Archive for June, 2009
“Eat Local” is Mantra at St. Joseph’s College on Sebago Lake in Standish
June 30th, 2009 categories: Sebago Lakes Region
Located 18 miles northwest of Portland and two hours from Boston is the small liberal arts school called St. Joseph’s College of Maine. St. Joe’s, as we Mainers fondly refer to it, is situated on 350 acres with magnificent lakefrontage on beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish.
Not only is the setting unique, but the food served in the dining hall is, as well.
Bon Appetit is the food service vendor for St. Joseph’s College. Their company motto is “Services for a Sustainable Future.” Stuart Leckie, general manager of the school’s restaurant, has made it the mission of the dining hall to serve local, homegrown food.
In the spirit of Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in which she describes how her family was changed by making a conscious effort to eat food produced locally, St. Joe’s is attempting to do the same. Leckie tries to order most ingredients from within 150 miles of the campus. He’s also strives to purchase free-range eggs and chickens that have been feed grain which is antibiotic and hormone-free.
Milk comes from Smiling Hill Farm located just a few miles away. He purchases produce from local growers. And now, thanks to the Pearson Town Farming Project located on college property, students and community volunteers will grow fresh produce including zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and salad greens. Greenhouses will extend this growing project into the winter months.In the true spirit of this Catholic college, some of the produce will be donated to Catherine’s Cupboard Food Pantry in Standish.
If you’re in the Standish area, stop by St. Joe’s and have a look. If your thinking about lakefront property on Big Sebago just click on the box below to see what’s currently available:
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Flying into Fryeburg, Maine Provides Bird’s Eye View of Lakefront Real Estate
June 29th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
Ever thought of flying to the Sebago Lakes Region? Oh, I don’t mean flying into Portland, Maine, though that is doable. I mean getting a closer look at the lakes and mountains of western Maine by flying into Eastern Slope Regional Airport in Fryeburg.
Eastern Slope Regional Airport is the outside world’s connection to the Lakes Region and Mount Washington Valley. Though this 550-acre airport is tucked away, Eastern Slope Regional Airport is easy to access since it’s less than three miles southeast of Fryeburg and just off Route 113 and near Lovewell Pond.
Local residents and businesses own the forty airplanes housed there. People fly into and out of the airport for a multitude of reasons. Seventy-five percent of the traffic occurs during the summer months when chartered jets bring kids to the many children’s camps in our region. People also fly via jet to ski, hike, bike, canoe, commute to vacation homes, stay in area accommodations, attend the Fryeburg Fair, bring their children to Fryeburg Academy and even just to go out to dinner. Aerial sightseeing, chartered trips, flight training and pilot certification, plus aircraft maintenance are some of the services provided.
Travelers wishing to avoid the tedious hassles of busier airports are pleasantly pleased with the smaller size and personalized service offered at Eastern Slopes Regional Airport. Arrangements can be made for car rentals.
Think small. Consider Eastern Slope Regional Airport for your next trip to or from the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine.
If you’d like to visit some of the fine lakefront properties found in Fryeburg – on foot, by car, or by air – you can start by using the click of a mouse on the box below:
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Maine Summer Vacation Treat: Poland Spring Resort
June 28th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
Poland, Maine is home to Thompson Lake, Tripp Lake and Upper Range, Middle Range and Lower Range Ponds. Ponder vacation properties while relaxing at the famous Poland Spring Resort on Route 26, just a couple of miles from many of the lakes and ponds.
Poland Spring Resort boasts the oldest resort golf course in America with its 18-hole Donald Ross design. A variety of golf packages are available. The course is in great shape and the views are breathtaking.
If golfing isn’t your thing, you’re sure to find something to please your interests from swimming in the oversized pool, playing tennis or bocce on grass courts to hiking the trails on the 400-acre resort grounds.
You can also go fishing in the private stocked trout pond. Other activities include an exercise room, shuffleboard, horseshoes, badminton, and volleyball, game rooms with ping pong, pool tables, indoor golf and table games, plus a reading room.
With views of the White Mountains, you can enjoy home-style all-you-can-eat breakfast and supper buffets at the resort, or lakeside dining at Cyndi’s Dockside Restaurant on Middle Range Pond.
This is a resort that has it all – and a great place to use as a base of operations as you search for that special lakefront property to call your own.
Use our Lakefront Locator to look at all the available lakefront properties in the entire state, or click below to see what’s currently available on Upper, Middle, and Lower Range Ponds plus Tripp Lake – all in Poland.
