ROCKLAND—As mud season is full underway, little pops of color in nature are turning up on roadsides and gardens. As part of Artists & Makers Week hosted by the Island Institute’s retail store Archipelago, little pops of color also appeared in artist Kim Bernard’s email inbox—the result of daily art prompts she put out to Maine’s communities and beyond last week.

Each day had a different directive and she encouraged each participant to spend no more than 15 minutes on each prompt. One was: Pick a color, go for a walk and photograph everything you see that's that color. Choose the best nine photos and email a screenshot.

Each person picked their own color scheme.

“Some of them were not easy colors to find, such as a teal/aqua,” she said. “When you set out with the intention to find that color, suddenly your eye finds it, wherever it is. That color has always been there, but now that you’re searching for it and your eye zeroes in. I thought about this more being an exercise in observation, not emphasizing so much about the objects they chose, but more about sticking to their choice of color, even if it was difficult to find.”

Bernard added that the art prompt doubly served as a practice in being present in the moment. “When you’re out for a walk looking for color, what you’re actually doing is exercising your mind and creativity,” she said. “There are so many benefits to doing this.”

“Each prompt attracted different people,” she said. “For example, one prompt encouraged people to choose one common household object that they have many of and arrange them creatively, so some people were more inclined to do that one more than the others.”

Another popular art prompt was to create a doodle within a circle. Bernard received 24 of those doodles and has now created buttons out of them and is sending them back to the participants.

Bernard started her daily art prompts from her social media platforms right after the pandemic began to encourage people to cultivate creativity and camaraderie. It turned into 150 days in a row of daily art prompts, encouraging her followers to post their work on her Facebook page—sort of an interactive, fun, hobby, while the world was figuring out how to move forward.

As a result of this hobby, Bernard received a grant from the Island Institute to produce Daily Art Prompt decks, printed into postcard size, which now Archipelago now carries.

To see how the daily art prompt creations turned out each day visit Bernard’s Facebook page.

“It was generous of the Island Institute to make this Artists & Makers Week free for participants and since it was virtual, it was even far-reaching to anyone who has a connection to the Midcoast,” she said. “And it’s recorded, so if you missed some of the events this week, people can still access it online.”

To access more of the archived virtual events visit Artists & Makers Week.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

BELFAST—Think you’re being a good consumer by dropping your plastic recycling off at a Transfer Station each week? Well, don’t wipe your hands and be on your merry way, yet.

In the last 60 years, consumers have been sold a lie that the plastic they buy will be recycled.  The truth is less than 10 percent of what we use and turn in for recycling is actually recycled—the majority is incinerated or stuffed right back in landfills. According to an NPR and PBS Frontline investigative report, “How Big Oil Misled The Public in Believing that Plastic Would Be Recycled,” the nation’s largest gas and oil industries were aware that the majority of the plastic they made was not going to be recycled, but instead, thrown away.

Creating new plastic today is actually cheaper than recycling it. And big oil firms found more incentive to invest heavily in making virgin or new plastic, rather than the more expensive option of recycling it. If we care about this as consumers, it’s time to wean dependence from buying single-use plastics.

The Green Store in Belfast, owned by Ellie Daniels, has always led the movement for organic and eco-friendly products. In late March, the store introduced a new Common Good bulk liquid cleaning products system in the back of the store. Similar to a food co-op’s system of dispensing staple items from bulk bins, The Green Store encourages shoppers to bring in their own containers and dispense as much liquid into them as they need.

“It’s amazing how much plastic we throw away in common products like shampoo or even the toothbrushes we use, but particularly I was interested in finding soaps and detergents that people could dispense themselves and refill in their own containers,” she said.

When it comes to the single-use plastic dish, body wash, and laundry detergent bottles, Daniels was concerned with mitigating our consumer impact on the environment.

“Especially since COVID-19, we haven’t been able to ship our recycling to overseas recycling centers,” said Daniels. “I know public radio did recently did an expose that how much we thought was being shipped to a recycling center, was, in fact, going straight into the ocean.”

Daniels is referring to a documentary called Plastic Wars, an investigation and report NPR and PBS did on the lies told by the oil and plastic industries—that single-use plastic would be recycled. The industries promoted that concept, without actually following through with it, because they knew it would appeal to eco-conscious consumers and would ultimately sell more plastic.

The Green Store currently offers hand soap, laundry detergent, and all-purpose soaps in unscented, lavender, or tea tree with a cost of .45 to .50 cents per fluid liter.

“The scented soaps are essential oils, not perfumed oils and tea tree is especially good for cleaning bathrooms in particular because it’s anti-fungal and anti-bacterial,” said Daniels.

Shoppers are encouraged to re-use their own containers and The Green Store sells special pump adapter lids for glass mason jars. Of course, if the shopper wants his or her laundry area to be Instagram-worthy, there are also snazzy glass bottles to go with it.

For more information visit: The Green Store

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—The Island Institute and its retail store, Archipelago are champions of the Midcoast’s creative economy and sponsors of the past in-person Artist and Makers Conferences. This year due to the pandemic, they’ve spun in a new direction, creating a virtual Creative Economy Hub for the week of April 5 to 9, 2021.

Organizer Lisa Mossel Vietze knew the undertaking of an artists and makers event would be different this year. “After surveying 850+ past participants, we began to think about how to engage them knowing that Zoom fatigue is real,” she said. “In the past, we’ve had nearly 30 hours of content in a day and a half and I knew we couldn’t recreate that amount of content online while having it be engaging, inspirational, and informative. The survey really informed the content and so, we came up with the idea of a Creative Economy Hub where there would be new and existing content that could be accessible throughout the year, as well as a focus on a week-long portfolio of content and events that would launch during Artists and Makers Week. 2021. We wanted to also provide content that wasn’t easily found elsewhere, that helps us feel connected, even while being apart. Those are the specific reasons for the Daily Art Prompts and Daily Art Voices being dropped all week.”

How to tell your artist’s journey on Instagram

Hannah Richards, brand content strategist at Ethos in Westbrook, is the featured speaker of the week, giving multiple webinar presentations on how to use the features of Instagram to reach and engage your audience.

Takeaway tips from her hour-long webinar on Instagram included:

• It is the best visually-oriented platform for artists to showcase their work. “I always say it is the art gallery of social media,” said Richards. “People are very invested in what you’re making and are most likely to engage.”
• It’s the best platform for shopping; people tend to check in every day and make impulse purchases. “Small businesses that use Instagram ads get a bigger audience for their accounts and more followers,” she said.
• Instagram’s Reels, its video function, gets the highest amount of views and engagement.
• Use a branded hashtag after each post that is completely unique to your work and put it in your Instagram bio.
• Instagram offers tools to tell stories in different ways such as: Feed (photo and caption), Story (best for building brand), Story Highlights (categorize your products), Reels (short video), IGTV (longer video) to tell a story; use the free app Planoly to help draft, schedule and publish content.

Those who wish to view the recorded event can see it here. Richards will do a follow-up webinar on any Instagram questions artists and makers might have on April 8 from 10 to 11 a.m. Register here.

Stay tuned for more stories on Artist and Makers Week from PenBayPilot this week.

Related: Takeaways from Artists and Makers Conference 2017

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Maine Seaside Treasures, a Rockland-based shop, moved into its second location on 14 Main Street in Camden and opened its doors on Friday, March 27.

Owner Connie Sawyer also runs the sea-themed Seagull Cottage in Rockland, and the new store is similar in decor.

Her husband told her about a space in Camden that was for rent even though she wasn’t looking to open a new store.

“The pandemic has brought pros and cons to everyone in their lives and I was just very fortunate that this could happen for us,” she said. “It’s a strange time to be opening a business, but maybe it’s the perfect time; it felt meant to be.”

Sawyer said she’s excited to be a part of downtown Camden and to meet the community.

“We had a good summer over at The Seagull Cottage—not a great summer—but it slowly picked up,” she said. “We were saved by the locals from the end of summer through December; they supported us tremendously.”

With Store Manager Carissa Christie helming Maine Seaside Treasures, Sawyer will still run the Seagull Cottage in Rockland location.

The place was vacated by Sherman’s Books and Stationery, which closed a year ago as a casualty of the COVID-19 industry shutdown, as previously covered in a PenBay Pilot story.

With exposed brick and high ceilings, the 1,200 square-foot store has a lot of beach-themed home accessories, such as mermaid sculptures, starfish, and urchin shells, along with other Maine-themed gifts and decor.

“In the Camden store, I’ll be carrying some different items, so we won’t be competing with other local stores,” she said. “But, it’s still all themed around the coast. I just love the sea and so many of the items here reflect that. I’ll also be adding more items handmade locally by artists.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 10 people will be allowed in the store at one time.

Updates for a grand opening and store hours can be found on their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Chef Josh Hixon, owner of 40 Paper, in Camden, and Chuong Thien Nguyen, both volunteers of the Camden Snow Bowl’s Ski Patrol and Mountain Steward program, have a friendly rivalry going on: who can cook the better dish?

After a mock battle involving dueling homemade dishes one day after skiing, Hixon and Nguyen decided to make it official and host a Culinary Throwdown on Sunday, March 28, in the lodge of the Camden Snow Bowl with donations toward the meal benefiting the Ski Patrol projects.

Pork was the common ingredient for each dish and each cook took that protein in a different direction. Nguyen made a Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop with Roi Choi Korean Kimchi Fried Rice, substituting Heiwa Tofu for vegetarians. Hixon, using a smaller version of flatbread that 40 Paper serves, decided to go with a Calabrian pork grilled flatbread.

“The lemongrass pork chop is my family recipe,” said Nguyen, who alternated between searing the pork on the grill on the outside deck and coming back inside to season his wok with a variety of flavors for the fried rice. “This is something I’ve done a long time; I love cooking.” 

On the opposite side of the lodge, Hixon had already prepared his chafer with carmelized pulled pork and grilled flatbreads.

“There are two regions in Italy, the Emilia region and the Calabrian region, that do these kinds of flatbread with meats and vegetables,” explained Hixon. “So, this is a play on that with pork I got locally from Deer Foot Farm, which was braised for a number of hours. The vegetables were radicchio and arugula, all Italian ingredients, with local feta on top. And then I had a spicy, rich paste made from ground Proscuitto and salami, chilis, and butter. The sauce on top was the braising liquid reduced.”

Judges for the event were the Snow Bowl’s General Manager, Beth Ward, Senator Dave Miramant, Rep. Amy Roeder, and Ski Patrol volunteer R.J. Polky.

As everyone enjoyed the Italian and the Vietnamese dishes, it was hard to proclaim a winner: so it was decided. It was a two-way tie.

“We’re all winners here,” said Nguyen.

“We’re working on finishing the Patrol Summit deck at the top of the mountain, so that we can offer more public events when COVID loosens things up, have a grill up there, and have some live music,” said Terrain Park Manager Steve Pixley.

Though the Snow Bowl made the decision to close early for the season, there is still a GoFundMe fundraiser to help them continue to make operational improvements and finish the Patrol Summit Deck.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Trading up—getting something more valuable in return for the traded item—is human nature.

One Camden man has started a personal adventure to see how far he can get with a paper clip that way. Inspired by Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald who started with trading a paper clip and ended up owning a house as well as YouTube personality ChadwithaJ, who traded a paper clip and eventually got an iPhone, Matt Hunt is on the same mission.

A month ago, he posted a message on the Facebook Page All Free Midcoast announcing his paper clip proposition, not sure what to expect.

“The first trade I made for a paper clip was for a piece of crystal amethyst,” he said.

Like all journeys, he was prepared for the positive, but not for the negative.

“I had a lot of haters on the comments telling me to get a job, or trying to exchange the paperclip for another similar office item, which is not what this was about,” he said. “Here, in New England, I’ve definitely had the ‘tire kickers’ tell me they wouldn’t do a trade for something as low value as a paper clip. But, I also had people who were excited about this journey and offered me something of more value. And they also told off the people who weren’t being kind.”

The crystal amethyst caught the eye of a person in the Midcoast who offered Hunt a pair of earrings that were simulated opals with CZ accents. In the meantime, he got another paper clip trade going, resulting in a valuable Pokemon card.

“I’ve got two separate items going right now, but I might even be willing to trade both for something else,” he said. “I’m realistic though; I’m not out to make the jump from a $10 value item to a $50 value item—but if it happens, it happens.”

He has now started a Facebook page for his journey, which has amassed around 200 followers.

Not everyone “gets” what Hunt is doing. As he explained it, some people learn how to bake sourdough in a pandemic; this offbeat hobby is just more his speed.

“There is always something sitting in our houses and collecting dust, but if we can have fun and trade these items, why not?” he said.

When you follow MacDonald’s paper clip journey through his Tedx Talk, (see embedded video) it’s easy to see why a fun venture like this can also lead to some amazing discoveries about life, relationships, and human kindness.

“It’s definitely just for the thrill of it,” he said. “There have been multiple sources of inspiration for me to trade up, but it’s not for the high-ticket item, more to just see what they’d offer and where this journey goes.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—Take a walk through the cavernous welding/fabrication shop at the newly built Midcoast School of Technology and you’ll be surrounded by industrial machines, tools, workbenches, and vices. For some students, it might be intimidating. But 17-year-old Mikayla Tolman feels right at home.

The senior at Zenith Alternative School takes a welding class at Midcoast School of Technology every other day and is one of two female students in the welding/fabrication program.

“When I first walked in, I got excited, but also really nervous about how to use all of this equipment,” she said of her first day in the shop. “Growing up, I hung around girls more, but I’ve gotten close to the guys in this class; they’re my buddies.”

Mikayla’s father works at a tractor company and, inspired by that, she took her first welding class at Camden Hills Regional High School as a freshman.

“My instructor was female and she showed me all I needed to know in using the equipment and tools,” she said. “After that, I’d go to where my dad works and find all of these scrap metals and parts I could weld into something.”

Her investment in Industrial Arts has become just that—industrial art. The school featured her miniature logging truck sculpture on its Facebook page.

It took a couple of weeks working on the CNC table, using sheet metal for the truck cab, rebar for the logs, and bearings and nuts for the wheels. “I actually didn’t know it was going to come out as decent as it did,” she said, adding that her dad told her he was pretty impressed with this piece.

The truck sculpture wasn’t a class project; it just was what Mikayla felt like making.

“As long as we’re welding, with our minds on our work, we’re pretty free to make anything,” she said.

Mikayla said she gets inspired with new projects through the image sharing website, Pinterest and from a rising star female metalworker artist she follows on social media named Rae Ripple. “She makes these awesome swings and she plasma cut this entire truck,” she said.

When she’s not at school, she likes to unwind in the outdoors, visiting farm animals, and going four-wheeling.

When Mikayla graduates, she’s got plans for her future in mind.

“When we can travel again, the first places I’d want to go to is to Niagara Falls and the Iowa 80 Truck Stop,” she said.

A quick Google search discovered why she’s so enamored by The Iowa 80 Truck Stop, based in Walcott, Iowa, as it happens to boasts the world’s largest truck stop.

“I’m hopefully going to start my own fabrication business someday,” she said.  “I’d love to make things out of metal, like horseshoes and rebar and turn them into gifts and things people can use in their home.”

In her senior year, the pandemic is still making future plans uncertain.

“I never expected my senior year to be like this,” she said. “Isn’t senior year supposed to be your best year?”

Creating art is a way for her to disengage.

“I try to get away from all of the other stuff,” she admitted. “It’s not hard work, like homework, but it’s creative and you can make what you want.”

Hail To The Rad Kids is an ongoing feature highlighting teens in the Midcoast with special talent. 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—Good Tern, the co-op that rounds up change for worthy causes each month as covered in a previous PenBay Pilot story, is dedicating the month of March to the Portland-based community effort, Maine Needs, which accepts donations of clothing and household items to benefit families in need through caseworkers all over Maine.

They also accept Essential Care Kits. These are care packages you can make as though they were a gift to someone you will probably never meet. Picture a family that has just moved out of a homeless shelter into their first apartment and the first thing they see when they walk into the kitchen is a Cleaning & Toiletry kit, consisting of sponges, soaps, toilet bowl cleaner, trash bags, shampoo, and conditioner. What a relief it is to have essential cleaning tools already in place.

Or picture a young man who has just started getting his life back after hitting rock bottom. The “New Start Kit” with its toiletry items, socks, a granola bar, and a bus pass gives him the dignity to get up in the morning, shower and shave, take the bus that day.

It’s a blast of kindness from one Mainer to another when times are already hard enough. It’s the verbal equivalent of: “Let me make this easier for you.”

Elissa Bower, the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Good Tern Co-op, has been overseeing the kits this month.

“We just got our first kit a few days ago,” she said. “It was a ‘Minute For Mom Kit, which was really sweet. It had a box of tea, a candle, some razors and washcloths, lotion, and a chapstick,” she said.

