December 2025

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This holiday season, give gifts that truly matter. When you shop local in Windham, you’re not just checking off your list you’re spreading cheer throughout our community. Every purchase supports local families, keeps our town thriving, and brings unique treasures to your holiday celebrations.

C U S T O M D E S I G N S | C A B I N E T S | C O U N T E R T O P S | K N O B S & P U L L S

This holiday season, choose

REAL MAINE

When holiday shopping, visit REALMAINE products to give, share, and enjoy.

Cozy knits, holiday arrangements, farm and flower subscriptions, handcrafted soaps, teas, confections, and farm-fresh products make the perfect holiday and housewarming gifts that can be purchased at Maine farms, markets, stores, and online.

Handcrafted goat milk soaps of Ledgeway Farm in Pittston.

102 Baxter Blvd, Portland, ME 04101

coliN W. SargeNt

Founding Editor & Publisher

ART & PRODUCTION

Art Director NaNcy SargeNt

Associate Publisher JeSSe SteNbak

Graphic Design MeaghaN Maurice

Design MercedeS VilleNeuVe

Associates ethaN WickhaM

ADVERTISING

Advertising Executive aNdie eWiNg

Advertising Executive Per lofViNg

Publisher’s Assistant & New Media liz Naber

EDITORIAL

Contributing Editor gWeN thoMPSoN

Proofreader katheriNe Miller

Contributor clif traVerS

Special Features & Archives coliN S. SargeNt

Special Projects JaSoN hJort

Distribution Nick o'Malley

ACCOUNTING

Controller JeNNifer lord SubScriPtioNS

Subscribe online at www.portlandmagazine.com.

Portland Magazine, aka Portland Monthly Magazine, is published by Sargent Publishing, Inc. Repeat Internet rights are understood to be purchased with all stories and artwork. For questions regarding advertising, invoicing, and payments, call Jennifer Lord at 775-0101.

December 2025, Volume 40, No. 9 (ISSN: 1073-1857). Letters to the editor are welcome and will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to Portland Magazine’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. Responsible only for that portion of any advertisement which is printed incorrectly. Advertisers are responsible for copyrights of materials they submit. Nothing in this issue may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publishers. Submissions welcome, but we take no responsibility for unsolicited materials. All photography has been enhanced for your enjoyment.

Portland Magazine is proudly printed in the USA by Cummings Printing.

Hastings Pudding

ALuke Wilson could play him in the movie.

s the story goes, Reed Hastings, Bowdoin Class of 1983, woke up irked to learn he was being charged $40 in late fees for his Apollo 13 rental. At the time, he subscribed “to a gym that charged a single monthly fee for unlimited workout visits.”

A flashbulb went off inside him. He’d just hit on the idea for Netflix, co-founding the firm in 1997.

Today, Netflix’s vaulting ambitions include studio creations like the Golden Globe-winning series The Crown. His wife, Patty Quillin—a former environmental nonprofit director educated at Stanford—met Hastings at a tech conference in 1997, their partnership blending Silicon Valley savvy with a desire for positive impact on communities far and wide.

Now, with Netflix’s expansion into interactive storytelling, Hastings promises fresh jobs and creative opportunities, making his Maine ties a story worth following. His $50M gift to Bowdoin this year underwrites studies related to AI and the humanities.

Variety (yes, Variety!) reports that after graduating from Bowdoin, Hastings, a math major, “went on to earn a master’s in artificial intelligence from Stanford University in 1988.”

THROUGH WESTERN EYES

I just received my fourth issue of Portland a couple of days ago. Thank you so much. I go through each issue cover to cover. It is truly a beautiful publication. I always receive such vicarious enjoyment from your restaurant reviews. Kudos to you and Nancy!

I found your most recent editorial “Which Witch Way” really interesting, given the present state of (Orwellian) “repositioning” of history. “Shimmering counterfeit” indeed. Keep up the muckraking!

Out here, the rains have started, and the days are short. The beginning of “the long (wet) dark.”

Jennifer Hegeman, Snohomish, WA

RAINY DAY FUND

“Tuck yourself into the walled Longfellow Garden beside Maine Historical Society and behind the Wadsworth-Longfellow House to slow your breathing and think ’long, long thoughts’...Visit in the rain, sit under your umbrella, shiver along with the jostling leaves, and breathe in the washed air.”

Thanks, Portland Magazine and Nancy English for shouting out the best little green space in Portland in their list of “10 Places Where You Can Hear Yourself Think.” Read about the other nine spots: Maine Historical Center via Facebook

Let’s Talk.

I visited Maine a few times during the years I was with the Eileen Ford Model Agency in New York. Several of us models would drive to [your] beautiful state to ski. We loved it.

I visited Maine a few times during the years I was with the Eileen Ford Model Agency in New York. Several of us models would drive to [your] beautiful state to ski. We loved it.

My most recent visit was for the opening of the PowerPay building…One morning we were having breakfast outside on the wharf and this gull landed right on our table and proceeded to empty all the sugar packets! I wasn’t both ered at all; he was very friendly and very smart.”

– Interview with Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, by Karen E. Hofreiter Summerguide 2010.

My most recent visit was for the opening of the PowerPay building…One morning we were having breakfast outside on the wharf and this gull landed right on our table and proceeded to empty all the sugar packets! I wasn’t bothered at all; he was very friendly and very smart.”

– Interview with Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, by Karen E. Hofreiter Summerguide 2010.

NOTIFICATIONS

Our daily struggle with digital over-stimulation is continuous and real. With emails, pop-up ads, and notifications, we are often in sensory overload. Reading a print publication is a focused experience outside of the digital realm. Printed content has tested better with brand recall than digital, and is easier on the eyes. Bottom line: printed publications provide readers with a meaningful and memorable experience.

Cummings Printing is a third-generation familyowned company specializing in printing highquality, short-run publications. At each phase of the print process, they provide a humantouch that is unmatched by the competition. We help you create compelling publications so your readers truly understand the allure of the printed word.

Tall Elms

Dear Marketing Wizards: Did you know that in 1930, Portland’s city fathers refused Constitution as a mascot ship for our city? What’s happening during your watch?

This wineglass elm tree overlooks the Kennebunk River from the Breakwater Inn in Kennebunkport. The base of the tree is just feet away from your lucky restaurant table. A rare specimen, it predates the Dutch elm blight. As for Portland’s elms, “It was estimated that Portland lost 20,000 elm trees—mostly on the peninsula, including public and private trees,” says arborist Jeff Tarling. You’ve heard of an exaltation of larks. Sadly, the collective in Maine is still a vacancy of elms.

Yellowbirds

Brochure found in an old suitcase, dated 1971: “Break away for a Florida Weekend on Northeast Yellowbirds. Only $100 per round trip...we’ll give you extra legroom in our 727 Coach…and food cooked on board. Drinks that still cost just $1 in Coach (unlike other airlines). And stewardesses dressed in hot pants uniforms, wearing smiles as genuine as your own.”

Northeast Yellowbirds flew out of Portland’s Inter national Jetport until 1972, when Delta swallowed them. Awesome prices—as long as you kept your mind off Vietnam while sipping your Bloody Mary.

Sweet Deal Scuttlebutt

Congratulations to Jeremy Frey for winning an $800,000 MacArthur genius grant for his spellbinding basketry.

Portland Magazine’s sponsored critter, Remington, has found a new home in Maine. Happy holidays, Boy!

Party of

The Solo Supper or, as I prefer to think of it, a necessary, exquisite discipline of self-care, is one of modern life’s most misunderstood luxuries. The truth is, eating alone in a public space is not an act of solitude, a passive withdrawal from the world. It is, instead, an exercise in selective engagement. It is the intentional curation of one’s own sensory landscape.

“You are close enough to feel the pulse of the room, yet positioned perfectly to remain an observer.”

For years, I’ve been clocking in for my dinner dates of one. I am not lonely; I am liberated. This is not a consolation prize; it is a chosen state. It is an opportunity to declutter the mind and fully engage the senses. Here in Portland, a city that seems

to understand in its very bones the need for both intimacy and insulation, we luckily have access to spaces that don’t merely allow a single diner, but actively, warmly, usher us in. The architecture of these restaurants, whether consciously or not, is designed for the appreciative individual.

When I dine alone, I seek out the most dynamic seat in the house. And for me, that is at the bar. The bar is not a waiting area for the real show; it is a show unto itself. It is a nightly performance: a ballet of bartenders pouring wine and welcoming guests, the rhythmic thwack of ice-filled shakers,

The art of flying solo.

and the endless, fascinating tapestry of people-watching that unfolds before you. You are close enough to feel the pulse of the room, yet positioned perfectly to remain an observer.

Take Fore Street, with its hearth-fired gravitas, the mesmerizing rotation of the spits above the open flame, and the comforting scent of woodsmoke that grounds the on-fire experience. Or the sleek, promising new-kid swagger of Duoro, where breezy, contemporary decor invites a more cosmopolitan appreciation. These aren’t just places to eat; they’re kinetic fields of energy. The sheer, glorious noise of the dining rooms and the fever-pitch focus of the kitchens don’t feel distracting. They feel like a warm coat, insulating you while you watch the world rush past.

At press time, Huffington Post dares to venture that tables for one are cool… In “I Was Eating Alone When A Man Came Up And Said 4 Words That Have Haunted Me Throughout My Life,” writer Laura Lee Ellen Johnson almost whispers them: “You look so lonely.”

