Courage and Reward Southern Maine New Horizons Band
“Music
is the universal language of mankind.”
-Henry W. Longfellow
By Nancy English
The website of New Horizons International Music Association says, “Music provides opportunities for deep contemplation, a way of experiencing a broad range of emotions including serious thoughts or joyful moments.” The organization, founded in the 1990s, started with the idea that adults want to play music together and fourish when they do. There is no audition to join.
The Southern Maine New Horizons Band is now based at the Portland Conservatory of Music (PCM). Conductor Michael Lund Ziegler, 39, who is also the Executive Director of PCM, said the conservatory motto is that “Everyone is a musician.” And, what’s more, “Music activates more regions to the brain than any other activity.”
Among the twenty-eight people who participate in the Southern Maine New Horizons Band, a common virtue is courage, he said. “Sometimes it needs to be unearthed.”
Many start playing with New Horizons having played an instrument in their distant past. But some, like Steve Graef, 70, who started three years ago, had no experience playing the instrument they took up. In his case, the trombone.
“Gradually I became able to get the right notes and keep up with the rest of the band,” he said. “I master some of the easy parts.” He said playing the trombone has always been fun.
The band members play a concert at the end of each of three annual sessions. They pay a $150 fee per session, though “the policy is that fnances will not be a barrier,” Ziegler said. The musicians attend 4:15 p.m. rehearsals in the space below
Page 3
the Fellowship Hall at St. Luke’s Cathedral.
Ziegler, with twenty years’ conducting experience, has been the band’s conductor for a year. He most recently led the band in Gustave Holst’s First Suite in E-fat for Military Band. Robert Pantel, 76, who has played the tuba in the band since 2027, said he was moved while performing the piece by how beautiful it sounded.
That composition was challenging, and the challenge was rewarding, Pantel said. But, “It’s a supportive environment rather than a competitive one.” He encourages folks, if they have any inclination at all, to sit in a rehearsal and see how it feels. He also said that the majority of the members of the band are older, but some are younger too.
Often, the participants who played an instrument in their past may still have it sitting in their closet. Jim Belanger, 62, played the clarinet in his youth. He grew up in Westbrook, which had a wonderful music program. But when Ziegler asked if he would take up the tenor sax, Belanger was game.
“The clarinets and the futes are the high voice and play the melody,” he said, but the tuba, baritones, trombones, and tenor sax play the bass notes.” Ziegler wrote a fve- or six-bar section into a recent piece for tenor sax that Belanger played. He feels especially rewarded during rehearsals, he said, which are “more fun than anything.”
“But,” he said, “there are a good amount of people who started playing in New Horizons.” Some, like Graef, flled a Cont'd on Pg. 3
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Celebrate Maine Crafts: 10th Annual Portland Fine Craft Show
This summer over a hundred fne craft artists will open shops in the heart of Portland’s Art District. It’s the 10th Annual Portland Fine Craft Show taking place on Saturday, August 23rd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parking area at 120 Free Street near the art museum. The Portland Fine Craft Show is presented by Shop Maine Craft, the retail arm of the statewide nonproft Maine Crafts Association. The West End News is proud to publish and distribute the show guide.
This free, single-day, outdoor event is a tradition in Maine’s art scene, bringing together over 100 juried fne craft artists from Maine and across the region. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore and purchase one-of-a-kind pieces in a wide array of media including basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, stone, and wood.
The show is free and open to the public to raise awareness and appreciation for craft.
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Nancy visits Uganda South of the Equator
Southern Maine New Horizons adult concert band in concert at Portland Conservatory of Music (PCM) in the West End. -Photo courtesy PCM
-Michael Lund Ziegler, Conductor
Layne pairs his favorite local art with some favorite wines
Our Goal is Safe Streets for All Join the Team of Bikers, Walkers, and Drivers
Dedicated to Preventing All Traffic Fatalities and Serious Injuries
Bicyclists – use lights and reflectors, obey traffic rules, be predictable
Our Goal is Safe Streets for All Join the Team of Bikers, Walkers, and Drivers Dedicated to Preventing All Traffic Fatalities and Serious Injuries Bicyclists – use lights and reflectors, obey traffic rules, be predictable
Our Goal is Safe Streets for All
Walkers – wear light-colored clothing at night, stop and look at crosswalks
Walkers – wear light-colored clothing at night, stop and look at crosswalks
Drivers – avoid phones and other distractions, obey traffic rules – slow down Everybody – PAY ATTENTION!
Drivers – avoid phones and other distractions, obey traffic rules – slow down Everybody – PAY ATTENTION!