What people choose to put into a kit is up to them. Maine Needs provides a potential list for each kit but leaves it up to the provider to customize. 

“We’re offering to collect those kits for Maine Needs this month and I’ll either drive them down to Portland or we might be able to distribute them to families right here in the Midcoast,” said Bower.

At the time of this article, Good Tern had been working with Midcoast organizations serving families in need to connect them with Maine Needs and establish a permanent drop-off and distribution location in Rockland.

Even if people prefer not to assemble the kits themselves, Good Tern is still taking donations either at the register as a round-up or over the phone in dollar amounts for Maine Needs.

“It makes me so happy; it brings butterflies to my stomach when I see how much people do care for one another,” said Bower. “You’re never going to meet the person who received the kit, but just making it, and knowing how grateful the person is going to be to receive it—that’s how the world goes round.”

For more information visit Maine Needs and Good Tern Co-op.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Do you miss a rousing Celtic jam with fiddlers stuffed all up in a hot, snug pub?  Yes, this year looks a lot different for our usual St. Paddy’s Day Rundown, but we’re in the midst of a bleeding cold snap and we all need a bit of cheer this week.

Break out the Guinness and go to Ireland

• We’ll start with the free streaming events. So, go ahead and get dressed up in that tacky “Kiss Me I’m Irish” T-shirt you’ve had since college and break out the dangly shamrock earrings. No need to get a COVID test and your passport, you’re going to Ireland on  March 17 with free St. Patrick’s Day Events jointly held by the Mid Ulster District Council and others.  St. Paddy’s celebrations go virtual with a live Muddlers Club Concert, (see a gorgeous music clip here) a performance by songwriter/singer Malachi Cush, and a traditional Irish dance done by kids from the Carroll School of Dance. FMI: Facebook event

• Discover Ireland also has a free virtual event for those who want to tune into the Emerald Isle for an evening and feel as though they are sitting in the old pub with revelers, featuring an evening of music and dance live from the iconic Johnnie Fox’s pub in Dublin. FMI: Facebook event

• Oh my gracious, if you want to get a little rowdy and get into the spirit, the Dropkick Murphys are doing a free livestream concert from Boston at 7 p.m. which you can access through this link. The fact that you will be at home, drinking, not driving, and dancing like a banshee is a good thing, so you don’t make a holy show of yourself. FMI: Facebook

• If you’re a trivia fan, there’s a free, public St. Paddy’s Day trivia event at 7 p.m. Get your pod together and gather at one person’s house to sign up as a team. There are prizes for the top teams (for a nominal entry fee). FMI: Facebook event.

Cook a traditional Irish meal

• This Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., Bravo Maine is hosting a virtual Irish cooking class led by a professional chef where you’ll learn with other Zoomers how to make a steak with stout sauce and a traditional colcannon (potatoes, kale, scallions, and lots of butter). Unlike most Zoom meetings these days, this will be fun and you don’t have to put yourself in video mode to participate. Sign up to get the list of ingredients. FMI: Facebook event

• Or hey, if you want to go rogue and cook like no one is watching, here are the top 10 Irish food recipes you can try at home yourself.

In-person St. Paddy’s Day Celebrations

If you’re feeling okay about being indoors at a public event (while there are still socially distant mandates currently in place) there are a few of our die-hard St. Paddy’s Day Rundown champions opening their doors on Wednesday, March 17.

• Front Street Pub (Belfast) will be starting at 11 a.m. to offer their green beer, Irish specials, and swag specials.
• Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. (Belfast) will be opening at 2 p.m. to feature their new release: Flag! Oatmeal Stout & Green Alien in honor of the day.
• Rollie’s Bar & Grill (Belfast) will be kicking off their Irish food and drink specials at 12 p.m.
• The Whale's Tooth Pub (Lincolnville) will be throwing down some Irish specials as well as live music from the T’Omally brothers at 5:30 p.m. Reservations required.
• Myrtle Street Tavern (Rockland) will be opening at 11 a.m. for St. Paddy’s Day celebrations and food specials.
• Waterworks Restaurant (Rockland) will be serving Irish specials and Guinness starting at 11:30 a.m.

Come on, Mainers, let’s keep that cheer going. Sláinte!

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Maine is a filmmaker’s dream with its rugged coastline, diverse terrain, a pool of talent, and mystique. So why aren’t more movies and television shows shot here?

This has been the frustration of many producers and filmmakers who find that the state’s current tax incentive is too paltry, considering other states and Canadian provinces can provide more financial incentives to shoot movies and television productions there.

According to the Maine Film Office, the state currently only offers a 10-to-12 percent wage rebate back to financiers for employees who work on a film in Maine, with an additional five percent tax credit for any production costs in Maine. However, that five percent is essentially worthless if a production has no tax liability.

For more than two decades, Maine citizens and filmmakers have been trying to get bills passed into law in an attempt to increase film incentives up to at least 25 percent, on par with Massachusetts’ incentives—where many Maine-centered films are typically shot—and for various reasons, these efforts have largely failed.

Rep. John Picchiotti (R-Fairfield) has an interesting answer for why that is. In the past decade, he’d sponsored two bills to boost the state’s film incentives, only to see them both die in the Appropriations Committee.

“The problem we had all along is that the state’s static software was restricted, and antiquated,” said Picchiotti. “Any time you put a bill like this into the budget, all the software would do is show the money going out, not the money coming in. To update the software would have cost the state a million and a half dollars. And the state told us they couldn’t afford it.”

Picchiotti said he found a solution that could have worked.

“Just before I left office in 2018, I was working with a group called REMI, who could have fixed that software problem for around $200,000 to $300,000,” he said. “But, nothing was ever done about it.”

Picchiotti said the state’s Appropriations Committee knew about the problem. They also understood the economic benefits of bringing productions into Maine, but in the end, when the tax incentive numbers got crunched into the state’s budget, without any context, “it threw the budget completely off,” he said.

Despite these past speedbumps, Erik Van Wyck, a producer and actor in the 2018 film, Holly Star, shot in Biddeford and Saco, is working with an effort called Picture Maine to pass a new film incentive bill through the Maine Legislature.  

The bill, L.R. 1105, is titled “An Act to Promote Economic Development Through Increased Film Incentives.”

Beyond the issue of the state’s antiquated software, Van Wyck said other misconceptions have contributed to the failure of past film incentive bills. Having learned from what failed to resonate with lawmakers in the past, Picture Maine’s bill has been crafted with specific goals in mind: to benefit working Mainers, not Hollywood actors.

Misconception 1: Film Incentives Only Benefit Out-Of-State Talent

Van Wyck said that there is a persistent misconception amongst taxpayers and the Maine Legislature that filmmakers only want to boost the state’s economic incentives to benefit the filmmakers themselves.

“There is sort of a stigma attached to it, like, ‘Why should we fund your creative dreams when there are larger issues we need to deal with?” said Van Wyck. “People who only see film as a creative endeavor don’t see it as a profitable industry.”

According to Picture Maine, the new bill “ensures that Maine taxpayers are not subsidizing the salaries of high-profile Hollywood producers, directors, actors, writers or from away.”

“It has no above-the-line incentive for people who don’t live here to work on a film,” he said. “Only the actors, writers, and directors whose wages would be incentivized, would be for people who live in Maine.”

Pointing to Governor Mill’s Strategic 10-Year Plan, which looks to attract new talent and promote innovation among other endeavors, Van Wyck said bringing film and TV productions to Maine aligns perfectly with the 10-Year-Plan’s vision. 

Todd Gabe, a UMaine professor of economics, published a study in 2013 on film and TV’s impact on the Maine economy. Analyzing data from 2010, Gabe discovered that companies bringing film, television and photography projects into Maine directly supported 1,698 jobs.  This was a combination of people working full- or part-time for companies and those who were self-employed. Together, they provided an estimated $19.6 million in labor income.

The bill aims to keep as much revenue generated from film in Maine as possible, and as Gabe’s 2013 study showed, it has a multiplier effect on Maine’s economy.

“Each film and television show is a temporary, independent small business that hires 100-150 people,” said Van Wyck. “In Maine’s economy with seasonal workers, gig workers, and a lot of entry-level workers who have easily translatable skills to a film set, you’re looking at benefiting a lot of local vendors, especially in the leisure and hospitality industries, which are suffering right now in a pandemic. Film is an industry that could easily gain a lot of those jobs back because it relies so heavily on restaurants, hotels, bars, transportation—it’s all good for this state.”

Misconception 2: Filmmaking Can’t Happen in a Pandemic

Numerous film and television shows are currently working around the pandemic, with precautions in place.

“Their productions are going; they’re adding extra quarantine days and everyone is doing multiple COVID tests throughout,” said Van Wyck. “They’ve got medical workers who now have extra employment. You have extra hotel rooms being bought up because of the pandemic; workers who are making extra wages. So, the film incentive bill is no different than The Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit Program or the FAME program, which incentivizes other small businesses.”

Attracting Smaller Budget Films, Not Blockbusters

What Van Wyck and Picture Maine are proposing through this bill is to bring smaller, independent productions to Maine in the $5–$8 million range, not the big, blockbuster $100 million movies. 

“In our bill, there is a per-production cap, so at a certain point, it won’t make sense for an $8 million-film to come here as they wouldn’t get the rate of return they’d get from other states’ incentives,” he said. “By year six of the bill, we would no longer incentivize reimbursement for any crew from away, meaning, for a production to maximize a 100 percent rebate, all the crew would have to live year-round in Maine.”

Currently, Maine offers wage reimbursement to production companies at 12 percent for residents and 10 percent for non-residents. This bill would make Maine more competitive to attract film companies with the proposed change of wage reimbursement at 25 percent for residents and 20 percent for non-residents.

“This bill is all about jump-starting the economy in an industry that we know works,” said Van Wyck. “As a filmmaker myself, I couldn’t care less about how this benefits me. This is a jobs creation bill through and through.”

As someone who has lived and worked in Los Angeles and moved to Maine, Van Wyck said there is something else that people don’t understand until they actually live here year-round. “Maine is a much less cynical population than LA, New York City, or even Atlanta. People are much more welcoming here. When we shot Holly Star in Maine, it was in the middle of the winter. And everyone who interacted with us was just so welcoming, and happy.”

For more information about Picture Maine see attached PDF or contact their email.

Related: When movie stars come to Maine they stay here

Related: Maine in the movies: 35 films where Maine was the third character

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Restaurants operating in a pandemic have had to make enormous changes in order to stay afloat. Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard, a couple featured in our recent story “wolfpeach, a new chophouse with a Maine twist, to open in Camden,” have reviewed their original restaurant plans under these circumstances. Their restaurant, wolfpeach, has not yet opened. Instead, they have decided to kick off their grand opening this spring as a barbeque joint until the industry inches back to normal.

“We knew that wolfpeach wasn’t going to work without doing indoor dining,” said Acero. “Originally, we planned on offering wolfpeach’s food as a take-out model, but we decided it would be more practical to offer modified barbeque takeout as a temporary placeholder until we feel it's truly safe to open for indoor dining.”

Dickie Steels’ BBQ is the new plan for the time being. “The name comes from our LLC, which is a play on Derek’s last name and my last name, which means ‘steel’ in Spanish,” said Acero.

Richard’s background as a chef has been mostly in fine dining in New York and Texas before he moved to Maine.

“I was trying to figure out which food would be ideal for takeout,” said Richard. When I was in Austin, I helped a good friend open his own barbeque restaurant, so I thought this would be fun and challenging to do Texas-style barbeque in the meantime.”

The couple procured a hand-built smoker from a Belfast metalsmith, which they plan to put in their backyard patio. “We plan to put it in the area where we might offer outdoor dining if we run with this model through the summer,” said Richard.

With the smoker, Richard will be offering innovative Texas barbeque reinterpreted with Maine ingredients, similar to their wolfpeach chophouse concept. “Texas barbeque is mostly dry-rubbed meat, not heavily sauced,” said Richard.

With brisket and beef sourced from Maine, Dickie Steels’ BBQ will also offer smoked seafood, such as fish collars, which are cut along the fish clavicle, right behind the gills, and are substantive enough to hold up in a smoker. Another offering will be skate wing. “Any seafood that can handle longer cook times, we’ll use and wrap in seaweed,” said Richard.

Side dishes will also be traditional Texas-style with Maine seasonal ingredients, such as Richard’s sourdough potato rolls in lieu of cornbread and a locally-raised smoked-eel dirty rice. Honing in on Maine’s bean industry, Richard will riff on the traditional baked beans side dish with trout beans and Jacob’s Cattle Beans.

“Dickie Steels’ BBQ might even have its own identity down the line and if it’s successful, we may open it as a second restaurant in the future,” said Acero. Once restaurant indoor seating returns to full capacity, the couple plans to switch over to their original steak-and-seafood chophouse with robust vegetable options.

To learn more about the restaurant’s updates, visit Facebook.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Here we go: March, 2021. Officially one year into a pandemic and the month that Maine went into shut-down mode last year. Right about now, a good number of people are getting antsy to get out and do something—anything! A road trip. A socially distanced social.

Luckily, right here in Staycationland, we have the perfect Cheap Date for you and a beau or a buddy.

Editorial Cartoons of Douglas Coffin

The Belfast Free Library is hosting the editorial cartoons of Douglas Coffin until March 31. Coffin’s single-panel, black-and-white cartoons were run in the Waldo Independent, a Belfast-based weekly newspaper for 22 years in which he chronicled the evolution that Belfast went through the ‘80s, and ‘90s. From the reconstruction of the Belfast Waterfront to backroom politics to small-town observations, Coffin’s style reminds me of Berkeley Breathed (Bloom County) and is highly entertaining.  Of 1100+ cartoons Coffin created, 230 have been selected to exhibit in the Barbara Kramer gallery on the first floor.

To learn more about this exhibit visit Barbara Kramer Gallery.

Marshall Wharf Brewing Co.’s New Enclosed Atrium

Back in February 2020, I wrote a story on Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. new owners and their plans to re-open the iconic waterfront brewery. When I met Daniel Waldron and Kathleen Dunckel, the new co-owners of Three Tides and Marshall Wharf Brewery, they were excited to eventually re-open with construction going on all around them. They couldn’t have anticipated that their efforts would be stalled when the emerging pandemic required all bars and restaurants to shut down a month later.

A year later, they’ve got the brewing operations up and running with 15 beers on draft and two in cans. For your companions who don’t like beer, Marshall Wharf also offers an impressive wine list, as well as hard ciders. And although the Tasting Room cannot be opened yet, the outdoor atrium has now been enclosed and is quite snug inside with socially distanced spool tables, heaters, and the old wood stove that roars in the background. 

With Cheap Dates, we always strive to put an emphasis on affordability. Because there is a limited kitchen at the moment, they offer burritos on Thursday, with The Moody Dog food truck sitting outside on Friday and Sunday as well as homemade soups on Sunday. Customers are invited to bring in their own food while sipping on one of the brewery’s extensive beers.  I recommend you craft a “picnic on a plate” by bringing in your own version of a Ploughman’s Lunch. Additionally, The Stone Brick Oven Kitchen in Northport and Satori in Belfast offer delivery to the atrium.

Oh and the best part? You can bring your dog to the atrium. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are allowed to hang out at tables while their owners enjoy a couple of hours outside the house. Maybe, if you’re like some of my friends, your dog is your Cheap Date.

They are still undergoing renovations and plan to open this spring. Stay tuned to their public Facebook Page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

SWANVILLE—A beloved grocery store has been rebuilt after a car accident severely damaged the property nearly five months ago. On March 3, Swan Lake Grocery opened its doors once again to the public.

On October 6, 2020,  Deb and Rob Newcomb, owners of Swan Lake Grocery, were asleep in their house when Deb’s phone alerted her to a message. The person on the other end was their tenant and some terrible news. A man had crashed his car into the middle of the store, setting his car, and part of the building on fire.

The man did not survive and the entire building sustained extensive fire, smoke, and water damage. As a result, the three-story, 9,000-square-foot building had to be torn down to the timbers.

For Rob, this tragic incident had multiple repercussions. Not only did a man lose his life, he and Deb lost their business, which Rob had owned and operated for 44 years. And the community also lost its valued grocery store in the middle of a pandemic.

“The local people had to drive to Northport, Belfast, or Searsport after that to get their groceries,” said Deb. “Their hearts went out to us over the tragedy of the young man who died at the scene and they wanted to help. Whatever we needed, they were willing to give. We had customers come in with pennies in their pockets to give to us as well as checks in the mail.”

One hundred percent of the rebuild was covered by insurance, including the staff salaries.

“We decided we had great insurance, so we took their donations and gave it back to the community soup kitchen instead,” said Deb.

