REPORT: International Cryptozoology Conference 2018, Day 2

Hi everyone! This post will run down the second day of the weekend's worth of speakers, and my photos will give you a glimpse of the folks involved, if you weren't able to be there. Click on any of the photos below to see a larger version of it.

If you missed the post about the first day's speakers, you can find that here:
http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2018/09/report-international-cryptozoology.html

The 3rd Annual International Cryptozoology Conference was held on Sept. 1 & 2, 2018, here in Portland, Maine. Like the others before it, it was a great experience -- a chance to hear from experts on a variety of topics, and an opportunity to meet other people as interested in and as excited by the field of cryptozoology as I am.

Loren Coleman, founder of the International Cryptozoology Museum, and his crew put together a terrific lineup of speakers. I wanted to hear every presentation, which works out great since the conference runs as a single-track schedule, allowing attendees to go to all of the talks without missing any of them.

Day 2 started with a very welcome announcement from Loren Coleman that there would be another conference in 2019.
[NOTE: There is a GoFundMe in progress to raise funds to assist with that now, with access to VIP tickets etc, at https://www.gofundme.com/cryptozoology-conference-2019]

This exciting news was followed by Colin Schneider, giving his talk "Bloodsucking Beasties & Shadowy Stalkers: A Study in Cryptid Predators."

Colin is one of the youngest cryptozoologist working in the field today. He is the representative for the Centre for Fortean Zoology in his home state of Ohio. You can find his blog here: http://paranorm101.blogspot.com/

Colin walked us through a smorgasbord of intriguing historic accounts of cryptozoological predators. Culprits included the inevitable Chupacabra, and lesser known ones such as the Vampire Beast of Bladenboro NC, the Abominable Chicken Man of El Reno OK, The Monument City Monster of Indiana, the Phantom Gobbler of Canton Township MI, and a number of other cases as well.

Various theories for each were explored, and Colin alerted the audience of hoaxy oddballs such as photos of bloody handprints and appropriated photos from unrelated incidents, just a few of the problems facing researchers using online sources to find information about these bygone cases and others. Always fact-check your sources, in other words!

Most often, these cryptid predators exhibit patterns related to either feline or canine predators. During the audience Q&A session following, fellow speaker Dawn Prince-Hughes asked if it was known whether habitat loss would trigger surplus killing (a common side-effect of these mystery creatures). A good question to puzzle over.

Next on the docket was Andy McGrath, traveling far to give us his take on the Beasts of Britain!

Although the UK is a closed system, so to speak, as it is predominantly a large island, that does not seem to restrict its variety of cryptozoological cases. For most of the talk, Andy focused on the water monster sightings, including multiple recent (August 2018) Loch Ness photos that have had UK cryptozoology fans very excited, earning 2018 the nickname "Year of the Dragon."

One thing was clear -- for those who think all the UK lake monster photos are from the 60s and 70s (or earlier), they are missing out on all the current ones! For examples you can look up Bownessie, the Dragon of the North, the River Aeron Monster, and the Plymouth Crocodile, among others.

From lake monsters Andy moved on to hairy ape men, again exhibiting a wide array of timeframes for historic traces and new evidence, from designs in heraldry and the Wodewose roof boss in Selby Abbey, N. Yorkshire, all the way up to the Box Hill Ape (2012) and Sussex Ape Man (2015). It should come as no surprise that UK Bigfoot cases are very controversial, and Andy pointed out that what some Bigfoot hunters may take as treesigns in the countryside could well be signals left by the existing gypsy communities traveling through out-of-the-way areas.

Another point of discussion was the spate of Dogmen sightings, which Andy postulated may just be a way of re-branding the werewolf tradition to make it seem less embarrassing, more modern and believable. All in all, a lot was packed in to his talk! You can find him online at http://beastsofbritain.blogspot.com/ or on Facebook.

Next up was Aleksandar Petakov, who gave a terrific account of his latest work, filming the documentary Champ, about the legendary monster of Lake Champlain, as presented by Small Town Monsters. Katy Elizabeth, founder of Champ Search, stepped in and added her own viewpoint about investigating this particular lake monster.

He spoke about the principles that motivate his filmwork, and how important it is to go to the site of the events being documented, and the vitalness of allowing eyewitnesses to speak for themselves. He is a firm believer that you should not try to influence their telling of their account; it should not be scripted. You will find his website at petakovmedia.com, and Small Town Monsters at https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/

Next was my talk about Bigfoot in Maine. I almost skipped myself here, because I didn't have any notes about the talk, being in the process of giving it at the time. Ha!

This talk was the first time I had attempted to summarize everything I've learned from talking to eyewitnesses about their encounters with inexplicable hairy hominids in the state of Maine, from York County all the way up to Aroostook County. I talked about the environment and biology of large mammals in Maine -- what makes anyone think they might be here, and how they could survive. In short, the potential is clear for anyone who has studied Maine's known large mammal species, such as the black bear.

