Realizing a dream can be hard work. A group of Islesboro residents, led by one very determined off-islander, is dedicated to the idea of a steady supply of local produce grown on the island, for the island. The Orchard Project is an outgrowth of the Islesboro Central School (ICS) horticulture program (WWF June 2000), which
From the Deck – Two Old Guys
The skipper had held a six-passenger Coast Guard license for over 50 years and had sailed day parties and cruising parties in his Friendship sloop. In one boat or another, he had cruised from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands to St. John in the Bay of Fundy. He is now sailing a neat little
Symbol of Honor – Peaks Island museum plans to restore its historic flag
For the past 117 years, a silk American flag has hung in a glass case in the main hall of the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum on Peaks Island. It belonged to the Fifth Maine Regiment, one of the 39 regiments from Maine that fought in the Civil War. The unit was presented with the flag
The Long View – Working into the Community
The magic spell of summer is quickly broken. For me this happened the other morning driving down the main street of my mainland town when I unconsciously waved at the driver of an oncoming car — two fingers raised above the rim of the steering wheel, island fashion. It was only when the startled faces
A crew from Stonington goes to The Mikado by sea
As part of an inter-island drama exchange program initiated in October 2004 between Deer Isle, North Haven and Vinalhaven, 53 people from Stonington traveled to North Haven on the Isle au Haut mail boat to see a Sunday matinee performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado earlier this month. Holley Meade of Seamark Community Arts
Assessment Freeze
To the editor: Like most seacoast residents I am concerned about real estate tax increases caused by skyrocketing property values. Property tax increases are the principal reason long-term residents, particularly those working the waterfront and on fixed incomes, are being forced to sell their property. One answer is to freeze all property tax assessments on
Institute hires Director of Development
At the end of August, Phil Walz joined the Island Institute as its new Director of Development. Until recently Walz served as chief administrative, operating and administrative officer for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Previously he was Director of Development for Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. At the Island Institute, Walsh
Perfect Job – Well, someone’s got to sail boats to faraway places…
The first time Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) graduate David Harrison went sailing, he hoisted the jib upside down, didn’t tie the jib sheets correctly and almost lost the boat. “That was my initiation,” he said. He hadn’t learned how to sail at the academy — he’d graduated in 1962 — but it looked interesting, so
New designer for Working Waterfront
Working Waterfront has a new designer, Bridget Nichols. An Island Institute staff member since 2003, she has worked in the programs department as a print and Web designer, and has also played a major role in the creation of two large lobby exhibits: the 2004 commemoration of the Island Institute’s founding, and the 2005 display
Groups envision Sears Island’s future
Sears Island may have escaped a possible LNG port proposal last year, but all isn’t as quiet is it seems. The LNG interest was just the latest in a long history of grand ideas for the island, reinvigorating debate over how the town of Searsport could develop it for economic benefit while preserving its ecological