If you’re in the vicinity of Fast Eddie’s (see previous post), don’t miss The Theater at Monmouth, a.k.a. the Shakespearean theater of Maine. It’s a double treat.
This classic, professional theater stages five productions in repertory each summer, with at least two being works by the bard. It also stages a spring children’s production and a fall Gilbert and Sullivan production; this year that’s The Mikado.
What makes it all the more special is the building. One simply doesn’t expect to stumble upon an architectural gem like Cumston Hall in a rural community like Monmouth. Designed in 1899 by multi-talented local artist Harry Hayman Cochrane and completed in 1900, Cumston is asymmetrical work of art. It’s adorned with more than 100 stained glass windows and dominated by a four-story Romanesque tower.
While the exterior is magnificent, the interior, also designed by Cochrane, is stunning. In the theater, allegorical figures representing tragedy, comedy, music and dance are painted in heavenly scenes on three panels on the vaulted ceiling. Like the surfaces of the arches and parapets, the ceiling is ornamented with plaster relief. In its center is an oculus. Truly, it’s spectacular.
Worth cruising over from Fast Eddie’s to see; even better, plan to attend The Mikado.
Happy Days are here again, at Fast Eddie’s, at least. The Winthrop, Maine, drive-in restaurant is back in biz thanks to Russ Angell and his wife, Barbara, who reopened the 50s-themed place earlier this year, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald.
I visited a few times during the last summer it was open, and I fell in love with the spot, complete with its interior Elvis and Betty Boop decor. Way cool, way retro; think burgers and shakes.
Once again, it’s a popular spot for classic car buffs, especially on Wednesday nights, when they arrive en mass for the evening cruise in. Find it on Route 202, west of Augusta.
I’m a huge fan of farmers’ markets, and whenever traveling I try to visit local ones. This morning, I visited the Damariscotta Farmers Market (Friday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon). What a fabulous location! Farmers set up at the Salt Bay Farm preserve, in a grassy field at overlooking Great Salt Bay. Plenty of organic produce, plus Borealis breads, Nanney Kennedy’s wool sweaters and blankets, Appleton Creamery cheeses (and a delicious sheep yogurt), Mainely Chicken poultry, plus Chase Farm’s baked goodies (scones, cookies, pies, doughnuts) and meats, and so much more.
One of the fun things about visiting various farmers markets is the serendipity of it all. You never know what you’ll find. Some have local artisans selling in addition to farmers, some sell specialty foods, such as chocolates. But everything is local, and the finds are fun.To find farmers markets, visit the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Get Real site.
Another great stop is Spear’s Farmstand, on Route 1, in Waldoboro. Nothing too unusual in produce, but it does carry some cheeses, Bold Coast Smokehouse products (garlic and pepper salmon sticks!), and it has a great kitchen that turns out very reasonably priced yummies, including cookies and pies. It’s nowhere near the size of Beth’s, in Warren (another favorite), but it sure is convenient when traveling Route 1.
Now this is Maine summer weather: sunny, breezy, dry, temps in the 70s. Ahhh, so sweet and as it’s late August, so fleeting. So seize it. Make the most of the next few predicted-to-be-perfect days. Put off that back-to-school shopping expedition and instead:
—While away the day at the beach or lake
—Pack a picnic. Hike a mountain.
—Slip away for a few days in the Rangeley Lakes, up at Moosehead or way Down East, perhaps in Lubec or Eastport.
—Hop a ferry to Peaks, Vinalhaven, North Haven or Monhegan and explore an island.
—Spend a few days totally disconnected at a Maine sporting camp.
But go, just go. Get outside and revel in the best Maine offers. Now. Don’t put it off. Because you know what this cool breeze means, don’t you? Yup, winter’s coming.
Previously I’ve blogged about the Oakland House, which has been in Jim Littlefield’s family since it was awarded in the mid 1600s as a king’s grant. It’s not the only Maine coastal property with such loooonnng family ties.
Nearby, in Cape Rosier, is Hiram Blake Camps. Like Oakland House, it’s been in the same family since before the Revolutionary War. It too is a family oriented, oceanfront cottage colony, where guests are served breakfast and dinner. It’s more rustic than Oakland House, and the dining room is less fancy, but it too has generations of followers who book for the following year before they depart each season.
