Maine Magazine October 2017 by Maine Magazine

October 2017

HAND-SEWN HERITAGE

SHOEMAKERS AT THE SOURCE

OUR ANNUAL FINANCIAL LISTING

7:31 AM

MM_October17.indd 163

9/5/17 2:15 PM

We almost have too many vehicles to choose from, Almost.

191 Riverside Street

MM_October17.indd 1

Across from Maine Mall

9/5/17 2:11 PM

T:8.5” S:7.667”

S:9.917”

MM_October17.indd 2

9/5/17 2:11 PM

Maine Honda Dealers CARE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITIES IN MAINE

B:11”

T:10.75”

S:9.917”

Mainers know that when you see a friend or neighbor in need, you lend a helping hand. Maine Honda Dealers are commited to the people of Maine and investing in our future. Together, they have contributed over $1 million to local charities in Maine. MaineHondaDealers.com Visit your local Maine Honda dealer for great deals!

Charlie’s Honda

Augusta, ME (207) 622-4776

MM_October17.indd 3

Lee Honda

Auburn, ME (207) 784-5441

Griffeth Honda

Presque Isle, ME (207) 769-2761

Berlin City Honda of Portland

S. Portland, ME (207) 774-1429

Prime Honda Saco

Saco, ME (207) 282-0900

Darlings Honda Bangor

Bangor, ME (207) 941-1460

9/5/17 2:11 PM

HELEN LEWIS O C T 5 – O C T 27

SEEING WHAT YOU LOOK FOR | 30” x 30”| PIGMENTED BEESWAX, DAMAR RESIN ON WOOD PANEL

OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY, OCT 5, 5-7PM 154 Middle Street, Portland, Maine TO REQUEST A SHOW CATALOG OR SCHEDULE A PRIVATE VIEWING PLEASE CONTACT EMMA WILSON OR LAURA BRYER AT 207.956.7105

MM_October17.indd 4

9/5/17 2:11 PM

OUR CUSTOMERS ENJOY

FREE ATMs WORLDWIDE *

DO YOU?

Open an account today at your nearest branch, online, or on the Bangor mobile app. *For certain international ATM withdrawals, due to technical limitations, we will automatically reimburse $3.00 of an ATM fee charged. In those instances where the fee exceeds $3.00, please bring your ATM transaction receipt to any Bangor Savings Bank branch for the remaining reimbursement. Please ask for further details before traveling abroad. Member FDIC

MM_October17.indd 5

9/5/17 2:11 PM

Because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve earned this.

Spirit prices are the same in stores all over Maine.

MM_October17.indd 6

Live well, drink responsibly. mainespirits.com

9/5/17 2:11 PM

Gene and Barbara Grove recently moved from Whitefish, Montana to HG

A National Destination with New Opportunities

Nearly 200 single family Highland Green homes and growing, with new Highland Green friends from 30 different U.S. states and counting!

Introducing a new type of neighborhood within HG:

THE

NEST Modern loft style homes; one floor living; three story buildings; corner units; high ceilings; large windows; elevators; covered parking; same HG lifestyle.

Now taking reservations for choice of floor and orientation, 1-866-854-1200

The Northeastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier 55+ Active Adult Lifestyle Community 7 Evergreen Circle, Topsham, Maine | 866-854-1200 / 207-725-4549 | HighlandGreenLifestyle.com MM_October17.indd 7

You Tube

9/5/17 2:11 PM

AUBURN • AUGUSTA• BANGOR • TOPSHAM • SOUTH PORTLAND WATERVILLE • MANCHESTER, NH. 800-439-3297

It’s a long journey to become the one.

® and

™ are Trade Marks of The De Beers Group of Companies.

w w w . d ay s j e w e l e r s . c o m

MM_October17.indd 8

9/5/17 2:11 PM

ÂŠ2017 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times. Optional equipment shown is extra.

Every inch a Porsche. With just enough inches dedicated to storage and seating. From top to bottom, there's no denying the Cayenne is pure sports car performance. Our legendary horsepower and handling, as you would expect, are there in spades. Impossible to ignore, however, is the Cayenne's practicality. Notably, the plentiful seating and creatively appointed storage space. Visit our showroom to see what we do with the rest of those inches. Porsche. There is no substitute.

See how the Cayenne measures up.

Morong-Falmouth 187 US Route 1 Falmouth, Maine 04105 Tel. 207-781-4020 www.morong-falmouth.porschedealer.com

MM_October17.indd 9

9/5/17 2:11 PM

MAINE JEWELRY COLLECTIVE HAND CRAFTED • ETHICALLY SOURCED • INDIVIDUALLY INSPIRED

LISA GENT

O R G A N I C S T Y L E F O R E V E R Y DAY

C A P E E L I Z A B E T H | 2 0 7. 7 9 9 . 9 7 3 9 L I S A G E N T. C O M

C I R C L E STO N E D E S I G N S

MM_October17.indd 10

JENNIFER NIELSEN F I N E B E AC H S TO N E J E W E L R Y

P O R T L A N D | 2 0 7. 7 9 9 . 3 4 6 0 J N I E L S E N J E W E L R Y. C O M

LISA JANE GRANT

AUTHENTIC HAND FORGED DESIGNS

CONTEMPORARY MOKUME-GANE

W O O LW I C H | 2 0 7. 4 4 3 . 4 74 3 CIRCLESTONEDESIGNS.COM

C U M B E R L A N D | 2 0 7. 6 5 3 . 2 8 8 7 L I S A J A N E G R A N T. C O M

9/5/17 2:11 PM

Bufflehead Cove Inn | Kennebunkport buffleheadcove.com

Pomegranate Inn | Portland pomegranateinn.com

Between Heaven and Earth, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maine. Find your Maine here... Lindsey Hotel | Rockland lindseyhotelmaine.com

Grey Havens Inn | Georgetown greyhavens.com

Belfast Bay Inn | Belfast belfastbayinn.com

MM_October17.indd 11

Ullikana Inn | Bar Harbor ullikanainn.com

9/5/17 2:11 PM

contents

MM_October17.indd 12

9/5/17 2:12 PM

on the cover

Using awls, hammers, and heavy-duty needles, skilled craftspeople still make handmade and hand-sewn shoes in Maine. Here, a shoe underway on a last form at Quoddy in Lewiston. Photography by Peter Frank Edwards

Making the Complex Look Simple 070

A new generation takes charge at Thos. Moser. by Philip Conkling | Photography by Matt Cosby

on this page

Laura Rose Day and John Banks helped lead the 16-year effort to restore the Penobscot River. Photography by Nicole Wolf

A River Runs Through It 080

A 16-year effort to restore the Penobscot has become a model for the planet. by Philip Conkling | Photography by Nicole Wolf

Shoes, to the Source 094

Inspired by what’s so often on our feet, we go on a shoe-town-drive-around from Brunswick to Lewiston to Norridgewock, stopping by shop floors and shoemakers to see how and where they’re still made.

THERE + THEN 022 Going out, giving back: supporting nonprofits + local businesses in the vital work they do year-round

by Sandy Lang | Photography by Peter Frank Edwards

SOCIAL MEDIA 031 Sharing memories of the state sparked by social media

Finding a Path Forward 110

Business leaders reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing Maine’s improving economy.

NEW + NOTEWORTHY 033 What’s happening around the state

by Paul Koenig | Photography by Erin Little and Sarah Beard Buckley

48 HOURS

034 Saco and Biddeford + Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg, and Georgetown

2017 Financial Services Listing 112

Our annual guide to Maine banks and credit unions, financial consultants, investment firms, and venture capitalists.

by Jeffrey D’Amico and Peter Heinz

Checks and Balances 120

A-LIST 054 Fall Foliage Destinations

by Katy Kelleher | Photography by Erin Little

WELLNESS 056 At Home on Hawk Ridge

In her Falmouth Flats home, designer Tyler Karu has created a space that’s equal parts creative and calming.

by Brittany Cost Photography by Peter Frank Edwards

by Dr. Lisa Belisle Photography by Matt Cosby

LOVE MAINE RADIO

with Dr. Lisa Belisle Jean Hoffman

064

Photography by Dave Dostie

EAT 134 Sur Lie

by Karen Watterson Photography by Nicole Wolf

EAT BLOGS

142 Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea + The Thistle Inn

by Karen Watterson Photography by Nicole Wolf

CAPTURE

160

Nikki Kelson

080

MM_October17.indd 13

EDITOR’S NOTE 017 STAFF NOTE 019 CONTRIBUTORS 021 WORDS FROM OUR READERS 027 EVENTS 028

9/5/17 2:12 PM

We know the state of Maine.

WHERE TO GO WHAT TO DO WHERE TO SHOP WHERE TO EAT

+ MORE

Need advice? Ask the experts.

MM_October17.indd 14

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Etched with the Maine coastline from Lubec to Kittery.

Visit Us Vist our new store in Old Port Opening mid-October 75 Market Street Portland, Maine

sustainable clothing responsibly sourced + skillfully crafted in america ramblersway.com

MM_October17.indd 15

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Karen Bowe, Anna DeLuca, Jessica Goodwin, Ryan Hammond, Peter Heinz, Tom Urban PRODUCTION MANAGER | Joel Kuschke DIRECTOR OF EVENTS + SPONSORSHIPS | Terri Coakley ONLINE EDITOR | Shelbi Wassick

THIS IS SO MAINE.

Dr. Lisa Belisle, Philip Conkling, Katy Kelleher, Sandy Lang, Karen Watterson PHOTOGRAPHERS |

Sarah Beard Buckley, Matt Cosby, Dave Dostie, Peter Frank Edwards, Erin Little, Nicole Wolf COVER PHOTOGRAPHER | Peter Frank Edwards PHOTO RETOUCHING | Tripp Harrington CIRCULATION | Sarah Lynn ART COLLECTOR MAINE |

Laura A. Bryer, Jack Leonardi, Taylor McCafferty, Anna Wickstrom, Emma Wilson, Aurora Winkler THE BRAND COMPANY |

Chris Kast, Melissa Pearson, Mali Welch LOVE MAINE RADIO |

Spencer Albee, Dr. Lisa Belisle, Brittany Cost, Paul Koenig, Casey Lovejoy, Shelbi Wassick MAINE HOME+DESIGN |

Jen DeRose, Heidi Kirn OLD PORT |

Susan Axelrod, Kate Seremeth

SUBSCRIBE | themainemag.com

Chief Executive Officer | Kevin Thomas Chief Operating Officer | Andrea King Chief Financial Officer | Jack Leonardi

WE DELIVER. Subscribe 207 772 3373 themainemag.com/subscribe

Maine is published twelve times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC Editorial and subscription information: phone 207.772.3373 | fax 888.836.6715 75 Market Street | Suite 203 | Portland | Maine | 04101 Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements, unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff, or advisory board. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Maine nor any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. Copyright © 2017, Maine Media Collective LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 16

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

EDITOR’S NOTE Photography by Heidi Kirn

Howland

Norridgewock

Old Town Bradley Veazie Eddington

Lewiston, Auburn Pownal Falmouth

Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg, Georgetown, Brunswick Boothbay Harbor

Portland Cape Elizabeth Saco, Biddeford

October in Maine—

Stories from around the state

When interviewing financial experts for our story on the state’s economy, a common position stuck out: that while Maine has recovered from the Great Recession, work is needed to boost economies in rural communities, including those historically reliant on manufacturing, forestry, and other industries that have shrunk in recent decades. Yellow Light Breen, president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation, told me that changes to industries like forestry, farming, and fishing have led to a renewed focus on finding ways to innovate (“Finding a Path Forward,” p. 110). He said those traditional industries will still be a big part of the state’s economy, “but it’s going to look different than it did 50 years ago. It’s going to be driven by much greater innovation and the ability to capitalize on global trends.” The theme of adapting and innovating is found throughout our annual Financial Issue. On the Penobscot River, a series of hydropower dams blocked 1,000 miles of habitat for sea-run fish for almost two

Subscribe online: themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 17

centuries before a 16-year effort from environmental groups, the Penobscot Nation, and federal and state agencies successfully removed the river’s two major dams and bypassed a third (“A River Runs Through It,” p. 80). Along with restoring fish habitats and spawning grounds, the free-flowing river has provided additional recreational opportunities. This summer, for the third year in a row, the Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta was held on a section of the river restored by the project. Maine’s footwear manufacturing industry also stretches back more than a century. While the industry has diminished significantly, a handful of companies are thriving. Sandy Lang and Peter Frank Edwards toured the manufacturing facilities of Quoddy, L.L.Bean, and New Balance, finding operations that rely on technological advances and workers with decades of experience to succeed in the 21st century. (“Shoes, to the Source,” p. 94). Sometimes, an evolution is more personal. At Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, Aaron

Moser, the third son of the company’s eponymous founder, Tom Moser, was recently appointed president and CEO of the 45-year-old company (“Making the Complex Look Simple,” p. 70). He talked with writer Philip Conkling about the challenges of the leadership transition and what it’s like to succeed his father. It’s important to remember that an individual business’s successes and failures do not exist in a vacuum. Global market trends, demographic changes, and public policies all factor into the growth of a business and, in turn, our economy. The businesses and efforts highlighted in this issue serve as examples of ways Maine’s economy can adapt to change and respect its past, all the while keeping an eye on the future.

Paul Koenig Managing Editor pkoenig@themainemag.com

October 2017 17

9/5/17 2:12 PM

CREATE BIGGER

BRAND

WE LOVE MAINE. We fill our work days creating Maine-centric media products—publishing magazines and guides, producing radio shows, managing social media sites, developing websites, filming videos, producing events—because of this simple tenet. Our staff stayed here, came back here, or moved here because they love Maine’s rich history, its unique character, and the people who live here, and most importantly we believe in Maine’s potential. We simultaneously love the Maine we grew up in, while fully embracing the reality that things change and evolve. And we bear witness to that happening here. We are cheerleaders for Maine as a place for people to live, stay, and thrive—a place for people from away to move to, as a place for second homeowners to buy into, a place to raise children, a place to start and operate a business, as a place to visit and explore, as a place to escape and heal. And, as a place to be inspired. We cover Maine in a positive light. We very intentionally leave the negativity and snark to other media outlets. There is a place for everything, and we honor that. But that place is not here. So if you love Maine, please turn to us with your reading eyes, your listening ears, your follows and your likes, your attendance, and your advertising and sponsorships. Explore what we believe is the best Maine has to offer on the pages of our magazines, guides, through the airwaves, at events, and via social media.

BRAND DEVELOPMENT ADVERTISING PRINT + WEB DESIGN SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY MEDIA PLANNING

SUBSCRIBE | themainemag.com

Chief Executive Officer | Kevin Thomas Chief Operating Officer | Andrea King Chief Financial Officer | Jack Leonardi Maine is published twelve times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC

It’s about a new direction. thebrandcompany.me 207.772.3373

Editorial and subscription information: phone 207.772.3373 | fax 888.836.6715 75 Market Street | Suite 203 | Portland | Maine | 04101 Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements, unless otherwise noted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher, staff, or advisory board. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Maine nor any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. Copyright © 2017, Maine Media Collective LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission, in writing, from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 18

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

STAFF NOTE Photography by Sean Thomas

Living and working in Maine is a privilege. With all of the natural beauty that surrounds us the living part is surely easy to understand and enjoy; the working part is a bit more complex. The businesses and organizations responsible for creating the jobs that allow each of us to make a living here need to have financially sound and sustainable operations. These organizations and their principals rely on financial advisors and institutions to support and help guide their businesses and personal wealth planning. This month’s issue focuses on the critical role that financial services companies play in Maine’s economic stability and development, and Maine Media Collective is proud to say that we work exclusively with Maine-based financial services providers. Since our inception more than ten years ago, we have worked with Cole Harrison Insurance in Kennebunk for our insurance and risk management advisory services. Principal Jeff Cole and his team have consistently provided outstanding service and advice that we value and trust.

Subscribe online: themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 19

On the banking front, we have relied on Bangor Savings Bank and banking officer Bob Nadeau. Bob truly understands Maine Media Collective’s business, and his personalized service represents the very best of what a local banking relationship should be. Perhaps our most important financial advisory relationship is with our accounting firm Cummings, Lamont, and McNamee (CLM) in Kennebunk. The relationship with CLM founding partner Bruce McNamee and principal Michelle Goldsmith goes well beyond a traditional accounting firm relationship. Bruce’s steady, seasoned hand has provided wise counsel on a wide variety of business strategy subjects. While Bruce spends less time in the office these days, we know we are in good hands with Michelle and that we can always count on Bruce for his sage advice. Personal wealth planning and advisory services are becoming an increasingly important part of the financial services business. Whether it is business succession, retirement, estate, or other financial

planning, more and more of us rely on personal wealth advisors I recently talked with Fred Williams, founder of Old Port Advisors here in the Old Port. Much of our discussion centered on two issues, generational family dynamics and transparency. Fred’s job is a fascinating combination of financial advisor and family counselor. Being able to apply deep financial expertise and a thoughtful, respectful approach to planning are what individuals and families covet when looking for a wealth advisor: My friend Fred possesses both in spades. Here’s to Fred, Jeff, Bob, Bruce, and Michelle, along with the rest of Maine’s financial services community, for helping make the working part a little easier.

Jack Leonardi Chief Financial Officer jleonardi@themainemag.com

October 2017 19

9/5/17 2:12 PM

WE GIVE BACK.