Join the Team of Bikers, Walkers, and Drivers Dedicated to Preventing All Traffc Fatalities and Serious Injuries
WENA’s traffic calming installations would not be possible without the assistance of Jeremiah Bartlett and Doug Roncarati at Portland Dept. of Public Works, Jaime Parker at Portland Trails, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and our fabulous group of volunteers who make our projects possible. If your neighborhood would like to learn more about participating in Vision Zero, please contact hello@wenamaine.org
WENA’s traffic calming installations would not be possible without the assistance of Jeremiah Bartlett and Doug Roncarati at Portland Dept. of Public Works, Jaime Parker at Portland Trails, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and our fabulous group of volunteers who make our projects possible. If your neighborhood would like to learn more about participating in Vision Zero, please contact hello@wenamaine.org
Bicyclists – use lights and refectors, obey traffc rules, be predictable
Walkers – wear light-colored clothing at night, stop and look at crosswalks
Drivers – avoid phones and other distractions, obey traffc rules – slow down
Everybody – PAY ATTENTION!
WENA’s traffc calming installations would not be possible without the assistance of Jeremiah Bartlett and Doug Roncarati at Portland Dept. of Public Works, Jaime Parker at Portland Trails, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and our fabulous group of volunteers who make our projects possible. If your neighborhood would like to learn more about participating in Vision Zero, please contact hello@wenamaine.org.
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Traffc Calming Projects
Return and Expand
From a few intersections in Portland to many across the region, traffc calming demonstration projects are becoming more visible
By Tony Zeli
Last year, the West End Neighborhood Association (WENA) installed two temporary traffc calming projects in the West End along Danforth Street. It was part of a larger project with installations on Brighton Avenue. The goal was to protect pedestrians and bicyclists using a combination of painted bump outs and temporary fex posts to channel and slow traffc. This summer, Portland and other communities saw more traffc calming projects installed.
After their efforts last year, WENA board member Gregory Farino said the response they heard from resident pedestrians was overwhelmingly positive. “Comments have ranged from ‘this is so pretty’ to ‘thanks for your work’ and ‘this has made such a big difference.’”
This year, WENA expanded their work from two sites to fve. They started by refreshing last year’s installations along Danforth Street at the intersections of May Street and Emery Street. Then they painted bump-outs at Danforth and Fletcher Street, Park Street, and Cushman/ Clark Street. Also, they added a crosswalk at Park and Danforth.
To carry out these activities, WENA used volunteer power and support from partners Portland Trails, the City of Portland, and Bicycle Coalition of Maine. The West End efforts are in part funded by Maine Medical through their Caring Community Grants program.
Other Traffc Calming Efforts
This summer, the City of Portland also targeted a stretch of Washing Avenue for traffc calming efforts. Crews installed temporary safety features from Veranda Street to Ocean Avenue. A speed study along Washington Avenue found that 12
need in the ensemble, which now has a much larger brass section. But all are welcome who wish to join.
Both Belanger and Pantel praised Ziegler’s conducting, from keeping all in time and cueing musicians at the right moment for their parts, to sustaining their enthusiasm with more challenging music.
“’Your best is good enough,’” Pantel said, quoting the founder Dr. Roy Ernst, “yet Michael has pushed us to do more.”
“Every person in an ensemble is an integral part of it,” Ziegler said. “When music is well written, every part matters.” He prides himself on having a good knowledge of players’ skills and personalities, and on choosing music that works best for them.
Ziegler’s had his own musical epiphany while singing a nine-minute Estonian composition in 2006 at an Omaha Nebraska Choral Convention, when he was in the choir at Lawrence University.
“Raucous applause and a standing ovation came in the middle of a set,” he said, as the realization set in that something extraordinary had been accomplished, “a moment that lived with me. Those experiences show us the incredible things we are capable of.”
“When we are young everything is new,” he said. Perhaps it is easier then to take up an instrument. But musicians coming back to instruments or starting to play have a level of humility, and set aside egos, and they are willing to become good again.
percent of vehicles exceeded 35 m.p.h. during non-peak hours.
Further, with support from the Maine DOT and Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), crews installed similar features in Saco on Route 1 at Thornton Academy crossing and in South Por tland on Westbrook Street at MacArthur Circle West.
Between 2017 and 2021, 92 people were killed and more than 580 were seriously injured in traffc crashes across Greater Portland, according to GPCOG. Earlier this year, in response to pedestrian deaths in Portland, local advocates installed memorial markers at intersections throughout town.
“We all need to pay more attention,” said Farino. “Through these efforts, we believe we can save lives and make the West End safer and more enjoyable for everyone.”
Farino encouraged other neighborhood associations that are interested in traffc calming measures to contact WENA and work together.
The traffc calming projects are temporary. They are scheduled to be removed ahead of winter snow by November 15th.
He said he has taught everything but is no expert. On occasion an expert will provide instruction, like a percussionist who helped players with orchestra drums, tympany, vibraharp, and more to hone their skills. “Percussion is quite diverse.”