I followed this with examples of incidents from my files, to give the audience a feel for what these Mainers have encountered in the wild and in their back yards. Lastly, I summed up what we know from these accounts -- appearance, eating habits, where encounters have occurred, behavior, etc. All of this will be in my book, which I'm finishing up in 2018. I hope to have it in the publisher's hands by the beginning of 2019. Stay tuned! If you want to stay up to date with my Strange Maine work, you can also follow my site on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strangemainebook

Last but certainly not least, the final speaker of the conference was Dr. Jeff Meldrum, a name well-known to anyone with a serious interest in the field of primate cryptozoology. Dr. Meldrum spoke about the Patterson-Gimlin footage, and why he believes it remains the most compelling photographic evidence to date, attesting to the physicality of a biological entity, and providing a baseline from which to establish a scientific context.

He spoke about the shifts that have occurred in views of evolution and anthropology, and how the old paradigm of the field caused preconceptions, which in turn conditioned the collection of evidence for decades. Newer paradigms are slowly coming into place, causing the reexamination of available information. The taxonomy in the field is rapidly changing and readjusting to discoveries initiated by these reevaluations.

Dr. Meldrum also demonstrated his theories of possible hominid foot anatomy, as footprint casts and footprint fossils are among the few forms of evidence being brought forward for examination. Another anatomical aspect he discussed was the deep jaws and flat face (also visible in the Patterson-Gimlin footage), which he postulated to hold massive molars, smaller incisors and cuspids. As he explained, their teeth are their primary tools/utensils. Such a large jaw, with its accompanying massive musculature and the cheekbones housing it, would necessarily obscure the visibility of neck vertebrae, creating the famous "no neck" look ascribed to mystery hominids.

All in all it was a fascinating talk, which gave the audience much to think upon.

The weekend was terrific! I met a lot of interesting folks, both fellow speakers and conference attendees, and also caught up with many friends I hadn't seen in ages.

After all was said and done, I still had time to go over and check out the latest additions of the International Cryptozoology Museum, just across from the conference location. I also got to catch up with my old friend and neighbor, the Crookston Bigfoot.

I hope this has given those of you unable to attend the conference a glimpse at what went on. Maybe we'll see you there next year!

REPORT: International Cryptozoology Conference 2018, Day 1

Hi everyone! The 3rd Annual International Cryptozoology Conference was held on Sept. 1 & 2, 2018, here in Portland, Maine. Like the others before it, it was a great experience -- a chance to hear from experts on a variety of topics, and an opportunity to meet other people as interested in and as excited by the field of cryptozoology as I am.

Loren Coleman, founder of the International Cryptozoology Museum, and his crew put together a terrific lineup of speakers. I wanted to hear every presentation, which works out great since the conference runs as a single-track schedule, allowing attendees to go to all of the talks without missing any of them.

This post will run down the first day of the weekend's worth of speakers, and my photos will give you a glimpse of the folks involved, if you weren't able to be there.  Click on any of the photos below to see a larger version of it.

Loren kicked off the conference by announcing this year's Cryptozoologist of the Year, reminding everyone that cryptozoology is an active field pursuit for scientists around the globe.

Cryptozoologist of the Year, Dr. Anna Nekaris - BBC photo

This year's honored cryptozoologist is Dr. Anna Nekaris. A professor in Anthropology and Primate Conservation studying the unique group of evolutionarily distinct primates known as the Asian lorises, her work encompasses all eleven loris species, including six she named or elevated from subspecies. Anna is the Course Tutor for the highly acclaimed MSc Primate Conservation at the Oxford Brookes University, Director of the Little Fireface Project and Convenor of the Nocturnal Primate Research Group. The Little Fireface Project (http://www.nocturama.org/en/welcome-little-fireface-project/) performs outreach and education to raise public awareness of the plight of lorises.

A short film about her work, "The Jungle Gremlins of Java," aired on the BBC recently:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bcp7z

Maybe in some future year, the CzCon can get permission to screen this film at the conference!

First on the speakers schedule was the team-up of Vermonsters Joe Citro and Stephen Bissette, author and artist respectively of The Vermont Monster Guide and many other works.

Author Joseph Citro

Joe Citro started us off, discussing among other things his own sighting of a big cat in Vermont in the 1990s. He described the process eyewitnesses go through when they encounter a strange animal: how each of us has a mental index of animals known to us, and in the moments following the encounter, how we "flip through" all the index cards in search of a correlating species, sometimes coming up empty-handed.

He also discussed his decades of work researching local legends and rumors, and how some of them do turn out to be wild goose chases, while others turn out to be even stranger than expected. In short order we were brought up to date on all sorts of anomalous sightings, including human-faced bats, man-swallowing stones, giant buried bullfrogs, Old Slipperyskin, and the giant birds of Butternut Hill.

