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WE ARE PORTLAND TRUST COMPANY

Portland Trust Company is a Maine non-depository trust company focused exclusively on wealth management and fiduciary services. We work with individuals and families, nonprofits, and local governments. We do everything the giant financial services organizations do while providing local and accessible attention to your specific needs.

It’s more than just a name. Portland Trust Company is the only financial institution in the state with “Portland” as its namesake. We love our hometown as much as you do! This is more than a place of business for us; this is our home and our way of life. It’s our promise to treat you as more than a client, but as a friend and neighbor.

Our customer experience is “real,” like walking next door to borrow some sugar or eggs. We’ve created a home for our clients and their assets—managing their money, their lives, and their futures—with peace of mind knowing that we are a fully regulated financial institution. Together, we embrace our Maine way of life.

Amelia Dow, CTFA, CEO and James MacLeod, Esq., President

A smarter approach to luxury home financing.

Protecting your goals, your time and your money.

Buying a luxury home isn’t just a transaction — it’s a strategic financial decision.

That’s why Casey Hamlin takes a consultative approach to mortgage lending, helping clients navigate complex purchases with clarity and confidence.

With access to advanced lending solutions and a commitment to proactive communication, Casey helps clients secure financing that aligns with their goals while minimizing unnecessary friction in the process.

Luxury lending solutions designed for highvalue purchases:

• Asset-based financing for complex financial profiles

• Bridge loan solutions to help buyers transition between homes

• Medical professional programs with specialized lending advantages

• Debt service loan programs for real estate investors

• Streamlined technology that reduces paperwork and saves time

Because when it comes to luxury real estate, protecting your time and money matters just as much as securing the right home.

Casey Hamlin Senior Loan Officer

NMLS374491

207.749.6502 casey.hamlin@ccm.com ccm.com/casey-hamlin

Sweet Ambition

I've known Dean Bingham and his delicious handmade chocolate truffles for years. His Portlandbased business, Dean's Sweets, has been sweetening up our city and beyond with perfectly crafted confections since 2008.

But now Dean is embarking on a different journey. At almost 80 years old, he's gearing up to hit the road on his bicycle for a cross-country trip to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Dean's just that kind of guy, giving back for a bigger purpose, and rallying the community behind him. You can learn more about Dean, his mission, and his connection to the cause on page 18.

Also for this year's Gentlemen's issue, our editor Becca sat down with Ryan Mash, the owner of Blue House Bagels, who's quickly becoming the Rosemont area's go-to guy when the carb cravings hit. Learn more about Ryan and his unlikely path to becoming The Bagel Guy Next Door on page 24.

One of my favorite parts of putting Portland City Lifestyle together each month is learning the stories behind the people, and our June edition is no exception. Dean and Ryan are just a couple of the stand-out men in our community worth featuring. They both lead with their hands, hearts, and vision, and we hope that as you read their stories, they inspire you as much as they inspire us. EMILY

HARRADON, PUBLISHER

June 2026

PUBLISHER

Emily Harradon | emily.harradon@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Rebecca Abramson

rebecca.abramson@citylifestyle.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Maritza Hyland | maritza.hyland@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Lauren Lear

Corporate Team

CEO Steven Schowengerdt

President Matthew Perry

COO David Stetler

CRO Jamie Pentz

CoS Janeane Thompson

AD DESIGNER Zach Miller

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kathy Nguyen

QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Brandy Thomas

Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com/franchise.

inside the issue

The Quiet Standard: Mike Johnson

3,600+

Miles to Go

The Bagel Guy Next Door

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Dermaplaning

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Chemical Peels

Reveal Your Glow

JUNE 2026

city scene

WHERE NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

1: Slugger poses with fans at the Sea Dogs Fan Fest benefitting Make a Wish Maine. 2: Old Port Pub Run’s monthly Girls Night, this time at Wilson County Barbecue. 3: Maine’s B Corp leaders celebrate the end of B Corp Month with happy hour at Luke’s Lobster. 4: Visitors craft their own zines at the 2026 University of Southern Maine Book Arts Bazaar. 5: Local guests preview the Evalina Hotel on Commercial Street before its grand opening. 6: Putting the final touches on a floral display during Art in Bloom at the PMA. 7: “Fund the Mission” at Bow Ties & Bean Boots, supporting Teens to Trails’ outdoor experiences.