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On Vacation in Maine? You’re Invited . . . to a Tea Party in Bethel, Maine
June 26th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
You won’t want to miss the 18th Biennial Tea Time in Bethel on Friday, June 26. The Cross Country Quilters will display their collection of antique and modern quilts in the 1816 New England Meeting House on Intervale Road from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.Donations of $5 are appreciated; children under 12 may enjoy the event for free. Donations will benefit the preservation of the Historic Middle Intervale Meeting House.
Tea and quilts have gone hand-in-hand for ages. When neighboring ladies gathered to quilt, the hostess often served tea. At this summertime tea party, delicious baked goods and iced tea will be served by the quilters. Quilts will be displayed on pews as well as throughout the meeting house.
You won’t want to miss this old-fashioned quilt show and tea party in Bethel’s oldest civic and religious structure. The quintessential country setting with the meeting house, adjacent cemetery, dairy farm, plus field and forest beyond, provide the perfect background for a picturesque celebration.
If you’re up for the weekend and love Maine lakes and ponds like we do, you might want to check out the current lakefront properties for sale in the area. Here they are:
Search for properties on Bethel, Woodstock, Greenwood, Albany
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Three Shops in One For Summer Vacationers in the Cornish, Maine Area
June 26th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sanford Lakes Region, Sebago Lakes Region
Sunset on Big Clemons Pond near Cornish
Are you in southern Maine on your summer vacation? Maybe suffering from a little cabin/camp/cottage fever in this murky Maine weather? Need to buy a gift – for yourself, or a friend? Find a variety of gift ideas at Rosemary’s Gift Shop on Main Street in Cornish, Maine, where there is truly something for everyone.
On the first floor of Rosemary’s you’ll find her Maine Made and Beyond Gift Shop, stock full of a vast assortment of items including angels, baby and toddler gifts, books, bath and body products, candles, a Christmas corner, fishing flies, jams and jellies, games, gift bags, miniatures, moose, paintings and more.
Located in the back of the gift shop is the Ice Cream Shop featuring Gifford’s Ice Cream. While there, you might get to meet Rosemary’s husband. Be sure to ask him about the history of the iron fence at the park across the street. You’ll come away with a belly full of ice cream and local knowledge you won’t get anywhere else.
Upstairs is the Yarn Shop. It’s here you’ll probably find Rosemary. This is one of the largest yarn shops in Maine. You’ll be overwhelmed by the choices. Rosemary offers yarn, patterns, accessories and free advice. Check her web site at www.maine-crafts.com for knitting and crocheting clinics for beginner and advanced crafters. She also encourages people to join her in “Gathering Hands,” an effort to contribute knit and crocheted items to several on-going charitable projects including the following:
1. Operation Homefront Kids: Creating sweaters, hats, etc. for newborns through age 13, in an attempt to make the difference in lives of children from Maine who have a parent serving in the military.
2. Operation Sunshine Bears: Using a Teddy Bear pattern available at the shop, folks knit bears to donate to the Ronald McDonald House and Maine Medical Child Life Program at the Barbara Bush Wing in Portland, as well as to local police and firemen.
3. Operation Richie’s Cap: Chemo caps for cancer patients are knit or crocheted in memory of Rosemary’s friend, Richie Aaron.
4. Operation Warm Hands: This is an easy summer project that will benefit children next winter. Knit mittens to donate to children in need.
If you are vacationing here and like the Cornish area you might be interested in seeing what lakefront properties are for sale nearby. Here are the current lakefront properties for sale on Big Clemons Pond, Barker Pond, and Stanley Pond – all within easy drives of downtown Cornish:
Search for properties on Big Clemons, Stanley, and Barker Ponds
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“By George, I Think I’ve Got It” at Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, Maine
June 24th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
Thursday night’s the loverly night we’ve all been waiting for.The excitement has built to this moment as Lake Region Community Theatre opens its much anticipated production of My Fair Lady, by special permission from Tams-Witmark Musical Library, Inc. Lerner and Loewe’s best loved musical will be presented this weekend only at Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Arts Center in Harrison, Maine.
My Fair Lady is the classic Cinderella story. Confirmed English bachelor and phonetics expert Professor Henry Higgins (Tom Watkins), makes a wager with his friend Colonel Pickering (Edward Darna) that he can take a Cockney flower girl out of the gutter and pass her off as a member of high society. He’s determined to turn Eliza Doolittle (Samantha Komulainen-York), the common flower girl, into a “lidy” with perfect speech and manners.After weeks of no progress, with tempers flying, Eliza experiences a minor success. When Eliza, Higgins and Pickering attend an aristocratic ball, Eliza realizes her feelings for Higgins and sings the familiar song, “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Emotions run high as the characters vacillate between the aristocratic society and their own feelings for each other.