Anyone interested in a good read should check out Citro's books, especially my favorite, Passing Strange: True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors.

Artist Stephen Bissette - Art on the right is his, for Champ DVD

Steve Bissette tag-teamed, following Citro with his own take on Vermont's monsters of legend. He emphasized the relevance of input from people who are great observers as amateur naturalists, and discussed his own process as an artist illustrating cryptids. He reminded the audience of the important concept that no cryptid exists in a void -- they fit into an ecosystem; they have neighbors; they move through and take part in the local environment.

Fans of Bissette will be pleased to note that he is working on the second volume of his Cryptid Cinema book series, which will focus on The Legend of Boggy Creek (if I heard correctly)!

Next on the roster was a preview of clips from the upcoming film The Cryptozoologist (2019), and a screening of Swan Song of the Skunk Ape (2015).

Following this was Hayley Eldridge's presentation "La Bête du Gévaudan."

image from Bibliothèque nationale de France, via Wikimedia Commons

This case remains sensational even centuries after its record (1764-1767), and still excites speculation and research. Hayley gave a detailed and engaging survey of what we know about the historic record and what might be guessed about the beast from these traces, including her favorite theory, that the creature was a hybrid wolf and Dogue de Bordeaux, a theory that allows for multiple beasts from any given litter, a possible source of the many attacks in different locations.

The talk that followed next featured a person I had never heard of, but she made a profound impact on me, even in such a small amount of time. Dawn Prince-Hughes is a primatologist, and author of Songs of the Gorilla Nation, among other books. Her discussion of gorilla ways was eye-opening and encouraging. Following in the footsteps of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, she focuses more on the natural behavior of gorillas and less on how we want them to behave. When she works with them, she prefers to match her gestures and communication to their own innate methods as a means of creating rapport.

While her breakthrough work focuses on gorilla ethnography, she has also explored other sideroads in her own research, including observations on some very interesting relationships between habitual snow monkey movement patterns and the roots of Muay Thai martial art techniques, and more.

Please consider picking up a copy of her book, Songs of the Gorilla Nation, if you would like to learn more about her work! I'm reading it right now, and it is fascinating.

Todd Disotell was the star speaker brought in to wrap up a great first day of the conference. His presentation was titled "DNA and Cryptozoology, or How I Survived 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty." While he is best known for his work processing DNA on that show, which aired on Spike-TV in 2014, in the real world, Dr. Disotell has been busy training the new generation of DNA specialists while teaching at NYU (http://as.nyu.edu/faculty/todd-disotell.html).

His graduates are active in the field, and have identified new subspecies of gorillas and chimpanzees, and at least 3 new species of monkeys, including the elusive Lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (more info: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0044271)

His talk focused on the potential for researchers to utilize the recent advances in DNA technology to accomplish species surveys. Using environmental DNA drawn from topsoil, local bodies of water, etc, labs can now determine what species are in a given area, and how long ago they were there in the case of past or transient populations. This is huge news!

We leave traces of our DNA everywhere we go, and so does every other species on earth. This new methodology, environmental DNA metabarcoding, is transforming how we survey animal and plant communities. With this and other tools, Disotell urges us: "Those of us in the cryptozoology field need to do way better than we have done up to now." Up until now, he states, he has seen zero data to convince him of the existence of legendary cryptids, but he is hopeful that access to new DNA technology will advance efforts, especially as the cost has plummeted now.

In other words -- work hard, learn well, and use new tools -- and always keep in mind that DNA is the keystone of species identification.

Also, it's always fun to be wearing the best pair of sneakers at the conference. 😉

UP NEXT: Day Two of CzCon 2018! Stay tuned...!

EVENT: International Cryptozoology Conference 2018!

A note for those of you interested in cryptozoology in general, and Maine Bigfoot -- I will be joining the star-studded line-up of speakers at the International Cryptozoology Museum Conference for its 3rd annual event here in Portland, Maine, at the beginning of September! Last year tickets sold out in advance, so if you really do want to attend, please be aware that it is better to buy your tickets sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.  😉

I'm really excited to talk about my research on Maine Bigfoot, and to hear the other speakers, including Jeff Meldrum, Todd Disotell, Paul LeBlond, and of course Loren Coleman himself! It's also a great opportunity to visit the International Cryptozoology Museum (practically right next door to the conference), never mind being able to stock up on the latest cryptozoology books and films, plus pick up some fantastic artwork, all available right from the source in the vendors room!

I'm including a few pics below from last year's conference, featuring artist Stephen Bissette speaking on Vermont's Pigman and other creatures, Bruce Champagne's discussions of sea serpent types, Robert Schneck's revealing illumination of the dark corners of the historic Ape Canyon episode, Linda Godfrey's research on dogmen/wolfmen (including the Palmyra, ME, encounters), and one of many amazing creations from Kim Parkhurst at Toadbriar.com found in the vendor room.