The store looks almost exactly the same. “We had such a tight timetable and due to COVID-19 virus, getting equipment was an issue we didn’t have time to look at a re-design, so the entire store looks as it did before,” said Rob.

On opening day, many customers came in to admire the new store, which included a bigger produce section, all new fixtures, and a new color scheme.  “We were able to offer more shelving with a larger presentation of groceries,” said Deb. With a tight community such as this, many came up to the couple as they worked to express how happy they were the store was back.

The Newcombs said they plan to run it one more year and sell it, which was Rob’s retirement plan all along. 

“I could’ve retired and taken the insurance money, but, but after having gone through this, I knew the community needed this store back.” 

The original building has been at this site since the late 1800s, according to Rob, who said it was once also a post office. He had worked at this store since he was 12-years-old and purchased it in 1977 when he was 19-years-old.

“We’ve been married 22 years, running this place together,” said Deb. “Rob and his first wife, Linda, who’s wonderful, bought this store when he was just a kid, so you talk about an emotional roller coaster ride this has been.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Last year at this time, Maine Restaurant Week had just squeaked by before an emerging pandemic forced Governor Janet Mills to issue an Executive Order declaring all bars and restaurants close down on March 18, 2020.

“I’ve had people tell me the last time they ate inside a restaurant was last year, ” said Gillian Britt, Maine Restaurant Week co-founder.

The week, designed to boost the visibility of the restaurant industry in Maine, is always held in the first two weeks of March, typically the worst time of year for dining. It allows people to explore a new restaurant at a reduced prix fixe price by using MRW’s website to find special dining options in various regions of Maine.

Now in its 13th year, MRW is still forging ahead, but with more flexible parameters.

“All year we’ve been talking about what March will look like and how we can support the restaurants,” said Britt. “We’ve talked to restaurant owners and got a feel for their situation to see if they could even handle being part of Restaurant Week.”

One of the first changes Gillian and her husband and partner, Jim Britt made was to eliminate the fee for a restaurant to sign up and participate. Sponsors underwriting Restaurant Week this year have made that possible.

As PenBay Pilot reported back in May, restaurants were already strapped in a pandemic with shortened staff, reduced hours, and a restricted number of diners that could be allowed indoors. Without the cushion of a robust economic summer, many of these restaurants were facing short-term or permanent closures come winter.

Turns out, more than 70 restaurants have jumped aboard MRW, and according to Britt, more than a dozen are new or from different geographic regions in the state.

The main difference this year is the format. Not wanting to put any more pressure on the restaurants to continue the traditional three-course menu that MRW has always used, restaurants have the freedom to make their own special deals.

“We left it up to the restaurants how they want to do it this year,” said Britt. “A lot of the restaurants that have participated in the past might be still using that three-course formula, but I’m noticing some innovative options too, such as The Vintage Room in Camden. It isn’t a restaurant, more like a tasting room lounge, but, they’re doing a pairing of three bites and three wines.”

Another new change, due to the pandemic, is now listed on the website, filtering each restaurant by indoor dining, outdoor dining, and a curbside option for ordering.

“When we created Maine Restaurant Week, March was the time when restaurants were really struggling, but as the food scene has grown over the years,  I’ve had chefs tell me that MRW has been about as busy as August,” said Britt. “So, to now be in the midst of this pandemic point, this is exactly what Restaurant Week was created for—to boost interest in the restaurants in our communities and that’s what we continue to do.”

For more information visit Maine Restaurant Week’s website.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

FAIRFIELD—The amount of food that is grown every year only to be thrown into a landfill is staggering.

The Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) Culinary Arts program tackled this national problem by partnering up with the University of Maine's Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, an initiative to drastically reduce food waste. A research project to limit food waste has turned into a class project to educate KVCC culinary students about designing and developing their own food-based products from surplus food that would have otherwise been thrown away.

Maine ranks at 12th in the nation and is first in New England for food insecurity, according to The National Resources Council of Maine, and 40 percent of the food that’s grown goes uneaten by the hungry people who need it most.

Students Get Creative With Surplus

With five students in her class, Jessica Reale Raahede, the Chef/Instructor for KVCC, developed a project that incorporated some of the lessons she was already teaching around the preservation of food, fermentation, and canning.

Simply put, she assigned her students surplus food from local farms and asked them to come up with unique recipes. The added challenge was to make the dishes shelf-stable for the long term.

“Some of the food grown by our local farmers can’t find a market, or it’s considered ‘produce-seconds’ because it’s not as beautiful,” she said. “Where our culinary program is farm-to-table cooking, part of our standards are to connect with local farms and work with their surplus to develop recipes that could either be handed off to food pantries or to develop a value-added product that could get on supermarket shelves.”

Three Delicious Recipes That Came Out Of This Class

The foods that Raahede chose to give groups in her class to work with were apples, squash, cheese ends, and skim milk.

“Winter in Maine is a tough time of year to find locally grown food, so we looked at our storage crops, which would include apples and squash that store well,” she said. “The dairy came from Pineland Farms as the most valuable product is the creamier part of milk to make cheese and cream. So, we took their leftover skim milk and the cheese ends.”

Similar to the culinary TV shows that focus on re-purposing food such as Netflix’s “Best Leftovers Ever!” the students experimented with recipe development and brought their best results before a jury.

The students who were assigned apples made an apple salsa.

“They made it with tomatoes and jalapenos and then canned it, which was really nice,” said Raahede. “It would be good with fish or a potato latke.”

The students who got squash made a squash soup and took that recipe even further, turning it into squash macaroni and cheese. “I thought that was an innovative way to use that vegetable, especially in how they also used some of the cheese from the Pineland Farms surplus,” said Raahede.

The students in the dairy group made a cheesy cracker with local Maine flour, similar to a Cheezit. “They had a few recipes that were very innovative and challenging, but their recipe had the potential for the broadest consumer appeal,” said Raahede.

Now that the students’ presentations are over, there is always the potential for students to take their ideas further with The Mitchell Center in an honors course that might re-purpose this surplus food for local food banks.

While Raahede said KVCC’s Culinary Program has no immediate plan to take any of these recipes to a commercial level, the success of this program has shown the public innovative ways to re-use food that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“Educationally, a big part of what we’re doing here at KVCC is discussing the ideas with the students about food insecurity in Maine,” she said. “We’ve always composted, but now tthese lessons are in the forefront of their minds on how to minimize that compost as much as possible. My hope is when my students go back to their home kitchens, they’ll adapt these lessons into choices around household waste. Additionally, we’re trying to prepare our students for the culinary industry, and if we can change that mindset as they go into the industry, it will have a domino effect.”

To get in touch with Raahede about her program or any other questions email: JReale@kvcc.me.edu

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Winona Elmore just opened her dream shop in Rockport, a farmhouse decor boutique called Gathering Thyme, opposite of Midcoast Recreation Center on Route 90. Her grand opening was Saturday, February 6.

“I had a vision of a place where people could come to find beautiful things for their home,” said Elmore, whose business is a family venture with help renovating the shop from her husband, her daughter, and her son-in-law.

Elmore’s shop is filled with dried flowers, wreaths, and bundles of herbs, along with repurposed, repainted furniture, crafts, candles, gifts, and other comfortable decorations for the home. Her aesthetic is “farmhouse decor,” which derives from the cozy, rustic look of farmhouse interiors.

The Elmore family all have a crafty side, and along with dried flower arrangements, her shop features upcycled furniture her husband repurposed, along with handsewn baby rattles made by her daughter. Gathering Tyme will also sell fresh and silk flowers in the summer.

“I used to own a flower business with my mother-in-law and we made a number of different dried arrangements and sold them at craft shows,” she said. Originally from southern Maine, Elmore is no stranger to retail, having worked in a number of similar shops over the years.

“I’ve always gone home with more products than my paycheck,” she joked.

Although the timing of opening in winter with the COVID-19 virus might have deterred some, Elmore had a passion for making this venture happen.

“You can’t let a pandemic stop your plans,” she said. “I just had to follow this through. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow so you’ve got to go ahead and fulfill your dream.”

The shop is limited to five people currently with COVID-19 capacity protocols in place. They will also be hosting a Valentine’s Day workshop, February 11from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. as Elmore instructs participants how to make a sweetheart wreath, a rosebud bath scrub, and massage oil.

To learn more about the new shop visit them on Facebook and Instagram. Currently, their hours are Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

WARREN—With the deepest part of winter upon us and a heightened societal need to stay healthy during a pandemic, a new energy drink bar is set to open in Warren.

Elev8 Energy and Nutrition, owned and operated by Hunter Grindle with assistance from his operations manager, Richard Eaton, plans on opening the first week of February.

Grindle, who also owns Hybrid Fitness, a fitness center in the same building, came up with the idea of a new energy drink bar, after brainstorming with Eaton, one of his fitness clients, about providing people with a protein shake after a workout. With 25 years in the hospitality industry, Eaton suggested they expand the concept to be a full-fledged side business, open to the public as well.

“That’s how the idea originally started and we spent many late nights expanding the concept,” said Eaton, who researched numerous companies who could provide the nutritional component to their energy teas, smoothies, shakes, and coffee.

They settled on Lotus Energy Drinks as the main component, which is made from all-natural plant-based energy from the Lotus flower.

“Lotus Energy Drinks is the same company Disneyland uses,” said Eaton. “The owner of Lotus Energy Drinks has been working with us on a number of flavor ideas.”

The ingredients of each drink contain natural caffeine, antioxidants, and “adaptogens,” which increase energy and resistance to stress. It also stimulates the immune system. With one ounce of these ingredients as the core, Grindle and Eaton build the drink–whether it’s a protein smoothie (with Legion whey protein), a shake, a sparkling drink, or a tea with the option of 35 different Torani flavors.

For their high-protein, low-calorie coffee shakes, they use coffee from Maine Roast. They also make regular coffee with Rock City Coffee, as well as Elev8’s own brands. To round out the drinks, they offer healthy snacks from companies such as Epic Meats and Rx.

Hybrid Fitness has been in the building since October, 2020, but the company has been in business since 2015, formerly situated in Thomaston. The new smoothie and juice bar is located right next to the fitness center, with a lounge area to relax in.

“For our members, we want this to be a place where they can get their post-workout protein shake,” said Grindle. “But, we’re open to the rest of the community too, so even if you’re not working out with us, and nutrition is still a big piece of your own goals, we’re an alternative to fast food energy drinks, and coffees.”

Elev8 is located in a giant brown building of Midcoast Athletic Center at 1767 Atlantic Highway. Keep on top of their grand opening by liking their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—When creative improvisational master Ryan Jackson gets down to serious business, there are going to be a lot of laughs.

The Rockland native is hosting a series of virtual improv workshops for adults through the Farnsworth Art Museum through April. The class, titled “Improv Reprise! Making it up as you go with Ryan Jackson”, is meant to loosen people up and get them to experience new sides of themselves.

A graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in theater, Jackson had a different career path in mind when he first started.

“Originally, I thought I wanted to go to New York and try my hand at acting,” he said. “I’ve been a performer since I was five years old. It’s my biggest passion.”

But as life plans for creatives often go, Jackson found his calling in more regional locales. He started off working at “Summer Shenanigans,” an arts summer camp in Gardiner as assistant director.

He continued to improve his improv skills by joining Everyman Repertory, a professional theatre group in the Midcoast. After that, he started getting gigs teaching improv classes with adults and kids on North Haven.

As if that weren’t enough, he also is the cafe manager and an employee-owner at Rock City Cafe and works as a site coordinator for after-school programming at the Oceanside Middle School.

“I decided I wanted to stick around Maine,” said Jackson. “There are a lot of wonderful opportunities here. All in all, I couldn’t be any happier where I am today.” 

The whole point of Jackson’s improv Zoom class is to introduce participants to the art of creating on the fly—that is, using imagination to break out of carefully conceived self-perceptions through various games, exercises, and theater-based scene work. 

“You don’t have to be good at acting or theater to do improv,” said Jackson. “I give people a chance to really be comfortable in their own skin. My class teaches them tools they can use in everyday situations to be present in the moment. We’re living in very serious times and the bottom line is I just want people to laugh. Improv allows you to be free and open and I think we can all use that.”

One exercise Jackson likes to do is have his participants imagine they are at some kind of TED talk conference with scientists, doctors, and other professionals.

“I’ll call on someone randomly and say I’m so glad you’re here Professor So and So,” explained Jackson. “I’ve heard you’re an expert on New Zealand cucumbers. Can you tell us a little bit more about them?”

This requires people to draw from their childhood skills of play-acting and nonsense. But, more importantly, it encourages people to stop being so self-conscious.

“The stuff that comes out of these participants is remarkable,” he said. “Usually by the end, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor. They totally own those personas at the moment, as if they are an expert on this nonsense thing and that’s what surprises me most. At the end, I see everyone smiling. And people tell me they haven’t laughed like that in months.”

Jackson’s classes can be joined individually and the next one is on February 18. For more information visit the Farnsworth Art Museum’s Event page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

The typical mainstream Valentine’s Day cards you find in supermarkets and stores and on TV commercials generally present a heterosexual angle to the holiday, which doesn’t represent other populations in love. One Greene, Maine couple, Lewis Alessio, and his husband, Jim Shaffer, have been producing creative variations of vintage photograph stationery that tell another visual story.

The couple created In Your Own Words LLC in 2013 to creatively augment vintage photographs into cards and stationery, many featuring men with men and women with women in charming old-fashioned poses.

“Our audience focus is LGBTQ+ but we like to use the term ‘affectionate men, women and children’ for our cards,” said Alessio. “It all started because my husband and I were having difficulty finding cards for each other and friends and loved ones that weren’t insulting, such as two dogs dressed in a tuxedo and evening gown, or outright vulgar.”

Alessio and Shaffer have been collecting vintage images for more than 20 years at yard sales, garage sales, shops, auctions, and online.

The cards and stationery were doing very well before the pandemic, selling in more than 100 small stores across the country.

“We would contact LGBTQ-friendly shops all over the country or shops in urban areas that might be more open to such products,” said Alessio.”But, we had to change our sales focus to Etsy when the pandemic closed nearly all of our small independently owned shops.”

Along the way, In Your Own Words became a certified vendor with the Human Rights Campaign, and pre-pandemic their cards were even sold in Harvey Milk’s camera shop in San Francisco. “We were the only type of cards they sold in the shop, but even that shop has seen sales dwindle so much, so, despite all of the orders we have received from the Human Rights Campaign, that income stream has ceased for the time being.”

Their Etsy store tagline mentions empowering HIV+ Mainers, a mission that Alessio and Shaffer deeply support.

“I was the national CDC’s director of a men’s HIV prevention education program in central Maine for five years,” said Alessio.  “I saw a lot of men and women, who couldn’t hold full-time jobs, but they could work at home. So, this business has been a conflation of a number of things personal to us. I came up with the idea of creating a cottage industry where these men and women would assemble the cards and we would market them. In return, we could compensate them with some income, which we’re still hoping to do to benefit them and benefit our community.”

Since the transfer to online sales, Alessio said they are getting their company name out there, thanks to the efforts of their volunteer, Janet Turner.

“I am limited in my talents, but Janet is a techie,” said Alessio. “She helped us move to online platforms such as Etsy and eBay and does our marketing and social media. She has greatly increased our presence on those sites. We’re so grateful to have her.” Adding a wry commentary, he said.  “I was born in the wrong century.”

To see more of their designs, their cards can be found on their website and on their Etsy store.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKPORT—Midcoast Recreation Center was doing well with its indoor ice skating rink until the COVID-19 virus and its protocols changed their capacity limits. What that meant for the nonprofit organization is that fewer kids and adults could use their facilities. So, to remedy that, they built another ice skating rink outdoors.

“It was partly due to the limited numbers we could offer for public skating for our indoor rink,” said Arena Director Jesse Simko.  “We had people on a waitlist who just wanted to skate. We knew if we built something outside, we could serve more people.”

By mid-January, the 40 x 80-foot outdoor rink was operational with eight to 10 inches of solid ice. 

“We built it a little later than we wanted to,” he said. “Originally, we built the ice rink in December, but soon realized the land was too off-center, so we had to move everything slightly up the hill and bring in more fill, but it’s going pretty well. We’ve been able to get some good days in.”

Half the week (M-W-F), the rink is open to the public all day and the other half (T & TH) it’s open to kids who play hockey. On the weekends, the rink splits its time for both groups.

With screen time for kids soaring during a pandemic that has them remaining at home either from remote learning or through homeschooling, parents have been looking for any socially distant opportunity to get their kids outside and active.

MRC had this concept firmly in mind with the new outdoor rink.

A group of four boys in MRC’s 8U program (seven and eight-year-olds) were on the ice on the day Pen Bay Pilot came to take photos.  Eager to get their energy out, they chased the puck around the rink.

