tee shot, the ball ended up at the b o t tom of the hill and the guy took a six on the hole. R.V.’s ball held at the crest as if it had been glued there. I let out a sigh.

“Just luck, Champ.” R.V. w asn’t paying attention to me anymore. I could see th at he burned with the fever of a hot round and nothing I could say was going to make a difference. He chipped close to the pin and sank a two-foot putt for a bird ie. Two pars and w e’d have a new course record. Then I had a black thought. I was the only witness. Would the club officers accept his scorecard as official? I doubted it. I w ondered if I shouldn’t try to get at least one other person to follow us for the last two holes. R.V. seem ed to read my mind. “Let’s just get this over with.” He’d already teed his ball for num ber eight. I saw Gus down by the clubhouse and the second R.V. turned his back to hit, I waved for Gus to com e up to the tee. He hesitated a m om ent, then seem ed to understand w hat might be happening and began to trot toward us. R.V. hit a thunderous drive toward the eighth green, another short par four, and the ball bounded along the hard fairway toward the green. R.V. didn’t wait to see it land and was already halfway to the green when 1 caught up to him. The ball sat on the edge of the green and R.V. held his hand in back of him to receive his put ter from me. He hit a long, curving putt th at popped on the edge of the hole and stopped two feet beyond. He was about to tap the second pu tt in when he saw Gus approaching. He missed the putt. I could see him seethe as he tapped the ball in and headed for the ninth tee. Gus caught up to me. “He’s one under the course record. I wanted a witness.” Gus’s eyebrows rose and we both strode quickly toward the final tee. I could see that R.V. was perturbed to see Gus, who was beaming. “Attaboy, son. Tear it up. The course record is yours with just a par!” I w atched R.V. com e undone as he readied himself to swing. He cut across the ball and it sailed over th e tops of the trees to the right and crashed against at least five trees before it dropped to the ground. R.V. took the penalty and hit again. The second ball followed the first. He headed for the w oods on the run, his battered ankles miraculously healed. Gus and I followed to the edge of the

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woods. R.V. som ehow found his ball and tried to hit it out of the woods. It bounced from tree trunk to tree trunk. R.V. hit again and the ball knocked against m ore trees. Then again, and again. “Oh, no . . . ” Gus moaned. I tried to count the strokes but I had to give up. R.V. had hit the ball at least thirty times and he still w asn’t out of the woods. Gus and I were about to head back to th e clubhouse w hen the ball suddenly popped out of the woods and onto the fairway. R.V. cam e storm ing out, scratched and limping. I fig ured he’d been hard on himself again. Neither Gus nor I said anything as we followed him toward the green. I fig ured I’d at least check to see if there was such a thing as a course record for the first eight holes.

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Fred B on n ie grew up in Portland and now lives in Birmingham, Alabama. He has pub lished in m any literary magazines and was a contributor to In sid e V acationland . . . Fiction From The Real Maine.

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