FMI: http://www.cryptozoonews.com/icc2018-x/

EVENT: Sea Serpents AHOY!!!

Do you love SEA MONSTERS? Then head over to the Masonic Civil War Library at 415 Congress Street here in Portland for a talk by local historian Herb Adams about the "Summer of Sea Serpents"! It's the 100-year anniversary of this epic rash of Maine and New England sea serpent sightings -- time to CELEBRATE!!!

This event is hosted by the folks at the Maine Masonic Civil War Library and Museum.

WHEN? Saturday April 12, 2018 at 12:00 noon
WHERE? 415 Congress Street, Portland, Maine
FMI: call (207)294-1152 or email mmcwlm@gmail.com
portlandmasonic.com/library.html

Call for info: Portland's haunted mansion... or castle?

Hi folks! I have a question that may be too far back for most of you, but just in case someone once upon a time told you a story about it, I figured it was worth asking. Does anyone have any stories/recollections of hearing about a so-called "haunted house" or castle on Munjoy Hill?

It's a crazy Gothic home that was just up the hill from the Observatory.  It was torn down in 1914, but I keep finding vague references to it being haunted (this may purely be because it LOOKED haunted). I know recollections about it were still lurking around as late as the 1940s/50s.

Any thoughts or loose bits of story rattling around would be appreciated, as so far I have very little to go on so far! Thanks guys!!!  ...also of course any other haunted house stories from Portland are always welcome!

Here's what the crazy thing looked like (in other words, no wonder it had a reputation for being haunted):

Magical History Tour 2017 pics!

Every year for the last three years, the Maine Historical Society (mainehistory.org) has held a one-day event on a weekend in May when they give lucky ticket-holders a chance to tour through areas of approximately ten different historic sites that are normally off-limits to the general public.

I've managed to go every year since they started, come hell or high water, and it's been great.  Here are a bunch of photos from this year's tour on my Flickr page! I think I managed to get almost all of them labelled, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/darkbrilliance/albums/72157682286448194

Here are a few samples:

 We paid a return visit to the clock tower on top of City Hall, voted in as the favorite from 2016.

 We saw the lingering glory of a bygone era hanging in the now-empty WMTW-8 space at the Time & Temp Building.

 We tiptoed up into the organ loft at the Sacred Heart Church.

Early Gravestones! Upcoming talk & READ THIS BOOK!

What: Early Gravestones of Southern Maine Talk!
When: Thursday, August 18, 2016 @ 7:00pm
Where: Maine Charitable Mechanic Association, 519 Congress Street, Portland, Maine
Cost: Free and open to the public
FMI: email MCMA1857@gmail.com or call (207)773-8396

Meet Portland author, Ron Romano, and hear him discuss and read from his new book! Ron is a MCMA member and Spirits Alive Board member. He will discuss, sign, and read from his new book as well as present slides highlighting the incredible skill of Portland’s first gravestone cutter, Bartlett Adams. Light refreshments will be served.

This event is sponsored by Maine Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA), The History Press & Spirits Alive.
http://www.mainecharitablemechanicassociation.com/
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/
http://www.spiritsalive.org/

For those of you who don't yet have this book in your gravestone-loving hands, let me tell you -- you do NOT want to miss it. Ron Romano has outdone himself. After following Bartlett's career, and giving tour after tour in Portland's Eastern Cemetery highlighting his stonework, Romano was encouraged to write his account of Bartlett's life and craft. Luckily for us, he really did it!

It is a fascinating story from start to finish, and interwoven as it is with Romano's account of his search for the tale, it had me wanting to go out and search out Bartlett's signature in Maine's graveyards myself ASAP.

This is the gauge of quality of Romano's work -- he explains the finer points of gravestone studies in a way that makes you want to join in the gathering, and at the same time paints a picture of Bartlett's own life and times that brings them to life in your mind's eye.

This is a rare thing in a history book. I recommend you buy it and experience this for yourself.

EVENT: Victoria Mansion Christmas Madness

Reception room - photo by M.Souliere (c)2015

It was with great fanfare that the Victoria Mansion unveiled their ever-changing annual Christmas extravaganza. This year the theme is simply a Victorian Christmas, but the results are very pleasing.

The main stairway and the parlor are the areas of the mansion that in past years have been the most effusively decorated, and this year is no exception. The crowning glory of this holiday affair extends its light down from the central skylight, and will surprise and delight visitors.

The other rooms (of which there are many) will likewise enchant visitors. Some chambers are dramatically lit, others quietly cozy to suit a more intimate family environment.

