SUMMERTIME!
10th annual Ina and Lew Heafitz endowed lecture online
This year, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG) will present its 10th annual Heafitz lecture, “Where Nature Leads: Sustainability, Livelihood, and Innovation in Midcoast Maine,” via an online panel discussion, Aug. 13 from 2-3:30 p.m.
Because circumstances surrounding the pandemic have most of us looking for inspiration closer to home, this year’s Heafitz lecture will have a very Midcoast feel—and in the spirit of including the public to join the Gardens in its mission to create… Read more
New August show at Studio 53
Featured artists for the month of August at Studio 53 are Nancy Keenan Barron and Don Josephson. The Gallery will hold a reception in their honor on Friday, Aug. 7 from 5-7 p.m. outdoors near the Sculpture Garden out back - and on the water. Complimentary food and drink will be served. Come and meet them.
Masks must be worn inside the Gallery, 5 art lovers at a time. Studio 53 is at 53 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor. The Gallery is open noon to 5 p.m. seven days a week. For more… Read more
New show: ‘Tom Curry: Surrounded By Water’
Beginning Thursday, Aug. 6, and running through Tuesday, Sept. 8, Gleason Fine Art presents "Tom Curry: Surrounded by Water." The Brooklin, Maine artist has been represented by Gleason Fine Art for over 15 years. This is Tom's fourth solo show.
Tom Curry is intrigued with the idea of being surrounded by water. His first port of call after completing degrees at RISD and Yale was Hawaii. After tiring of Hawaii, Curry and his wife, the science and children's book writer Kim Ridley,… Read more
Small concerts in the big house
This summer’s altered concert schedule at the Opera House of Boothbay Harbor has been met with enthusiasm from both audience members and performers. Upcoming performances include rockabilly, guitar master Sean Mencher on Aug. 8; followed by music from the great operas of the world with Opera on Tap on Aug. 12 and ragtime and boogie woogie with pianist Bob Milne on Aug. 19.
Opera on Tap is the largest network of performing artists in the country, taking a local, grassroots,… Read more
Updated water access restrictions at Popham Beach and Reid State Parks
AUGUSTA –Earlier this week, in response to the fatal shark attack near Bailey Island, water activity restrictions took effect at Maine's coastal State Parks with beaches. Today, July 31, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) is limiting water access at the following beaches:
Popham Beach State Park and Reid State Park restricted to waist-deep water access (the lagoon at Reid State Park remains open).
Ferry Beach State Park… Read more
Maine Fishing Guides visit Camp Knickerbocker
Volunteers of Maine Fishing Guides stopped by Camp Knickerbocker on Thursday, June 30 to teach Y campers different fishing related skills. Maine Fishing Guide is a service based out of Skowhegan, Maine, and is a relatively new guide service that wants to make sure to spend time with the youth in Maine to educate them on what the Maine outdoors has to offer.
The day at camp started by breaking the campers into groups that each focused on a different subject, led by one of the… Read more
Johnny Cash tribute added to summer lineup
The Chocolate Church Arts Center, at 804 Washington Street in Bath, has announced additional concerts as part of its CCAC Real Outdoor Concert Series (CCAC ROCS). On Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30, the CCAC will present “My Life as the Man In Black: Scott Moreau Sings The Music of Johnny Cash.” The concerts will take place on the Great Lawn at the Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., as part of a collaboration between the two organizations.
The concerts, as with all of… Read more
Sunrise Lighthouse Photograph Cruise Sept. 12
Mike Leonard, contributing photographer for the Boothbay Register, is once again hosting the Boothbay Harbor Sunrise Lighthouse Photography Cruise on the Balmy Days II on Maine Open Lighthouse Day, Saturday, Sept. 12, 6 to 8 a.m.
Leonard, who has hosted this event and others through Balmy Days Cruises for several years, offers tips and advice to photographers during the two-hour adventure.
This is a unique opportunity for people to be able to make photographs of the… Read more
Need to celebrate in August?
Every once in a while, I dip into the National Days Calendar website to get ideas for this column. Before taking this week off from work (returning Sunday, Aug. 9), I discovered that the first week in August is National Simplify Your Life Week. Perfect. I wanted to find some fun things to celebrate during my week off. Then, I thought, why not give my readers some ideas for things to celebrate for the rest of August.
For most of the days listed below, I have given readers a choice on… Read more
Virtual chat with author Lily King
On Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m., Skidompha Library’s Chats with Champions program will host its first virtual chat. The guest will be Lily King, the award-winning author of the novels “The Pleasing Hour,” “The English Teacher,” “Father of the Rain,” and “Euphoria,” one of the New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2014 and a finalist for the National Book Award.
King lives in Maine and has graciously offered to discuss her newest title “Writers & Lovers” with Skidompha… Read more
New work by John Vander
Beginning July 30 and continuing until Sept. 2 the new series”MALI,”paintings by John Vander will be exhibited at Gold/Smith Gallery in Boothbay Harbor.
Beach it up!