“Because of number restrictions, we wanted to give the option to kids who are doing homeschooling and remote learning to come and play three days a week, especially in the winter,” said Simko.

Inclement weather isn’t a hindrance when it comes to clearing the ice off. They have a hose system with a towel like a mini Zamboni to clear the ice. “When it’s really deep, we need a snowblower,” said Simko, who added, he’d be open to any volunteers who wanted to come help with outdoor clean up after a big snowstorm.

To learn more about MRC’s ice programs visit Midcoast Recreation Center’s website.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Many wondered what would become of the classic Scottish pub Drouthy Bear after owners Andrew and Shannon Stewart announced last May that the COVID-19 virus restrictions on their beloved pub had forced them to permanently close.

The Midcoast community will be happy to know that the building has been purchased and is currently being renovated by Camden newcomers Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard to become a new restaurant. With a new aesthetic and flair, the restaurant will be called wolfpeach—the name in lower case—which comes from Lycopersicum, the scientific name for ‘tomato’.

“It has all come together rather quickly,” said Acero.

Relocating from Oxford, Maine, the couple said the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the leap to open their own business.

“We wanted to take the next step in our lives, both personally and professionally, and find a place where we could put permanent roots down,” she said.

Acero, who grew up in Maine, has more than 10 years of front-of-house experience, ranging from fast-casual to fine dining, mostly in New York City.  Richard, who began his career at Blue Hill Stone Barns in New York, also spent time in Austin pursuing BBQ, until choosing to settle down in Maine. The couple met while opening Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford in 2019.

“My background is mostly in fine dining in New York and Texas before I landed in Portland,” said Richard. “For this restaurant, we wanted to put together a steakhouse-style menu, where everything is a la carte, which is a familiar format, but modernize it with different cuts of meat—whole-animal butchery. We plan to add a lot more vegetables in the main courses, and of course, make fish and seafood central highlights. It's really important for us to focus on using local and seasonal  ingredients whenever possible.”

Richard mentioned he also specializes in baking naturally leavened sourdough bread.

While several Midcoast restaurants have made the decision to close until spring, and some permanently, Acero and Richard knew they had to adapt their restaurant to the current reality.

“We blocked out our numbers assuming we were going to be operating as take-out only at first, and then perhaps limited seating in the summer,” said Acero. “As someone who has been in this industry a long time, I feel strongly that the tipping culture and lack of job security and benefits have always been problematic, so we’ve built our model to be a non-tipping establishment and our employees will also receive health benefits.”

Acero was careful to clarify that having not opened yet, this model is still something they will need to keep a close eye on, once the restaurant is able to operate at full capacity. “I hope that we can follow through on these goals and promises,” she said. “We’ve worked on this idea for some time and it took the pandemic to see if we can really make this happen.”

 The couple aims to open by March with a slightly modified menu, more suited for take-out.

Updates on the restaurant can be found on their website and on Instagram.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Bernie Sanders launched a million memes from President Biden’s inauguration with his practical jacket, oversized patterned mittens, and grumpy expression. He is not just a mood. He is all of us, to a degree. Some Maine artists and makers have jumped on the trend with their own creations from the meme. Check them out.

Bernie’s Mittens “Mood” Wine Glasses

Lewiston, Maine

The back story: Allison McBride, of Lewiston, has an Etsy shop called popanthro and makes all of her handmade stemless wine glasses to order. After finding a stencil online, and manipulating it a bit, she used her vinyl cutting machine to create the perfect Bernie stencil and transferred it onto her glasses.

“I saw the Bernie meme going crazy online and I just got the idea to adapt it to what I do,” she said. “It’s mostly been positive.”

Cost: $10 each. They can be found on her Etsy Shop.

In her words: “It’s a funny meme and even though I got all different political opinions when I posted it, luckily many people saw the humor in it. I think people are just looking for something to take their mind off things happening in Washington and just have a fun sigh of relief.”

Hand-poured soy candle “Bernie’s Mittens”

Wells, Maine

The back story: Autumn Poulin, creator of DowneastDoodleCandles on Etsy, hand-pours each of her all-natural soy candles. 

She couldn’t help but have a little fun with the Bernie meme for a limited edition candle. A portion of the proceeds of each candle benefits the Kennebunk Animal Shelter. The scent of this candle is a cozy, balsam fir. She makes her own labels and whipped this one up in no time. With an added bit of sass, she lists the “Bern Time” as 50+ hours.

Cost: $20 each. She can be reached through her website.

In her words: “We’re not political at all. Everything is so serious and stressful right now, that I just thought of featuring the mittens as a great way to create something new for these cold days.”

Miniature Felted Bernie figurine

Bridgton, Maine

The back story: Ruth Boisvert, of Bridgton, who operates CryoftheLoomStudio, has always been a needle felter. Inspired by a crocheted miniature Bernie doll that made the national news, she found her inspiration.

“My background is in fine art and once I saw the little crocheted guy on the national news, I saw that she was selling the pattern on Etsy and I had to try one,” she said.  It takes her about five hours to create each little Bernie.

Cost: $95.00. Find them on her Etsy shop. Gallery 302 in Bridgton is carrying them as well. 

In her words: “I don’t see it as a political statement; let’s just be done with politics. I just think he’s a little work of art.” 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—Hundreds of customers of Rockland’s Good Tern Co-op going about their daily shopping in 2020 managed to pull off a hefty contribution to Maine’s nonprofits and organizations, simply by rounding up the change on a purchased item.

Good Tern’s “Round Up For Change” program gave customers the option to round up to the nearest dollar on a purchase or make an outright donation. After one year, that amount was donated to local charities. In 2020, Good Tern was able to donate $9,047 to 16 charities.

“We started this program around five years ago,” said Elissa Bower, the Good Tern Education and Outreach Coordinator. “A number of other co-ops around Maine also do this program. It’s a great way to donate and barely takes any energy.” 

Members of  Good Tern Co-op were able to nominate which Maine organization they wanted to donate to and the staff voted on the final choice. Due to the COVID-19 virus shutting down many establishments last spring, the pandemic impacted the store when it had to close down in April and May.

“We weren’t able to give back to Misfits Rehab and Peace Ridge Sanctuary as we wanted, so we’re going to add them to our 2021 roster,” said Bower.

 In 2019, donations totaled over $11,000, according to Bower, but 2020’s totals were fewer, due to the pandemic’s interruption to the program. As soon as Good Tern was able to re-open again, the program renewed with vigor.

“In July, we decided to give the round-up money to two organizations per month for the rest of the year,” said Bower. “After the death of George Floyd, [a 46-year-old Black man, who was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while being arrested] and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, we tried to focus on organizations that support Indigenous, Black, and people of color in our state.”

Some of those organizations included Cultivating Community, Somali Bantu Community Association, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project of Maine, and ACLU of Maine.

In a statement Bower wrote to Good Tern members on why the staff chose certain non-profit organizations, she said, “We continue to reflect on who we are as an organization and ways to further our commitment to the cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equity, equality, and solidarity.”\

“I know a lot of the organizations that we round up to are extremely grateful that they’ve been chosen and by the end of the year, when you see how much it ends up being, it’s clear those ten cent donations, or in some cases, outright dollar donations, really add up.”

For more information on Good Tern Co-op, visit: https://goodtern.com/

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—A new beer made by Blaze Brewing Co. has an interesting backstory on its autumnal, artistic label.

Massachusetts artist Andrew Houle did the artwork behind the new label. He happened to have a studio in the same building as Channel Marker Brewery in Beverly, Massachusetts. Not only was that extremely convenient to pop over for a pint, but, as it turns out, the brewery’s proximity became a fortuitous connection. 

“Between my coming in for a brew for the last couple years and the brewery owners and staff getting to know me and what I did for a living, Channel Marker hired me to do the label artwork for their first official signature release,” he said. “Since, then I’ve been working with them on their labels for two years.”

If one good beer deserves another, Houle’s latest venture was to create custom artwork for his first Maine brewery: Blaze Brewing Co., which has a Camden location.

The new beer, King Tide, is a bourbon barrel-aged stout with Tahitian vanilla.

According to Blaze Brewing Co.: “It smells and tastes like sugar cookies, black and white cookies, and good whiskey. It is a beer that should be enjoyed in celebration.”

The beer will be released in draft form and in bottles at all Blaze locations January 29.

Given that Blaze Brewing did a collaboration with Channel Marker on a beer, it was only natural they learned about Houle’s work. He spoke with us on the entire process of creating the label.

His process starts with inspiration from the brewery and what they wanted to convey.

The image that Blaze wanted to use for their King Tide  beer was an autumnal depiction of Mount Battie as seen from the Camden Harbor. Houle was inspired to paint the scene from a photograph titled “Camden Harbor in the Fall” taken by Brunswick photographer Benjamin Williamson.

“This is an incredible shot of the harbor, out from the water looking in,” said Houle. “As soon as I saw this, I said, ‘This is a powerful image; I can certainly make a beautiful painting from it.”

“I’m an oil painter, so I create an original oil painting for the next label release and that type of work is a lot different than someone cranking out an image on a computer,” he said.

Houle’s artwork has been described as “American realism” and he started by working on a hard-primed panel with graphite.

“In the course of my career, I very slowly started to figure out that the drawing is a road map for me,” he said. “The better the drawing, the more it translates into a better painting. Typically it takes much more time to get the drawing done first, then add in tone, shading, and detail work. Then, I do an underpainting using burnt sienna regardless if it’s for a beer label, gallery or a commission. Once that’s laid down, I’ll pull off paint and establish tone and warmth. Then I’ll lay down the rest of the color, black line. I just go and go until it’s done or until they’re screaming at me they need this now!  It’s not a fast process, but it makes for a better painting.”

Once the painting is completed and dried and sealed, his business partner and friend of more than 20 years, John Cardinal takes over. Cardinal runs Tryptic Press, a design company.

“He gets in the driver’s seat and does all of the typeset–we work hand in hand, start to finish,” said Houle. “He puts a nice bow on the end result.”

For more information on the artist visit: andrewhoule.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—Fifteen years ago, Sondra and Jim Hamilton launched a little coffee shop in the heart of downtown Camden on a shoestring budget with fun, eclectic decor.

Today, with more than a decade under their belts and a loyal customer following, Zoot Coffee will continue its artsy vibe in a new, enlarged space, only a few doors down the street.

While the coffee shop is still open in its current location, they’re in the midst of renovating the space at 5 Elm Street, right next to French and Brawn. The storefront, which was most recently occupied by the boutique, Josephine’s,  has been a clothing store for the last decade. Prior to that for more than 100 years, it was the J.C. Curtis Hardware store.

“It’s going to approximately double our space, but we won’t be doubling our seating,” said Sondra. “Instead, it gives us a more flexible space. We’ll have bar seating, a cozy corner with a sofa and a place to lounge, as well as clusters of tables and chairs. Say you’re meeting an old friend, or having a romantic date, if you're having a business meeting with a colleague, or you just want to come in with your laptop and a coffee and sit by yourself— there will be different areas to accommodate those needs.”

As business owners, the Hamiltons are hoping the new shop sets the tone for a new revival of downtown Camden, which has seen an extraordinary number of shops and restaurants close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some areas in the new space will have brick walls and the shop comes with a 12-foot ceiling. More wall space will allow Zoot to continue to highlight exhibitions of local artwork and photographers, as they have continued to do throughout the pandemic. 

“Art has always been important to our space and that’s something we’ll continue to support,” said Sondra.

As far as the food, she said: “We’re going to be very focused on coffee and espresso—that’s always been the hallmark of our business. We’ve always had quiche and soup and we’ll expand that a little bit. I just bought a vintage Scottish pie crust maker from my friend, Andrew Stewart, [former co-owner of The Drouthy Bear] and apparently, these are extremely rare to find in the U.S. So, we’ll be making more sweet and savory hand pies, such as hand-held Shepherd’s pies and mac and cheese pies. The focus is going to be on healthy, simple eating. Many of our items are going to be vegan and gluten-free–as my customers really like those options.”

Sondra said the original Zoot’s aesthetic of being community-minded is here to stay.

“When people come in, everyone feels welcome, like they’re right at home, and we strive to give everybody that feeling,” she said. “We want people to feel that they belong because we’re all good friends here.”

Zoot Coffee is anticipating opening its doors at the beginning of May. Stay tuned to their progress on Facebook and on Instagram.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Ten months ago, Maine’s brewing industry came to a screeching halt the day after one of the biggest beer-drinking days of the year, St. Patrick’s Day, when the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted Governor Janet Mills to issue an Executive Order on March 18, 2020 to close all bars and restaurants for a period of 14 days.

Back then, for many at the beginning of this unknown pandemic, the assumption was that breweries, bars, and tasting rooms would eventually re-open and it would be business as usual. But, on March 31, when Mills issued the Stay Healthy at Home directive that required Mainers to stay at home at all times unless venturing out for necessary purposes, the brewing industry—like so many other industries in Maine, saw the writing on the wall.

Since the spring, breweries with restaurant service fared a little better. They were able to re-open for indoor service, while breweries with take-out options and outdoor seating were able to capture some of the lost revenue during the summer, but as of November 1, with COVID-19 cases on the rise in Maine, Mills issued a mandate to postpone the opening of indoor seating at bars and tasting rooms.

Lowered excise tax law boosts cost savings for breweries, beer lovers

The industry got a shot in the arm with a new law announced in late December that permanently lowers excise tax for brewers, according to the office of U.S. Senator Susan Collins, who, along with Senator Angus King, and a bipartisan group of 55 colleagues, championed for the law in order to help breweries —and their brewing supply chains—stay open.

Given that Maine has the highest excise tax for beer in New England at $.35/gallon, this came as welcome relief to brewers already cash-strapped from the pandemic.

“In Maine, we have one of the highest state excise tax rates, almost triple some of the New England states,” said Sean Sullivan, executive director the Maine Brewers Guild. “Add that to the production challenge of switching to predominantly canned beer, as well as shortages of aluminum cans, these were additional trends hurting the industry.”

In 2017, the American craft beverage industry got a break when a temporary federal law lowered the excise tax of $7 per barrel to $3.50 per barrel, which was set to expire on December 30, 2020.

“The risk was that as of January 1, that federal excise tax rate was going to go back up to $7 a barrel,” said Sullivan. “More than 25 breweries opened during the last three years that had never paid that amount per barrel, and hadn’t factored that into their costs. Picture yourself as a brewer, heading into a winter where you didn’t have a good economic summer, and then all of a sudden your taxes go up twice the amount you’re used to paying on each barrel.”

“Maine’s beer industry has been on a growth trajectory for years,” said Sullivan. “Maine brewers produced about 365,000 barrels of beer in 2019, which equates to about $1.25 million in revenue. So, to break it down, as of the beginning of 2021, either $1.25 million was going to remain in Maine for breweries to re-invest in their business, or else it was going to go to the federal government in the form of excise tax, if tax rates were raised back to $7 per barrel.”

Maine brewers come together as one brand to collaborate on brew recipe 

Another spot of good news for an industry known for its tight and collaborative communities in all of Maine’s eight regions was the decision to create a Collaboration Beer 2020.

Thirty-nine breweries all over the state, including Liberator Brewing Co., in Rockland, and Waterman’s Beach Brewing, in South Thomaston, received the same donated hops, malts, and grains and one recipe to work off. 

The result of that effort turned into 39 brews, all under one label, each a slightly different flavor based on how they used their own yeast, base malts, and brewing techniques. Proceeds from the beer have not generated some much-needed profit for the industry, but have also gone back as donations to bolster the Maine Brewers’ Guild.

“I’ve tried so many versions of this beer,” said Sullivan. “It’s remarkable how different they taste. I think this Collab Beer is a beautiful example of what makes our industry so special. Amidst the commonality of brewing beer, even often the same style, there is infinite diversity. Wherever you are in Maine, look for this label and check the back for which brewery brewed the beer. ”

For a list of breweries that participated visit Brewbound.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

DAMARISCOTTA—Faced with the food limitations necessary for their own family, a baker and her husband have decided to open a completely gluten-free bakery and cafe at 77 Main Street in downtown in mid-January named Butter Up Cakes.

Candice and Patrick Brady have three children.

“Two of our children have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and can’t have high fructose corn syrup, and my husband is the same way,” said Candice. “So, I make all of their food from scratch, anyway. We decided to open the business so other people with celiac disease could have options, too.”

Originally from Michigan, the Bradys originally started their bakery in Bangor. But, as they found out, it wasn’t the best location, so they decided to relocate to Damariscotta where Patrick took a job with a local construction company.

Set to open January 16, the Bradys have expanded their original store concept from more than just a bakery.  The new cafe will offer all kinds of gluten-free options such as homemade muffins, bagels, donuts, quiche, and breakfast sandwiches. For lunch and dinner, they’ll offer gluten-free soups, chilis, chowders, pasta, salads, and pierogies.

