When the Waldoboro Shad Hatchery is up and running, the atmosphere in the growout room resembles a hospital intensive care unit. There’s a hum, bubble, click and whir as pipes, tubes and electrical wires that crisscross the room deliver power, nutrients, water and oxygen and remove waste from six 600-gallon tanks. But unlike a modern
Arts festival draws students from four islands
June 4 brought a dramatic increase in the student population of Vinalhaven as the school hosted the first Inter-Island Arts Festival. Students and teachers from North Haven, Islesboro and Islesford joined Vinalhaven staff and students in a day of art exhibits, workshops and performances. Artwork by students from all four schools was exhibited throughout the
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home
New York: Scribners, 2003. Heartfelt memoir of a Cape Cod summer home It’s no surprise this book was nominated for the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2003 – it’s a gem of a well-told and heartfelt story. George Colt’s nostalgic memoir of his family’s Cape Cod summer home is as much a portrayal of
Congressman presses for “Big Oceans Bill”
Members of the Marine Fisheries Conservation Network discussed the need for big changes in national fisheries management at the group’s fifth annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in early June, then took to Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to support a major oceans bill. The 97 people representing 61 member groups and 17 states who attended
So You Want to Rent Your Island House? Many factors affect the summer market, and trends are seldom clear
Summer tourists, of course, have been renting a week’s vacation in Maine since forever – since before the lobster bake was invented, even. “Back in the Teens and the Twenties, my grandmother rented cottages for a dollar a week,” muses Ralph Ashmore, long-time real estate broker on Peaks Island. “Told them all they needed to
Penobscot Marine Museum celebrates “Lobstah” and the maritime past
This summer, the Penobscot Marine Museum, located in Searsport, celebrates the “LOBSTAH.” Exhibits conceived by curator Ben Fuller, who came to the museum a year and a half ago after working many years as head curator at the Mystic Seaport Museum, include artwork with a thematic connection to lobsters and lobster fishing, lobsterboat racing, the
Island Fire Department is really two organizations
Changes are afoot in the Cranberry Isles. While Great Cranberry Island and Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) have had private fire associations for decades, they have had to rely on private donations and local fund-raising efforts to meet their goals. All that changed at Town Meeting in March, when the town voted to create the Cranberry
North Haven school finds – and then loses – a whale
The North Haven Community School has a history of innovative educational projects, including building an electric school van and constructing a six-oared rowing gig from scratch, as well as having recently started a collection of student-mounted local birds. When vocational arts teacher Terry Goodhue heard of a small, 11-foot-long whale washed up into Seal Bay,
Literary Evening
Historian-turned-novelist Charles B. McLane read from his new book, Red Right Returning, at the Island Insti-tute recently. Set on a fictitious Penobscot Bay island populated with familiar characters, Red Right Returning brings together year-rounders and summer people in a story of island life, lobster politics and personal tragedy. The Island Institute published the book this
Clean MarinasMaine boatyards take the pledge
There’s a snappy new flag to watch for this summer. Maine boatyards and marinas who come “clean” will be flying an oversized green, blue and white burgee-shaped banner on their yardarms to publicly announce their newly earned status. Sponsored by the Maine Marine Trade Association, the Maine Clean Boatyards and Marinas Program is, according to