Our mission is to make a substantial and unique commitment to supporting Maine’s nonprofit community both statewide, regionally, and at the town level. We believe that the work Maine’s nonprofit organizations do, individually and collectively, makes our lives better and Maine a better place to live. With limited budgets, Maine’s nonprofits need help boosting awareness of their specific causes and help to raise the funds they need. We have established long-term relationships with over 120 nonprofits and community-based organizations. We give to these organizations by providing, free of charge, services ranging from advertising, graphic design, brand development, marketing advice, online announcements, and social media engagement. We often include nonprofit organizations in our editorial coverage through feature articles and/or recaps of their events. You’ll find the latter in our “There + Then,” “Turnout,” and “Gather” sections. Over the past year, we have made cash and in-kind donations and services of more than:

$1,930,463

ATRE E H T E T A T S E TH TH 4 R E B NOVEM How might we tackle the long-term effects of racism, prepare for the rise of the robots, and eat sustainably*? Find out! Register today:

WE ARE PROUD OF OUR AFFILIATION WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:

TEDxDirigo.com *hint: bugs

SUBSCRIBE | themainemag.com

Chief Executive Officer | Kevin Thomas Chief Operating Officer | Andrea King Chief Financial Officer | Jack Leonardi Maine is published twelve times each year by Maine Media Collective LLC

Thank you to our Inspiration Partner

MM_October17.indd 20

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

CONTRIBUTORS

PETER HEINZ, advertising sales manager, has been

PHILIP CONKLING is the author of many books on local and global environmental topics, including The Fate of Greenland: Lessons from Abrupt Climate Change. His current consulting work includes renewable energy development projects and nonprofit development strategies. “Making the Complex Look Simple,” p. 70, and “A River Runs Through It,” p. 80

Writer SANDY LANG says it was fascinating to visit shoe factories in Maine for a story about the legacy of shoemaking. She’s working on several upcoming features for Maine this fall, and her other recent writing projects include new travel articles for the Ritz-Carlton Magazine and Charleston magazine. “Shoes, to the Source,” p. 94

PETER FRANK EDWARDS photographed “Shoes, to the Source” in this issue. A gift from his uncle of handme-down, 1960s-era L.L.Bean Maine Hunting Shoes are a prized possession. A cookbook he photographed for Le Creuset cookware is to be published by Rizzoli this fall, and his photography also appears in recent issues of Coastal Living and Travel + Leisure magazines. “Shoes, to the Source,” p. 94

with Maine magazine since its inception. He’s been coming to the family camp on Kezar Lake in Lovell for over 25 years. That almost makes him a Mainer. Peter, his wife, Ann, and their dog, Theo, live in Portland and love walking to wherever they decide to go. For non-walking trips they travel by scooter. 48 Hours p. 34

October 2017 21

MM_October17.indd 21

9/5/17 2:12 PM

THERE + THEN Photography by Dave Dostie

JULY CINQ A SEPT

A monthly after-work gathering of friends and colleagues July’s Cinq A Sept was held at Chilton Furniture Co. in Freeport. Sponsored by Pinnacle Landscape and Design, the evening featured food by Dandelion Catering Co., and Spencer Albee provided the music. Art Collector Maine decorated the showroom with work by Brenda Cirioni, William Crosby, and Holly Lombardo, among others. 01

We believe October is one of the best months in Maine. Treat yourself to a night away with your Maine Resident Rate. “This month we were thrilled to spend time with our friends, Chilton Furniture Co. owners Jen and Jared Levin, who created the perfect party atmosphere in their showroom.” —Andrea King, COO of Maine Media Collective

61 South Rd. Chebeague Island, Maine 04017

01 Jared and Jen Levin, co-owners of Chilton Furniture Co. 02 Keith Stone, owner of Pinnacle Landscape and Design, and Maggie Stone, director of operations at the Nature Conservancy 03 Peter Brown, owner of Meadowlark Designs, and Joyce Brown 04 Robert Tirone, operations manager at West Elm, and Janet Barrett, office manager at Russ Doucette Homes 05 Reven Oliver, special events at L.L.Bean, and Elyssa Cohen, architectural photographer at Elyssa Cohen Photography 06 Kevin Thomas, CEO at Maine Media Collective; Sheila Gibbons, director of spirits at Maine Spirits; and Chris Kast, brand builder at the Brand Company 07 Jessica Goodwin, advertising account manager at Maine Media Collective, and Spencer Albee, audio producer of Love Maine Radio 08 Catherine Fossett, executive director at Institute for Family-Owned Business, and Peter Heinz, advertising account manager at Maine Media Collective

www.chebeagueislandinn.com 207.846.5155

MM_October17.indd 22

9/5/17 2:12 PM

53 Western Avenue | Kennebunk, ME | (207) 967-4110 | HURLBUTTDESIGNS.COM

MM_October17.indd 23

9/5/17 2:12 PM

THERE + THEN Photography by Dave Dostie

MAINE STARTUP AND CREATE WEEK VIP KICKOFF EVENT

Celebrating a week-long startup conference Maine Startup and Create Week launched in June with an event at Portland Art Gallery in Portland that included community members, supporters, and volunteer steering committee leaders and sponsors. Maine Startup and Create Week is a conference that features workshops and speakers, and offers networking opportunities for entrepreneurs from around the world. 01

YOUR GO-TO LUNCH + DINNER SPOT.

“In its fourth year, Maine Startup and Create Week is the region’s key event that brings together people from all over Maine and the country to focus on the skills, trends, and talent needed to build high-growth companies. This event is a sneak peek into the fun to come.” —Jess Knox, founder of Maine Startup and Create Week

05 04

443 FORE STREET, PORTLAND 207 358 7830 EVOPORTLAND.COM

MM_October17.indd 24

01 Fred Williams, managing director of Old Port Advisors, and Noelle Surprise, HR systems coordinator at Bain and Company 02 Erin Ovalle, executive producer and host of MaineLife, and Elizabeth Ross Holmstrom, founder and president of BreakTogether 03 Paul Andrews, executive director of Wayfinder Schools, and Chris Kast, brand manager at the Brand Company 04 Chandra Leister, project manager at Idexx; Jess Knox, founder of Maine Startup and Create Week; and Jud Knox, CEO of York Hospital 05 Elizabeth Buckley, COO of Venture Hall, and Brian Whitney, president of Maine Technology Institute 06 Robin Watterson and Lucille Holt-Sottery, founder of Collaborations and broker and vice president of business development at Malone Commercial Brokers

9/5/17 2:12 PM

SEPTEMBER 28

Psychic Medium

LAUREN RAINBOW

SEPTEMBER 30

J. Geils Harmonica Legend & Guitar/Vocal Sensation

MAGIC DICK & SHUN NG

MM_October17.indd 25

53 Old Post Road, Arundel, ME (207) 985-5552

Visit www.vinegarhillmusictheatre.com for tickets

OCTOBER 6

Music of the 50s and 60s and More

OCTOBER 7

25th Anniversary Tour

OCTOBER 13

A Tribute to the Million-Dollar Quartet

ELLIS PAUL THE DOO WOP ONE NIGHT WITH PROJECT SOPHIE B. HAWKINS IN MEMPHIS

SEPTEMBER 29

Alt-Roots Rock

SLAMBOVIAN CIRCUS OF DREAMS

OCTOBER 14

Rock Hall of Fame Doo-Wop/Vocal Legends

THE PLATTERS

9/5/17 2:12 PM

THERE + THEN Photography by Heidi Kirn

THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL SPRING FOR THE KIDS AUCTION

Raising money for Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine hosted its 35th Annual Spring for the Kids Auction to benefit youth development programs across the area. As the Boys and Girls Clubs’ largest and longest standing fundraiser, the event helps ensure that the region’s five clubs, which encompass thousands of members in need, can access a wide range of opportunities promoting academic success, healthy lifestyles, and effective citizenship. 02

ALL OF YOUR

“I love being a part of Spring for the Kids. I always leave feeling inspired by this community of incredible people coming together for local youth—it really is all about the kids.”

IN TERIOR S OLUTION

—Chris Cimino, vice president of C.M Cimino Realty, co-chair of Spring for the Kids 2017, and board member of Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine

NEEDS

CERAMIC TILE-HARDWOOD RESILENT-CARPET GRANITE COUNTERTOPS CABINETRY PAULGWHITE.US

01 Christopher M. Cimino, vice president at C.M. Cimino and board of directors vice president at Boys and Girls Club; Nacole Cimino; Caroline Sprague; and Mark Sprague, market health and wellness director of Walmart 02 Judy Haynes, member of host committee, and Peter Haynes, member of host committee 03 Paul Stevens, former president of Boys and Girls Club, and Amory Houghton III, former president of Boys and Girls Club 04 A catalog of work by artist Eric Hopkins, who graced the cover of Maine magazine’s February issue. 05 Ntumba Mutombo, former staff member at Boys and Girls Club, and Lee Klarman, program director at Boys and Girls Club 06 Chris Claudio, CEO and co-founder of Winxnet and member of host committee, and Alyson Claudio, member of host committee

207-797-4657 26

MM_October17.indd 26

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

WORDS FROM OUR READERS Love an article from last month? Have a place in Maine you want us to cover? We welcome comments of any kind. Send your notes to letters@ themainemag.com or message us on Facebook @themainemagazine.

My family and I are from Chicago, but we have traveled to Maine regularly for the last ten years. I’ve written poetry since I was six years old. Yesterday sitting on the rocks in Corea, Maine, I was inspired to write the poem below. the way life should be the settling stillness eerily sits atop the pine trees a gentle wind rustles the branches sending the sharp scent of pine drifting over a body of blue dotted with sailboats and buoys in one smooth sweep an emblematic scene displays the proud arch of mountain whose crevasses hide wild berries rock formations new and old the sun shines voluminously above the pristine ocean just beyond close enough still to see yet as the daylight fades the colors melt a swirling magniﬁcent palette of cobalt, turquoise, and shimmering purple trees by the hundred frame the mountain some stand tall beside each road the tide swells as the day slides by a seagull cries across the waves birds peep down from a cloudless sky all that nature has to oﬀer gathers together in this golden place a serenity and peace never to be replicated the way life should be simple and stunning only seen in Maine. —Emily Dattilo, Chicago, IL

OUR BANK’S TIGHT-KNIT BECAUSE OUR IS TOO. Our focus is on you—our friends and families. We see how much you love it here and we do too. As the oldest bank in Maine, we’ve been here for over 190 years. And we’ll be in it together for 190 more.

I know you must get notes like this often, but I had to send this along. Your recent issue about the TD Beach to Beacon was far and away the very best ever! We had visitors from Philly this week, and they raved about it. Keep it up. —Bruce and Hona Lewis, Portland, ME

1-877-722-6243 | sbsavings.bank October 2017 27

MM_October17.indd 27

9/5/17 2:12 PM

EVENTS

urban dwellings

COMMUNITY

INTERIORS

• DESIGN

• OBJECTS

OCTOBER

Fall is here! Toast the cooler days with our new collection of tablewear — perfect for your next dinner guest.

10.5

FIRST THURSDAY ART OPENING FEATURING ARTWORKS BY HELEN LEWIS 5 p.m.–7 p.m. Portland Art Gallery 154 Middle St. | Portland artcollectormaine.com

10.5

A PINK TIE PARTY

Distinctive Tile & Design 5 p.m.–9 p.m. Vinegar Hill Music Theatre 53 Old Post Rd. | Arundel distinctivetileanddesign.com

10.6–4.18

BLACK AND WHITE: LOUISE NEVELSON AND PEDRO GUERRERO Farnsworth Art Museum 16 Museum St. | Rockland farnsworthmuseum.org

10.13

CHIPS ‘N’ DIPS

Make-A-Wish Maine 7 p.m.–12 a.m. Portland Country Club 11 Foreside Rd. | Falmouth maine.wish.org

10.14–10.15 MAINE CRAFT WEEKEND mainecraftweekend.org

10.14

FALL FESTIVAL

10 a.m.–3 p.m. Wolfe’s Neck Farm 184 Burnett Rd. | Freeport wolfesneckfarm.org

10.14

2ND ANNUAL PILLARS OF PRIDE

Biddeford Education Foundation 6 p.m.–9 p.m. University of New England Campus Center 11 Hills Beach Rd. | Biddeford 207.391.6885 URBAN-DWELL.COM 118 CONGRESS STREET PORTLAND, MAINE 207-780-6136 28

MM_October17.indd 28

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

WE MAKE THE GOOD TIMES ROLL.

10.18

ANNUAL SUMMIT

GrowSmart Maine 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Various locations in Westbrook growsmartmaine.org

10.20

MITCHELL INSTITUTE ANNUAL GALA

Mitchell Institute 6 p.m. Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks 200 Sable Oaks Dr. | South Portland mitchellinstitute.org

10.21

L.L.BEAN PUMPKIN FESTIVAL Camp Sunshine 12 p.m. L.L.Bean Flagship Campus 95 Main St. | Freeport campsunshine.org

10.25

AN EVENING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Maine Conservation Voters 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m. Brick South at Thompson’s Point 8 Thompson’s Point | Portland maineconservation.org

10.28

ANNUAL CMCA HALLOWEEN BASH

8 p.m.–12 a.m. Center for Maine Contemporary Art cmcanow.org

11.4

TEDXDIRIGO: RISE

Treehouse Institute State Theatre 609 Congress St. | Portland tedxdirigo.com

LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED. (207) 667-6000 | WALLACEEVENTS.COM October 2017 29

MM_October17.indd 29

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Farm-to-Table Dinners S E P T E M B E R 2 4 TH

O C T O B E R 8 TH

Set inside a classic Normandy-style barn, renowned chefs Mary Paine and Scott Walsh will guide you on a six course culinary journey boasting the tastes of the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local harvest.

Limited tickets available. Reserve your seat today. STONEBARNMAINE.COM

PB PB

Statewide Praccce. Local Service. 30

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 30

9/5/17 2:12 PM

SOCIAL MEDIA Photography by Casey Wassick @Maine Magazine

@themainemag

Every day our team is exploring the state and sharing its raw, singular beauty on social media. Followers write back, sharing their own stories of the places we visit—memories of past beach days, family vacations, and moonlit treks. Join our growing community of 200,000 followers.

Maine Magazine | Monhegan Island

47,330 people reached 2,000 likes, 77 comments, 314 shares

We are the engine. And we keep our clients humming.

130 Middle Street | Portland, Maine 04101 | 207.775.3496

purdypowers.com PB PB

Hand Blown

R A I N B O W VAS E S At Maine magazine, our families are just as excited about exploring this state as we are. Online editor Shelbi Wassick often reaches out to her family for their favorite Maine photos. After trekking across Monhegan Island, her brother, Casey Wassick, shot this photo on the back side of the island, and its rocky coastline resonated with our readers. Ellen LaVaccare I painted there for a week! Love that island. No phones, no TV, no electronics, no cars or traﬃc, no stoplights... only dirt roads, ocean, trees, deer, and beautiful scenery!!

Megan Moe Last summer, I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon on

Monhegan Island. I hope to eventually spend the summer. Better yet... full time. Beautiful island!

Christine Kozlowski Cuskelly Have photos of my grandparents in the 1920s

and the Shaw family on those cliﬀs in big coats and wool bathing suits. Right as you get oﬀ the ferry today was where my great-grandfather, Henry Shaw, sold fresh produce during the 1930s to the islanders. He came on the ferry every weekday from the mainland. A wonderful place to get away to....

Mary Ann Tygert Esmerian Absolutely beautiful island. Turn the corner, and there is something new. I loved my visit there and would do anything to live there.

since 1971

CRA FT . H OM E . JEWE L RY Boothbay Harbor Freeport Ogunquit Portland Kennebunkport

abacusgallery.com 800.206.2166

October 2017 31

MM_October17.indd 31

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Cloth Interiors fine fabrics & design center

Wa l l p a p e r s

Fi n e Fa b r i c s

C u s t o m W i n d o w Tr e a t m e n t s

1 0 6 Yo r k S t | K e n n e b u n k , M a i n e | 2 0 7 . 9 8 5 . 0 0 3 2 | c l o t h i n t e r i o r s . c o m

MON E Y.

We all think about it, and for the most part, we all worry about it. We hate to see people worry.

PORTLAND, MAINE | (207) 774-6552 | (800) 605-6552 | oldportadvisors.com

MM_October17.indd 32

9/5/17 2:12 PM

NEW + NOTEWORTHY by Brittany Cost

AL NNU A 10 TH

to benefit:

NOVEMBER 4, 2017 ABROMSON CENTER, USM PORTLAND, MAINE Join us for a special 10th Anniversary Reception featuring O’Chang Studios The twentieth annual TD Beach To Beacon 10K Road Race took place in August in Cape Elizabeth. Kenya’s Stephen Kosgei Kibet was the men’s top elite finisher, followed closely by Ben True, an elite runner formerly based in North Yarmouth. Mary Keitany, also from Kenya, won the women’s elite title for the second straight year and broke her course record by four seconds. Gorham’s Jesse Orach and Standish’s Emily Durgin were the top Maine finishers in the men’s and women’s divisions, and race founder and Cape Elizabeth native Joan Benoit Samuelson set a new course record for women age 60 and over.

inspiring films popcorn cash bar arly. raffle Sells out e ckets ur ti Buy yo y! toda

For tickets, times, and details visit: cascobay.org/events/film-festival

Cunningham Farm, a new wedding venue, has opened in New Gloucester. The 30-acre property features three barns and a rental suite, as well as a tree farm and a two-acre pond. Maguire Construction added French doors to the barns to open the space to the surrounding landscape. Called the Something Blue Suite, the 600-square-foot rental includes a full bathroom with 50-inch subway tile wainscoting, mud-set shower, and custom-made wet bar.

Photography by Heidi Kirn; Christina Wnek

South Portland’s Cancer Community Center and Lewiston-based Dempsey Center have announced plans to merge in early 2018. Currently a part of Central Maine Healthcare, the Dempsey Center will become an independent organization and continue to offer cancer support services at no cost. Patrick Dempsey, who founded the organization in 2008, plans to hold a permanent position on the board of directors.

