Working Waterfront

Keeping it live at Andy’s in the Old Port

PHOTO ESSAY BY KATIE JOHNSON SEE THE SLIDESHOW Looking for live music? Andy’s Old Port Pub is locally famous for having music every night of the week. Owners and Great Diamond Island residents Rick Frantz and Jennifer Fox’s support music draws performers from all over the state, country and occasionally… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chebeague celebrates Islander with free passage on April 6

The distance between the Stone Wharf on Chebeague Island and the Cousins Island landing is just 1.7 miles. But over the 30 years that the Islander ferry has been making the daily runs, she has logged enough miles to take her to the moon and halfway home. On Monday, April 6, the Chebeague… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cumberland is Maine’s fastest growing county

The U.S. Census Bureau reported on where the heaviest population growth in Maine was concentrated last year. The fastest-growing county in Maine between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, was Cumberland, whose population rose 0.67 percent over the period. Cumberland was followed by York (0.62 percent), Knox (0.22 percent),… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Dreaming of a not-too-distant future

It's early March as I write, and snow is still piled up to the crotch of the pin cherry tree. But you may be reading this in early April, and I hope you'll permit me to do a little fantasizing about what it might be like, a month from now.… SEE MORE

An aerial view of West Street in Bar Harbor shows the prominence of the West Street Hotel

Working Waterfront

Spiffed up or over-developed?

BAR HARBOR — Artist and business owner Sherry Rasmussen remembers, in the 1970s, taking her puppy for a romp at the sand bar off Bar Harbor. A 20-something traveling by VW van, she was new in town, proudly sporting a pair of L.L. Bean boat shoes. On this nice day,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ogunquit lawns go organic

It will be a spring like no other in the small oceanside community of Ogunquit, after voters passed an ordinance in November banning the use of non-organic pesticides and herbicides on private lands. Voters passed a similar ban on synthetic pesticide and herbicide use on public lands in 2009. The… SEE MORE

A line forms outside the Peaks Island Inn during Memorial Day Weekend 2014.

Working Waterfront

Peaks Island braces for visitors, cars and carts

It's an oft-repeated, but inaccurate statistic—Peaks Island has never seen 1 million visitors, nor will it likely see that many this summer. But the island, with a year-round population of about 900, does see several hundred thousand visitors each year, staying for the day, overnight, a week or several… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A new way to help those in crisis—mental health first aid

Everyone has mental health, just as we all have physical health. Our minds are part of who we are and they impact our quality of life. We all have our good days and our challenging ones. We may experience anxiety as part of our job or depression due to lack… SEE MORE

A bike rack near the shore in Harpswell.

Working Waterfront

Bath, Brunswick thinking bike links

With summer (believe it or not) approaching, many coastal communities are gearing up for road projects. Increasingly, these projects incorporate components for bicyclists, but coastal towns and cities often have to get creative to make their communities bicycle friendly. Take Bath and Brunswick, both designated "bike friendly communities" by the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The rewards of coaching and being coached

Kelsey Byrd is an Island Fellow, a participant in a two-year service program operated by AmeriCorps and the Island Institute, doing community development work on islands and remote coastal communities. When I first moved to Vinalhaven a year and half ago, I was excited to help coach the high school… SEE MORE