Sisters Betsy and Jill Philbrook fish from their boat off Swan's Island. Betsy first fished with her grandmother

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island honors women who fished

PHOTO COURTESY SWAN'S ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Betsy Philbrook, in 1988, rigs her first trap. Betsy Philbrook’s grandmother, Melita Staples, was up for anything except cooking and housecleaning. “She used to bait tubs when she was younger,” said Philbrook. “She was much happier driving a dumptruck or working on a dock than staying… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Summer friends change island’s rhythm

The swift, ephemeral nature of summer on an island is felt in many ways. The sudden frenzy of activity as caretakers open houses and mow fields, lobster boats leaving their moorings for 12 hours a day, six days a week, and lines forming outside Calderwood Hall just before they open… SEE MORE

A drone view of the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Working Waterfront

North Haven comes together for its elderly

WILLIAM TREVASKIS Hannah Pingree, right, speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Southern Harbor House. Kathi Lovell, board member of Southern Harbor Eldercare Services is at center, and the facility's administrator, Lindsey Beverage, is at far left. Thanks to over 400 donors, $3.4 million has been raised for the construction… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Parking lot, new schedule drives ferry discussion

Despite the end of the busy tourist season, the Maine State Ferry Service has a full plate for the early fall. Members of the service’s citizen advisory board learned about maintenance, upgrade, scheduling, and legal matters at their Sept. 6 meeting in Rockland. Most visible will be work on the… SEE MORE

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New family revives Abel’s in Somesville

By Laurie Schreiber LAURIE SCHREIBER Carmen Sanford shows off a pie she had baked. On a sunny June noon at a food truck called Ted’s Take-Out, Shae Stanley was taking an order for a chicken wrap from a frequent customer while her husband, Ted Stanley Jr., prepared the… SEE MORE

James Singerling is chairman of the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society’s campaign to raise $450

Working Waterfront

Cranberry House, a thriving island fixture, is ready to expand

TOM GROENING Cranberry House On any given day, locals and visitors to Cranberry House on Great Cranberry Island might attend a play, concert, or summer lecture, or view historical exhibits featuring island artifacts and personalities. On the grounds outside, they might walk the trails, visit a Revolutionary War cemetery, fish… SEE MORE

The Islesford Dock restaurant is in its second season under new owners.

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Restaurant reboot: Islesford Dock ready for another 20 years

At the Islesford Dock Restaurant & Gallery on Little Cranberry Island, co-owner Michael Boland is deep into his second season enjoying the unique nature of an island institution. “I love restaurants in general. I enjoy the interaction with the guests,” he said in an email interview. “It’s a pretty intimate… SEE MORE

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Confessions of a coastal upbringing

By Cortney Simmons Between my pointer finger and thumb I can feel the dark green cloth of the sofa as I gently rub it against itself. I gaze out three great windows overlooking a spectacular, coastal view. As warm beams of light drape a dreamy haze on a sunny… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New England village centers are worth protecting

I grew up on the south shore of Long Island, N.Y. When I was 19, a friend and I traveled to Cape Cod and then western Massachusetts on our college spring break. It was a trip that would change my life. Towns like Amherst and Holyoke in western Massachusetts and… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park shows cars circling

Working Waterfront

From Bar Harbor to Portland, parking an ongoing challenge

By Tom Walsh The traffic tsunami inherent in Acadia National Park, which hosted a record 3.5 million visitors in 2017, has the town of Bar Harbor and the National Park Service coping with the conundrum of how best to accommodate seasonal parking for cars, trucks, tour buses, tourist trollies, recreational… SEE MORE