Saturday, January 30, 2010

Camden’s Winterfest

A Community Celebration of Winter -

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Camden can bring a smile to your face any time of year.  Today was no exception even with the sub zero wind chill.  Winterfest was filled with creative ice sculptures, horse drawn wagon rides, lovely music and an abundance of cheerful people.

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Camden Public Library

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View from the Library Lawn

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The cold was beat through dancing to the beat.

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There’s no excuse for cabin fever with great events like Camden’s Winterfest.  Mark your calendars for next year and come take part in the winter fun.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Where in Maine?

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Here I am last week braving the cold.

Hint- Famous tourist spot need to take a stairway from top of cliff to observe ocean caves.

Bill Weir/President & CEO Bar Harbor Savings and Loan

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Pies on Parade - Rockland

Pies on Parade - An Edible Art Walk for Your Palate

Let Us Eat Pie -

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Outside Rheal Day Spa

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Erika, a massage therapist at Rheal, serves Pie Eaters.

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A honey infused with lavender and yogurt pie - beautiful.  This pie was made by Rheal Day Spa’s Heather.

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Heather helping Pie Eaters.

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Rhonda, the owner of Rheal Day Spa, greets people as they enter.

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It’s so much fun to see the beautiful businesses in Rockland.  Above is a piece of art hanging in Rheal Day Spa.

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Dot is one of the many volunteers that make this charity event so successful.

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Two lovely ladies that moved to the area within the past year.  I was about to ask them how they were dealing with their first winter in Maine until they told me they moved from Minnesota.  We joked how balmy Maine is in January compared to Minnesota.  They are thoroughly enjoying their decision to move to Maine and to eat pie.

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All Aboard Trolley was busy shuttling the Pie Crowd to make the 19 venues (wow!!) possible for the Pie Eaters.  Next year All Aboard Trolley might need to invest in a fork lift to get us pie eaters on the trolley if the number of venues continues to increase.

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A sneak peak at the uncut pies on the back deck of  the Captain Lindsey House, one of the Historic Inns of Rockland that puts this event on.

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Like I said, edible art.

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A glimpse of the Old Granite Inn one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

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A mix of the old and new at the Old Granite Inn.

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Beautiful pies on display with a backdrop of the old granite wall.

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From Waterville on the left and Glen Cove on the right.  Their forth stop was the Old Granite Inn.

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Cafe Miranda

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This couple from Boston is marching (or rolling – depending on how much you eat) in their fifth Pies on Parade.  Here they are in Cafe Miranda sampling Kerry’s famous Pizza Pies.  They are also staying at one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

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Art at Cafe Miranda.

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Cafe Miranda’s chef and owner Kerry telling us the secret to his absolutely scrumptious pizza pies.  Okay, let me try to get this right.  I feel like I need to refresh my science knowledge with his lesson.  I’ll try to do this justice Kerry – in laymen’s terms.  First of all and most importantly the pizza is fantastic.  It is not made with traditional layers – the ingredients are mixed.  This equals each bite is as flavorful as the next and flavorful is an understatement.

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Thanks for the pizza lesson Kerry.  I wimped out on using your scientific words in my version.  You can order Cafe Miranda’s pizza pies ahead and bake them off at home.

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Yum!

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Young Volunteers

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I ran into two of my Union Middle School Teachers.  Where but in Maine does your junior high home economics teacher remember your name, your siblings’ names and even your grandfather’s name??!!  These former teachers are self proclaimed diehard Pies on Parade attendees.   They gave me their strategy – pace yourself.  How?  Share a slice, but mostly the pies are too good to split.  It’s been twenty years and they’re still teaching me. 

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The husbands of the middle school teachers.  Don Kleiner on the left is a Master Maine Guide and the owner of Maine Outdoors.

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Gorgeous views from Amalfi on the Water.

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Music at Amalfi.

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My slice of savory seafood pie.  Delish!!

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More music at Amalfi.

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A view of Rockland Harbor outside Amalfi on the Water.

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A colorful entrance into the Limerock Inn, one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

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Jack has been volunteer from the AIO for at least five years. 

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Pie eaters showing clean plates at the Limerock Inn.

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One of Limerock Inn’s garden view rooms

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Frank, one of the owners of the Limerock Inn, cutting the Key Limerock Pie.  Rumor has it he had been eating, drinking, and sleeping pie making for the previous 60 plus hours.

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Lorain from Rockland Maine Street behind the scenes at Limerock Inn.

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Pies on Parade was sold out this year.  Sign on the front porch of Berry Manor Inn one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

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Pie Eaters at the Berry Manor Inn, one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

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A Boston couple up heard about Berry Manor Inn and the Historic Inns of Rockland on Food Network.  They loved their stay last summer and decided then to come up for Pies on Parade.

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Cheryl, one of the owners of Berry Manor Inn, wearing her Pie Hat.

 

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I don’t think it’s an accident that Pies on Parades’ acronym is POP.  Pop is what I was about to do after eating all of that delicious pie.  I have a plan next year – don’t eat anything all day except the pie.  And maybe get an assistant to roll me around. 

This event captured the very reason many people choose to live in Maine – culture, community, charity and the charm of a beautiful coastal town all wrapped into one event.  Not to mention fun.  Thank you to all of those who made this day possible, all the labor that went into making the pies and preparing the venues.  Thank you to all the people who participated.  Your eating of pies will make others eating possible through the food pantry.

Love Maine!