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SQUE ISLE • BANGOR • PORTLAND • STOCKHOLM • CHERRYFIELD • GOULDSBORO • MEDWAY • SANGERVILLE • KNOX • ELLSWORTH • ALNA • WINSL

You’re invited to have the

BEST MAINE SUMMER We’ve got all the necessities inside

bbq perfected potato blossom festival trip to bagaduce lunch summer guide rockport arts fish prints visit rangeley

ER MUSIC & CONC

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EAT & DRINK FAMILY FUN THEATER $5.95

July 2016

OUTDOORS MUSEUMS

Your people, your region, your magazine.

contents

JULY 2016

features HEALING EXPERIENCE / 12 Siblings create a camp to bring healing to those impacted by suicide HEART AND SOUL / 14 Bucksport is reinventing itself in wake of mill closure HIKING HELPER / 16 Maine app developer helping hikers better explore the nation’s parks BREAK A (MORNING) SWEAT / 18 3 tips for sticking to a.m. workouts A TRADITION OF CRAFTSMEN / 24 Meet five Mainers making products the old-fashioned way THEN & NOW: RANGELEY / 34 Take a visit to this four-season escape

42

A GOOD THING / 48 Grabbing lunch at Bagaduce in Brooksville TRANSFORMING THE ART SCENE / 52 The Center for Maine Contemporary Art gets a new home in Rockport ISLAND BALL / 60 Vinalhaven Little Leaguers show commitment to their sport

24 2 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

PHOTOS: (TOP) JEFF MCINTOSH; (BOTTOM) JASON PAIGE SMITH

ALL AMERICAN BBQ / 42 Fresh take on classic fare

The Maine Potato Blossom Festival is coming soon, page 69

34

48

in every issue

columns

TALK BACK & SIGHTINGS / 8 Our readers thoughts and photos

METRO WELLNESS / 22 Feeling at home in Maine

BIZ BUZZ / 10 People and places on the move

METRO FAMILY / 58 Appreciating Mom’s super powers

WHAT’S HAPPENING / 11 Local news and events

MAINE WOODS & WATERS / 66 Restoring the wild salmon population

PERSPECTIVES / 54 Photographer Scot Miller

LAST WORD / 72 The challenges of driving in reverse

AIMEE & AMY TRY... / 56 Gross out the kids with fish printing SAVVY SENIORS / 64 Redefine what it means to get older PHOTOS: BDN FILE

CROWN OF MAINE / 69 News from Aroostook County

THIS IS MAINE 2016 Your guide to summer fun, food, fairs and activities!

Visit us out on Facebook to enter fun giveaways!

More photos from events around our region.

MUSIC & CON CERTS

EAT & DRIN K

Email your own event photos: sightings@bangormetro.com

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OUTDOORS

MUSEUMS

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• Scan the code to visit us at bangormetro.com

Check out our interactive map of Rangeley (featured on page 34)

SUMMER GUIDE!

FAMILY FUN

METRO HOME / 70 Reclaim wood for inspiring projects

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FAMILY

EVENTS

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FRIENDLY FUN festivals and fun for the fam

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editor’s note

Since we started including Aimee & Amy Try each month in the magazine, it’s become one of the features we most look forward to producing.

After the initial gross out, Finn was more than willing to touch the fish for our craft project on page 56.

(I didn’t really ask Amy her opinion, I’m just assuming she enjoys spending one Sunday morning a month with me trying to corral our children to complete the task at hand).

From time-to-time, instead of forcing the kids to do a craft project of our choosing, Amy and I ask the kiddos what they would like to do. Sometimes their answers surprise us, but when Finn proclaimed that he wanted to do a “messy” project, we felt the need to oblige.

Finn, 5, often gets stuck with the girls and we find him wandering away from craft time — more interested in trucks, trains, running and pestering his sister than paying close attention to the detail at hand. And who can blame him?

We tossed around a few ideas and settled on fish prints. What little boy would turn down the chance to hold a slimy, stinky fish and slather it with paint? Certainly not Finn. Although there were a few squeals (including from me) when we discovered that fish have tongues, and Maggie decided it was necessary to wear gloves so she didn’t have to touch the slime, this was my favorite project to date and I hope if you give it a try you post some photos to our Facebook page.

AIMEE THIBODEAU, MANAGING EDITOR

The girls decided gloves were in order to avoid any direct contact wit h fish slime.

4 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

www.bangormetro.com P.O. Box 1329 Bangor, Maine 04402-1329 Phone: 207.990.8000

PUBLISHER

Richard J. Warren

MANAGING EDITOR

Aimee Thibodeau athibodeau@bangordailynews.com

STAFF WRITER

Emily Burnham eburnham@bangordailynews.com

SALES MANAGER

Laurie Cates lcates@bangordailynews.com

ART DIRECTOR

Amy Allen aallen@bangordailynews.com

SUBSCRIPTION & PROMOTIONS MANAGER

Fred Stewart fstewart@bangordailynews.com

Connect With Us Online! bangormetro.com facebook.com/BangorMetro @BangorMetro editor@bangormetro.com

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 5

2016 BDN next

Senior Expo brought to you by

Free Admission!

Tuesday, july 12 DoubleTree by Hilton, Portland 9am–3pm • 363 Maine Mall Road

senior services vendors

Craft Vendors

Health Screenings

Info Sessions

For More Information, Contact Kelly Donnelly at 990-8021 or Email Events@bangordailynews.com

6 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

YOUR INJURY IS PERSONAL CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

You did not expect to be in a car crash.

Jane Margesson

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The other driver was negligent and now you are in pain and out of work.

Your hospital bills are piling up and you are getting the run-around from the insurance companies.

Jason Paige Smith

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CALL (207) 942-2898

FOR A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY. 133 Broadway, Bangor • lanhamblackwell.com Emilie Brand Throckmorton

Ashley Thornton

Bangor Metro Magazine. July 2016, Vol. 12, No. 7.

Copyright © Bangor Publishing Company.

Bangor Metro is published 12 times annually by Bangor Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

This magazine may not be reproduced in whole or part in any form without the written permission of the Publisher.

Bangor Metro is mailed at standard rates from Portland, Maine.

Opinions expressed in either the editorial or advertisements do not represent the opinions of the staff or publisher of Bangor Metro magazine. Advertisers and event sponsors or their agents are responsible for copyrights and accuracy of all material they submit. Bangor Metro magazine to the best of its ability ensures the acuracy of information printed in the publication.

Inquiries and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

Letters to the editor, story suggestions, and other reader input will be subject to Bangor Metro’s unrestricted right to edit and publish in the magazine both in print and online.

Editorial: Queries should be sent to Aimee Thibodeau at athibodeau@bangordailynews.com.

Advertising: For advertising questions, please call the Sales Manager, Laurie Cates at 207-990-8149.

Subscriptions/Address Change: A one year subscription cost is $24.95. Address changes: to ensure delivery, subscribers must notify the magazine of address changes one month in advance of the cover date.

Please contact Fred Stewart at 207-990-8219.

Accounts Payable/Receivable: For information about your account please contact Laurie Cates at 207-990-8149.

COVER ART: Fotohunter & Brian Zanchi/Thinkstock

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 7

talk back & sightings

metro sports

We Love Hearing From You

Share your feedback and you might just see it here next month!

Maine Woods Baseball in the June issue.

Wood bat leagu e for players 45 years and older is a hit in south ern Maine.

STORY BY PHOTOS BY

AIMEE THIBODE AU MICHAEL DOUCET TE

Dear Emily and Gabor, Lorna and I, and dozens of other people as well, really like your article and photo. So I want to write and thank you so very much!

Emily, you paraphrased what we said so well... You caught the feeling of the early Arts Center as well as the current Waterfall Arts. Made sure to acknowledge the current board and staff as really great people. That’s really important, because readers should clearly know that none of all of this would have happened without all those people, current and past, pitching in to what they themselves saw as a really good idea and went on to create with such gusto. Nicely done!

Lorna and Alan Crichton, founders of Waterfall Arts in Belfast.

arts & culture

And the photo, too, has brought a lot of complimentary comments from all over the map. So Gabor, we appreciate your skill and thoroughness when you visited and in your choice of picture.

Creative Community Waterfall Arts in Belfast serves as a nexus for creativity and community for the region.

STORY BY EMILY BURNHAM

PHOTOS BY GABOR DEGRE

F

or nearly 20 years,

CrichMetro talked with Alan and Lorna got startton about how the organization its Waterfall Arts in Belfast and ed, and what its future looks like. in predecessor, Kingdom Falls Montville, has been an integral are your How did you meet? What Midcoast in community arts part of the backgrounds in the arts?

Alan and Maine. Original co-founders Alan: I’m from western Pennsylvania an office, Lorna Crichton have shared for archioriginally, and I went to school creative a philosophy, a passion for the In 1971, tecture and art in Philadelphia. and a life, community of Waldo County, back to I moved to Maine as part of the most of it after 40 years of marriage, in Liberty the land movement, and I lived in rural spent in Maine. Originally located went to Boston, eventually I 1975. until itfirst the Montville, on the former site of married in where I met Lorna, and we got School Mountain Haystack the of eration I went to 1977 and moved back to Maine. primary after of Crafts, Waterfall Arts’ now Painting, of School the Skowhegan School location at the former Anderson more into having been less into art and on High Street in Belmusic. I the back to the land stuff and fast will celebrate its Leonard studied there, and I studied with tenth year this year decided we Then College.

Craig at Unity as a nexus for crewhere we we’d move to New York City, ativity and commuhad a kid. lived for about five years and nity for the region. back But not long after that, we moved Whether you’re just long time to Maine, back to Liberty. For a learning printmaka column about the arts for the wrote I or ceramics ing, at the Waldo Independent, and exhibited painting, or you’re [Lorna and Art Fellows Gallery in Belfast. a professional artist Mountain, I] lived on the side of Haystack looking for studio Mounnear where the original Haystack space, or you just tain School of Crafts was located. want to hear some good music and open Kingdom to you brought What see some cool art, School Falls, and then the Anderson Waterfall Arts is locations? the beating heart around Alan: It was always quite clear of creative Waldo proud that town that people were very Bangor County.

50 / BANGOR METRO May 2016

Potato Blossom Festival, page 69

Visit Rangeley, then and now, page 34

WE’RE EXCITED Here’s a look at what our staff is psyched to share with readers this month

All Over The Place We’re checking out arts and culture hot spots all over Maine this month!

Pick up food at Bagaduce Lunch, page 48

Boys of Su

Pitcher Bill Barron throws to batter Todd Steinman at Kelley Field in Bath during the 2015 baseball season.

(Below) Pitcher Joe Baum winds up.

66 / BANGOR METRO

June 2016

T

here’s no age

mmer

limit for these boys of summe mets, but players r. Started in are welcom 2002

by Dick Hill, e to use their own equipm Maine Woods ent.

Basebal is a wood bat Johnson answer league for players l years and older ed a few 45 tions for Bangor quesand consists Metro about of two age division s. Maine what this league is all Woods Basebal about and why play 17 regular l MW45 it’s hit home with players season games . plus playoffs and MW60 play about 10 games.

“We play by What makes standard basebal this league with a few l rules different from modifications other men's baseball/softba that take into account the ll leagues?