Want to be seen in the magazine?

@OLDPORTPUBRUN

LUKE’S LOBSTER

MICHAEL COX

JULIA ARREDONDO (USM)

SAM RICHARD PHOTOGRAPHY

PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART HENRY MCMAHON

Where History Feels Like Home

Not many homes can claim 170 years of soul alongside today's finest finishes. Wide-plank pine floors, a fully reimagined kitchen, spa-worthy primary suite, and a self-contained in-law space above the garage. A whole-house generator, updated electrical, and heat pumps — steps from the marina and Yarmouth's vibrant village shops.

business monthly

AI Personal Training at HOTWORX South Portland

The future of fitness has arrived with the launch of TrainingTRAX, an AI-driven personal training experience designed to deliver smarter, more personalized results. This innovative system creates customized workout plans that combine infrared sauna training, HIIT, and strength work into one powerful program. TrainingTRAX brings accountability, structure, and next-level efficiency to every workout, redefining how our community trains and transforms. Stop in and enjoy a free trial session to experience the HOTWORX difference firsthand.

Scan to read more

Plans for Rock Row's Phase III Taking Shape

Waterstone Properties is developing Rock Row Phase III, a mixed-use expansion featuring residences, retail, offices, and both local and national restaurants. Anchored by a walkable “Quarry Drive” Main Street, the design emphasizes yearround activity and curated experiences. Plans include 279 residential units and a 119-room Element by Westin hotel, creating a connected, amenity-rich destination blending living, dining, and lifestyle. Rendering by Arrowstreet Architects

Scan to read more

Six Branches Family Acupuncture Celebrates 10 Years

Since opening its doors in April 2016, Six Branches Family Acupuncture has become a trusted referral partner for healthcare professionals across Maine. The clinic has been working collaboratively with conventional medical providers to support patients with conditions ranging from chronic pain and digestive disorders to infertility, common complaints of pregnancy, and nervous system dysregulation. In addition to serving the general public, Six Branches has a significant number of healthcare professionals among its patients.

Alex Wight's French Wine Bar/Restaurant Opens on Wharf Street

elizabeth has arrived on Wharf Street, bringing a distinctly French point of view to the city’s dining scene—one that feels equal parts seductive, irreverent, and quietly precise. The 40-seat room features a high-gloss cherry red ceiling and a bar that invites you to linger. The menu leans into refined small plates, a thoughtful raw bar, and a pastry program that’s unapologetic, while the cocktail list nods French but pushes forward. Service is warm, intuitive, and a little bit playful.

Get Your Tickets for Portland Symphony Orchestra's 102nd Season

Kicking off this fall, the Portland Symphony Orchestra's 102nd season includes the music of Studio Ghibli, the Magic of Christmas, family-friendly Discovery Concerts, intimate chamber concerts, and beloved works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Bach, Rachmaninoff, and more. Tickets to all PSO concerts are available through portlandsymphony.org or by calling the PortTix box office at (207) 8420800. All performances are at Merrill Auditorium unless otherwise noted.

Become a Founding VIP Patient at Smilestry

Smilestry is now welcoming its first 100 Founding VIP patients, offering early access to a reimagined dental experience rooted in comfort, personalization, and intention. Members will enjoy exclusive perks, special gifts, and priority access as the practice launches. More than a membership, it’s an invitation to help shape a modern, wellness-driven approach to dentistry—one designed to feel less clinical and more like care tailored entirely to you.