Our city offers a spectrum of perfect solo retreats. For those nights when the soul calls for a slightly slower pace and a tone of quiet sophistication, head to Regards. It’s

The food, unshared, is a gift you bestow upon yourself.

the downtown darling where you can squeeze yourself onto a small, coveted seat at the bar while enjoying a life-changing tamale, perhaps paired with the smoky mezcal. Here, the lighting is soft, the service is understated, and the focus is entirely on the meal before you. Conversely, when you desire to rub elbows with your neighbors and feel the embrace of a budding community attraction, there is Gill’s in the West End. Though barely three

months old, it has all the sensibilities of everyone’s favorite long-time haunt—a place where the conversation flows freely among strangers, and the ambience is one of immediate, casual comfort. The setting is complete with classic cocktails and soul-satisfying comfort food. These spots are not merely serving sustenance; they are offering different forms of connection, available on your own terms.

This is where self-care becomes self-reverence. The food, unshared, is a gift you bestow upon yourself. Every bite is a testament to your own excellent taste. It is a moment of deep, sensual calibration, a reminder that the highest form of hospitality begins with the quiet, luxurious decision to treat yourself. It is dinner and a show, and you are both the star and the most rapt member of the audience. n

Discover

Discover

historic Victorian B&B on

waterfront

Boothbay Harbor, one of Maine’s prettiest harbors. Steps away from acclaimed shops, galleries, boat trips, and restaurants, the Inn is an ideal launching point for several days of coastal exploration. Welcoming visitors with true Maine warmth and unique style for generations. Please call for seasonal rates & specials.

with true Maine warmth and unique style for two generations. Please call for seasonal rates & specials.

TINTYPE BY JOHN DIMARTINO JR.

Direct from Maine, the Toast of South Africa!

Not to mention Disney World, where Mary-Lou Nash’s delicious Black Pearl wine is the No. 1 seller. Was it a lucky coincidence or deft branding? Disney tourists love associating her Black Pearl vintage with the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean. Nash’s Black Pearl is actually inspired by South Africa’s granite crag, Paarl Rock, overlooking a winery enclave near Cape Town.

INTERVIEW

How exactly does one become a Maine vintner? Aren’t our winters more suited to ice wine?

Fryeburg, Maine, was home for my formative years. I arrived there from England when I was in third grade. In the early years, we rode our bikes everywhere, building forts and rope swings into the Saco River, only heading home at dark to a house that you never locked and parents who never worried where you were. It was the ideal location for outdoor activities, and as we got older, our time was filled with skiing, hiking, canoeing, and waterskiing.

We were lucky to have Fryeburg Academy literally five doors down, where my siblings and I went as “townies.” With students coming from around the world, we were introduced to possibilities beyond Maine. It was during these high

school years that we dreamed of traveling and seeing the world.

After getting a degree from the University of New Hampshire, I headed to Japan to teach English and then spent the hard-earned yen travelling the world, my last stop being South Africa.

Did you plan on moving from Maine to South Africa, or was it more of a serendipitous decision?

My wine experience before South Africa started with some Boone’s Farm at a bonfire, followed by big bottles of Chilean merlot whilst sailing and anchoring in Casco Bay, paired with lobster straight from a fishing

boat and mussels plucked off the shore and cooked in Geary’s.

Do you still feel like a Mainer when abroad?

It was never a plan to stay in South Africa and make wine. I was on my way home to Maine, to do what, I don’t know, but will never find out now!

I am a winemaker by accident. When I ended up in the Cape Winelands, everyone I met was somehow involved in the wine industry, so it was easy to educate yourself with the many winemaking classes and winemakers offering advice and assistance at every corner. I now have 24 vintages done and dusted and am a Cape Wine Master.

I’m continually having to explain where my accent is from, as the

MICHAELGOOD

The Black Pearl Wine Facebook page highlights wine culture and community. facebook.com/BlackPearlWine/photos

The Fog House borders Acadia, with a secret trail to Sand Beach and views of Schooner Head and Egg Rock Lighthouse. This 5-bedroom home (3-bed septic) features a main-level suite, granite fireplace, cathedral living room, walkout level with bonus rooms, and a garage apartment. Designed by Roc Caivano with custom touches, it comes mostly furnished—perfect for coastal adventure.

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Incredible privacy with this 9.4 acre peninsula property— over 3,200’ of diverse ocean frontage. The home has been completely remodeled in the last two years. Southern views toward the mountains of Acadia and frontage on the Skillings River and Martins Cove. The western peninsula has power already run down a path for another private building site on an entirely separate peninsula away from the main house. MLS#1640746

This Peter Forbes-designed coastal home curves with the shoreline, featuring light-filled spaces, unique storage, an art studio, and stunning views of Union River Bay and Acadia. The main house has one bedroom, while the nearby guest house offers five more. Fold-up decks double as storm shutters, and a finished garage adds flexible space.

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One of a kind lakefront retreat fully furnished and turnkey including indoor and outdoor furniture, dock, most linens and more. Remodeled in 2024 blending contemporary style with European elegance for someone looking for a first class escape or permanent lake house. Multiple decks and patios, cedar sauna and cedar hot tub. 1.6 acres with 255’ on the water with a small beach additional 1.77 acres across the road. MLS# 1626748

BE BOLD IN THE COLD

Maine Community College (South Portland Campus)

9:00 a.m. • Polar Plunge 10:30 a.m.

Join us in person for a 5k run/walk followed by a polar plunge at Willard Beach! To register, scan the QR Code or visit givegab.com/campaigns/nrcm-dip-dash.

Maine in me still shines through. Most people can’t understand why I would leave America when they would love to be there. Every day I deal with different languages and cultures. It’s a continually exciting and ever-changing life experience.

Would you say there’s any sort of philosophy or tradition that you’ve brought with you from Maine to Black Pearl Wines?

Maine taught me to be a Jill of all trades and taught me to always DIY unless it’s necessary to call in an expert. It’s much more rewarding. I’ve always been a minimalist and live by less is more in my life and winemaking ethos.

Many get curious about the industrial side of winemaking, and there are always risks with heavy equipment. Can you tell us about a winemaking emergency you had to handle?

Touch wood, working with grapes since 2001, I have avoided major crises, although there have been mishaps such as forklift arms punching a full tank, and a basket press tipping over a friend and cutting his midriff open!

How can we have a taste of Black Pearl wine?

My importer into Maine is South Portland Wine Company. It sounds like Nappi Distributors will take over from them now as they want more family time. If you can’t find any, email me at info@blackpearlwines. com and I’ll help you find some!

What should we put in your “Taste of Maine” care package?

I would die for a lobster mac and cheese paired with Black Pearl “The Mischief Maker” shiraz grenache mourvèdre, with a starter of Maine mussels to pair with the Black Pearl chenin. Might as well finish with the cab with a chocolate fondant! n

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Holly Jolly

This yuletide season, holiday flavors are set to new highs.

The elves have been busy.

“We’re working on our Holiday Gift Box!” says owner Julie Cutting Kelley of Emerald Elevation in Eliot.

The mood-lifting “chef-crafted” bonbons inside include maple fudge, eggnog créme brûlée, white chocolates, spiced peanut butter cups, peppermint bark squares, and cranberry and orange gummies. Outside the box, their signature hot chocolate melts are “spiced chocolate tabs to melt in 8 oz. of hot milk—the perfect elevated hot chocolate!”

Got the munchies yet? Cousin

Not your grandmother’s gingerbread cookie!

Eddie’s Eggnog Bar is “RSO

[Rick Simpson Oil] imported European white chocolate with a hint of nutmeg for all natural eggnog flavor.”

Theory Wellness in South Portland offers Merry Berry Hi5 Seltzer and peppermint white chocolate squares.

Just Baked in Lincoln

serves up the essential chocolate chip cookie with an awesome twist, along with peanut butter fudge and their new peanut butter squares, which owner Bobbie Stromann promises “will be available by Christmas.”

Kelsey Morgan of MAC (Maine Community Care) in Windham says their classic gingerbread cookies (25mg THC each) are “just like how grandma used to make, with a subtle cannabis twist.” To detonate their hot cocoa bomb (50mg THC) simply add “hot water or milk, stir, and enjoy the ultimate infused cup of comfort on a chilly winter day.” Combine those two treats with their peppermint bark (10 pieces per bar, 30mg THC each) and brown sugar cinnamon “pop tart (50mg THC),” and the reindeer will begin contra dancing on your rooftop. Short of that, you’ll experience “a playful take on a breakfast classic.” n

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Desperately

Seeking Tiki

When winter darkly threatens and even the streetlights flicker out momentarily along Long Sands Beach, tiki isn’t just a novelty, it’s a necessity!

Intrigued to learn that Chef Javier of Lulu’s has been using the trompo at the newly restored Nevada Hotel in York, we pick a rainy Friday night—the surf booming as it breaks against the seawall—to check it out. We share an order of warm Queen Hawaiian rolls (3) with brandy butter (devoured instantly) and the house-made Spam chili with black beans topped with melted cheese—a sweet and spicy hit. We also share a savory fried rice bowl with vegetables and blackened shrimp—four juicy jumbos. But the star is the al pastor, shepherd-style, tacos, Jackfruit and

Carnitas dressed with pickled onions, cilantro, and avocado. So what is a trompo? It’s a vertical rotisserie spit similar to what you’d see in Brazilian steak houses, but North American. Trompo means “spinning top.” The carnitas is braised or simmered pork shoulder shaved from the trompo. Legend has it that this technique, used for shawarma, was brought by Lebanese cooks to Mexico.

How can we resist dessert? The chewy, toothy, shredded-coconut macaroons with chocolate sauce are perfect with coffee. The extensive tiki menu here is full of fun choices such as Birds of Paradise, a bourbon

concoction; Rosalia, a jalapeño-infused tequila number; Hornet’s Nest, an elixir of gin, honey, rosemary, and lemon; and, of course, the gamut of rum-based drinks, all with fanciful sobriquets. What a blast! Maine has never seen anything like this before! Or have we?