The show bursts with one of the most tuneful Broadway scores ever written. With other songs including “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” “With a Little Bit of Luck,” “The Rain in Spain,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” it’s no wonder everyone, not just Henry Higgins, falls in love with Eliza Doolittle.
Under Stage Director Jerry Walker and Music Director Beth Barefoot, My Fair Lady promises to be energetic and stimulating. This is the show you won’t want to miss because “in Harford, Heresford, Hampshire” and now in Harrison, Maine, no one is fairer than Lake Region Community Theatre’s performance of My Fair Lady, sponsored by Norway Savings Bank.
Curtain time is Thursday at 8 p.m., with additional performances at 8 p.m. on June 26-27 and a 2 p.m. matinee on June 28. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under. They will be available at The Cool Moose and Winterford Galleries in Bridgton and Deertrees Theatre (583-6747).
Doors open a half hour before the show. I hope to see you there!
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Quaint Maine Library Near Kezar Lake in Lovell a Delight for “Bookies”
June 23rd, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
The Lewis Dana Hill Memorial Library in North Lovell is a gem. Close by the waters of Kezar Lake in Lovell and Keewaydin Lake in Stoneham, I love how quaint and old-fashioned it is.
Step into the foyer of this former one-room schoolhouse and step back in time.
Though the collection isn’t large, current best sellers, fiction and non-fiction, large print books, videos and audio tapes are available. A children’s section is located near the foyer and antique signs are displayed in the front room. This historical and pleasantly surprising library offers something for everyone, including a friendly atmosphere.
Public libraries are centers where community members gather to meet and interact. Enter any of the small libraries dotted throughout the Sebago Lakes and western Maine areas and you’ll be greeted with smiles and a welcoming atmosphere where you can pursue educational, recreational and cultural interests.
And if you do visit the Lewis Dana Hill Library keep an eye out … you might just find yourself standing beside Maine’s favorite horror writer, Stephen King. He and his wife, Tabitha frequent the Lewis Dana Hill Memorial Library and are responsible for some of the updates to the building.
The hours are limited, but it’s worth the visit.
“In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1876.
If you might be interested in buying a little – or big – cottage on the lake that’s near this quaint little library here are all the lakefront listings in Lovell and Stoneham:
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How to Become a “Regular” in Maine’s Sebago Lake Region
June 21st, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
Throughout the Sebago Lakes Region of western Maine are many small “mom and pop” establishments; places where you can purchase just about anything from coffee to kerosene, falafel to fly swatters, beer to backscratchers, t-shirts to Tiparillos. More than that, though, these are places where people come and get more than just their purchase.
It’s here where folks are waiting to greet you with jokes, share a dose of gossip, and talk about current events. Here you can find advice and directions to anything that’s worth doing, as well as the how, what, where and when to do it.
Need hunting or fishing advice? You’ve come to the right place. These are places where “everybody knows your name,” and expect you to order the “usual, please.” I know I love it when they have my coffee and paper ready before I’ve even asked for it.
These are the places where people of different ages, genders and interests casually gather, talk, laugh and get to know one another. It’s hard to beat the feeling of walking into a neighborhood diner, market or shop and feel recognized and special.
If you do visit one of these places give yourself some extra time. It’s not a quick trip as you’ll inevitably connect with someone. Speak up! People are pretty engaging around here.
It’s easy to become a “regular” at the following fine establishments in the Sebago Lake area:
Beth’s Kitchen Café, Main Street, Bridgton
Main Street Variety, Main Street, Bridgton
Ricky’s Diner, Main Street, Bridgton
Quinn’s Jockey Cap Store and Motel, Bridgton Road, Fryeburg
Lovell Village Store, Route 5, Lovell
Center Lovell Store, Route 5, Center Lovell
Wicked Good Store, Route 5, Center Lovell
Springer’s General Store, Waterford Road, Rte. 37, East Waterford
Melby’s Store and Restaurant, Rte. 35, North Waterford
Market Basket, Main Street, Harrison
Village Tie-Up Market and Deli, Main Street, Harrison
Webbs Mills Variety, Poland Spring Road, Casco
Jordan’s Store, Route 114, Sebago
Gemmes Variety, Route 114, Sebago
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Celebrating Fathers in the Western Maine Lakes Region
June 19th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary
Bring your father to the Sebago Lakes Region this Father’s Day and take a look at a cabin, camp, or vacation home you might relax at together on one of the many lakes and ponds in western Maine.
Use our Lakefront Locator to search all the available lakefront properties in Maine and when you find one that looks interesting send us an email and we’ll provide you specific information on it.
We, in the western Maine lakes and mountains region, know that Father’s Day is a day to not only honor our fathers, but all men who have acted as father figures in our lives. This is a day where sons and daughters can express appreciation for their fathers and the men who have acted as fathers in their lives.