Photography courtesy of PSO

the CITY LIST

We have such amazing, innovative business leaders in our community who are proud to serve you, our residents, with class and quality. We’ve compiled some of our top company picks for the services that might be on your mind this month in an effort to make your lives a little easier.

Best Golf Course/Country Club

Portland Country Club portlandcountryclub.org | 207.781.2340

Falmouth Country Club falmouthcc.org | 207.878.2864

The Woodlands Club thewoodlands.org | 207.781.3104

Prouts Neck Country Club proutsneck.org | 207.883.9851

Purpoodock Club purpoodock.com | 207.799.2273

Best Barbecue

Wilson County Barbecue wilsoncountybarbecue.com | 207.956.7788

Ore Nell's Barbecue orenellsbbq.com | 207.494.7083

Terlingua terlingua.me | 207.230.6327

Want to suggest a monthly pick?

Noble Pizzeria & Barbecue noblepizzaandbbq.com | 207.536.1395

Paper City BBQ papercitybbq.com | 207.887.9339

AN EXCERPT FROM EPISODE 6 OF SHARE THE LIFESTYLE, A CITY LIFESTYLE PODCAST

Photographer: Brittany Dawn Short

Creative Director: Jen Birn

Stylist: Stephanie Coultress O’Neill

Location: Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin, TX

MIKE JOHNSON HAS BUILT HIS LIFE AROUND ONE QUIETLY RADICAL IDEA: THE STANDARD YOU SET PRIVATELY IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS.

After eight years in the Air Force, a celebrated run on national television, and a health crisis abroad that sent him deep into supply chains and ingredient certifications most founders never touch, the result is Oshun — a luxury ritual brand built on provenance you can trace and integrity you can verify. In an exclusive conversation for the Share the Lifestyle podcast, Mike shares what it actually takes to build something worth putting your name on. Read the highlights below, then scan the QR code for the full episode.

Q: YOU BECAME A FAN FAVORITE ON THE BACHELORETTE AND THEN LEFT THE SPOTLIGHT. YOU MOVED TO MEXICO, LEARNED SPANISH, THEN COSTA RICA, AND BUILT A COMPANY. WHAT DID THAT EXPERIENCE TEACH YOU ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR?

A: “If you’re a good person going in, that shows. If you’re not, that shows too. I also learned that people form this parasocial relationship with you — they assume things about you. When all actuality, different circumstances bring out different parts of who you are. I was on TV trying to find love. The kindness people were showing after felt a bit fake, because they wanted to be a part of something that isn’t who I am individually, but a part of what they saw on TV. And so I had to get away from everybody and everything and the noise.”

THE QUIET STANDARD:

MIKE JOHNSON

“Too many people have prayed for me. So I’ve got to get up and do the walking.”

— Mike Johnson

Q: YOU JOINED THE AIR FORCE RIGHT OUT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE. WHAT WERE YOU ACTUALLY RUNNING TOWARD?

A: “There was something in me that was saying: I’m not living up to my full potential. I was being a follower. My uncle said, ‘What’s going to make you become an adult the fastest?’ I said, obviously, the military. The Air Force broadened my thought process more than anything. We’re so caught up in our own perception — when you learn to understand different people’s perspectives, it adds to you in so many ways.”

Q: WITH OSHUN, YOU OWN YOUR MANUFACTURING, YOU EMPLOY A CHEMIST, EVERY PRODUCT HAS A BATCH NUMBER TRACEABLE TO ITS ORIGIN DATE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO THAT DEEP WITH THE BRAND?

A: “The EU bans 1,100 ingredients in personal care products. The U.S. bans nine. That’s my starting point. Oftentimes, it might be the same ingredient, but it comes from a place where it doesn’t have the highest purity. And 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed. Every product Oshun makes carries a batch number that goes back to the exact day it was created — I can show you every single supplier, the date, the origin. I own more than one part of the supply chain because that’s the only way I can stand behind what’s in the bottle.”