“Everything that comes out of that kitchen I make myself,” she said. “There is nothing processed, frozen, or packaged. I get to the cafe at 6 p.m. to start work, I go home at 6 p.m. at the end of the day and I wake up at midnight to start baking,” she said.

“When someone comes into our cafe, I want people to have as many options as they would at another restaurant; I want them to experience what it’s like to have regular food and feel safe eating it,” said Candice. “Coming from Michigan, I realized a lot of Mainers aren’t used to certain foods. For example, we make pierogies as my husband is Polish. These are basically Polish dumplings. I’ve had Mainers [from our last establishment] come in and ask about them; they’re really intrigued by them.”

Added to the mix, Butter Up Cakes will be the only restaurant in Damariscotta —and the Midcoast for that matter—offering gluten-free beer and hard ciders, which are naturally gluten-free.

“There is no Maine-made gluten-free beer, unfortunately, so we will be sourcing elsewhere, such as the Glutenberg beer from Canada,” said Candice. “With the hard ciders, we’ll be offering Maine-made ciders from the bigger cideries such as Ricker Hill and Kennebec Cider Company, but we’ve also found a couple of smaller cideries that we really want to use, so we’re working on getting those in as well.”

The cafe plans to offer limited in-house dining with respect to COVID-19 precautions, with tables spaced six feet apart. “When things change, we’ll be able to open to full capacity,” she said.

Candice said she expects a gluten-free clientele from all over the state will have an interest in the new location, given their experiences from their last location.

“When we were still in Bangor, we had people come from Presque Isle, from Canada, from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont,” she said. “With everything closing down due to COVID, I think the gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan communities needed to know that there is something here for them, sort of a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Butter Up Cakes also ships their items nationally, as well.

Learn more about Butter Up Cakes from their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

WARREN—It’s been just over a year that Corinna Whitehill started her personal cab company called Corie’s Rides. It’s a service that has been fundamental to the Midcoast community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when people are at risk of losing their homes and their cars.

Whitehill got her start in the driving business as the owner and a driver for Mid-Coast Connector, a MaineCare non-emergency transportation broker. It’s a service she still operates, along with eight cars and drivers every day to help folks get to medical appointments. But, along the way, she realized that the general public could use the same kind of driving service.

“In the winter, especially around the two weeks of Christmas and the New Year, when the Mid-Coast Connector was shut down two days during that time, my thought was to open a general cab service to the surrounding Midcoast areas to supplement the other business and to give people more ride options,” she said. “There’s no transportation around here, no way for people to get where they need to go.”

Corie’s Rides took awhile to get off the ground. First, she had to get certain permits to operate in her neighborhood. To comply with an ordinance, she agreed to only operate between Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Officially open in November 2019, she began her business with one car.

Now, a year later, she has two cabs dedicated to Corie’s Rides with a second driver. Her driving area is flexible, and she covers just about every town in Midcoast Maine.

It costs approximately $8 in-town in Warren, Waldoboro, Thomaston, and Rockland and from $12 to $18 town-to-town, depending on the starting and ending location. Other runs are set by mileage, which Whitehill discusses with clients ahead of time.

Her typical clients are people who don’t have vehicles, or whose vehicles are in the midst of being repaired—people who need to get to work, go to the gym, to the store, to medical appointments,  to get errands done, and more.

Unlike a typical cab company, she said she doesn’t charge for wait time.

“I’m not out to get rich,” she said. “I don’t charge for an extra stop. Say, somebody wants to stop at a convenience store on the way I’m driving, I just charge one fare.”

Whitehill said she even does airport runs. Typically, a run from Rockland to the Portland Jetport would average out to be about $165. Although airport rides are rare these days, especially during a pandemic when most people are staying put.

“COVID-19 has really impacted both of my businesses,” she said. “It’s been trickling in.” 

Because Whitehill doesn’t have a website or a business Facebook page, most of her advertising has been word of mouth. Her phone number is 207-691-2701.

Whitehill is proud of what she can offer.

“We’re courteous and friendly to everybody,” she said. “It just makes me feel good that I’m helping people.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

A number of Maine-started Facebook groups went viral with the COVID-19 virus pandemic in 2020, and now there’s one more to get a read on.

First there was Quarantine Karaoke, then Wine Fairies of Maine. Now, another group has shot like a rocket thanks to Windham resident, Courtney Edwards. The group is called Maine Book Club/Discussion (What Are You Reading?)

Edwards, a mother and wife, had a job as a receptionist at a dental office until last March, when the pandemic forced the facility to close. Until then, she’d been working nearly 50-60 hours a week, cleaning, caring for her children, cooking, and performing other daily household tasks, which left her precious few hours of personal time.

“My whole life, I have just worked, worked, worked,” she said. “I’ve always had two jobs and when the dental office closed, I had all of this extra time where I needed to find something creative to do.”

Edwards admitted she had never been a bibliophile until the pandemic hit.

“I was watching Outlander, the TV series, and really liked it. I discovered that the series had been based on books, so I bought the books. I just started reading and I loved the feeling it gave me, so I became obsessed with reading more books.”

That got Edwards into exploring other Facebook book groups, until one day she had the idea to simply start her own in Maine in October.

“I thought people would really enjoy reading, especially those who’d never picked up a book before,” she said. “I’ve never been a fast reader, but since the group started, I’ve read 32 books.”

Edwards is a fan of historical fiction, historical fantasy, and time travel.

The group, which started off as a book club for Maine women with 150 followers, began to take twists and turns of its own, worthy of its own short story.

“I started off with just women, but then I started to get male readers asking if they could be part of the group and it sort of hit a controversy,” said Edwards. “I lost a lot of members and felt awful, so we decided to open the group to male readers and authors, as well. I’d never done anything like this before, so I didn’t know how to approach it. But Gregg Olson was one of the first authors to hit the request button and I almost keeled over.”

From that point on, more and more people began joining the group, not just readers and authors from Maine, but from all over the United States and even overseas. More than 100 authors from the United States have joined, and Edwards has set up a special tab for them titled Authors/Maine Authors [accessible on smartphones and iPads].

Authors in Maine in particular, are getting a boost of free publicity thanks to Edwards’ efforts. She and a team of moderators have personally responded to every author’s request to join the group. Each author has received a personal introduction from the group on a welcome post.

“I’ve gotten a lot of thanks from authors for giving them a spot in our group,” she said. “The most famous Maine author obviously is Stephen King, but I still haven’t heard from him yet,” she added with a laugh. “I’m sure he is very busy.”

She has also offered her Facebook platform as a place for anyone to schedule free events, from author readings to book discussions.

Edwards said the size of the group as it continues to grow is slightly overwhelming, but she feels like she has started a mission she can’t abandon. “I have friends who haven’t touched a book in years who are starting to read again,” she said. Everybody while quarantining seems to binge on media, whether it’s on your TV or phone, but there’s something about connecting with a book and getting lost in another person’s world for 300 pages.”

“I’ve never really traveled, so when I get into a book, I really feel like I’m traveling there,” she said.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

DAMARISCOTTA—Faced with the food limitations necessary for their own family, a baker and her husband have decided to open a completely gluten-free bakery and cafe at 77 Main Street in downtown in mid-January named Butter Up Cakes.

Candice and Patrick Brady have three children.

“Two of our children have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and can’t have high fructose corn syrup, and my husband is the same way,” said Candice. “So, I make all of their food from scratch, anyway. We decided to open the business so other people with celiac disease could have options, too.”

Originally from Michigan, the Bradys originally started their bakery in Bangor. But, as they found out, it wasn’t the best location, so they decided to relocate to Damariscotta where Patrick took a job with a local construction company.

Set to open January 16, the Bradys have expanded their original store concept from more than just a bakery.  The new cafe will offer all kinds of gluten-free options such as homemade muffins, bagels, donuts, quiche, and breakfast sandwiches. For lunch and dinner, they’ll offer gluten-free soups, chilis, chowders, pasta, salads, and pierogies.

“Everything that comes out of that kitchen I make myself,” she said. “There is nothing processed, frozen, or packaged. I get to the cafe at 6 p.m. to start work, I go home at 6 p.m. at the end of the day and I wake up at midnight to start baking,” she said.

“When someone comes into our cafe, I want people to have as many options as they would at another restaurant; I want them to experience what it’s like to have regular food and feel safe eating it,” said Candice. “Coming from Michigan, I realized a lot of Mainers aren’t used to certain foods. For example, we make pierogies as my husband is Polish. These are basically Polish dumplings. I’ve had Mainers [from our last establishment] come in and ask about them; they’re really intrigued by them.”

Added to the mix, Butter Up Cakes will be the only restaurant in Damariscotta —and the Midcoast for that matter—offering gluten-free beer and hard ciders, which are naturally gluten-free.

“There is no Maine-made gluten-free beer, unfortunately, so we will be sourcing elsewhere, such as the Glutenberg beer from Canada,” said Candice. “With the hard ciders, we’ll be offering Maine-made ciders from the bigger cideries such as Ricker Hill and Kennebec Cider Company, but we’ve also found a couple of smaller cideries that we really want to use, so we’re working on getting those in as well.”

The cafe plans to offer limited in-house dining with respect to COVID-19 precautions, with tables spaced six feet apart. “When things change, we’ll be able to open to full capacity,” she said.

Candice said she expects a gluten-free clientele from all over the state will have an interest in the new location, given their experiences from their last location.

“When we were still in Bangor, we had people come from Presque Isle, from Canada, from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont,” she said. “With everything closing down due to COVID, I think the gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan communities needed to know that there is something here for them, sort of a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Butter Up Cakes also ships their items nationally, as well.

Learn more about Butter Up Cakes from their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

COREA—Markham and Suzanne Starr are two different artists inspired by the same source material—the Maine lobstering way of life. In 2011, Markham published a photography book titled Finest Kind: The Lobstermen of Corea, depicting the lives of Corea, Maine, lobstermen. His wife, Suzanne, a nationally recognized award-winning artist, got inspired by those photographs and drew a number of charcoal and graphite portraits of Maine people and places.

The couple is from North Stonington, Connecticut, where Markham, who worked for many years at Mystic Seaport, developed a love for the fishing industry.

“Years ago, he was granted the rights to come up to Prospect Harbor and photograph the sardine factory in its last days,” said Suzanne. “He got connected with someone who worked at the sardine factory who lived in Corea and visited her. He found Corea a place that is truly untouched, uncommercialized.”

It’s probably not a coincidence that both Suzanne and Markham’s work mirrors one another’s style.

“My husband is very partial to black and white photography and that, in turn, has inspired me to draw primarily in black and white,” said Suzanne.  As an art teacher for many years, she is now retired and works on her art full-time. Her involvement with the American Artist Professional League, a national organization, has led to her participation in national shows.

Suzanne’s portraits are crisp and striking with some capturing a desolate tone.

“I really like the story behind each drawing, especially, the story in someone’s face,” she said. “Color can shout; it can be beautiful, but to me, it often distracts from what you’re trying to see. I really love the textures, the subtlety and contrast.  When you see black and white photographs from long ago, there is a timelessness to them; they tell a story of a reality that’s not tangible anymore. That’s how it feels to me with black and white tones, instead of colors.”

Portraits of people’s faces are some of her favorite, such as the depiction of a young man working the trap hauler in one image. “When Mark was doing the project in Maine, we stayed in Gouldsboro, Maine,” she explained of the portrait. “Just down the road, was this family, the Whitakers, a big lobstering family who fish out of Corea. We became friendly with them and Mark spent some time on their boats. This young man’s name is Ethan and he was about 20 years old when that photo was taken. Once I did the drawing, Ethan’s father reached out to me to buy the drawing for Ethan as a surprise Christmas gift.”

Today, Suzanne does commissions of portraits, the majority from the general population, but some from fishing families, who’ve seen her work online and at shows.

The lobstering life holds a fascination for many artists who view it from the outside in. From her work with the people in the industry, Suzanne has come to understand what makes these communities tightly knit.

“It’s just who they are and what they do, and despite all the difficulties, it’s a life they wouldn’t trade,” she said.

To learn more about Markham’s photography visit his website and to find more of Suzanne’s portraits, visit her website.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

THOMASTON—On Thursday, Dec. 24, a crowd of 30-40 people gathered in a line at noon, plastic bags in hand, in an empty parking lot off New County Road.

Standing at the back of his pick up truck, Matinicus lobsterman Noah Ames played the proverbial role of Santa, giving away crates of live lobster for free that he and about six other Midcoast lobstermen caught, banded, and transported so that people in the area could have a good Christmas Eve dinner.

During an unprecedented Christmas season, with Americans across the nation suffering economically awaiting a long-delayed $900 billion coronavirus relief package that has still yet to be signed by President Trump and with unemployment benefits set to expire in a matter of days, many people have had to choose between buying food and paying bills.

Ames, with his friend, assisting, chatted with folks as they stepped up to the truck, bag in hand. Given how many people were standing in line, he announced he could only give away four lobsters to each family, with extra to veterans, in the form of a Hannaford gift card he additionally handed out.

Ames started this tradition in 2014. In former stories Pen Bay Pilot has written about Ames over the years, he said, “It’s about teaching my sons the spirit of Christmas. It’s important to learn how to give back.”

Many grateful people left with their bags of lobster, parting with sentiments of “Merry Christmas” and “You’re doing a wonderful thing.”

At a time when every bit of kindness and generosity is coming from Mainers helping Mainers, Ames and his lobstermen friends are an example to the leaders in this country.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

NORTHPORT—Back in April, The Atlantic magazine wrote a story about how making old-fashioned crafts during the pandemic could ease anxiety. Millions of crafters took that to heart, and with the COVID-19 virus still raging on nine months later, many burgeoning creators have taken to Instagram, YouTube, and other online resources to make something beautiful.

One such artist, Shelby Connolly, from Northport, found her niche that way. After purchasing secondhand furniture such as dressers, trunks, and jewelry armoires, Connolly has created a cottage industry called Mainely Homespun, using her natural talent as well as pre-made design tools to refinish the items into stunning, fairytale pieces. 

Connolly, a mother of two toddlers, needed something to occupy her time when the pandemic first hit.

“ I started this process just to do something for myself during nap times and at night just to relax,” she said.

A self-described DIY fanatic, Connolly said she had been refinishing furniture for about a year, teaching herself how to paint, decoupage, and use creative stencils, transfers, and moulds to transform the furniture. She decided to start an official business after being inspired by a similar crafter’s Facebook page.

“I first picked up an old oak entertainment center in Rockland and painted it with chalk paint, then put a decal, what we call a ‘transfer image’ on it and ended up selling it,” she said. “After that, I was like ‘Okay, let’s try another!’”

One of the secrets to Connolly's furniture appeal is that she uses Redesign by Prima, a line of DIY products that allow artists to redesign, repaint, and retexture the furniture. She has also created a side hustle as a Redesign by Prima retailer, and regularly blogs about how she does her artistry through tutorials.

Like any self-taught artist, she has a plethora of tools to choose from, but it’s her own aesthetic she calls “Farmhouse and Cottage style to French Chateau Chic” that transforms these pieces into works of functional art.

Her pink-striped vanity with mirror is emblematic of her unique style, using certain painting techniques, pale pink colors, and neutral, feminine tones.

“Each piece is different,” she said. “I do like the Shabby Chic vibe and that vanity has a sweet and petite look to it. I just kept picturing it in some old run-down chateau in France.”

“I’ll buy a piece, then think about it, what vibe I want and from there, I’ll paint colors, transfer, decoupage papers onto it,” she said. “For this one, I love stripes, so I just taped off the top drawers with painter’s tape and used decoupage paper on the front. And for the warm look around the edges, I used a product that’s almost like loose eyeshadow and mixed two different techniques.”

Some of her furniture designs gravitate toward what she calls “crazy colors, patterns, and florals, which are more rustic and primitive,” such as a magnificent jewelry armoire in deep blues and greens.

She also brings glam to everyday objects, such as a gumball machine, which looks like a prop on a vintage carousel.

“I actually buy them on eBay and Amazon new and just prime the metal and do my designs on them,” she said. “I do love doing it and mixing certain elements. it’s super fun.”

Connolly has a website, but primarily sells her pieces through Facebook Marketplace.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. This week, we’re focusing on Maine Made gourmet and specialty foods made from all around the state.