There are plenty of gift ideas and cards available at local shops and bookstores. You might also treat your dad to boating on Long Lake, fishing in Sebago, hiking a mountain trail, playing golf at the Bridgton Highlands, Kezar Lake, or Naples golf courses, or canoeing or kayaking on the Saco River. How about just just enjoying some family time? What better place than at a lakeside camp or cabin?
In 1909, a young woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, decided to hold a Father’s Day Celebration to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. Sonora’s mother had died in childbirth, leaving Smart, a Civil War veteran, to raise five children and the newborn by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. That first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a Father’s Day, but it wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon established the third Sunday of June for the national observance.
“Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers–and fathering is a very important stage of their development.” ~ David M. Gottesman
Happy Father’s Day from all the folks at Mr. Lakefront!
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Sebago Lake Region Still Providing the Maine Experience to Young Campers
June 18th, 2009 categories: Observations and Commentary, Sebago Lakes Region
When I was a kid growing up in Harrison, Maine a familiar sight on a warm summer evening would be to see long, single lines of kids, all in uniform (shorts, short-sleeved shirt and neckerchief), walking alongside the road, making their way to the lakeside village of Harrison. Down Rte. 35 along Long Lake, or on Rte. 117 that curves around Crystal Lake, dozens of kids were hiking the mile or two into town for exercise and ice cream cones.
These youngsters were summer residents of Camp Pinecliff, Camp Ticawa, Camp Newfound and Camp Owatonna. Every summer these, and many other, area camps would fill up with kids from out of state, mostly, sent by their parents to experience the wonder of a Maine summer.
While many of these camps have closed, there are many that remain. I counted 40 in the Sebago Lake area alone. Many camp experiences, both residential and day camps, abound in the Sebago Lakes and western Maine region. The experience of crackling campfires, starry nights, gooey s’mores and lifelong friendships still await the young camper.
Children’s camps have been a Maine tradition for more than 100 years. These camps, located on the likes of Peabody Pond, Crystal Lake, Long Lake, Sebago Lake, Walden Pond, Bear Pond, Moose Pond, Woods Pond, Holt Pond, Panther Pond, Pleasant Lake, Thompson Lake, Tripp Lake and many more, offer a variety of programs and facilities to help children develop skills, make friends and expand their horizons–physically, mentally and socially. Children from all over the world come to summer camps to play and enjoy the natural beauty of western Maine and the Sebago Lake Region.
Here’s a list – hotlinked – to the 40 that I found:
Agassiz Village – Thompson Lake - Poland
Camp Agawam – Crescent Lake – Casco
Camp Arcadia – Pleasant Lake – Casco
Birch Rock Camp – McWain Pond – Waterford
Camp Cedar – Coffee Pond – Casco
Camp Encore/Coda – Stearns Pond – Sweden
Camp Fernwood – Thompson Lake – Poland
Fernwood Cove – Island Pond – Harrison
Camp Hawthorne - Panther Pond - Raymond
Hoop Basketball Camp – Pleasant Lake – Casco
Indian Acres and Forest Acres Camps – Saco River – Fryeburg
Camp Kingswood – Woods Pond – Bridgton
Kamp Kohut – Thompson Lake – Oxford
Kingsley Pines Camp – Panther Pond – Raymond
Camp Laurel South – Crescent Lake – Casco
Camp Mataponi – Sebago Lake – Naples
Camp Micah – Peabody Pond – Bridgton
Camp Nashoba North – Crescent - Raymond
Netop Summer Camp – Coffee Pond – Casco
Camps Newfound/Owatonna – Long Lake – Harrison
Camp North Star – Worthley Pond – Poland Spring
Camp O-AT-KA – Sebago Lake – Sebago
Camp Pinehurst – Crescent Lake – Raymond
Camp Sunshine – Sebago Lake – Casco
Camp Susan Curtis – Trout Lake – Stoneham
Camp Takajo – Long Lake – Naples
Camp Tapawingo – Keyes Pond – Sweden
Camp Timanous – Panther Pond – Raymond
Tripp Lake Camp – Tripp Lake – Poland
Camp Walden – Walden Pond – Denmark
Camp Wawenock – Sebago Lake – Raymond
Camp Waziyatah – McWain Pond – Waterford
Camp Wigwam – Bear Pond – Waterford
Camp Wildwood – Woods Pond – Bridgton
Winona Camps – Moose Pond – Bridgton
Wohelo – Luther Gulick Camps – Sebago Lake – Raymond
Wyonegonic Camps – Moose Pond – Denmark
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Tom - MrLakefront
