Lincolnville Beach is in the midst of a transformation. Beach businesses were hit hard during this winter’s storms, nearly destroying the Lobster Pound building, and badly damaging other buildings on that stretch of U.S. Route 1, the only place where the road runs directly along the ocean in its route from Aroostook County to Southern Florida.

The seawall has been rebuilt this Spring, and my understanding is that there will be some repaving, after which the benches, and yes, the cannon, will be put back where they belong.

I was especially worried about the missing cannon. How would we defend ourselves if the British decide to take over Penobscot Bay again?

The Whales Tooth and the Beach Store recovered from the storm, but the Lobster Pound is open as a gift shop, not a restaurant this year. The biggest change is the relocation of McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack to a new location.

When I mentioned last week that the strip of land where McLaughlin’s had stood since 1980, had been purchased by the State Department of Transportation to serve as a proposed parking lot for ferry traffic, I heard several references to a certain Joni Mitchell song.

But McLaughlin’s will continue, and last Thursday they opened in their new location, in the building that held Chez Michele, and before that, the Beach Inn. The restaurant where the previous owners of this old farmhouse treated my parents to a twin lobster dinner ($5.95 for two lobsters with all the sides) after closing on the house.

Rick McLaughlin’s grandparents and parents owned the Lobster Pound Restaurant, and as a very young man, he ventured out to open an off-shoot restaurant across the Beach in 1980, The Lobster Pound Take Out. Serving many of the same recipes as the flagship eatery, in the early days, it really was just a shack, a small building with picnic tables in front.

Flipping through a book of paintings by Lincolnville and New York artist Alex Katz some years ago, I came across a portrait of his wife, Ada, with the old Take Out as the background. The Lobster Pound Take Out really was a classic old-school place, and go-to stop for those waiting for the ferry or needing a snack after a day at the beach — a pint of fried clams, a cup of chowder, or a grilled hot dog on a perfectly toasted bun.

And, as I have mentioned, the place where I spent the bulk of the 1990s, often sequestered in the breading closet at the very back of the building, though Rick also gave me the role of cleaning the grounds, picnic tables, and lobster cooker — a much preferred duty on hot summer days.

Over the years, Rick made many changes, including becoming an independent restaurant — McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack — enlarging the kitchen and adding a permanent dining room, adult beverages, and a greatly expanded menu.

The family and I stopped by Friday night, and I am pleased to say that while it has transformed into a full sit-down restaurant with a bar and upstairs and downstairs dining rooms, the food remains consistent and wonderful, and a nostalgia trip for anyone who may have grown up at the old Lobster Pound.

Our meal included those amazing onion rings and oysters on the half shell. Sadly, my daughter has also developed a taste for raw oysters, leaving less of those briny delights for me. Ma and Don happened to be there, as well, and they declared that their plate of fried clams were “almost too many to finish.” For the record, the plate was empty when I found them in the upstairs dining room.

Like the old Lobster Pound before it, McLaughlin’s remains very much a family affair, with Rick telling me that he is doing this for the next generations, who have grown up in the restaurant business, same as he did. Rick’s son Joe was right there manning the bar as we walked in.

Rockland residents Dale and Geri Hayward had also come to check out the new location. I mentioned to Dale that Rick had given me my first formal job at 15, and Dale told me that he got his first job from Rick’s grandmother, at the old Lobster Pound.

Meanwhile, I will be dropping my daughter off later this morning for her first shift of her second season at McLaughlins. A Lincolnville institution continues. They do need to bring back those baskets of assorted individually wrapped crackers with cheese spread. Anyone else remember those?

Grange Supper and Show

This Saturday, June 8, at 5 p.m. a public supper will be held at the Tranquility Grange, 2171 Belfast Road, followed immediately by a show by Rosey Gerry, “Ladies Night Out”, featuring many of the talented ladies from around Maine who have shared the stage with Rosey.

Tickets at the door, $10 for adults, $5 for kids 5-12, and free for those under 5 or over 90.

If you haven’t taken in a traditional Maine bean supper, or its been a while, you are in for a treat. Biscuits, beans, casseroles, and pies on pies on pies. And Rosey is always entertaining, the bard of Lincolnville.

LCS Color Run

Also on June 8, the Lincolnville PTO will be holding a Color Run, to raise funds for uniforms for LCS athletes. At 9 a.m. at LCS, participants will run, walk, skip- whatever- the one mile course, while getting hit with bursts of color. Register to participate and solicit pledges at http://forms.gle/5Bp7A1mCcNHxfz8VA. 

Our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is fantastic, and always coming up with new and creative ways to support out students, our school, and our teachers. They are one of the organizations that inspire so much pride in my hometown.

Happy June, Lincolnville. Isn’t it always amazing how everything just bursts into life in the blink of an eye? Do your best to keep the kids invested in the last couple weeks of school. This is the time of year that we survive the winter for. Enjoy and appreciate it. Reach out to me at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

CALENDAR

Monday, June 3

School Committee, 6 p.m. LCS

Select Board Workshop with the Recreation Committee, 6 p.m., Town Office

Tuesday, June 4

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Wednesday, June 5

Library open 2-5 p.m. 

Thursday, June 6

Heart and Soul Team, History and Culture, Small Town Rural, 6p.m. Historical Society

Friday June 7

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

Saturday, June 8

Library open 9-12, 208 Main Street

LCS-PTO Color Run, 9 a.m. LCS

Grange Supper and Show, 5 p.m., Tranquility Grange, 2171 Belfast Road

Sunday, June 9

United Christian Church, 9:30 a.m. Worship, 18 Searsmont Road

Bayshore Baptist Church, 9:30 a.m. Sunday School, 11:00 worship, 2648 Atlantic Highway