For those wishing to indulge themselves in this Yuletide wonderland, Christmas at Victoria Mansion will be open daily from November 27th to January 3rd (except on Christmas Day and New Year's Day).

The Mansion opens at 11:00 am with last admission at 4:30 pm. Special evening hours are offered on Mondays, with last admission at 6:30 pm.

Main stairway - photo by M.Souliere (c)2015

Admission is $15.00 for the general public, $13.50 for seniors and AAA members, $7.00 for college students (with ID), $5.00 for children age 6-17, and free for children under 6. Victoria Mansion members are always free.

For full details, please visit http://www.victoriamansion.org/events_rentals/default.aspx

In addition, this year the Mansion is pleased to offer the following menu of delectable holiday events:

Saturdays, 10:00am, throughout the season - Stories on the Staircase
Every Saturday during the Christmas season at Victoria Mansion children ages 3-5 are invited to join us for a free story hour and a tour tailored just for them.

Wednesday, December 2, 6:00pm - Annual Christmas Gala
Enjoy complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres amid the glittering decorations enhancing the Mansion's interiors. Speak with this year's designers and be inspired for your own holiday decor.

Friday, December 4, 5:00pm - First Friday Special
For one night only, Friday, December 4, 2015 Victoria Mansion will be open for $5 from 5:00-8:00 (last admission 7:30). Reservations are not needed, just come to the front door. A free gallery exhibit highlighting art and crafts created by Victoria Mansion volunteers and staff will be open upstairs over the Carriage House Museum Shop adjacent to the Mansion.

Sunday, December 6, 5:30/6:00/6:30/7:00pm - Night of the Nutcracker
Victoria Mansion and Portland Ballet present an event filled with holiday wonder. Children are invited to bring their parents to see the Mansion, decorated for the Christmas season, and meet dancers dressed for Portland Ballet's Victorian Nutcracker. There will be music, dance performances, and every child leaves with a special treat.

The Mansion by moonlight - photo by M.Souliere (c)2015

Portland railyard ghosts?

Back in 2007, I came across a query about a Portland railyard ghost in a now-defunct online discussion board, and posted about it here on the blog:

Portland Trainyard Ghost Rumor

"Has anyone heard anything about the old railroad round house on Presumpscot Street in Portland? Someone told me the other day that it was supposed to be haunted by an engineer that got crushed working on a train. Worked in that building for almost 4 years all hours of day and night and on weekends. Never heard anything except pipes clanging. [...] of course, it can't be checked now because it's the DMV office for Portland. Why do we find these things too late?"

I have yet to nail down the various defunct railyard locations in Portland, but I did just come across an old newspaper article from 1894 that had an interesting railyard "spook" placed at the Boston & Maine railyard here in town:

The ghost of the shanty who has been haunting brakemen and switchmen in the Boston & Maine yard at Portland has been laid-out. Lights have been flashed before the windows, unaccountable rappings, tappings, and all sorts of other uncanny sounds have been heard, much to the disquiet of the railroad men. The other night they resolved to lie in wait to corral if possible one of the visitors from Hades, and one turned up on schedule time -- and was seen to approach the window of the shanty carrying a lighted torch. The unterrified ghost hunters immediately charged upon the spectre. The spectre made a bold sprint but stubbed his toe and was captured. He was flesh and blood and was a real Irish "spook" by the name of Paddy.

Pranking it up in the 1890s! I wonder why he went to all that effort, all those nights in a row...?

Anomalous birds & pinging pigeons in Portland

I found this odd little pair of articles in the Lewiston Evening Journal way back in a September 1926 issue.

I'm always curious about mentions of anomalous bird sightings, and sightings of albino animals in Maine. The pigeon article was a bonus, if only for the tongue-in-cheek joke about the potential need for Portlanders to develop their (hitherto unknown) blowpipe skills.

Pulp Fiction on Monument Square

Last month, Abraham Schechter of the Portland Public Library's Portland Room pointed this photo out to me. The other night I finally had a chance to do some digging and find out what it was.

Pictured here is Russell Mack, proprietor of Russell's Cigars, a variety shop run at 15 Monument Square. [Those Portlanders among you will know the building as the current location of a few businesses including Others! Fair Trade Coffee House.] Both Abraham and I were enthralled by the array of old pulp books and magazines shown on Mr. Mack's shelves.

In digging for the article that this photo used to be attached to, I had good luck. In fact, the story is more than just a "Hey, look at this local business owner working with his customary stock." No, instead the story was "Here is Russell Mack dutifully packing up books and magazines that Portland city officials are banning due to their salacious content!" Those pulp paperbacks he's holding are by Erskine Caldwell, the famous author who owned a bookstore in Portland in the late 1920s, in Longfellow Square at 668 Congress Street (see below).