HACKING THE HAWAIIAN HUT

Mention tiki to a native Portlander of a certain age, and they’ll smile, close their eyes, and whisper “Hawaiian Hut,” recalling the tiki enclave at the former Eastland Hotel during the 1960s and 1970s. This worthy (as in I am not worthy) bar is so missed it’s one of a dozen of the most respected tiki establishments ever to exist nationwide, according to mytiki.life. Old menus, glasses, and swizzle sticks from the Hawaiian Hut still appear as treasured home bar displays and on eBay.

Tiki is the ultimate getaway fantasy—a tropical oasis in the midst of snow-threatened urban chaos. Its revival offers more than kitsch; it’s a tactile embrace of nostalgia, a return to carefree indulgence in an anxious world. On mytiki.com, collectors are

rushing to enjoy vintage cocktails, bamboo bar stools, and swaying palm swizzle sticks to transport us into a sun-soaked reverie.

WE WORSHIP WOODEN IDOLS.

Portland’s Hawaiian Hut is on the list of the coolest tiki bars in history, along with the original Trader Vic’s of California. Attention Forest City locals: if you have old menus or glasses from this 1960s attraction, don’t give these away, because mytiki.life certainly isn’t! Just check out the prices.

Started in the mid-1960s by the Dunfey family, owners of the Eastland Hotel, the Hawaiian Hut was managed by legendary Portland businessman Sonny Ng, who stunned patrons with Mai Tais and Zombies. Lew Moynihan Jr., one of the

original waiters at the Hawaiian Hut, helps us experience the pleasure of veering off topic:

“I was a bartender there, along with the Tavern Lounge, from 1968-1972, part of the Sheraton Fun Group (Hawaiian Hut, Tavern, Top of the East, Nickelodeon). I had just come home from the jungle and was attending UMaine Portland. Really fun times. Sonny Ng was the inspiration and manager.

“Back then, the favorite drink had to be the Zombie. When I came back from four years in the service, that’s

In such a Tikipedia, Portland’s Hawaiian Hut would be a most tubular entry. “Back then, the favorite drink had to be the Zombie.”

when I took the job. Drinks were like 75 cents. We served martinis and put two shots in our martini, and we got a dollar.”

But word got around.

“People started saying, ‘Give me a dry martini’ to get more gin into the mix. Then it was, ‘Give me an extra dry martini.’ Okay, ‘Give me a double gin and charge me a dollar.’

“I was there for four years. After that, I was the first bartender at what is now the Great Lost Bear.”

If there’s a shadow to all this sunny fun, was the tiki craze an example of American exceptionalism after U.S. forces won the Pacific Island Campaign during World War II? Maybe it wasn’t so much spiking the drink as spiking the ball. Or are we all just chasing an escape?

EL RODEO

The Corner Room features bright, wide-open space with towering ceilings complemented by handcrafted woodwork. Patrons can expect a warm, comfortable atmosphere, marked by the arich aromas of house-made pastas, pizzas, antipasti and artisanal breads. Come and enjoy the taste of Venice in the heart of Portland, ME! 8794747, 110 Exchange Street. Visit thecornerroomkitchenandbar.com for more information.

Boone’s A Portland landmark since 1898. Original home of Alexander Boone’s world-famous Baked Stuffed Lobster. Two waterfront decks, two full bars, two cozy dining rooms, fireside tables. Perfect setting to enjoy the finest seafood from Maine and the world. Steaks, chowder, lobster rolls, grilled dishes, daily features. Visit Boone’s for a romantic date, business luncheon, family gathering or large banquet. BoonesFishHouse.com

Thai Cooking

Bruno’s Portland’s Best Italian, Market Surveys of America. Silver medal, Best Italian, Best of 207. Seriously delicious Italian, American, seafood dishes with signature in-house pasta (Bruno’s Pasta Co. goodies entice in statewide culinary stores). Great sandwiches, pizza, calzones, soups, chowders, salads. Lunch/ dinner in dining room or tavern—casual dining as an art form. 33 Allen Ave., 878-9511, restaurantji.com/ me/portland/brunos-restaurantand-tavern-/

Leonardo’s Pizza, is a beloved local spot for handcrafted pizzas on organic whole-wheat or white King Arthur flour crusts. Known for specialty pies like Fennel Sausage and vegan “Salvation,” it offers delivery and take-out. (207) 775-4444, 415 Forest Ave, Portland, leonardosonline.com.

Maria’s Ristorante Portland’s original classic Italian restaurant. Greg & Tony Napolitano prepare classics: Zuppa di Pesce, Eggplant Parmigia-

na, Grilled Veal Sausages, Veal Chop Milanese, homemade cavatelli pastas, Pistachio Gelato & Maine’s Best Meatballs. See our own sauce in local stores. $11.95-$22.95. Open at 5 Wed.-Sat. Catering always avail. 1335 Congress Street 772-9232, mariasrestaurant.com.

DiMillo’s On the Water Now’s the time to enjoy everything DiMillo’s has to offer: fabulous dishes prepared by Head Chef, Melissa Bouchard, voted one of Maine’s Chefs of the Year, plus Certified Angus Beef, Italian and the best lobster around. Our outside dining is unparalleled. Open Monday thru Saturday at noon, Commercial St., Old Port 772-2216. Always FREE PARKING while aboard.

Flatbread Company Portland Situated on the working waterfront next to Casco Bay Cruise Lines in Portland’s Old Port. Family-friendly restaurant with signature wood-fired, pizzas, fresh salads, local craft beer, spirits and local, organic fresh ingredients. Pet friendly, deck seating on the water during summer. 72 Commercial St., 772-8777, flatbreadcompany.com.

Joseph’s by the Sea in Old Orchard Beach offers breathtaking views of Saco Bay. Enjoy indoor dining, outdoor seating, an upstairs lounge, and a rooftop deck. We specialize in locally sourced seafood and fresh Maine lobster. Closed for the season, we’ll reopen in March. Contact us at info@josephsbythesea.com or call 207-934-5044 for more info.

Discover Oun Lido’s, Portland’s newest culinary gem at 30 Market St. Chef Bounahcree “Bones” Kim blends Cambodian and Cantonese flavors in standout dishes like twicefried lemon chicken, lemongrass beef skewers, and savory stir-fried noodles. Named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2024, this cozy spot offers both takeout and indoor seating. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 11 AM–8 PM. Call 207-554-3111 or visit ounlidos.com to order.

Executioner’s Song

Remembering the rope: Maine’s 200-year connection to—and disconnection from—capital punishment.

We were not the first state.

In fact, we were the fourth—after Michigan, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—to abolish the death penalty. But the decision wasn’t easy. It took twenty-one hangings for Mainers to decide we had no taste for the deed of killing. Fifty-six years after we became our own state with our own ethics, Maine abolished capital punishment, brought it back in 1883 for the judgment of murder, but then rescinded that change four years later.

Before Congress passed that controversial abolishment, we embraced

the same form of terminal judgment that had been passed along to us from the countries we had left. Most of Europe still held hangings, but the guillotine replaced France’s method of choice in 1792. It was considered more humane than the rope, and it remained that country’s choice of execution until 1977. France abolished executions in 1981.

A hanging a hundred and fifty years ago doesn’t faze me much.
—Heard on the street.

BRING ON THE ROPE.

But when the (yet-to-be-named) state of Maine held its first execution in 1644, hanging was the method of choice. Fifty years before the Salem witch trials, we hanged our first alleged murderer, a Native American woman accused of killing her husband. It certainly could have been a sign of things to come, since there was very little evidence that she had bludgeoned, stabbed, and deposited his remains in the York River. Evidence was not a priority of the time. What riled the ire of the men who convicted her was her reputation as a “loose woman.” Mrs. Cornish, aka Goodwife Cornish, was not what the

men of the time considered to be “good.” She had a fondness for sex, as well as an appreciation for the many men who provided it, at least according to the skimpy details that remain of her trial.

The one irrefutable bit of evidence that sealed her fate was the “Trial by Touch,” a method later used in the Salem witch trials. The theory was that if the accused touched the body of the victim, there would be a physical reaction if they had been the murderer. This was considered to be “the revenge of the blood.” When Goodwife Cornish was ordered to place her hands on the head of her dead husband, blood “oozed” from the wound. ’Nuff said, the men agreed.

GAOL TIME

The locals had to wait eighty-two years for another public hanging. By this time, the powers that be understood the attraction of a good hanging and had built a gallows on Gaol Hill in York. The structure would later be named Old York Gaol, also known as Stage Neck Gallows. In 1726, approximately 3,000 curious folks gathered there to witness the hanging of a Native American named Joseph Quasson. The twenty-eightyear-old soldier had shot another Native American soldier named John Peter in the town of Arundel. There was no need for a trial. Quasson admitted to the killing, blamed an over-consumption of alcohol, and asked for forgiveness. Unfortunately, there would be none of that on this plane. Mercy would have to wait. The newly constructed gallows did the job it had been designed for, and Quasson became the second murderer hanged on what would soon be Maine soil.