Friday, October, 27 6-11pm

presents

The Roaring 20’s Hearts & Hands Gala

Brick South 8 Thompson’s Point, Portland, Maine

Central Maine Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award honors hospitals that provide stroke patients with the highest quality care as recognized by national, research-based guidelines.

Tickets

$75

per person

Tickets are available online at rmhcmaine.org/gala, or email us for more information: development@rmhcmaine.org

October 2017 33

MM_October17.indd 33

9/5/17 2:12 PM

SACO + BIDDEFORD in 48 Hours JEFFREY D’AMICO DIRECTOR OF SALES WHERE WE STAYED MAINE SEASIDE RENTALS WHERE WE ATE POOL LOBSTER BISCUITS AND COMPANY PORTLAND PIE COMPANY HUOT’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT THE RUN OF THE MILL PUBLIC HOUSE AND BREWERY

WHAT WE DID BIDDEFORD POOL BEACH FUNTOWN SPLASHTOWN USA SUGER ELEMENTS SEA HAWK SHOP PEPPERELL MILL CAMPUS RIVERWALK BRIDGE

On either side of the Saco River, historic mill buildings anchor Saco and Biddeford’s charming downtown areas. A decade of slow-butsteady redevelopment has brought new life to the mills and fueled a local manufacturing boom, replacing the old textile factories with high-end and artisanal producers as well as sleek residential spaces. At the river’s mouth, Biddeford Pool and Ferry Beach offer coastal escapes, with beautiful sandy beaches and scenic stretches of rocky shore.

FRIDAY

AFTERNOON:

Beaches and barbecues Maine Seaside Rentals is providing my fiancé Sarah, my daughter Aubrey, and me with our home for the next two days: a cottage on Biddeford Pool’s spectacular South Point. Marysue Emhiser greets us at the company’s office near Pool Lobster and provides us keys and directions. I know this will be a great weekend the moment I pull into the driveway. The front porch has a view of the ocean, and the grill is ready to go. I don’t have to go far for provisions that will let us take full advantage of the beach and the dynamic view over dinner. Pool Lobster, a staple in this community, is a fabulous lobster pound, general store, and cafe. We grab some prepared salads, seafood, and other food for our grilling needs. We are all set for our own little lobster bake.

EVENING:

Sunset stroll along the beach

After we finish dinner, we hit Biddeford

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 34

9/5/17 2:12 PM

48 HOURS 04

Jim Godbout Plumbing & Heating, Inc 48 Elm Street, Biddeford ME | (207)283-1200

Innovative plumbing & heating services for Southern Maine ENERGY CONSERVATION SPECIALISTS

01 Playing in the water at Biddeford Pool Beach. 02 A display at Suger. 03 Our home base for the weekend through Maine Seaside Rentals. 04 A breakfast sandwich from Biscuits and Company. 05 Family entertainment at the Saco Drive-In. 06 Rides at Funtown Splashtown USA. Pool Beach for a sunset walk. My daughter, Aubrey, races the waves up and down the beach as the sun begins to set. As we make tracks for our beds, we plan out the rest of our weekend exploring Biddeford and Saco.

SATURDAY MORNING:

Breakfast and water slides It’s relaxing to wake up to the sounds of waves crashing. After watching cartoons with Aubrey we head into town to find breakfast. Biscuits and Company in downtown Biddeford comes highly recommended by friends, and it does not disappoint. The breakfast and lunch menu revolves around the restaurant’s huge, delicious biscuits, which make a great base for local eggs, cheese, and bacon. We’re excited to come back for one of the restaurant’s Saturday Suppers. Since it’s a warm summer day we head to Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco. This is a great place for a family outing. We start on the Funtown side, where we conquer roller coasters and race go-karts. As the temperature approaches 90 we

head over to Splashtown to cool down with some water attractions and water slides.

AFTERNOON:

Pizza pie and shopping We’ve built up an appetite at the amusement park. At Portland Pie Company, which opened its seventh location in Biddeford’s Pepperell Mill Campus in 2015, we dive into a hummus plate and our pizza, the County, a mashup of pizza and a twice-baked potato. After lunch we do some shopping downtown. Our first stop is Suger, a boutique that is the retail outlet for Anglerox, a line of women’s clothing and accessories made down the street in one of the Biddeford mills. Angelrox designer Roxi Suger owns the store with her husband, Julian Schlaver, and curates a gorgeous array of gifts, jewelry, and accessories, along with a selection of Angelrox’s distinctive dresses and wraps. I pick up a Garden State bracelet crafted from a license plate from my home state of New Jersey. We stop into Elements for an afternoon boost of coffee and book browsing. The warm, welldesigned coffee shop, bookstore, and beer cafe serves one of

my go-to java choices, Bard Coffee, alongside other local roasters. The coffee menu lets you pick a single-origin varietal for a pour-over, order the brewed roast of the day, or choose a well-made espresso drink. There’s a variety of snacks and treats as well, many home-baked by co-owner Katie Pinard. The robust used and new book selection gives us plenty to browse while we sip.

Viessman boilers & radiant systems by Uponor with Taco controls

Heatpumps pumps Heat forMaine’s Maine’s for crazyclimate climate crazy by Fujitsu by L.G & Fujitsu

Building long lasting relationships and stronger communities

EVENING:

Seafood dinner in Camp Ellis After making use of the hammock on the porch, I wake up from a nap excited to meet our friends in the Kinney Shores area of Saco. We arrive at home of Jim and Lynn Godbout to enjoy some predinner cocktails overlooking the ocean. Jim owns Jim Godbout Plumbing and Heating in Biddeford, and he and his wife are active citizens who are pillars of the local community. Jim is also co-chairman of the BiddefordSaco Rotary Club’s Red Ribbon Committee. Jim calls ahead to make sure we can get a table at Huot’s Seafood Restaurant in Saco. This restaurant, in the beachy

Jim Godbout, Owner

2015 YMCA Biddeford project

www.jimgodbout.com October 2017 35

MM_October17.indd 35

9/5/17 2:12 PM

suger

48 HOURS

Specialty Coffee | Quality Books Local Craft Beer | Live Music

maine made comfort crafted with joy

portland 271 commercial

biddeford 25 alfred st

01 01 Mill buildings on either side of the Saco River. 02 Cooling off at Funtown Splashtown USA. 03 A beach sunset. Camp Ellis neighborhood, has an expansive menu of fresh fare from the nearby ocean, as well as kidfriendly options. I order the baked scallops dinner, which is topped with bread crumbs and served with my choice of sides: garlic mashed potatoes and rice pilaf. After dinner we walk across the street to a unique little gift shop called Sea Hawk Shop. You can find nautical-themed gifts and other trinkets to remember your trip by.

SUNDAY Revitalized mills and river walking

We stay in for breakfast to enjoy this view a little longer and to go for one more walk along the beach. Afterward we make our way into downtown Biddeford to tour the Pepperell Mill Campus. The vast former textile mill has been converted to a mixed-use facility housing a variety of light-industrial and artisanal production spaces, retail shops, and apartments with gorgeous original floors and soaring ceilings.

We cross the RiverWalk Bridge, which connects Biddeford and Saco. The FOR NEXT TRIP RiverWalk, which now includes LODGING IDEAS this pedestrian bridge as well as a recently completed amphitheater, CRISTINA’S BED AND is one result of local citizens’ BREAKFAST 265 Main Street | Biddeford efforts to promote walkable, DALLAIRE’S MOTEL AND dynamic downtowns on both COTTAGES Open 7 days | 207-710-2011 sides of the river. The bridge DINING IDEAS takes us towww.elementsbookscoffeebeer.com Saco’s Main Street. PALACE DINER It too is seeing some exciting growth, including a trio of new BUFFLEHEADS RESTAURANT coffee shops (Quiero Cafe, RAPID RAY’S the Rugged Spruce, and CIA THE CHEF AND THE Cafe), each with its own spin on GARDENER high-quality brews and locally ACTIVITY IDEAS made treats. Our destination, ROUND TURN DISTILLING however, is the Run of the Mill THE SACO DRIVE-IN Public House and Brewery. TRAILS AT FERRY BEACH The brewpub is housed in another STATE PARK former mill building and features an outdoor deck, overlooking the SHOPPING IDEAS churning river that once powered SWEETCREAM DAIRY the facility. While enjoying the TRILLIUM pub-style fare from the varied NABOS menu and the in-house brews, we discuss what we did over the ANNUAL EVENTS weekend and ideas for our next MARCH: MARY’S WALK trip to the region. JUNE: SACO SIDEWALK ARTS FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER: RIVER JAM FESTIVAL

angelrox.com may peace prevail

MM_October17.indd 36

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Must be the Heart of Biddeford!

MAINE MADE. WORLD CLASS.

Bimini Gin, inspired by summer in Maine, bottled so it lasts all year. Gold Medal, 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

You’re in good company here. Serving outrageous biscuit Serving outrageous biscuit breakfast sandwiches breakfast sandwiches piled high fresh, with piled fresh,high localwith ingredients. local ingredients. Seasonal salads Seasonal salads andand sandwiches, rustic scones, sandwiches, rustic scones, muffins, cookies, shortcakes, muﬃns, cookies, shortcakes, sweets & treats. sweets & treats.

• Lunch • Lunch • Brunch Breakfast Breakfast • Saturday Supper Brunch Wed-Sat 7:30am-2pm

Wed-Sat 7:30am-2pm Sunday Brunch 9am-1pm Sunday Brunch 9am-1pm Saturday Supper 5-8pm

25 Alfred Street

25 Downtown Alfred Street in Downtown Biddeford Biddeford 207.710.2333

207-710-2333

10% off any sandwich with this adad 10% oﬀ any sandwich with this

Shopping, Dining, and Fun Events—Year-Round! Explore & Discover. Get Involved.

4 7 % A L C/ V O L , 1 0 0 % N E U T R A L S P I R I T S D I S T I L L E D F R O M G R A I N

heartofbiddeford.org/downtown Facebook.com/HeartofBiddeford R O U N D T U R N D I S T I L L I N G , B I D D E F O R D, M E

SUN SHINE. DRINK COOL.

MAINE MADE. WORLD CLASS.

Introducing Bimini Gin,

Bimini Gin, inspired by summer in Maine, bottled so it lasts all year. Double Gold Medal, 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

inspired by the sunshine and

Specialty Coffee Quality Books Local Craft Beer Live Music

warm breezes Mainers dream

about as the days get shorter. Find out what makes our gin

different at biminigin.com/sun

265 Main Street | Biddeford Open 7 days | 207-710-2011 elementsbookscoffeebeer.com Follow us on angelrox Facebook and Instagram

may peace prevail

4 7 % A L C/ V O L , 1 0 0 % N E U T R A L S P I R I T S D I S T I L L E D F R O M G R A I N

@elementsbookscoffeebeer R O U N D T U R N D I S T I L L I N G , B I D D E F O R D, M E

MM_October17.indd 37

4 7 % A L C/ V O L , 1 0 0 % N E U T R A L S P I R I T S D I S T I L L E D F R O M G R A I N

R O U N D T U R N D I S T I L L I N G , B I D D E F O R D, M E

9/5/17 2:12 PM

BIDDEFORD POOL • GRANITE POINT

www.maineseasiderentals.com

Houses for all seasons BIDDEFORD POOL HILLS BEACH

•

HILLS BEACH • FORTUNES ROCKS

Biddeford Pool, ME 04006 (207) 284-5350

Adventure Awaits

STRIVE’s 13th Annual Live & Silent Auction STRIVE’s 11.08.17 ● Italian Heritage Center 11.08. Tickets Tickets & Info ● pslstrive.org / auction

GRANITE POINT

FORTUNES ROCKS

RESIDENTIAL . COMMERCIAL . EVENT SPACE

Adventure Awaits

pepperellmillcampus.com

STRIVE’s 13th Annual Live & Silent Auction STRIVE’s 11.08.17 ● Italian Heritage Center 11.08. Tickets & Info ● pslstrive.org / auction Tickets

MM_October17.indd 38

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Make us your home team!

Independent education for students grades 6-12 from Maine and over 30 countries.

www.thorntonacademy.org 438 Main Street Saco, ME 04072

MM_October17.indd 39

9/5/17 2:12 PM

BATH, WOOLWICH, PHIPPSBURG + GEORGETOWN in 48 Hours

PETER HEINZ

FRIDAY

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER

AFTERNOON:

Touring the inn and a historic fort After a late lunch at the Starlight Cafe in downtown Bath, we check into the Kennebec Inn. Innkeeper Rachel Parlin gives us the grand tour of the inn. Each room is immaculate and has its own personality and style. She shows us to the America’s Cup Room, which has exposed beams and a view of the beautifully landscaped property, with a fire pit and in-ground pool.

WHERE WE STAYED KENNEBEC INN WHERE WE ATE STARLIGHT CAFE MAE’S CAFE AND BAKERY THE CABIN SALT PINE SOCIAL PILOT HOUSE AT SEBASCO HARBOR RESORT FIVE ISLANDS LOBSTER CO. WHAT WE DID LIVE MUSIC AT LIBRARY PARK FORT POPHAM POPHAM BEACH STATE PARK BATH FARMERS’ MARKET SHOPPING IN DOWNTOWN BATH FIVE ISLANDS FARM GREY HAVENS INN

Proud of its industrial bones, Bath is also developing a reputation for fine food, art, and shopping that make it a midcoast destination, along with the scenic neighboring towns of Woolwich, Phippsburg, and Georgetown.

01 40

After check-in we head for Fort Popham and Popham Beach State Park. The fort was built in 1861 and was operational during the Civil War. We walk through it and see where the cannons were located. Nearby is Popham Beach, one of Maine’s prettiest beaches. Because it’s low tide, we’re able to cross on foot from the beach to a small island that will be surrounded by water in a few hours.

EVENING:

A chocolate church and creative cuisine

Our next stop is the Chocolate Church Arts Center. No, this is not a church made of chocolate, but a distinctively brown-colored arts center that hosts live music, gallery exhibitions, theater performances, and other programming. I spend an hour with executive director Jennifer DeChant discussing her vision to support the creative arts in Bath.

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 40

9/5/17 2:12 PM

www.dcolejewelers.com

04 01 Rows of produce at the Bath Farmers’ Market. 02 Bath’s Waterfront Park on Saturday morning. 03 The Chocolate Church Arts Center on Washington Street. 04 Colorful displays at Halcyon Yarn. 05 The popular Five Islands Lobster Co. in Georgetown. products made of glass, wood, and stone are all here.

Around the corner we find Centre St. Arts Gallery, which also offers workshops and studio space for local artists. By this time my sweet tooth is talking to me, so we stop in at the Bath Sweet Shoppe. Back on Front Street, we visit House of Logan, a clothing store, as well as New England Antiques. Now it is time to pause for a cup of tea and a good book at Mustard Seed Bookstore. For the children in our lives, Pitter Patter is our go-to store. We also check out Bath’s newest art venue, Green Lion Gallery, which features some cool handmade prints.

AFTERNOON: Salt Pine Social is the latest creation of Daphne and Paul Comaskey and Eloise Humphrey, who also own El Camino in Brunswick. The restaurant’s ambience is special, and the menu is one of the most creative we have experienced. We order the Lobster Goddess Salad and a grilled octopus salad. The desserts are inventive and mouthwatering. After dinner we walk to Library Park and hear some great music played by the Volunteers Jazz Band.

SATURDAY MORNING:

Waterfront Park and a Front Street stroll Breakfast at the inn includes

French toast with just the right amount of butter, fresh strawberries, bacon, real maple syrup, and a strong cup of coffee. Then we walk to Waterfront Park to explore the Bath Farmers’ Market, which is held every Saturday morning throughout the year. Front Street is the main shopping venue for Bath. My wife, Ann Prescott, loves herbal teas, so we stop at Now You’re Cooking, which has a large variety of teas, other specialty groceries, and kitchen supplies. Owner Michael Fear helps us through the myriad of choices, and we leave with multiple teas and a teapot. We cross the street to Markings Gallery. Fiber arts, pottery, jewelry, and other unique

Shopping and ships

For lunch we go to Mae’s Cafe and Bakery. Katie Winglass is the proprietor, chef, and baker. I have a crab salad on a croissant, and Ann orders a housemade lamb sausage salad. Behind Renys is Pamela’s World, full of jewelry that you won’t find anywhere else. Nearby you’ll also find Kharris B, which has unique works made from glass and wood. Back on Front Street is City Drawers, one of the best lingerie shops in Maine. My wife is a big fan of Bohemian Rose; we leave with a nice blouse. We keep walking down Front Street and arrive at Country Farm Furniture. The store helped furnish our home when we first moved to Bath,

Join the Farnsworth [Collective]! A dynamic group of art lovers and makers in the heart of Rockland, Maine. farnsworthmuseum.org/collective

October 2017 41

MM_October17.indd 41

9/5/17 2:12 PM

48 HOURS

Chart & Map Jewelry and Accessories Handmade in Maine

01 The open kitchen at Salt Pine Social. 02 The Maine Maritime Museum is located on the Kennebec River in Bath.

1 Pleasant St, Portland, Maine 207.221.6807 | chartmetalworks.com

and also can provide design assistance. We continue walking and there’s Lisa-Marie’s Made in Maine with home goods, kitchenware, jewelry, clothing, accessories, toys, and more. And we can’t forget man’s best friend, so we stop in Wags and Whiskers to get a snack for our dog, Theo. We also visit Just Framing, which, contrary to the name, is not just a framing shop; it’s also an art gallery. Ann, who, in addition to being a woodturner, dabbles in fiber arts, has to visit Halcyon Yarn. The variety of yarns, fiber, books, and tools is impressive, and Ann buys some supplies for a new project. Any trip to Bath has to include the Maine Maritime Museum. On the way to the museum we stop at the Cabin, which is known for its pizza. The Maine Maritime Museum is one of the finest maritime museums in the country. It’s home to the Mary E, which is believed to be the oldest Maine-built wooden fishing schooner still afloat.