The Portland Press Herald article, published in the August 21, 1948 issue on page 14, details the ban on Caldwell's novels that occurred in Portland... it was in effect for a mere 5 hours on August 20th, before the "misunderstanding" was corrected.

After receipt of the complainant's letter, a city inspector was sent out on the town to see what was what. He returned bearing 6 so-called "art magazines" and 3 of Caldwell's books. The ban was intended to target the magazines only, but in a miscommunication, the Caldwell books got lumped into the mix. The entire brouhaha was started by a letter to City Hall from a Portland citizen who was concerned about the "salacious magazines" and literature being made available to local students in the bookshops of the area. Perhaps some of the other visible titles below Mr. Mack's bent knee are those in question? With titles like "Confessions of a Good Time Girl," "Party Wife," "Pleasure After Hours," "Excess Wife," and "Confessions of a Shakedown Dame," it is hard to imagine these publications wouldn't raise an eyebrow or two. On the other hand, they probably weren't talking about the nearby magazine with the banner headline, "FOOT DOCTOR TO THE STARS!"

Misinformed, the Portland Police Department's detective squad was sent out to warn booksellers off the banned titles, including the 3 Caldwell books, only to have to rescind the ban as it pertained to the Caldwell titles 5 hours later. The City government announced belatedly that it had "no opinion" when it came to differentiating between the varying degrees of worth in adult literature, even though earlier in the day it had officially typified Caldwell's books as "distasteful literature." The "art magazines," however, remained under ban due to their manifest tendency "to corrupt the morals of youth."

Five local booksellers were interviewed as to their opinions on the ban. Most agreed it was "a silly thing to do," as one female bookseller (unnamed) neatly summed it up. Booksellers are notorious as being the bastions of freedom of literary expression, and it seems this has been a trend for a long time.

For those of you wondering about where Erskine Caldwell's Longfellow Bookshop was, here is a comparative shot of 668 Congress St. in 1925 (before Caldwell opened his shop) compared with how it looks today. True to form, this location is right across the street from my own used bookshop, the Green Hand Bookshop, at 661 Congress Street. Longfellow Square cannot help but attract booksellers, no matter what century it is.

Upcoming New England graveyard lectures!

Spirits Alive has just announced three upcoming Saturday afternoon lectures. The talks will explore aspects of Colonial New England burial grounds: customs and symbolism in stones, stone cutter Bartlett Adams, and the status of Portland's small burial grounds.

Stone for Andrew Mackie's Family Tomb, Eastern Cemetery, Portland

WHEN: Saturdays (monthly as listed below), 1:30 - 3:00pm
WHERE: University of Southern Maine, Abromson Center, Wishcamper Building - Room 102, 34 Bedford Street, Portland Maine
COST: Suggested donation: $5.00 per person

Series dates:

January 25: “The Art, History, and Symbolism of Early New England Gravestones”
Presented by the Gravestone Girls - Melissa Anderson, Maggie White, and Brenda Sullivan

February 22: “Bartlett Adams: Portland’s First Stone Cutter”
Exploring the life, times, and works of the shop of Bartlett Adams, who maintained his shop in Portland, Maine from 1800 to 1828. Lecturer: Ron Romano, member of Spirits Alive Board and Summer Tour Docent

March 29: “The Status and Future of Portland's Forgotten Cemeteries”
A panel of cemetery representatives will discuss several historic small burial grounds in the area and what is takes to restore them to our cultural landscape.

One last Halloween 2013 event!

Fans of Maine supernatural lore know that there are a few classic Maine ghost story books that are staples in any Mainer's library. One of those is the perennial Maine Ghosts and Legends by Thomas Verde. Well guess what? The author is re-releasing the book in time for Halloween, and is making an appearance here in Portland at Longfellow Books, TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans of the original book may want to pick a new copy up -- my old edition has 126 pages, while the new 2nd edition counts in at 160 pages, and the prior edition had 26 stories, while this one features a total of 30 tales! This means there is some new material in this edition, and maybe even some updates to the old stories (pure optimistic speculation!!!).

WHAT: Maine Ghosts & Legends by Thomas Verde
WHEN: Wednesday, October 30th @ 7:00pm
WHERE: Longfellow Books, One Monument Way, Portland, ME
COST: Free and open to the public
FMI: (207)772-4045 http://longfellow.indiebound.com/event/thomas-verde-maine-ghosts-legends-longfellow-books

Maine has a rich supernatural history and ghost stories from the state are as varied as they are prolific. Freelance writer and reporter Tom Verde first became interested in such eerie occurrences while researching first-hand encounters with ghosts for a series of public radio programs.

•The dagger-wielding shade who terrorized a Portland couple
•The murdered Indian who revisited Means’s Tavern
•Famed diva Lillian Nordica, whose voice still echoes through the Farmington auditorium named in her honor
•The hostile spirit who tried to frighten the tenants out of an Orrington house
•Even an entire phantom ship, bound eternally for Freeport

These are not fictitious creations of literary imagination. People from all walks of life—including many who were positive they would never believe in ghosts—attest to these encounters.