NUMBER THREE

Still another Native American was the

next to swing from the rope nine years later. Patience Boston, aka Patience Samson, was born to the Nauset Tribe of Cape Cod. At age

Fifty years before the Salem witch trials, we hanged our first alleged murderer, a Native American accused of killing her husband.

three, she’d been given into slavery by her widowed father who’d hoped for her best—a ludicrous wish, it would seem. Patience did not take well to slavery. After years of enduring the Puritan demands of her masters, Patience was accused of rebelling on many levels, including several attempted escapes, lascivious behavior, and setting her enslavers’ home on fire three times. By age twenty, she’d developed a love of liquor, and it was her last master, Benjamin Skillins of Falmouth—what is now Portland— who was subjected to the most extreme expressions of her wrath and unhappiness. She lured his eight-yearold grandson, a child she admitted to loving, to a well where she tossed him in and held him underwater until he was dead.

In an interview with the Reverends Samuel and Joseph Moody (historically, ministers had a role in most hangings), she admitted, “From some groundless prejudice which I had taken against my master…I did last fall bind myself by a wicked oath that I would kill that Child, though I seem’d to love him, and he me.” Like her predecessor Quasson, she immediately confessed and was sentenced to hanging at Old York Gaol. She was hanged in July of 1735.

IMPATIENT JUSTICE

There were two more hangings between that of Patience and the only execution that wasn’t for the crime of murder. Jeremiah Baum, a loyalist to the British Crown, was hanged in Knox County in 1780 for treason. The Damariscotta native was accused of guiding a band of British soldiers through the woods of Maine to pillage the towns between Damariscotta and Rockland. Loyalists still made up 15 to 20 percent of the Maine population, and his supporters demanded his clemency. After a two-day trial by a patriot court-martial of the Revolutionary War, Baum was led through a crowd of both patriots and loyalists to a gallows on Limestone Hill in Thomaston. He fainted when he caught sight of the structure, and a nearby loyalist-sympathizer helped him to his feet and tied a handkerchief over his eyes before he was led to the stairs and to his death.

Few executions have taken place in Portland proper, and the exact locations and names vary, depending on sources. But most agree that

The few hangings that took place in Portland became spectacles attended by thousands, at times surpassing the city’s population.

there were at least five executions in the city, two of the most notable being Solomon Goodwin and Thomas Bird.

DEATH BY PADDLE

Goodwin was a forty-nine-year-old trapper living in Bowdoinham. He

was on a fishing trip with two friends and apparently had started a heated argument with David Wilson, who was in the next canoe. The disagreement escalated until Goodwin smacked Wilson with his paddle, sending him flying into the Kennebec River. Unfortunately for Goodwin, there was a witness. The friend in the other canoe testified that Goodwin had done nothing to save the drowning man, and therefore, he was accused of murder.

Goodwin’s was the first capital trial in Cumberland County, and it attracted a lot of attention. He was convicted in 1772, and a gallows was constructed on Haggett’s Hill at what is now the intersection of Deering Avenue and Congress Street in the West End. According to the book Capital Trials in Maine by Joseph Williamson, Goodwin’s hanging was a well-attended event with anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 observers, depending on the report. The city

had discovered the popularity of a well-advertised, government-sanctioned hanging, and before Thomaston State Prison was built, the few hangings that took place in what’s now Portland became spectacles attended by thousands.

But probably the most sensational trial of the 18th century in what is now Portland was that of Thomas Bird, 40. His was the first trial in the country under the new United States Constitution. Bird, an Englishman, was charged with a crime committed thousands of miles from the shores of Maine. He was accused of killing Captain John Connor—captain of a slave ship by the name of Mary—off the coast of Africa. Authorities in Maine captured Mary and arrested Bird along with two of his shipmates, but Bird was the only man tried for the crimes of murder and piracy. His trial took place in the First Parish Meeting

The corner of Congress Street and Deering Avenue. The Goodwin execution was attended by 6,000 to 10,000 spectators near this spot.

First Execution under the U.S. Constitution

“Permit a stranger to inform your Excellency…” This map shows Bramhall’s Hill on what is now the Western Prom, site of Thomas Bird’s Hanging in 1790. To read the rest of Bird’s unsucessful plea for pardon to President George Washington, visit founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-05-02-0299

House on Congress Street in 1790. After his request for a pardon was refused by President Washington, Bird was sentenced to death. His hanging took place on Bramhall’s Hill, near what is now the Western Prom. He’s one of the five executed in this city who were buried in unmarked graves in Eastern Cemetery.

Three decades later, Maine became a state, and four years after that, the Maine State Prison was established in Thomaston, where the rest of the state’s executions would be carried out. Six han gings and 21 years later, Maine lost its taste for capital punishment. The one that broke the hangman’s back was the execution of an escaped convict named Daniel Wilkinson. Originally from England, Wilkinson had lived in several towns in Maine since he was 15. At the age of 40, he was found guilty of killing a policeman while attempting to rob a store in Bath. Officer William Lawrence, age 63, happened upon the crime in progress while doing his rounds. Wilkinson shot him in the head with a .32 caliber revolver.

Less than a year later, Wilkinson was escorted to the gallows in Thomaston.

SLIPPED KNOT

But unlike the hangings that had gone before, Wilkinson’s did not go as planned. Who tied that noose that would soon be the state’s last? It must not have been a seasoned knots man, because the coil that was intended to slide along itself and, with a jerk, break the neck of the criminal, did not do its job. Instead, Wilkinson was slowly strangled. He kicked and bucked as the life was choked out of him. According to records, it was a horrible scene, and it led to the abolition of capital punishment two years later.

In 2014, a plaque was placed on Broad Street in Bath honoring Officer William “Uncle Billy” Lawrence, the policeman whom Wilkinson had murdered.

Since 1887, there have been no executions in Maine, but it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Fourteen proposals to reinstate the ultimate penalty have been offered, the most recent in 2005. Many of them were withdrawn before they ever made it

to the floor. Six attempts were considered in Congress between 1925 and 1979—four of which were in the 1970s. All of those bills failed. At this time, executions in Maine for any crime remains unlawful.

The Thomaston prison and its gallows were the inspiration for several scenes in the 1994 movie

The Shawshank Redemption. But the prison, along with any evidence of its gallows, was demolished in 2002. It’s now part of Thomaston’s historic district, interring Maine’s connection to capital punishment well in its past. At least, for now.

THIS JUST IN

On a crystal clear day in Portland—on the Western Prom—a woman and her mother are taking in the sun and the view that extends all the way to the White Mountains. What would they think if they knew that a gallows had stood uncomfortably close to where they’d been sitting?

“Really?” Ellen Atwood from nearby Westbrook says. She’s taking her elderly mother for some fresh air after a lengthy hospital stay. “Well, I’m glad they took the gallows down, at least.”

Does she find it creepy at all, knowing that at least one murderer was killed right here in this beautiful park in front of an audience of thousands?

She laughs and nudges her mom, who is more interested in a pair of dogs walking past on long leashes. “People been murdered and worse all over this city,” she says. “A hanging a hundred and fifty years ago doesn’t faze me much. Glad they’re not doing it anymore, though. What a horrible thing to witness.” She turns to her mother and adds, pointing toward the mountains in the distance, “At least they had a nice last view, huh, Ma? Better than a prison wall.” Her mother nods and smiles. n

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December 29

Dark Star Orchestra comes to town.

Music

Aura , 121 Center St. Collie Buddz, Jan. 22, 2026. 772-8274.

Bay Chamber Concerts, 5 Mountain St., Camden. Winter Youth Choir Concert, Dec. 15. 236-2823.

Blue, 650A Congress St. Karaoke Party, Dec. 18; Gaud, Spirit Ghost, & Duncan Pelletier, Dec. 19; Open Mic, every Tues.; Jazz Sesh, every Wed. 774-4111.

Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. Songwriter Showcase, Dec. 14; Half Moon Jug Band, Dec. 19. 560-5300.

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. The Met Live: Andrea Chénier, Dec. 14; The Met Live: I Puritani, Jan. 10, 2026. 581-1755.

Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Sq. The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, Dec. 14. 791-2200.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. MET Live: Arabella (Strauss), Dec. 13; MET Live: Andrea Chénier (Giordano), Jan. 17, 2026. 667-9500.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. The Elton John Experience, Jan. 2, 2026. 646-4777.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. The MET Live: Andrea Chénier (Giordano), Dec. 13; The MET Live: I Puritani (Bellini), Jan. 10, 2026. 563-3424.

Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville. Met Opera: The Magic Flute (Mozart), Dec. 20; Met Opera: Andrea Chénier (Giordano), Jan. 10, 2026. 873-7000.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Bailey’s Mistake, Dec. 31. 780-0118.

Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress St. Serenade, Jan. 11, 2026. 773-2339.

Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. Catharine Cary, Dec. 13. 865-0040.

Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, see website for locations. Myths and Magic, Jan. 17–18, 2026. midcoastsymphony.org.

Mystic Theater, 49 Franklin St., Rumford. Old Blind Dogs, Jan. 15, 2026. 369-0129.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. Katie Matzell & Friends, Dec. 27–28; Open Mic Night, Jan. 7, 2026; Ward Hayden & The Outliers, Jan. 17, 2026. 761-1757.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. The Boneheads, Jan. 10, 2026. 633-5159.

Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St. Primal Soup, Dec. 19. 805-0134.

Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St. Kongero, Dec. 19. 542-0836.

Saco River Theatre, 29 Salmon Falls Rd., Buxton. The Kind Kids, Dec. 14. 929-6473.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Pink Talking Fish, Dec. 20; Griffin William Sherry, Dec. 27; Dark Star Orchestra, Dec. 29; Gogol Bordello, Dec. 30; Start Making Sense, Dec. 31; Eggy & Real Estate, Jan. 10, 2026; Neko Case, Jan. 12, 2026. 956-6000.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Dar Williams, Dec. 27; Soggy Po’ Boys with Celia Woodsmith, Dec. 31; On A Winter’s Night, Jan. 20, 2026. 935-7292.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. Met Opera: Andrea Chénier, Dec. 13 & 18; Met Opera Special Encore: The Magic Flute, Dec. 23; Met Opera: I Puritani, Jan. 10 & 22, 2026. 594-0070.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, 1 Middle St. Pejepscot Station, Jan. 17, 2026. 729-8515.