“The reward is incredible.”
Freelance journalist Nancy English ran for Portland City Council District 2 in 2024 and is a former paralegal for the City of Portland.
Tate/Tyng Playground and Harbor View Memorial Park Fundraising Update
The weather wasn’t exactly cooperative on July 11th when WENA had its Buck Moon Viewing and fundraising event at Harbor View Park. In fact, such a thick fog rolled in that we couldn’t even see the Casco Bay Bridge, to say nothing of seeing the moon!
The event was a fnancial success, though, as people brought their change,
checks, cash, and made PayPal donations to put us over the top!
Thanks to all who helped that night to reach the goal: Elaine Benedetti, Gary Burnett, Suzanne Hunt, Clare Mohs, Jonathan Munro and Jill Bock, Robert Pantel, Sonia Robertson, Anna Marie and John Thron, and David and Daisy Wright.
SERVING ORGANIC COFFEE & TEAS. LOCAL PASTRIES & FREE WI-FI
Volunteers painting bump outs at Cushman St. and Clark St. on June 4th. -Courtesy of WENA
Hey, Portland! Stonewall Kitchen is hiring an Assistant Store Manager to help lead our downtown Portland store. Love great food and great people? Join us!
Bring 2+ years of retail leadership, strong communication, and weekend availability. Apply now: stonewallkitchen.com/humanresources/employment.html
Gladis House Cleaning
We keep your home clean!
Community Events August Food... Music...
Sun, Aug. 3, 2p - Masterpieces of Arabic Music, Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland - The Maine Middle Eastern Orchestra will be performing pieces from the golden age of Arabic music. The featured composers for this program are Mohammed Abdel-Wahab, Riad al-Sounbati, Mohammed al-Qasabji, and the Rahbani Brothers. For tix visit porttix.com.
Mon, Aug. 4, 5:30p – Wayside Pop Up Picnic at Brentwood Community Garden, Portland - Musical guest Baba Ly will join us with his laid-back guitar style and peaceful melodies. This picnic is a free event with delicious food and fun for all!
Culture...
Tue, Aug. 12, 5:30-7p - Annual West End Neighborhood Association Picnic, Harbor View Memorial Park, Portland - “Bring Your Own Picnic.” You bring your supper, chairs and/or blanket. We’ll provide water, some snacks, and dessert. Kicks off with a participatory sing-along with the Jolly Ukes at 5:30 p.m. Following there will be children’s activities with Love Lab Studio and some surprises!
Sat, Aug. 23, 10a-5p - 10th Annual Portland Fine Craft Show, parking area at 120 Free St, Portland - This free, single day, outdoor event will feature over 100 juried fne craft artists from Maine and the greater Northeast. Attendees will fnd basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, stone, and wood.
Contact for an estimate!
juanarodriguez.jar93@ gmail.com
Call: (207) 245-4210
Text: (207) 523-0594
Are you tired of cleaning? Gladis can clean for you!
Fri. & Sat, Aug. 8-9, 5-10p / St. Peter’s Church Annual Italian Bazaar & Street Festival, Federal St, Portland - The 100th Annual St. Peter’s Italian Festival kicks off on Federal Street between India and Hampshire Streets in the old “Little Italy” neighborhood of Portland. Bruno’s Restaurant and Tavern will be hosting the adult beverage garden.
Mon, Aug. 11, 5-7p / Community Cleanup – Back Cove Trail, Portland - Help Friends of Casco Bay protect our coastal habitats by taking part in a litter cleanup of the area surrounding Back Cove Trail, preventing marine debris and microplastics from entering our waterways.
The Finest Kind on the Roof w/ Special Guests (*ticketed*) Aug 08 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Primo Cubano on the Roof all-ages | *ticketed* Aug 15 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
C-DOT 416 w/ Strac live on the Rooftop | all-ages Sep 4 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sat, Aug. 16, 9a-1p - Touch-a-Train, Washington Junction railyard, Ellsworth - The Downeast Scenic Railroad and New England Steam Corporation welcome families back for the Touch-a-Train event. Free caboose and track car rides will be offered throughout the morning, along with free guided tours of the historic Maine Central 470 steam locomotive, currently under restoration.
Aug. 23, 8-9:30a – Bird Walk, Eastern Trail, Scarborough - Enjoy a fascinating bird walk on the Eastern Trail through Scarborough Marsh with Scarborough Land Trust volunteer and expert birder Brad Woodard. Bird Walk from 8-9:30a on the Eastern Trail.
Fr i, Sep. 5 – 7:30p (doors 7p) - Lane to the Glen in Concert, Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St, Portland – An evening of Irish traditional music featuring Lane to the Glen, a virtuoso traditional trio. Adv. ticket prices are $25 GA and $35 for Priority Seating, available only in advance. At the door, $30 GA only.
