Portland fireworks set for Saturday July 4

This Saturday, the City of Portland will host its annual 4th of July celebration and fireworks show at the Eastern Promenade Park. Grucci's of New York, the company responsible for the Salt Lake, Athens and Beijing Olympics fireworks programs, will produce Portland's fireworks show.

King will speak on energy in Falmouth

Former Governor, Angus King, will be initial speaker in a program
series on energy at Portland SCORE summer meetings. Gov. King will
present an overview of wind power's potential to supply a significant
portion of Maine's future energy needs.

Books and Blooms returns to Boothbay

For the fifth consecutive year, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance is proud to co-sponsor the largest collective book sale and author signing in the state on Saturday, July 11 at the Boothbay Railway Village in Boothbay.

Saddleback Maine announces Summer Concert Series

Beginning in July, Saddleback Maine is launching a Summer Country Music Concert Series. The concerts will be held in the beautiful post-and-beam Base Lodge in an intimate setting with seating for only 200 people. 

Alive at Five summer lineup announced

July 9th
This Way
Spencer and The School Spirit Mafia

July 16th
Clash Of The Titans Showcase (Roy Orbison vs Stevie Ray Vaughn vs Nirvana)

July 23rd
Dave Gutter
Tony McNaboe

July 30
All The Real Girls
The Leftovers

Aug 6
Dominic and The Lucid
Pete Kilpatrick Band

Travel + Leisure Magazine Names Camden Harbour Inn as One of “23 Seaside Inns We Love” in July 2009 Issue

Travel + Leisure knows all of the key ingredients for a great vacation. Scouring all corners of the globe for peaceful enclaves, vibrant cities, beachside resorts, and perfect road trip routes, their articles speak to travelers who are citizens of the world. The magazine is truly a "celebration of travel." For 2009, Travel + Leisure has named the Camden Harbour Inn one of "23 Seaside Inns We Love" in its July issue.

A collection of Travel + Leisure's "favorite places to stay from coast to coast," the article highlights seaside inns that offer beautiful ocean views and easy access to summer adventures. Of the 23 inns featured, 10 are in New England, with only three in Maine. Other properties highlighted in the list include Martha's Vineyard's Hob Knob, an eco-friendly boutique hotel, and Connecticut's Inn at Stonington, a luxury inn that incorporates vintage 18th- and 19th-century décor and modern touches.

"We are delighted to be included in Travel + Leisure's article,"says Raymond Brunyanszki, Camden Harbour Inn's owner. "To join the other beautiful seaside inns on this list is a great honor. There are so many lodging recommendations out there, and we respect Travel + Leisure as one of the foremost authorities on the subject."

The Camden Harbour Inn was also featured as one of 129 Hotels We Love by National Geographic Traveler in April 09.

The Camden Harbour Inn offers world-class service and amenities, and 18 unique guestrooms and suites - each with a distinct style and dazzling view # and every conceivable modern convenience. 

Opulently decorated with a stylish mix of rare antiques and modern design, several guestrooms offer wood burning fireplaces, balconies and/or private decks.  With its inviting wrap-around porch, white clapboard siding, fine roof lines and stunning views, the Inn attracts a discerning upscale clientele who return often to experience one of New England's most tranquil, inspired and treasured settings. The Inn and the restaurant, Natalie's, have earned the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award.

The Inn's on-premise restaurant, Natalie's, also honored with four diamonds by AAA, has been called the finest gourmet eatery in Maine. Natalie's is a stunning restaurant offering Modern French cuisine with a local Maine twist and 200 specialty wines from its exceptional wine cellar. Natalie's offers sophisticated décor, impeccable service and gourmet dining without the pressure of formal attire, served under the culinary direction of Executive Chef Lawrence Klang.

Chef Klang recently returned from a guest chef visit to the Michelin two-star restaurant Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, where he joined forces with one of the Netherland's most talented chefs, Onno Kokmeijer. Klang has been invited to return next summer.

For information or reservations call 207-236-4200 or 800-236-4266, or go online to www.camdenharbourinn.com.

Out on a Limb: Apple CSA

Apple CSA From Super Chilly Farm in Palermo Maine

A chance to taste and learn about the rare and interesting apples being grown in Maine, and support their continued cultivation.