This conversation is just the beginning. Mike goes deeper into why he’s buying land up north, the family in the Philippines who prayed over his factory floor, and what he’d tell every person ready to stop performing and start building. Scan the QR code for the full, exclusive City Lifestyle interview on the Share the Lifestyle podcast.

MIKE JOHNSON

3,600+ Miles to Go

As he turns 80, Portland chocolatier Dean Bingham sets out on another cross-country journey

ARTICLE BY BECCA ABRAMSON | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY

OF DEAN BINGHAM

As he approaches his 80th birthday, Dean Bingham, founder of Dean’s Sweets, isn’t slowing down. Instead, he’s gearing up for his next goal: a cross-country bike ride from the Pacific to the Atlantic, an ocean-to-ocean journey fueled by grit, curiosity, and purpose. “I think it’s a challenge,” he says simply. “There’s something pretty great about doing something that everybody else thinks you’re crazy for.”

For Bingham, cycling has been a quiet throughline stretching back decades. He first got on a bike as a kid delivering newspapers, then returned to it in his early career as an architect, commuting through Boston traffic because it was, as he puts it, “a heck of a lot quicker and easier, even when the weather wasn’t great.” What began as practicality evolved into passion, then into a vehicle for connection. Bingham joined his first ride benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society 35 years ago, inspired in part by his father’s roommate, who lived with MS.

Since then, Bingham has marked milestones not with rest, but with bigger rides, including a cross-country journey in 2001, another in 2017, and the East Coast Greenway for his 30th MS ride. Each one has been layered with personal meaning and, increasingly, public impact. “It gives me an added incentive, an added goal,” he says of the fundraising component. “I like the idea that this is something I can do to help other people.”

CONTINUED >

“I think it’s a challenge. There’s something pretty great about doing something that everybody else thinks you’re crazy for.”

This upcoming ride may be his most ambitious yet. Starting on the Oregon coast, Bingham plans to pedal thousands of miles east, raising funds and awareness along the way. There’s even talk of a record attempt through the World Ultra Cycling Association, though he’s quick to downplay it. The real goal, as always, is forward motion.

Bingham is the first to admit that the stakes seem different now. “It feels a little more of a challenge because suddenly I’m ten years older,” he says. “The years seem to make more difference than they used to.” This reality doesn’t give him pause, it just changes his rhythm.

A typical day on the road, he explains, is less romantic than one might imagine. “I look at a riding day as being a work day,” he says. “You spend six or eight hours on the road, take breaks when necessary, and then do it all over again.” Nights are spent in modest hotels (what cyclists call a “credit card tour”), eliminating the need for camping gear in favor of simplicity and a good night’s sleep.

Packing, too, has become an exercise in restraint. On his first cross-country ride, Bingham quickly realized he’d overpacked, ditching nearly ten pounds of gear within the first few miles. “I have no recollection of what I left behind,” he says, laughing, “but I just know that there was quite a lot.” Now, his setup is pared down to essentials: a seat bag, a small handlebar bag, and layers for unpredictable weather.

And then there’s the mental side—the long, quiet hours alone with the road. Unlike many riders, Bingham doesn’t fill the silence with music or podcasts. It’s partly practical, because he needs to hear approaching traffic, but it’s also a kind of discipline. “I think for me the physical [challenge is harder],” he says. “Mental… not so much.”

CONTINUED >

That doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of doubt. He recalls passing an airport access road on an early ride and imagining how easy it would be to stop. “You could be home in four hours,” he remembers thinking. Instead, he kept going. That decision, again and again, is the real work. For Bingham, endurance isn’t about proving something to others so much as continuing to show up for himself.

In Portland, he’s known for chocolate, but on the road, things are simpler: a route to follow and a goal to meet. At the end of the day, that’s what keeps him going. Not just the miles, or even the challenge itself, but the sense that the effort matters. “I like the idea that this is something I can do to help other people,” he says.