I would say age of some the major differen of our players, said league Presiden ” provide 45 ce is we t Ben Johnso plus year old n.

The season men who live in and around kicked off the Midcoast Maine first week in May and will portunity to the opcontinue until live their dream playoffs in September. of playing baseball forever.

Whether you’re “We play a majorit 70....if you feel 45 or y of our games you still have Kelley Field on game and you want play in Bath, Maine,” some basebal said Johnson. “Once l, we will do our best to find or twice a year, you we The Ballpark a team. play at at Old Orchard Beach and occasionally How many we play at players Hadlock Field in Portland.” do you have? many teams?

How The league We have two fee is $195 for different division MW45 and $150 for MW60, s broken up by age. plus the cost We have a of a uniform. The league 45-plus division with six teams provides bats and approxi and helmately 84 players. New this year is a 60-plus senior

From Facebook: The word is spreading about this awesome baseball league in Midcoast Maine! Who knows, next we could be featured on Bill Green’s Maine. Thank you to Bangor Metro for the great article.

Maine Woods Baseball feature story

Reinventing

Warm regards,

AN Mills

Al & Lorna Crichton Waterfall Arts, Belfast

Feedback on ‘Reinventing Maine Mills’

36 / BANGOR METRO June 2016

Dear Emily, Thank you. I have seen your mill-closings article in print and now online and am gladly passing it on. Congratulations ~ well done!

I am especially grateful for the way you wove in my thoughts and words. And for your fresh slant, the first, to my knowledge, featuring the creative ways communities are documenting, transforming, and honoring their milltown histories. And how you showed both can be, and are being, done at the same time. That "moving on" needn't be forgetting and turning our backs on our identities as if our world-class workers and makers aren't worth celebrating.

Your article is a real contribution to our time and place. Thank you for seeking us out, for showing and teaching us these possibilities, like getting us all together to share ideas.

Pat Smith Ranzoni Editor, STILL MILL

Coming NEXT MONTH...

A smart guide to Maine colleges and career opportunties.

Have a comment or story idea? Share! Email us at editor@bangormetro.com 8 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Funds are being

raised for wonderful organizations all over our state. Here’s a look at just a few special events from the past month...

2

1

1: Lori Smart and Laurie Cates attend the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce Black Fly Brewfest on May 14 at the John A Millar Civic Center in Houlton. Over 30 Maine breweries brought more than 100 Maine beers to northern Maine for this inaugural event.

2: The All Roads Music Festival was held May 21 in Belfast. The festival is a celebration of

local and indie music talent that brings some of Maine’s finest emerging musicians under one banner. Maine band Armie performed at the event, led by vocalists Anna Lombard and Dave Gutter (photo).

3: Explore Bangor hosted Bangor Green Drinks recently. All proceeds supported Friends of Lower Kenduskeag Stream and improving the trail along the stream.

3

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 9

biz buzz On the Move Allen Insurance and Financial recently announced that MEESHA LUCE, LEANN MCKUSIC, CHRIS WILSON and DIANE ZOLLO are now licensed

to sell life insurance in Maine. All three are personal insurance account managers in Allen’s Rockland office.

They studied for the state exam through the Allen Insurance and Financial’s in-house education program. Marking 150 years in business in 2016, Allen Insurance and Financial is an employeeowned insurance, employee benefits, and financial services company with offices in Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Southwest Harbor.

DAVID M. COLTER has been

elected to serve as a director of both Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and its parent company, Bar Harbor Bankshares. Colter, of Hampden, is president and CEO of GAC Chemical Corporation in Searsport. In the community, Colter was Waldo district chairman of the Boy Scouts of America and involved with Bangor Region Leadership Institute. Currently, he is a board member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and serves as treasurer and a member of the Audit and Executive Committees of the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.

TODD BEACHAM has been

named Business Banking market manager for Maine and Vermont for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Beacham will lead a team of client relationship managers to deliver strategic financial advice and solutions to help local small to mid-sized companies grow, improve cash flow, manage U.S. and international payments and invest for the future. With 22 years of banking experience, he joined the company in 1994 and has held leadership roles in 10 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

card services, retail banking and business banking. He joined Business Banking in 2006, where he was most recently senior relationship manager.

Active in the community, he serves on the boards of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Mid-Maine and the Susan Curtis Charitable Foundation. He resides with wife and three children in Cumberland.

WBRC Architects Engineers, with offices in Bangor, Portland, and Sarasota, Florida, recently announced the promotion of KRISTIAN KOWAL, STEPHANIE LAPLANT, DANIEL MONROE and PAUL MONYOK to senior associates

and shareholders. They were chosen unanimously by WBRC’s Board of Directors in recognition of their leadership, innovative solutions, and exemplary service to clients.

Grants TROY INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS in Brewer will receive a no-cost, customized Lean training for up to 45 of its employees thanks to a $56,000 grant from Maine Quality Centers. Watervliet, New York-based Troy Industrial Solutions acquired the former Lane Conveyors and Drives, headquartered in Brewer, in October of last year. Maine Quality Centers is a program of the Maine Community College System that provides customized workforce training grants for employers locating or expanding operations in Maine.

Training programs are coordinated and delivered through Maine’s seven community colleges. Eastern Maine Community College has led curriculum

Mount Desert Island Hospital was named Trauma System Hospital of the Year by Maine Emergency Medical Services in Augusta.

development and will deliver the Lean training, designed to help Troy’s Brewer location become proficient in and implement Lean manufacturing concepts for process and quality improvements.

EASTERN MAINE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION received a $24,000 grant

from the Grants to Green Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The funds will be used for energy efficiency improvements, including mechanical upgrades, sealing window and door sweeps, and for the purchase of a boiler system for the first floor of the EMDC offices in downtown Bangor.

Awards HUSSON UNIVERSITY has received a

$1 million gift from an anonymous donor to create a new interdisciplinary learning space for students enrolled at Husson’s New England School of Communications (NESCom) and College of Business. Once completed, the facility will be dedicated to the conceptualization, marketing, management, and production of virtual reality presentations. The learning space will be a part of the Innovation Wing in Husson’s proposed new College of Business building.

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HOSPITAL was named Trauma System Hospital of the Year by Maine Emergency Medical Services in Augusta on May 17 (photo).

Each year, during Emergency Medical Services Week, the Maine EMS Board recognizes leaders and outstanding contributors in the Maine EMS system.

what’s happening

Participants in the Bangor High School music competition trip to New York City.

We Are The

Champions

PHOTOS: COURTESY WILLIAM BELL

Bangor High School cleans house at the Heritage Music Festival in New York.

BANGOR: Ninety-seven music students from Bangor High School brought home six silver and gold awards to match Bangor High’s crimson school colors from the Heritage Music Festival held in New York City this spring.

The students, representing six ensembles, competed against schools from across the country at Riverside Church in New York City. They were conducted by William Bell (orchestra), George Redman (concert choir, chamber choir and jazz choir) and Scott Burditt (concert band and jazz band); the awards Bangor High School Music brought home included: • Five Gold top spot (highest score) awards for orchestra, jazz band, jazz choir, chamber choir, concert choir • Silver (highest score) for Concert Band • Festival sweepstakes award for two traditional ensembles above 90 percent and one other ensemble above 90 percent • Two adjudicator awards: Highest scored orchestra and highest scored jazz ensemble • Five soloist awards: Ben Burt, Zachary Alley, Connor Kenny, Lydia Caron and Danielle Grover • Orchestra and Chamber Choir were invited to participate in the Festival of Gold which is open only to groups scoring 90 percent or higher at a national Heritage Festival “We’re very pleased of what our students have accomplished here at home, and it makes us especially proud to see our students do exceptionally well on a national level,” said BHS orchestra conductor William Bell.

Lydia Caron, Danielle Grover, Zachary Alley, Connor Kenny and Ben Burt took home special performance awards.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 11

unsung hero

Healing

Experience

Siblings use painful past to bring healing to campers from around the country.

BY EMILY BURNHAM

S

ydney, Morgan and

Isaiah Mosher were all very young when their father, Christopher, committed suicide in 2002. For more than a decade, the siblings — who grew up in North Berwick, and who now live around Maine and New England — hardly talked about the traumatic event, instead pushing the sadness and grief away.

and teens ages 8 to 17 who are survivors of a loved one’s suicide, held at The Pine Tree Camp in Maine’s Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. “Kita” is the Abenaki word for listen, according to Sydney Mosher.

In many ways, Camp Kita is like any other summer camp, with swimming, canoeing, bunkhouses and other traditional summer activities offered all week.

What sets it apart is the addition of sup-

“In this environment, campers are met with people who truly understand the unique grief a loved one’s suicide leaves behind.”

–Sydney Mosher That changed in 2013, when the Mosher siblings finally got together to talk about what happened. Out of that conversation came some long-delayed healing — and a plan to help other young people who also have experienced what they went through.

That year, the Mosher siblings launched Camp Kita, a summer camp for children 12 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

port sessions, designed to connect the campers with each other, and with professional facilitators and volunteers who also have been touched by suicide.

“In this environment, campers are met with people who truly understand the unique grief a loved one’s suicide leaves behind,” said Sydney, who now lives in Saco.

Left to right: Sydney, Morgan and Isaiah Mosher at the 2015 Camp Kita in Maine.

“We want the campers to know they are not alone,” said Isaiah, who resides in Wells. “You don’t have to talk about it.

You’re there, so you understand. You’ve been through this.”

“Before camp started, I couldn’t even say the word ‘suicide,’” Sydney said. “I’ve done so much better over the last 2 and a half years than the 10 years before.”

The camp operates thanks to donations and annual fundraising, including at the Boston Marathon through the John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program, where this year $47,469 was raised. The overnight camp had six participants the first year it operated in 2014, increasing to 26 campers from five different states in 2015. The Moshers are looking for campers for this year’s session, scheduled for Aug. 16-21. To sign up, visit campkita.com or email info@campkita.com.

Bangor Daily News reporter Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this story.

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movers & shakers

Bucksport committee is working to revive and grow after mill’s closure.

A woman makes her way along the Bucksport Waterfront Walkway near the public pier at sunset.

14 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

T

here’s a

movement in Bucksport that’s being made reality not just by one person, but by a group of residents who believe in their community.

After the closure of the Verso Paper Mill in December 2014, residents and town officials, while mourning the loss of a nearly century-old lifestyle and the town’s major taxpayer and employer, immediately realized the opportunities being presented along with the challenges.

With help from a dedicated group — Bucksport Heart and Soul — the town is learning how to transform from a mill town to a diverse, full-service community, and it is fast becoming a most desirable place to live, work, play and invest.

Utilizing a program developed by the Orton Foundation to facilitate planning and development that incorporates the voices of residents, community groups and businesses, the group is shaping the future of Bucksport in a way that upholds its unique character. It is but one major effort to enrich

Bucksport, and in return for their efforts, participants are enriched and community ties strengthened.

In April, Bucksport Heart and Soul, opened its new headquarters at 72 Main St. In 2015, the group created and implemented arts and cultural programs for the summer season, such as the Bucksport Arts Festival and the Wednesday On Main program sponsored by Darling’s, instantly putting Bucksport on the midcoast cultural events map for travelers and locals alike. High attendance at these events, and the many ongoing programs in place through the Bucksport Chamber of Commerce and Cultural Arts Society, rounded out an amazing and busy season for the town and encouraged the opening or expansion of a few local businesses.