Rabelais is very proud to announce the inauguration of the first apple CSA in Maine, to be distributed from our store.
··· 
Starting September 2nd, every other Wednesday and ending November 11th, heirloom and unusual modern apples harvested from four orchards in central Maine will be driven down to Rabelais Books in Portland.

· Each share will include 30-40 varieties of rare, interesting and highly flavored apples over the course of the season with a wide range of uses, appearances, histories and tastes. Each week you will receive a mix of dessert apples (apples meant to be eaten fresh) and culinary apples. We will make sure you have enough of the culinary varieties to cook something with them. Some of the varieties will be organically grown, others conventionally.

· Each bi-weekly delivery of at least 1/4 bushel (approx. 10 #) will be accompanied by a newsletter with descriptions, history, tidbits and lore about each variety, as well as recipes and ideas for how to best use them. The cost for a share is $120.

· Orders will be available to pick up at Rabelais from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Wednesdays (9/2, 16, 30, 10/14, 28 & 11/11).   Shares will be held at Rabelais until Thursday at 5:00, unless other arrangements are made.

· If you are interested you should sign up soon, shares are limited!  To sign up send a check to : Out on A Limb CSA, 167 Turner Mill Pond Rd, Palermo Maine, 04354.    Include your name, snail mail address, phone and email address with your check, which should be made out to Out on a Limb.  If you have more questions  you can email OUTONALIMBCSA@gmail.com, or call us at the store. 207 774 1044

~~~

We are thrilled to be working with our friend John Bunker on this project. Some of you will remember John from his book Not Far From The Tree which we celebrated in October of 2007 with our Apple.... event. This is a unique opportunity to taste, enjoy and cook with apples not easily found, and support orchards that do not usually have access to this market.

Rabelais fine books on food & drink
86 Middle Street
Portland, Maine 04101
www.rabelaisbooks.com

Calling all artists: Saco Museum Biennial planning

DID YOU KNOW
that the Saco Museum is planning a new biennial exhibition of
LOCAL ART?
 
And we want YOU to participate in the planning process!
 
Please join members of the Saco Museum staff and representatives from other local arts and cultural organizations to brainstorm about the arts in the Cities on the Saco!
 
DATE:
Monday, June 22
TIME: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Saco Museum
 

Maine Ambassadors of Food and Drink program

Maine Ambassadors of Food and Drink - a program of The Maine Institute of Food and Drink

The Maine Ambassadors of Food and Drink Program is offering another certification series beginning the week of June 16. This 8-part course covers the foods and drinks that are distinctive to Maine. The Ambassador Series explores the history, sociology and politics as well as the flavors and aromas of artisanal cheese, beer, wine and spirits, fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat and poultry, herbs, spices, oils and mushrooms. The course is taught by Margo Mallar, a travel veteran and historian, as well a number of other producers, lecturers and specialists. The Maine Ambassadors of Food and Drink is the initial public programming for the Maine Institute of Food and Drink. Classes are currently held at several Portland locations but additional locations throughout Maine are planned for the Fall.

For more information about the Ambassador program and the development plans for the Maine Institute of Food and Drink contact www.maineambassadors.com or call 207.712.5864

blink-182 show at CCCC cancelled

SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED

blink-182 with Fall Out Boy At the CUMBERLAND COUNTY CIVIC CENTER
AUGUST 8

The August 8th date with blink-182 at the Cumberland County Civic Center, scheduled to go on-sale tomorrow at 10am, has been postponed. Live Nation plans on announcing a new show date and on-sale date soon.

Live Nation takes pride in bringing live entertainment to the public. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused fans.

Portland adds moped/motorcycle parking downtown

Beginning this week, Portland's Public Services Department will begin posting new parking spaces available for mopeds and motorcycles only in the downtown area. The 31 new spaces were created by utilizing no parking zone areas too small to accommodate a vehicle and will offer up to 10 hours of free parking for two-wheel vehicles.

Learn about GPS & GIS from Portland North Land Trust

On National Trails Day, Saturday, June 6 experts from the Center for Community GIS will help train community members both outdoors on trails and indoors on computers in Global Position System and Geographic Information Software.

