Storytelling Series Continues in Castine, Maine

May 10, 2013

Storytelling Can Change Your Life

Stories can transport you to different times and places; they can make you laugh or shed a tear; and they can draw entire communities together. Once upon a time (last September to be precise), Castine began hosting some of the best storytellers in the country for in-school classes, public performances and how-to workshops. The extravaganza continues and will culminate in a three-day festival entitled
Storytelling by the Sea August 16-18, 2013 featuring Tim Sample, Jennifer Armstrong, Oscar Mokeme and many more. Follow the storyteller icon below for more details about this year's programs and events.

Jun 4           Jo Radner
Jun 25         Hawk Henries
Jul 23          Stephen Sanfilippo

Aug 16-18       STORYTELLING BY THE SEA Festival
    featuring  Tim Sample
                       Jennifer Armstrong
                       Oscar Mokeme

Cold Comfort Theater

April 30, 2013

Theater is alive and well in Castine this summer!  The outstanding Cold Comfort Theater will be presenting several performances this summer at our very own newly renovated Emerson Hall.  This month will include  Almost, Maine by John Cariani

The most produced play in America in 2011, surpassing even “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” these touching stories about life in small-town Maine win everyone’s hearts.
“Almost, Maine”  will be performed in Castine at Emerson Hall on May 17 and 18th.  All performances for all productions are at 7pm; 12 and under $5 teens $10, all others $15. 

Castine, Maine Classic Yacht Event

March 06, 2013

This year’s Castine Classic Yacht Regatta sponsored by the Castine Yacht Club, will honor the classic Concordia class yachts.  A magnificent fleet of Concordias will rendezvous in Castine to kick-off a month-long celebration marking the 75th Anniversary of these famed 39’10” and 41’ yachts.  On Wednesday, July 31, notable examples will be on exhibition at the Castine Town Dock. 

The Concordia yachts will be honored at a symposium on July 31 at 4PM. in Delano Auditorium, Maine Maritime Academy. This Concordia event follows on from Castine celebrations in the last two years honoring the great early 20th century classic designs from William Fife III of Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and Nathanael Herreshoff of Bristol, Rhode Island.

The fourteenth annual Castine Classic Yacht Race to Camden will set sail from the Castine harbor bell at 11:30 AM on August 1.  This 20 nautical mile race, which feeds into the Camden to Brooklin race on August 2 and the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta on August 3, is expected to attract a magnificent fleet of Classic and Spirit of Tradition yachts, according to David Bicks and Bob Scott, chairmen of the Castine events.

Holiday Baking at the Pentagoet Inn Kitchen

December 14, 2012

This has been a busy season so far, baking homemade goodies and shipping them to your family and friends.  We've added some new items this season with a 2 lb cookie box featuring 8 varieties of cookies including: Coconut Chocolate  Macaroons, Ginger Spice, Cherry Almond Biscotti and Brownie Squares, Pecan Tea Balls, Mocha Chocolate Chip, Raspberry Jam Thumbprints and Almond Spritz Cookies.  We also have added a pancake breakfast box with buttermilk pancake mix with wild Maine blueberries, made by our friends at Apple Blossom Bakery with a pint of organic Maine Maple syrup.  In addition we also are offering the Holiday Brunch Box featuring outstanding local jam, honey, maple syrup, pancake mix in addition to our scones, granola and sour cream coffee cake.  We are still offering our popular "Coffee and Comfort" which includes the sour cream coffee cake as well as "Maine Morning Breakfast", "Afternoon Tea", our Pentagoet Mugs, Bee Glasses, our Housemade Granola and the "Bownie Duo" .  Check out all the details and place and order in our online store.

Camden International Film Festival

September 28, 2012

The 8th annual Camden International Film Festival takes place September 27-30, 2012 in and around Camden, Maine. This festival is one of the top 25 film festivals in the world for documentary films and filmmakers.  These films blur the line between fact and fiction, inspire, inform and entertain.

Nestled between the ocean and fall foliage of the hills of Camden, Maine, the festival is a unique setting to experience the very best in international documentary film. There are countless film screenings and Q&As with directors, impromptu musical performances, the freshest seafood in the world.  Come visit the coast of Maine during the beautiful fall season.

Foliage, Food & Wine Festival

September 28, 2012

Each year on the Blue Hill peninsula, businesses from the hospitality industry offer samples prepared by their chefs, wine and beer tasting, a chowder contest and much more.  Fishermen and farmers also sell their products at the local farmers' market, rounding out the annual "Taste of the Peninsula".

There are also book signings, various special dinners and lunches at local restaurants, special speakers and of course wonderful views of the peaking fall foliage all around the peninsula.  The 2012 festival takes place October 4th - October 14th.

Common Ground Country Fair

September 18, 2012

The Common Ground Country Fair takes place this year September 21-23rd in Unity, Miane. This country fair is developed by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association in the spirit of celebrating the rural and agricultural traditions of Maine. Many of the local farms around Castine which provide produce for the Pentagoet Inn and Restaurant are certified organic members of MOFGA.
The Common Ground Country Fair features a long list of displays, events, livestock, folk art, agriculture, music, food, demonstrations and much more. There is sure to be something for everyone!

Allie Ryan Maritime Collection on Display at Wilson Museum

August 24, 2012

The Castine Historical Society will hold its 2012 Annual Meeting on Friday, August 24 at 7:30pm in the Abbott School on the Castine town common. Following a brief business meeting, the evening’s program includes the screening of a 1977 documentary film featuring maritime collector Allie Ryan. The event is free and open to the public as well as CHS members, and light refreshments will be served.
 