This year finds these events on tap again with high expectations.

“We have a lot of exciting things going on in our little waterfront community,” said Paula Kee, chairwoman of Wednesday on Maine. “We're excited

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

Heart and Soul

and looking forward to positive and sustained growth and change for our town.”

Opportunities are being explored to bring new businesses and development opportunities to Bucksport, including the proposed facility operated by Maine Maritime Academy at the former mill site. Upon completion of demolition of the site by owner American Iron Metal, there will be even more options for development, utilizing the existing rail line to Bangor, Bucksport’s deep water port status and its strategic proximity to three county seats and business hubs and the Bangor International Airport.

An updated Comprehensive Plan will lead the town into the future, ensuring the maintenance of an enviable lifestyle that combines the intimacy and security of an earlier day with every modern convenience for today’s family, retiree, business owner or entrepreneur.

To learn more about how to become part of Bucksport Heart and Soul — whether you have a few hours, days, or months to volunteer your time — visit bucksportheartandsoul.com.

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Bright Gift Idea?

Show your love all year long with a subscription to

Bangor Metro!

For subscriptions, call 990-8219 www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 15

eye on industry

Hiking Helper A

Maine-based app developer expands to all 59 national parks. BY DARREN FISHELL

s the National

Park System marks 100 years, Maine-based app developer Chimani has hit 100 percent coverage of the park system through its smartphonebased guides that users can download for use along coastlines, in canyons and mountains, without an Internet connection.

The company launched apps for 33 new parks as part of a marketing partnership with Subaru, which advertises on the company’s app.

The announcement upon the centennial for the National Park System boosts Chimani’s coverage from 26 national parks to all 59.

Founder and CEO Kerry Gallivan of Yarmouth said that’s just the start.

“Now it’s about building out each one of these parks to really elevate it to a higher level,” Gallivan said. “It’s really just the beginning.”

Chimani was founded by Gallivan and Shaun Meredith in January 2010. The concept was born on top of Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park one rainy day in April 2008.

Gallivan was hiking more than 7 miles and wanted some data on where he was going, what route he should take, the amount of rain he could expect, and the steepness on the western side of Cadillac Mountain. Gallivan had his iPhone, but there was neither cell phone coverage nor an app to guide him. Frustrated and alone in the rain, Chimani was conceived.

Kerry Gallivan of Yarmouth, co-founder of the outdoor app company Chimani, stands at the summit of Katahdin.

16 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

The new additions come as Gallivan said the user base for his Portland-based company each month is about 400 percent higher than the same month one year ago. Just this year, the seven-person company surpassed 1 million downloads across all its apps.

The company produces one app that provides an overview of all 411 national parks, national monuments and other national historical sites.

Separately, it has put out 59 individual apps for each park, on Apple, Google and Amazon app stores.

The new additions include Yosemite, Denali and Grand Teton national parks.

With another 12 part-time employees, Gallivan said Chimani produces all of the content for its park guides, which he hopes will become a staple for the smartphone set, in areas where cell reception is out of reach but where a phone’s GPS systems still function.

“We want people to think that if you’re going to a national park, you’ve got to get the national park app,” Gallivan said.

With all of the national park apps done, Gallivan said the company’s starting to expand its view to smaller national or state parks, such as the Boston Harbor Islands.

“There you have a recreational area that is right on the doorstep of a larger urban area and would get value from having one of our apps,” he said.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CHIMANI; (MAP) ADRIANHILLMAN/THINKSTOCK

The company produces one app that provides an overview of all 411 national parks, national monuments and other national historical sites.

metro health

Break a (morning)

Sweat

BY METRO CREATIVE NEWS SERVICE

18 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

R

outine exercise

is one of the keys to a healthy life. When paired with a healthy diet, regular exercise can promote long-term health and reduce a person’s risk for a host of conditions and diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

While many adults are aware of the importance of routine exercise, finding time to break a sweat can be difficult. In fact, a 2013 study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that nearly 80 percent of adults in the United States do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week. (Note: The World Health Organization recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week.)

Hectic schedules dominated by obligations to work and family can make it difficult to find time to exercise. But working out in the early morning, before the kids wake up and coworkers’ emails begin flooding your inbox, can help men and women meet the WHO’s recommended exercise guidelines and might even provide a noticeable energy boost throughout the rest of the day. Men and women can expect to run into some obstacles when first establishing a morning workout routine, but a few simple strategies can help make that transition go more smoothly.

PHOTOS: LZF, STOCKBYTE & JUPITERIMAGES/THINKSTOCK

3 secrets to making a.m. workouts a reality.

1.

Prepare the night before.

Waking up with a to-do list in the morning takes away from the time you have to exercise.

Rather than fumbling for your gym clothes and sneakers in the darkness of your pre-dawn bedroom, lay out your workout gear before going to bed each night. Lay out your work clothes as well so you spend more time exercising in the morning and less time choosing an outfit.

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Something To Do?

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2. Set your alarm earlier than you intend to wake up.

Few people wake up the moment their alarm clocks first go off.

Snooze buttons may help you ease into your wakeup routine, but those post-snooze button minutes are minutes you could be spending getting your recommended daily exercise. If you’re a snooze button devotee and you want to be up by 6 a.m., then set your alarm for 5:50 a.m.

3. Get a good night’s sleep.

In 2015, the National Sleep Foundation convened experts from sleep, anatomy and physiology, as well as pediatrics, neu-

people of all ages. The panel recommends adults between the ages of 26 and 64 get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, noting that anything less than six hours or more than 10 hours is not recommended. A good night’s sleep will help you feel more energetic when that alarm goes off, even if it is going off before the sun rises. Exercise and sleep go hand in hand, as studies have shown that routine exercise actually improves quality of sleep because exercise is a beneficial stressor to the body, which responds to the stress of exercise by increasing the amount of time the body spends in deep sleep.

Many adults struggle to find time for daily exercise, but early morning

A good night’s sleep will help you feel more energetic when that alarm goes off, even if it is going off before the sun rises. rology, gerontology and gynecology to reach a consensus on sleep guidelines for

20 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

might be the best time for busy men and women to break a sweat.

PHOTO: MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES/THINKSTOCK

metro health

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 21

metro

wellness

This Land is

My Land

hile I was

BY EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON

born in New Jersey, grew up in Michigan, and spent my first four postcollege years in California, I have now lived in Maine for 16 years, longer than I have lived anywhere else.

I first fell in love with this region when I spent one semester in college on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire studying New England Literature. The lake, the pines, the old stone wall foundations in the woods, and the distinct seasons just felt right to me. Everyone has a landscape they connect with; sometimes you are born and raised in that land, sometimes you find it later in your life.

I always thought I wanted to live on the West Coast, and I heard California calling my name through many cold Michigan winters. The second I graduated from University of Michigan, I hopped in my car with my dog and drove west.

For four years, I lived in San Francisco with its endless green parks, dramatic coastline and burritos that I still dream about, and explored the mountains and redwoods of Northern California.

I can’t quite get my bearings on my memories of California because the seasons there have little distinction from one another. There is no snow, no leaves falling or crunching underfoot, no thunderstorms. Calla lilies with big, open, white blooms fill the parks all year, flowering trees at every street corner, every day a perfect one for a bike ride across the bridge. And though it was lovely — trust me, it was — I did nothing to earn the warm sunshine.

After a while, it felt cheap and easy. No mornings scraping ice off my windshield, no muddy March days, no black fly bites, no suffering. Without the cycle of seasons and weather to anchor my memories, my sense of who I was in California is a little foggy.

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After a while, I figured out that the vast landscape of the west wasn’t my landscape. I craved a more subtle, less grandiose land with defined seasons and a quieter quality. When the opportunity arose to get my first teaching job in Maine, I took it and moved east.

When I first arrived here, I took photos of the fields of wildflowers and abandoned barns on my road and sent them to my city friends. I spent every weekend hiking the granite mountains or exploring the coast.

I felt a welcome and familiar satisfaction as the season began to change. In the crisp first weeks of autumn, I started teaching and watched from my classroom window the glorious show of color in the leaves.

sky. And that was it; I knew I was home.

Since then, I have worked and loved and raised children here, accepted Maine’s quirks, and become even more connected to this land. I have flown out west, or driven south, and crossed back over that bridge many times. Just recently I flew to Arizona for a weekend getaway with my sister. What a different land. The sun was high and hot by 9 a.m., the desert sand was dusty on my sandals, and there were way more species of cacti than I had ever imagined. I find the desert beautiful but in a slightly haunting way; the earth is so dry and the vegetation so prickly under the big blue sky. It’s fun to walk around and point at a cartoon-looking cactus

I need what Maine has: birches and maples, puffy clouds, heat with slight humidity in the summer, big nasty snow storms in the winter, and a screen door that slams shut behind me on my way to the lake.

I loved the way time was defined by the weather, as the waist-deep ferns behind our house changed to waist-deep snow.

During one of my first years in Maine, I took a road trip to North Carolina to visit friends. I vividly remember coming back at the end of that week and crossing the Piscataqua River Bridge at the Maine border; the evening light had that Edward Hopper glow, the landscape infused with a golden honey color that made the edges of the green highway signs and weathered red barns cut a crisp edge against the

and desert bird, but at the end of the day, I found myself thinking about the cool breezes and damp earth of home.

I love to travel, and feel lucky to have the resources to explore different landscapes and climates from time to time.

But Maine is my land now. In order to feel most like myself, I need what Maine has: birches and maples, puffy clouds, heat with slight humidity in the summer, big nasty snow storms in the winter, and a screen door that slams shut behind me on my way to the lake.

EMILIE BRAND THROCKMORTON is a mom and runner who co-chairs the English Department at Bangor High School and writes the blog One Mom in Maine.

PHOTO: BDN FILE

W

Feeling at home in Maine.

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feature story

A Tradition of Craftsmen

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Meet five Mainers making traditional products the same way they were produced hundreds of years ago.

T

STORY BY AIMEE THIBODEAU PHOTOS BY JASON PAIGE SMITH

radition.

Hard work. Heritage. Integrity. It’s the foundation of many Maine businesses, but even more so for those who have continued to create and produce using the same tools and methods that have been used for decades upon decades.

They use anvils, chisels and hammers to mold iron into hooks, jewelry and rustic utensils. They till the land with workhorses, craft wood products with hand planers, sanders and saws, and resole shoes to walk another lifetime. We’ve collected a sampling of Maine craftsmen who continue to conduct many aspects of their business the same way their founding fathers and ancestors did hundreds of years ago, not in a museum or simply for reenactments — but as a regular way of life and business. They are true craftsmen working in our communities, continuing to produce the quality products of their respective professions.

Tim Hill

Tim Hill Fine Woodworking LOCATION: 11 Little Wing Lane, Gorham ESTABLISHED: 1994 THE BASICS: Tim Hill opened his furniture shop in 1994 with a primary interest in restoring antique furniture. During this time he also acted as a resource for the restoration and maintenance of older wooden yachts. But over time, orders for new furniture designs with traditional joinery grew and the shop’s focus moved to handle the growing backlog of furniture work.