Submit your event to thewestendnews@ gmail.com. Space is limited. WEN Community Events gives preference to free, charitable, and community-building events.
Sat,
Essential Salt: Maine Public’s New Podcast Brings Local Stories to Life
Every month, Liz Trice interviews a community member for WEN. This month, she caught up with Brenna Farrell, producer, and Jess Miller, host, of Essential Salt, a new podcast from Maine Public in collaboration with the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at Maine College of Art & Design. It’s a show about Maine stories told in Maine voices – and about the power of storytelling to build community.
Liz Trice: What inspired you to create Essential Salt?
Brenna Farrell: I’m fairly new to Maine Public, but storytelling has always been central to my life and work. I come from a background where storytelling shapes nearly every aspect of how I understand the world and myself. Partnering with Salt was right up my alley, because both Salt and Maine Public care deeply about the power of words, of immersing in Maine places, and listening to folks tell their stories.
Liz: Why did you choose Jess as the host?
Brenna: Jess is an amazing producer. She creates beautiful stories, and she actually went to Salt herself, so it felt like the perfect ft.
Jess Miller: Yes, I started my career as a student at the Salt Institute back in 2012, and it was life changing. I fell in love with Maine.
After that, I produced radio in New York for a long time, working at WNYC. I made long-form narrative audio and did call-in shows, which I loved because you get to know your neighbors in such a real way.
When I joined Maine Public last year, I wanted to recreate some of that connection here – hearing stories from Mainers about how things are affecting their lives.
Liz: What kinds of stories can listeners expect from Essential Salt?
and what happens when his identity is revealed. It’s also a look at how traditions create meaning.
former and make their story sound really cinematic. There are people you recognize and see every day, but you might not know meaningful things about them. Like the people playing chess at Market Basket - how do we connect in meaningful ways, and what formats allow that? How do we bring stories and storytelling into our daily lives? It’s in the process of how we tell a story, and what we choose to share, that gives it meaning.
Liz: Why is storytelling so important for Maine right now?
Jess: Stories allow us to hear real voices from across Maine and understand each other better. So that people in the West End can listen to someone making a life in Ellsworth – and vice versa. We can understand each other and hear what’s really interesting.
Brenna: The podcast is six episodes, with two stories per episode. All of them were made by Salt students, past and present. We worked with the Director of Salt, Isaac Kestenbaum, to choose the stories and put the show together. One of my favorites is called “Red Paper Hearts.”
Most people know about Portland’s Valentine’s Bandit, who anonymously decorated downtown with red hearts every February. This piece interviews his daughter and his wife. It’s really intimate and profound, and a really beautiful story about someone who touched so many lives anonymously,
Jess: Another favorite is “Seven Characters”. It’s about a person in Midcoast Maine named Morgan Hunt who documents spicy license plates around the state. People love to customize them – some are funny, or shocking, or even vulgar in a fun way. Vanity of Maine documents all this. But when you sit with Morgan, you start to realize there’s something deeper going on. For him, license plates are about personal identity, and he has his own story about an identity the state was threatening to take away.
Liz: What do you hope listeners will take away from these stories?
Brenna: I really want to create stories that resonate with listeners and let them see the world in a new way. And I hope to do more – to collaborate with Salt and other organizations so that more and more local people can record and share their own stories. I’m a believer in the power of storytelling in all its forms. It gets us to hear people more deeply, and that helps build community.
Jess: Producers can work with someone who isn’t an experienced storytelling per-
Brenna: Exactly. This is a show about connection, and the power of local stories. It’s about getting to know your neighbors – and seeing yourself a little differently along the way.
Liz: How can people listen, and how can they get involved?
Brenna: We’ve created a hub where people can listen to Essential Salt and fnd other great work from Maine Public: mainepublic.org/storytelling.We’d love feedback, and we’d love to hear from listeners with tips and ideas for future stories. You can subscribe to Essential Salt through any podcast platform, and we’ll be creating a broadcast version for Maine Public Radio that features a few of our very favorite pieces from the series.
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Jess Miller. -Ctsy.
Brenna Farrell. -Ctsy.
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By Layne V. Witherell
Judy and I have assembled several pieces for our collection from favorite local artists discovered and gleaned over our nineteen years of living in the West End. We hope you enjoy this pairing with both the wines and the work of our friends.
RELAXATION
Sheep Jones, “How Much is that Owl in the Window”, 8”x6” oil on board.
Her college degree was at the University of Southern Maine, with gallery exhibits in Portland, 153 High Street, Belfast, and the Torpedo Factory, Virginia (artist of the year). She is known for her vision of the lives of small houses, occasionally with plants sprouting both in and from the ground, together with creatures peeking from doors or windows. She adds layers of colors with the work acting as a narrative for her specialty. Quirky little people, birds, and animals will appear as additional guests in her work. Her texturing with light encaustic style scratches of pigment encourages both you and the wine to relax just a bit more.