University of Southern Maine, Crewe Center for the Arts, 111 Bedford St. Yodsaya Sripaoraya Turner, Dec. 16. 780-5555.

Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St., Waldoboro. Adam Ezra Group, Dec. 13; Tim O’Brien, Sam Grisman, & Victor Furtado, Jan. 17, 2026. 975-6490.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. Glen Miller Orchestra, Dec. 20; Eaglemania, Jan. 9, 2026. 873-7000.

Comedy

Blue, 650A Congress St. In Utero: A Radical Feminist Comedy Show, Dec. 27; Comedy Open Mic, every Tues. 774-4111.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. Bob Marley, Jan. 10, 2026. 667-9500.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. Paula Poundstone, Dec. 20. 646-4777.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. Adam Ray, Jan. 15, 2026. 956-6000.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Bob Marley, Dec. 17. 935-7292.

Theater

Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. NT Live: The Fifth Step, Jan. 15, 2026. 581-1755.

Footlights Theatre, 190 US-1, Falmouth. I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, Jan. 15–31, 2026. 747-5434.

Good Theater, Stevens Square Theater, 631 Stevens Ave. Something Wonderful, Jan. 15, 2026–Feb. 1, 2026. 835-0895.

Grand Theater, 165 Main St., Ellsworth. Annie, Dec. 19–Jan. 4, 2026. 667-9500.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. NT Live: Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Jan. 15–16, 2026. 563-3424.

Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St. Tholpavakoothu’s Ramayana, Dec. 19. 879-4629.

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, to Dec. 28. 942-3333.

Portland Ovations, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Clue: Live On Stage, Jan. 14–15, 2026. 842-0800.

Portland Players Theater, 420 Cottage Rd., South Portland. Annie, to Dec. 21. 799-7337.

Film

Center Theatre, 20 E. Main St., Dover-Foxcroft. Orwell 2+2=5, Dec. 14–17. 564-8943.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. (1936), Jan. 1–2, 2026. 563-3424.

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Sq. India Song

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(1975), Dec. 13. 775-6148.

Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St., Waldoboro. On Palatine Hill, Dec. 21. 975-6490.

Literary

Camden Public Library, 55 Main St. Saturday Storytime, Dec. 20, Jan. 3 & 17, 2026; CamdenCAN’s Resilient Reading Group, Dec. 23 & Jan. 13, 2026; MidCoast Audubon: Strata with Laura Poppick, Jan. 15, 2026; Art & Journaling, every Wed.; Book Time for Babies, every Wed.; Story Time with Miss Amy, every Thurs. & Fri. 236-3440.

Local Buzz, Yarmouth History Center, 118 East Elm St. Local Buzz Reading Series with Mike Bove & Lew-Ellyn Hughes, Dec. 6; Series with Myronn Hardy (poet) & Debra Spark (fiction writer), Jan. 3, 2026. yarmouthmehistory.org.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Maine Irish Writes, Jan. 6, 2026; Maine Irish Reads: Wild Houses by Colin Barrett, Jan. 8, 2026. 780-0118.

Maine Maritime Museum , 243 Washington St., Bath. Story Time with Chris Van Dusen, Jan. 27, 2026. 443-1316.

Print: A Bookstore, 273 Congress St. Mel Allen (Here in New England), Jan. 13, 2026; Ann Packer (Some Bright Nowhere), Jan. 28, 2026. 536-4778.

Dance

Blue Lobster Urban Winery, 200 Anderson St. Salsa Dance Party, Jan. 2, 2026. 956-7051.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. Jeff Pitchell’s Rock & Roll Allstars Dance Party, Dec. 31. 646-4777. Lambs, 695 Broadway, South Portland. Lambs Dance with DJ Ben Spalding, Dec. 20. lambsmaine.com.

Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Dancing with the Stars: Live!, Jan. 28, 2026. 842-0800.

Art

Bates College Museum of Art, 75 Russell St., Lewiston. Shellburne Thurber: Full Circle, to Mar. 21, 2026; Precision & Expression: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection, to Mar. 21, 2026. 786-6158.

Blue, 650A Congress St. Portland Drawing Group, Dec. 15. 774-4111.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine St., Brunswick. Visions Unsettled: Stages of the Self in the Hispanic World, from the Spanish Empire to the Global Present, to Dec. 21; Flora et Fauna: Nature in Ancient Mediterranean Art & Culture, to Mar. 7, 2026. 725-3275.

Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk. Ocean World: Perspectives of the Sea, to Dec. 20; In Brick!: Lego Art by Colby Adolphsen, to Dec. 20; Com-

fortHER Art Quilts, to Dec. 20. 985-4802.

Caldbeck Gallery, 12 Elm St., Rockland. Now & Again, to Dec. 31. 594-5935.

Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 21 Winter St., Rockland. 2025 Biennial, to Jan. 12, 2026. 701-5005.

Colby College Museum of Art, 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World is a Mystery, to Jan. 11, 2026. 859-5600.

Cove Street Arts, 71 Cove St. Critters: Fins, Feathers, Fur, to Dec. 20; Tom Glover: Hurricane Journey, to Dec. 20. 808-8911.

Dowling Walsh Gallery, 357 Main St., Rockland. Offshore Winter, to Dec. 27. 596-0084.

Farnsworth Art Museum, 16 Museum St., Rockland. Finding Maine: The Wyeth Family of Artists, to Dec. 31; Re-Indigenizing Sacred Landscapes: From Wigwam at Cetawamkeag, to Jan. 4, 2026; Ann Craven: Painted Time (2020-2024), to Jan. 4, 2026. 596-6457.

Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville.

Natural Selections: Works by Maria Wyzykowski, to Dec. 31. 873-7000.

Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St. Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940, to Dec. 31; Lapsed Time: Portland in the 1980s, to Dec. 31; Stitches: Quilt Handwork, to Dec. 31. 774-1822.

Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress St. Roy

Dec. 4, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026

Opening Reception: Sat. Dec. 6, 1 - 3pm

Gyöngy Fox: On the Fence, to Dec. 31; Jesse Melchiskey: Just One More, to Dec. 31; Guest Curator Dr. Aaron Rosen: Up/Rooted, to Dec. 31; Guest Curator Chris Beneman: Printscaping, Jan. 8, 2026–Feb. 26, 2026; Morris David Dorefeld: Color is King, Jan. 8, 2026–Feb. 26, 2026. 773-2339.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. Upon That Isle in Maine: The Story & Works of Chris Van Dusen, to Mar. 29, 2026. 443-1316.

Maine Sculpture Trail, Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. An outdoor exhibit of 34 sculptures over 200 miles Downeast. schoodicsculpture.org.

Moss Galleries, 100 Fore St. Nathaniel Meyer: Under a Swift Sunrise, to Jan. 17, 2026. 804-0459.

Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, 10 Polar Loop, Brunswick. At Home In the North, to Jun. 1, 2026. 725-3416.

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Sq. Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention, to Jan. 11, 2026; David C. Driskell: Collector, to Mar. 1, 2026. 775-6148.

River Arts, 36 Elm St, Damariscotta. Celebration, to Dec. 30. 563-6868.

University of New England Art Galleries, UNE Art Gallery, 716 Stevens Ave. Unspoken Resilience: Healing from the Lewiston Shooting Two Years In, to Feb. 8, 2026. 602-3000.

Zillman Art Museum, 40 Harlow St., Bangor. Cristi Rinklin: More Than Human, to Dec. 27; Ralph Gibson: Chiaroscuro: Selected Works from Italy & France, to Dec. 27. 581-3300.

Holiday

Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. Heather Pierson plays Vince Guardaldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec. 13; Jud Caswell’s Holiday Show, Dec. 20. 560-5300.

1932 Criterion Theatre, 35 Cottage St., Bar Harbor. The Grinch: Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers, Dec. 21. 228-0829.

Aura, 121 Center St. Spose’s PDank Xmas, Dec. 13. 772-8274.

Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Rd., Orono. The Nutcracker, Dec. 20–21. 942-5555.

Belfast Flying Shoes, Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St. Solstice Shine Dance, Dec. 20. 338-0979.

Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk. The Annual Gingerbread House Display, Dec. 16–20. 985-4802.

The Burleigh, Kennebunkport Inn, 1 Dock Sq. Holiday

Holiday Gifts & Events

Selena Massie (top, bottom le ) Radiance by Design (bottom right)

Cocktail Class, Dec. 20. 204-9668.

Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. Lúnasa: Irish Christmas Celebration, Dec. 20. 236-7963.

Center Theatre, 20 E. Main St., Dover-Foxcroft. A Christmas Carol, Dec. 13, 19, & 20; Christmas at the Cabin, Dec. 14 & 18; Alumni Jazz Band, Dec. 21; It’s a Wonderful Life, Dec. 31. 564-8943.

Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. Còig & Screaming Orphans, Dec. 13; Sing! It’s Christmas, Dec. 22. 442-8455.

City Theater, 205 Main St., Biddeford. A Swingin’ Christmas: The Holiday Music of Tony Bennett, Dec. 12–21; Nutcracker Tea, Dec. 31. 282-0849.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 105 Botanical Gardens Dr., Boothbay. Make a Festive Arrangement, Dec. 13; Gardens Aglow, to Jan. 3, 2026. 633-8000.