For the past 10 years, Tim Hill Fine Woodworking has designed and built furniture for several of New England’s most exclusive homes and businesses. The shop still accommodates specialized needs for the yachting community, although handcrafted fine furniture represents the core of the its offerings.

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feature story

“When you get a shoe that old that was either Mom or Dad’s, or from high school, it kind of gives you a sense of pride being able to continue that history.

Going and refurbishing them, making them look practically new, and sending them back out the door to be worn another 10 years.”

–Jonathan Lambert

Jonathan Lambert Yankee Cobbler

LOCATION: 25 State St., Bangor ESTABLISHED: 2005 THE BASICS: For more than 10 years, cobbler Jonathan Lambert has been using century-old techniques to repair shoes at Yankee Cobbler. Lambert does all types of shoe repairs from heels and soles to orthopedic modifications. But he says a majority of his shoe repairs come from the inability to replace the shoe, or from sentimental value.

The history of the shoes is what Lambert enjoys the most.

“When you get a shoe that old that was either Mom or Dad’s, or from high school, it kind of gives you a sense of pride being able to continue that history.

Going and refurbishing them, making them look practically new, and sending them back out the door to be worn another 10 years,” said Lambert. “Some of the shoes have been all over the world.”

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feature story

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Paul Birdsall

Horsepower Farm LOCATION: 90 Horsepower Farm Road, Penobscot ESTABLISHED: 1972 (the farm is an 1820s refurbished farmhouse, set on more than 380 acres) THE BASICS: Paul and Mollie Birdsall came from Connecticut in 1972 to settle on the farm with their two sons. Mollie died in 2000, but Paul and his son, Andy, continue to operate the farm which truly relies on horsepower for plowing, tilling, harrowing, planting, haying, transporting, logging, cultivating, and harvesting.

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feature story

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As the second oldest manufacturer of marine products in the United States, Shaw & Tenney has made its oars using the same traditions for more than 150 years.

Steve Holt

Shaw & Tenney LOCATION: 20 Water St., Orono ESTABLISHED: 1858 THE BASICS: As the second oldest manufacturer of marine products in the United States, Shaw & Tenney has made its oars using the same traditions for more than 150 years. In 1858, the Orono Manufacturing Company began making oars and paddles using water-powered machinery in a shop on the banks of the Stillwater River. Shaw & Tenney was formed in the 1890s when Frank Tenney merged Orono Manufacturing with the Boston-based George Shaw Company. With the advent of electricity, the company moved into a new facility on Main Street. In 1950, Shaw & Tenney relocated to its current location on Water Street and remained under the ownership of the Tenney family until the 70s. In 1978, the company was purchased by Paul and Helen Reagan who broadened the product line and expanded into the retail marketplace. In 2003, Steve Holt became the third family to own the company, expanding the product line to include boathooks, masts, spars, flagpoles, and full complement of marine hardware. But one things has remained the same — the commitment to create products that will last a lifetime.

feature story

Sam Smith

The Portland Forge LOCATION: 58 Fore St., Building 16, Portland ESTABLISHED: 1846 THE BASICS: The Portland Forge, as it is called now, is located on the same site as the Portland Company's Blacksmith Shop established in 1846.

The Portland Company was a major producer of steam locomotives, ships, and various other steam driven machinery. Today, The Portland Forge continues a legacy of bringing traditional 19th Century craftsmanship to local Maine communities and beyond.

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 33

rangeley then & now

An Outdoor

Treasure The Rangeley Lakes Region is a true four seasons escape.

(Top right) Old postcards featuring Pleasant Island and the bridge to the mainland and sunbathers in Rangeley.

(Above) A view of the lake.

(Left) Mountain View House is pictured in a postcard from 1914.

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HISTORIC PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MAINE FOGLER LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, BANGOR PUBLIC LIBRARY’S JAMES VICKERY POSTCARD COLLECTION, THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS, AND THE SKI MUSEUM OF MAINE

R

angeley has a

way of landing on everyone’s 10 Best Lists. It was voted one of the 10 Best Winter Towns in Maine, among the state’s 10 Best Road Trips, and the ultimate kudos, the Best Place to Live.

Not too shabby for a village of less than 1,200 people that’s located closer to Quebec than Portland. It is reachable only by hilly, winding highways (routes 4 and 16 converge in the Franklin County community), an occasional float plane, and the Appalachian Trail, which slices through nearby forests. But thanks to its warm people and cultural activities, it doesn’t feel isolated.

“This is a four seasons area, and there’s something for everyone,” said Karen Ogulnick, executive director of the

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY RICHARD SHAW

Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

“Its natural beauty is legendary, and so is its history. It’s one of three plantations, surrounded by Dallas and Sandy River.”

Before visitors can say MOOSELOOKMEGUNTIC, a lake in the scenic cluster known as the Rangeley Lakes Region, Ogulnick will fill your arms with brochures touting museums and sporting camps. Then she’ll send you on a tour of Main Street, starting with lunch at Parkside & Main or Moose Loop Café & Bakery, followed by a stop at the Rangeley Public Library, where librarian Janet Wilson will explain the 1909 landmark’s stone architecture and local book and art collections.

Across the street is the historic Rangeley Inn, newly renovated and www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 35

rangeley then & now still attracting guests yearound. Also worth visiting are Ecopelagicon Nature Store, Lakeside Theater, featuring movies and live entertainment, and Books, Lines and Thinkers, which stocks bestsellers and local titles by historians Jay Hoar and Gary Priest, whose pictorial, “Rangeley Through Time,” juxtaposes old and new photos.

“Like all cities and towns, Rangeley has changed in many ways — and yet it hasn’t,” Priest said. “It began as a fishing mecca nearly 150 years ago and is still known for fishing. As the popularity of fishing and recreation grew, so did the demand for facilities to accommodate the sportsmen and later their wives and families. Thus, the tourist industry arrived in the form of large hotels and private camps in the 1890s.

(Top) A view down Main Street in post cards from the 1930s.

(Above) The same view down Main Street today.

(Below) Rangeley Lake Hotel is pictured in an old postcard.

(Right) President Dwight Eisenhower and a guide are pictured fishing in Parmachenee Lake in 1955.

“Like all cities and towns, Rangeley has changed in many ways — and yet it hasn’t.”

–Gary Priest “Over time, as it became easier to travel, the hotels declined and closed and the demand for second homes began,” Priest said. “Thus, Rangeley is still in the same business — tourism — just with a different focus. The local organizations now provide the entertainment while years ago the hotels provided it for their guests.”

Visitors desiring a history fix should stop at the Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society, based in an old bank building on Main Street. Displays depict yesterday’s lakes region, served by the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad and visited by Presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, and a gutsy female angler named Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby.

The Maine Forestry Museum on Route 16 has primitive tools, paintings, and a children’s play area. Just off of Route 16, on the Dodge Pond Road, is Orgonon, a fascinating museum devoted to the life and work of Austrian-born psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957). The mountain views from his stone laboratory and observatory are impressive.

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rangeley then & now

(Above) Orgonon is a museum and observatory devoted to the life and work of Austrian-born psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich.

(Right) A young skier is pictured on Saddleback Mountain. The popular ski mountain closed last winter due to financial woes.

(Below) Inside the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, which features a collection of canoes, artifacts, and more.

(Opposite page) The boardwalk near Rangeley Lake House is featured in a old postcard.

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Eight miles up Route 16, in Oquossoc, is the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, a collection of canoes, artifacts, and pictures. Director Bill Pierce will point out nearby attractions, including Height of Land, a rest stop that boasts views of the region’s lakes and mountains. Near the base of Deer

Despite its remoteness and economic hurdles, including last winter’s closing of the Saddleback Maine ski area due to financial woes, the future looks bright for Rangeley.

Mountain, a stone memorial lists the names of 10 Army Air Corps fliers who died in 1944 when their B-17 bomber, en route to Bangor’s Dow Field, crashed in turbulent weather.

Summer is old home season in Rangeley. The forestry museum sponsors its annual auction on July 2, and on July 29 and 30, logging festival events will take place at the museum and at a Main Street parade. On July 30, the rock

Town Stats Incorporated: March 29, 1855

Notable people:

• Daniel Heywood, guide, taxidermist

Named for: English Squire James Rangeley

• Robert C. Summers Sr., civic leader

• Hal Ellis, dairy farmer

• Elmer “Doc” Grant, restaurateur

Motto: Maine’s four season playground

• Wilhelm Reich, psychiatrist

Population: 1,175 (2012 estimate)

• Capt. Fred Barker, hotel, steamboat operator

County: Franklin

• Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, outdoors guide

Median resident age: 51.4

• Arlo West, musician, photographer

Elevation: 1,614 feet

• Gary Priest, author, historian

Landmarks: Rangeley Lake, Saddleback Maine ski mountain and family resort, Rangeley Public Library, Route 4 scenic lookout, Lakeside Theatre, Orgonon (Wilhelm Reich Museum), Rangeley Lakes Region Historical Society, Rangeley Free Baptist Church, Maine Forestry Museum, Oquossoc Log Church, Outdoor Heritage Sporting Museum (Oquossoc), Height of Land lookout (Oquossoc), Bald Mountain, Cupsuptic Lake, Mooselookmeguntic Lake

Area: Total, 55.62 square miles Land: 41.48 square miles Water: 14.14 square miles

• Kurt and Bing Russell, actors • Roger Page, former Saddleback ski school director • Jim Quimby, Saddleback operations manager

Municipal website: rangeleymaine.com

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rangeley then & now

The Rangeley Historical Society, formerly a bank, is featured now and (above) then.

band Foreigner will rock the Rangeley Wellness Pavilion. For a complete list of activities, visit rangeleymaine.com.

Despite its remoteness and economic hurdles, including last winter’s closing of the Saddleback Maine ski area due to financial woes, the future looks bright for Rangeley.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe Rangeley will continue to be a destination area for many people,” Priest said. “Through the efforts of several organizations, especially the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, hundreds of acres of lakefront property and woodlands are now protected from development, and a vast wilderness will survive to attract visitors in the generations to come.”

Check out our interactive map of Rangeley at bangormetro.com

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Best

VOTE NOW

TAURANTS

RES

YOU VOTE YOU DECIDE

90+ RESTAURANTS from Fort Kent to Rockland to Greenville to Eastport

Visit bangormetro.com to vote now for your favorite restaurants and see the winners featured in our September 2016 issue!

HURRY! Votes must be received by July 6

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food file

All American

BBQ

42 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Celebrate the season with an old fashioned American BBQ and some deliciously fresh recipes for burgers and purple potato salad. STORY & PHOTOS BY JEFF MCINTOSH

W

hen I think

of a old fashioned American BBQ I am thinking of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, and possibly adult beverages!

Nothing too fancy, just a relaxing afternoon at the grill. The kind of meal where even with loads of family around, you still have extra food an hour later and you convince yourself to eat another hot dog because you can’t let it go to waste.

That is what a BBQ should be — easy food, friends and family, and regretting how much you ate hours later. You have to splurge sometime. For Memorial Day a couple of years ago, our American BBQ was filled with easy dishes for our family to come over and enjoy. Summer is upon us, so this is an easy menu to repeat for the Fourth of July, Labor Day, family reunions, or simply any day of the week.