Down in Kennebunk, Patricia Mason is the 12th-generation innkeeper at the Seaside Motor Inn, which occupies a spectacular, 20-acre, beachfront chunk of real estate bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Kennebunk River and Gooch’s River. She first realized how deep her roots here were while in high school. She was sitting on the beach reading Arundel, by Kenneth Roberts, and recognized not only the place, but also some of the characters. “It was eerie,” she recalls.
The property was settled in the mid-17th century, Mason says, when her ancestor John Gooch answered the call of Fernando Gorges, agent for King Charles II, to reside here in order to ferry travelers across the mouth of the Kennebunk River. Travelers often needed to pass a night or two, so Gooch provided rooms and operated a tavern. Although Mason can’t date exactly when he settled here, his will is dated 1667, which is the date the family uses as the inn’s beginning, although it’s more likely Gooch arrived in the 1640s.
As was custom at the time, the property passed down for generations to the first-born son. “My grandmother’s mother was an only child and a girl, so the first name change occurred with her,” Mason explains. “Then my grandmother was the eldest and a girl, a Severance.” That was another name change. “My dad was eldest, and he had two daughters.”
Mason and her husband, Ken, were living in Franklin, while her husband was stationed with the Coast Guard in Jonesport. “We got a phone call from Mom and Dad. They said, ‘Someday we want to retire, is this something you want to do?’” It wasn’t something the Masons previously had considered. “It was a hard decision, but one I couldn’t say no to. After 12 generations, you really can’t say, ‘I don’t feel like it.’”
Even on foggy, damp day (and Lord knows we’ve had enough of those this summer), Nervous Nellie’s Jams & Jellies is a treasure.
Located off the Sunshine Road in Deer Isle, it’s a combination tea room, jam kitchen, folk art gallery and fantasy land for kids of all ages. This is one of those off-the-beaten-path Maine treasures that make travel fun. Every time I visit here, I find something new.
Peter Beerits is the sculptor, creating critters of all types from found objects. The funky dogs welcoming folks to the property, crafted from old mailboxes, wood, and other dump finds, give new meaning to the term junkyard dog. Dragons, bears, knights in shining armor, even a castle, can be found in the woods behind the tea room. More characters—a bear, fox, people—litter the fields. Others peer out of windows or hide in the property’s nooks and crannies. Many of the whimsical characters Beerits constructs are drawn from his Nervous Nellie’s stories. He’s finished the fifth episode.
Beerits even has brought historical buildings to the property, including Johnson’s Market and the former Hardy’s store, bringing both back to fantasy life and populating them with characters. It has elements of a living history museum, preserving icons of island life right down to the pickled eggs on the store’s counter.
After a trip down south, Beerit’s has added a multi-cultural touch to his village with Red’s Lounge, a bona fide musical road house. Really, you must see it—and hear the music in this joint.
Peter’s wife Anne operates the jam kitchen, making delicious jams and jellies, conserves and preserves, chutneys and marmalades, which are sold at the tea room, through mail order and at a limited number of specialty stores, mostly in Maine. At one point, the products were carried by places such as Dean & DeLuca in New York. No longer, they’ve downsized, allowing them to keep making their products by hand in small batches.
In the self-serve tea room, you also can have tea, coffee or other sweets—which of course you’ll want to slather with jam. There’s also a tasting bar for the jams. Don’t be surprised if you end up purchasing a number of different flavors of jam; many are unusual and in limited production. Eat inside or our on the deck with the duo playing checkers.
If nothing else, this place is bound to make you smile.
Are you trying to control costs this summer, yet yearning for a vacation? Consider a staycation–the trendy term for vacationing at home and doing all the things you tell visiting friends and relatives to do. Millions of folks travel to Maine every summer because there’s so much here, yet few of us play in our backyards. And if you’re visiting, these budget-friendly Mainecation ideas will help you control costs.
Let’s start with the freebies
Here are a few ideas to get your brain cooking:
• Preserves and sanctuaries are tucked in all corners of the state. Search for Maine Audubon and Nature Conservancy properties, local land trusts, and town parks. Go hiking, mountain biking, paddling, swimming, walking, and picnicking. Many also offer free educational programs, such as guided walks or talks. Another plus: Getting the kids outside is a cure for nature-deficit disorder.
• Bike a rail trail or join an organized ride. (yes, that means go into the cellar, barn or garage to find the bike, clean it up, pump up the tires, ideally get it checked at a local shop)
• Find out what’s in the community’s attic. Local historical society museums or small, quirky museums are often free or nearly so, and they’re usually staffed by volunteers who are passionate about the collections. Maine Museums has links to most.