Cup of Sea tea made from seaweed

Portland, Maine

The back story:

Josh Rogers, a freelance cookbook editor and web content strategist on the side, got the idea to make tea from seaweed after noticing how alike green tea and kelp tasted. He started making tea from seaweed and opened his own store, Heritage Seaweed, the country's first and only all-things-seaweed store, in Portland, Maine. “I source flakes of dried seaweed from local harvesters including Atlantic Holdfast, who's based on a remote island seven miles off Stonington,” he said. “I blend the seaweed with caffeinated or herbal tea ingredients in small batches at our Portland shop. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more nutritious tea. It’s chock-full of minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents. Ultimately, a cup of tea is one of the easiest ways to add seaweed to your diet.”

Cost: $12.99 per bag. You can buy it online or in-person at Heritage Seaweed, 61 India St, Portland.

In his words: “We have five blends and they couldn't taste more different--warm ginger, white truffle honey, smoky malt, regular old black tea, and a green tea with a distinct whiff of sea breeze. People are all over the map on whether they can detect the seaweed, but most everyone likes it if they try it.”

Bub ‘N Mutha’s Gourmet Dry Rubs

Winter Harbor, Maine

The back story:

John Fuhrman is the founder of Bub ‘n Mutha’s.  (If you want to know where the company name comes from, check out his story on his website—and yes, his mother is very much an inspiration!) He is also a veteran and their company mission is to grow enough to be able to hire area veterans for full-time jobs right here in Maine.

From his labels to his recipes, John likes to put fun into dry rubs. “Barbecue does that better than any other style of food and it’s an American invention,” he said. “Our rubs are very unique in that they use 100 percent natural ingredients and no preservatives. Both flavors use far less salt than the other blends on the shelves in supermarkets. In addition, we use real Maine ingredients from real Maine companies. Both of our flavors use Raye’s Mustard ground mustard seeds. Our DownEast Dinnah (pronounced DINN-uh) Dust also uses real maple syrup crystals from Maine Made Maple in Madison and espresso ground locally at Coffee Hound in Brewer, Maine.”  

Cost: $15.99 for individual dry rubs. They can be bought online or at these retail stores across Maine, including all Reny’s Department store locations.

In his words: “With all that's going on in the world, barbecue is a great distraction. No one has a bad time at a barbecue. For 2020, we won 1st place at the International Flavor Awards for our Honey ‘n Heat in the dry rub category.”

Ass Over Teakettle Bloody Mary Mix

Cornville, Maine

The back story:

Katie Quinn, a bartender from Cornish, Maine has a hilarious backstory on how her initial Bloody Mary skills needed some improvement. With some guidance from a friend, her recipe improved. So much so, she started making them at Bullwinkle’s Bistro, Sugarloaf's on-mountain restaurant. On her best day, she served 512 Bloody Marys in one lunch! After that, a group of Katie’s regulars encouraged her to start her own business and bottle her Bloody Mary mix with the unforgettable name. “I make six gallons at a time in my commercial kitchen with my own tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce, that is then hand-bottled and labeled,” she said. “It’s small-batch, with classic ingredients, just what a Bloody Mary is supposed to be. People have said it has a wonderful balance of flavor and spice, and a fresh tomato pop with a horseradish heat. It tastes fresh and not from a bottle.”

Cost: Prices range from $3.50 to $30.00 depending on jar size. They can be found online and at these participating Maine stores.

In her words: “ I have a YouTube video on my website that shows the process. This will be the last Bloody Mary mix you will ever use. It will kick you right square in the donkey!“

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKLAND—A fast-casual lunch and dinner spot opened this week called Maine Kebab, and owner Shane McGarvey and his executive chef, Ken Hynes, are already ahead of the curve in terms of issues that have plagued restaurants since the COVID-19 virus hit back in March.

The menu is very simple: Mediterranean and Turkish flavors. Main dishes include Tumeric rice bowls, flatbread sandwiches, falafel and hummus box, and a salad box all serve as the main ingredient dishes, to which a diner has the choice to add in protein: lamb kofta, beef brisket, grilled chicken, pork belly, Haloumi, and tofu.

There are also smaller sides, kid’s meals, fried chicken dishes, desserts, and drinks. But the real stars of the menu are Hynes’ six different sauces from scratch to go with each meal, such as the MK Green, a take on green goddess dressing, MK Yellow, a curry and honey sauce, and MK Orange, a white sauce with a habanero kick— to name a few.

“Everything is mix and match on the menu,” he said. “The basis of the menu stemmed from late nights in New York City after getting out of work at 2 a.m. and there’s nothing but halal carts and after not eating all day, that food saves your life.”

Hynes, born in New Jersey, went to culinary school and has traveled all around the country for the last 15 years, working in fine dining and exploring different culinary regions from Napa Valley to New York to Alaska.

“I grew up in a very small town and wanted to experience more of the world and the flavors in different areas,” he said. He and his wife moved to Maine to be closer to her family once they had a baby. Most recently he was a chef at 40 Paper, before joining forces with McGarvey.

McGarvey is also a chef. He owns Applecroft Catering on the side. The Rockland branch is the latest franchise to open. McGarvey opened a restaurant of the same name in Waldoboro back in July.

“With COVID, we switched gears to try and feed the public the safest way we can and as affordable to the public as possible,” said Hynes. “Shane designed this menu completely with the limitations of COVID in mind and to be fast, easy, simple, and franchisable.”

Unlike a traditional takeout shop, Maine Kebab only allows online ordering on a website that hosts both locations. No cash is exchanged. Once the order is completed, a diner can simply pick up the boxed food at the window with minimal contact.

If and when the world goes back to normal, the open space in the restaurant, may, someday, be open to indoor dining. The outdoor seating is still available once the weather gets warmer.

To see the menu and order go to Maine Kebab’s website and choose either Rockland or Waldoboro. The restaurant is open from 12 to 9 p.m every day except Tuesday.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

THOMASTON—Like so many enterprising crafter/artists before her, Jo Ann Hoppe, an artist and entrepreneur from South Thomaston, has made a career from her hobbies. Refusing to let a pandemic dictate her direction, she’s lifting up a dozen or so local crafters, who are selling their consigned items in her newly opened shop, Blueberry Moose at 166 Main Street in Thomaston.

 “I’ve always been artistic, but in 2007, an artist told me I should be showing my stuff at craft fairs,” she said. “So, I started making these rustic-looking signs with Maine town names on them. I thought it was crazy, but I gave it a shot. Meantime, I was working full time as a nurse. And, at one point, five years ago, as I was getting ready to go to my booth at the Maine Lobster Festival, I wanted a teal-colored lobster on my T-shirt to match my shorts. I had lobster stencils, so I quickly stenciled a lobster on a t-shirt and went to the Festival. While there, folks kept asking me where I got my shirt. So, I called my husband and told him I had to go buy more shirts. I bought a dozen white T-shirts and sold out of them as fast as I could paint them.  I did lobsters, sea horses, anchors, all nautical themes.”

Originally, while still working as a nurse, Hoppe had opened Blueberry Moose in South Thomaston in 2007, but found it was too tough to keep open due to her hectic schedule. She re-opened it again after retiring, in 2017, this time from a shed on her property, but when COVID-19 struck in 2020, Hoppe found herself unable to keep her retail space open.

Being resourceful, she helped coordinate “Open Air Craft Fairs” in August and September, on the grounds of both the South Thomaston Library and the Jackson Memorial Library in Tenants Harbor. It was clear that she wasn't quite done with owning a shop.

“Coming through Thomaston this past summer, I saw a ‘For Rent’ sign at the Watts Building and finally called to rent it,” she said. “I talked with my other crafters and ladies whom I had I worked with before at the “Open Air Craft Fairs.’ There are a few of them in their 80s, and this is their pin money. A lot of them were dependent on this money from their crafts to supplement their social security. So, it all gelled; I got the space, and together, with local crafters and a few others, I invited about 15 of them to sell their wares on a consignment basis at my shop.”

Hoppe said her goal is to add more Maine Made crafters to her shop, a brand that pertains to a rigorous standard for Maine artists and crafters.

“I’ve helped a few of these ladies to sign up to be members of Maine Made and the goal is to qualify as a Maine Made shop,” said Hoppe. “The community is happy that we’re here.”

Hoppe is the only person who runs Blueberry Moose, so the crafters can stay safe at home while still earning a percentage on their products. Hoppe also plans on hosting “paint parties” starting in January, teaching people how to stencil signs and shirts.

Her shop is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This is what I love to do,” she said. “Every day is a gift.”

Find Blueberry Moose, along with Hoppe’s live tutorials on Facebook.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. It’s important to shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

B&W Clothespin Artwork Display

Cornish, Maine

The back story:

Julie Littlefield is the maker and owner of Running Blynd, a small handmade business located in the small southern Maine town of Cornish. She creates fun and functional home décor. and her signature items are decorative clothespin magnets in a variety of sizes, as well as a variety of other clothespin products. All of her products are hand painted and/or decoupaged. Pictured are set of 12 decorative clothespins in black and white theme with 10 feet of jute twine and two wood push pins for hanging. “Use it to display your photos, kids artwork, cards, postcards, etc.,” she said. “The possibilities are endless.” 

Cost: $18 each through her Etsy shop.

In her words: “My inspiration for my products began when my kids were needing an easier way to hang multiple things on the fridge and it has evolved into other products over time.”

Happy New Year “Good Riddance to 2020” handmade cards

Rockwood, Maine

The back story:

Robin Merkle lives in Rockwood, Maine with her husband Todd, where they enjoy a beautiful view of the Moose River. “When one retires to the north woods of Maine, it is necessary to have a hobby to get through the long, cold, snowy winter,” she said. “I don’t ski, or snowmobile. I tried iced fishing once and decided it was too cold for me. So, while my husband enjoys the outdoor activities, I stay inside doing the artistic things that I have always enjoyed. I paint, I sew, and mostly I design and make cards, like this one, a set of 10 cards with envelopes to say “Good Riddance to 2020.” For a while, I donated the cards to our deployed military through an organization called Operation Write Home. Then, when our troops were recalled, the need for donated cards lessened. I had way more cards than I could ever use, so I started selling them to friends and neighbors. A couple of local gift shops also carry my cards. Through my Etsy shop, I have sold cards in 40 states and as far away as Singapore and Australia. I am happy to see that the demand for my cards is growing, and maybe someday I will sell enough to actually support my hobby. The challenge is to come up with unique designs.”

Cost: $18.00 each through her Etsy shop.

In her words: “A lot of my inspiration comes from the north Maine woods and the ‘Good Riddance 2020 Happy New Year’ design has been very popular in this year of the pandemic. ”

Lobster Gauge Bracelets

Friendship, Maine

The back story:

Cost: $25.00 (brass, aluminum, and copper) at her Etsy shop

In her words: “I am inspired by the hard-working lobstermen in my community and my coastal lifestyle. I walk the shore almost daily combing the beach for new treasures and I'm always making something new.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

SOUTH BRISTOL—Many Maine artists use the concept of lobster in their art, but Tenley Seiders, an artist from South Bristol, actually uses lobster claws, tails, and other parts of the shell in her elegant jewelry and ornaments.

Born in California, she was first inspired to create jewelry from the abalone shells found on Pacific beaches.  From there, she delved into working with pearls and semi-precious gemstones. After spending countless summers in Maine, an “a-ha” moment occurred when she found herself sterning on her boyfriend’s lobster boat.

“Occasionally when lobsters would be pulled up on deck, we’d find some that dropped a claw,” said Seiders. “Not only does that becomes lost poundage for the lobsterman, but it’s kind of a waste in general. I was trying to figure out what to do with those extra claws. With my jewelry background I got to thinking, ‘What can I do to make these shell pieces into something pretty?’”

Seiders’ love of shells and jewelry extended to whatever she could find in the wild.

“I’ll find the oyster and mussel shells when beachcombing with my kiddos,” she said. “For the star-shaped ornaments, I’ll pulverize them with a mortar and pestle and then sift the crushed shell with a strainer. The Snowflake ornaments are made by forming pieces of shell into a mold and affixing it with epoxy resin. The whole point of jewelry is taking something that would be thrown out and reuse it.”

It took her awhile to chemically preserve the color of cooked lobster shell for her jewelry, consisting of pendants, earrings, and bracelets.

“Red fades like crazy,” she said. “To maintain that jewelry-grade primary color red without destroying the composition of the shell took some work. I ended up working with chemicals that are often used to preserve buoy colors to keep the paint from fading.”

People who see her ornaments and jewelry tell her they can’t believe it’s derived from lobster shell; they think it’s some kind of precious stone.

Seiders still melds her personal life with her art: her lobstermen boyfriend is now her husband. They have been married 13 years and have two children.

Friends and neighbors often offer her the shells after lobster bakes or suppers.

“If I know where the lobster originated, I incorporate their story into the product,” she said.

On her website, Lobster Designs, is a section “Our Lobstermen” which goes into more detail. Each piece of jewelry comes with an information card on where that lobster shell was sourced and on the particular lobsterman who caught it.

“There’s so much inspiration all around us if you look around and I always use it in my art,” she said.

Seiders primarily sells her creations number of retail locations in Maine, including several shops in the Midcoast, as well as through her Etsy shop. 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

OWLS HEAD—Bill Clifford, a chef who once ran Bill’s Original Kitchen in Kittery, has revived his one-man operation and recently opened his new kitchen at Knox County Regional Airport.

Originally from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Clifford has worked as a chef at multiple venues in Maine, including his last stint at Point Lookout in Lincolnville before it abruptly closed.

The plan was in place since mid-October to take over the space, once occupied by the Salty Owl Cafe. He decided to take the best elements from his former restaurant and open at the end of the terminal two weeks ago.

“I had the Original Kitchen in Kittery from 2015 to about 2017 and then had an opportunity to come up to the Midcoast where my children have been living for many years,” said Clifford. “When this space became available, I had the opportunity to take my idea for a lobster roll business into this location and expand it with some other popular items from the Kittery location.”

His breakfast fare is simple: homemade breakfast sandwiches and Carrabassett Coffee. Lunch offerings are, in his words, “hearty plates and quick sandwiches.”

Chief among them include his famous lobster roll, sourced locally and made to order with Hellman’s mayonnaise, a little seasoning, a seared off split-top New England style bun, and cracked pepper and salt.

“The lobster roll is not pre-made and that’s the difference in the flavor,” said Clifford. “Everything is freshly coordinated together. You can tell when a lobster salad has been pre-mixed. Here, that doesn’t happen and people always tell me, ‘This is the way it’s supposed to taste.’”

A pot roast burger is another hearty item on the menu made with slabs of hot pot roast on a bun with barbecue sauce.

“As the lobster roll business took off, many times, people would come in and not everyone wanted a lobster roll, so they usually chose this item,” he said. “After a lot of trial and error, it has become very popular.”

Another unusual item, made popular at his Kittery location, is a swordfish BLT served on a bun with homemade mayo.

“I served that many many times,” he said. “People fell in love with that sandwich.”

The K.C.A.P. is open-faced Italian made with provolone, salami, and ham with banana peppers, red onions, tomatoes, roasted garlic oil, a staple on his menu. Other rotating items will include homemade soups and salads.

Clifford is primarily serving airport customers coming through right now, but hopes the locals will visit to try some of his from-scratch fare.

Bill’s Original Kitchen hours are 7 to11 a.m. for breakfast sandwiches and 11 a.m. to  2 p.m. for lunch items. Specials can be found on his Facebook page.

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. It’s important to shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

“Jellyfish’ Airplant Holders Made From Urchin Shells

Rockland, Maine

The back story:

Lynn Ann Carrano Stasulis works full time at Superior Restoration in Camden, but her sidegig, “Midcoast Beachcombers” has taken off like crazy.  Her best-selling items are whimsical airplant holders using urchin shells, which resemble jellyfish when hung by fishing line. “I started making them three years ago. I’ve always liked working in gardens and really like succulents. I also have a real draw to the ocean as well so I started doing some research and found urchin shells online, but they were used upside down as a planter. So, I thought, why don’t I swap them upside down, hang them from some fishing line and call them jellyfish?” Her natural products have become so popular, that’s she’s gotten nearly 1,000 inquiries on them in the last week.

Cost: $20.00 each. She ships them across the U.S., but has noted, due to the tremendous interest in these jellyfish, (and that she’s still working full time!) she’ll be able to take more orders after Christmas. She can be messaged through her public Facebook page: Midcoast Beachcombers.

In her words: “I source the urchin shells from all over the world, from Maine, from Florida, and the Carolinas and some from overseas. All of them contain succulents; some flower and some don’t.”

Handmade wreaths from natural forest materials

Newcastle, Maine

The back story:

Trish Stockton is now semi-retired, but most of her working career has been with plants, as a caretaker, grower, and restorer. She said her greatest reward was working for the National Park Service collecting native seed for restoration of protected native areas. “I have been collecting plant material from gardens, woods, and roadsides for as long as I can remember,” she said. “Until now, I made my wreaths for myself or as gifts but, I had always wanted to try to see if I could make some mad money selling them. It has taken until now because collecting enough material takes time, and the right sources.”