Free flash mob Pilates classes throughout Portland this Summer

Studio owner Bethany Mateosian announces that Springboard Pilates will lead Flash Mob Pilates throughout the city for the third summer in a row. It is free, fun, outdoor Pilates!

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, and then quickly disperse. In New York, people assembled in a Hyatt hotel for 15 seconds of synchronized clapping, and a shoe boutique in SoHo was invaded by participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip. In Portland, they're carrying on the tradition with impromptu Pilates gatherings that meet at different times and places all over the city.

Last year there was an afternoon on the Maine State Pier, an evening on the Eastern Promenade, and sunset at Fort Williams, just to name a few. Springboard's flash mobs take advantage of Mainers' and tourists' predispositions to be outside during the summer months, getting out of the studio and treating their clients (and anyone else who wants to join) to a fun core strengthening workout in different locations all over town.

Springboard's 2009 Pilates Flash Mobs:
Friday, June 12 at 5:14 pm
Tuesday, June 23 at 6:42 am
Saturday, July 11 at 1:17 pm
Monday, July 20 at 4:01pm
Tuesday, August 4 at 7:13 am
Thursday, August 20 at 12:04 pm

The location is different every time (and held secret until the week of the event), so send your email address to meredith@springboardpilates.com for up-to-date flash mob information!

World Renowned Artists Help Celebrate 30 Years of Maine's Public Art

In celebration of 30 years of Maine's Percent for Art program, the Maine
Arts Commission announces a series of free public art events that feature
world renowned artists. This series, highlighting successful and innovative
public art, will take place at venues throughout the state beginning May 29
in Portland and ending at the Juice Conference on the creative economy in
Camden, November 13.

Through a juried selection process, five arts organizations were funded by
the Maine Arts Commission to present dynamic speakers who make significant
contributions to our notions of public art. The arts organizations that
received funding are: Tides Institute and Museum of Art in Eastport,
Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance, Waterville Arts Council, SPACE Gallery
in Portland and Maine College of Art.

These arts organizations have put together a staggering series of events
that include world famous artists, such as Jean Shin, who currently has work
on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; New York street artist Swoon
who will discuss her public installations and interventions, from cut paper
paste-ups to collaborative public events; and MacArthur Award recipient Liz
Lerman, founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.

Since the creation of this series other organizations, such as the Schoodic
International Sculpture Symposium, have joined with the Maine Arts
Commission to present an entire season of public art events to honor the 30
years of Maine's Public Art program.

Following federal policy, in 1979 Maine began incorporating artwork into
every new or renovated state-funded building. Sculptures, murals, paintings
and other structural and freestanding elements have been selected by local
committees throughout the state. Public art now graces schools, governmental
buildings, libraries, ferry terminals and college campuses to enliven spaces
and reflect the community's relationship to the purpose of the facility.
Along with municipal and federal public spaces, Maine boasts nearly 450
pieces of public artwork, from Kittery to Fort Kent.

"Public art provides a vehicle for healthy public dialogue around definition
of place while enhancing our quality of place and defining a community's
people, their history, interests and endeavors across time," said Maine Arts
Commission director Donna McNeil. "America's Statue of Liberty, Vietnam
Veterans Memorial and Saint Louis Arch demonstrate how public art functions
as a signifier of place, telling the story of who we are throughout our
history.

"As Maine celebrates 30 years of support for public art, the lecture series
will broaden this dialogue by highlighting the knowledge, understanding,
implementation and contemporary expressions of public art."

Percent for Art is also about a community investing in its own imagination.
Beyond traditional memorials, the Percent for Art commissions are defined by
citizen participation and can integrate into the life of a building in new
and bold ways. At its best, public art enhances the environment, creates a
sense of place, and expresses a community's values and identity. Public art
can transform and heal a site; it can remind us of our past, and point to a
future.