Join us for a spooky pre-Halloween evening reading of Maine ghost stories with author Thomas Verde! As always, Longfellow Books events are free and open to the public.

--------------

If you are wondering which three classic Maine ghost books I'm speaking of, they are:

Ghosts on the Coast of Maine by Carol Olivieri Schulte
The Supernatural Side of Maine by C.J. Stevens
and of course Verde's Maine Ghosts and Legends: 26 Encounters with the Supernatural!

There are other books written more recently, but these 3 are the triumvirate I have had on hand for years and years. [NOTE: Quite frankly, I especially do not recommend Stansfield's Haunted Maine, unless you want to read a book by someone from away who embellished and misappropriated existing stories, some of which are not based in Maine at all, although he says they were. Take your chances with him as you wish, purely for entertainment value, but know that he wrote many of the tales with liberal misdirection.]

BREAKING NEWS: State Theater building wall collapse

[NOTE: Please check major news outlets for other post-noon updates!]

Just before noon today I was on my way to open the Green Hand Bookshop, and a friend ran by, telling me that the High Street side of the State Theater building was collapsing. On arriving at the corner of High and Congress Streets, it looked better than I had imagined. You can click on the photos to see more detail.

You can see the collapse is very centralized. A source with a studio on the Congress Street side of the building was in her studio this morning, and when she noticed the fire engines and cordoned off street, tried to leave via the High Street exit and was told by officials that she had to leave the building from the Congress Street exit because the High Street exit was "unsafe."

She also reported hearsay from other building tenants that there had been a small explosion that morning (a jeweler's torch tank? it seemed possible on first consideration with all the artist studios in there), which would explain how centralized the incident was. However, another friend did point out that none of the windows are broken, which would belie that explanation.  Another person has stated since that the loud "CRACK!" could have simply been the facade forcibly separating from the structure.  Architect Tom Hitchins had this to say, after looking at the photos:

"Basically what you have there is a brick veneer coming loose from the structural wall, which seems to be intact. The fact that the windows aren't broken is another good sign. Brick veneers are often secured to the structural wall with metal brick ties, leaving an air space between brick and wall for moisture control (brick and mortar are porous). Sometimes, as the building ages, particularly if there isn't adequate drainage between the veneer and the wall, moisture can build up and corrode the brick ties which causes them to fail, leading to situations like this. It's a bit messy, and may require the brick skin to be redone but structurally the building is probably sound."

Since then another person has weighed in (see comment below) with information that a few years ago all the jewelers in the building's studios were told they could no longer have tanks on the premises.

The most recent word is that they have workmen up there with crowbars levering bricks out one by one.

Any more demolition engineers out there want to weigh in? [NOTE: The above paragraphs updated as info comes in.]

You can see it is primarily the facade layer of bricks that was affected, which hopefully means good things for the building's infrastructure, which was my first worry (I'm sure I wasn't alone in that!). Here in Portland we have watched the new owners slave over improving that building through the last few years, and none of us wants them to fail. The State Theater building is a huge cornerstone of the Arts District.

A small crowd had gathered in Congress Square Plaza to observe the state of the building, as well as higher-ups from the Portland Police and Fire Departments, and a smattering of news video cameras.
 
 
All this madness, of course, is piled on top of the already busy day. This Sunday in June is when the Old Port Festival is held, which adds tens of thousands of visitors to the already busy city traffic. In fact, on arriving intown this morning, I assumed the fire truck blocking High Street was part of an Old Port Festival related traffic arrangement. Many others probably did the same.

Another source reported hearsay that there were small chunks of masonry falling onto the sidewalk, which prompted a call from a watchful citizen who happened to be passing by. They looked up and noticed the bulge in the wall and called the city immediately. Thanks, whoever you are! In this photo you can see the remains of the detritus:


More photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151727038621115.1073741827.760946114&type=3&uploaded=13

The State Theater's website is here: http://www.statetheatreportland.com/

Event: Cryptotrip film New England premier

NOTE: EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED DUE TO FOUL DRIVING WEATHER 2/24/13!!!
Date below has been updated to reflect change.
 
WHAT: Cryptotrip's New England premier
WHEN: Sunday, March 10th. Doors open at 3:30 for museum admission, followed by the screening. The event ends at 6:30pm.
WHERE: International Cryptozoology Museum (ICM), 11 Avon Street, Portland, Maine
FMI: http://www.cryptotrip.com/ or http://cryptozoologymuseum.com/

Join Loren Coleman and the the director Christopher Maloney for the first New England showing of Cryptotrip, a documentary film about the state of cryptozoology in the U.S. at a grass-roots level.