“All people have stories… their past, present and their dreams…. these are perfect tidbits for the imagination.”
-Sheep Jones
Pairing: Macon-Villages, 2023
A White Burgundy from Chardonnay grapes. No oak aged, light, delicate, dry white. A delicious wine to sip young and fresh. This is an area of small vineyard holders with an international reputation for their wines. Like the art of Sheep Jones, they are individual characters who may appear on one level as peasant like, but on another level can converse on equal terms with the most astute artisan. Their soil is pure limestone, adding to the wine’s complexity and refreshment. The ultimate undemanding wine for a light fsh dish and relaxation.
POP SONG ENERGY
Pat Corrigan, Untitled (a little wasp out for a walk while snacking at the beehive), Portland, Maine, 4”x6”.
Speaking of walks, there are Portland history walks, foodie walks, mystery walks, beer walks, etc. I propose a Pat Corrigan Art Walk. He is an astonishingly prolifc
Wine Pairing
By Layne V.
and uniquely talented artist in this town. The mural at the Greyhound Bus Station on St. John Street for starters, followed by the (now closed) Freedom’s Edge tasting room apple tree mural, and the entire interior of the late, great Local 188 restaurant on Congress Street (especially the bar mural), and let’s not forget the Apohadion Theatre, 107 Hanover Street. Keep your eyes open for the occasional pop-up at Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo Street. Art, swag, and tee-shirts appear at random gatherings.
The ‘little wasp’ is a classic Pat Corrigan small work. He just makes you smile and chuckle with his carefree style and single hair brushwork for the arms, legs, and antennae of our little friend - not to forget that quirky little facial chuckle. The hive literally buzzes with feverish activity behind him, while he strolls with his dipper of honey.
Pairing: Cleto Chiarli Sparkling Lambrusco De Sorbara Secco
While dancing around with the little wasp picture, there is no better wine than a cool sparkling Lambrusco. Now, there is Lambrusco and there is Lambrusco! The ordinary stuff shipped in oil tankers and tasting of “raspberry motor oil” per Randall Grahm, versus the estate bottlings from Emilia-Romagna redolent of violets, black cherries, a touch of earth and fowers. It is refreshingly light, round, semi-sweet and soft. Serve it iced. A bit of salumi on the plate alongside a nutty Parmesan is heaven and pop song energy.
LAYNE'S WINE
GIG PRESENTS
Pairing with Art
Witherell SURREALISM
Dr. Anastasia S. Vernalis-Weigle, “Queen Bee” (homage to a Chinese New Year’s party),16”x10”.
A collage with bees, her signature antique doll head, cut outs, serving tray, Chinese fan, and various dried plants. In Bind Studio, Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Her studio is loaded with boxes of bits and pieces ready and waiting to be turned into delectable collages per her surrealist vision.
In an era when women surrealist artists from the past like Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) and Remedios Varo (19081963) are hailed as superstars today, and are fetching big auction prices for their work, she is still active and kicking. Anastasia Weigle will one day join their ranks. Her PhD. is in Information Sciences with deep plunges into book binding and restoration together with a vast knowledge of the collage masters from the past like Joseph Cornell. She has exhibited in Maine, New Hampshire, Iowa, Chicago, and Pennsylvania.
Pairing: Birchino Scylla, Salinas, CA, A Carignane, Mouvedre Blend, 2022.
In keeping with our surrealist theme, Birichino both translates into “mischievous” or a “cheeky youngster”, and contains a quest for ancient vineyard sites akin to the way Anastasia searches for materials for her art. They are one of my favorite wineries for lots of reasons. John Locke, co-owner, has been practicing his craft for countless decades - many alongside the supremely idiosyncratic Randall Grahm of Bonny Doone - together with his relentless quest for the most ancient of vines to weave his surrealist wine magic. Scylla is partly soft gamey, as well as earthy with favors of fresh cut cranberries.
Another favorite Birichino wine is available at Blue, 650 Congress Street. It is the Besson Vineyards, 2022, (1910 old vines), Grenache masterpiece at $45.00 a bottle. “Dark berry and cluster spice… a savory fnish like a tea made with vine bark.” In a world of innocuous tutti fruit industrially churned out mediocrity, Birichino is the best – Leonora and Remedios would both be proud.
SERIOUSNESS
Ben Coombs, Handblown Glass Lobster Buoy, 24”x4”, Casco Bay Glassworks, Woolwich, Maine.
We remember him from more than a dozen years ago when he was running The Portland Glassblowing Studio with
his wife Molly Coombs on Munjoy Hill. It was an area dense with local artisan crafts people prior to the arrival of today’s numerous fashionable coffee shops. We purchased several of his iconic pieces, some of which are no longer made or sold.