When this ride is over, he’s not thinking too far ahead. There’s no grand plan for what comes next— just the understanding that as long as he’s able, he’ll keep riding.

Finally. Relief That Actually Lasts

There's a reason patients from all over Southern Maine are making their way to Active Chiropractic in Saco. We're Maine's first clinical provider of SoftWave Therapy — a non-invasive, FDA-cleared technology that triggers your body's natural healing at the source. No needles, no surgery, no downtime. Patients nationwide are reporting relief from chronic pain, improved mobility, and reclaimed active lifestyles. Could you be a candidate?

Don't let pain win. Contact Active Chiropractic and ask about SoftWave Therapy. Your relief could be one appointment away.

SoftWave reaches deep into damaged tissue using acoustic waves — stimulating healing at the cellular level with no injections and no downtime.

Dr. Brent Reiche

BLUE HOUSE BAGELS IS A HOMEGROWN OPERATION WITH A DEVOTED LOCAL FOLLOWING

THE BAGEL GUY NEXT DOOR

ARTICLE BY BECCA ABRAMSON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREN LEAR

“I JUST WANT TO PUT OUT THE BEST PRODUCT I CAN.”

On a quiet stretch off Portland’s peninsula, there’s a moment when the neighborhood starts to stir. A dog barks, a car door shuts, someone heads out for coffee. Inside one house, though, the morning has been underway for hours. Ryan Mash is already baking. The dough he’s working with isn’t new—it’s been resting, developing, quietly doing its thing for nearly two days. By the time it hits the oven, every variable has been considered, every detail tested.

“It’s just six ingredients,” Mash says, listing them off. “High protein flour, salt, yeast, barley malt syrup, diastatic malt powder, and water. It’s really a matter of ratios and process and timing that gets you pretty drastically different results.”

Blue House Bagels, Mash’s small-batch, home-based operation, started the way a lot of good things do: with a little extra time and a curiosity that turned into something more. After the birth of his second child, Mash found himself on paternity leave with a rare stretch of time. Instead of slowing down, he leaned in. “I spent a good amount of time just testing and making a bunch of batches,” he recalls.

Mash firmly believes bagel making is collaborative in nature, and, unlike some bakers who prefer to keep their methods secret, is a proponent for publicly sharing his techniques. “Anytime anyone reaches out, I’m more than happy to give specifics and help troubleshoot. If you’re going to be making bagels like this, you have to be pretty into it,” he laughs.

“THE WHOLE VISION WAS JUST BEING A PLACE PEOPLE COULD WALK OVER TO IN THE MORNING. IT’S BEEN REALLY GREAT GETTING TO MEET PEOPLE I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.”

His initial stretch of experimentation included mixers bought and broken, techniques refined, and tiny adjustments made over and over. It laid the foundation for what has quickly become one of Portland’s most talked-about bagel drops. These days, Mash’s weekly offerings sell out almost as soon as they’re posted, with customers setting reminders and planning their weekends around pickup windows.

The process itself is deliberately unhurried. Mash starts two days before a bagel ever reaches someone’s hands, mixing a low-hydration dough that leans dense by design. After shaping, the bagels rest in the fridge for 36 to 48 hours in a cold fermentation that transforms both texture and flavor. “It’s what gives them the blistered, dark crust,” he explains. “That’s kind of the thing that I strive to do over everything else.”

What he’s chasing is contrast—the kind you notice immediately but can’t quite put into words. A thin, crackling exterior that gives way to something soft, chewy, and satisfying. “For me, great food is all about contrasts,” Mash says. “When you bite into it, you should first meet a crunchy crust. And then it should be soft, chewy, but dense on the inside.”

It’s also fleeting. Bagels, he’ll tell you, are “very ephemeral.” They’re at their best within hours of coming out of the oven, when that contrast is still intact. It’s why Mash times his bakes so carefully, and why customers are often picking up bagels that are barely 90 minutes old.