As director Christopher Maloney notes:
“Thousands of unexplained creature sightings are reported in the United States each year. What are people seeing? How does it impact them? What does this say about us as a nation? These questions are explored in a cross-country trek through America’s highways and byways, a journey that explores the phenomena and popularity of cryptozoology in the United States.”

The ICM will hold the screening on Sunday February 24th March 10th, 2013 with museum entry permitted at 3:30.

Admission for the film is $10.00 per person, regardless of age, and includes:

(1) Museum admission;

(2) Showing of Cryptotrip in a casual but unique cryptozoology setting;

(3) Q&A session with Christopher Maloney, writer and director for Cryptotrip;

(4) Your contribution to the educational and scientific mission of the ICM;

(5) Film refreshments for a small donation will be available;

(6) A chance to be one of the first to see this amazing cryptozoological journey!

The Facebook event page can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/470855479628739/

View trailer here:
http://youtu.be/EpR0jcxjoNQ

Lovecraft's influence on Maine artists

Photographer Eric Pomorski surveys his fellow artists' work.

It will come as no surprise to readers that once again I and other Portland, Maine, artists (as well as a few guests from away) have fallen under the spell of Lovecraft. The result is an epic artshow, Lovecraft: A Darker Key, which is showing at Sanctuary's gallery here in Portland from Feb 1, 2013, to May 1st, 2013 (or, Candelmas to Beltane).

The show, curated by Carrie Vinette, Michelle Souliere, and Brandon Kawashima, features the works of: Eric Anderson, Tom Brown, Clayton Cameron, Brandon Kawashima, Max Leon, Marco, Christian Matzke, Corey Paradise, Eric Pomorski, Michelle Souliere, Dave Stelmok, Jason Thompson, and Carrie Vinette.

WHAT: Lovecraft: A Darker Key artshow
WHERE: Sanctuary, 31 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine
WHEN: Feb 1 - May 1, 2013; viewing hours 11:00-7:00 Tues-Sat
FMI: Contact Carrie at Sanctuary: (207)828-8866 http://www.sanctuarytattoo.com/

The artists involved range from illustrators to sculptors to photographers to painters, each showing his or her own interpretation of the elements of Lovecraft's stories. To quote Nicholas Schroeder of the Portland Phoenix, "Viewers, particularly those who haven't read Lovecraft, might look at 'A Darker Key'... as a richly involved visual glossary of profoundly alien terms."

Participants include such horror luminaries as Eric Anderson of the Shoggoth Assembly (who recently worked on effects for the local projects Ragged Isle and Hanover House), Mortimer Glum (currently working on art for Escape from Jesus Island), Jason Thompson (artist of the recently published Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath), Tom Brown (artist of the recently published Hopeless, Maine), and Christian Matzke (director of Nyarlothotep and An Imperfect Solution: A Tale Of The Re-Animator).

The classic weird fiction writing of author H.P. Lovecraft forms the dark heart of this delectable array of eldritch art. Each artist was inspired by the dreamlike vistas created by Lovecraft's pen in the brief window between the years of 1917 and 1935. The world of his fiction was one of contrast between cosmic horror and eerie beauty. The title of this show references one of the stories in his Dream Cycle, "The Silver Key." Appropriately, this art show bookends the anniversary of his early death, March 15 (1937).

Come, and peer through the eyes of artists at the vision of a master writer!

Those curious about the show will find an assortment of photos from the opening night here on my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkbrilliance/sets/72157632712016012/with/8454099856/

Read more:
Blending Lovecraft and Modern Art, by Nicholas Schroeder, Portland Phoenix 02/07/13

“Lovecraft: A Darker Key” opens tonight at Sanctuary Tattoo [A discussion with Michelle Souliere], by Alex Steed, Bangor Daily News 2/1/2013

Explore the artists' websites:
-- Eric Anderson of the Shoggoth Assembly special effects group:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Shoggoth-Assembly/108860862470296?ref=ts

-- Tom Brown, artist of Hopeless, Maine (Archaia, 2012)
http://www.hopelessmaine.com/

-- Max Leon, illustrator and fine artist
http://maxleonart.blogspot.com/2012/06/fine-art.html

-- Christian Matzke of Page Street Studios and Crawling Chaos
Portland Art Exhibit Imagines Counterattack on Mars, Bangor Daily News 9/2/2011
http://www.flickr.com/photos/retrogarde/sets/72157608827234238/

-- Eric Pomorski, photographer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epomorski/

--Michelle Souliere, author and illustrator of Strange Maine: True Tales from the Pine Tree State
http://local-artists.org/users/michelle-y-souliere

-- Jason Thompson, artist of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
http://mockman.com/about/

-- Carrie Vinette of Sanctuary Tattoo
http://www.sanctuarytattoo.com/carrie.htm