Last night the Portland Museum of Art's young professional membership group, The Contemporaries, hosted its annual summer garden party. As usual, it was a stellar event, featuring excellent art, cool drinks and tasty eats. The party offered members a private opportunity to check out the impressionist & modernist works in the Call of the Coast show, on view in the main gallery. This was followed by a cocktail party in the garden between the McLellan and Clapp houses on Spring Street.

Because there was such a fun group of people at the party, I spent most of my time gabbing and forget to snap many pics. However, if you're Facebook friends with Aucocisco gallery owner Andy Versoza, you can see a whole bunch of really great shots.

The theme of the party was Taste of the Midcoast, and it featured food and drink from the Camden-Rockland area. Among those serving up free drinks were these lovely ladies from Cellardoor Vineyards. The winery is located in Lincolnville with a separate tasting room in Rockport. I really enjoyed their Vino DiVine wine.

For the lobster lovers at the party, the rolls from Boothbay Loster Wharf were a treat. The state's first seafood CSF, Port Clyde Fresh Catch, also was there with info about how to get connected to their sustainably harvested fish and shrimp.

Lorie Dana, who's at the microphone, was one of the co-hosts of the party and thanked everyone for coming. Others sharing the stage with her included (left to right) Chris Robinson, co-chair of The Contemporaries Steering Committee, Hilary Robbins, the other co-chair of the Steering Committee, Sharon Kitchens, who owns SK Public Relations and helped coordinate most of the food and drink, and Maggie Robinson, the party's other fabulous co-host. The crowd was excited to hear that the ranks of this popular membership group have swelled to 230.

The party officially ended at 8 pm, but with perfect weather and excellent company the crowd was slow to leave. But we won't have to wait long to get together again. The next party is July 31 at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery at MECA, where we'll get a preview of paintings by Carl Gordon Cutler & William E. Thon.

Hope you can join us!