This Wednesday, Aug. 15 might be a nightmare for Boothbay Harbor postmaster Lesley Blethen and her stalwart crew, not to mention the postal customers. That is when about 300 or so East Boothbay…
Columns
What a wonderful treat we enjoyed at our island jewel, the Hendricks Hill Museum of Natural History (as I call it). No fancy hors-d’oeuvres, dancing ponies, dinosaur bones or door prizes, just…
Birds of mystery and grace, American Golden-Plovers are also athletes beyond comprehension. Standing on the granite shore of a spruce-cloaked Maine coastal headland on a crisp October day, and…
Criminals use a lot of different tactics to steal money from consumers, and one of those tactics is the promise of free money. This summer the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers…
The next Public Supper is Wednesday, Sept. 6. The annual lobster meal. The menu includes corn chowder, garlic bread, salad, steamed mussels, two lobster rolls, corn, and blueberry…
A Bird’s Tale
The glorious blue-sky summer day on Sunday lured us to take a ride down to Pemaquid Harbor. The tide was near high when we arrived in the late afternoon, and the temperature still warm enough for…
From the assistant editor
Random rainy and overly windy day thought No. 1: Hope you have been checking out First Congregational Church of Wiscasset’s weekly historical articles as the hallmark of the hill turns 250. You…
’Round Town
Bruce John Riddell’s magnum opus has been published!
“LANDART, From Acadia to Zen” took 10 years to produce from over 35 years of work. His book is now available at Sherman’s Bookstores…
Joe’s Journal
The columnist at a tiny weekly New England newspaper usually writes about bake sales, volunteer firefighters, taxes and the weather. I get it.
But the political events of last week were…
The next public supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 16. Menu is gazpacho, garlic bread, salad, barbecue chicken, corn, potato salad, and chocolate cream pie. Cost is $10 for members, $…
Salt ’n Spar
I was going through some papers the other day and came across a small but interesting pamphlet produced in 1994 by the town of Alna’s Bicentennial Committee. Alna is a part of Lincoln County and…
It seems like natural disaster season is never ending these days. As wildfire season moves closer to hurricane season, now is a good time to remind ourselves that after Mother Nature moves out the…
A Bird’s Tale
The oppressive heat and humidity have finally broken for us here in Maine, but many parts of the U.S. and other regions of the world are still enduring record-breaking heat. We know that high…
Joe’s Journal
OK, kiddies, here is today's news quiz.
What do Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell and Joe Gelarden have in common?
On the surface, it is evident this trio is not composed of aging heart…
’Round Town
Barna Beal Norton was a legendary resident of Jonesport, Maine, who, for all of his adult life, battled with the Canadian government over ownership of Machias Seal Island, a small…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 16. Menu will be gazpacho, garlic bread, salad, barbecue chicken, corn, potato salad, and chocolate cream pie. Cost is $10 for…
Where It’s At
Heartwood Regional Theater Company’s final production of its 20th anniversary season, "Hamlet," is a perfect example of the high caliber performances that have been drawing audiences to the Poe…
A Bird’s Tale
Quiet.
Deep, profound quiet.
A quiet, unbroken by low grumbling of distant traffic or the white noise of an overhead jet. No buzzing lawnmowers or sirens. No dogs barking or brakes…
’Round Town
Once upon a time, many years ago, in the far off land of “Sarah’s Scoops,” I had a chance encounter with Aurelien Recoing at a small picnic table. I was sneaking a nice blueberry something-or-…
Joe’s Journal
I don’t have anything earthshaking to say today.
I know that admission is classified as a mortal sin in the columnist's handbook. Sorry, I plead guilty.
Like many of our dear…
Staying a step ahead of the scammers is like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. We know that people who know about a scam are 80% less likely to even engage in it but how can you stay up…
Where It’s At
The first image directly in front of you as you enter Maine Art Gallery is the color photograph of Kaleb, a Bath Iron Works shipfitter taken by Bath photographer/artist Heather Perry. Kaleb is…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 2. Menu will be chicken noodle soup, biscuits, salad, turkey loaf, cheesy grits, fresh vegetable medley, ice cream cake. A chicken…
A Bird’s Tale
Maine gets a good share of very rare birds. Some of them keep coming back.
Over the past few weeks, Maine’s ocean and offshore islands have played host to at least two exceptionally…
’Round Town
Over the years it has been my great good fortune to watch and photograph boat construction projects here in the Boothbay region and beyond. What a terrific learning experience for…
Joe’s Journal
Last week, as much of the world sweltered under temperatures usually found in a steel mill near the open hearth, an evening breeze blew up an East Boothbay hill.