And, if you ask him, it’s why you shouldn’t be reaching for the toaster. “If you feel like you need to toast your bagel to add that texture,” he says, “then to me that’s not a great bagel.”

What makes Blue House Bagels feel different, isn’t just the product. It’s the setting. There’s no storefront, no commercial kitchen, no polished counter separating baker from customer. Everything happens out of Mash’s home, tucked into a neighborhood where walkable food options are limited and a fresh bagel can feel like a small luxury.

“The whole vision was just being a place people could walk over in the morning,” he says. And they do. There’s a kind of ease to it, a sense that this is as much about connection as it is about food. “It’s been great just getting to meet a lot of people in the neighborhood I didn’t know were here,” Mash adds.

That community has grown even faster than he expected. Each week, Mash makes somewhere between 15 and 20 dozen bagels,

a number dictated not by demand but by the limits of his equipment and time. Orders open, fill, and close within a day or two. “I didn’t think it was going to be this popular,” he admits. “Something that I struggle with is turning people away.”

The tension between wanting to say yes and needing to set boundaries is part of the reality of keeping something small on purpose. Mash still works a full-time job in legal and compliance, and he’s also a dad of two young kids. Blue House Bagels exists in the in-between hours: early mornings, late nights, and weekends that revolve, at least in part, around dough. “The biggest sacrifice I’ve had to make is time,” he says.

But because it happens at home, it’s not separate from the rest of his life. Mash’s three-year-old helps hand off orders at the door, proudly passing out containers of cream cheese and handing over bags of bagels. His family is part of the rhythm, even when it’s a little chaotic. “It does become a little bit bagelcentric,” he says, laughing.

That balance between ambition and sustainability is something Mash is protective of. In a city like Portland, where food businesses can quickly scale and expectations rise just as fast, he’s intentionally moving at his own pace. “I’m not trying to set the world on fire,” he says. “I just want to be able to put out the best thing I can.”

“THERE ARE SO MANY SMALL LITTLE THINGS— THE WAY YOU SHAPE IT, THE TEMPERATURE, THE TIMING—AND THEY ALL HAVE THIS PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE FINAL PRODUCT.”

“IT’S BEEN GREAT JUST GETTING TO MEET A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD I DIDN’T KNOW WERE HERE.”

It’s easy to see that mindset in the menu, which blends classic staples with more playful, rotating specials. There’s always an everything, a sesame, a poppy. But then there are the curveballs: cacio e pepe, spice-driven blends, and a French onion bagel layered with deeply caramelized onions and Gruyère that quickly became a customer favorite.

“I’m just thinking of different types of food I like to eat,” he says. “And like, can I use any of those spices in a way that would not turn to charcoal in a 475-degree oven?” Still, no matter how creative the toppings get, they’re never the main event. Structure and texture reign supreme. “I’m much more interested in the crust than other flavors,” he says.

Looking ahead, Mash isn’t rushing toward a brick-and-mortar or a bigger footprint. If anything, he’s focused on staying in the sweet spot where the work still feels meaningful and there’s room to grow without losing what made it special in the first place. He’s exploring small equipment upgrades and leaning into partnerships like his popups with Twin Swirls, but beyond that, he’s taking it one batch at a time. “Once it stops feeling like I want to do this, I think some of the joy will get sucked out of it,” he says.

For now, the joy is still very much there—in the early mornings, in the careful shaping of each bagel, in the knock on the door from a neighbor who planned their weekend around this small, thoughtful ritual. In the end, that’s what Blue House Bagels really is. Not just something to eat, but something to look forward to.

Pickle In A

ARTICLE BY PAULI REEP

PICKLE-BRINED CHICKEN WINGS SOAR TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE.