Cross Insurance Arena, 1 Civic Center Sq. 12/OC & Friends, Dec. 20. 791-2200.

Earth at Hidden Pond, 354 Goose Rocks Rd., Kennebunkport. Garnish & Garland Mixology, Dec. 12; Sleigh & Sip: Holiday Wine Tasting, Dec. 13. 967-6550.

Fete Market, 31 Diamond St. B. Fete Holiday Market, Dec. 12–13. fetemarket.com.

Footlights Theatre, 190 US-1, Falmouth. A Child’s Christmas in Wales & A Christmas Memory, Dec. 14–15; Holidazed, Dec. 20; The Bolt Sisters, Dec. 21; A Christmas Carol, to Dec. 23. 747-5434.

Friends of Kotzschmar Organ, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Christmas with Kennerley, Dec. 23. 842-0800.

Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle St. 2025 Holiday Show, to Jan. 31, 2026. 772-2693.

The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St. Magic 8 Ball Winter Solstice Concert, Dec. 21. 347-7177.

Jonathan’s Ogunquit, 92 Bourne Ln. A Christmas to Remember with Deep Blue C Studio Orchestra, Dec. 14. 646-4777.

Kittery Art Association, 2 Walker St. Holiday Show & Gift Bazaar, to Dec. 21. 451-9384.

Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Dec. 19–21. 563-3424.

Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland. Elf Jr., The Musical, Dec. 12–20. 799-1421.

Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St. 250 Years of An American Christmas, Dec. 13. 774-1822.

Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress St. Lowry’s Lodge Presents: Holiday Open Reading, Dec. 14. 7732339.

Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. Sparkle: Annual Holiday Show, to Dec. 28. 865-0040.

New England Craft Fairs, Augusta Armory, 179 Western Ave. Last Minute Christmas Arts & Craft Show, Dec. 13–14; Last Minute Arts & Craft Show, Dec. 20–21. newenglandcraftfairs.com.

Ogunquit Playhouse, The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, NH. White Christmas, to Dec. 21. 646-5511.

One Longfellow Square, 181 State St. Low Lily’s Winter Solstice Celebration, Dec. 13; Lúnasa, Dec. 14;

Holiday Gifts & Events

Jazzy Jingle & Mingle Fundraiser, Dec. 18; Portland Jazz Orchestra, Dec. 18–19; Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm, Dec. 20; Rock My Soul, Dec. 21; A Havana New Year’s Bash with Primo Cubano, Dec. 31. 761-1757.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. 2025 Gingerbread Spectacular, Dec. 12–14; Holiday Potluck & Carol Sing, Dec. 17; Sons of Serendip, Dec. 20. 633-5159.

Owls Head Transportation Museum, 117 Museum St. STEM Saturday: Gift Makers, Dec. 13; Owls Nest: Holiday Science, Dec. 17 & 19. 594-4418.

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. Another Kick in Your Dickens, to Dec. 21; Santa’s Storytime & Singalong, Dec. 20–21. 942-3333.

Portland Ballet, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. A Victorian Nutcracker, Dec. 16. 842-0800.

Portland Ballet, Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St. A Victorian Nutcracker, Dec. 20–21; A Very Nutty Nutcracker, Dec. 21. 842-0800.

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St. ChoralART Singalong, Dec. 13; Home for the Holidays, Dec. 26–28. 775-3356.

Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St. Yes&Co.: Our Holiday Stories, Dec. 13. 842-0800.

Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Sq. PMA Films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Dec. 13; PMA Films: Die Hard (1988), Dec. 18. 775-6148.

Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave. A Christmas Carol, to Dec. 24. 774-0465.

Portland Symphony Orchestra, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. Magic of Christmas, Dec. 12–21 (on demand Dec. 19–Jan. 9, 2026). 842-0800.

Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth, NH. 35th Annual Gingerbread House Contest, to Dec. 30. (603)436-8433.

Public Theatre, 31 Maple St., Lewiston. A Christmas Carol, Dec. 12–14. 782-3200.

Railway Village Museum , 586 Wiscasset Rd., Boothbay. North Pole Express, 13, 14, 20, & 21. 633-4727.

Rockport Opera House, 6 Central St. Winter Solstice Celebration with Low Lily, Dec. 14. 542-0836.

Saco River Theatre, 29 Salmon Falls Rd., Buxton. Neil McGarry’s A Christmas Carol, Dec. 13. 929-6473.

State Theatre, 609 Congress St. The Fogcutters Superfantastic Christmas Extravaganza, Dec. 13. 956-6000.

Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Rd., Brownfield. Stone Mountain LIVE for Christmas, Dec. 12–13; Milk Carton Kids, Dec. 19. 935-7292.

Stonington Opera House, 1 School St. Community Read: A Christmas Carol, Dec. 14; A Very Merry Holiday Concert, Dec. 19. 367-2788.

Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. Daylight Stroll, Dec. 14; Candlelight Stroll, to Dec. 21; Winter Celebrations Homeschool Tour, Jan. 7, 2026. (603)433-1100.

Ticonic Gallery & Studios, 93 Main St., Waterville. Made: Maine Makers Market, to Jan. 26,

Holiday Gifts & Events

2026. 873-7000.

Vivid Motion, The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St. Holly Jolly Follies, Dec. 12–14 & 17–20. 558-1979.

Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St., Waldoboro. The Muppet Christmas Carol, Dec. 14; Heather Pierson Trio: Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec. 19. 975-6490.

Waterville Opera House, 1 Common St. The Nutcracker, Dec. 12–14; Christmas with the Celts, Dec. 15. 873-7000.

Wells Christmas Parade, Route 1. The 40th Annual Christmas Parade begins at Wells Plaza and ends at Wells Junior High School, Dec. 14. wellschristmasparade.com.

WW&F Railway, 97 Cross Rd., Alna. Victorian Christmas Train & Market, Dec. 13 & 20. 882-4193.

Bites

Blue, 650A Congress St. Layne’s Wine Gig, Dec. 18. 774-4111.

Now You’re Cooking, 49 Front St., Bath. Tedford’s 4-Way Eggs & Potato Fundraiser, Dec. 14; Pasta: Spaghetti & Fettuccine, Jan. 6, 2026; Hearty Soups & Grain Bread, Jan. 7, 2026; Trifle, Pound Cake, & Muffins, Jan. 13, 2026. 443-1402.

Penobscot Theatre Company , Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. A Royal Tea Party, to Dec. 28. 942-3333.

Don’t Miss

The 4th Annual Vertical Challenge, Saddleback Mountain, 976 Saddleback Mountain Rd., Rangeley. A series of free casual ski and snowboard races open to all ages and abilities, with a festival element featuring snowy activities, games, free samples, & swag for all ages, Jan. 11, 2026. 864-5671.

25th Annual Atlantic Plunge, Gooch’s Beach, Kennebunk. Dip in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean in this fun event to raise funds for Caring Unlimited, Jan. 1, 2026. caring-unlimited.org/atlantic-plunge.

Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk. Cozy Stitches: Embroider Your Own Beanie, Dec. 13. 985-4802.

Camden Public Library, 55 Main St. Open Needlepoint Group, Jan. 4 & 18, 2026; Sculpted Paper Flower Workshop with Joelle Webber, Jan. 11, 2026. 236-3440.

Lobster Dip 2026, in front of The Brunswick Hotel, 39 West Grand Ave., Old Orchard Beach. Fun event to raise funds for Special Olympics Maine, Jan. 1, 2026. somaine. org/get-involved/lobster-dip.

Maine Audubon, Gilsland Farm, 20 Gilsland Farm Rd., Falmouth. Bird Walk, every Thurs. 781-2330.

Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. Maine Irish Makes, Dec. 18 & Jan. 15, 2026. 780-0118.

Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath. STEAMbox Family Workshops: Superb Seals (Dec. 13) & Transforming Trees (Jan. 10, 2026). 443-1316.

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave. January Open Mic, Jan. 16, 2026. 633-5159.

Owls Head Transportation Museum, 117 Museum

St. Fall Workshop, Dec. 29–30, & 31. 594-4418.

Polar Bear Dip & Dash, Southern Maine Community College, 2 Fort Rd., South Portland. Gather your friends, start a team, or fundraise on your own to support NRCM’s climate change work for this 18th annual event, Jan, 4, 2026. nrcm.org/events/polar-bear-dip-dash.

Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth, NH. Homeschool Day: the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Jan. 2, 2026. (603)436-8433.

Shop Maine Craft, Center for Maine Craft, 288 Lewiston Rd., West Gardiner. Tiny Treasures, to Dec. 31. 205-0791.

Stonington Opera House, 1 School St. Trivia Night, Dec. 18. 367-2788.

Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland. Jennifer Pictou, Mi’kmaq Storyteller, Jan. 17, 2026. 594-0070.

Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. Intro to Drop Spinning Workshop, Jan. 3, 2026; Fingerless Mitts Knitting Workshop, Jan. 10, 2026; Peppermint Twist Basket Workshop, Jan. 17, 2026. (603)433-1100.

To submit an event listing: portlandmonthly.com/portmag/submit-an-event/

Compiled by Bethany Palmer

Holiday Gifts & Events

Attean Lake Lodge

This Christmas, Wrap Up Summer Magic

The perfect family gift is waiting on a pristine Maine island

A Family Tradition Since 1905

Imagine the look of wonder on your family's faces when they unwrap a confirmation for an all-inclusive wilderness adventure. This holiday season, give more than just a present –give the promise of cherished memories at Attean Lake Lodge, where 2026 summer dates are available now.

