Fisherman Laurence Newman: Snow, fog, “whatever, we went out and set the trawls”

So there I am at the Southwest Harbor Public Library, stumbled across a trove of oral history cassette tapes recorded under library auspices in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. I was trying to find a videotaped interview, I knew existed, with father-and-son wooden boatbuilding duo Ralph and Richard Stanley. Thus the exploratory visit to the […]

House concert impresario Steve Peer: “The coolest guy we know”

ELLSWORTH – There’s a hubbub of cheerful chatter, and it’s difficult to make out what Celtic/rock contemporary/fusion musicians Carmel Mikol, Rachel Davis, and Darren McMullen are saying. “We’re not even a band,” says Mikol, who adds, “We’re free radicals.” Or maybe it’s, “We’re three radicals.” The three are scheduled to perform shortly at the home […]

Ikemiya: The ragtime, sparkle-divine Peace Farm state of mind

BAR HARBOR – Masanobu Ikemiya is a concert pianist, conductor, and recording artist, a foremost exponent of American ragtime, the founder of the summertime Arcady Music Festival in Maine and of the New York Ragtime Orchestra, and a Zen Buddhist disciple. His wife, Tomoko, is a former nurse-midwife, psychologist, and college instructor. She now manages […]

Island Artisans: A vibrant cooperative

BAR HARBOR – Celebrating its 30 anniversary this year, Island Artisans is a vibrant shop that showcases the works of more than 100 Maine artisans. The cooperative got its start with a group of just 11 local artists, who found strength in numbers. The store is currently owned and managed by five of the original artists: […]

A family’s Friendship, a fleet’s friendly ways

SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Three generations of Zubers are aboard the Friendship sloop Gladiator on a terrifically hot Saturday in July. “Did you see, last night? There were, like, a thousand squids over there,” says nine-year-old Liam, who points to the sea. “It was so cool.” The boat is temporarily tied up to a town dock […]

Cheerful farewell for Bernard postmaster

BERNARD – Year-round and summer residents here were popping into the post office throughout the day, on July 27, for a retirement party for Linda Musson. Musson will retire from nearly 25 years as postmaster on July 31. All together, she has served 39 years with the United States Postal Service. Before Bernard, she served […]

Gwen Schwartz: An artist’s creative fire, remembered

NORTHEAST HARBOR – Gwen Elizabeth Schwartz was a young artist who is remembered by friends and family for her bold vision, independent thinking, spontaneity, and fierce spirit. Gwen was 21 when she died suddenly, on April 5, 2011 in New York City, not long after receiving a possible diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She attended Mount […]