THURSDAY: A celebration of Rick Hautala

Please join the crowd at Southern Maine Community College later this week, when the campus will host an evening Celebration of Rick Hautala, closely following the one-year anniversary of his death in 2013.

WHEN: March 27, 2014 starting @ 7:00pm
WHAT: Friends, fans, students, and faculty will get together at the campus community center to read and reminisce about Rick, and discuss the many contributions he made to the community and to the horror genre.
WHERE: Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) -- The Campus Center is located at 2 Fort Rd, South Portland, ME 04106, and the event is being held in the Learning Commons, which is on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center.

More information about Rick and the event can be found online here:
http://portlandme.ourcityradio.com/uncategorized/celebration-rick-hautala

A PDF map of the SMCC campus is here:
http://www.smccme.edu/images/stories/campuses/south_portland/Campus_Map_Sout
h_Portland.pdf

Anyone who wishes to read the post I wrote on this blog following his death last March can do so here:
http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2013/03/rip-rick-hautala-lifetime-is-not-long.html

Rick at NECON 2006

EVENT: New horror with Joe Hill TONIGHT!

7:00 PM at the Borders in South Portland, ME, and another reading tomorrow, again at 7:00, at the Borders in Bangor. It's Maine's own son of horror!

As the man himself says, "Come on out, it’ll be just like seeing your favorite band in concert (if they didn’t bring their instruments, and didn’t actually play anything, and hid off stage while I read from my book)."

(photo from Joe Hill's site)

[Source]

A different type of chill

Photo of SMCC's Hillside dorm from PRI-ME.org website.

While the cold has settled into the state in earnest, I'd like to throw some spooky chills into the mix as well.

I was talking to a friend of mine who has worked in SMCC's resident inn, and finds it a pretty creepy place to work through late nights at. But online, I found references to SMCC Hillside dorm as a home for haunts, which was new to me. I can't vouch for any of this information, but would definitely be interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced any of the Hillside phenomena mentioned here:

Southern Maine Technical College, South Portland: A Funeral Home

The Hillside Dorm has a long and strange history. This specific branch is now housing for students but at certain points in its career it has been not only a funeral home, but a brothel, and a nursing home. All this history makes it difficult to predict exactly what is haunting the halls of this college. There is a man who wanders the floors of the attic. There is also repeats of a creature up there who moves to and fro. Many times maintenance has tried to catch it, but as of yet it has eluded all traps. Strange dusty footprints have been reported around the traps. There is also an older lady and a young boy who are said to torment some of the students by messing with their blankets and windows at night. There is also a young woman in a nightgown who walks up and down the staircase in the evening hours. The validity of this sighting is that not only has she been seen by individuals, but also groups.

[Source

In searching for a photo of the dorm online, I found that Paranormal Researchers and Investigators of Maine (PRI-ME) has done a training session for paranormal investigations at the site. You can read about their investigation here -- lots of photos too!

Ambassador for the bees

The folks over at keepMEcurrent.com have posted a great story about South Portland's only registered beekeeper on their site:

City's sole beekeeper gets to work
By Linda Hersey
Contributing Writer

SOUTH PORTLAND (May 6, 2009): South Portland resident Phil Gaven placed a mail order for honey bees in 2008 and set off to share with neighbors the exciting news that he planned to keep a backyard hive and harvest the sweet rewards.

But then a homeowner in Gaven's densely developed Willard Beach neighborhood raised concerns that her young son might be allergic to bees.

Gaven quickly put the word out to friends and associates that he needed to find a surrogate home for his brood – and fast. A colony of Russian bees and a queen would be arriving any day.

It turned out not to be a problem. Brett Bigbee, an avid gardener who lives nearby, soon volunteered his yard, though the two men had never met.

Bigbee, who grows vegetables and has a few fruit trees, wanted to reap the benefits of having pollinating bees without the responsibility of tending to them.

Just like that, Gaven was back in business as South Portland's first and only registered beekeeper.
[...]
Today Gaven is the only resident to register a backyard hive. He is required to meet numerous conditions on the setup of the hive and care of his bees. But it is worth the work, he said.

"I always thought that was an interesting and unusual pastime. A couple of years ago I read at length about the plight of honeybees and colony collapse disorder and decided I would like to be part of the solution," said Gaven, a first-time beekeeper.

Gaven, who refers to himself as the neighborhood bee ambassador, has had early success with his unusual pastime.

