O troublesome roller derby of the past

Another doozy from the Daily Maine Fact site! This one was posted 12/31/08:

In 1900, a New Year's Eve ball at Portland City Hall was spoiled by a cloud of dust. The fine white dust, which hovered about a foot deep over the hardwood floor and stained the revelers' fine clothes, resulted from a polo game for roller skaters held earlier. The pumice sprinkled to keep the skaters from slipping had lingered in the floor cracks despite a heavy cleaning. (Source: "City Floor Unfit for Dancing," Portland Evening Express, Jan. 1, 1901. Portland: Evening Express Publishing Company)
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Picture shown is from a piece of 1907 sheet music [Source]. Rollerskating was very popular at the turn of century in New England. Communities all over Maine had their own skating rinks, everywhere from Peaks Island to Trenton. Portland had a number of skating rinks that we plan to research in depth and report on in a future posting.

Enormous Pumpkin Demands Motor

The Cumberland County Fair celebrates it's 136 year beginning this weekend. Along with the midway, food, animals, 4H, and rodeo, the competitions attract many a fair-goer.

Each year my interest is piqued by the battle for the largest pumpkin. The orange gourds are so enormous, they could swallow a child whole - if they were so inclined and carniverous.

But what to do with a gigantic pumpkin after the Fair, you ask? I'm not sure, but a few years ago some people in the Maine Pumpkin Growers Organization came up with an ingenius idea for one such massive pumpkin. Use it as a motor boat.

Never thought I'd see a pumpkin zooming by on the river, but now I guess anything is possible.


If you want to see more photos of this unbelievable boat, head over to the
Pumpkin Boat Sea Trials page at the MePGO web site. And go see the Jabba the Hutt sized pumpkins at the Cumberland County Fair. Hurrah!

Evacuation Route via Colon

Well, thanks to a most excellent gentleman, that being the Rev. Jack Zall, I have news of the odd for you. As he says, "Not quite a ghost or bigfoot, but plenty strange." Yes folks, a giant colon is paying Maine a visit, escorted by the finest in Down East humor. Through today it can be found at the Bangor Mall, then Saturday and Sunday it will be at South Portland's own Maine Mall. According to WCSH-6:

It's called the Colossal Colon and it's 40 feet long and four feet tall. You can crawl through it, or walk along the outside. The mega-model shows several examples of different diseases that affect the colon. Eastern Maine Medical Center and the Maine Center for Disease Control are putting on the display. Comedian Tim Sample is the honorary spokesperson. Sample and others are stressing the importance of getting regular screenings for people 50 and older.
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The Colossal Colon (affectionately known as CoCo), is not Sample's only current project. According to his website, "I’m also getting ready to perform (with the Augusta Symphony) a Maine humor version of Peter and the Wolf."

Click here to see photos and read Jack's brief post.