The current shop in Woolrich, as well as galleries and museums statewide, feature his wine glasses, together with small items such as Christmas tree lobster buoy hangings. You can see examples of this piece in larger format at hotel front desks throughout Portland, including at the Hyatt Place on Fore Street. They literally announce, “Welcome to Portland.”
Pairing: Chateau Larose Pergason, Red Bordeaux, Haut Medoc, 2017
Why Bordeaux? The inside of a glass blowing space is hot, dangerous, and serious work. Bordeaux is an ideal comparison because it exists on varied levels of quality and price just like the works of glass. Unlike a light, fruity red or white wine it has weight and depth. And like the lobster buoy it is a wine that you contemplate. It ages well and can cost from tens of dollars to tens of thousands - just like art itself.
Bordeaux, with its high tannin gives tension to the wine; similar, I surmise, to being near the glass blower turning the molten glass to get it just right. A rich Gouda cheese or grilled steak is perfect here.
I guess that I need to close with the age old question: Is wine an art or a craft? Both wine and art require imagination, but at the end of the day art requires a “leap of the imagination”. It’s about the artist’s personal vision. We have known a whole lot of artists as well as winemakers throughout our journey on this planet, and both refer to themselves as artists. At the end of the day, it is probably best to give them both their due.
Layne V. Witherell has been a professional in the wine business for many decades as a teacher, importer, writer, competition judge, and winery CEO.
LAYNE’S WINE GIGS
Individually tailored gigs for small or large groups. Pick the place and the theme and I will help you select the wines and provide the fun. E-Mail me at lvwitherell@gmail.com.
Support the Cruise Ship Pollution Fee
By Cailin Marshall
It’s high summer, and in Maine that means it’s tourist time! Maine welcomes nearly 15 million visitors a year, and a half million of them arrive by cruise ship, docking in Portland, Bar Harbor, and beyond.
Cruise ships may be a fun way to vacation in Vacationland, but they come with a serious environmental footprint. Sailing international waters, they’re subject to fewer regulations than many other industries, and their harmful impacts on water, air, marine life, and coastal ecosystems are well documented. Tourist-destination port towns like Portland bear an unfair burden of this.
But as with many outmoded technologies there is a better way! Greener alternatives are available, and research shows that incentive programs and taxes can be an effective means of helping ships steer a better course (I couldn’t resist the pun!). In Scandinavia, for example, shipping vessels are charged different levels of port fee based on emissions, and this structure has both reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in port areas and shifted more vessels to lower-emission technologies.
We can do the same here in Portland! The frst step is a pollution fee assessed on cruise ships, based on the number of passengers. Proceeds from the fee would go
directly into the new Climate Action Fund, an innovative program that funds projects in the city to reduce greenhouse gases –and created out of citizen initiative! The Climate Action Fund was championed by PCAT members, and after extensive outreach, education, and collaboration with city council members, it became reality just last year.
Assessing a pollution fee both creates an incentive for cruise ship operators to adopt better practices, while also putting money toward renewables projects in Portland. Think of it as a way for cruise passengers to pay more of the true cost of their impact.
The Sustainability and Transportation Committee of the Portland City Council will take up this proposal for discussion in September. Now is the time to get in touch with your council member! Call or write to your district representative (or to the sustainability committee at sustainabilityoffce@portlandmaine.gov). Let them know you support a cruise ship pollution fee to keep Maine beautiful and breathable for all.
Bright Ideas is brought to you by Portland Climate Action Team (PCAT), which meets the 4th Tuesday of the month, 6-7:30 p.m. All are welcome. FMI email: portlandclimate@gmail.com.
Staying Positive in Troubling Times
By Halsey Snow
1.There is no power greater than the power of the people. Although this is a truism, the limiting factor is how alert the majority of people are to any specifc – or even general – issue.When enough people are informed and motivated then change happens. So, the key is to stay informed and remember that action is a choice that comes from within. And the corollary to that is: there is no act, however large or small, which does not make a difference.
2. Stop using fossil fuels and plastic. I am doing it, and you can too. It’s amazing how many ways plastic comes into our lives. And there are ways to minimize it. The important thing is to reduce your reliance on gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, propane, and natural gas. You have to decide you’re going to do it frst. Then it will become apparent how to do it.
3. Don’t make it a battle. There are many writers and commentators who talk about using your anger to motivate your action. My own challenge is to recognize the internal effects of this “battle mentality,” to see how this is the reason that we are where we are and to seek another way. I think of Ghandi and non-violent resistance. “Battling” what you believe stands in your way focuses your energy on the battle, not on making what you want
come into being. The challenge is to stop battling AND stay connected, rather than disconnecting, which is an easy way out.