EVENING:

Hiking and dinner with a view

Character • Connection • Community

45 minutes from Portland 339 Paris Rd., Hebron, ME | 207-966-5225 www.hebronacademy.org

Just before we go for a hike at Thorne Head Preserve we take a quick detour to the Bath Golf Club, an 18-hole course that’s open to the public. Thorne Head Preserve, at the end of High Street, is chock-full of walking trails that lead to the convergence of Whiskeag Creek with the Kennebec River, just downstream from Merrymeeting Bay. We head back to Phippsburg to Sebasco Harbor Resort. This is a hidden gem of a resort that you can get to by boat or car and has its own eight-hole golf course. We have dinner at the Pilot House, which has 42

MM_October17.indd 42

an impressive view of Sebasco Harbor.

SUNDAY MORNING:

Touring Woolwich

After a breakfast of eggs benedict and a tomato salad, we leave for Woolwich. Bath Cycle and Ski is actually in Woolwich, and is a good place for all your bike and ski needs. Ann has placed some of her woodturning products at Georgetown Pottery in Woolwich (they also have stores in Georgetown and Freeport), so we stop in to see how they’re doing. Next up is the Montsweag Flea Market, one of the largest in the midcoast. The outdoor market is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through October 15.

AFTERNOON:

Coastal discoveries in Georgetown

FOR NEXT TRIP LODGING IDEAS THE INN AT BATH BENJAMIN F. PACKARD HOUSE MIDDLE STREET INN DINING IDEAS KENNEBEC TAVERN BEALE STREET BARBEQUE LIVE EDGE DELI ACTIVITY IDEAS MORSE MOUNTAIN REID STATE PARK LIGHTHOUSE CRUISE AT MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM SHOPPING IDEAS ISLAND TREASURE TOYS WILSON’S DRUG STORE SPRINGER’S JEWELERS ANNUAL EVENTS MAY: MAYFAIR JULY: BATH HERITAGE DAYS FESTIVAL OCTOBER: AUTUMNFEST

Georgetown, here we come. One of the largest marinas in the state is Derecktor Robinhood, formerly called Robinhood Marine Center. Along with traditional marina and boatyard services, the company offers houseboats for rent that are moored in Riggs Cove. Next stop is Five Islands Farm, where we buy some artisan cheeses and fresh tomatoes. A hop, skip, and jump from the market is Five Islands Lobster Co., located on an active fishing wharf. We have a jam-packed lobster roll and a haddock salad. Our last stop is Grey Havens Inn. The view from the porch is breathtaking, and Blue is one of the best restaurants in the area. We head back to Portland after a great 48 hours that confirmed why we love and live in Maine.

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

Wiscasset — $925,000

Westport Island — $455,000

Unparalled design awaits you inside this Custom-built deepwater property--perfect for the boat enthusiast. New dock & float w/ aluminum ramp accommodates a 50’ boat w/ open ocean access via the Sheepscott River. Home boasts expansive decks, warm Marvin windows & sliders, Corinthian granite fireplaces, master suite w/ sauna, humidity controlled wine cellar, radiant floors, & attached garage. Marian Green: Ext. 15, Direct 207-891-1787 and S. Curtis Fish: Ext. 33, Direct 207-443-4444

Remarkable 1880 waterfront Cape on dead-end w/ sunset views over saltwater cove. Enjoy tidal access to mid-coast’s best protected boating, or head for the ocean! Many original features to enjoy along with a recently built brick fireplace, east and westfacing decks, classic barn, and stunning grounds. Sunny yard shelters peach and apple trees. Abuts 110 acre Bonyun Preserve w/ many trails! S. Curtis Fish: Ext. 33, Direct 207-443-4444

Bath — $499,000

Phippsburg — $475,000

Completely private yet still in town, this property has beautiful water views plus deep water frontage. A legal two unit, the property offers a lot of potential as a two family or reincorporating the apartment as extra living space. Lovely grounds with many perennials in well planned gardens. This exclusive location will not disappoint. Patty Sample Colwell: Ext. 27, Direct 207-751-7408

Ward Cedar Log home in the heart of Basin Cove with 231’ of owned water frontage that offers privacy & stunning views of Northeast Cove & conservation land. The common area offers 200’ of deepwater frontage w/ dock in Basin Cove - a perfect place to sail, kayak, or boat! Easy commute to local beaches, town and Route One. Michelle Baker: Ext. 22, Direct 207-522-1949

Bath — $400,000

Georgetown — $495,000

This 1820’s home located on the Kennebec River is within walking distance of downtown Bath’s shopping and restaurants. Easterly facing, watch the sunrise from the eat-in kitchen or wrap around deck. Post & beam construction with many original details including gorgeous wide planked floors. Unique to an older property, the possibility for a main floor master suite exists. Marian Green: Ext. 15; Direct 207-891-1787

Idyllic outpost along the banks of the Sheepscot River offers privacy, deep water dock and float, expansive decks, and broad solar exposure. Enjoy open concept living, 2 - story stone fireplace, oak plank flooring, & 1st floor living. Paddlers, sailors and fishermen take note! Incredible location between McMahan Island and Georgetown. Protected water just minutes from open-ocean. S. Curtis Fish: Ext. 33, Direct 207-443-4444

sharondrakerealestate.com • 136 Front Street, Bath Maine 04530 • 207.443.1005

Committed to the Maine Community

MM_October17.indd 43

9/5/17 2:12 PM

There’s so much in Bath Maine’s Cool Little City

Bohemian Rose

Midcoast Maine’s Premier Cookware Store 49 Front St • Bath • 207-443-1402 acooksemporium.com

Bath’s neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery

Clothes for Women with an Ageless Spirit

106 Front St • Bath • 207-386-0240 facebook.com/mybohemianrose

Kharris B

Glass, Woodwerk, and Oddities From the Beautiful to the Bizarre Unique Creations Unusual Gifts Extraordinary Craftsmanship 229 Water St., Bath, ME Open Fri & Sat 12 - 6 Or By Chance/Appt: 207-210-2875 44

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 44

kharrisbshop

9/5/17 2:12 PM

A great place to live, work & play!

An artist-owned and operated gallery of 20 Maine artists. Classes ~ Exihibits

WE LOVE HAVING YOU HERE

140 Commercial St Bath • 207.386.1310 www.bathbrunswickarea.hamptoninn.com

11 Centre St ~ Bath ME 207-442-0300 ~ centrestartsgalleryllc.com

Pamela's World A World of Sterling Silver

100’s of charms, including Maine charms. Beads compatible with all popular bracelets. See our new Moose Beads.

KICK BACK ON THE KENNEBEC

“Next to Renys’ Back Door” 223 Water Street • Bath • 207–443–3202 Mon - Sat 10-5 & Sun 11:30-3:00

MM_October17.indd 45

open sunday-thursday 11-9 friday-saturday 11-10 119 commercial street bath, maine 04530 (207) 442-9636 kennebectavern.com

October 2017 45

9/5/17 2:12 PM

There’s so much in Bath Maine’s Cool Little City

888 Middle St. Bath, ME middlestreetinn.com • 207-619-4556 YARN • FIBER • TOOLS • CLASSES

12 SCHOOL STREET • BATH, ME HALCYONYARN.COM • 800-341-0282

A new bed and breakfast in Bath, Maine. Your doorway to the Maine Coast.

THE CABIN RESTAURANT

Chris Beneman: Fantasy Tide Pool II, monoprint

Limited-edition handmade prints and other exciting ar3 4om Maine and beyond

GREEN LION GALLERY 104 Front Street, Bath 207-844-3770 46

w w w. g r e e n l i o n a r t . c o m

“The Only Real Pizza in Maine” 552 Washington St • Bath, ME 207-443-6224 • cabinpizza.com

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 46

9/5/17 2:12 PM

A great place to live, work & play!

“an eclectic, playful approach to casual dining” - PORTLAND PRESS HERALD

................. 244 Front Street, Bath, ME 207.442.8345 • saltpinesocial.com

Clothing for Coastal Living Men * Women * Kids

66 Front St. Bath • 207-443-1796 • Mon - Sat 9:30 - 5 Bath | Boothbay Harbor | Camden

Just Framing

Join us where Music + Theatre + Dance + Visual Art = Community

Chocolate Church Arts Center

35 years of Quality, Value & Experience

Tickets now available for September-June performance season.

804 Washington Street, Bath. 207-442-8455

Offering Custom Picture Framing, Vintage and Reproduction Maps, and an Art Gallery in Downtown Bath 149 Front Street, Bath, Maine 207-443-3076 • JUSTFRAMING.COM Find Us On Facebook

MM_October17.indd 47

www.chocolatechurcharts.org

October 2017 47

9/5/17 2:12 PM

We work with fishermen and teachers, car mechanics and carpenters, plumbers and painters, engineers and entrepreneurs. We’re here for everyone. Because we’re the only MidCoast bank that keeps all of its mortgages in house, we can consider mortgages other banks can’t.

HARD WORKING PEOPLE

We work hard to make owning a home easy for you. Buying New or Refinancing… Apply Today!

WORKING HARD IN: BATH • DAMARISCOTTA • BOOTHBAY HARBOR • WISCASSET • NMLS#412684

Chowder Mugs are a Four Season Favorite

www.firstfederalbath.com

VISIT US IN GEORGETOWN AND TOUR OUR STUDIO

From desserts to breakfast, our best selling Chowder Mugs are loved all year long – 18 oz.

SHOWROOMS FEATURING POTTERY, FINE CRAFTS & LOCAL ARTISTS

MM_October17.indd 48

Route 127

148 Main Street

813 Route 1

GEORGETOWN

FREEPOR T

WOOLWICH

86 6 936 7687 georgetow npot ter y.com

9/5/17 2:12 PM

See Us Online For A

FREE LOOK BOOK www.KennebecCompany.com

Visit our showroom at One Front Street Bath, Maine www.KennebecCompany.com | MM_October17.indd 49

9/5/17 2:12 PM

QUALITY

FURNITURE

complimentary in home design service

207 443-2367 countaryfarmfurniture.net 148 Front St Bath, Maine Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM E Half 7.667”w x 4.750”h MM_October17.indd 50

9/5/17 2:12 PM

PARTNER WITH A NEIGHBOR

Justin Dionne

Vice President, Mortgage Lending BATH BRANCH – NMLS #834636

Discover why we’re the top land and construction lender in the region. 1-800-447-4559 | bathsavings.com MEMBER FDIC

EQUAL HOUSING LENDER

Bath

MM_October17.indd 51

•

Boothbay Harbor

•

Brunswick

•

Damariscotta

•

Falmouth

•

Freeport

•

Portland

•

South Portland

•

Yarmouth

9/5/17 2:12 PM

CASINO-THEMED PARTY FOR A CAUSE LIVE MUSIC OCT13 CASINO GAMES SILENT AUCTION

Help protect Maine’s threatened species Join us.

FRIDAY

7:00PM TO 12:00AM PORTLAND COUNTRY CLUB EVENT PARTNERS

APPETIZERS

COCKTAIL BAR

Red Knot

TO BENEFIT

Boothbay Harbor Country Club

EST. 1921

maineaudubon.org/join

Photo by Jeff Morris of The Pierce Studio, Brunswick

tickets: www.maine.wish.org

World-class orthopedic surgeons…

and a team of specialty-trained nurses, therapists, and professionals working collaboratively to offer you excellence in joint replacement in our nationally-recognized community hospital. We welcome you to make an appointment with Jacob H. Furey, MD or Thomas J. Kryzak, Jr., MD by calling (207) 442-0350.

MID COAST Center for

JOINT

REPLACEMENT

w w w.m i d c o ast h e a lt h . com /j oi ntc enter

MM_October17.indd 52

9/5/17 2:12 PM

OLD MARSH Country Club

445 Clubhouse road | Wells, Maine | 04090 |OldMarshCountryClub.com |207.251.4653

2018 Memberships Available NOW!!

-Professional & -Superb playing conditions and challenging for golfers of all skill levels -Iconic New-England style wrap Accomodating around porch with amazing views -Great Event staff Schedule of both of the surrounding golf course -Beautiful Pool & Har-Tru Tennis Courts

-World Class Practice Facility

Social & Golf events -Fully stocked pro-shop with all the top brands

resurrection golf llc.

-great conditions with a friendly and care-free atmosphere. Come RELAX with us...

VIRTUAL GOLF coming soon...stay tuned!!

2018 Memberships Available NOW!! -Private Function room with a private kitchen & dedicated full-service bar

Bath golf club The

-A beautiful setting in -Many rennovations the rolling & improvements to farmlands of the facility & golf north Bath course 387 whiskeag road | Bath, Maine | o4530 | TheBathGolfClub.com | 207.442.8411

MM_October17.indd 53

9/5/17 2:12 PM

MM_October17.indd 54

9/5/17 2:12 PM

A-LIST by Brittany Cost Photography by Peter Frank Edwards

FALL FOLIAGE DESTINATIONS With 57 varieties of broadleaved trees, Maine offers more than enough opportunities for fall leaf peeping, one of the season’s most popular activities. In the northern counties, leaves begin to hit peak color in late September, followed by central and western Maine. The southern portion of the state experiences the most vivid colors in mid-to-late October. Acadia National Park | Mount Desert Island Drive along Park Loop

Road for vibrant views from the car window, or climb up Cadillac Mountain, where the shrubs burn red at the summit—an effect heightened by the crimson leaves of the wild blueberry plants.

Sugarloaf Mountain Resort | Carrabassett Valley Known for its

skiing in the winter, Sugarloaf is also a must-see stop for seasoned leafers. On Saturdays and Sundays, ride the SuperQuad up the mountain for bright, scenic vistas from the comfort of a chairlift.

Bradbury Mountain State Park | Pownal After an easy hike to Bradbury

Mountain’s peak, park visitors can experience foliage bordered by both Casco Bay and the Portland skyline.

THIS IS SO PORTLAND.

Moosehead Lake Hike the gentle Bridle Trail or skim the cliffs of Indian Head Trail on Mount Kineo for a panorama of the lake and its surrounding trees. Through Columbus Day weekend, Katahdin Cruises runs boat excursions out to colorful destinations including Sugar Island and Mount Kineo on a restored steamship. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Recently

designated as a national monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters offers 87,500 acres of exploration for autumn enthusiasts. Lucas St. Clair, whose family foundation donated the land for the monument, recommends a four-mile Columbus Day hike up Barnard Mountain, from which visitors can glimpse Mount Katahdin’s blazing colors.

Camden Hills State Park | Camden

From the top of Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park, leafers can observe a tide of colors unfolding toward Penobscot Bay and, on a clear day, the burnt hues of Monhegan Island in the distance.

JIM BRADY THINKS AHEAD

CREW CONVENES ON CASCO BAY

SPACE TO CREATE AT EAST END LOFTS

PORTLAND'S

CITY MAGAZINE JUNE 2017

Dockside Dining SCALES DISHES THE FRESH FLAVORS OF THE SEA

Rum Runners

THE CITY’S COCKTAIL CULTURE COMES OF AGE

PORTLAND + ART GALLERY

HITS ITS STRIDE INSIDER PICKS:

LOCAL FAVES OF THE SEA DOGS

WE DELIVER. Subscribe 207 772 3373 themainemag.com/subscribe

Opposite page: An autumn drive into Greenville. October 2017 55

MM_October17.indd 55

9/5/17 2:12 PM

WELLNESS by Dr. Lisa Belisle Photography by Matt Cosby The Hawk Ridge horses Bacchus and Whisper share the field with weathered steel sculpture Horses by Wendy Klemperer.

AT HOME ON

HAWK RIDGE BILL GINN AND JUNE LACOMBE ON ART, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

MM_October17.indd 56

9/5/17 2:12 PM

October 2017 57

MM_October17.indd 57

9/5/17 2:12 PM

ot far from Bradbury Mountain, in the woods of Pownal, is a small homestead located at the end of a dirt road. A broad swath of lawn edges up against a carefully laid garden, featuring hay-cushioned rows of beans and zucchini. The wind rustles the tall grass next to a red barn and carries with it the discourse of poultry from behind an ancient maple. Look more carefully, and you will see a curious interplay between real and imagined. A bronze goat casts a wary eye, while a steel porcupine takes shelter beneath a bush. Called Hawk Ridge Farm, this perspective-shifting space is the home of June LaCombe and William “Bill” Ginn, who have spent a lifetime trying to take a broader view of the world, while creating an existence that supports their values. LaCombe, an independent arts consultant, and Ginn, executive vice president for global conservation initiatives at the Nature Conservancy, began rebuilding Hawk Ridge 40 years ago. LaCombe and Ginn were drawn to the 1848 Greek revival Cape and barns that they describe as “melting into the ground” at the time they bought it. “We wanted to raise our food,” says LaCombe. “We had small kids, and we were living on the land. We made choices based on ethics.” They ran Hawk Ridge as a working farm for more than two decades—with more than 100 sheep at one time. LaCombe and Ginn first met while working at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. Ginn was the assistant director; LaCombe was the director of education and a naturalist who helped plan the center’s trails and gardens. They shared a passion for the environment and a longstanding affinity for the Pine Tree State. Ginn’s father came from Delaware to study at Bates College in Lewiston. When World War II broke out, he joined the U.S. Army and ended up meeting a girl from North Dakota. They married, and she helped him pay for the remainder of his education by working in the research department of the Bates Woolen Mill in Lewiston. After graduating from Yale Law School, Ginn’s father worked as a lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio, where Ginn was born and raised. Ginn returned to Maine to attend the newly founded College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor (after transferring there from Amherst College in Massachusetts). He was one of two people in the first graduating class of 1974.

