Maine’s 2024 August Update

August 5, 2024

The Nevada Opens

The Nevada, a 21-room motel, has opened on Long Sands Beach in York. A 70-year-old motel, its architecture was inspired by the WW II battleship, the USS Nevada. New owners Joe Lipton and Michelle Friar, who also own The Viewpoint nearby, retained the building’s distinctive Art Deco curves as they renovated the property, one of Maine’s first motels. Many of the rooms have private terraces and panoramic ocean views. The Nevada now boasts Lulu’s Tiki & Tacos restaurant, a 75-seat restaurant with decks for outdoor seating.  The property also hosts a new surf school and offers beach chair and umbrella rentals.

Maine Craft Weekend

The annual Maine Craft Weekend will run on October 5 and 6, 2024. This is an excellent opportunity to visit private artist studios, glass-blowing studios, outdoor installation sites, non-profit craft organizations, craft-based schools, craft beer breweries collaborating with artists, and pop-up shops. Featured cities this year are Belfast, Biddeford, Ellsworth, Freeport, and Norway. The organizers encourage participants to plan a route to include a pottery wheel lesson and a glass-blowing demonstration in the morning, swing by a brewpub for lunch, peruse a craft show in the afternoon, and stay in an artist-hosted Airbnb off the beaten path. Visit Maine Craft Weekend for more information.

Maine Restaurant News

Lucky Cheetah opens in early August in Portland. The 110-seat restaurant is owned by Wills Dowd and Jared Dinsmore, who also own Bird & Co. Expect a Cantonese dim sum-style menu, a lengthy champagne list, and Asian cocktails. Portland is a city that loves its cocktails, and Leisure Time Cocktail Company has just opened on Thompson’s Point, with a 50-seat bar and a menu featuring sausages and pierogis. Dennett’s at the Wharf in Castine, a beloved waterfront seafood restaurant, has reopened following the devastating winter storms that destroyed one of the restaurant’s buildings and the wharf. Well & Good Brewing has opened its doors in Yarmouth, serving Chuckaboo oatmeal stout, Dewdropper gose, and Saucebox Hazy IPA. The log cabin-style building also has a children’s area in its cozy interior. Rabelais Books, which sells vintage food and drink books online, has a summertime popup on Washington Street in Portland this year that will stay open until the end of September.

The Fryeburg Fair

Maine’s country fairs are a connection to the state’s agricultural traditions and lifestyles. The state’s most popular fair, which dates back to 1851, is The Fryeburg Fair, which will run from September 29- October 6. It’s a vast fair with classic events such as team-pulling, 4H awards, and the famous pig scramble. There’s a large arcade with vintage carnival rides, harness racing, sheep dog trials, and tractor pulls.

The Common Ground Country Fair

The Common Ground Country Fair, from September 20-22 in Unity, began during the back-to-the-land movement and is an annual celebration of rural living from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. The fair is focused on organic farming techniques and living, showcasing rural crafts. Visitors come for the draft horse show and sheep dog trials, spinning and carding wool demos, stonework, tree identification, and workshops on raising animals.

Damariscotta Pumpkin Fest & Regatta

Maine has many fall festivals, but none as zany as the Damariscotta Pumpkin Fest & Regatta. It returns from October 12-14 this year with a pumpkin weigh-off, a parade, a pumpkin dessert contest, and a pie-eating contest. The highlight is watching the pumpkin boat building. On Sunday, the pumpkin-themed watercraft are launched and raced in a costumed regatta on the Damariscotta River.