Last fall, he collected 29 pounds of goldenrod honey from his hive, although veteran beekeepers had cautioned to expect a much smaller harvest, if anything at all, when starting a new hive.
[...]
Ross Little, who lives near Gaven, describes his friend and neighbor as "a remarkable man." Little said he uses Gaven's honey in his tea.

"It's the best honey I ever tasted. Phil is a good friend, which makes it all the more special."

Little admits that he thought "Phil was over the top and nutty as a fruitcake" when he first proposed the idea of keeping a beehive.

"I thought it was a crazy idea. Here we are living in this densely packed neighborhood,” he said. “But Phil made it work."

Gaven said he is discovering new uses for his honey all the time, explaining that it has anti-bacterial properties. Some people say that honey works as well as Neosporin ointment for scrapes, he said.

Bigbee works in his garden just few feet away from Gaven’s hive. He pays the honey bees little notice. "I guess you would say we respect each other," he said smiling. "We give each other space."
[...]
Gaven notes that fellow hobbyists joke that beekeepers develop their pastime because of the bees and quit their hobby because of the honey. A healthy hive produces an abundance of excess honey.

"I probably have a little honey almost every day," he said.

Gaven said one of his most enjoyable roles is showing his hive to visitors. "I like when newcomers come by to visit the hive and we stand around, as Yeats put it, 'alone in the bee-loud glade.' ” The bees come and go and pay very little attention to us."

Read the full article here: [Source]

Bees are good friends to have. We need them! A big thank you to Gaven and all the other devoted beekeepers in Maine who are lending a helping hand to our bee brothers.

Those interested in learning more about beekeeping in Maine can visit the Maine State Beekeepers Association website at www.mainebeekeepers.org. Find out about attending a session of Bee School and more! Join the bee brigade! Bzzzz!

Photo (c)Michelle Souliere.

Failed robbery sequel

How did I miss this one? This runs along the theme of my usual comments on how lucky we are in Portland that a lot of our criminals are not the brightest bulbs in the bunch. It makes it awfully easy to find and catch them.

Attempt #1: Give me money! Reply: No.
Attempt #2: I will throw a plantpot at you. Reply: The window refuses to break. Attempt #2 follow-up: I will return at 11:00 and try again!
Attempt #3: Police arrest him en route to his rendezvous in his car. Three strikes...

Dispatches
From staff and news services
December 30, 2008

SOUTH PORTLAND

Police arrest man who tried to rob Dipietro's Market

Police say that after an unsuccessful robbery, Matthew Peverada threatened a South Portland store clerk that he would return at 11 p.m Saturday.

Police were waiting for him when he came back, arresting him on charges of robbery, criminal threatening and criminal mischief.

Peverada allegedly went to Dipietro's Market on Cottage Road on Saturday afternoon and brandished a knife, demanding money from the cash drawer. When he was denied, he left but vowed to return.

He came back at 4:30 p.m. and tried to throw a planter through the window, but it bounced back, police said. He then said he would return at 11 p.m.

Just before then, police patrolling the area stopped a car that Peverada was in and arrested him on charges of criminal threatening, criminal mischief and robbery.

Police say Peverada does not appear to have any connection to the store.

[Source]

Casting call: Make your dog a STAR!

Motion Media, the Maine entertainment company we know and love for bringing us the zombie flick "2" and the Bigfoot comedy "Monster in the Woods," is gearing up for its newest production, "The Adventures of Teeni the Wonder Dog." This family film tells the story of Christina, a young girl living with leukemia, and the little dog that enters her life and helps give her hope.

WHEN: Saturday, May 3rd, from 10:00am-1:00pm
WHERE: The Kennel Shop, Millcreek Shopping Center, 50 Market Street, South Portland
WHAT: Bring yourself and your dog for a canine casting call!
FMI: Contact Olin Smith at olinmmfv[at]gmail.com

Primary casting is done, with production to begin in May/June, but plenty of canine roles are still available. If you think your dog has what it takes to be a movie star, an open casting call will be held at The Kennel Shop at Millcreek Shopping Center in South Portland on May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some shooting for the film may be done that day.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see your dog up on the big screen," said producer Olin Smith, whose dog will play the title role in the film. "We need dogs and lots of them, so bring yours down and make them a star."

"TEENI" is based on a story by Producer Olin Smith ("Monster in the Woods," "Mud") and was written by Al Lamanda ("2," "Dunstan Falls"). It will be a family drama in the spirit of "Benji" and "Old Yeller." John Lane (Lobsteroids, 2) Executive Produces this touching drama.

Members of the press are welcome, but are asked to contact the Producers beforehand to receive a press pass.

Photo by Michelle Souliere (c) 2006.