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 58

9/5/17 2:12 PM

WELLNESS At Home on Hawk Ridge

Opposite page: June LaCombe and Bill Ginn, shown beneath their beloved maple, were married 40 years ago at the Durham Friends Meeting House. They held their reception at Hawk Ridge Farm under the full moon. This page, from left: Hawk Ridge Farm includes a 1848 Greek revival Cape. Hawk/Moon by John Bowdren in mahogany with gold leaf.

LaCombe grew up in North Yarmouth. Her father was a registered Maine Guide and the superintendent of schools for Cumberland and North Yarmouth. LaCombe’s mother, an organic gardener and environmental activist, worked in the research department at Maine Medical Center in Portland. LaCombe and her two sisters grew up skiing at Sugarloaf and navigating the family’s Lyman Islander down the Royal River for picnics on the islands of Casco Bay. “We lived really the best life one could live in Maine,” says LaCombe. “And we had the sense that we could do anything.” LaCombe would go on to earn a degree in environmental education and art from the New College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Always interested in creative pursuits, she was originally a weaver. While working at Gilsland Farm, she organized her first show in sculpture with abstract avian pieces

by Edwin Gamble. LaCombe went on to do graduate work in this field, including doctoral research in environmental art at Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire. “Art has always given heart to environmental issues,” says LaCombe, who has spent more than 25 years specializing in New England sculpture. “It really does empower each individual who lives with art and creates art.” LaCombe has curated exhibitions across Maine, including several at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay and the Wells Reserve at Laudholm in Wells. This year’s show at the Wells Reserve, Power of Place, runs through October 17 and features 65 sculptures in granite, steel, marble, and bronze from artists such as Jac Ouellette, Cabot Lyford, Stephen Porter, and Kate Cheney Chappell. “I really feel that sculpture can help reveal a sense of place,” says LaCombe, describing the rolling fields and distant crashing surf at

the 2,250-acre national estuarine research property. For more than a quarter of a century, LaCombe and Ginn have invited people to Hawk Ridge to enjoy yearly sculpture shows and accompanying festivities on their property. LaCombe combined this summer’s 125-sculpture exhibit, called Embracing Earth, with a series of “maple tree talks,” which addressed art and sustainable living under the same towering landmark beneath which her daughter was married. “People have to care about something in order to change,” says LaCombe. “Loving something provides a spark and ignites a shift.” On the summer solstice, LaCombe and Ginn hosted a contra dance and a pie potluck, which brought 75 people to the farm. In July, qigong master Ken Ryan led a group of 45 individuals in the traditional Chinese movements that generate life force—or qi— October 2017 59

MM_October17.indd 59

9/5/17 2:12 PM

“THE NEW ENGLAND LANDSCAPE HAS INSPIRED OUTSTANDING SCULPTORS WHO ARE EXPLORING MYTH AND METAPHOR THROUGH MATERIAL FORM. THEY USE THE REGION’S MATERIALS, INCLUDING GRANITE, MARBLE, AND WOOD, TO CREATE WORK THAT IS AS POWERFUL AS THE PLACES THAT INSPIRE THEM. I SPECIALIZE IN PIECES THAT GIVE HEART TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND AND THE POETICS OF PLACE.”

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 60

9/5/17 2:12 PM

From left: The pool and pool house are a favorite hangout for the grandchildren. LaCombe’s piece Let It In by Gary Haven Smith in granite with gold leaf sits in their meadow. “Buying art supports the creative economy,” says LaCombe. “Living with art nurtures our lives every day.”

as a kinetic sculpture by George Sherwood called Wind Orchid rotated gently near the back fence. LaCombe says that the family’s peacock chimed in with occasional shrieks during the exercise. “He is very tuned into changes in energy,” says LaCombe. “Especially my energy.” At the entrance to Hawk Ridge is an abstract piece by Gary Haven Smith, for whom LaCombe curated a solo show at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art this year. “I would no more sell this particular piece than I would sell my own cat,” she says. LaCombe wants her clients to love their sculptures as much as she does. “When I go to someone’s house and think about where they might place sculpture, I sit at their desk, I stand at their kitchen sink, and I sit in their favorite chair and look out the window, and that’s where one might place a piece of sculpture.” In the woods across from Hawk Ridge is a forest path that LaCombe once traversed with her now-grown children, Eliza and Will. On the side of the trail, LaCombe points out two undulating person-sized sculptures called Fiddlehead Chaise and Chaising Waves, carved from tapestry granite by Pownal artist Jordan Smith and large enough to lounge on. “Granite is the bedrock of Maine,” says LaCombe. “There is a powerful connection between the material, the artist, and the placement of sculpture. Sculpture on the landscape creates a relationship with its place. It connects the earth and sky.” In contrast to these mammoth pieces, which required a hydraulic lift for their installation, is a delicate wire and bead sculpture by Jean Noon. Called Seed Pod, it hangs like an oversized butterfly cocoon from a tree branch nearby. LaCombe says it is especially brilliant when highlighted by the rays of the sun. “There is something magical about the changing of the seasons and how the elements interplay with sculptures outdoors.” The show also includes work by sculptors Lise Becu of Tenants Harbor and Jesse Salisbury and Kazumi “Hoshi” Hoshino of Steuben. Ginn, who has a degree in landscape architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, founded an organic recycling company called Resource Conservation Services, Inc., which he sold October 2017 61

MM_October17.indd 61

9/5/17 2:12 PM

A sculpture by Stephen Porter along the woodland trail.

in 1992. He subsequently wrote a book titled Investing in Nature: Case Studies of Land Conservation in Collaboration with Business. Since 1996, Ginn has served in various positions within the Nature Conservancy, including chief conservation officer. “For me it was a lifelong passion that came from a small child being out in the woods and seeing the impact of development on places that I cared about,” says Ginn. “I certainly fell in love with the environment here in Maine, but I have come to greatly appreciate the vast complexity and diversity of the world’s environment, and how important that is to all of us.”

“A STRONG PIECE OF SCULPTURE WILL CONTINUE TO REVEAL ITSELF OVER TIME AND CELEBRATE THE BEAUTY OF THE MATERIAL, SENSUAL FORM, AND ITS SETTING.”

Ginn and LaCombe are doing their part to use resources wisely. Four years ago, Hawk Ridge became entirely solar-powered, thanks to modifications done by ReVision Energy. This conversion has been so successful that there is enough additional electric energy to run fans that keep the flies off their horses in summer and heaters that keep the water in the peafowls’ cages from freezing in the winter. As of this past June, the solar panels had created about 4,000 kilowatt-hours of excess power, and they plan to purchase an electric car. “We’ve tried to be conscious about how we live because we are connected to the rest of the world,” says Ginn. “We’re not hiding in the backwoods.” Ginn and LaCombe also own a home on Eagle Island in Penobscot Bay—one that they originally designed on a napkin. From the beginning, they powered all of their refrigeration, communications, electricity, and lights using a solar-power system. They estimate that they have only run their backup generator on the island once or twice in the last 10 years. “Systems get better and more reliable,” says Ginn. “We made a lot of improvements and today it’s just as relevant, and even better, than it was 25 years ago when we started.” Ginn and LaCombe have seen many things evolve in the decades since they first met at Maine Audobon. They’ve raised their children, avidly pursued their vocations in art and environmentalism, and continually transformed their habitats. Through it all, these former back-to-the-landers have attempted to maintain a bird’s-eye view of the larger world from their home at Hawk Ridge. “It does resonate to take care of our own garden, to take care of our own place on Earth,” says Ginn. “It’s what keeps us sane and happy and fulfilled.” 62

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 62

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Fully immersing yourself in a peaceful, therapeutic environment where you can focus on your recovery and healing your mind, body and spirit is essential. The Back Cove Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Residential Program and Recovery Center in Maine provides just the e n v i ron me n t a n d c a re you need. T his 30-day inpat ient program reduces outside distractions and offers a safe, structured environment that provides a solid foundation for recovery. Call us today!

877.351.1850 MM_October17.indd 63

October 2017 63

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Get to know your neighbors. XAVIER BOTANA

PODCAST

#304

Xavier Botana has been superintendent of the Portland Public Schools since July 1, 2016. Botana was born in Cuba during the Castro regime, and his family's experience immigrating to the United States from Cuba motivates his work in education.

DAVID DRISKELL

PODCAST

#314

David Driskell is an artist, curator, educator, and scholar who specializes in African-American art. He has contributed significantly to art history scholarship by examining the role of the Black artist in American society.

TESS GERRITSEN

PODCAST

#315

Tess Gerritsen is a best-selling author known for her thrillers, including her series about homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles that inspired the TNT show "Rizzoli and Isles." Her latest book, I Know a Secret, was released last August.

SPONSORED BY

Love Maine Radio introduces you to our neighbors, one conversation at a time. Hear what they have to say. Welcome to our community.

lovemaineradio.com

MM_October17.indd 64

9/5/17 2:13 PM

LOVE MAINE RADIO by Dr. Lisa Belisle Photography by Dave Dostie Love Maine Radio is a weekly radio show and podcast hosted by Maine magazine wellness editor Dr. Lisa Belisle.

JEAN HOFFMAN President of Q Street Advisors, LLC, founder and former board chair, president, and CEO of Putney, Inc. EPISODE #304: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EDUCATION

“I really like conflict,” says Jean Hoffman. “Not for the sake of doing battle, but in a company environment, I like different points of view, because that’s how you arrive at the best decision.” Hoffman, who founded Putney, Inc., in 2006, sold the Portlandbased pet medicine company last year for $200 million. “Part of how we succeeded at Putney is that we built a whole team of people who loved nothing more than overcoming the obstacles.” Originally from Washington, D.C., Hoffman graduated from Bowdoin College in 1979, just eight years after the college admitted its first class of women. “I think the male-to-female ratio when I started was four to one,” says Hoffman. “It was helpful in making me tougher. As a woman in business, I’ve always been pioneering, groundbreaking, entrepreneurial, building things, fighting battles—so being in a hostile environment with a tribe that wasn’t mine was really helpful.” Hoffman, who majored in East Asian history, was hired after college by an organization that was assisting United States companies doing business with China. After leading a delegation of Chinese chemical engineers around the United States, she was invited to tour the pharmaceutical facilities led by delegation members—factories that were not generally open to Westerners for security reasons. “It was an incredible opportunity to learn and build connections,” she says. Hoffman recently joined the board of directors and became an investor in the music therapy startup MedRhythms Inc. “I always look for people who balance each other out and can criticize each other,” says Hoffman. “You have to have people who respect each other and listen to each other and are unafraid and actually welcome challenging each other. That’s an important ingredient in success.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW Love Maine Radio airs Sundays on WPEI 95.9 FM at 7 a.m. and on WLOB 1310 AM at noon. Past episodes are available for streaming on lovemaineradio.com. Subscribe on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. 65

MM_October17.indd 65

maine | themainemag.com

9/5/17 2:13 PM

MAMMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SCHOLARSHIP GALA FUNDRAISER An Evening With The Fogcutters At AURA

THIS IS SO MAINE.

WE DELIVER. Subscribe 207 772 3373 themainemag.com/subscribe

MM_October17.indd 66

9/5/17 2:13 PM

PORTLAND, MAINE // OCTOBER 17-22 harvestontheharbor.com

MM_October17.indd 67

9/5/17 2:13 PM

HARVEST ON THE HARBOR

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, OCT 17 & 18 TM

celebrates 10 years of local bakers, makers, distillers, brewers, restaurateurs and those that make Portland one of America’s top culinary destinations! Find tickets at harvestontheharbor.com With your support, we can help end childhood hunger in Maine. Proceeds help beneﬁt Full Plates Full Potential. Learn more at fullplates.org.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPERS

Enjoy custom-created six-course tasting menus with sips for every course. Special auction prizes help support Full Plates at these incredible locally-sourced dinners. Up to eight locations with limited seating available. Special thanks to supporting partners including the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Farmland Trust and Native Maine. To date, participating restaurants include: 555, Inn by the Sea, EVO, Union at The Press Hotel, Woodford F&B.

6 – 8 p.m. | Various Locations

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19

FLAVORS OF MAINE

Taste the best of Maine restaurants at this wonderful stroll, sip and cocktail event. Chefs and bar masters from Portland and beyond come to showcase their best bites and most notable concoctions.

6 – 8:30 p.m. | O’Maine Studios | 54 Danforth Street

To see the latest talent, visit our website. Isaac Aldrich Sebasco Harbor Resort

MM_October17.indd 68

Josh Berry Union at The Press Hotel

Melissa Bouchard DiMillo’s On the Water

Bo Byrne TIQA

Andrew Chadwick Sea Glass

Karl Deuben & Bill Leavy East Ender

Matt Ginn Evo

9/5/17 2:13 PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20

MAINE LOBSTER CHEF OF THE YEAR COMPETITION Harvest brings back the competition with a new twist. Chefs are paired for a “battle of the bites” and judged by a panel of notable judges to name the 2017 Lobster Chef of the Year.

Noon – 2 p.m. | The Portland Company | 58 Fore Street

HARVEST HAPPY HOUR

The ultimate way to kick oﬀ the weekend. Experience perfect pairings like brown goods with bacon, gin with smoked seafood, vodka with local veggies, rum with BBQ and much more. Featured distillers include: Cold River, Doom Forest, Hardshore, Liquid Riot Bottling Co., Maine Craft, Northern Maine (Twenty2), Round Turn, Sebago Lake, Spirits of Maine, Split Rock, Stroudwater, Sweetgrass Farm, Tree Spirits and Wiggly Bridge. Thanks to our partner Maine Craft Distillers Guild for making this event possible.

Photos by Sarah Gagnon

5 – 7 p.m. | Aura | 121 Center Street

FESTIVAL SPONSOR

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

MARKET ON THE HARBOR

CHARITABLE BENEFICIARY

Spend the day tasting your way through 75+ local food and drink makers.

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | The Portland Company | 58 Fore Street E VENT SPONSORS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22

HARVEST CRAWL

Eat and drink your way through over 25 food and drink establishments around town.

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Portland

Baxter Key & Andy Gerry Highroller Lobster Co.

MM_October17.indd 69

Nick Krunkkala Damariscotta River Grille

Courtney Loreg Woodford F&B

German Lucarelli Ports of Italy

Troy Mains Harraseeket Inn

Stephen Richards Lafayette Hotels, Boothbay Harbor

Avery Richter The Black Tie Company

Kyle Robinson 555

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Aaron Moser, Tom Moserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third son, is Thos. Moser Cabinetmakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new president and CEO.

MM_October17.indd 70

9/5/17 2:13 PM

PROFILE by Philip Conkling Photography by Matt Cosby

MAKING THE COMPLEX LOOK

SIMPLE A NEW GENERATION TAKES CHARGE AT THOS. MOSER. Many businesses like to say, “We are all like family here.” But what if your business actually is a family enterprise, root and branch, like Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, Maine’s most respected and successful furniture maker? And what if the 82-yearold-founder, Tom, and his wife, Mary, and three of their four sons, and one daughterin-law, are all still intimately involved in the business more than 40 years after it started? And how does a family business transition from a charismatic founder-led enterprise to new management when the time comes? The Mosers’ answer is: slowly, carefully, and not without difficulty. There is nothing about Moser—the man, the company, or the family—that fits a predictable story line. Aaron Moser, 52, Tom’s third son, who was recently appointed the company’s president and

CEO, started out in the food business after graduating from a rigorous program at the Culinary Institute of America. He began his professional life as a chef in New Orleans before migrating to Dallas to work as a chef and food service manager. But homesick for Maine, he “came home, got married, had two children, and built a bunch of houses—including a boat barn and studio for my father on Dingley Island.” Recruited into the family business three decades ago, Moser built the contract side of the

“ THE QUALITY OF OUR WOOD HAS BECOME PART OF OUR BRAND”

business, focused on building furniture for colleges and universities, in addition to working for his father in various other capacities. “It’s not about taking charge,” he says of his new role. “It’s been more of a process.” Reflecting on the family’s personal and business philosophy, Moser says it was always in his father’s nature to blaze his own path. “What other college professor shows up for work with Band-Aids all over his fingers after a weekend tearing down barns?” His father left a tenured position at Bates College—along with its promise of free tuition for his four sons—to start a furniture company in 1972. “Who else would do that?” Aaron asks. Then he adds, “What other furniture company sells the furniture it makes through its own network of national showrooms? And what other furniture maker produces this level of quality at this scale of quantity?” When

October 2017 71

MM_October17.indd 71

9/5/17 2:13 PM

PROFILE

Aaron Moser

his father was writing the book ultimately titled Thos. Moser: Artistry in Wood, one of its early working titles was With the Grain. Aaron thought it would have been more aptly titled Against the Grain. To understand how the company and its 130 employees create their signature furniture pieces, I go with Moser on a tour of the company’s 90,000-square-foot plant in Auburn. A one-time forester myself, I appreciate the carefully curated supply of elegant hardwoods at the southern end of the company’s long, low building. We walk past stacks and stacks of beautifully colored lumber—purplish-tinted walnut, rose-hued cherry, pale white ash, along with stockpiles of rock maple and white oak. “We have some of the finest sourcing in the furniture business,” says Moser. The company has always maintained excellent relationships with premium lumber mills. “The quality of our wood has become part of our brand,” he says, adding, “You end up with what you start with.” He points to a couple of pieces of black walnut sourced from a mill in Missouri. “No two boards are the same, just as no two trees are the same.” The company’s woodworkers, he tells me, would never use a cherry plank from Kentucky next to one from, say, Pennsylvania, because black cherry wood changes color over time, depending on the soil type and climate where it grew. The Moser plant is laid out to create a large number of artisanal spaces for one or two woodworkers to shape and assemble chairs, bookcases, tables, benches, and other furniture. Moser’s woodworkers—almost half are women—are not assembly-line workers. “They all have a lot of autonomy and accountability,” he tells me. All Moser craftspeople sign and date their own pieces—and repair them if necessary, in keeping with the furniture’s lifetime warranty. One of the goals of the company is that a piece of furniture, intricately assembled from hardwood planks from a single tree, will last as long as it takes that tree’s replacement to grow to maturity—at least a half-century for most of the wood that surrounds us. Even though Thos. Moser’s furniture The interior of Thos. Moser’s Freeport showroom. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Mike Roopenian, Mark Paisley, Aaron Moser, and Mary Martin discuss a furniture design challenge. Crafting fine details is a hallmark of Thos. Moser’s fit and finish design philosophy. A section of the company’s chair shop.