4. What gives you hope? In your response to this question, do you look outside of yourself or inwards? I would say that hope must come from within, for what you see on the outside can go either way depending on your predilection – optimist, pessimist, realist, or whatever. Maybe it’s not as important “what gives you hope” as recognizing that you DO make a difference, whether you can see that or not. That is a tenet of belief which is not necessarily learned, taught, given, or indoctrinated.You can choose to believe it and see what effect it has on you.
There are always reasons for hope, if you look for them. Or reasons for despair, if you look for them. Perhaps we need to recognize that what we look for is our choice and affects what we see.
Halsey Snow is a member of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and lives in Casco. We’re All in this Together is a monthly column provided by the Portland Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
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Not JUST Another Safari Part 2
Uganda South of the Equator
By Nancy Dorrans
We stepped over the equator into the southern hemisphere to get to our Bush Lodge at the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP).
Here, the Kazinga Channel links Lake George and Lake Edward. On our afternoon boat cruise on the channel, we spotted a lone hyena on its way... paying no attention to the many pods of hippos, birds, cape buffalo, and elephants that watched him or her stroll along. Across the channel we had an up close (maybe too close) encounter with one approximately twelvefoot crocodile. Our tour operator Alex said, “It’s JUST a crocodile.” Oy!
In the Kasenyi Plains sector of QENP, the “big cats” eluded us. We did see lots of colorful birds and a few forest hogs before arriving at Ishasha Wilderness Lodge. Later, overlooking a vast savannah we sipped our “sundowner” drinks as a large herd of elephants, complete with several very tiny babes, moved silently far across in the landscape... Just breathtaking!
On the morning of June 14th, on our way from QENP to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, we fnally spotted a mother lioness and her two cubs resting in a tree right beside the road. Just an amazing sight! I watched the movie “Born Free” on the fight home…
Another long and bumpy “African Massage” ride to CTPH Gorilla Conservation Camp in Bwindi reunited me with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka and her husband Lawrence, who you will know from my June article. Their organization Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH. org) helps the Mountain Gorilla families and their neighbors coexist and thrive! The organization also offers the neighboring community members education on proper hygiene practices and family planning. Everyone benefts!
A 2025 Gorilla census is currently being conducted... From April to October teams are out in the park collecting and counting DNA samples. In 2018 there were 1063 individuals across the Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem and the Virunga Massif (Rwanda, Uganda, and DR Congo). Dr. Gladys and others believe the gorilla numbers are on the rise! We will know more this fall.
June 15th was the day we had been waiting for! This morning, we headed out
on a once-in-a-lifetime gorilla trekking experience accompanied by Dr. Gladys, who has become one of the leading conservationists and scientists working to save the endangered mountain gorillas of East Africa.
The trek to visit a gorilla family can take up to six hours, but on this day we were fortunate! Our gorilla family (named Binyindo Group) consisted of one silverback male Kavuyo, four adult females, and one juvenile male. And they were nearby, only a twenty-minute hike.This was a truly magical hour. It is diffcult for me to describe the experience in words. I felt very safe and happy. Maybe it is because we share over 98% of our DNA with these magnifcent beings.
The day continued back at the Gorilla Conservation Camp, where we were warmly invited to join a lively baptism celebration. Dr. Gladys and her husband Lawrence, serving as the young boy’s godparents, hosted a delicious lunch featuring local dishes, including roast goat. Hours of speeches and generous gifts for the boy and his family followed, with a cow, a goat, a chicken, and money being offered and a festive cake-cutting ceremony. A true highlight was simply spending time with the children – laughing, singing songs, and taking photos. We wrapped up this most amazing day by the campfre, chatting with Dr. Gladys, Lawrence, and our new friends.
We bid farewell to our dear friends at CTPH Gorilla Conservation Camp, promising to stay in touch. Unwinding and relaxing, we then spent two nights in Jinja at the unique and delightful Lemala Wildwaters Lodge on an island surrounded by the mighty raging Nile!
One last loop around Entebbe with a rainy morning visit to the Botanical Gardens and a long goodbye to Lawrence at Gorilla Conservation Coffee Café. A huge thank you to Alex Guma of Gorilla Walking Safaris!
This was not JUST another safari... This was the most powerful and amazing adventure!
If you’d like to learn more about an adventure in Uganda, please reach out. I’ll be happy to share more of my stories and photos with you. And if you’d like to go, I’ll be happy to help you get there!
Don’t delay, NOW is Someday!
Top: One of the Binyindo group of
Below: Enjoying "sundowner" drinks in Queen Elizabether National Park. -All photos courtesy of Nancy Call Sal-U-tions for Assistance!
Bookkeeping (QuickBooks), Typing, Filing, Invitations, Newsletters, Mailings, Computer Assistance. 207-797-2617 www.salutions4u.com
Nancy Dorrans with Dr. Gladys KalemaZikusoka and husband Lawrence. Nancy is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.
mountain gorillas.