• Many towns and L.L. Bean sponsor free weekly concert series. Check the Maine Arts Commission calendar for other free concerts and arts-related events
Enter here to visit the handsome Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Afterward, visit the Peary-Macmillan Museum. Both are free.
• Maine college campuses are home to free museums and activities. At Bowdoin, visit the Museum of Art and Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum; at Colby, visit the Art Museum; at UMO, visit the Hudson Museum and Page Farm.
• The Farnsworth Museum, in Rockland, is free on Sundays from 10 a.m.¬1 p.m.
• Hop a ferry to an offshore island: Both Peaks in Casco Bay and Vinalhaven in Penobscot Bay are easy to explore on foot, and Eagle Island has the bonus of being a historic site.
If you crave something far simpler than Rockland’s big Lobster Festival wingding, with music, parades, vendors, entertainment and crowds, plan ahead to attend the annual Frenchboro Lobster Festival.
Frenchoboro, located in Blue Hill Bay, is the real deal when it comes to authentic fishing communities. It supports a year-round population of about 70, including more than 20 of elementary-school age or younger.
Wear your hiking shoes, pack water and light snacks, and come for the day via a special run of the Maine State Ferry from Bass Harbor (passengers only). Bass Harbor is on the quiet side of Mount Desert Island, near Southwest Harbor. The ferry departs Bass Harbor at 9 a.m. and departs Frenchboro, located in Blue Hill Bay, at 3:30 p.m. That leaves plenty of time to hike the island’s trails, visit its musuem, and of course, chow down at the lobster picnic, served between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., rain or shine.
Besides lobster, there will be chicken salad, hot dogs, cole slaw, homemade pies (oh yeah!), potato chips and soft drinks. Tickets are $20, ferry ride is $5 (2011 pricing, that may have increased); proceeds benefit the Outer Long Island Congregational Church. If you have your own boat, you can anchor or moor it in Lunt Harbor.
Don’t miss this opp to sample the freshest lobster you’ll ever taste served with a dose of authentic Maine. And if you can’t make it, the next best thing is lunch cruise to Frenchboro, aboard the R.L. Gott, with Kim Strauss of Island Cruises.
By the way, if you want to do a little background reading about Frenchboro before visiting, pick up a copy of Hauling by Hand: The Life & Times of a Maine Island, by eighth-generation islander Dean Lunt.
Downtown Northeast Harbor suffered a devastating fire in the wee hours of the morning. According to the The Ellsworth American, it destroyed three downtown buildings, starting in the Coloniel’s Deli and spreading to the Wingspread Gallery and Joy building. It also damaged the Kimball Shop Boutique.
So to speak (after five days without Internet access), and with a new office assistant. First, a report on this year’s Grand Lake Stream Folk Arts Festival. In a word: Fabulous. In more words: A nice group of talented artisans, including a few new faces (and the absence of some old ones: Here’s hoping Hawk, the furniture-maker and walking-stick carver feels better soon; he was truly missed). Also some new musicians this year, including the worth-the-price-of-admission UMM Ukelele Club–fun!
Mark Tiptree brought a new group of musician friends, and both he and Jim Gallant have new CDs that should be out soon. Watch for them. Mark’s also putting together a New Orleans Jazz Festival, with concerts in Portland, Yarmouth and Bowdoinham. He’s bringing in some big guns, so watch for it in August. I’ll post more when I get details.
We cut out early on Sunday for a marathon trip to Halifax, N.S., to pick up a puppy (actually two, one for us and another for a New Hampshire family). With torrential rains in NS and construction elsewhere, it took us 12 hours to arrive home. If you’re considering traveling across the border with a pet, you must have documentation showing that it’s up to date on shots. Other than that, it’s a breeze. Actually traveling, though, requires frequent stops.
The highlight: Dinner at Just Barb’s, in Stockton Springs. I ordered inside, and we settled with the pups at an outdoor picnic table. The waitress delivered our takeout order of fish and chips right to the table. Now, if you’ve never stopped at Just Barb’s, on Route 1, it’s worth it. The two of us didn’t finish a single order ($7.99) and that comes with free seconds. Wow. Nice fresh fish; good crispy fries. It’s a sad little building, but don’t let that deter you.
So my new assistant, Dooley, is now sleeping at my feet (and why not, he was up most of the night). His official title is Chief Paper Shredder. Look for him, along with his big bro Bernie to report on pet-friendly travel.