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 72

9/5/17 2:13 PM

October 2017 73

MM_October17.indd 73

9/5/17 2:13 PM

PROFILE

Aaron Moser

design department has access to hightech computer visualization tools and the company employs skilled programmers to set up its CNC machines (computerized cutting machines), Moser insists that “we use tech; we don’t let tech drive the design.” A CNC machine setup can “take long hours,” says Aaron, “but the point is that we can then make pieces of furniture one at a time, enabling us to focus on fit and finish.” He calls the balance between the company’s handwork and technology “high-tech, high touch.” At one workstation, Moser introduces me to Brenda Swett, who is working on attaching legs to a chair, but Moser seems equally proud that a number of years back she was Maine’s state champion bass fisherwoman. Nearby, Moser waves to Ramsey Uter, a wood carver originally from Jamaica. Tom Moser and Uter recently collaborated on crafting a small wooden carousel horse, 74

which is currently on display at the Maine State Museum, part of an exhibit celebrating the 45-year history of Moser and the company’s contributions to Maine art, design, and entrepreneurship. Simple Shaker designs were an early influence on furniture designed by Tom Moser, but today the company’s design inspirations come from all over the world. Perhaps no other design has done as much to imprint Thos. Moser’s furniture in the minds of the company’s clients, customers, and admirers as a line of Windsor-inspired chair designs, whose signature effect is created by a double-curved, continuousarm back. Aaron Moser shows me a jig, which was designed in 1972 and has been used ever since. The jig is used to bend the sections of glued laminates into their elegant shapes, beginning at a slightly upturned arm rest, then swooping up, around, and down to the opposite arm rest

like the curves on a roller coaster. “This is not something a machine could do for us,” Moser says. We end our circuit through the plant at the section where the various oils and finishes are applied to the company’s furniture. Moser mentions three large orders that were recently shipped out—one for Yale University’s new residential college, another to the University of Georgia, and a third to the Lawrenceville School, a New Jersey boarding school. As we walk around a finished cherry desk and chair awaiting shipment, I am impressed with the visual depth of the light that penetrates into the wood. The color of the wood seems to change from different angles as the interplay of light and shadow creates arresting effects, brought out by the final process of applying oil. “If we’ve done everything right,” Moser says, “this is an enchanting process.”

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 74

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Opposite page, from left: Longtime Thos. Moser employee Brenda Swett making a stool. A New Gloucester Rocker on display at the Freeport showroom. This page: Dave Maguire, one of the makers in the Thos. Moser shop in Auburn.

Through an unimposing door next to the shipping department, Moser leads me back into a quiet, well-appointed conference room, adorned with framed nautical art of clouded seascapes and breaking waves. I mention the long and winding road that has led him to his new leadership position at one of Maine’s most admired family companies. “Not a winding road,” Moser says philosophically. “More like hills and valleys.” “The founders—and the whole family—we are all going through a transition,” he says. “It’s tough work to let go.” He adds, “It’s intimidating to work under Tom Moser. He’s a brilliant visionary, a strong leader, and he’s also an incredible orator.” The younger Moser says it wasn’t his aspiration to become the company’s leader. “This came to me,” he says with sincere humility. He recalls a magazine interview from 1996 in which his father first mentioned the need to plan for a leadership transition. “I don’t know how long a transition is supposed to last,” he says, “but it would be harder for an outsider to do this.” Aaron Moser has assumed the leadership role of a successful company that in its 45th year is at “a halfway point” in its history, with a third-generation Moser now working at the company. “Everything we do here has some level of emotion. Our employees are deeply committed to this family, to the business, and to each other,” he says. The company, he adds, is also deeply committed to Maine. Like another figure in the Moser family, Aaron becomes a bit of an orator as he emphasizes that “our company wouldn’t and couldn’t exist anywhere else but Maine.” He cites the surrounding rural culture and strong family roots that have shaped those who have worked for the company for decades. And when he mentions his belief that Mainers’ innate sense of connection to the natural world is infused in the company’s products, I am reminded of something he said to me standing next to the jig designed in 1972. “We are not trying to be fanciful or clever. We are trying to be truthful. We are trying to be simple.” ’Tis the gift to be simple, as the Shakers, who inspired some of Moser’s earliest designs, once put to song. October 2017 75

MM_October17.indd 75

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Discover

the wonderful way of life at

NORTHBRIDGE COMMUNITIES in Brunswick, Wells, and Westbrook INDEPENDENT LIVING

ASSISTED LIVING

MEMORY CARE

We pride ourselves on providing the very best care to your family, all in a beautifully designed setting. With a maintenance-free lifestyle, locally sourced Eat Fresh, Eat Local menu, and supportive and engaging programming, Northbridge is able to provide families with true peace of mind. Our goal is to ensure our residents live well, and love life - each and every day. FIND US ONLINE: northbridgecos.com

MM_October17.indd 76

9/5/17 2:13 PM

NATUREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FINEST GENUINE SLATE

PRODUCERS OF SLATE FLOOR TILE, FLAGGING, STRUCTURAL SLATE & ROOFING, MONUMENTS, SLATE SINKS AND COUNTERTOPS Family-owned business with four generations of experience

Sheldonslate.com Monson, Maine 207.997.3615 | Middle Granville, New York 518.642.1280

Back by popular demand!

HOLIDAY SHOW!

PLAYHOUSE The OGUNQUIT LL HA at THE MUSIC NH th, ou m in Ports

NOV 30 - DEC 18

OCT 5 - NOV 6

GET YOUR 207.646.5511 TICKETS OgunquitPlayhouse.org TODAY! Rte 1 Ogunquit, ME

MM_October17.indd 77

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Challenge Cancer: Know the Facts

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Maine women.

1,105

Maine women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

33%

of all breast cancer cases in the U.S. could be prevented.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to get screened for breast cancer.

YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR RISK FOR BREAST CANCER BY MAKING LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

Learn more about joining Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fight against cancer at MaineCancer.org.

MM_October17.indd 78

9/5/17 2:13 PM

An Evening for the ENVIRONMENT Celebrating Maine's conservation victories for 15 years

Wednesday, October 25th 5:30 to 8:00 PM Thompson's Point, Portland Tickets: www.maineconservation.org/evening Featuring Featuring keynote keynote speaker speaker Brian Brian Deese, Deese, a a Senior Senior Advisor Advisor to to former former President Obama President Obama who who oversaw oversaw climate, climate, conservation, conservation, and and energy energy policies policies and and was was one one of of the the key key architects architects of of the the Paris Paris Climate Climate Agreement. Agreement. Proudly Proudly honoring honoring George George Smith Smith with with the the 2017 2017 Harrison Harrison L. L. Richardson Richardson Environmental Environmental Leadership Leadership Award. Award. To To benefit benefit Maine Maine Conservation Conservation Voters Voters and and Maine Maine Conservation Conservation Alliance Alliance

207.620.8811 207.620.8811 // // 295 295 Water Water Street, Street, Suite Suite 9 9 Augusta, Augusta, ME ME 04330 04330 MM_October17.indd 79

October 2017 79

9/5/17 2:13 PM

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 80

9/5/17 2:13 PM

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT A 16-year effort to restore the Penobscot has become a model for the planet. by Philip Conkling│Photography by Nicole Wolf

Opposite page: John Banks, Penobscot Nation’s natural resources director, with an eagle feather.

MM_October17.indd 81

9/5/17 2:13 PM

STANDING ON A BLUFF SIX MILES NORTH OF BANGOR, JOHN BANKS, THE NATURAL RESOURCES DIRECTOR FOR THE PENOBSCOT NATION, REMEMBERS THE DAY IN 2013 WHEN THE VEAZIE DAM WAS FIRST BREACHED. As the initial pulses of free-flowing water behind the dam began to surge through the opening, “everything in me was vibrating,” he says. “It felt pretty darn good.” Four years later, as Banks and I watch an osprey cruise the far shore over Eddington looking for an afternoon meal, we are joined by Laura Rose Day, who was until recently the director of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, which partnered with the Penobscot Nation to launch the dam removal effort over a decade and a half ago. “It’s hard to imagine the dam ever being here,” Day says, as she points to a concrete abutment across the river three football fields away, one of the few signs left of the dam’s onceimposing presence. “It’s hard to remember what it even looked like.” For over a century prior to 2013, an immense abutment, a powerhouse, and massive 82

penstock connected to spinning turbines and generators were integral parts of a century-old electric power system. Bangor Hydro’s 32-foot-tall, 830-foot-long Veazie Dam spanned the entire main stem of the Penobscot River, creating an impoundment that stretched three and a half miles upriver. Farther upriver at Old Town, a second Bangor Hydro dam, the Great Works Dam, created another impoundment that generated additional hydroelectric power. And at Howland, where the Piscataquis River joins the Penobscot, was a third Bangor Hydro dam. Beginning in 1999, however, six major environmental groups, the Penobscot Nation, and federal and state agency representatives came together to reach an agreement with the dam owner to remove the Penobscot’s two “main stem” dams and bypass a third. The result is the restoration of over 1,000

miles of habitat for 11 species of sea-run fish that had been choked off from their spawning ground for almost two centuries. As part of the complex deal, which involved negotiating intricate real estate agreements and securing numerous state and federal permits, environmental groups also agreed to support the relicensing and renovation of three other dams on the Stillwater branch of the Penobscot to compensate for the power lost to dam removal on the main stem. From start to finish, the effort took 16 years and $60 million, but everyone got something valuable—and perhaps timeless—from the agreement. The successful effort to restore natural habitats on the Penobscot River was a massive turning point in New England’s economic history after centuries of industrial use of the region’s waterways. When Henry David Thoreau ventured up

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 82

9/5/17 2:13 PM

The Howland Dam, with its sluiceway, was a major obstacle to fish migration before the construction of the new bypass channel.

October 2017 83

MM_October17.indd 83

9/5/17 2:13 PM

From left: The sculpture at Indian Island commemorates many millennia of Native American use of the Penobscot River. Banks’s turtle pendant, which celebrates a tribal origin myth. Opposite page: Laura Rose Day helped lead the Penobscot River Restoration Trust during its 16-year effort to restore the free-flowing river.

the Penobscot River from Bangor in 1837, he described “two hundred and fifty saw-mills on the Penobscot and its tributaries above Bangor, the greater part of them in this immediate neighborhood” that “sawed two hundred millions of feet of boards annually.” For Banks and the Penobscot Nation, however, tribal connections to the river go back much further—some 10,000 years, during which time the tribe has depended on it for sustenance. “The Penobscot Nation has been involved with trying to save this river since the 1700s. There are records of leaders from Indian Island going to Boston by canoe to complain about the loss of fish habitat from sawmill waste,” says Banks. But the Penobscots lost battle after battle to more powerful economic interests. When President Jimmy Carter signed the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act in 1980, Banks notes ruefully, “We regained sustenance fishing rights in the river, but there were no fish.” 84

Laura Rose Day came to Maine in 1998 as the watershed director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. An agreement to remove Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River had just been reached. But on the Penobscot, Day recalls that, “after a bruising environmental battle over Bangor Hydro’s plan to erect a new hydroelectric dam at Basin Mills, the river was gasping for breath with only three percent of salmon habitat left in the river below the Veazie Dam.” When Bangor Hydro sold its dams on the Penobscot to Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) in 1998, both Day and Banks sensed that the sale provided a potential opening for different actors to be involved in a different discussion, even though “trust was at a low ebb, after having so many different interests swinging at each other for such a long period of time,” as Day puts it. When environmental groups, including Atlantic Salmon Federation, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Maine

Audubon, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine, joined shortly thereafter by the Nature Conservancy, agreed to sit down with PPL, they chose Day as their representative. The Penobscot Nation tapped Banks to represent their interests and between them they began meeting with company representatives. Banks credits Day as “the conductor of the orchestra. She kept everyone in line from start to finish,” he says. “After all those years of opposition,” Day says, “the only way forward was spending a lot of time together in rooms, face to face.” In meetings with “lots and lots of lawyers,” the parties slogged through the tedious details of how much the dams were worth, what it would cost to remove them, who would own the remaining property, how to structure purchase options, how the Howland Dam would be redesigned to permit fish passage, and then the need to raise the tens of millions of dollars that would be required for this massive

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 84

9/5/17 2:13 PM

MM_October17.indd 85

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Summer swimmers glide downstream at Indian Island, home of the Penobscot Indian Nation.

MM_October17.indd 86

9/5/17 2:13 PM

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Penobscot Nation has been involved with trying to save this river since the 1700s.â&#x20AC;?

October 2017 87

MM_October17.indd 87

9/5/17 2:13 PM

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 88

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Opposite page: Decades of environmental activism have helped clean and restore 1,000 miles of the Penobscot River. This page: Swimmers at Indian Island.

undertaking to succeed. I ask the pair of them whether there was a turning point in the long process. Day, the determined advocate and environmental lawyer, points to “a lot of chipping away at the complexity of issues.” But the grayhaired Banks has another recollection. During a particularly contentious time, he recalls, “We were at an impasse with all these government lawyers, NGO attorneys, and business people. It was starting to sound like it was more about them than the river. I knew I had to do something. I asked for a few moments and unwrapped an eagle feather and walked behind each person. I said that the salmon and the eagle and everything else had been in this river for thousands

of years. ‘We are their voice,’ I said. I could feel the energy of each person through that feather. When I got to each person, it was like something speaking through me. That was a turning point.” Although it took the group five years to reach a final agreement in 2004 among all parties, the next daunting challenge was to raise $25 million within a five-year option window to purchase the three dams PPL wanted to sell. “Incredibly, public funders and generous private donors enabled us to exercise the option a year ahead of time that saved us a million dollars,” Day says. After walking along the free-flowing Penobscot at Veazie, we wind our way

upriver to the former site of the Great Works Dam, 14 miles farther north, which was demolished a year before Veazie in 2012. We cross the river at Old Town, and on the Bradley side, turn off the two-lane highway onto a town road that dead-ends at a small parking lot. There is no room to park in the lot because several trucks with long trailers stacked high with kayaks arrived a short time ahead of us. For the third year in a row, the sprint races of the Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta were taking place in the town of Bradley. We meet Nate Lord, a 60-something grizzled whitewater instructor from Colorado, who has brought a group of high school students for the canoe and kayak championships. October 2017 89

MM_October17.indd 89

9/5/17 2:13 PM

From left: Banks on the shore of the restored Penobscot River. The site of the Veazie Dam is now a town park. Opposite page: Andrew Goode of the Atlantic Salmon Federation at the edge of the new bypass channel for fish passage at Howland.

“We come here to do technique training,” Lord says, adding, “It’s great for the kids because the river is so clean and pristine.” Four of his students, he tells us, are going to Austria in a few weeks for the International Canoe Federation Wildwater Junior World Championships. “This is an incredible community resource,” Lord says, “and because Laura and John were clever enough to remove these dams, the kids have this place to practice.” “This is the story of this project,” Day says, with a slight smile. “Whenever we bring visitors to the river, we’ll meet someone who will say something like, ‘I used to fish here with my great-grandfather …’ It always seems like a setup, and we have to say, ‘Please tell them, we don’t know you.’” Day looks across the stretch of whitewater where kayak after kayak comes sluicing through three sets of rapids. “This was our dream,” she says, “but a lot of people were skeptical because the water was black and 90

slack and dead.” Her voice trails off. “People think it’s all about the fish,” she adds, “but the whitewater opportunities are a really big part of the story, too.” Banks just grins and says, “It’s kind of nice just to hear the sound of running water.” The last piece of the Penobscot restoration puzzle was also its most technically challenging and politically sensitive, says Andrew Goode of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The old Bangor Hydro dam at Howland, part of the sale to PPL, is located just upstream of the junction where the large tributary of the Piscataquis River flows into the main stem of the Penobscot. The dam had been used to power a large tannery mill at Howland that had been closed and derelict since 1971. The three-and-a-halfmile-long impoundment, however, was the town’s main recreational asset. Local leaders and residents wanted no part of a dam removal project that would eliminate the body of water. Goode recognized that the impoundment “was the town commons.”