Cost: $25-$100.00 each. She can be reached through her personal Facebook page.

In her words: “I collect all year long, I find things to make the wreaths with while I'm on a morning walk or strolling through the woods, around my yard or driving down the road. Each wreath is formed with a base plant which is then decorated with other plants. For example, the one in the photo is made with Curly Dock and some milkweed pods.”

Maine coasters made from birchwood

Portland, Maine

The back story:

It all started in 2012, when mechanical engineer, Nate Barr launched the PocketMonkey on Kickstarter. The credit card-sized multi-tool received more than 1,900 backers and $27,000 in 14 days. The company, now called Zootility, has continued to grow. From product design to manufacturing, Zootility produces everything in-house at their 8,000 sqft shop in Portland, ME. They make fun and stylish coasters from all 50 states,  laser-cut from birchwood.

Cost: $23.95. Find them at zootility.com

In their words: “This year, we’ve pivoted our efforts to manufacture comfortable masks to help protect our customers. We're always developing new products and currently have a few things in the works. Stay tuned by following us on social media @zootility"  

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

CAMDEN—A nine-week-old stray kitten was brought into P.A.W.S Animal Adoption Center last August badly injured from being hit by a car—a situation tragically far too common.

Initially nicknamed “Mulligan,” after a golfing term that means getting a second chance, the kitten was stabilized by P.A.W.S.’ staff veterinarian Jodi James with the hope of saving the leg. However, her little body was fighting the infection so hard, that ultimately, the hard decision had to be made to amputate the left front leg up to the shoulder bone in order to save her life. Jodi’s daughter, Annie James, volunteered to foster the kitten while she healed. As it turned out, their bond was so strong, Annie adopted Mulligan and gave her a new name: Maizie.

“I have fostered cats before that needed medical care, especially the ones my mom needs to have watched 24-7,” said Annie. “She sets them up in my room and I will take care of them. Right after Mazie’s surgery, I was fostering her with no intention of keeping her, but something really clicked between us. We were meant to be.”

Maizie’s recovery was surprisingly fast, but the kitten was still struggling with trauma. “She had a lot of road rash and would barely eat,” said Annie. “She had this quiet meow—basically her mouth would just open and no sound would come out. And she would shake, her whole body would tremble, so I’d go under the covers with her and hold her on my chest and hold her really tight until the shaking stopped.”

Within a day, Maizie was walking. “It took a little figuring out,” said Annie.  “She learned how to walk on three legs so fast. It was more of a hop. She uses her back two legs like a rabbit and her one front leg slingshots her forward.”

Annie, 22, had to make special arrangements with her housing in Colorado, where she works as a lift operator at Breckenridge Mountain, in order to adopt Maizie. On the road trip out west, Annie brought a special backpack made for cats, so Maizie could enjoy the great outdoors. Annie has documented some of these travels on her Instagram page 3LeggedMaz.

“I took her to Niagara Falls, Chicago, the Badlands, to Mt. Rushmore and everywhere in between,” said Annie. 

P.A.W.S. is unusual in that the adoption center contains its own veterinary clinic. Roughly, 80 percent of the animals who arrive at P.A.W.S. need some kind of medical attention, whether it’s fleas and worms, injuries, or dental care. As a no-kill shelter, it takes in around 1,000 animals a year and successfully adopted out 751 animals in 2019, with a 96% save rate. Their adoption rate is consistently three to four times above the national average and is one of the highest in the nation.

“I think P.A.W.S. having veterinary care in the shelter is above and beyond,” said Annie. “I volunteer with my mom in the medical suite when I can and every single cat that comes in has a medical issue.”

As for Maizie, Annie said the kitten is thriving, happy and bopping around.

“She’s adjusting well to our new home in Colorado,” said Annie. “She was able to adapt to life on three legs, so I’m not worried about where life takes us because I know she’ll be able to handle it. She inspires me not to worry so much.”

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

On Thanksgiving day, I decided to roll up my sleeves and attempt to bake some bread. Not just any bread. Loaves made from those damn acorns it took me one hour of gathering, two weeks of cracking, five hours of leaching, and 28 hours of dehydrating, as explained in my recent article, “Back off squirrel, these acorns are mine.”

Basically, a gallon and a half of raw acorns produced probably two and a half cups of acorn flour. Worth it? You tell me.

Actually, don’t tell me. My friends have already told me they thought that was a futile experiment.

But, my reasoning for going to those lengths was because we’re still in the midst of a pandemic. Remember back in March when the grocery shelves were empty because of panic shopping? Here was my story on that: “Alternatives to panic shopping/hoarding while we get through this.”

We may get another round of panic shopping again in the coming weeks as the COVID-19 virus tears through the United States.  That disruption, that discomfort of not being able to find certain food or supplies, was a significant reminder to anyone in a first world country not used to supply chain chaos or the awful feeling of scarcity. So many people in the U.S., especially here in the Midcoast, are panicking because they don’t have enough money for rent or food for their children or pets.

To quiet the mind, I gathered food that was right outside my door, literally. I took all of that time to learn how how to make something with a main ingredient I didn’t have to buy.

So, we’ll get right to it: How to make acorn bread.

Gather your ingredients

• Water (1 cup)
• White Flour (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
• Acorn Flour (1/2 cup)
• Active Yeast (1 packet)
• Oil (2 Tbsp. of Vegetable, Olive or Canola)
• Sugar (1/3 cup)
• Honey (2 tsp.)
• Salt (1 tsp)

You’ll need white flour because the acorn flour is essentially ground nuts and doesn’t have gluten needed as a leavening agent. But, it also stretches the recipe, so you only need about 1/2 cup of it.

Get The Yeast Going

Heat up a cup of water to about 105-115 F, or if you’re like me and have no idea of how to measure how hot a cup of water can get, microwave it for about 45 seconds and hope for the best. In a large mixing bowl, add in a packet of yeast with a half tsp. of sugar with the water and stir it gently. Then, wait for about five or 10 minutes until it gets foamy. Best to wait to go to the grocery store if you’re making this bread to see if that yeast takes. Otherwise, you’re going to have to go back to the store and get a new packet of yeast. Ask me how I know.

Form Acorn Bread Dough

Once the yeast is going, add in the sugar. then fold in the oil, honey, and half of the white flour. Then, be like David Rose from Schitt’s Creek and repeatedly question how to “fold” an ingredient in. With a plastic or wooden spoon, mix all together, and add in the acorn flour. At this point, the bread takes on a cool, earthy color. Remove from the bowl and on a floured surface, begin kneading the dough for about five to seven minutes until the dough ball is no longer sticky. Once the dough is formed, place in a clean bowl with a damp warm cloth covering it and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes. Then, punch it down and reform into another loaf. You can either use a sprayed or buttered standard 9 x 5 bread pan for one loaf, but I chose to form three mini loaves. Cover the loaf pan with a warm, damp towel and allow it to rise for another hour. 

Bake it off

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and stick the loaf on the top rack. Make sure you check it at 25 minutes to make sure it’s not browning too much (cover with aluminum foil if so) and allow the loaf to fully cook for the entire 35 minutes. Your kitchen will have a nice, yeasty, nutty aroma.

Give the bread to your friends

Acorn bread was served for Thanksgiving dinner in lieu of rolls. I’m astounded I didn’t screw it up, because the bread came out with a spongey, pleasing texture and a nutty, honeyed taste that was fantastic with a pat of butter. I gave away the other two mini loaves to the friends who wondered why I went to all of this trouble and asked for their honest opinion.

The consensus? It turned out to be very good.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

APPLETON—Maine Cater, a recruitment company dedicated to serving New England’s food and beverage industry, has come up with an idea to provide local “restaurateurs, employers, job seekers, and FOH/BOH” with an economic lifeline during a pandemic that shows no signs of stopping.

Husband-and-wife team, Daryle and Orianna Degen launched  Maine Cater in Camden in 2017 as a way to supply temporary employees to restaurants suffering from immediate gaps in employment.

“We’ve both worked in the hospitality industry all of our lives, said Degen. “I used to be a relief chef in England and Scotland helping short-staffed restaurants for years, but when I moved to Maine, I realized there wasn’t any service that could quickly plug in a chef or a server or a bartender into an existing restaurant if the restaurant was short-staffed. Given Orianna’s background in FOH (front of house) management and mine in BOH (back of house) management, we decided to start our own company.”

Since the COVID-19 virus hit, the couple left their Camden location and now operates remotely out of their Appleton home. In addition to providing the public a job board for the restaurant industry in all of new England akin to Craiglist or Indeed.com, the couple recently announced a community service arm to their job board.

Whereas before, employers looking to post on Maine Cater’s Job Board could do so for free. But now, adjusting their model, it requires a $25 fee— the majority of which goes back into a fund to assist workers and restaurants.

“Employers are already paying $25 to some of the larger corporations such as Craigslist in order to post jobs, so why not support a local company?” said Daryle Degen. “And in return, we invest the funds they paid and put it back into the industry to help other businesses and restaurant workers.”

As PenBay Pilot reported two months after the COVID-19 virus shut down indoor dining for the majority of Maine’s restaurants and bars in a story, “Open? Close? Adapt to permanent Takeout?” the restaurant industry was left flapping in the wind. The Paycheck Protection Program was not a huge success and came with too many strings attached to be workable for many businesses.

A dire prediction from restaurateur John Stowe, owner and chef of Rockland’s Rustica, interviewed for that article is now coming true.   “...The reality is the pivotal moment won’t take place this summer; it’ll be after the winter, where you’ll see more restaurant closures,” said Stowe. “So, if locals love their favorite restaurants, the best thing they can do is continue to go there, get gift certificates and continue to support them past the summer.”

“To put it in a harsh reality, the restaurant industry is in a pretty bleak state,” said Degen. “Without any help from the federal government, I don’t foresee many places surviving, especially with all of the state restrictions on top of that. It’s making it impossible for restaurateurs to survive the pandemic as we enter the ‘Dead Season’ in January. That’s typically where restaurants rely on the income they made in the summer and many of them didn’t have that safety net this year.”

When a restaurant’s margins are razor-thin, it trickles down to the employees. “A lot of servers have also left the industry, where they were just not making enough,” said Degen. “It’s an industry not known for being able to offer the best wages and benefits.” 

It’s more than that: it’s a Perfect Storm of economic disparity. Seventy percent of restaurant servers are female and yet, women have been disproportionally hit the hardest with the pandemic, particularly those with small children and who live in districts where schools are doing remote learning.

Giving Back Through A Worker Fund and a Restaurant Fund

Maine Cater spells out clearly in a blog post titled Community Service what they intend to do with the employer job listing fee.

“The $5 from the $25 will go towards credit card processing fees and job board software upkeep, and the remaining $20 will go into the chosen fund account,” states the blog.

To kick-start the fund accounts, Maine Cater will put $500.00 of its own money into each fund. They will keep track of which employers in New England states and regions are posting the jobs. So, if a Midcoast restaurateur pays the $25 fee, the $20 will go into a fund for Midcoast servers and restaurants.

“For the Worker Fund, we will be offering several types of assistance,” said Degen. “One is a disaster relief assistance, where if a worker is struggling to pay his or her rent, or is facing eviction, we will be building up that fund in order to give back to that individual. The other way we’ll distribute funds is to issue gift certificates to workers so they can dine out or buy take out and feed their families. We can also use those funds to drop a large tip to a particular restaurant, whether it’s one or two thousand dollars, which the workers can split. There are a number of ways we can give back to them, directly.”

The Restaurant Fund focuses on the economic health of local restaurants. Maine Cater will supply restaurants with gift cards to their own restaurant that either Maine Cater gives away to the public or the restaurateur hands out to guests. The funds can also be pooled to give away to hotels with attached restaurants for a “Weekend Getaway’ package.

“We can buy gift cards to multiple restaurants so that restaurants paying into the job post funds end up helping one another stay afloat,” said Degen. “It creates an ecosystem of restaurants supporting other restaurants.”

The other benefit to restaurants when customers use a gift card, say $50, is that the customers often spend well above the gift amount, increasing the ticket average for the restaurant.

A General Fund is also being built with the purchase of a resume package and job listings ($290) to directly benefit food banks, rent or disaster relief assistance for industry workers, and larger prize giveaways like weekend getaway packages, etc. Currently, this system is not open to receiving general donations from the public; it’s all through the economic investment of restaurateurs.

Maine Cater aims to launch this new program in mid-December. To follow their updates visit: https://www.mainecater.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

Given that so many artists were hard hit economically over the COVID-19 virus, Penobscot Bay Pilot puts a spotlight on the hard-working artists and entrepreneurs in Maine. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

The Original Lobstah Trap Beer Caddy

Cumberland, Maine

The back story: The Lobstah Trap Caddy is handcrafted in Maine constructed from authentic Maine lobster trap material. Joe Hamilton has family members that lobster fish and buys the same galvanized wire that lobstermen use when constructing their own traps to make a caddy. “Everybody asks me if I use broken traps and I always tell them, no it’s new: otherwise you’d never get the smell out of the stuff,” he said. He is the first in Maine to make these types of beer and condiment caddies having started in 2010. “I was a woodworker for quite a few years and I built a wooden caddy to hold six craft beers and one day I thought I’d make something different out of lobster wire,” he said. Now, retired, Joe works 20 hours a week in his shop and sells them all over the country to individuals, retail stores as well as to restaurants in the U.S. and overseas.  He just sold his first order to a cruise ship this year.

Cost: $39.99 in blue, black or green wire. FMI: Etsy

In his words: “With COVID-19, I actually had better sales since people are shopping online. I probably sell 20 of these a week.”

Cherry Bookmarks

Smyrna Mills, Maine

The back story: Jack Lilley, a woodworker who owns 623 Woodworks created these solid cherry bookmarks that have been re-sawn, sanded smooth, and then laser cut for uniform size and shape. These are high-quality solid cherry pieces, not plywood. “I got the idea some time ago when I was in L.L. Bean and saw wooden bookmarks and so I acquired a laser engraver and was just coming up with a way to make something from the scraps from Shaker boxes and wood-turned bowls. He said he also creates engraved bookmarks, but it’s his blank cherry bookmarks that are the biggest seller.  “They are solid wood and that’s hard to come by these days.”

Cost: $10.00 FMI: Etsy

In his words: “ I have a construction business; that’s what I do for a living but my Etsy shop is probably selling 300-400% higher during the pandemic.”

Fisherman’s Net Air Plant Hanger

Portland, Maine

The back story: Dana Bettez, a macrame artist, is the owner of My Mini Maine. Her niche features Bohemian-style products like this macrame air plant hanger. “The knotting of this cotton macrame string reminds me of a fisherman's net and each one is anchored by locally sourced driftwood,” she said. “My family and I gather the driftwood on walks we take along the coast. We cut and sand the ends. I use thin macrame cord made from recycled materials to knot in a nautical-style pattern what looks like a net. An air plant is the perfect “catch”—a lot of people say air plants look like something that grows underwater (they don’t!). The plant tucks right into the net and can be removed to water it.”

Cost: $15.00 FMI: Etsy

In her words: “When the pandemic first hit, there definitely was a surge of online sales for awhile, but it has quieted down for the past couple of months.”

THOMASTON—Back in March, 29-year-old Carly Laughery, of Thomaston, had her hands full with three kids and a job at Staples. With so many people around her losing jobs, childcare, and their financial security due to the COVID-19 virus, Laughery looked at ways she could possibly help.

She heard about a mysterious nationwide group called “Wine Fairies,” people who band together to anonymously drop a bag or basket of wine, food, or other special gifts on the doorstep of someone having a rough time.

“I had a friend in New York who was part of the Wine Fairies group, so I started a Facebook group in Maine,” said Laughery. “I didn’t expect it to get so big, but we ended up with more than 4,000 followers within two months.”

Little did Laughery know it at the time, but she took on a second full-time job with that decision—and it is reaping benefits all over Maine. Members of the Facebook group identify someone in need and then certain Wine Fairies dress up and deliver their bags of goodies they call “dustings” at the front door. The Fairies then take off before they can be thanked.

“It’s like ‘Ding Dong Ditch,’ but with wine,” said Laughery. “With COVID-19, the concept was to brighten somebody’s day without having any physical contact.”

“I gave one basket to a single mom and it had wine, chocolates and flowers, stuff she wouldn’t regularly treat herself to on a regular basis,” she said.

Now, with the holidays approaching The Wine Fairies of Maine are broadening their philanthropic scope by gifting families in Maine with holiday presents, clothes, and food.

Even though the group started out informally, Laughery has streamlined the process by requiring all new Facebook members to fill out a form and using that information county by county, organizing a spreadsheet of families in need. The Wine Fairies in each county can then pick a recipient closest to them. It’s Pay-It-Forward kindness on a grassroots level.