First up, we will tackle a few things that can be made ahead — Potato Salad and Norah’s Garden Salad. The potato salad is simple requiring just baby potatoes, bacon, hard boiled eggs, mayo, salt, and pepper. I cook the potatoes, eggs, and bacon and then cool them. Mix them with mayo, salt, and pepper and we are done. I add garden herbs from my garden to give it a little extra flavor or some fresh chopped chives on top is nice.

This will rest in the refrigerator for a few hours until the BBQ starts.

While I am making potato salad I put my daughter, Norah, to work on her garden salad. She has become quite a good salad maker and it is actually a big help on our average rushed for dinner weeknight. I like giving her control over the salad because, like myself, she loves cucumbers so I know the salad will be about 90 percent cucumber by weight.

She takes her garden salad responsibility seriously and loves to get compliments on it at dinner time. A normal salad for her is mixed greens, one large cucumber, one large carrot grated, half an onion sliced as thin as she can, a few sliced radishes, and a handful of halved cherry tomatoes.

These ingredients she “harvested” from the refrigerator. Next up, teaching her how to harvest them from the garden. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 43

food file

Food File American BBQ Cheeseburgers Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Serves: 10 Ingredients 2.5 lbs ground beef ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ teaspoon salt + extra for sprinkling ½ teaspoon pepper + extra for sprinkling 10 slices cheddar cheese 10 buns Instructions 1. Preheat grill to high heat.

2. Mix ground beef, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper.

3. Form into patties and sprinkle extra salt and pepper on the outside of patties.

4. Grill on high 4-5 minutes on one side and flip.

5. Cook until done melting cheddar for the last minute.

6. Serve on buns with favorite condiments!

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Now, on to tackling corn on the cob.

I plan to grill the corn in the husks with some butter and spices rubbed inside it.

In order to do this I have to peel husk back and remove the silks and soak the husks in water so they don’t burn too much on the grill. Around this time, my wife, Emily, was cleaning the house and informed me husking corn was an “outside” job. So I took a large tub of water and the corn to the porch and got to work. I peeled back each husk and removed silks. Then returned the husk over the corn and tossed it into the tub of water. I let them soak a couple hours until it was time to grill.

At grilling time I peeled back the husks again and spread a mixture of butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper on the corn.

Then pull the husk back up around it and it would go on the grill like this to cook.

I was grilling 14 corn cobs so I used two sticks of butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Who can resist hot, buttery corn on the cob.

Now, it is time to tackle some veggie skewers. I quickly filed this project under my “wishful thinking” tab. Like my maniacs would bother wasting tummy space on grilled veggies when burgers and dogs were on their plates! Still, I like to try to offset the lack of nutrition in an average BBQ and at least the grownups would try them.

Cabbage chunks, onion wedges, red pepper slices, and asparagus. Easy to grill and taste great charred.

To baste over the veggies while grilling, a simple mix of lemon zest, lemon juice, grated ginger, and honey.

American BBQ time is drawing near and time to ready the burgers and dogs.

I love cheese on burgers so I really like mixing a little extra into the patties themselves. Once the patties are formed I make a thumb sized indentation in the center to try to keep them from puffing up on the grill.

The only prep hot dogs get is cutting little slits into them to prevent them from blowing up on the grill. I shredded some extra cabbage and mixed with salt and pepper for a topping for the hot dogs. Every bit of green helps!

I am partial to red hot dogs or “red snappers.” Emily prefers the regular beef hot dogs so when we are grilling we usually have both.

We are now ready to get outside and do some grilling.

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food file I prefer the super technical method of grilling known as, “Throw everything on the grill at once and proceed to panic and shuffle stuff around so it doesn’t burn or get done before the rest of the food.” Can you believe I didn’t even go to cooking school?

My real goal is to only flip everything once. Let the burgers cook on one side until they have a nice crust and flip.

Then melt the cheese on the second side once it is cooked through. The veggies take no time at all over high so I baste them quickly. The corn takes a little longer and needs to be flipped and shuffled so as not to burn. The dogs will only take a few minutes on high heat and then get moved up to the cooler rack to stay warm. I do like a slightly burnt hot dog.

Cheeseburgers will be the star of the American BBQ. I love seeing a table outside full of kids chowing down on freshly-grilled burgers.

Grilling outside with kids running around, climbing trees, and riding bikes brings me back to my childhood. My sister and I did the same thing with our family — on the same lawn, in the same tree, and on the same street.

Food File Purple Potato Salad Ingredients 1 pound baby purple potatoes (yellow potatoes work, too) 6 hard boiled eggs 6 slices bacon cooked ½ red onion sliced thin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon herb mix (your favorite) ½ teaspoon black pepper 1/ cup mayo 3 Instructions 1. Boil potatoes until tender, cool, then quarter.

2. Dice eggs and bacon.

3. In a large mixing bowl combine potatoes, eggs, bacon, onion, garlic powder, salt, herbs, and pepper.

4. Add mayo a little at a time and mix until desired consistency.

5. Allow to meld in refrigerator until ready.

6. Serve and enjoy!

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kitchen confidential

W

A Good Thing It’s family and classic Maine comfort food that’s kept Bagaduce Lunch in business for 70 years.

STORY BY EMILY BURNHAM PHOTOS BY ASHLEY CONTI

48 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

hen Bagaduce Lunch

co-owner Judy Astbury’s grandparents, Sidney and Bernice Snow, first opened the restaurant in 1946, the land next to the Brooksville town line that the hamburger and lobster roll shack was built upon wasn’t much more than a cleared-out woodlot on the Bagaduce River, with a small landing for boats.

Though her grandparents couldn’t have known that 70 years later their little takeout spot would still be in the family and going strong, they must have known that there was something special about the place. It’s certainly no secret to the locals and tourists alike who, each summer, stop in to feast on fried clams, lobster and onion rings.

“I don’t know that they had any big plans. I don’t even know why exactly they wanted to open a restaurant. Neither of them were cooks or anything,” said Astbury, who took over the Bagaduce in 1966 from her parents, James and Evangeline “Vangie” Peasley. “But they must have done something right.”

For seven decades, Bagaduce Lunch has served up classic Maine comfort food — fried seafood, lobster and crab rolls, hot dogs and burgers, ice cream and homemade pie — in a setting as picturesque as a postcard. The property is much more than just a former woodlot on the river.

It’s situated next to the Bagaduce River’s reversing falls, a tidal anomaly at which, twice a day, the tides come in from the ocean and push against the river’s current, causing the river to flow backwards for a few minutes. It’s also teeming with wildlife, from bald eagles, osprey, loons and seals to occasional sightings of horseshoe crabs and river otters — all of which can sometimes be seen while enjoying a milkshake and basket of sweet local scallops from the comfort of a sunny picnic table.

Astbury, though not prone to hyperbole, admits that there’s something kind of idyllic about the land her family’s restaurant is on. She remains humble, however, on the topic of the food, which has gained a well-earned national reputation over the years as among the best fried seafood in Maine. Kind of like saying it’s the best pasta in Italy.

In the beginning, Astbury’s grandparents kept things simple: Hamburgers, hot

dogs, lobster rolls and hot coffee in real ceramic mugs. When her parents took it over in 1966, the fried seafood joined the menu, utilizing a special recipe developed by James Peasley that’s stayed virtually unchanged for 50 years.

And when Judy and her husband, Mike, took over, the days of using frozen seafood were over. Mike insisted on cooking fresh, local seafood, using that same recipe developed by the Peasleys that results in a thin, crispy, flavorful batter that lets the seafood be the star of the show.

“You’re not coming for the batter. You’re coming for the seafood,” said Judy Astbury.

“That’s what you want to taste.”

It’s that commitment to keeping it simple and doing it well — very, very well, as it turns out — that caught the attention of the James Beard Foundation. The Astburys were taken by surprise when, in 2008, the organization awarded the little seafood shack an American Classic award. The honor is bestowed on “small, regional restaurants, watering holes, shacks, lunch counters, and similar downhome eateries that have carved out a special place on the American culinary landscape.” The foundation noted in its award that Beard, among the most hallowed of American chefs, “enjoyed a paper cone of fried belly clams as much as a fine French meal.”

“I’d never heard of James Beard,” said Astbury. “But boy, did that change things for us.”

Though the Bagaduce Lunch was always busy during its season — generally early May to mid-September — business skyrocketed after the award put it on the national map. Now people are traveling from all over the country, even the world, to line up at the window and get their hands on a fried shrimp basket.

“It gets pretty crazy here in the summer,” said Astbury. “By June, we’re pretty much nonstop.”

Though arriving by car is generally the preferred mode of transportation, people often arrive by bike, or by canoe, kayak or boat via the little public dock.

One time, about seven years ago, with-

kitchen confidential out any advance warning, a helicopter touched down on the landing.

“I was really worried it was a LifeFlight helicopter. Then I thought, ‘They’re coming for us!’” said Astbury.

“But, nope, they got out of the helicopter and said they wanted some fried clams. Unbelievable.”

The more things change, however, the more they stay the same. Even after tearing down the original building and constructing a new, more spacious restaurant, they kept the original look: white clapboard with red trim. Astbury’s daughters put the Bagaduce Lunch on Facebook, where tantalizing photos of huge plates of fried seafood are posted almost daily — though the profile picture is of Jim and Vangie Peasley, smiling warmly from the takeout window.

“I think we’ve just had a good thing going for a long time,” said Astbury. “We work in a beautiful place. And it’s family.

It’s always been family.”

more info BAGADUCE LUNCH 145 FRANK’S FLAT, PENOBSCOT Website: facebook.com/bagaduce

Hours: Open from early May until midSeptember daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Wednesdays when it closes at 3 p.m.

Location: Immediately off Route 175, just a few feet from the bridge and the Brooksville town line. There is only outdoor seating.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

BUCKSPORT

BREWER

Your listing could be on this page Attract more customers.

Advertise in Bangor Metro’s Restaurant Guide. Call 941-1300.

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 51

arts & culture

Transforming the Art Scene or more than

60 years, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport has remained a steadfast champion of new artists from Maine and with ties to Maine.

For nearly all of those six decades, it has been housed in a converted firehouse and stable in downtown Rockport, welcoming visitors to its quiet corner of the coastal town, wedged between Camden and Rockland. On June 26 of this year, however, CMCA unveiled the most important new development in the center’s history: the opening of a sleek, modern, $3 million brand new building on Winter Street in the heart of downtown Rockland, designed by acclaimed architect Toshiko Mori. The new CMCA fundamentally transforms the landscape of downtown Rockland, the art scene in coastal Maine, and in many ways, the art scene in Maine as a whole. And to think: less than seven years ago, CMCA was in danger of closing outright. Bangor Metro spoke with CMCA’s longtime executive director, Suzette McAvoy, on what it took to rescue it from an untimely demise, the many special things about the new building, and how art has the power to transform communities.

52 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Just seven years ago, CMCA was teetering on the brink of ruin. In two months, a $3 million brand new building will open in downtown Rockland.

This may seem like a huge question: How do you go from point A to point B? Even from my firsthand perspective, it’s hard to comprehend just how far we've come. It’s been a lot of hard work by a number of really dedicated and generous individuals who had the tenacity to see it through. Truly it was a case of “do or die.”

CMCA had been on the brink of moving a number of times over the past 20 years, but the financial crisis in 2009 and my coming onboard in 2010 really galvanized the decision. When the property at 21 Winter Street — a block from Main Street and the Farnsworth Museum, and adjacent to the Strand Theatre — became available in spring 2013, we knew we had to make the move because we would never get such an ideal location again.