So the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, which at that point also included the Nature Conservancy, went to work with the town to come up with a plan B: the largest natural river bypass channel in the country, which would allow fish to access the river upstream, while leaving the impoundment unaffected. Kate Dempsey, who heads the Nature Conservancy in Maine, was used to big projects with big budgets when the organization joined the trust’s effort. The Nature Conservancy, along with its partners, set to work on helping to raise the public dollars still needed to purchase the dams for $24 million. They also needed more than twice as much to remove the Great Works and Veazie dams and to build the Howland bypass; the final bill for the project ultimately exceeded $60 million. Dempsey says that it was critical not just to ensure the funds could be raised through private and federal sources, but also that the trust could finance the collection of information

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 90

9/5/17 2:13 PM

about the project’s effect on fish runs and communities. Thinking big, the Nature Conservancy was mindful that if fish returns and other benefits were quantified, the Penobscot project could influence other dam removal efforts—not just around the United States, but around the world. The trust’s work resulted in designing, funding, and finally completing the river bypass channel in 2016 and working with Howland as town leaders began to reimagine future waterfront opportunities. Dempsey says the number of fish returning to the Penobscot “are what we had hoped, but what is really remarkable is how fast it is happening throughout the entire system.” The count at the Milford fish ladder in 2017 has reached two million fish, “from next to nothing,” Dempsey says. Goode notes that the Atlantic Salmon Federation has documented that both Atlantic salmon and river herring use the Howland bypass “just like it was the river.” Goode regularly checks in at Howland and is excited every time he goes. “You have to see the channel in person to really appreciate its scale,” he says, “because the Piscataquis is not a small river.” He adds, “It’s like one of the eight wonders of the world.” The dream that the Penobscot project would become a model to inspire other groups has already begun. While standing with Day and Banks on the shore at Bradley, where the removal of the Great Works Dam has exposed churning whitewater rapids, Day tells me, “People come from all over the world to look at this. There have been visiting delegations, not only from around the U.S., but from South Korea, China, and Japan.” Banks mentions that a delegation from the Maori Tribe from New Zealand is coming for a ceremony in the near future. I ask Day and Banks how they explain the enormous success of this project. “If you are empathetic toward people with different views, you realize they have good ideas, too,” Day says. “You make space for people to share ideas without blinders.” And both Banks and Day believe that other governments and environmentalists recognize that the process of restoring the Penobscot River is what can be replicated, even though the circumstances in each case will be different. But perhaps the last word belongs to Banks, who kept the spirit of the river alive in himself and everyone else throughout the long and complicated ordeal. “It just gave me such a great sense of hope that people can come together to get to a better place,” he says. “This is hopeful for the planet.” October 2017 91

MM_October17.indd 91

9/5/17 2:13 PM

The Revolutionists By Lauren Gunderson

Four beautiful, badass women change the world in this sassy, smart new comedy.

Oct. 20–29 Five-time winner

“Best Theatre in Maine” — Down East Magazine Readers’ Choice Poll 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017

Excite, Engage, Entertain!

THEPUBLICTHEATRE.ORG (207) 782-3200 31 MAPLE STREET, LEWISTON, ME 04240

@THEPUBLICTHEATRE

SPONSORED BY Agren, Baxter Brewing, Butler Bros., Maple Way Dental Care, Patrons Oxford Insurance 92 maine | themainemag.com SEASON UNDERWRITERS Platz Associates, Sun Journal, The OX96.9, Maine’s BigZ105.5, Austin Associates, Maine Magazine, The Brand Collective

MM_October17.indd 92

9/5/17 2:13 PM

Maine’s culinary community is taking a stand!

NO CHILD SHOULD GROW UP HUNGRY. So, they’re helping to end child hunger in Maine one meal at a time. Look for the FEED KIDS logo on a menu near you.

feed

KIDS.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Find our FEED KIDS partners at fullplates.org/feedkids and look for the FEED KIDS logo at a business near you. Maine businesses are invited to get involved by launching a FEED KIDS campaign of their own. Our turnkey cause marketing platform is designed for businesses of all sizes, concepts, and locations to take action toward ending child hunger in Maine. Learn more at fullplates.org/feedkids CAUSE MARKETING FOUNDING PARTNERS INCLUDE:

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BREA MCDONALD PHOTOGRAPHY

MM_October17.indd 93

October 2017 93

9/5/17 2:13 PM

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 94

9/5/17 2:13 PM

SHOES, TO THE SOURCE BY SANDY L ANG PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER FRANK EDWARDS

INSPIRED BY WHAT’S SO OFTEN ON OUR FEET, WE GO ON A SHOE-TOWN DRIVE-AROUND FROM BRUNSWICK TO LEWISTON TO NORRIDGEWOCK, STOPPING BY SHOP FLOORS AND SHOEMAKERS TO SEE HOW AND WHERE THEY’RE MADE.

A hand-sewn blucher shoe at Quoddy in Lewiston, where shoes are still made. Quoddy is one of the survivors of Maine’s long-running shoemaking industry, which included dozens of companies into the 1980s. October 2017 95

MM_October17.indd 95

9/5/17 2:13 PM

The floors are wide planks of scuffed, worn wood, and sunlight is pouring in from high, arched windows. From the rafters, a U.S. flag hangs straight down over the workbenches and wooden carts, some with moccasins, boat shoes, and penny loafers paired in rows. On the vintage racks at Quoddy, a lineup of penny loafers. Opposite page: Many of the team at Quoddy in Lewiston have worked in the industry for decades.

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 96

9/5/17 2:13 PM

October 2017 97

MM_October17.indd 97

9/5/17 2:14 PM

From left: Kevin Shorey is a fourth-generation shoemaker and a grandson of the Quoddy Wigwam Gift Shop owner. Shoes still on last forms at Quoddy. Opposite page: A personal shoe collection of brands made in Maine, including L.L.Bean boots (made in Brunswick), Town View Leather Moccasins (made in Dexter), and New Balance (made in Norridgewock and Skowhegan).

It’s Americana come to life on the second floor of a long brick building in Lewiston (pop. 36,140). The latest chapter of Maine’s centuries of hand-sewn shoe heritage is on full view. I breathe in whiffs of raw leather from the racks stacked with smooth and pebbled leathers and a dozen colors of suede. The sights and smells are part of the shoeinspired pilgrimages we’ve been making this year. On this day it’s Quoddy, where more than 25 people do the cutting, sewing, and soling of shoes, boots, and moccasins— mostly for custom orders for individual buyers. The 70-year-old company makes 700 to 1,000 pairs each month, all by hand. It’s a rebirth of the brand. After finances

and production went stagnant in the early 1990s, Quoddy was brought back to life when the grandson of the Quoddy Wigwam Gift Shop owner and his wife decided to shift careers and learn the shoemaking trade. Kevin and Kirsten Shorey made the shoes themselves in a Calais barn at first, and they are both still principals with the company. Company president John Andreliunas explains that he invested in Quoddy after a career in athletic footwear in Boston and a childhood of summers spent way downeast, around Eastport. He remembers Shorey’s grandfather’s shop in Perry, which was a longtime Route 1 stop for moccasins, along with sunglasses, t-shirts, and Passamaquoddy-made baskets.

Andreliunas traces the continued interest in Maine shoes back to the state’s natural influence on the evolution of preppy style. “Because of the landscape, prep was basically invented in Maine,” he contends. College students from around New England would drive up for weekends here, still wearing their Brooks Brothers blazers and madras plaids. “Moccasins and Norwegian-style fishing shoes were repurposed as loafers to wear to clambakes and beach cocktail parties. Bass Weejuns were invented here. It was all an accident of history, and Maine was in the center of it.”

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 98

9/5/17 2:14 PM

SEBAGO AND DEXTER ARE PLACES? In my earliest introduction to Maine shoes, it was those Weejuns that I noticed first. And then the Sebago Docksides that everyone wore without socks. But that was when I was a kid growing up on the coast of South Carolina, and wasn’t yet familiar with the shoe dominance of Maine—or the people and places that gave the shoes iconic names. As I’ve spent more time in this craftsmanshipdriven state, I’ve learned that the shoe history is deep. Many of the shoes I’ve long admired or owned were made in Maine. And some still are. The signs for a New Balance outlet and factory are a beacon every time we pass through Skowhegan on the way to ski mountains in western Maine. In Belfast, the early-1800s-founded Colburn Shoe Store, “the oldest shoe store in America,” sometimes arranges window displays of vintage pairs of Maine-made shoes. I remember a shoe realization that I had at the busy Italian restaurant inside the massive brick building at the edge of Wilson Lake a few years ago. Calzolaio Pasta Co. is inside part of the original location of the G.H. Bass shoe factory, where the famous Weejuns were handsewn, starting in the 1870s. It all adds up. My favorite around-the-house shoes are Town View Leather Moccasins made in Dexter. I’ve got a good decade-plus of wear on my stealthy L.L.Bean Maine Hunting Shoes, which have a supple bottom that lets you walk quietly in the woods. Photographer Peter Frank Edwards has owned Bean boots for most of his life, including one pair passed down from his uncle that dates back to the 1960s. He’s with me for the Quoddy jaunt. For our next shoe outing, as we drive to the much larger and more modern boot-making factory of L.L.Bean in Brunswick, we do a shoe count from memory. Between us, we figure, he and I own more than a dozen pairs of Mainemade shoes. October 2017 99

MM_October17.indd 99

9/5/17 2:14 PM

From across the country, and world, customers mail in their well-worn boots to L.L.Bean for rebuildingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to sew on new leather uppers or rubber bottoms.

100

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 100

9/5/17 2:14 PM

October 2017 101

MM_October17.indd 101

9/5/17 2:14 PM

102

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 102

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Opposite page: Nicholas Payson from Belfast with a just-made boot. He completed weeks of training this year to work as a finish/end assembler at L.L.Bean. This page, from top: From rubber pellets to leather and laces, all of the pieces and parts that will go into the making of one pair of L.L.Bean boots. Guiding the leather for hand-sewn stitches at L.L.Bean.

BRUNSWICK FOR BOOTS The appeal of L.L.Bean boots is that they’re “quirky, beautiful, and functionally innovative. They’re tougher than a gator,” explains Mac McKeever when we meet inside the boot factory in Brunswick (pop. 20,645). He’s a public affairs representative for the company (and a boater and fisherman), and marvels that the basic design has changed very little since Greenwood-born Leon Leonwood Bean developed the rubber-soled boots with leather uppers back in 1911. “He was ahead of his time.” When McKeever leads us into the production area, I’m struck by the vast size of the open factory floor and the buzz of stitches piercing the leather pieces being guided by hand on sewing machines. It’s here they mold the rubber bottoms and attach uppers of leather and waxed canvas, and sometimes linings of shearling or fur. At workstations all around, more than 450 people work here in three daily shifts and will make as many 750,000 boots this year, McKeever tells us, averaging about 45 minutes per pair from start to finish. One of the leather-stitchers, Lesley Raffel, pauses near a pallet stacked with shearling that will be used for the L.L.Bean Signature line of Wicked Good boots. “I’m one of only two people here who make them,” she says, and finds a finished pair so we can feel the woolly lining. “They’re really thick and furry. When I saw that Oprah wore a pair in her magazine last winter, I said, ‘Hey, I probably made those!’” Raffel says she had no experience stitching when she moved to Maine from Ohio and, with the company’s extensive training, she’s since worked at L.L.Bean for close to 25 years making luggage, totes, and now boots. “There are so many components, and it’s nice to do a lot of different things. It’s not boring at all.” October 2017 103

MM_October17.indd 103

9/5/17 2:14 PM

A few dozen yards away, I see Paul and Pat Derocher look up from their work and smile. Before they were married, each started work here in the 1980s as a leather cutter—placing what look like oversized cookie cutters on the leather and using a large mechanical press to make quick, stamping cuts. “We met side by side, just like this,” Pat says, “and we’ve stayed just like this.” We also see a carousel-like contraption—a rubber injection molding machine that turns pea-sized pellets of rubber into boot bottoms. I’m eager to see it in action, but it’s not due to be turned on until a later shift. Instead, we get a glimpse of the corporate culture when one of the famed stretch breaks begins, and everyone on the floor stops working for a few minutes for a series of bends, twists, and sweeping arm motions done all together— along with laughter and chatter all around. Before leaving, we stop at the boot “rebuild” area and I notice tags on pairs sent in from places as far-flung as Georgia, Rhode Island, and Oregon. Peter Frank has done this before, mailed in his woods-worn boots so a craftsman here can replace the rubber bottoms and sew them again to the leather upper. (Alternately, sometimes it’s the leather upper that needs replacing.) The rebuilds are popular, McKeever says, because people get attached to the foot-feel of their boots. “The leather molds to your feet over time,” he says, “and the boots become even more well-loved and comfortable.”

NORRIDGEWOCK SNEAKER The New Balance buildings in Norridgewock (pop. 3,254) stretch for so long that the facility is deemed a “campus.” I’m excited to be here because I’ve been running in New Balance for years, and I seek out models from the Boston-based company that are made in the United States. On two floors, machines and people are in motion. Before retiring, Sheldon Kilkenny worked as a supervisor of the New Balance production lines here and in the neighboring town of Skowhegan (pop. 8,302) for more than 35 years. He’s visiting for the morning, too, and shows us around, beginning by lifting up a yard-long piece of leather that’s about to be cut into saddle pieces for the shoes. “It’s genuine pigskin,” he says. “Just like what they use to make footballs, and it wears like iron.” The leather is soft, and I’m impressed, but what Kilkenny tells us next is truly amazing.

MM_October17.indd 104

9/5/17 2:14 PM

One of the busy lines at New Balance in Norridgewock, where employees make 4,000 to 4,800 pairs of shoes each day.

It takes seconds, not minutes, to complete various steps—15-20 pieces for each shoe are compiled by a production line of up to 32 people completing precise tasks and passing the shoes along. He says the factory’s eight teams will produce more than 4,000 pairs on the day we visit. I let those numbers sink in as I watch for a while. Innovative tools and machines add efficiency and speed, but at every step it takes human hands to guide the process. During lunch break—there are two cafeterias open for the 300 or so workers—we meet John Poulin of Waterville, who tells us that before being hired in 2002 and trained as a cutter and then team leader, he was a chef at summer camps. Poulin sees similarities in his work at New Balance. With both cooking and shoemaking, “it’s all about preparation and timing. You’ve got a ‘recipe’ you’ve got to follow, and you always have to have the next part ready to go.” Like everyone we’re meeting on this shoe spree, Poulin takes pride in what he’s making. When he’s around town in Waterville or down in Boston for the day, Poulin says he scans every room at foot level to see who’s wearing New Balance. Cutter Richard Cunningham of Fairfield says he does the same thing. One time he met a man visiting Maine from Minnesota who was wearing the 1540v2 model, the exact kind Cunningham had been working on. “I said, ‘Hey, I made those. I personally cut all the pieces out.” The man explained that he was diabetic, “and he said he had never had a pair that made his feet feel so comfortable. That made me feel good, knowing it was something I had made and that I’d once had my hands on.” Cunningham is personally devoted to the shoe brand, and he says he likes the most colorful shoe models the best. “I’m not a plain person.” And while he’s had chances to train for other positions at the company, he’s content where he is. “I’m fortunate to be with the same team for the past 13 years. I love cutting. I love what I do.”

MM_October17.indd 105

9/5/17 2:14 PM

106

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 106

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Opposite page: Sheldon Kilkenny worked in the shoemaking industry in Maine for 45 years, including 35 years with New Balance. This page: The New Balance factory in Skowhegan.

LEWISTON MOCCASINS I think again of that first visit back at Quoddy, when we met Danny Mallette. In a sleeveless shirt and jeans, he is another one of the craftsmen who epitomizes the heritage of this trade. From Auburn, the son of a hand-sewer, Mallette deftly sewed the whiskey-hued leather of a Quoddy canoe shoe, the pieces stretched over a last in a men’s size nine. He realized early on that he was “scrappy and fast” when it comes to the piecework of shoemaking. And he found that he has a natural talent for designing shoes and the patterns needed to scale a design down to a size 7 or up to size 13. As I watched him work, I noticed the array of hand tools, the sharply pointed awls, hammers, wooden-handled blades, and steel scissors on the worktable, along with the tack-sized pegs that he’d tapped in to hold the leather in place as he sewed with a uniform, lateral stitch. It was one of the quieter moments during this self-made tour, and I was struck by the complexity and the simplicity. All of this confident, by-hand workmanship and artistry in these Maine shoe towns is for one purpose—the very human and singular task of making shoes, one pair at a time, for another person. And sometimes, when I’m lucky, it’s me.

MM_October17.indd 107

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Congratulations to Emma Levensohn ’17, Maine’s only female

2017 Lacrosse All-American

Through November 12, 2017 Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine

HYDE SCHOOL

est. 1966

Bath, Maine Grades 9-12/PG (207) 443-5584 comevisit@hyde.edu HYDE.edu

#MarsdenHartley colby.edu/museum Marsden Hartley’s Maine is organized by the Colby College Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Marsden Hartley, Mt. Katahdin (Maine), Autumn #2, 1939–40. Oil on canvas, 30 1⁄4 x 40 1⁄4 in. (76.8 x 102.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edith and Milton Lowenthal Collection, Bequest of Edith Abrahamson Lowenthal, 1991

POWER OF PLACE

Wells Reserve at Laudholm Wells, Maine May 26th - October 16th, 2017 The coastal rolling fields and trails of Wells Reserve offer dramatic settings for 65 outdoor sculptures in granite, steel, marble and bronze by New England artists - www.wellsreserve.org

GARY HAVEN SMITH

Ogunquit Museum of American Art Ogunquit, Maine May 1st - October 31st, 2017 A solo show of abstract granite sculpture in seaside gardens - www.ogunquitmuseum.org

AUTUMN at Hawk Ridge Farm

Pownal, Maine October 1st - December 3rd, 2017

Opening Reception Sunday, October 1st 4:00-6:00pm Sculpture by New England artists shown through country home and gardens of Hawk Ridge Farm. Open by appointment - 207-688-4468

Maine Magazine Ad October Issue 2017.indd 1

MM_October17.indd 108

CREST from TIDAL SERIES Mark Pettegrow bronze

June LaCombe SCULPTURE www.junelacombesculpture.com exhibitions, sales, commissions

8/31/17 11:26 AM

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Celebrating ten years of local food, drink, and fun. PORTLAND, MAINE // OCTOBER 17-22

SUSTAINABLE SUPPERS

NEW!

IT’S BACK!

Oct 17-18 | 6–8PM

Oct 19 | 6–8PM | O'Maine Studios

Oct 20 | 12–2PM | The Portland Co.

