Maine’s June Update

June 2017 — Summer is fast approaching, so it’s the perfect time for a walking tour of Bar Harbor or a stay at Libby Camps, one of Maine’s classic sporting camps. It’s the season to stop in Portland to taste the James Beard Award-winning food at Eventide Oyster Co. as you head up the coast. Or maybe you’re heading deeper into the state, for a world-class grain symposium in Skowhegan. If you want to stay on the coast and just watch the waves roll in, check out some hip new lodging in Scarborough.

For writers, editors and bloggers looking for short-lead news, you’ll find immediate details under Happening Now. Those in search of longer lead news can scroll down to the Looking Ahead section.

A James Beard Award for Eventide Oyster Co.
Chefs Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley of Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland have been awarded Best Chef: Northeast by the 2017 James Beard Awards. The award recognizes chefs “who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions.” The two Portland chefs are also co-owners of Eventide Oyster along with manager Arlin Smith (they also own Honey Paw and Hugo’s). They join the ranks of elite Portland chefs who previously took home the same award: Sam Hayward of Fore Street and Rob Evans of Duckfat. At Eventide, try Pemaquid, North Haven and Flying Point oysters, then move on to a wide selection of crudo, sandwiches, and chowders, or perhaps the signature Eventide brown butter lobster roll.

Lighthouse Suites at Pine Point
The new Lighthouse Suites at Pine Point are located at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough, a short walk down a dune grass path to one of the state’s most beautiful sandy beaches. There are just nine modern suites — single bedroom, double bedroom and penthouse suites — with contemporary kitchens, 1,000 count bed linens and 50″ high-definition flat-screen LED backlit LCD Samsung SmartTV’s. While configured for nightly stays, these suites are also available for extended stays.

Libby Camps & the Orvis Lifetime Achievement Award
Matt Libby Sr., the fourth generation owner of Libby Camps in Maine, was just recognized with the Orvis 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the great Maine sporting camps, Libby Camps is a fisherman’s paradise in northern Maine and the oldest Orvis-endorsed lodge in the state. There are lakeside log cabin accommodations, Maine guides, home-cooked family-style meals and classic Maine service. The lodge’s seaplanes access 10 outpost camps and 80 canoes and boats on more than 30 different waters within a 20-mile radius of camp. Three of the best wild brook trout rivers in Maine are within this radius: the Allagash River, Penobscot River and Aroostook River. A short flight into a remote pond or stream for the day or for an overnight at an outpost cabin is unique in the east to this lodge.

The Maine Thing Quarterly: Paths & Pictures
The Maine Thing Quarterly invited five young photographers to explore Maine’s eight regions. They were encouraged to roam the midcoast and the north woods, and to explore coastal islands and the far reaches of Aroostook County. From the mountains of western Maine to urban Portland and the waters of Casco Bay, they created an extraordinary series of highly personal photo essays about “Vacationland.” Visit The Maine Thing Quarterly.

Marsden Hartley’s Maine in New York
Marsden Hartley was one of Maine’s best-loved painters and the new show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Met Breuer Galleries in New York City, , celebrates this artist’s work and continues until June 18, 2017. It highlights the American artist’s lifelong artistic engagement with his home state of Maine in a landmark show that is inspiring visitors to experience Maine this summer and retrace Hartley’s footsteps for themselves. At , they can find a map tracing the locations throughout the state that inspired Hartley along with suggested itineraries and sightseeing, lodging and dining recommendations. The exhibition moves to the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine from July 8, 2017 – November 12, 2017.

Bar Harbor Walking Tours
Thanks to its architecture, restaurants and incredible setting, an ideal way to explore Bar Harbor is on a walking tour. Both Bar Harbor Ghost Tours and Red Cloak Haunted History Tours offer a detailed look into local hauntings and the history behind them, with tales of the Wabanaki Indian spirits and the decadent side of Bar Harbor's past during the prohibition era. Both companies operate nightly tours, May through October. If food is your focus, Maine Foodie Tours takes visitors on walking tours on the Savor Bar Harbor Culinary Walking Tour. It’s a mix of restaurants, pubs and shops for tastes that include samples of mini lobster rolls, duck-fat fries and award-winning local cheeses. Or, opt for the Happy 2-Hour Tour for an emphasis on locally crafted beer, cocktails and light appetizers.

Maine International Film Festival, Waterville
The promise is 10 days, 100 films and 50 filmmakers at the Maine International Film Festival, where audiences have the opportunity to meet with directors, producers, writers and musicians. The festival honors members of the independent film industry whose contributions to cinema deserve recognition. There are screenings and panel discussions, as well as informal Q&A sessions. A highlight this year is a screening of Walt Disney’s Bambi, which is celebrating its 75^th year. Maine has a special connection to the film. In 1938, the Maine Department of Economic Development delivered two whitetail deer from Maine to the Disney studios, in response to a request for model photographs for the animation artists in the forthcoming movie.

Bread is Art: The 2017 Kneading Conference
On July 27 and 28 in Skowhegan, there will be a unique gathering of farmers, millers, bakers, maltsters and grain enthusiasts from all over the world for the two-day Kneading Conference. There will be hands-on intensive baking workshops, live demonstrations, lectures and panel discussions, including wood-fired oven building workshops and lectures on grain growing. The brewmasters from Allagash Brewing Company will offer a crash course in home brewing and another highlight is the Bread is Art Workshop. The Kneading Conference is followed by the Artisan Bread Fair on July 29 where demonstrations will range from scything to bread baking.