Aside from the location, obviously, what are the major changes returning patrons can expect when they walk into the new building? What does this building allow you to do that the old location didn’t?

The new location and building elevate everything that CMCA is and does. The building is remarkable, it’s worth visiting just for the architecture, let alone the art it allows us to exhibit. There isn’t another exhibition space like it in Maine. Toshiko has done an exceptional job of integrating it into the context of the surrounding working waterfront and capturing the gorgeous north light in the interior.

With polished cement floors throughout and 12 and 16 foot ceiling heights, we can show work on a scale that was never possible in the former location.

How do you expect this to change the kinds of people that come through your doors? And in turn, how will this change Midcoast Maine and the Maine arts scene in general?

PHOTOS: (BUILDING)JONATHAN LAURENCE; (HEADSHOT) CENTER FOR MAINE CONTEMPORARY ART

F

Center for Maine Contemporary Art proves art has the power to transform communities. BY EMILY BURNHAM

I think we will serve a much more diverse audience in Rockland than we did in Rockport. You had to be a pretty dedicated art lover to seek us out in Rockport, but in Rockland we will have much more foot traffic and a broader demographic of visitors. I anticipate the synergy of the new CMCA, coupled with the Farnsworth, the Strand Theatre, and the nearly two dozen commercial galleries, as well as all the great restaurants and new hotels, will help anchor Rockland as the art center of the state, and a year-round destination.

What’s the most unusual or compelling small detail that you personally are most excited about?

Oh gosh, there are so many. A detail I just love is the one inch reveal between the walls and the floor. There is no baseboard, so this very precise space at the base of the walls make them seem to float above the floors. And I have to confess, I love the my new corner office. It has a wall of glass that looks out over the entire complex with a great view of the sawtooth roofline and the courtyard. I get goosebumps thinking how much fun it will be working there.

You have been a part of the Maine arts scene for more than 20 years. What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed from when you first got here to now, either specifically in the Midcoast or more generally in Maine?

There have been huge strides since I moved to Maine in 1988 to take the job as curator at the Farnsworth Museum. All of the major art institutions in the state have grown physically, as well as professionally, and there are many more opportunities for contemporary artists to exhibit. The range of mediums, scale, and style of work being produced by artists in Maine has also expanded expediently. Today installations and video work are as common as paintings, sculpture and photographs, and artists are moving between mediums with a fluidity unseen in the past. It all makes for a very exciting point in time.

Exhibits running at CMCA currently include: “Rollin Leonard: Vernal Pool,” photographs; “Alex Katz: Small Paintings,” works from the iconic painter; and “Jonathan Borofsky: Human Sculptures,” large scale installations. CMCA is located at 21 Winter St. in Rockland; visit cmcanow.org for more information. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 53

per spectives

54 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Scot Miller

S

cot Miller is

an award-winning photographer whose work has formed the basis of numerous books, including “Walden: The 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic;” “Cape Cod: Illustrated Edition of the American Classic,” and “Thoreau, The Maine Woods: A Photographic Journey Through an American Wilderness.” Levenger Press published Miller’s sixth book, “Emerson, Muir, Thoreau: A Photographic Trilogy of American Wildness,” in 2015.

Miller is a contributor to the “Moment in Nature” videos, broadcast nationally on Emmy Award-winning CBS Sunday Morning. His photographic and video collaborations have appeared in numerous publications, and include work with Yosemite Conservancy, the Walden Woods Project and the Harvard Museum of Natural History, where “Thoreau’s Maine Woods: A Journey in Photographs by Scot Miller” was on exhibit from November 2013 through February 2015.

Miller currently is photographing in southwest Colorado, the Maine Woods, Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada, the Ozarks and the Texas Hill Country where he is Artist-in-Park for the LBJ Ranch and Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, located in Stonewall, Texas, and the Great Trinity Forest & Trinity River watershed in Dallas.

Miller’s fine prints also have been featured in exhibitions at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Dallas Museum of Natural History, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods and many other venues across the country.

Miller lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Marilyn, where they own and operate the Sun to Moon Gallery, a fine-art photography gallery.

All images featured here are from the book “Thoreau, The Maine Woods: A Photographic Journey Through an American Wilderness,” a Collector’s Edition book published by Levenger Press.

Five images are included in the “Thoreau’s Maine Woods: A Journey in Photographs with Scot Miller” photography exhibition created in partnership with the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Thanks to the generosity of the museum, the exhibition is available for minimal cost to Maine arts, educational and museum venues. The exhibition has already been at University of Maine at Orono, University of Maine at Presque Isle, and University of Maine at Fort Kent.

It opened at the Patten Lumbermen’s Museum on May 21 where it is scheduled to be on display through early July. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 55

aimee & amy try...

Who We Are..

With a grand total of 4 children ages 1-9, Bangor Metro staffers Aimee Thibodeau and Amy Allen are well versed in keeping kids busy.

Each month we’ll try a new project and share the results – be they great or disasterous.

T

Something’s

Fishy

Surprise the kids with a fun and messy project.

he kids requested

a messy project and staff writer Emily Burnham had a suggestion. So we’re blaming her for the lingering smell of fish in Amy’s dining room. But it turns out that Gyotaku, the traditional Japanese art of printing fish, is a fun and relatively easy art project that will equally impress, entertain and gross out the kids (and parents).

The game plan was for this to be an outside project, but we got rained out and moved it inside. It took a little pre-planning and a call to the grocery store to secure whole fish — we ended up with a grouper and red snapper, which both worked great — but all of the other supplies we already had on hand. Whatever paint you have readily available will work — we used a combination of washable tempera paint, acrylic and glitter paint, and it all worked great. Just be sure to get plenty of paint on your fish. It’s really simple and fun for all ages — just prepare for lots of squealing and giggles!

Supplies • Whole fish. We used red snapper and grouper from the grocery store.

• Paint – any kind seemed to work fine as long as there was thick coat on the fish. Glitter paint works too.

• Brushes. We used sponge brushes, which worked well.

• Paper. We used a roll of white craft paper, but watercolor paper, rice paper or even cloth would probably work even better.

• Plenty of newspapers.

• Paint shirts.

56 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Step 1: Call ahead to secure whole fish from the grocery store. We found only a few local stores sold whole fish.

Step 2: Red snapper have sharp points in their fins that need to be snipped off before little hands touch them.

Step 3: Spread the fish’s fins and tail out as much as possible and start painting.

Step 4: Bold colors in a thick coat work best so you can see every scale. Cover the fins, eye, tail and other details well.

Step 5: Painting stripes on the fish and using different colors for the fins and tail will help define the final fish print.

Step 6: Lay your paper on top the fish and shape it around the outline. Press well to ensure a good print.

Step 7: Carefully peel back your print.

Keep the area surrounding the fish clean to avoid a big mess on the final print.

Step 8: Try printing other sealife, as well.

Be sure starfish, shells and other creatures have big flat surfaces that can stamp easily.

Step 9: Rinse and repeat. Dry the fish thoroughly and reuse fish for more prints.

Project Review

• Degree of Difficulty: Easy. Securing whole fish was the toughest part (and daring to touch them), so be sure to call ahead and ask for them to be held aside.

• Average Time: 15-20 minutes — this was a quick one.

Sponsored by

• Degree of Fun According to the Kids & Moms:

1:

We better get paid for this.

5:

Fun, but once was enough.

10:

Super fun, let’s make one for everyone!

Fun, simple and different with a gross factor that will entertain the kids – and a final product worth framing. It’s a little stinky, so try to do this one outside if possible. www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 57

metro

family

Mother’s Instinct Appreciating your innate superhuman power.

a mother, or know a mother, then you probably know all about Mother’s Instincts. There are certain instances where your body, mind and emotions are kicked into high gear and you are overcome by the drive to protect and aid your child. From the moment I became a mother, I have had many times that I have experienced this.

It is in almost everything I do, from little things like a rogue sneeze, or locating the ever-elusive blanky, to protecting my children from danger — I recognize and respect my superhuman ability.

I recently experienced a more severe instance of Mama Bear mode. It was a Tuesday night, just like any other, and my children, husband and I were tucked into bed safe and sound. I suddenly awoke around 3 a.m. to the loudest noise I could imagine. I jumped out of bed and opened the shade. In my dazed and confused state, I thought for an instant that my front yard had been bombed, but once I oriented myself (and 58 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

found my glasses) I saw that a terrible and tragic car accident had unfolded in our front yard.

I instantly awoke Dan and called for help. He ran outside to do what he could, and I was left to protect our children, if need be. Through an act of divine intervention my children stayed asleep that night. The explosions, sirens, and firehoses were enough to wake neigh-

feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I could suddenly understand how mothers had lifted cars off their children, or fought off intruders

There are certain instances where your body, mind and emotions are kicked into high gear and you are overcome by the drive to protect and aid your child. bors down the road, yet my children slept peacefully. I was ready though, if I needed to scoop them up and get them out. The adrenaline coursing through me at that point was immense. I could

despite incredible odds. I knew that if needed, I could absolutely do whatever I needed to protect my children.

The first responders finally sent Dan inside and told us that we had

PHOTO: YARUTA/THINKSTOCK

I

f you are

BY ASHLEY THORNTON

done all that we could. We were free to go back to bed. It was laughable really, that anyone could consider sleeping in the state that I was in. All I wanted was to wake my children and hold them tight. My heart hurt for the families of the people involved in the crash, and I couldn’t imagine hearing the news they were about to receive. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for as long as my eyes would let me, hands still shaking.

It took weeks before I was able to sleep, and months before I was able to shut my shades without imagining what could possibly happen out there. It took my body a long time to physically come down from the surge of adrenaline, and as someone that has battled anxiety for years, it took several months of therapy appointments before I felt as though my skin wasn’t buzzing with electricity.

A couple of months later, I was awoken again in the early morning hours, this time by someone banging on our door. They had been in an accident in the vicinity of our house and needed help. That too-familiar surge of electricity shot through my veins. I was on my feet in a matter of seconds and ready to sprint to my children’s rooms if I needed. I welcomed the now familiar jolt of strength, clarity, and energy as I knew it was my Mother’s Instinct kicking in.

Hopefully, most will not have to experience a situation like this, but if you have children you know that you will certainly encounter scenarios where you will need to be on your A-game for them. Perhaps it is that something is wrong with their health, but no one can give you a diagnosis. Maybe it is that you know your child is in need of something educationally that they are not getting. It could be the feeling you get in a crowded room, by the water, or in a parking lot when you know that it is your job as their mother to keep them safe. Whatever the reason, know that you are amazing. The incredible ability of your instincts and body to sense trouble and act on it is breathtakingly beautiful. Your focus, intellect, strength and perseverance are truly the appurtenances of heroes.

ASHLEY THORNTON of Milford is a mom of two rambunctious toddlers.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 59

metro sports

Being an island Little Leaguer takes dedication and commitment. BY ERNIE CLARK

t’s just after

5 a.m. when the scramble begins in households around the island.

Getting dressed and having breakfast is just the beginning, along with gathering all the gear needed for a day on the mainland — and everything must be ready in time to be at the ferry terminal by 6:30 a.m.

