Working Waterfront

Days and nights at the opera house

After the Civil War, small towns across the United States began constructing and opening opera houses, including across Maine’s interior and coast. As the days of traveling entertainers wound down, and cars allowed more people to travel to larger cities for their entertainment, opera houses began shuttering. Some were torn… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Finding a community’s stories, old and new

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. In discovering local history, each search is worth more than an answer. It’s summed up in the phrase, “It’s there, if… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Machias dike project raises sea level, fish concerns

The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to replace the 90-year-old dike and bridge that carries Route 1over the Middle River in Machias, but new concerns will mean a more careful consideration. Late in March, the department held a virtual public meeting to explain and solicit public… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Caring for our elders: A call to action

Maine’s getting old, faster than any other state. Now is the time for “policymakers and lawmakers to think boldly about how best to address Mainers’ needs for long-term care services.” That call to action was issued more than a decade ago. The 2010 recommendations by experts convened by the Maine… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Numbers don’t always accurately tell our stories

Data collection may seem like an exacting approach in capturing community reality, but if the measuring tool does not match what is being measured, inequity can result. As Catherine D'Ignazio, in a presentation on Data Feminism sponsored by the Data Innovation Project, put it: “What gets counted, counts.” Because of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cruel April twice experienced

April has always been a month that plays hard with my emotions. The weather has intense mood swings and suddenly there are a million things to do, not enough hours in the day to accomplish them all, and dinner is always later than I planned. The busy-ness of it wears… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Market economics, island style

It’s only been a year since the scope of this scourge began to make itself apparent. During those 12 months, several island businesses have closed and probably won’t re-open. Others have only clung to existence and hope to resurface this year. A few have remained healthy and prosperous because the… SEE MORE

Folks enjoy tasty treats at Choco-Latte in downtown Bar Harbor on the first weekend in May, as tourism traffic gradually picks up. PHOTO: EZRA SCHREIBER-MACQUAID

Working Waterfront

‘Revenge travel’ driving Bar Harbor reservations

The tourist season is still gearing up, but by early May, owners of hotels, inns, and campgrounds were seeing strong reservations and looking forward to a busy year. Many owners and operators said the numbers so far were better than 2019, which was already a strong year. They attributed the… SEE MORE

Students rehearsing the play D&D. PHOTO: ALICE GREENWAY

Working Waterfront

It’s play time on North Haven

Spring is taking a particularly “playful” form on North Haven. Twenty playwrights, tapping at their laptops over the winter, have submitted manuscripts. Seven directors are taking time away from boatyards, school, and gardens. And 38 actors of all ages are striding the boards, which this year includes the fields at… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Downeast ‘oasis’ subdivision marketed for urban dwellers

A high-end housing development is being planned for a 1,000-acre peninsula on Howard Lake in Robbinston. Merriwood Sustainable Community is described on its website as “just beyond the edge of the paved world—a vibrant and comfortable oasis nestled within the splendor of the Maine wilderness. Completely off the beaten path… SEE MORE