Remember, back when you were a kid (and for some of us teenagers) at the beach on a hot summer day? The scent of salt laced with that of Coppertone in the air … the warmth of the sun on your face ... the cries of the gulls … transistor radios on blankets of blue, white and orange releasing Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” Sly and the Family Stone singing about “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” the Stones singing about those “Honky Tonk Women” while Derek (aka Eric Clapton… Read more
July/August Members’ Show celebrates nature
“Nature’s Sustaining Power,” is the underlying theme of the Boothbay Region Art Foundation’s (BRAF) newly-installed summer show running through August featuring the works of 60 artists.
While it appears that COVID-19 has brought about a “new normal” to our world; it also has opened our eyes to view the presence of Mother Nature’s enduring qualities. In this particular exhibit, our area artists have created visual tributes to our natural wonders, providing an exhibition that… Read more
Remembering artist Charles Kolnik
Sylvan Gallery Sylvan Gallery in Wiscasset will be featuring more than 40 oil paintings by the late New York artist Charles Kolnik (1951-2020) Aug. 1 through Sept. 29. The exhibition features a wide range of his favorite subjects including landscapes, seascapes, figurative works and still life.
The exhibition will be across the street from Sylvan Gallery, at the Sylvan Gallery Annex, located at 52 Water St. in Wiscasset. Charles was a fine artist for almost 50 years. Sylvan Gallery… Read more
Changes ahead for Wiscasset’s Sunken Garden
Something new but with a vintage look will soon be taking shape at Wiscasset’s historic Sunken Garden. The select board will allow an open-air pergola and two arbor arches.
Terry Heller chairs the selectmen’s Committee on the Appearance of the Town. Heller led the effort to add the freestanding pergola that will provide a shaded sitting area and give climbing plants a structure on which to grow. Two arched arbors will also be added in the garden, which is downtown at the corner of… Read more
A beautiful July afternoon
While quiet for peak-season summer, Boothbay Harbor is still very much alive and beautiful as ever. Enjoy these scenics from the Maine State Aquarium to the footbridge to Whale Park and consider spending some more time on the water as we all continue our fight against this pandemic.
Pack that car! It’s drive in movie night!
The Band
I met my B-flat metal clarinet in junior high school. We had a very active love/hate relationship. I loved the sounds, hated to practice. My music career didn’t last long.
I don’t imagine my enthusiasm, or lack of, was influenced by a relatively unproductive line of sight dislike for the adult band/music instructor. I think he found me to be rather annoying. After a while I began to appreciate, and quite frankly, understand, his probing queries, “Hey… Read more
Susan Webster picked as an artist in CMCA Biennial
Susan Webster is one of the artists chosen to submit work for the Center for Maine Contemporary Art’s (CMCA) Biennial opening Oct. 3 in Portland. This is the second biennial show Webster has been selected for; the first was in 1981 for the All Maine Biennial at the University of Southern Maine.
Webster was among 12 artists invited to participate in Maine College of Art’s Institute of Contemporary Art show, “Darkness in the Light,” exhibited July through September in 2019. Her piece… Read more
Amtrak Downeaster adds more Brunswick to Boston train services
The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced July 14 that the Amtrak Downeaster will begin operating four round-trip trains between Brunswick and Boston every day beginning on Monday, July 20, 2020 as it enters Phase 2 of service restoration.
Other Phase 2 service elements include the availability of onboard food service and the re-opening of some Downeaster station facilities. Visit … Read more
Navigating through COVID-19: Boat House Bistro and Mine Oyster
This is the third part in a series on how our local restaurants are navigating state regulations on health and safety concerning COVID-19. We are doing our best to be inclusive, but with so many restaurants, we may not be able to get to everyone.
However, we still want to hear your stories: How have regulations changed the way you do business? How has creative thinking made the best of your situation? Do you plan on making any permanent changes even when regulations ease… Read more
A look at the Damariscove guest log
The Abenaki didn't keep a guest log on Damariscove, nor did Francis Popham when he claimed ownership of the island in 1604. There is likewise no evidence that Capt. John Smith, who stopped by the fishing colony in 1614 while mapping the region, signed in. Nor did Edward Winslow of Plymouth Colony during his well-documented visit in the spring of 1622 when he sought fish after a difficult winter at Plymouth colony (the fish was given to the colony as a gift).
It was not until The… Read more
Culinary walking tours, new history and virtual tours for 2020
After 10 years of providing award-winning culinary tours throughout Maine's seacoast, Maine Foodie Tours (MFT) is expanding and evolving their offerings to include all-outdoor activities in seven locations. The change comes as restaurants across the state move to outdoor dining, and limited indoor seating.
The new tours are designed to appeal to Mainers on a “staycation” as well as visitors abiding by the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.
Maine Foodie Tours has been operating… Read more
At one with nature
“That each new painting emerges from the same chaotic conditions speaks to me of the unpredictable complexity and instability of meaningful order in the world, but also of the inevitable, if temporary, moment of finding it.” – Meg Brown Payson, quoted in Boston Voyager Magazine
Payson’s works installed at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, now through Oct. 31, reflect and complement the natural world that surrounds them. The art is dye-sublimation… Read more
Symbols are the focus of online show
Works… Read more
CCAC announces more small outdoor concerts
The Chocolate Church Arts Center (CCAC) at 804 Washington St. in Bath has announced a series of small concerts to be held at various remote locations around the Midcoast area. Audiences at CCAC ROCS shows will be limited to 50 people, and audience members will be spaced at least six feet apart. Staff will enforce distancing, hand sanitizing, and other health and safety measures at all events.