This isn’t a school day but a typical Saturday morning for much of the spring, when youngsters on the Vinalhaven softball and baseball teams and their parents arise even earlier in the morning to compete in the Oceanside Little League some 15 ocean miles away in Rockland.

“It can get a little crazy,” said Sarah Forner, whose 10-year-old twin daughters, Maggie and Eleanor, play softball for the Islanders. “But the kids are excited to go.”

Once the ferry departs the Vinalhaven terminal at 7 a.m. for the 75-minute trek to the mainland, the baseball players typically spend their time playing with their gadgets — until the ferry reaches the Rockland breakwater and it’s time to focus on baseball, according to longtime coach Steve Ames.

“The Game Boys or other electronics are like the pacifiers. They keep them from expending too much energy on the boat,” 60 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Ames said. “And on the way back home, because we take the big ferry, there’s plenty of room, and they’ll all be up top.”

The softball players, meanwhile, share some of assistant coach Angie Miller’s healthy snacks and enjoy an exercise in team unity.

“They start the hair salon, and everyone gets their hair braided the same,” said Kris Osgood, whose daughter Dreyenn pitches for Vinalhaven’s softball team.

“Riding a boat can be a hassle for islanders, but the time our team gets to spend together — an hour and a half to get to the mainland and a hour and a half going back every week — it’s an incredible bonding time for them,” she said.

When the teams arrive in Rockland, they have 45 minutes to get to the field for the start of weekly doubleheaders — rare in Little League but a concession to the logistics involving the ferry schedule, which doesn’t provide service that would allow Vinalhaven to play weekday games.

Depending on when the second games of the doubleheaders conclude, the teams can catch either the 2:45 or 4:30 p.m. ferry back home.

“It’s a long day, and when we’re done here we don’t just get to go home; we have to wait for the ferry. And sometimes, if you’ve got your car in line, you

may not make that first trip, and then you have to wait for the next trip,” Vinalhaven Little League softball coach Michelle Stanley said. “It’s worth the sacrifice, but it makes for a long day, and the kids are tired by the end of it.”

The Vinalhaven teams travel to the mainland for five of their six regularseason doubleheaders each year, but for the last four seasons, each team has been able to sleep in one Saturday and host a doubleheader at the Vinalhaven School.

“We really want to give the kids on the mainland an idea of the level of commitment the Vinalhaven kids are making to do this,” said Tom Peaco, vice president of the Oceanside Little League that serves Rockland, Thomaston, Owls Head, South Thomaston, St. George and Cushing along with Vinalhaven.

“For a lot of kids from the mainland who go there to play, it’s their first time, so that’s a good aspect, too, just to have the chance to see a little of what island life is like and just to get on the water.

Even kids who live in Rockland, you’d think everybody would be on the water, but many have not.”

The Vinalhaven Islanders softball team and Ravens baseball club are believed to be among a very few Little League teams nationally that play in a mainland league

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

I

Island Ball

“Riding a boat can be a hassle for islanders, but the time our team gets to spend together — it’s an incredible bonding time for them.”

— Kris Osgood

they can reach only by boat.

“We do have a few Little League programs that include islands in their boundaries,” Brian McClintock, Little League’s senior director of communications, said. “There are also a few scattered down the East Coast, Gulf Coast and West Coast that incorporate islands.”

That list includes at least two other Maine communities, Deer Isle-Stonington in the Blue Hill-based Coastal Little League and Swans Island in the Bar Harbor-based Acadian Little League, though Deer Isle-Stonington is accessible to the mainland by bridge.

Swans Island hasn’t fielded an officially chartered Little League team, though it is part of the Acadian Little League’s designated territory. Individual players from the island have participated in the league and qualified for all-star teams, and a team of 9- and 10-year-olds has boated to the mainland to scrimmage Acadian Little League opponents as recently as last year, according to league President Tony McKim. While Little League baseball and softball has separate Major (ages 11-12) and Minor (ages 9-10) divisions, Vinalhaven fields single baseball and softball teams with players ages 9 through 12 out of necessity — enrollment for grades K-12 on

the island is just 173, according to school secretary Amanda Wentworth, whose son Sam plays third base for the Ravens and whose great-grandfather, Capt.

Charles Philbrook, is the namesake for one of two ferries that service the island.

Ames and Dewey Sanborn started the island’s Little League baseball team in 1999.

“The first year was kind of rough,” Ames said. “We had a bunch of 12-year-olds who played together in ’98, but we never got to play a game because we weren’t in the league, and they all left so we had a bunch of young ballplayers that first year.

“We took it on the cuff for a while, but after about three years — and the coaches were learning, too — we started to pick it up, and the last five or six years we’ve been pretty solid,” he said.

Stanley and Holly Arey originated the first softball program for girls on the island in 2008.

“That very first year we thought we’d try it,” Stanley said. “We could take 12 girls, but 21 showed up, so we knew the interest was there. Thankfully we haven’t had difficulty getting enough kids, but if we’re short, we can reach out to [neighboring island community] North Haven.

“Getting them interested at a younger age is great,” she added.

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maine

woods & waters

Fourth graders from Mary Snow School release Atlantic salmon into the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor. The 58 students released about 120 tiny fish into the water.

School kids and federal fish hatcheries work together to restore the wild salmon population.

BY BOB DUCHESNE

Fourth graders release Atlantic salmon into the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor.

62 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

“D

on't it always

seem to go that you don't know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

Joni Mitchell’s iconic song “Big Yellow Taxi” may not have referred specifically to Atlantic salmon, but it fits. Maine once had a salmon fishery so splendid that it influenced the state’s culture.

Salmon clubs dotted the map, creating grand social organizations centered on a single fish species.

Older Mainers still remember what it was like. Hundreds of thousands of salmon swam up Maine’s rivers to spawn. Then it was tens of thousands. Then just thousands. Now, maybe a few hundred. It’s only been a couple of decades since anglers stopped wading into the salmon pool at Eddington Bend on the Penobscot River. Today, Maine’s salmon are federally endangered.

Dams block access to upriver spawning beds, and they get most of the blame for destroying the salmon fishery. But it’s much

more complicated than that. Atlantic salmon face threats from pollution, industrial fishing trawlers, and global warming. Salmon roam the ocean, but rising sea temperatures are forcing out populations from the southern parts of their range. Biologists also worry that farm-raised salmon can escape and compromise the gene pool of the remaining wild salmon.

Now there is another problem.

Why should younger folks care about a loss they never experienced? Most of Maine’s salmon were gone before today’s schoolkids were born. Salmon clubs are mostly shuttered. Kids have never seen the scores of fishermen lining the river banks on opening day of salmon season.

Enter the Atlantic Salmon Federation, an international organization that spans the Canadian border. Mandy Jo Pelletier is Program Coordinator in Maine, and one of her programs answers the question about engaging kids.

She set up 68 school projects across the state, giving elementary school students a chance to raise salmon from eggs. Youngsters got to watch as their

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

Back to the Wild

fish hatched and developed. Then, the students gathered at riverbanks this spring and released their baby salmon into coastal streams. That makes it personal. Some of those salmon in the wild belong to those kids, and they’ve now got a rooting interest in their survival.

That is how I came to be standing on a rock in Hemlock Stream, a small tributary that flows through Argyle into the Penobscot River. On May 10, students from Alton Elementary School crowded around a bucket as the tiny fish they had raised were drawn out with a cup. Each child took turns carrying the cup to the water’s edge, releasing a couple of fish at a time until all 95 had been set free.

I quizzed the kids to see how much they had learned. I picked out four youngsters, and asked each, “What are the life stages of a salmon?” Each child answered correctly.

Every salmon starts out as an egg.

After hatching, the tiny fish are called alevins, and carry around a yolk sac from which they get their nourishment. As the sacs deplete, the salmon become fry

and they begin to feed on bits of algae. After three to six weeks, they turn into parr, and they are large enough to take small insects and aquatic larvae. At this stage, they are about 2 inches long.

Parr linger in these small streams for up to three years, growing slowly and learning the “scent” of their stream. The kids tell me that salmon grow into smolts when they reach about 6 inches in length, and they’re ready to head for the ocean. They will spend a few years at sea, and when they are big enough and old enough, they will return to the very stream where they were spawned, following the scent of their particular river.

Every tributary of the Penobscot River flows through a unique set of soil and vegetation conditions, giving the stream a distinct chemistry that salmon can recognize by smell. When salmon return, they don’t have to search for a suitable spawning bed. They already know where

Denise Buckley, fisheries biologist at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, sorts through Atlantic salmon eggs.

it is, just by following their noses. That is, unless something blocks their way.

What the school children do on a small scale, two federal fish hatcheries in Maine do on a grand scale, raising millions of salmon eggs to fry, and releasing them into coastal rivers. The fry face long odds, but kids in 68 schools around the state are now cheering for them.

BOB DUCHESNE is a local radio personality, Maine guide, and columnist. He lives on Pushaw Lake with his wife, Sandi.

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 63

savvy seniors

Aging C

It’s time to disrupt aging and define what it means to grow older.

BY JANE MARGESSON

Sponsored by

Serving Hancock & Penobscot counties

Bangor office: 990.1995 Ellsworth office: 667.1900 lovingtouchinhomecare.com

hances are

you’ve heard a lot about the downside of getting older. Birthday cards for those turning 50 or more years old usually joke that we are “over the hill” or that everything is going further “downhill” with each passing year. I recall years ago seeing a colleague who had just turned 40 sporting a T-shirt with an image of an amusement park with this message: “Welcome to 40 where the fun never starts.” The shirt had been a gift from her mother-in-law, presumably as a joke. It just wasn’t that funny.

This is an example of why we need to embrace a daring new way of living our best life no matter our age. AARP believes that no one’s possibilities should ever be limited by their age and we will fight to remove barriers that stand between people and their goals and dreams. We have a legacy of more than 50 years guiding us in this quest since our own founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, was 73 years old when she founded AARP. She never put a limit on her mission to help improve the lives of others and the AARP of today embod-

ies the very same principles Dr. Andrus embraced all those years ago.

Although the reality of aging is radically different than a generation ago, many of us continue to hold outdated beliefs about aging which are often limiting and tinged with discrimination.

The solutions available to us as we age are shaped by these outdated beliefs and are simply out of sync with the way we want to live.

Today, we are on the cusp of a sea change as AARP once again is taking a bold step forward in an effort to dispel the negative stereotypes and attitudes towards getting older. It is time for this change. It is time to Disrupt Aging, as AARP’s CEO Jo Ann Jenkins explains in her new book by the same title. Disrupt Aging addresses both the need for new solutions and outdated beliefs.

Thinking about these outdated beliefs, the trick is to channel a new philosophy and harness a more positive state of mind. For example, instead of the idea that “aging is only about decline,” try “aging is about growth.” Replace “older people are burdens” with “older people are

PHOTO: CREATAS/THINKSTOCK

Redefine

contributors,” and “aging presents only challenges” with “aging is about growth.”

If you think about it, many individuals have already found their own ways to disrupt aging. They are harnessing their accrued wisdom and meaningful life experiences to better their retirement years and engage with others. If we can renovate the cultural image of aging, we will succeed in transforming each person’s life as they mature with broadened horizons as opposed to decreased possibilities.

