The Great American Duck Race is an event quite unlike any other, particular to Vinalhaven and with good reasons, all once good and noble but no longer. Begun by Jerry and Carlene Michael in 1993, the event was intended to raise funds for the construction of a badly needed school playground and more recently to
Milestone: Cranberry Isles elects first Bear Island selectman
CRANBERRY ISLES — Elected to the board of selectmen at town meeting in March, Charles Dunbar is believed to be the first resident of Bear Island to serve in that capacity in the town’s 183-year history. Bear is one of the five islands that comprise the town of Cranberry Isles, a cluster off Northeast Harbor
The ‘Joy’ of making the cream puff hall of fame
No matter how much I like living on Little Cranberry Island, it’s not always easy to come up with a topic for the Cranberry Report. This happens particularly in summer when life gets busier and it’s harder to find time to think. How fortunate I am to live on an island full of good cooks
A new citizen reminds us of what we share
Here is an image to consider in mid-summer, when Maine islands are busy places and every bunk is full: Sometimes, in the winter, you can walk the ridge road the length of Matinicus and not encounter a soul. You might not notice a single light in a window, or wave to the driver of a
For our kids, we need to be pro-choice
It was a Monday morning in June a few years back. I was commuting at the time from Belfast to Bangor, and as I hurried north on my familiar route, I spotted some fresh graffiti on the back of a sign. Then on the next sign. And the next. On each sign were the letters
Would you sell a short lobster to this man?
ROCKLAND — Sgt. Marlowe Sonksen of the Maine Marine Patrol didn’t grow up around lobsters. A Mainer by choice, Sonksen chose the career out of a desire to protect natural resources and a love for the water. Over the course of a couple of conversations earlier this summer, he often came back around to how
Morgan Bay aquaculture lease: hearings conclude, questions remain
SURRY — Public hearings on a proposed aquaculture lease in Morgan Bay finished with a six-hour meeting on June 18, but questions linger over how the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) judges aquaculture applications. DMR added the June 18 meeting because the two previous hearings on the proposed four-acre oyster farm lasted deep into
Seaweed aquaculture workshop, kelp farming class offered in Belfast
Leaders are made… if they follow this advice
I fear that if I stress the importance of leadership too often in my writing, its impact will wear out. However, leadership is the most important quality for each midshipman at Maine Maritime to develop, besides our actual training as sailors and engineers or businessmen and scientists. Last year, our freshman regiment class was assigned
Our grand old lady
The island house is like an old lady—proud, but a bit stooped and creaky if the truth be told. We make accommodations for her, even as she makes them for us. Literally. But when we invite guests to meet the old lady, we feel required to provide a great deal of detail about her various