The second CCAC ROCS show, on Saturday July 25, will feature folk songwriter and multi-… Read more
Boothbay Harbor night skies alight on Independence Day
Unlike many towns across New England, Boothbay Harbor saw the night sky lit with fireworks July 4. Since selectmen put off the town’s event due to health and safety concerns with COVID-19, businessman Paul Coulombe put in for state permits. Boothbay Harbor police directed traffic and monitored crowds. No incidents were reported.
About 200 people, most masked and practicing social distancing, enjoyed the light show from Whale Park and the Tugboat Inn area with many more enjoying views… Read more
‘Henry Isaacs: Henry Paints Home’ : New show at Gleason Fine Art
Artist Henry Isaacs has long divided his time between homes on a Downeast Maine island and in rural Vermont, with frequent stops in between to visit his gallery, Gleason Fine Art, in Boothbay Harbor. Last summer, Isaacs, who loves doing commissions, accepted a commission to paint Boothbay Harbor from the perspective in front of the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club in West Boothbay Harbor.
This was Isaacs' first time visiting West Boothbay Harbor, and he was blown away by the sights that… Read more
BRAF opens for the 2020 season
The Boothbay Region Art Foundation (BRAF) is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year. Our mission, “to create opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy, learn from and participate in the visual arts,” has been the key to our longevity. And we plan to keep this “ARTmosphere” going.
The June/July Members’ Show has recently been installed, showcasing 80 regional artists whose works include a great variety of themes and techniques. The overall effect provides the viewer with an… Read more
Navigating through COVID-19: Coastal Prime and BHCC
This is the second part in a series on how our local restaurants are navigating state regulations on health and safety concerning COVID-19. We are doing our best to be inclusive, but with so many restaurants, we may not be able to get to everyone.
However, we still want to hear your stories: How have regulations changed the way you do business? How has creative thinking made the best of your situation? Do you plan on making any permanent changes even when regulations… Read more
CLICK GUIDE COVER FOR FULL GUIDE!
The Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper – hometown news you just can’t get anywhere else.
Lobster Boat Races
SATURDAY of FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
Races begin at 10 a.m.
Commemorative Ts and sweatshirts at sign up table at Brown’s Wharf on Atlantic Avenue go on sale at 8 a.m. - and they go fast (not as fast as the lobster boats, but pretty close!)
The lobster boat season revs up here in Boothbay Harbor the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend each year!
22 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor
207-633-7200
Sail the Bennie Alice from Pier 6 in Boothbay Harbor to Cabbage Island, a quintessential Maine experience. The Moore family hosts guests 7 days a week from mid-June through Labor Day serving up traditional Downeast clambakes cooked on the water's edge.
Pier 6, Boothbay Harbor.
207-613-7339
Take the Harbor Princess or Pink Lady II for adventure ... Whale watching - Puffin and pelagic bird trips - lighthouse tour - Reggae cruise - and so many more!
Ticket booth at Pier 8.
207-633-2284
Book a trip aboard the Novelty, Balmy Days II, Miss Boothbay, or Friendship sloop Bay Lady.
Trips include: Monhegan Island, mackerel fishing, harbor tours, more!
Ticket booth on Pier 1 - 20 Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor
207-633-6598
Day sails, sunset cruises, private charters aboard Eastwind and Applejack (formerly the Lazy Jack)!
120 Commercial St./Bristol Marine
Please note: Schooner Isaac Evans is not sailing in 2023.
92 Wall Point Road, Boothbay Harbor
Freedom Boat Club offers an affordable alternative to boat ownership.
207-650-6027
66 Fort Road, Edgecomb
Held the last Thursday in June through September.
Art gallery events, entertainment, food, public participation art projects, more!
First Friday Art Tour
Held between the hours of 3-8 p.m. on the first Friday of June through October.
A self-guided walking (or driving) tour of the art galleries in Boothbay Harbor. See new work by local artists and gallery owners, refreshments; often with live demos and/or music! Times vary. Look for the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber info table outside Coastal Maine Popcorn for the map of participants the first Friday June - Oct. and/or check out the listings in the week’s edition of the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper!
296 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor
Dinner and a music-filled show - summer stock that’s not to be missed! Visit the website for show dates.
Call 633-5297 for reservations.
Established in 2017 as the Boothbay Region Sculpture Trail by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce. Sculptures of stone from granite to marble, metal, steel and more lead you along the Trail through town, and then by car to locations in Boothbay, East Boothbay and Southport Island. Trail maps are available at the Chamber, 192 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor, and other locations to be announced.
50 Sugar Maple Lane, Boothbay.
Breathtaking vistas, challenging 18-hole golf course, and a sea breeze blowing off the ocean. The stunning new clubhouse is unlike any other facility in Maine with luxury amenities - including Giselaine’s Spa, and unparalleled service.