Many individuals have already found their own ways to disrupt aging.

They are harnessing their accrued wisdom and meaningful life experiences to better their retirement years and engage with others.

What does this mean in Maine? For one thing, we can re-envision the “oldest state” as an opportunity for older residents to age safely and happily in the state they love. We can continue to advance age-friendly communities and towns across Maine which is a positive step for residents of all ages.

We can re-examine our workforce and the contributions of businesses large and small that are taking steps to attract and retain experienced workers.

We can better address the needs of caregivers and members of the “Sandwich Generation” through improved community supports and services.

Go to aarp.org/disruptaging to learn more and to discover what redefining aging could mean to you and to your family. To quote Jo Ann Jenkins, “It’s time to change the stories we tell ourselves about aging.” Please join the conversation on Twitter #disruptaging and send us a note at me@aarp.org with your ideas about how we can disrupt aging in Maine.

JANE MARGESSON is the AARP Maine communications director.

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Reclaiming

Inspiration

COURTESY OF METRO NEWS SERVICE

66 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

R

epurposing salvaged

wood is a popular trend in the home improvement industry.

Not only can using salvaged wood give a home a one-of-a-kind look, but it’s a handy way to incorporate the three Rs of green living into your lifestyle: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reclaimed wood is often used in flooring, beams, wall treatments and doors, but it also can be turned into furniture or home accent items. Reclaimed wood adds warmth and historical interest to a home’s decor that newer materials may lack. Although finding wood that can be salvaged takes time and some legwork, such efforts can quickly pay off. Many businesses are now devoted to reclaimed timber, which can help make the process of finding and using salvaged wood even easier.

Homeowners considering reclaimed wood may be interested to learn that such wood can serve various functions aside from benefitting the planet.

Match old-growth wood. New regulations may prevent certain species of trees from being cut down. That means it can be challenging to match old wood in a home, particularly if you’re looking to maintain historical value and authenticity. Relying on salvaged wood items can alleviate this concern, ensuring that you can find rare woods that are no longer available brand new.

Salvaged wood has character. It’s difficult to mimic the natural age marks and character that older wood may have. Instead of being raised on farms, wood harvested decades ago probably grew in natural environments, making the wood both durable and strong. The color and grain of salvaged wood may also be unique.

Look at objects in a new way. Doors are versatile pieces of reclaimed lumber because they’re already flat and rather large. Doors can be turned into headboards, tables or benches. Staircase or

PHOTOS: LUTIQUE, BRIAN BROWN, JUSTFUCHS, KLIKK, MOODBOARD/THINKSTOCK

Reclaimed wood adds instant appeal to home projects.

KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN

LANDSCAPE SUPPLY

INSURANCE

WALDO COUNTY

porch posts can be turned into candlestick holders, and wood shutters can dress up walls and provide a place to hang artwork and other wall items.

Reclaimed wood can be found everywhere.

Most people do not have to look too far to find wood they can salvage. Check salvage yards, landfills, dumpsters in front of older homes being renovated, or older, unused barns in rural settings. You also can collect driftwood or discarded shipping crates.

While some reclaimed wood can be used asis, some pieces may require millwork, including sanding, cutting, shaping, and finishing. If you do not have these skills, you probably will have to hire someone who does.

The Internet is awash with ideas for putting salvaged wood to use. Get inspired and then find the pieces that will fit your project.

HANCOCK COUNTY

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www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 67

68 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

Special Section Featuring Northern Maine

by Bangor Metro

Potato blossoms decorate a potato field along Route 1A south of Fort Fairfield.

Growing a

Potato Blossom Festival Director Tim Goff.

Festival W hen the

A little town blossoms into a small city each July.

BY JOSHUA ARCHER

annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival engulfs the sleepy town of Fort Fairfield, the area grows into a small city. Thousands from the surrounding communities pour in to find their spot along Main Street. Many who grew up here and moved away make the pilgrimage back to northern Maine for nine days of entertainment and celebration. Even those who are “from away” are welcome to join in on the festivities.

less hours preparing and scheduling the event’s beer garden, live music, food vendors and fireworks show.

One of the dedicated organizers you might see, most likely the guy making his rounds from one end of Main Street to the other, ensuring things are going off without a hitch, is Tim Goff.

For the past two years, Goff has reacquainted himself with townsfolk after moving back to his boyhood hometown. Goff is the Potato Blossom

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

Many who grew up here and moved away make the pilgrimage back to northern Maine for nine days of entertainment and celebration.

Before we get too far, let’s make it clear who makes the week long event happen: the town of Fort Fairfield. Its many event volunteers spend count-

Festival director, but he actually wears multiple hats for the municipality. Goff grew up in Fort Fairfield, sees the good things the town has to offer and merely www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 69

(Above) Flag bearers on horseback take the lead in the processsional during the annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival parade on Saturday.

Thousands of lined the streets of Fort Fairfield for the two-hour parade.

(This photo) Members of the Anah Shrine Indy Car unit drive in the Maine Potato Blossom Festival parade.

70 / BANGOR METRO July 2016

wants to enhance them to find ways of growing the festival.

“The festival is a break between planting, and we’re lucky to have it,” Goff said.

It’s a chance for folks to come back home and connect. Goff has noticed there is added electricity in the air leading up to the event.

He remembers watching the festival parade from his parents’ front yard as a kid. They still live in town and the parade still makes its way down their street. This year will mark the 69th Maine Potato Blossom Festival, which Goff said is 95 percent ready for show time. Planning for this year’s festival began during last year’s fest. As folks were enjoying last year’s finale during the fireworks show, Goff was already jotting down plans and planting seeds for this year’s celebration.

Last year, Goff made his debut as festival director.

Goff moved back to Fort Fairfield after years of working as a broadcast journalist in southern Maine. He said he still gets recognized for his TV days from time to time. In need of a change, and with a budding family, Goff had the opportunity to come back home. Like the festival goers, Goff returned to Fort Fairfield to connect and to spend more time with family.

He put the many pieces of the festival together, which he said wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the town’s event organizers and committee members.

“I learned a tremendous amount,” he said. “It was an eye opener. It was exciting and fun. Everybody wants to have a good time.”

Goff brought changes to the festival, including more live music, he restructured the beer garden and helped with parking to improve and increase foot traffic.

“He brings energy and a marketing perspective,” Fort Fairfield Town Manager Jim Risner said. “He’s a fresh face with fresh ideas.”

Risner agreed that Goff has been a benefit to the town and said there are more new and exciting events yet to be unveiled for this year’s festival.

Goff’s first crack at putting on the celebration was a success. Vendors reported that they had some of the best days they’ve ever had.

The economic impact the festival has on Fort Fairfield is good, but hard to measure, Goff said. Folks stick around for the

PHOTOS: BDN FILE

crown of maine

nine days of fun, which is great for Main Street businesses, but it also means festival attendees are lodging in surrounding communities, and that is a benefit for all.

“What’s good for our neighboring community is good for our community,” Goff said.

For more information on the Maine Potato Blossom Festival visit: potatoblossom.org.

SAVE THE DATE This year’s Maine Potato Blossom Festival is scheduled for July 9-17

THE 2016 MAINE POTATO BLOSSOM FESTIVAL Activities and events include: • One of the largest parades in northern New England!

• Mashed potato wrestling • Potato picking contest • Town Wide Yard Sale • Kids Adventure Park featuring numerous bounce houses and water features • Movie Under the Stars • Bike rodeo • Horseshoe tournament • Car show • Antique tractor pulls • Horse clinics • Class reunions • Household pet show • Baby and bike parade • Human foosball tournament • Chess tournaments • 5 Maine Potato Blossom Pageants • Special suppers, BBQ's, breakfasts and more!

The festival features numerous athletic contests including the County Swim Meet, 3-person golf scramble at Aroostook Valley Country Club, 5-miler road race, 25-mile Spud Cycle Classic Bike Race & Tour, girl's softball tournament, 3-on-3 basketball tournament and a family canoe and kayak fun day!

Capping it all is the Fireworks Spectacular over the majestic Aroostook River!

www.bangormetro.com BANGOR METRO / 71

last

word

Back It Up Life is hard.

So is driving in reverse.

BY CHRIS QUIMBY

L

ife is hard.

So are many of the objects I’ve backed my vehicle into.

For instance, in April of this year, I exited my home on an early, dark morning. After shifting my Toyota in reverse and leaving its parking spot, I heard a light crashing sound.

Leaving my car to assess the situation, I discovered I had backed into the vehicle of a guest who had parked behind me the night before, doing minor damage to her trunk and destroying the road bike that was hanging from the back of my ride. I would not recommend this.

Then, about a month later, while attempting to back out of the residence of one of my iPhone repair customers, I heard another crashing sound while simultaneously observing that my car had ceased its backward motion.

Leaving my car to assess the situation, I discovered I had backed into a large tree. A tree.

What confuses me is where this tree came from. After all, I was sure I had arrived at my customer’s home by driving straight into their simple driveway.

And by simple driveway I mean it was only a few yards long with plenty of room on both sides — no winding turns, underground tunnels or military snipers. Just your standard Level One driveway.

And I was sure that to exit I simply drove straight backwards.

But there was this tree inhibiting the progress of my Matrix.

As I explained to my family that night, the repair took me longer than normal, but I’m reasonably sure enough time had not elapsed for a tree to grow behind me from a sprout to full strength.

Not many days after, while transporting my wife and daughter from a concert, the subject of my Eventful Vehicle Navigating (EVN) provided a perfect atmosphere for me to receive a hefty portion of good-natured insults.

In defense of my abilities and healthy eyesight, I reminded them that I drive a lot, so the probability of such occurrences would be higher. Plus, I reminded them that I had gone a few years since I last backed into a vehicle in my driveway, that of a nice Christian missionary couple. Yes. That happened.

But I have to learn to laugh this stuff off. After all, life is difficult and it’s hard to get everything right all of the time. And, when you think of it, I should be thankful for the reality that, for instance, I drive forward like a pro.

Public testimony would not refute such a claim, especially since deceased deer, rabbits, porcupines, robins and other wildlife cannot speak English.

Well, I can always hope for the miracle that I become a great driver.

But much more simple is choosing to live a life of distraction, whereas I decide to glory in comparatively less-impressive feats.

I’m thankful that my children are good drivers. Well, my daughter had an unfortunate accident a few months ago, but my son has been more fortunate.

His name is Jordan. I ran over his foot a few years ago. True story.

So what’s the solution? Well, I can always hope for the miracle that I become a great driver. But much more simple is choosing to live a life of distraction, whereas I decide to glory in comparatively less-impressive feats.

One of those is playing a round of Easy Trivia. It’s an activity I invented and engage in regularly with my wife. Amid the frustrations and difficulties of life, we find great pleasure in asking each other a series of simple questions that we’ll always know the answers to, questions such as: “What is your middle name?” or “What did you have for breakfast?”

It sounds childish and regressive, but that’s part of its charm. For while effectively returning to my childhood with such a trivial pursuit, I prove to myself that in some respects, I am able to successfully back up without consequence.

CHRIS QUIMBY is a Christian comedian, speaker and writer, morning news anchor and host of Soup du Jour on VStv, and owner of Chris Quimby iPhone Repair. He resides in Brooks with his wife and two children.

72 / BANGOR METRO July 2016