The inaugural event is Friday, May 29, when the Portland Arts and Cultural
Alliance presents an evening with Amy Hausmann, the assistant director of
New York City's Arts Along the Way Program in the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority. She will discuss artwork that graces subway
stations throughout New York City. The event begins at 6:00 PM at SPACE
Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. For further information on the Public
Arts Event Series, please visit www.ManieArts.com

The series in full:

May 29: Amy Hausmann from MTA Arts for Transit
The New York City subway system hosts more than tracks and trains; for over
two decades temporary and permanent artworks have graced stations throughout
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Arts for Transit's (AFT)
public art commissions create a preeminent underground art museum with more
than 200 projects including work by Roy Lichtenstein, Elizabeth Murray, Al
Held, Romare Bearden, Nancy Spero, Jacob Lawrence and many more. The AFT
hosts a constantly growing collection of works that utilize the materials of
the system ˜ mosaic, ceramic, tile, bronze, steel and glass.

AFT Assistant Director Amy Hausmann will discuss the program's growth and
the process by which artists are selected. She will present a survey of
permanent art projects, highlighting recent work by Sol Lewitt at 59th
Street/Columbus Circle, Jean Shin at the Long Island Railroad Broadway
station and the Starn Studio installation at South Ferry.

June 5: Eighth Annual Sculpture Garden Invitational
The Art Gallery on the Westbrook College Campus of the University of New
England will open their Annual Sculpture Garden Invitational on June 5,
2009. The exhibition features the work of
Anne Alexander, Tom Chapin, Edward Friedman, Lucy Hodgson, Pandora LaCasse,
Sandy MacLeod, Harriett Matthews, Nancy Nevergole, Jean Noon, Stephen
Oliver, Roy Patterson, Roger Prince, Duane Paluka, Andy Rosen, Carolyn
Treat, Ed Twilley, Andreas von Huene and Melita Westerlund.

June 6: Jean Shin
Artist Jean Shin will discuss Celadon Remnants, a mosaic made out of broken
Korean ceramic and glass remnants, imported from Icheon, Korea as part of a
cultural exchange. Commissioned by MTA's Art in Transit program and located
in the heart of a vibrant Korean-American community, the overall piece
speaks to the rich, yet fractured, cultural history of the Korean diaspora.
Shin's work has been widely exhibited in major national and international
museums and it is currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
in Washington, DC.

June 19: Eco-Motion
Belfast's Eco-Motion is a multi-site installation of interactive sculpture
(loosely based on bicycles) that encourage interaction and physical motion,
and reflects this art-friendly and environmentally conscious community.
Sculptures made by local well-known artists such as Cy Klausmeyer, Beth
Henderson, Bo Atkinson and others will adorn the downtown sidewalks all
summer.

5-8 PM, Friday, June 19 October 31
Downtown Belfast

July 25-September 12: Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium
Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium is a biennial cultural event that
brings together artists, visitors and communities to create a public
sculpture collection in eastern Maine. This gathering of sculptors is a fun
and educational way to see how large-scale sculpture is made from granite,
one of Maine's natural resources.
Each symposia last 6-weeks, from late July to early September. Visitors can
watch the sculptures in progress. Artists from around the world are selected
through a juried process to participate. The sculptures are then placed at
public sites in Maine communities. The symposium is free and open to the
public.

August 9-15: Parish Maps: Building a Sense of Place through the Work of
Common Ground
Sue Clifford, co-founder of Common Ground in England, will be in Eastport
for a weeklong residency and exhibition at the Tides Institute and Museum of
Art. Distinguished by linking nature with culture, Common Ground helps
residents highlight the unique elements of their localities as a starting
point for action to improve the quality of everyday places.

A panel discussion on public art, "Public Art and Sense of Place," will take
place on Thursday evening, August 13, with Clifford; noted art critic, Lucy
Lippard; well-known British walking artist Hamish Fulton; and Ron Shuebrook,
past president of the Ontario College of Art and Design. Community Parish
maps created in England will be on display. On Wednesday, August 12, Ms.
Clifford will lead local communities in the development and subsequent
creation of a public art Parish/Community map.

October 9: Amy Franceschini
The Maine College of Art will host a talk by Amy Franceschini, an artist and