I’ve spent years searching for the perfect wing flavor, never quite satisfied, until I heard a podcast suggestion: brining chicken wings in pickle juice. It sounded strange at first, but it yields incredibly tender and flavorful wings! Since then, I save pickle juice from every jar I buy just to recreate these beloved wings. If I run out of pickle juice, olive juice works too. I air fry mine, but if you don’t have an air fryer, cook them as you normally would. Don’t forget to toss them in a buttery dill sauce and try the Alabama white BBQ sauce for an extra layer of goodness!

Pickle Juice Brined Wings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds chicken wings (flats and drummettes)

• Pickle juice - enough to cover wings

• 1 – 2 teaspoons garlic salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 6 tablespoons butter

• A few dashes of hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place chicken wings in a non-reactive container and pour pickle juice over chicken wings until completely covered.

2. Place it in the fridge and let it marinate, covered, for at least 8 hours.

3. Drain wings, discard pickle juice, and completely pat wings dry.

4. Put dried wings in a bowl and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.

5. Place wings in an air fryer basket, being careful not to crowd. Cook at 400 degrees for 28 minutes, turning every 8 minutes until crispy. If you don’t have an air fryer, bake them in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through.

6. Melt the butter and add a few splashes of hot sauce of your choice and mix in a bowl. Add wings and completely cover with butter mixture. Sprinkle with fresh dill and toss a few times, and serve with my white barbeque sauce.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)

• ¼ cup water

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon pepper, coarsely ground

• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk all ingredients together until blended. Dip your pickle juicebrined wings in this sauce and taste the joy! Store in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 weeks.

events

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

JUNE 6TH

Shipyard Old Port

Half Marathon & 5K

York Street | 7:00 AM

Lace up for the annual Old Port Half Marathon & 5K, a scenic coastal run through Portland’s waterfront. Choose between the half marathon or 5K, both winding past Casco Bay, Back Cove, and the Old Port. Afterwards, celebrate at a lively post-race block party with music, local bites, and craft beer.

JUNE 19TH-21ST

42nd Annual

Trek Across Maine

Pineland Farms

Take on one of Maine’s most iconic rides—in person or virtually—at the renowned Trek Across Maine. The three-day, 180-mile journey winds through scenic towns, lakes, and rolling countryside, all while raising funds for the American Lung Association. The trek is complete with fully supported routes, rest stops, and lively overnight campus celebrations. Learn more at bikemaine.org/event/42ndannual-trek-across-maine

JUNE 21ST

An Evening with Wilco

Thompson’s Point | 6:00 PM

Alt-rock icons Wilco take the stage at Thompson’s Point for an all-ages concert sponsored by State Theatre and 98.9 WCLZ. Expect an expansive, two-set performance weaving together beloved classics, deep cuts, and improvisational moments, all set against one of Portland’s most scenic outdoor backdrops.

EXPERT ADVICE

JUNE 27TH

Wavy Days Beer Fest

Thompson’s Point | 11:30 AM

Sip your way through summer at Mast Landing Brewing Co.’s Wavy Days Beer Fest, returning to Thompson’s Point for the fifth year. This can’t-miss event for craft beer lovers brings together 60+ standout breweries from across the country, alongside live music, local food vendors, lawn games, and plenty of waterfront energy.

JUNE 27TH & 28TH

Maine Oyster Festival

Freeport

Celebrate an iconic shellfish at the 5th annual Maine Oyster Festival in Freeport. This free, two-day event brings together dozens of oyster farms, along with live music, food trucks, chef demos, and shucking competitions, plus family-friendly activities and plenty of fresh oysters to sample all weekend long. Complimentary shuttle service is available. Learn more at visitfreeport.com/ themaineoysterfestiva l.

JUNE 29TH

Comedy Bang! Bang! Live!

State Theatre | 8:00 PM

Laugh along with Scott Aukerman and a rotating cast of comedic heavyweights at Comedy Bang! Bang! Live! This wildly popular podcast hits the stage for a fully improvised, anything-goes performance packed with characters, surprises, and nonstop laughs. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8. Tickets available at the State Theatre box office or on Ticketmaster.