“We’ve raised enough money and presents to cover 24 families and 57 kids in Maine, but we still have 85 families in the queue that need more help,” she said.

Laughery said the Facebook group prohibits families from directly asking its members for help. Instead, all requests go through Laughery.

“I ask each family to send me information about what their kids need, want, and love and then I hand type in every family’s needs anonymously,” said Laughery. “Then I set up a post, asking our Fairies who can adopt a whole family, cover part of the holiday list, or even contribute to the Amazon wishlist for each child. Everything is between $5 and $10 and delivered directly to the parents. So, the item shows up at their door; they can wrap it up; and no one is the wiser that they got help.”

Asked what the most common items families are requesting right now, Laughery said: “Almost every request, believe it or not, are hats and gloves. For a state with such a cold climate, it’s crazy to think that the one thing the parents are reaching out for is winter gear for their kids.”

The lead up to the holidays is about an extra 20 hours a week on top of her Staples job. It’s sometimes an exhausting process.

“I don’t get much sleep,” she admitted. “But, I have a wonderful husband who stays home with the kids and two other Mom Fairies who are helping me.”

One of Laughery’s Fairies, Shannon Shannon Delisle-Harris likes to get really into character when she drops off the Christmas packages. She dresses up as The Grinch from Dr. Seuss’ storybook How the Grinch Stole Christmas! She has another Wine Fairy who dresses up like Cindy Lou Who.

“I didn’t expect the response we got when I started this group, but it has shown me how many people in Maine are willing to go out of their way to make someone happy,” said Laughery. “Brightening someone’s day and making someone happier is really important right now.”

To get involved with Wine Fairies of Maine and be part of their Christmas project to help 85 families, join their Facebook group and fill out the form once admitted to the group. They will take local donations up until Christmas Eve.

Laughery said once the holidays are over, they will go back to delivering their “dustings” of alcohol and goodies as they have before.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

ROCKPORT—On a cold, wintry day in 2018, Isaac Remsen was driving to work when glancing across the Rockport Harbor, he was compelled to slow down.

“I noticed the inner part of the harbor was completely frozen and there were about five lobster boats stuck in the ice,” he said. “I literally called my boss right then and there and said, ‘I’m going to be a little late; I need to take a shot of this.”

He took his DJI Phantom 4 drone out of the back of his car and sent it flying. The shot it produced is an aerial view looking down at the frozen boats in what looks almost like a topographical map.

“I felt like I was capturing a once in a lifetime moment brought together by environmental circumstances,” he said.

This shot just put Remsen as a finalist in Down East’s annual photo contest. The winner will be announced on December 14.

Remsen, who was born and raised in West Rockport, first got an interest in photography when he was a kid with a disposable camera.

“It wasn’t until I took an Outward Bound course to Costa Rica when I was 23 that I completely opened my mind to photography,” he said.

His parents saw the quality in the photos Remsen was sending back from Costa Rica and made some inquiries about getting him into a special Maine Media Workshops course abroad.

“As soon as I returned home, my parents were supportive of this new-found passion and asked me: ‘What do you think about going to Paris?”

Remsen replied, “I’ve not even been home 24 hours yet!”

But, a month later, off to Paris he went to study international street photography with world-renowned photographer Peter Turnley, an associate of the Maine Media Workshops. From there, he continued his travels to Amsterdam, London, and Scotland, and Buenos Aires, taking as many photos as he could.

“While taking these workshops, my techniques improved,” said Remsen. “I learned to better operate a camera from a technical standpoint. Peter pushed me to experiment and go out into Paris alone, where I’d never been in my life. He kept telling me to look for the story, get closer to the subject, and capture something that’s honest. I came away with about 14,000 images from that trip.”

Back home in Maine after that, Remsen tried to figure out how to take his interests to the next level. Like many young people who grow up here, he thought he’d seen enough of Maine by the time he was in his 20s and headed for more exciting adventures in Boston. He then ended up attending and graduating from the New England School of Photography. An aficionado of music and concerts, he got himself immersed in the concert scene, photographing events, people, and musicians that also got his work into The Boston Globe and other publications. He became the staff photographer for Leedz Edutainment, an independent promotion company primarily for hip hop.

But, Maine always calls back its creatives. After a decade, Remsen wanted to move back to Midcoast. He worked for architectural photographer Brian Vanden Brink for a number of years, but after his daughter, Isla, was born, he transitioned into a new role. For the past three years, he has cared for Isla, while using the time to refine his body of work.

“Now that I’ve returned home, I realized I took a lot of this area for granted,” he said.  “I’m seeing Maine from a fresh perspective and starting to explore it more. I go out every day and try to find an interesting perspective on something whether it be a blizzard or coastal flooding; I just try to create some art in some way.”

For more information visit: www.isaacremsen.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

VINALHAVEN—This past June, the nine graduating students at Vinalhaven School, like so many seniors across the country, had their graduation ceremonies curtailed. While they were lucky enough to hold a commencement ceremony due to the class’s small size, they weren’t able to do a grand march or a lobster boat parade afterward, for it would have attracted too many onlookers gathering at the shore.

Instead, the class came up with the idea of putting a message in a bottle. All nine students wrote or drew a special message and tucked it into the bottle. Then, they boarded lobster boats and rafted up in the middle of the sea. A drone camera caught the amazing photo from overhead.

“Over the VHF, we read out loud a number of good things about each senior and well wishes,” said Bryan Feezor, the Assistant Principal at Vinalhaven School. 

When the lobster boats all went their separate ways, that’s when the bottle was tossed into the ocean.

Only, it didn’t get far—it washed up on nearby North Haven.

According to Feezer, a merchant marine on the island told him he was shipping out pretty soon and could take the bottle with him and throw it overboard in the midst of the Atlantic. And that’s what he did.

At this point in the story, no one ever expects to hear about the bottle’s whereabouts again. Most of them end up in gigantic floating garbage patches on the ocean. The recovery rate for such a bottle is less than three percent, according to an article in The American Surveyor.

Five months passed by. A couple in Grand Isle, Louisiana, was walking the beach in October, when they stumbled upon the bottle and opened it.

The Louisiana couple spread the news to other friends via Facebook. To back the story up slightly, Vinalhaven School hired a couple from Iowa to help the school create and design a remote learning team for the students. This couple had friends whose family lives in Grand Isle, Louisiana. In a five-degrees-of-separation twist of events, when the Iowa couple received the news, they knew exactly where the bottle had come from.

As Feezer recalled, “Someone who was friends with this Iowa couple said to them on Facebook, “Hey my grandparents just found this bottle, check this out. We assume that the storms that have battered the Gulf helped get the bottle to wash up there and can't believe the coincidence that the people that found it had contacts with our remote team.”

Feezer said the students were thrilled to learn how far the bottle traveled (approximately 2,000 nautical miles) and that it had been found.

“As the seniors last year did not get to have the graduation that has been part of our island tradition for a long time, this story brought some extra excitement to them and gave them some fond memories of their last days of high school,” said Feezer.

Learn more about Vinalhaven School through their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

It feels like decades since I last wrote a Cheap Dates story. Thanks to the onset of the pandemic back in March, during those dreary spring months, there was not only nowhere to go, but nothing to do. There’s only so much sourdough bread you can bake and so many family Zoom meetings you can take with a bottle of wine tucked out of view.

And now with Thanksgiving around the corner and college students coming home to record-high coronavirus infections spiking across the country, we’re facing the same kind of high-alert social distancing in November that was necessary to keep the virus from super-spreading in March. It’s necessary, but understandably, there’s a lot of fatigue around that.

For the college kids, who come home after their first semester, this time of year has always been a joyous and raucous excuse to whoop it up with old high school friends, to go to each other’s houses, hang out in bars, and have parties. Well, thanks to the COVID-19 virus, you can now chalk that up to the one more thing that college students are going to miss out on.

Throw that in with the casualties of having no in-person graduations, no proms, and no senior field trips.

But enough with the sad trombone. College kids, here’s something you can do with your buddies outside when you come home. The weirder friends you invite, the better.

Erickson Fields in Rockport off Route 90 is a family-friendly trail featuring a 1.4 mile loop. Just recently, Maine Coast Heritage Trust set up a collaboration with local author Liza Gardner Walsh to display pages of her new book posted along the trail titled, “The Fall Fairy Gathering” illustrated by Hazel Mitchell.

Here’s the Cheap Date: meet up with your friends (you can even take your leashed dogs) at a time when it won’t be busy. Opt for a real small group—four people is ideal. Have the one person who is good at cooking and organizing put together a posh picnic. Leave the job of clean up and pack everything out to the one person in the group who never remembers to pitch in for food. Fair is fair.

Pair off in twos and begin the loop with a Trust Walk. One partner is blindfolded while the other leads through the trail, verbally guiding the blindfolded person when not to trip and smack into a tree. I did this so much as a college-aged camp counselor with other camp counselors on our days off; it’s ridiculously fun.

As you meander through the trail, you’ll start to come across Gardner Walsh’s book pages, laminated and set up as signposts. Her book is a sweet children’s story, and part of the fun of this walk is to read her story in chapters along the way. It’s also a great way to forest bathe. 

Once you hit the first signpost, switch blindfolds on partners.  Speaking of stories, here’s another game we used to play as camp counselors (that we modified after working with young kids all day). As you find each signpost and part of Gardner Walsh’s story, riff on the theme with The Story Game. The first person begins the story by saying “Once upon a time…” and completes the sentence. The next person in line must continue the story and it can only be one sentence. This is where your weird friends will really add to the game.

So college kids, what I’m saying is, don’t let the pandemic ruin your homecoming; use your creativity and imagination to still have fun.

Stay socially distant to folks on the trail, wear masks when you come upon anyone on the trail, be mindful of the impact of your group, and follow Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s COVID-19 guidelines before setting out.

Gardner Walsh’s story pages will be up on the trail loop until late December.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

NORTH HAVEN—Whoever said punk is dead hasn’t been to North Haven in awhile. Not exactly considered the gritty underground mecca for the post-punk scene, this lobstering community with only 400 year-round residents, holds its own when it comes to three riot grrrls who live and play music there.

Fiona Robins is the owner of Island Apothecary and her job entails gardening and making organic skincare products on North Haven, which have been featured in Mother Magazine and Buzzfeed. Her other day job is to garden for a company called Islandscape, which recently shut the greenhouse down for the winter months.

Right out of college, Robins moved to North Haven in 2015 to try out island life.

“I did the summer-winter switch around, ended up living in Portland for a time, and ended up coming back to North Haven full time in 2018, when I first started working at Island Apothecary,” she said. “It was a match made in heaven.” 

Robins took over the apothecary after working with original owner Laura Serino who decided to sell the business after a few years.

But that’s only one side of her passion.

While living in Portland, Robins, a feminist punk guitarist, looked in vain to find the right band to play with.

“I moved there to become a musician and pursue that life, which is funny because I was searching so hard for people to play with in Portland, but it’s when I moved back to North Haven, I ended up finding my band,” she said. “And now we are making incredible music together.”

Bait Bag is the name of the three-musician group featuring Robins on guitar and vocals, Claire Donnelly on bass and Courtney Naliboff on drums.

Of the band’s title, Robins explained: “Alliteration is always fun; there’s of course, the island reference, but when it comes to those two words, ‘bait’ as in jail bait, or women used as bait and ‘bag,’ as in calling a woman an old bag, we thought we’d reclaim these two negative words for our own.”

One of their big hits, “Eat Him Alive” is about women who need men to validate themselves or give women their worth.

“The chorus is ‘Eat him alive, so I can survive’—it’s a little vampiric’,” said Robins.

Everyone in the band still has to have a day job.

“Courtney is the music teacher on the island,” said Robins. “And her husband is the music teacher on Vinalhaven. So they kind of have cornered the market on that. And Claire is working remotely for Island Institute.”

It’s hard to imagine, especially with the COVID-19 virus curtailing event venues, where Bait Bag would find an audience on the island, but apparently, they are doing just fine.

“We just played two shows through the Community Center and live-streamed them for SPACE Gallery in Portland for Halloween,” said Robins. “Last year, we had two working punk bands on the island and had a punk basement show. There are so many fun, young people out here who just want to have fun and thrash around—it’s a pretty good group of people.”

Life goes on; Robins continues to develop her best-selling serums, cleansers, and toners and the band keeps practicing and honing their songs. There will be a day when they can play live again.

“It’s really great to live here, and make stuff, make music that reaches other people outside the island,” she said. “Just connecting with other women in Maine and making music that people want to listen to is all I need.”

For more information on Island Apothecary visit their website and while you’re at it, visit Bait Bag’s website.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com

In an opinion column this past summer, I made an off-hand crack about urban dwellers wanting to come to Maine to escape the pandemic and get all cottage core, e.g., ditch the high-priced restaurants they could no longer go to and start rooting in the dirt for fiddleheads now that they were “back to the landers.”

Well, after living in the Midcoast for 27 years, I got all cottage core recently. In the past, I’ve made hard cider and dandelion wine from scratch, planted a cocktail herb garden, pilfered tomatoes from a public garden (that were going to rot on the ground, anyway) and made a killer vodka sauce.  I thought it was time to make use of all of those black oak acorns out in the yard, free for the taking. Why not?

Truth be told, it was wild food gatherer and author Euell Gibbons and his supreme field guides, Stalking The Wild Asparagus and Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop, that inspired this latest kick.

The Gathering

Hunching down and sifting through all of the  acorns I could find, I then crab-walked around to find more. That movement sent a signal from my lower back to my brain that said: “Yup. That’s gonna hurt tomorrow.” But I couldn’t help it. Once I started collecting them, I became a little obsessive. I left the darker brown ones and split ones alone, for the nut was likely to be spoiled by weevils. After perusing some blogs, I discovered that procuring about a gallon of acorns would yield a fair amount of acorn flour.

Get Cracking

Anytime you try something new for the first time, there’s a 99.9% chance you will not have the right equipment for it. The purists recommend a Davebilt #43 Nutcracker. But that’s $175 I don’t have laying around. 

First, I tried cracking each acorn with a nutcracker. That was a laborious process. Then, checking some online tutorials, all I needed was a meat tenderizing mallet, a clean section of newspaper, and the desire to slam those things inside the folded newspaper like Whac-A-Mole.

I learned, after trial and error, an even easier way was to roast the acorns in a pan for about three minutes and then hit them with the mallet afterward; the nut popped right out of the shell. It was sort of cathartic until it got real tedious. 

If I were a pioneer woman and had eight children doing all that nut-cracking, I can see why this might have been a popular pastime in the days of yore.  I didn’t get through an entire batch at once; I’d get crackin’ when I had time, so all in all, this process took two weeks.

Pro-tip, keep the shelled nuts in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator until you can get through the entire process.

Leeching Out The Tannins

You could go down the rabbit hole of the various ways to leech out tannins: There are hot and cold methods, and even a super hippie stream leeching technique, but I went with Gibbons’s method which, he claims takes about two hours.

Fill a large pot with water and get up to boiling; add the peeled, dried acorns. Get that pot boiling and start a second pot on the boil.

When the acorn water turns “tea colored,” according to Gibbons, drain the acorns and without rinsing, immediate place into the second pot of boiling water. Keep going until the water finally clears and the nuts look chocolate brown. 

When you taste one, there should be no bitterness left. With black oak, the tannins are higher and it takes more time to leach. Little did I know, I’d be standing in front of that stove for five straight hours. FIVE hours doing this.

Drying Out

Since many of the cracked nuts still have the “testa”, the skin on them that needs to be removed, natural food bloggers recommend laying the nuts out on a cookie sheet and dehydrating with a dehydrator or placing it in the oven on warm in order to shrink the nuts and allow the testa to be easily removed.

We had a wood stove going, so I opted to set the cookie sheet next to the stove and let it do its work all night.

Grinding the Nuts

Finally, once the nuts were dried, it was time to grind. You can process them in a food processor or coffee grinder until it ends up into a fine powder or flour. I chose to use my NutriBullet.

Then, allow the flour  to dry by the woodstove for another four hours.

Store the flour in Tupperware or a Mason jar in a dark corner of your kitchen cabinet and now you have acorn flour to make bread. How to make acorn bread? That’s a whole other tutorial right here.

After one hour of gathering, two weeks of cracking, five hours of leaching, and 28 hours of dehydrating, I thought to myself: “I’d better be starving like Scarlett O’Hara gnawing on the hind end of a dirt-covered turnip before I try something like this again.”

My friends made fun of me for a solid week—until they lost interest in my continued labor over the acorn flour.

It’s trial and error; you don’t try something for the first time and have it come out perfectly right. For now, it’s just one more cottage core skill to tuck under my belt. And now I just want to slap myself silly for saying that. 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com