It cooled a smiling crowd…
We spend a lot of time worrying about how to avoid telephone and online scams but we often don’t think about what we carry around with us every day and how it might make us vulnerable to fraud. It…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, Aug. 2. Menu is chicken noodle soup, biscuits, salad, turkey loaf, cheesy grits, fresh vegetable medley, and ice cream cake. Cost is $10 for members, $12…
Where It’s At
First Friday energy was evident in and around Boothbay Harbor art galleries July 7! Participating in this month’s event were Gold/Smith Gallery, Boothbay Region Art Foundation, Gleason Fine Art,…
Salt ’n Spar
A week or so ago I saw where Daniel Ellsberg had died. Ellsberg gained fame for leaking the so-called Pentagon Papers to the press in the 1970s during the Vietnam War. Ellsberg died on June 16 at…
A Bird’s Tale
We were watching an osprey recently as it flew up with a fish it had caught in the Cobbosseecontee Stream in Gardiner. The meal it had just captured was likely destined for a nest some distance…
’Round Town
When we first landed on Southport Island (massive move from Boothbay Harbor) I had big dreams for a large garden. With a bit of a wreck Ford “9N” tractor and a rescued two bottom plow, I set out…
Joe’s Journal
Not long ago, Southport’s Paul Zalucky missed his 35th wedding anniversary.
For most of the senior set, that would be a mortal sin. But Carole, his long-suffering bride, forgave him, and…
Maine House District 47
Having worked in many states during my career, in 2008 we found our home in Maine. Each state had its own culture, its own way of life. Maine has a unique culture, something veryspecial. Maine…
Where It’s At
I stopped by Artists Alley, originally the brainchild of the late artist Jim Taliana that first hit the street, er, alley (Bridge Street and the By-Way) for the 50th WJD in 2012. The event has…
Summer is officially here which means door-to-door sales crews are too. But buyer beware because what they’re selling isn’t always legit.
Be cautious anytime a stranger comes knocking,…
New Hope Midcoast
Volunteers have always played an important role in helping survivors of domestic abuse. A key component in that role is the right training. Similar to staff members, volunteers at New Hope…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, July 19. Menu is strawberry soup, corn bread, salad, jambalaya, peas, and pineapple upside down cake. Cost is $10 for members, $12 for…
Joe’s Journal
With apologies to “Big Al,” July 4 is not national fireworks day. Sure, we love fireworks. Whether in the harbor, at the beach, or in our backyards, we all love the sparklers, firecrackers, bottle…
’Round Town
Once again, Captain Mark Stover gave us a wonderful tour of what became quite a unique day.
Every year Mark gives me a call inviting me and anyone I wanted to come along with him on his…
Bird Column
We are fortunate on this Fourth of July weekend to be able to spend it on the shore of a peaceful Maine lake. As we write this from the open-air deck, the contrast from the busy sounds of the…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, July 19. Menu is strawberry soup, cornbread, salad, jambalaya, peas, and pineapple upside down cake. Cost is $10 for members, $12 for non…
A Bird’s Tale
With wildfire smoke warnings in parts of Maine this past weekend, we are experiencing some of the unhealthy air that people in New York City and other urban areas dealt with a few weeks ago. Our…
’Round Town
One of my old baseball coaches used to say, “You win some. You lose some. And some are rained out. But you gotta dress for ’em all.”
Over the years and with hundreds of photographed…
Joe’s Journal
We were all bombarded with lots of news last week.
Pick your topic, and you could find out what someone thought was the cause of:
The implosion of the submersible at the bottom of…
Salt ’n Spar
Three years from now on July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its "Semiquincentennial,” our nation’s 250th year of independence. Here in “Maine’s Prettiest Village,” there’s also a 250th birthday…
The next Public Supper will be Wednesday, July 5. Menu is Tuscan ribolita, herb rolls, salad, baked haddock, baked potato wedges, broccoli, and ice cream sundaes. Cost is $10 for…
A Bird’s Tale
The songs of birds give great pleasure to most people. The lilting warbles and trills of that early spring song sparrow can give a little lift to the heart as the snow melts and the daylight hours…
'Round Town
Over their growing up years with oodles of summer and after school jobs, one experience always seemed to impress our daughters. Both girls worked with Lindy Bragg at “Calypso” in Boothbay Harbor.…
Joe’s Journal
Hooray for Dickie Spofford.
The longtime volunteer firefighter tells us he is stepping down as the chief of the Boothbay Fire Department after 22 years.
Now, don’t expect him to go…