educator who creates formats for exchange and production that question and
challenge the social, cultural and environmental systems that surround her.
An overarching theme in her work is a perceived conflict between humans and
nature. Her work manifests as websites, installations, open-access
laboratories and educational formats that often take form as long-term
engagements with a specific place and public. She founded Futurefarmers in
1995, an international collective of artists which hosts an artists' in
residency program. In 2004, Amy co-founded Free Soil, an international
collective of artists, activists, researchers and gardeners who work
together to propose alternatives to the social, political and environmental
organization of space. Franceschini's work has been exhibited
internationally and she is professor of Art and Architecture at the
University of San Francisco.

October 17: Swoon
Internationally-known street artist Swoon will discuss her public
installations and interventions, from cut paper paste-ups to collaborative
public events. She'll discuss the importance of engaging artists and her
audience in these projects, and the value of creating a culture of
participation in art.

Swoon has been covering the streets of New York with her signature cutouts
for over six years. Often found in states of decay, her wheat-pasted figures
"collaborate" with the street to create a time-based public artwork. In
conjunction with her collective TOYSHOP, she has executed projects ranging
from billboard alterations and poster campaigns, to street parties and
sculptural installations. Her work has been collected by the Museum of
Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
SPACE will also host a collaborative gallery installation by Swoon and other
members of her collective, October 15 December, 2009.

November 13-14: Liz Lerman and Juice 2.0: Art, Innovation, and the Built
Environment
The Juice conference gathers entrepreneurs, artists and statewide leaders to
explore the role of creativity and innovation in the transformation of
Maine's economy.

Liz Lerman, founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and MacArthur Award
recipient, will be a featured presenter. Lerman is a choreographer who
practices an inclusive art that distills individual responses to a
provocative question to reveal a broader consensus. She will discuss the
artistic and political philosophies that sustain her efforts to catalyze
connections between art and community.
For further information on the Public Arts Event Series, please visit
www.mainearts.maine.gov.

UNE opening 8th annual Sculpture Garden

The University of New England's Gallery of Art will feature its Eighth Annual Sculpture Garden Invitational June 5#Oct. 31 at UNE's Portland Campus.

Award Goes to Solo Bistro, Cold River Vodka Restaurant Week Cocktail Competition

Bartender Wins It All, Tracy Post Rousseau's "Cold River Shiver"!

Tracy Post Rousseau of Solo Bistro in Bath, ME won the Cold River Vodka Restaurant Week Cocktail Competition award. Diners and restaurant guests voted for their favorite Cold River Vodka cocktail during the first annual Restaurant Week ME.

The competition included over twenty bartenders in Southern, Central and Midcoast Maine. Post's winning cocktail, the "Cold River Shiver", was selected by online and in-person voting. Solo Bistro is located at 128 Front Street, Bath, ME, (207) 443-3373, solobistro.com.

The Cold River Shiver

1 oz. Cold River Vodka
1 oz. Milagro Silver Tequila
1 oz. Tangueray Gin
1 oz. Bacardi Rum
½ oz. Cassis
splash simple syrup
splash lime juice
splash Gus's Cranberry Lime Soda
1 lime round

Mixing Instructions
1. Using a large shaker, add ice and first 7 ingredients.
2. Shake well.
3. Pour into tall glass, ice and all.
4. Top with a splash of cranberry lime soda.
5. Garnish with a lime round and enjoy!

Cold River Vodka is located in Freeport, ME, and is known for its distinct nose and satin-smooth finish. The gluten-free vodka is hand-crafted and batch-distilled in a copper potstill, using water from Maine's Cold River and farm-fresh Maine potatoes. Maine Distilleries, which produces only Cold River Vodka, is the only "ground-to-glass" distillery in the nation, where the company controls every aspect of production. Available at restaurants and fine spirits retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, British Columbia, and London. Maine Distillers, LLC, 437 US Route One, Freeport, Maine 04032, (207) 865-4828, coldrivervodka.com

Restaurant Week ME, has expanded to include Maine's Culinary "Twisitor Center," a virtual visitors center, created especially for food lovers visiting Maine using Twitter. For more information about the Twisitor Center or Restaurant Week, visit RestaurantWeekME.com or contact gBritt PR, 222 St. John St, Suite 1G, Portland, ME 04102, (207) 775-2126, gbritt.com.