Nestled on a picturesque island in Maine's pristine wilderness, our family-owned retreat offers the perfect escape from today's digital world. Attean Lake Lodge provides all-inclusive meals, private waterfront cabins, and guided outdoor activities that help families reconnect through shared adventures. With no cell service and limited electricity, discover the magic that happens when you truly unplug together.

-All-inclusive family experience with three hearty meals daily

-Private waterfront cabins with charming comfort

-Guided activities: fishing, canoeing, wildlife watching

-Miles of pristine hiking trails to explore

-Opportunities for genuine family connection

www.atteanlakelodge.com

holden@atteanlakelodge.com

207.668.3792

Animal Art/Garden Elements

Roger’s sculpture covers the gamut from fine art to whimsy including functional garden elements, weathervanes, birdbaths, gates, fountains and more. Given the sculptures unique eclectic qualities, they work in sophisticated to comfortable environments. www.ditarando.com

Sentimental Journey

Sure, we can use Google Maps. But a romantic might follow the gundalow.

The lateen-rigged replica glides up the Salmon Falls River past the historic Hamilton House made famous in Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1900 novel The Tory Lover. Beyond the next bend in the river is this stunning retreat, which has a tale all its own. From outer space, 72 Vine Street, South Berwick, is situated on the confluence of two curving bodies of water, which means First Nations locals likely prized it. Viewed from this

precious spot, the far half of the Salmon Falls River belongs to New Hampshire, while the near half is part of Maine. A few strokes away, Leighs Mill Pond engages with the watershed through the picturesque Great Works Dam.

“The way the water meets [almost kisses] in this one place attracted me from the start,” seller Mark Zimmer says. “And you’re right. There is a magnetism. While restoring the house and grounds, we uncovered a treasure trove. We called the Maine State Museum.”

The archaeological surveyors were here in a heartbeat. The team said the lawns that slope down to the water were “percolating with arrowheads. Now their discoveries are part of the collection at the Maine State Museum.”

It’s easy to put a date on landmark treasures like the Hamilton House (1785) and, nearer still, the restrained elegance of 73 Vine Street, a Georgian showcase built in 1726, also with views of the river. But the age of 72 Vine is more complicated. That’s because the present structure evolved as a series of buildings across time. “There’s an 18th-century building and a mid-19th-century building here, as well as other structures,” Zimmer says. “One of its incarnations was as a duplex.” Instead of forcing one identity on what survives, Zimmer had his architect, Maurice Weintraub of Philadelphia, capture the spirit of the

You don’t have to have 100 acres to have a view. You have to site the house properly.

several dwellings that grace this space at once. An enormous slab from the earliest foundation now finds a new

resting place as the mantel of a giant hearth in the main viewing room, lit by reflections from the river. Period chestnut floorboards were rescued, numbered, and redeployed to serve the new vision.

Agreeing to this was a fearless move for numbers-whiz Zimmer, who made a fortune on Wall Street and retired from finance in his 40s. “Part of that time I was running risk for a hedge fund now called Avenue Capital. I’ve lived in

FROM TOP: STAFF PHOTO; STEVEN GIRARD PHOTOGRAPHY
670 Main Street (Rte 1) • Saco
heartwood.biz
Mon–Fri 9–5
Saturdays by appointment

homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and by McKim, Mead & White,” he says. While pledged to organic unity in his younger years, Zimmer now enjoys intertemporal

comfort here at 72 Vine, where he and his wife, Mathilde, along with their sweet Bernese mountain dog, Kit (named for Kit Carson), enjoy watching the river from an enfi-

lade parallel to the riverbank. Channeling Wright, its long shimmer is the exclamation point on this shimmering property.

“You don’t have to have 100 acres to have a view,” Zimmer says. “You have to site the house properly.” The result is stasis in motion, flirting with a river that is always moving while its surface is mysteriously still.

For $4,995M you get 6.6 acres with 662 feet of riverfront, six bedrooms, seven baths, and 4,950 square feet of living space. Garage space and parking to the moon, with a gorgeous guest barn.

Taxes are $18,572. n

MONMOUTH COBBOSSEE LAKE $874,000

MOTIVATED SELLERS A One in a Million View on Cobbossee Lake - Available to move in now! Welcome to 33 Gerber Lane, a stunning 4-bedroom, 3-bath waterfront home in beautiful Monmouth with breathtaking views of Cobbossee Lake. This sun-filled home o ers the perfect blend of comfort, space, and year-round recreation. 2264 sf on three levels. MLS #1625539

WORTHERLY POND $625,000

Charming year-round waterfront cottage with 60 ft of private shoreline. 2 bd/2 bath. Open-concept main floor with pond views, sun porch, and large living area. Deck, fire pit, patio, and dock. Detached 2-story garage and storage shed. Furnished. MLS#1632822

WILTON COMMERCIAL

2,400 sq. ft. commercial space in Wilton, ME, approved for a 50-seat restaurant. New plumbing, electrical, and foundation. Ideal for various businesses, with high foot tra ic, downtown location, and easy access to Farmington. MLS#1634154 • $215,000

FARMINGTON COMMERCIAL

Motivated seller, in-town Farmington 3 bedroom one bath remodeled mobile home on a choice lot. Another gravel pad is ready for another mobile home. Lot can accommodate up to six mobile homes. lot abuts the Farmington Fairgrounds. MLS#1639665 • $189,750

KINGFIELD COMMERCIAL

Prime Commercial Opportunity - Main Street, Kingfield Just minutes to Sugarloaf and Farmington. Live and work in wonderous Carrabassett Valley This property is set up as a 2 bedroom 1 bath home .Or it can be two separate o ices. MLS#1635130 • $250,000

AUGUSTA

Unusual

NEW PORTLAND $950,000

Exceptional Investment Opportunity—4 Properties Conveyed Together. Residential, Commercial & Waterfront. Present rental income is $7,850 per month and a possible income of $11, 050 monthly. The potential of this opportunity is immense. MLS#1635147

WINTHROP COMMERCIAL

Over 20,000 cars a day drive by this amazing business opportunity. 6384 square foot commercial building with four automotive enterprises. Knowledgeable seller to assist in the transition. MLS#1625027 • $1,675,000

AUGUSTA COMMERCIAL

1.1 acre commercial lot at the corner of Civic center drive and Bog Road. Public water and sewer is available on both streets and the tra ic count is tremendous. MLS#1624182 • $875,000

DAVID POND, FAYETTE our chance to have a private 1.22 acre waterfront lot on coveted David Pond with 260 feet of beautiful lakefront A level lot with ability to build with a view and privacy galore. Surveyed , septic design and building envelope already. MLS#1640958 • $250,000

WAYNE $699,750

Stunning Colonial-style home nestled in the heart of Wayne and in the middle of the lakes. Four bedrooms and 3 full baths on a very private 3.46 acres. Over 4,842 square feet of living space! Plus 1,405 square feet of decks and porches. MLS #1614192

AUGUSTA $269,000

Over 20,000 cars a day drive by this amazing business opportunity. 6384 square foot commercial building with four automotive enterprises. Knowledgeable seller to assist in the transition. MLS#1642518

AUGUSTA COMMERCIAL

Discover endless potential with this 12,000 sq. ft. commercial building set on a 1.04-acre lot in a high-demand location just o Western Avenue in Augusta. Ample parking, great o ice space, medical facilities, retail, or specialized services. $525,000 • MLS#1636331

James L. Eastlack, Owner Broker 207-864-5777 or 207-670-5058 | JLEastlack@gmail.com

SPRING LAKE –property on a great remote body of water. Off grid w/generator, year round building, detached garage, Ice fish, hunt, enjoy all seasons! $495,000.

RANGELEY, MAINE

The perfect location!

6 Spring Lake Rd - Escape to nature and a wonderful waterfront property on a great remote body of water. Off grid w/generator, year round building, detached garage, Ice fish, hunt, enjoy all seasons! $495,000.

20 Vista Lane – RANGELEY LAKE – A rare offering, the Buena Vista Estate on 567 feet of deep water frontage,53 private acres w/south facing exposure, total privacy, development potential.

RANGELEY LAKE – Lakeside Marina & Convenience - Wonderful business opportuinty in downtown commercial zoning, convenience store, 25 boat slips, gas, boat rental business, great waterfront location! $965,000.

2582 Main St - Wonderful commercial business on Main Street w/ 105' on Rangeley Lake, Marina/ Convenience Store, 25+ Slips, Gas, Shop, Downtown Commercial Zoning, High Traffic Location, $965,000.

PINE GROVE LANE – Located close to the village with expansive southwest views of Rangeley Lake, 4 beds, 3.5 baths, very close to Saddleback Ski Area, snowmobile and ATV from your doorstep, heated garage! $639,000.

631 Bald Mtn. Road – MOOSELOOK LAKE – A rare offering, 4 bed, 4.5 bath contemporary lakefront home w/beach, detached garage AND private island w/2 bedroom guest cottage, 3.56 Acres! $1,899,000.

ATV and SNOWMOBILE from your doorstep and enjoy this AMAZING home with breathtaking views of Haley Pond. Walk to town amenities including the beach, boat launch and restaurants! Gorgeous 3 bed, 3 bath home with custom finishes, modern open layout and vaulted ceilings. Fully finished lower level with large living area and walkout to patio and firepit. Great detached 2-car heated, insulated garage with framed space above ready to finish. Wood floors, tile baths, great laundry room, quality throughout... a must see! Call today for a private showing—you won’t be disappointed!

$1,300,000

195 Hillside Street, YARMOUTH

RANGELEY LAKE VIEWS – 21 Pine Grove - 4 Beds, 3.5 Baths, Fully Furnished, SW facing views w/LOTS of sun, Snowmobile and ATV from your doorstep, Detached 32x32 garage fully heated, a must see! $639,000.