Multi-course, locally sourced dinners in restaurants around Portland.

Experience signature dishes and drinks from Maine's top restaurateurs and bar masters.

Notable judges and attendees will taste, sip and vote to name this year’s winner.

NEW!

Oct 20 | 5–7PM | Aura

Oct 21 | 11AM–3PM | The Portland Co.

Oct 22 | 11AM–3PM | Old Port

A fun, boozy event featuring Maine Craft Distillers, local food and music.

The ultimate sampling of Maine-made food and drinks, featuring over 80 vendors.

Visit tasting rooms, bars and restaurants throughout Portland for drinks and bites.

Limited tickets available! Get yours today at harvestontheharbor.com FESTIVAL SPONSOR

MM_October17.indd 109

CHARITABLE BENEFICIARY

E VENT SPONSORS

9/5/17 2:14 PM

they can get that skilled workforce over a long term,” Breen says.

FINDING A PATH FORWARD BUSINESS LEADERS REFLECT ON THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING MAINE’S IMPROVING ECONOMY BY PAUL KOENIG

Maine’s economy has fully recovered from the lows of the Great Recession, but workforce challenges and the geographic disparity of the rebound have business leaders looking for solutions. On the positive side, the state set a new record for private sector employment last year and had its lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. However, the financial experts we spoke with say that despite the recovery, growing and improving the state’s workforce and supporting rural communities are crucial to moving the economy forward. “The overall economy of Maine has finally recovered, but it’s been a long, slow march back from the Great Recession,” says Yellow Light Breen, president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation. Breen, whose organization releases an annual report tracking the state’s growth, 110

says Maine has seen an incredibly tight labor market over the last five years, partly due to its flat population growth. Having a workforce that is the right size with the right skills is the economy’s top need and challenge, he says. This challenge is compounded by the mismatch between what employers need with the skills and the location of available workers, especially in rural Maine. The keys are attracting more people to the state, including immigrants, and increasing the number of people with postsecondary degrees or industry-relevant certificates. The Maine Development Foundation is one of a handful of organizations working toward of a goal of increasing the percentage of the workforce with postsecondary credentials from around 40 percent to 60 percent by 2025. “A business is not going to expand their operation in Maine or move their operation to Maine if they don’t think

Bill Williamson, Maine state president at Bank of America, agrees that developing Maine’s workforce is the most important issue facing the state’s economy. He applauds the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Maine Development Foundation, and Educate Maine’s collaboration to address our workforce development challenges. “The great thing about this state is there’s a great spirit and a great heart and people really want to help, but it’s also about pulling it together, so we can develop a coordinated statewide approach,” he says. Along with workforce development, Williamson says more work is needed to revive the economy in rural parts of the state, particularly in regions that had relied on the forestry industry or manufacturing. Williamson points to the recent Inc. magazine listing of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the country. Of the twelve companies from Maine, the farthest one north is in Brunswick, and eight are based in Portland. “You can lose sight of what’s going on statewide if you’re just paying attention to Greater Portland and southern Maine,” he says. As the largest supporter of community development financial institutions in the country, the bank provides funding through organizations like Coastal Enterprises, Inc., in Maine to companies in rural communities. Larry Wold, Maine state president at TD Bank, also cites labor force constraints and the struggles of Maine’s forestry industry as challenges for the state. However, he remains optimistic about the overall direction of the state’s economy. “We certainly have our share of challenges in Maine, but there are plenty of people out there who come to see those as opportunities,” Wold says. “As long as we continue to have that, I think our economy will continue to do just fine.” For example, some communities have seen the redevelopment of former mill buildings into space for manufacturers, breweries, distilleries, incubators, and other businesses, he says. “That adaptive reuse is, I think, indicative of the spirit that keeps our economy going—that optimism, that desire to do something you find incredibly fulfilling and rewarding,” Wold says. “To be willing to take on the risk and strike out on your own is really what’s fueled our economy for hundreds of years.”

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 110

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Photo courtesy of TD Bank

“TO BE WILLING TO TAKE ON THE RISK AND STRIKE OUT ON YOUR OWN IS REALLY WHAT’S FUELED OUR ECONOMY FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.”

“THE OVERALL ECONOMY OF MAINE HAS FINALLY RECOVERED, BUT IT’S BEEN A LONG, SLOW MARCH BACK FROM THE GREAT RECESSION.” —YELLOW LIGHT BREEN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE MAINE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Photography by Erin Little

Photography by Sarah Beard Buckley

-LARRY WOLD, MAINE STATE PRESIDENT AT TD BANK

“THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS STATE IS THERE’S A GREAT SPIRIT AND A GREAT HEART AND PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO HELP, BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT PULLING IT TOGETHER, SO WE CAN DEVELOP A COORDINATED STATEWIDE APPROACH.” —BILL WILLIAMSON, MAINE STATE PRESIDENT AT BANK OF AMERICA

MM_October17.indd 111

9/5/17 2:14 PM

2017 FINANCIAL SERVICES LISTING

MAINE

BANKS +

CREDIT UNIONS ACADIA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 9 East Main St. Fort Kent 207.834.6167 acadiafcu.org ANDROSCOGGIN BANK P.O. Box 1407 Lewiston 800.966.9172 androscogginbank. com AROOSTOOK SAVINGS & LOAN Multiple locations 43 High St. Caribou 207.498.8726 yourhomebank.com BANGOR FEDERAL Multiple locations 339 Hogan Rd. Bangor 207.947.0374 bangorfederal.com BANGOR SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 99 Franklin St. Bangor 1.877.226.4671 bangor.com BANK OF AMERICA Multiple locations Global Commercial Banking One Monument Sq. 112

9th Floor Portland 800.464.0253 BAR HARBOR BANK AND TRUST 82 Main St. Bar Harbor 888.853.7100 bhbt.com BATH SAVINGS INSTITUTION Multiple locations 105 Front St. Bath 800.447.4559 bathsavings.com CAMDEN NATIONAL BANK Multiple locations 2 Elm St. Camden 207.236.8821 camdennational.com CENTRAL MAINE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 1000 Lisbon St. Lewiston 207.783.1475 centralmainecu.com COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 144 Pine St. Lewiston 207.783.2096 communitycred itunion.com

CPORT CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 50 Riverside Industrial Pkwy. Portland 207.253.4100 cportcu.org CUMBERLAND COUNTY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 101 Gray Rd. Falmouth 207.878.3441 myccfcu.com EVERGREEN CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 225 Riverside St. Portland 207.221.5000 egcu.org EASTMILL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 60 Main St. East Millinocket 207.746.3428 eastmillfcu.org FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION OF BATH Multiple locations 125 Front St. Bath 207.442.8711 firstfederalbath.com FRANKLIN SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 197 Main St. Farmington 207.778.3339 franklinsavings.bank GORHAM SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 10 Wentworth Dr. Gorham

207.839.4796 gorhamsavingsbank .com MACHIAS SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 4 Center St. Machias 866.416.9302 machiassavings.bank MAINE STATE CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 200 Capitol St. Augusta 207.623.1851 mainestatecu.org MIDCOAST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 186 Lower Main St. Freeport 877.964.3262 midcoastfcu.me NORWAY SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 261 Main St. Norway 888.725.2207 norwaysavings.bank

SACO & BIDDEFORD SAVINGS INSTITUTION Multiple locations 50 Industrial Park Rd. Saco 877.722.6243 sbsavings.bank SACO VALLEY CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 312 Main St. Saco 207.282.6169 sacovalley.org TD BANK Multiple Locations One Portland Square Portland 1.888.751.9000 Tdbank.com TOWN AND COUNTRY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION South Portland, Scarborough, Portland, Saco 207.773.5656 tcfcu.com

OTIS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 170 Main St. Jay 207.897.0900 otisfcu.coop PEOPLESCHOICE CREDIT UNION Multiple locations 23 Industrial Park Rd. Saco 207.282.4156 peopleschoiceme.org PORTLAND TRUST COMPANY Multiple locations 2 City Center Portland 844.786.8628 portlandtrust.com

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 112

9/5/17 2:14 PM

FINANCIAL

CONSULTANTS ALLEN INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL 31 Chestnut St. Camden 207.236.4311 allenif.com ANTON LEMIEUX FINANCIAL GROUP Foreside Place 202 U.S. Route 1 Falmouth 207.899.4248 antonlemieux.com AUGUST WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC 477 Congress St. Suite 401 Portland 207.358.3110 augustwealthmanagement.com AURORA FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC 85 Exchange St. Suite 202 Portland 207.553.2343 aurorafinancial.info BANGOR SAVINGS BANK Multiple Locations 99 Franklin St. Bangor 877.226.4671 bangor.com BLACK POINT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT 1 Canal Plaza Suite 801 Portland 207.358.7585 blackpointcapitalm anagement.com

CHARTER OAK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Multiple locations 121 Middle St. Suite 400 Portland 800.646.5720 charteroakcm.com DEIGHAN WEALTH ADVISORS 455 Harlow St. Bangor 207.990.1117 deighan.com THE DEXTER GROUP OF WELLS FARGO ADVISORS 2 Portland Square Portland 207.774.5626 thedextergroup.us ELDER PLANNING ADVISORS OF MAINE, INC. 1006 Broadway South Portland 207.767.8225 epame.com FIDELITY INVESTMENTS Multiple Locations 3 Canal Plaza Portland 207.874.6601 fidelity.com GOLDEN POND WEALTH MANAGEMENT 129 Silver St. Waterville 207.873.2200 goldenpondwealth. com

GOLDMAN FINANCIAL PLANNING 19 Northbrook Dr. Falmouth 207.781.3500 goldmanfinancialpla nning.com

MEANS WEALTH MANAGEMENT 802 Stillwater Ave. Bangor 207.947.6763 meanswealth.com

207.985.8787 roi-cubed.com SAGEPATH FINANCIAL PLANNING, LLC 27 State St. Unit 32 Bangor 207.370.4269 sagepathfinancialplanning.com

MICHAEL Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;KEEFE 775 U.S. Route 1 HARVEST Unit 2 ASSET GROUP York 50 Portland Pier 207.363.1830 Suite 300 ameripriseadvisors. SALTWATER Portland com/michael.p.okeefe HARBOR 207.775.1151 FINANCIAL, LLC harvestassetgroup. NORWAY SAVINGS 1 Poplar Dr. com BANK ASSET Brunswick MANAGEMENT 888.480.2650 HEADINVEST GROUP saltwaterharbor.com 7 Custom House St. 1200 Congress St. 4th Floor Portland SHEPARD FINANCIAL Portland 888.725.2207 45 Forest Falls Dr. 207.773.5333 norwaysavings.bank Yarmouth headinvest.com 207.847.4032 NVEST FINANCIAL shepard-financial.com H.M. PAYSON GROUP, LLC Multiple locations 69 York St. Suite 1 SILVER MAPLE 1 Portland Sq. Kennebunk FINANCIAL 5th Floor 207.985.8585 26 Haley Rd. Portland nvestfinancial.com Kittery 207.772.3761 603.969.7257 hmpayson.com OLD PORT silvermaplefinancial. ADVISORS com JOHN HUGHES, 130 Middle St. PRIVATE WEALTH Portland SMITH & ADVISOR 207.774.6552 ASSOCIATES, CPAS 5 Ward St. oldportadvisors.com 500 U.S. Route 1 Scarborough Suite 203 207.883.4434 PORTLAND HARBOR Yarmouth ameripriseadvisors. GROUP OF 207.846.8881 com/john.x.hughes/ RAYMOND JAMES smithassociatescpa. 2 Portland Sq. com KENNEBEC WEALTH 7th Floor MANAGEMENT Portland S&B FINANCIAL Multiple locations 207.771.1800 SERVICES 226 Main St. portlandharborgroup. Multiple locations Waterville com 252 Main St. 207.660.4100 Saco kennebecwealth.com PORTLAND TRUST 888.978.7526 COMPANY sbsavings.bank/inMACPAGE, LLC CLIENT Multiple locations vestment/ ACCOUNTING 2 City Center SERVICES GROUP Portland SULLIVAN WEALTH 30 Long Creek Dr. 844.786.8628 MANAGEMENT South Portland portlandtrust.com A financial advisory 207.774.5701 practice of Amerimacpage.com R. M. DAVIS prise Financial Ser24 City Center vices, Inc. MARTIN E. LLOYD, Portland 112 Clinton Ave. E.A. CAMDEN TAX 800.445.6303 Winslow AND FINANCIAL rmdavis.com 207.660.6637 P.O. Box 1083 ameripriseadvisors. Camden ROI-CUBED. com/team/sulli207.236.9687 69 York St. Suite 2 van-wealth-managecamdentax.com Kennebunk ment October 2017 113

MM_October17.indd 113

9/5/17 2:14 PM

VIGILANT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC Jeffrey F. Carlisle 2 City Center 4th Floor Portland 207.523.1110 vigilantcap.com

CASCO BAY WEALTH ADVISORS 53 Baxter Blvd. Suite 201 Portland 207.245.6200 800.895.8385 cascobaywealthadv isors.com

WESTERN MOUNTAIN FINANCIAL SERVICES 198 Front St. Farmington 207.778.9779 westernmountain financial.com

CHARTER OAK CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Multiple locations 121 Middle St. Portland 800.646.5720 charteroakcm.com

INVESTMENT

FIRMS ANANIA AND ASSOCIATES INVESTMENT COMPANY, LLC 765 Roosevelt Trail Suite 9 Windham 207.518.6791 anania.biz ANTON LEMIEUX FINANCIAL GROUP Foreside Place 202 U.S. Route 1 Falmouth 207.899.4248 antonlemieux.com AUGUST WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC 477 Congress St. Suite 401 Portland 207.358.3110 augustwealthma nagement.com AURORA FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC 85 Exchange St. Suite 202 Portland 207.553.2343 aurorafinancial.info 114

BANGOR SAVINGS BANK Multiple locations 99 Franklin St. Bangor 877.226.4671 bangor.com BATH SAVINGS TRUST COMPANY 113 Front St. Bath 207.443.6296 bathsavings.com BIGELOW INVESTMENT ADVISORS, LLC 4 Moulton St. Portland 207.772.2900 bigelowadvisors.com BLACK POINT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT 1 Canal Plaza Suite 801 Portland 207.358.7585 blackpointcapitalmanagement.com

207.873.2200 goldenpondwealth. com GOLDMAN FINANCIAL PLANNING 19 Northbrook Dr. Falmouth 207.781.3500 goldmanfinancialpla nning.com

HARVEST ASSET GROUP 50 Portland Pier Suite 300 Portland 207.775.1151 THOMAS M. CATTELL harvestassetgroup. Managing Director com Private Client Advisor U.S. Trust, Bank HEADINVEST of America Private 7 Custom House St. Wealth Management 4th Floor 1 Monument Sq. Portland 9th Floor 207.773.5333 Portland headinvest.com 207.253.7431 ustrust.com H.M. PAYSON Multiple locations DEIGHAN WEALTH One Portland Sq. ADVISORS 5th Floor 455 Harlow St. Portland Bangor 207.772.3761 207.990.1117 hmpayson.com deighan.com KENNEBEC WEALTH THE DEXTER GROUP MANAGEMENT OF WELLS FARGO Multiple locations ADVISORS 226 Main St. 2 Portland Sq. Waterville Portland 207.660.4100 207.774.5626 kennebecwealth.com thedextergroup.us MARSHALL POINT DOW WEALTH ADVISORS, LLC MANAGEMENT 864 Port Clyde Rd. 358 U.S. Route 1 Port Clyde Falmouth 207.691.1280 207.200.2200 marshallpoint.com dow.us MEANS WEALTH FIDELITY MANAGEMENT INVESTMENTS 802 Stillwater Ave. Multiple Locations Bangor 3 Canal Plaza 207.947.6763 Portland meanswealth.com 207.874.6601 fidelity.com MERRILL LYNCH 1 Monument Sq. GOLDEN POND 10th Floor WEALTH Portland MANAGEMENT 207.871.1908 129 Silver St. ml.com Waterville

NORWAY SAVINGS BANK ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP Multiple locations 1200 Congress St. Portland 888.725.2207 norwaysavings.bank NVEST FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC 69 York St. Suite 1 Kennebunk 207.985.8585 nvestfinancial.com Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;BRIEN ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC 382 Goodwin Rd. Eliot 207.457.0346 obrienam.com OLD PORT ADVISORS 130 Middle St. Portland 207.774.6552 oldportadvisors.com PORTLAND HARBOR GROUP OF RAYMOND JAMES 2 Portland Sq. 7th Floor Portland 207.771.1800 portlandharborgroup. com PORTLAND TRUST COMPANY Multiple locations 2 City Center Portland 844.786.8628 portlandtrust.com R. M. DAVIS 24 City Center Portland 800.445.6303 rmdavis.com SILVER MAPLE FINANCIAL 26 Haley Rd. Kittery 603.969.7257 silvermaplefinancial. com SMITH AND ASSOCIATES, CPAS 500 U.S. Route. 1 Suite 203

maine | themainemag.com

MM_October17.indd 114

9/5/17 2:14 PM

Yarmouth 207.846.8881 smithassociatescpa. com

DIRECTOR PETER LOGUE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KIMBERLY SWAN NARRATOR STEVE ZIRNKILTON

PREMIERES OCTOBER 1, 2017 AT 2PM • CRITERION THEATRE, BAR HARBOR CRITERIONTHEATRE.ORG

SPINNAKER TRUST 123 Free St. Portland 207.553.7160 spinnakertrust.com

BAR HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS

fire of 4‘ 7

the

U.S. TRUST One Monument Sq. 9th Floor Portland 888.716.8338 ustrust.com VIGILANT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC Jeffrey F. Carlisle 2 City Center 4th Floor Portland 207.523.1110 vigilantcap.com