Agenda
Things to do, people to see, music to hear, food to eat, books to read, and other things you must do
AGENDA-September 2009
by Kristen Andresen Lainsbury
Eat
Apples to apples
Out on a Limb, Maine’s first apple CSA, created by John Bunker of Fedco Seeds, focuses on heirloom and unusual modern varieties harvested in central Maine. This year’s shares, which will be delivered to Rabelais Books in Portland, are sold out. Look for an expansion next fall.
Palermo | outonalimbcsa@gmail.com
Everyone is talking about whether or not the food at Portland’s El Rayo Taqueria is authentic, but there’s no debate at Mexican Restaurant in Hancock. Yes, that’s its real name. Even though owner/chef/waitress Doris Escalante is Honduran,
her husband is Mexican, and this is the closest we’ve come to the real deal in Maine. Order the ceviche tostada or the huarache al pastor—and B.Y.O.B.
1166 Route 1 | Hancock
Fresh Francine
Francine Bistro is fantastic year-round, but chef Brian Hill’s commitment to ultra-fresh, local cuisine really shines in September, when there’s a jackpot of Maine ingredients. Be sure to call ahead for reservations at this tiny gem of a restaurant.
55 Chestnut St. | Camden | francinebistro.com
Clove affair
Mount Desert Island Garlic Festival rolls into Southwest Harbor on September 19 (rain date: September 20) for a foodie fiesta. All proceeds benefit The Ark Animal Shelter.
Smuggler’s Den Campground | Southwest Harbor | nostrano.com
Maine dishes
Maine Fare Festival celebrates the state’s finest chefs, food producers, farmers, and food writers
September 11–13.
Various locations in Camden | maine-fare.com
Shroom with a view
Foraging seemed like a good idea. Until you mistook a baby Amanita for a puffball. Time to enroll in one of
Hartstone Inn’s Mushroom Hunts, led by a master forager in Camden Hills State Park through October.
41 Elm St. | Camden | hartstoneinn.com
Drink
Sip out of summer
It may be September, but a Tunisian Spiced Lemonade from Cleonice is summertime’s last blush. Chef Rich Hanson concocts it with fresh lemon juice, rose blossoms, and spices. Spiked or not, it’s delicious.
112 Main St. | Ellsworth | cleonice.com
Hear
Music box
Sometimes, the most far-flung music venues in Maine are the best. Case in point: Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield. The place feels like a cathedral in the woods and the acoustics are to die for. So is the fall lineup.
695 Dug Way Rd. | Brownfield | stonemountainartscenter.org
Sparks fly
On the iPod? Sparks The Rescue, a group of high school friends turned bandmates from Portland who just signed a deal with Fearless Records.
myspace.com/sparkstherescue
Frocking Out
To riff on Barry Manilow, music and fashion are always your passion. So check out Frock ’n Roll, a fundraiser for Portland Music Foundation on September 18 that brings together local bands and fashion designers at SPACE Gallery. Not exactly the Copacabana, but stylishly fabulous nonetheless.SPACE Gallery | 538 Congress St. | Portland |
frocknroll.wordpress.com
Putt-putt
Maine singer-songwriter Putnam Smith, whose soulful acoustic sound is a little bit old-school and a little bit sexy, opens for Bruce Molsky on September 19.
One Longfellow Square | Portland | onelongfellowsquare.com
Wear
Depth finder
There’s nowhere you’d rather be than on the coast
of Maine. So why not wear your chart on your
sleeve—or around your neck? CHART metalworks’s Charlotte Leavitt and her fiancé, John Guptill, create custom pendants, cuff links, earrings, and bracelets that incorporate nautical charts that show your favorite place. Each piece is one of a kind, bezel-set in silver or bronze (the mariner’s metal of choice). Perfect for men or women.
25 Custom House Wharf | Portland | chartmetalworks.com
Design cues
High fashion in Bangor, Maine? Don’t act so surprised. A fresh crop of young designers has sprung up in and around the Queen City, and Mallory Bruns of Sophronia Design leads the
pack. Bruns studied fashion design at Syracuse, had her work featured in Teen Vogue, and did the runway circuit before returning to her hometown.
Available at Bella Luna | 48 Main St. | Bangor | sophroniadesign.com
Below: Back in Black Nauti is nice, as fans of Portland-based Rogues Gallery know. But Alex Carlton’s newest line, Neversleep, is dark, slick, and tongue-in-cheek preppy. Think “Twilight” goes to college and gets a hipster makeover. Available online, at Urban Outfitters, and in the Portland store. Rogues Gallery | 41 Wharf St. | Portland | nvrslp.com
See
Rock on
Sculptors from around the world descend on the Schoodic Education and Research Center for this biennial event. Through September 12, you can watch them turn hunks of stone into striking works of art, which will later be installed throughout eastern Maine.
Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park | Winter Harbor | schoodicsculpture.org
Button up
Kris Johnsen of Emblem Studio has teamed up with
music blogger Bryan Bruchman of Hilly Town to have artists and amateurs create Portland Pins, one-of-a-kind buttons. Sold in an old-school bubblegum machine that will migrate through Portland, each pin costs 25 cents, and the original artwork will be on view online. Affordable, accessible, fun art. Just the way we like it. portlandpins.com
Cheat thrills
Wendy Wasserstein’s Third turns a critical eye on a liberal college professor who accuses a conservative student of plagiarism. This celebrated play, written shortly before Wasserstein’s death, opens September 29 at Portland Stage. Sharp, witty, and not to be missed.
25A Forest Ave. | Portland | portlandstage.org
Art attack
Colby College Art Museum has one of—if not the—best collections in the state, and it’s pulling out the big guns for Art at Colby, its 50th anniversary exhibition. The show is on view through February 21, 2010—and you may need that long to get through it all.
5600 Mayflower Hill | Waterville | colby.edu
Freeze frame
There’s something about Polaroids and there’s something fabulous about the Joyce Tenneson portrait show, on view through October 4 at the Portland Museum of Art.
7 Congress Square | Portland | portlandmuseum.org
Passion play
Controversial issues and community dialogue are all in a day’s work for Opera House Arts. The tradition continues September 16 with a reading of Caryl Churchill’s 7 Jewish Children.
1 Opera House Ln. | Stonington | operahousearts.org
Go
Reduce, reuse, relax Skincare guru Rhonda Nordstrom recently opened Rheal Day Spa, an eco-friendly sanctuary overlooking Rockland Harbor. Renovated with recycled and sustainable materials. The pedicure bar alone is worth the trip, or indulge in a healing body wrap.453 Main St. | Rockland | rhealdayspa.com
Give me shelter Designer Michelle Rose’s eco-chic boutique in the heart of Kennebunkport is part gift shop, part gallery. Minka houses Rose’s own jewelry designs and skincare line—as well as a bevy of locally made, affordable, modern goods.
5 Union St. | Kennebunkport | minkahome.com
Designs that sing James McBride, a longtime floral and interior designer, and John McVeigh, an opera singer and jeweler, have impeccable taste. And it shows in everything they create at Compositions, their gorgeous new floral studio and jewelry gallery.
13 Free St. | Portland | compositionsinmaine.com
Border patrol Art knows no boundaries, and neither does the “Two Countries: One Bay” studio art tour, which showcases the best of New Brunswick and Maine’s bold coast—Cutler, Lubec, Eastport, and beyond. A perfect weekend getaway.
Various locations in downeast Maine and New Brunswick | twocountriesart.com
They’re crafty When you think craft fairs, you think doilies and crocheted dishcloths, right? Think again. The quality of the work on display and the stunning setting of Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival, September 12–13, elevates craft fairs to a new level.
342 Laudholm Farm Road | Wells | laudholm.org
Read
Sophie’s choice Ever wish you had a sister? So does Janet, the protagonist of Bufflehead Sisters by Portland librarian Patricia J. Delois (Penguin, 2009). Instead, she gets Sophie, a wild-child best friend whose well-drawn character catapulted Delois out of the publish-on-demand world and onto Penguin’s radar.
longfellowbooks.com
Beats two in the bush On the must-read list: Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline, a Bangor native who summers on MDI. In her
follow-up to The Way Life Should Be, Baker Kline
returns with a tangle of family drama.
christinabakerkline.com
09.2009 | To Do
09.12 Joyce Tenneson Polaroid portraits, through October 4, Portland Museum of Art | portlandmuseum.org
09.11–13 Maine Fare, a celebration for foodies, chefs, food producers, farmers, and food writers in Camden | maine-fare.com
Until 09.12 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium | schoodicsculpture.org
09.12 PICNIC Music + Arts Festival, Lincoln Park at Congress Street and Franklin Arterial, Portland | picnicportland.wordpress.com
09.12 Capriccio Festival of Kites with demos, kite making, and flying free kites for kids, Ogunquit Beach | 207.646.6170 | ogunquit.org
09.12-13 Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival, Laudholm Trust | Wells | laudholm.org
09.19-20 Two Countries: One Bay Art Studio Tour, Calais to Lubec, Maine, and St. Stephen to Campobello Island, Canada | twocountriesart.com
09.19 MDI Garlic Festival, Smuggler’s Den Campground, Southwest Harbor, rain date 09.20. | nostrano.com
09.19 Putnam Smith opens for Bruce Molsky, One Longfellow Square, Portland | onelongfellowsquare.com
9.29-10.18 Wendy Wasserstein’s Third at Portland Open Stage | portlandopenstage.com
Right: Alex Katz, Canoe, 1974, oil on canvas, 72” x 144”. The Lunder Collection, Colby College Museum of Art
Colby College Museum of Art 50th Anniversary Exhibition.
Colby has arguably the best collection in the state, and they’re pulling out all the big guns for this exhibit.
colby.edu