Allie Ryan (1904-1992) was a passionate collector of almost anything with a maritime theme. He originally donated the bulk of his collection to Maine Maritime Academy, and it was later transferred to the Maine State Museum in Augusta.  In January 2012, a group of artifacts returned to Castine and are on display this summer in a special exhibit at the Wilson Museum. The documentary film being presented at the CHS annual meeting features Allie Ryan being interviewed about his maritime passion at the small museum set up by Maine Maritime Academy in the late 1970’s to display the collection.

2012 Castine Classic Yacht Race

August 10, 2012

SUMURUN LEADS FIFE FLEET IN CASTINE CLASSIC RACE
Castine, Me. – Sumurun, a 94-foot ketch designed and built in Scotland in 1914 by William Fife, led the Fife fleet in the 13th annual Castine Classic Yacht Race to Camden.  Sumurun was skippered by Robert Towbin and bested the 64-foot Fife ketch Belle Aventure skippered by David Thompson and the 82-foot Fife schooner Adventuress skippered by Victor Janovich. 
 

This year’s Castine Classic race celebrated the beauty, design and speed of the early 20th-century designer William Fife III.   This event follows on from last year’s celebration of Nathanael Herreshoff.  The Herreshoff yachts from Bristol, Rhode Island, and the Fife yachts from the small town of Fairlie on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, were fierce competitors on both sides of the Atlantic. 
 

In this year’s race, the Fife and Herreshoff yachts raced in the same class to continue the rivalry.     Spartan, a 72-foot NY-50 designed and built by Herreshoff in 1912 and skippered by Victor Paul, emerged victorious in the class.  Spartan also won last year’s Castine Classic race.  
Prior to the race, the historic Fife yachts were on exhibition at the Castine Town Dock and were honored at a symposium at the Maine Maritime Academy.  The large crowd attending the symposium heard from speakers illuminating the finer details of the design, construction, and sailing qualities of these boats.  Taylor Allen of Rockport Marine chaired the discussion of a panel of restorers, historians and sailors of Fife yachts.  Rockport Marine, Rockport, Maine, recently completed a 3-year restoration of Adventuress. 
The Castine event kicked off three days of classic boat racing culminating in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. 
 

After a delayed start due to a lack of visibility, the fleet set sail from the Castine harbor bell on a 19.6nm course designed to end in Camden.  The six classes started in a very light southerly breeze, which shortly died.  The course became fog-shrouded and the race committee was forced to shorten the course.  Most of the boats were able to finish, except for those in the smallest class. 
In the Spirit of Tradition class, the 75’ sloop Isobel designed by Stephens Waring & White took honors.  Isobel, skippered by Richard Schotte, beat Pleione by 7 minutes.  Pleione is a Taylor 8 Meter sailed by Bruce Dyson.  Lark, a newly launched 47’ sloop sailed by Patrick Wilmerding, took third. 
 

Siren, a Sparkman & Stephens NY 32 skippered by Peter Cassidy, led the Classic A fleet.  Siren edged out Falcon, another NY 32, sailed by Bob Scott by less than 2 minutes.  Gentian, also a NY 32, sailed by Robert Armstrong, took third. 
 

Rogue, a 37’ Herreshoff sailed by Seville Simonds, took first place in the Classic B fleet.    Second place went to Thora, Vince Todd’s Little Harbor 36.  Fidelio, a Sparkman & Stephens designed sister ship of the famed Finistere, took third.  Fidelio was skippered by Charles Townsend. 
 

In the Concordia fleet, the winner was the 41’ Otter skippered by Robert Keefer.  Second place went to Mandala, a Concordia 39 sailed by Terry Fisher.  Ann Ashton sailed Phalarope, another Concordia 39, to a third-place finish. 
 

None of the Classic C yachts were able to complete the course. 
 

At the award ceremony at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin following the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, David Bicks, co-chair of the Castine events, presented the Ames Cup to Peter Cassidy, skipper of Siren.   The Ames Cup, awarded to the overall winner of the race, honors the memory of Richard Glover Ames and Henry Russell Ames who were lost at sea on June 9, 1935 south of the Grand Banks in an unsuccessful effort to save their father who was washed overboard during the Newport to Bergen, Norway yacht race.  The Ames family hailed from Castine.
 

Siren also won both the Sparkman & Stephens trophy, awarded to the S&S boat with the lowest corrected time and the Mitch Gibbons-Neff trophy.  Bob Scott, the Castine event co-chair, presented the NY 32 trophy in memory of Mitch Gibbons-Neff, late head of S&S who regularly crewed on Scott’s NY 32 Falcon. 
 

The Phalarope trophy, awarded to the top Concordia yacht in memory of Thomas G Ashton Sr, was presented to Robert Keefer of Otter.

Ocean Path Hike

July 31, 2012

As America's first national park, Acadia National Park offers numerous hikes, up mountains, through forests and along shores.  All offer spectacular views and possibilities to experience natural areas that have been protected and well preserved for many years.  The Ocean Path is one of the most well traveled trails in Acadia.  It is a 4 mile round trip accented by expansive views of the ocean and a stop at Thunderhole.  The end of the trail leads you to Sand Beach, a well-loved spot to relax and enjoy the cool ocean waters.