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Friday, July 30, 2021
Volume 17 • Issue No. 31
“The Spitfire Grill” at Hackmatack Playhouse BERWICK The show at Hackmatack Playhouse this summer is funny, sentimental and remarkably relevant for the summer of 2021. “The Spitfire Grill,” opening August 6 is about a community that is coming together and rebuilding from a fresh start, even featuring a song called “Come Alive Again.” “The whole idea of having had such dramatic events that have changed people’s lives really resonates this summer,” said Artistic Director Danielle Howard. “The Spitfire Grill” tells the story of an elderly woman, Hannah, who owns a ramshackle diner she wants to sell. A young woman named Percy, who was recently released from prison, arrives in town and is hired as a waitress. Instead of selling the grill, Percy suggests raffling it off for $100 and the best essay about why they should own the diner. “The Spitfire Grill” actually started the real-life craze several decades ago of people raffling off inns and restaurants, according to Hackmatack owner Michael Guptill. In fact, Guptill has been waiting to do this show for more than a decade and final-
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Mai Hartwich plays Percy in “The Spitfire Grill”
ly got it on the schedule last year. Then, just when he thought they would present this “lovely, lovely show… this very sweet musical”, he once again had to delay the show due to COVID. The 2001 Off-Broadway Musical by James Valcq and Fred Alley was based on a 1996 film by Lee David Zlotoff. Although the show was set in Wisconsin, the original movie was set in Maine. Hannah is played by Mary Lou Bagley of South Berwick and Percy is played by Mai Hartwich, a UNH graduate based in Chicago. The actors who are playing two of the leads bring special qualities that make their roles come alive. “Mary Lou was born to play Hannah,” said Howard. “She is a strong Maine woman and can bring out the prickliness, feistiness and strength of Hannah while also letting you into her heart so you get to understand why she is the way she is.” As for Hartwich, who recently appeared in “All Shook Up” in Newburyport, “Not only is she an incredibly expressive and amazing singer, she also understands the armor Percy uses to protect herself,” Howard said. “She gets Percy’s hard edge, but she also gets her vulnerability. It’s her journey we follow from the beginning to the end so she has to be a person you can emSee PLAYHOUSE page 25...
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Calendar of Events 13, 20 Classifieds
28-29
Dining
16-17
Computer Lady
15
Home & Business 25-27
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7-9 15 30
20-21
Governor Mills Declares First Annual Wild Blueberry Weekend AUGUSTA With Maine’s blueberry season just around the corner, Governor Janet Mills declared August 7-8, 2021 as Maine’s first annual Wild Blueberry Weekend. The Governor made the announcement during a celebration at the Blaine House, where she was joined by a diverse group of wild blueberry growers and processors, Patricia Kontur of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, and Amanda Beal, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The event featured a tasting of a number of wild
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ice cream shops, and distilleries selling them during Wild Blueberry Weekend.” Wild Blueberry Weekend will feature farm tours and other family-friendly activities at 15 wild blueberry farms located in Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Piscataquis, and Washington counties. Additionally, wild blueberry-themed menu items and products will be available throughout the weekend at more than 50 statewide restaurants, inns, breweries, wineries, ice cream shops, and distilleries. To see the full list of participants, visit www.wildblueberryweekend.com. “Both Mainers and visitors will have the chance to learn that wild blueberries are distinctly different than ordinary blueberries, and have a rich, cultural history, said Lisa Hanscom owner of Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs and chair of the Wild Blueberry Weekend grower committee. “Wild blueberries are grown and harvested in a way that is truly unique to our Maine coastal landscape.”
Red Cross: Emergency Need for Donors STATEWIDE The American Red Cross has an emergency need for lifesaving blood amid the ongoing severe blood shortage. Blood and platelet donations continue to be critical to meet hospital demand and the public is urged to make an appointment to give now. The Red Cross has been distributing about 12% more blood products to hospitals across the U.S. compared to this time last year. The Red Cross needs to collect more than 1,000 additional blood donations each day to meet the current hospital demand and end the severe blood shortage. Donors of all blood types are needed, especially type O, which stands at just a one-day supply right now.
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blueberry-themed products, as well as fresh wild blueberries that are being harvested now. Last year, Maine farmers harvested nearly 60 million pounds of wild blueberries. “I am proud to declare the first annual Wild Blueberry Weekend in Maine to honor the importance of Maine’s wild blueberries and the hardworking Maine people who grow and bring them to market,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I encourage everyone to visit one of the participating wild blueberry farms or to sample Maine-grown wild blueberry products at the many restaurants, inns, breweries, wineries,
To thank donors who help ensure a strong blood and platelet supply this month, all who come to give Aug. 1-15, 2021, will automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive, VIP trip for two to the sold-out 2021 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Those who come to donate throughout August will also receive a free 4-month subscription offer to Apple Music by email (new subscribers only). More details are available at www.redcrossblood. org/local-homepage/events/ chance-to-win-trip-to-sold-out2021-bonnaroo---more-.html Schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767). In most cases, those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can donate. However, knowing the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine they received is important in determining donation eligibility. Local upcoming blood donation opportunities for August 1-15 include: Kittery - Coastal Fitness, 75 US Route 1 on August 6, 2021 from noon to 5 p.m. Kennebunk - Kennebunk Masons, 159 Alfred Road on August 10, 2021 from noon to 5 p.m. Sanford - Mason Preble 143, 16 Elm Street on August 10, 2021 from noon to 4:30 p.m. See DONORS page 25...
Don’t Forget to Attend: Check out the pages on
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York Days! July 30 - August 8