Art History Trivia
1. What artist known for sunflowers and starry nights once wrote: "Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony, and music inside me"?
2. Artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was a legend of Parisian nightlife, and he's played by John Leguizamo in what 2001 musical film?
3. The least celebrated of the four, which of the artists that lend their names to the Ninja Turtles was mostly known for his sculptures?
33 Place Brugmann
By Stephanie Miller
It may be universally true that an apartment building full of people must also brim with stories of love, hate, good, and evil in some eclectic measure. It never struck me before reading Alice Austen’s wonderful “33 Place Brugmann” how the mix of a building’s residents tell the story of a time and place.
Set in the chaos of Nazi-occupied Belgium in 1939, Austen’s device of using one apartment building and the transformations of its tenants as representative of the turmoil throughout the country creates a brilliant and engaging novel. Past and present collide, along with rich personalities and a few mysteries worthy of the best spy novels. This tapestry of fear, collusion, resistance, and capitulation is so artfully woven that the characters seem close by — as if they were actual neighbors of my own.
When the Raphael’s of 4R disappear one night, they leave everything behind but their priceless art collection, which has vanished. Charlotte, an art student living with her architect father across the hall in 4L is hurt and confused by their midnight escape. Masha, a beautiful seamstress living in the attic apartment, falls in love with a calculating but dashing spy. He is friends with the retired Colonel in 3L who is more actively engaged in the battle than his genial manner and rather silly dog present to the world.
A father and son address the elephant in the room:
“We don’t talk about it. What’s happening.”
Solutions on Pg. 11
Mondays at El Rayo Scarborough, Lazzari, Banded Brewing
Tuesdays at Ri Ra, Brookside F+D, Another Round
Wednesdays at Wilson County BBQ, Salt Yard, Smoked BBQ
4. What artist, who also painted New York skyscrapers and New Mexico landscapes, consistently denied that her paintings of flowers represented a woman's vulva? Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!
Thursdays at Arcadia, Locally Sauced, Tomaso’s Pizza online @bestworsttrivia
“We can’t.”
“Why on earth not?”
“We don’t need to talk about it. We’re in it.”
Despairing over the depravity of war, they cry. They laugh. They laugh with tears running down their faces. Finally, they hug. Living through this war, in this town, in this apartment building and beyond is exhausting and exhilarating and every moment is laced with flaments of fear. Every page of this novel brings that conficting stew of emotional energy to the fore.
So much of WW2 literature is about the extraordinary daring of ordinary citizens and dutiful rank-and-fle-rank soldiers. So is this novel. It’s also about choices among strangers and what neighbors will do to and for each other.
August Micro Shorts
“The God of the Woods”
By Liz Moore
History repeats itself when another Van Laar child goes missing in the woods behind the Adirondack summer camp they own. As a panicked search begins, we are drawn into a multi-layered drama that unfolds hidden secrets of the Van Laar dynasty, a child missing thirteen years before, and the local neighborhood where, as the largest and most powerful employer, the Van Laar family pays people to be loyal.
Told in alternate chapters through the lens of the many characters living through three decades together, the reader is given glimpses into tensions between the family and the community as a long history of
inheritance, protection, and hidden deeds emerge. It’s both a character drama and a mystery story. I read it in a single day at the beach and felt breathless at the end due to the fast pace and the rapid switching of time and perspective. In the very last paragraph of the book, the title is explained — a nimble literary device that I enjoyed very much.
For more Aug. Micro Shorts visit https:// thewestendnews.com/33-place-brugmann-where-every-resident-has-a-survival-story/.
Bayside resident Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.
"33 Place Brugmann"
By Alice Austen Grove Press / March 2025 / pp. 368
SLICE FROM THE PIE
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Mr.Tuna Chefs Jordan Rubin & Marisa Lewiecki went to Washington, D.C. to fght for federal nutrition programs like SNAP that help feed kids… The St. Peter’s Church Annual Italian Bazaar & Street Festival celebrates its 100th year and invites you to join them August 8-9th… In regional news, Brooklyn ranks as best large U.S. city for bicycling boasting more than 300 miles of protected bike lanes, greenways, and bike boulevards… From the world of lists, SmileHub reports Maine is the 7th Worst State for Sports Lovers for its lack of sports clubs, sports scholarships, and sports & recreational charities… RentCafe’s latest study ranks Portland as the 5th Best Metro for Gen Z Grads offering a strong combination of career opportunities and quality of life… iSeeCars study reveals that the share of sub-$20,000 cars in Portland dropped from 45.2% in 2019 to 5.9% in 2025… All 24,000 sq. ft. of the World’s Biggest Bouncy Castle arrives at the Cumberland Fairgrounds from August 15th through 17th The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a cool, dry fall for Maine with temperatures below average and limited rainfall...
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