Gorgeous VIEWS overlooking Rangeley Lake and Saddleback Ski Area, wonderful estate property located just outside the Rangeley village, 48.32 Acres,4 bed,4.5 bath home w/ guest quarters. $1,495,000.

277 Stephens Road – MOOSELOOK LAKE – West facing Sandy Beach frontage, 4 bed, 3 bath home w/attached 3 car heated garage and detached 3 car garage w/large bonus room! $850,000.

Kelly Wentworth-Lowe Sales Manager Freeport, Maine (207) 831-4934 kelly@kellywentworth.com

First time to the market, owned by the same family since 1955. Live in one of the most sought after communities in Yarmouth. This one level home sits on a .69 open lot, perfect for gardening, relaxing around the inground pool or summer barbecue. The home has an open floor plan that welcomes your ideas for change in the future. Enjoy all of the amenities that Yarmouth has to o er; Pra ’s Brook, Royal River Park, Westside Trail, and the Cousins Island beach. $565,000

SUGARLOAF ON MOUNTAIN Condominium. Sought after location of Kibby Mtn Road. 4 bed 2 baths, 2 living areas and furnished . No crossing any roads to go skiing ! Just head out the door! $879,000

Beautiful western mountains of Maine. Cape on 80 acres of fields and forest! Dead end road in Salem Township. Fish Hatchery Rd. Fireplace. 3 bed, 2 baths plus additional large sunroom. Garage and building/ workshop. Fruit trees and berry bushes. $395,000

LOOKING FOR WATERFRONT? Here is one of our several waterfront listings. 4 bd 3 bath with ROW to water and near boat launch and public beach. $380,000. CSM has water front homes, camps and land in the beautiful western mtns of Maine. Spring Lake, Flagstaff Lake, Embden Pond and rivers and streams.

207-491-9703 KIM@CSMREALESTATE.COM 259 MAIN STREET, KINGFIELD CSMREALESTATE.COM | 207-265-4000 JANET@CSMREALESTATE.COM 259 MAIN STREET, KINGFIELD CSMREALESTATE.COM | 207-265-4000 Assisting people buy and sell properties in the beautiful Western

Where customer satisfaction doesn’t happen by accident!

I highly recommend DIRFY Generators and Heat Pumps. If I had to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate them a 10 without question. If I had to rate the individual phases (consultation thru installation), each phase would be a 10. The consultation was well explained with di erent options, which allowed me to easily make my choices. The installation was very organized and professional. The team was very polite, explained things to me, and was very neat. I didn’t have to clean anything. And to the o ce sta , I can’t say enough from the rst phone call through the whole process.

I discovered through the process the money that I would be adding to my monthly budget. We are retired and on a xed income. We didn’t have the funds available to proceed with this without their help. That helped us to be able install the heat pump system with no upfront money, which was a huge help to us. Not only that, but it also removed the need to pay for our propane to heat for our house. The cost di erence was substantial. We actually save so much, that between the monthly nance payment, and the cost of the electric bill, we actually had more money for the month. We will be saving about $110 a month (Over $1,300/yr). On a xed income, that is substantial. It was almost like we were being paid $1,300/yr to put in the heat pumps. Again, a lot of money for xed income.

And the best part, from the time we signed the contract to installation, less than a week. They had a good sized crew here.

We were so impressed, we decided to put in a Heat Pump hot water heater. Again, no money upfront. The savings after the nance payment and the power bill amounted to about $97/mo ($1,164/yr). That was a total savings of about $2,500 a year for the heat pumps to heat and cool as well as the hot water heater. It was like getting paid $2,500 a year to install these. (p.s., I veri ed the gures from the E ciency Maine website.)

I am recommending to everyone I know to contact DIRFY Generators and Heat Pumps so that they can increase their spending money.

This company is awesome. No wonder they are number one in New England R&L W.

For nearly 40 years John Hatcher and his team at The Hatcher Group have been serving the needs of home sellers, home buyers and real estate investors in Southern Maine. We are proven, consistent leaders in the Maine real estate market, providing quality service to thousands of people over the years. We would welcome the opportunity to earn your business, and show you why The Hatcher Group is indeed A House SOLD Name®

John Hatcher Broker — Owner
Wes Hurd Sales Agent
Paul McKee Broker
Jay Bowen Sales Agent
Neal Davis Broker
Melissa Nickerson-Pratt Director of Operations

Hello, It’s Me

Aguy came up to me in the store the other day.

“You Dan Warren?” No, I said, as I always do in that circumstance.

“Really,” he said. “You look like him on Facebook.”

Oh, that’s my brother, I said. How do you know Dan?

At that point, the response is (a) or (b).

(a) is: “That son of a bitch represented my ex-wife in our divorce!”

To which my response is: Oh, sorry to hear that! Divorce can be tough.

or (b) “He coached my kids in kindergarten soccer.”

To which my response is: Oh, OK, yes, I am Dan Warren. Tell them I said hi!

Life in a small town that is now a

We just had our 50th high school reunion in September. Here is the photo they put on my badge from our high school yearbook. If you’d shaved all my hair off, and sideburns, there would’ve been enough material to make sweaters for 75 people.

big town can be a jungle. Absent helmets or other riot gear, self-protection is vital.

This is my first column for Portland Monthly (pause at typewriter; dodge thrown vegetables; OK, resume typing).

At age 68, recently retired after 42 years as a lawyer, why take up scribbling for Publisher Colin Sargent?

Because it’s time to assess.

I graduated from Scarborough High School in 1975. The school enrollment was about 400; now sometimes 1,200. The town population was about 6,250; now about 27,000.

Potato Chips plant used to be, then down Route One past Pat’s Pizza on your right, near where Foley’s Ice Cream used to be, and…”

Uncle, please, Uncle! Even I want to bind and gag me.

Scarborough has changed.

Maine has changed.

I graduated from UMO in 1979. There were kids there from Fort Kent, Machias, Kittery, Fryeburg, Rockland, Eastport, Portland, and Meddybemps. (Actually, I don’t remember if that is so, but I really enjoyed saying it.)

I have a few block house photos from the days when I worked there, summertime, 1971 to 1975. I don’t think I have any photos of me in front of the building or anything.

I was always the one taking the photos, and back then there was no such thing as a selfie!

My childhood friend Rodney Laughton is the de facto Commander in Chief of the Scarborough Historical Society. He and I have a gentleman’s agreement on “historical sentence structure”: neither is allowed more than three prior-historical-site references in one sentence—e.g., “OK, if you want to get to the Big 20 Bowling Center on Route One, you go past Portland Volvo on your left, across from where Frost Boat House used to be. Then go down the hill, and Moody Collision is up there on the hill to your left. On your immediate right is where the Humpty Dumpty

As a kid, the author used to work in the Scarborough information center across Route 1 from Anjon’s, at the mouth of Scarborough Marsh. The blockhouse has since been reassembled at Smiling Hill Farm.

The towns in southern Maine have grown like the 7th grader who lifts weights all summer and comes back to 8th grade in the fall and kicks your ass in gym volleyball. (OK, OK, strong language—how about: jumps higher and grunts on the spiked shots with no voice cracks?)

A lot of towns in Maine have struggled, and continue to.

Mt. Katahdin is still similar.

The West Branch of the Penobscot is still fierce—so much so that one friend said he almost didn’t bring a small cooler of beer on the whitewater raft gig.

What do you make of it?

I don’t know.

Is it still Maine? Depends on how you define Maine.

Until next time, check, please. n

tostadas with butternut squash & black beans

Bright, hearty and packed with flavor, these tostadas put a seasonal twist on this Mexican dish. Roasted butternut squash, black beans, creamy avocado and a zesty lime yogurt drizzle come together on a warm whole grain base for a meal that’s as nourishing as it is satisfying.

Here's what you need:

1/2 Butternut squash, roasted

1 tsp. McCormick® Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp. McCormick® Chili Powder

1 Tbsp. Maple syrup

6 (6 in.)

1 (15.25 oz.)

Whole grain pita breads

Hannaford No Salt Added Black Beans, can rinsed and drained

Juice from 2 limes, divided

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup Stonyfield® Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

2 Avocados, sliced

1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds, toasted

Nutritional Information:

Roll up your sleeves:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Mash roasted squash with cumin, chili powder, maple syrup and salt.

3. Place pitas on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4. Toss black beans with half of the lime juice and olive oil.

5. Whisk together yogurt with other half of lime juice. Add a little water to give it a drizzling consistency.

6. Spread each pita with squash. Top with black beans and a few slices of avocado. Drizzle with lime yogurt. Garnish with cilantro and pumpkin seeds and serve.

Dietitian’s Tip:

A unique twist on traditional tostadas creates a dish with protein, healthy heart fat and an assortment of vitamins and minerals. Pair with Fresh Express® Twisted Avocado Caesar Chopped Salad for a balanced meal.

Amount per serving (1 tostada): Calories 430; Total Fat 16 g; Saturated Fat 2.5 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 420 mg; Carbohydrate 60 g; Dietary Fiber 15 g; Sugar 7 g; Added Sugar 3 g; Protein 16 g

We’re committed to supporting your health and wellness goals. Our team of registered dietitians offer free nutritional services online and in-store.

Thank you to our sponsors for partnering with Hannaford to offer free dietitian services. Visit hannaford.com/dietitians to learn more.

Settlers Green has brands families love, local restaurants, and a public art walk. Just minutes from the White Mountain National Forest, discover tax-free shopping deals while enjoying stunning views and endless activities in North Conway this holiday season. For special holiday events, visit settlersgreen.com/events

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