Cold ghosts of Bethel

The Boston Globe did a neat article about Bethel's haunted history on Halloween.

Maine town appears quieter than its ‘spirits’
By William A. Davis, Globe Correspondent
October 31, 2010

BETHEL, Maine — Centuries ago it was widely believed that Halloween, the evening before the Feast of All Saints, was the one time in the year when spirits of the dead freely roamed the earth. There are still people who believe in ghosts and some who think there are places where numbers of these restless spirits are present all the time.

One such reputed haunt haven is Bethel, an old resort town of some 2,400 year-round residents on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. “I think we have a dozen ghosts here, maybe more," says Stanley Howe, research director of the Bethel Historical Society.
[...]
At The Oaks, now part of the Bethel Inn but built in the 1890s and once used as a clinic dormitory, there have been sightings of a mysterious woman in black along with sounds of high heels where no one could be seen.
[...]
The Chapman Inn, which like the Bethel Inn looks out on the common, is said to have at least one but possibly two resident ghosts. One is suspected of being the daughter of the building’s original owner, a girl named Abigail Chapman, who died in her teens in the house after a long illness; and the other a woman who had been her paid companion.

“We kept hearing from guests about strange things such as the sound of women’s voices coming from empty rooms, a mysterious black cat, and a girl in a white dress who disappeared,’’ says Fred Nolte, who runs the inn with his wife, Sandra Frye.
[...]

Read full article, including info about visiting the sites, here:
http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/maine/articles/2010/10/31/maine_town_appears_quieter_than_its_spirits/

graphite from the Colonies !

As early as 1630, when the region known as Massachusetts Bay Colony would have also been the address for a contiguous southern Mainer, colonial explorers searched the area for resources that were of especial value in London markets. None less than Governor John Winthrop's son- also named John- began a graphite trade with the Nipmuc. The native Nipmuc mined graphite from the hills in Tantiusques (near today's Southbridge, Massachusetts) to produce ceremonial paints. Winthrop used the mine to supply English pencil manufacturing. The Tantiusques graphite mine is among the oldest mines in America, and its fame is also connected to Captain Joseph Dixon who worked in the mine and built up a crucible-making business and the famous Dixon Ticonderoga pencil company. The mine was closed in 1910.

Today, the mine site looks like this:

In 1901, George H. Haynes wrote:

The mine is situated in the midst of a tract of land, still wild and desolate.

StrangeMaine readers might know that Henry David Thoreau's family business was a pencil factory. Thoreau pencils were made in the Tantiusques region- and were used atop Mount Katahdin by Charles T. Jackson for the early geological surveys of Maine.

Read the whole story about this ancient mine here.

Ghost Trackers on track for TV?

Back at the end of October, the Maine ghost hunting team called East Coast Ghost Trackers announced a screening of a pilot episode of their nocturnal adventures, which they hope to find a home for on the airwaves.

WABI TV-5 in Bangor reported on the story, interviewing Ken Ort, founder and lead investigator of the group. You can read their article and see a video clip of the interview on their website here:
http://www.wabi.tv/news/15271/east-coast-ghost-hunters-hosts-screening-of-television-pilot
 

A preview for the team's proposed show can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1393827300379&ref=mf (I suggest watching the regular quality video, as the HD one tends to misfeed if your access is at all slow.)

You may recall hearing about the Ghost Trackers in conjunction with paranormal reports from Fort Knox, near Bucksport, when during their investigation they believe they encountered a manifestation of the spirit of Leopold Heghyi, who was stationed at the fort and was buried nearby.

Cougar: "Ghost of the Maine woods"

The Bangor Daily News has published an excellent and extensive article about cougar sightings in Maine.

Despite hundreds of sightings, cougar’s status remains in doubt
12/3/10 04:50 pm Updated: 12/5/10 06:57 am
By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff

Roddy Glover said he will never forget the day a decade ago he came face to face with the fabled ghost of the Maine woods, a predator that according to virtually all scientific accounts no longer existed in New England.

It was mid-September 2000 and Glover, then 39, was scouting out some easily accessible spots along railroad tracks in Monmouth where, with an injured foot, he could more easily bowhunt for deer.

Standing on an embankment above the tracks, Glover saw a large, tawny-colored animal strolling toward him in the mud beside the railroad ties, he said.

“I thought, ‘That looks weird. It doesn’t look familiar,’” Glover, a lifelong hunter as well as a taxidermist, recalled recently. “It was friggin’ huge.”

But when the animal turned sideways, revealing its characteristically long tail, Glover said he realized with a shock what was headed his way: a mother mountain lion with its good-sized offspring in tow.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “I just laid down … because I couldn’t run because of my foot. They started coming closer and closer, and they got within 50 yards of me when they turned and went into the woods.”

A biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife later would say in media reports that the tracks he documented at the scene were “the most solid piece of cougar evidence we’ve ever had.”

In the decade since, DIF&W has received scores of reports — and even some grainy photos — from people throughout Maine convinced they spotted a mountain lion crossing a road, stalking prey in a field or lounging in the sunny backyard like a gigantic house cat.

Reports of mountain lions — including one sighting near Greenville last month — have come in from all around the state in recent years. But officially at least, self-sustaining populations of wild cougars or mountain lions exist only in Maine’s history books.

[...]

Read full Bangor Daily News article here (this excerpt is only the tip of the iceberg!):
http://tinyurl.com/2b2zfah

Victoria Mansion in holiday best

The Victoria Mansion is one of the historic prides of Portland, Maine. Nearly missing this role when it came close to being demolished in 1940, the Mansion survived due to the foresight of a local patron who purchased the big old beautiful beast of a house and ensured it would be available as a museum of Portland past for those to come. Built between 1858 and 1860, the house made headlines at the time as all sorts of lavish fixtures and materials were shipped through Portland's harbor to arrive on its newly constructed doorstep, making the home a showplace of appropriately preposterous Victorian fashion.

Today, the Victoria Mansion allows visitors to step back in time and get a sense of the atmosphere in which Portland's more privileged citizens lived their daily at-home lives. As such, it has the feeling of a fantasy world, and never more so than during this time of year, when local designers enter the rooms and work Christmas magic on their surroundings, until the Mansion in its entirety is a fabulous concoction of effervescent Yuletide cheer. Each year a theme is selected, and the many rooms are decorated to suit. This year's theme? The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Having had a chance to visit the newly-bedecked Victoria Mansion during their holiday press reception this past week, and meet the museum's enthusiastic new director, Thomas Johnson, I feel it my duty to tantalize you but not give away all the lovely treats in store for you at that venerable location. Below the photos I took, you will find all the details of upcoming holiday events (including the gala on 12/2) and tours at the Victoria Mansion. Why let the tourists have all the fun?  Enjoy! If you click on any of the images you can see a larger version for more detail.

INFO:
Victoria Mansion Holiday Gala
Thursday, December 2, 2010
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Don't miss the Mansion's most elegant and spectacular event of the the year. Get an early look at two floors of period rooms transformed by local designers with dazzling decorations inspired by this year's theme: The Twelve Days of Christmas. Fabulous food and drink provided. Tickets are $50/person, all proceeds to benefit the restoration and operation of Victoria Mansion. Please call (207) 772-4841 ext.. 10 for reservations.

Christmas at Victoria Mansion
Friday, November 26, 2010 - Saturday, January 8, 2011
Open daily 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Each holiday season, local designers showcase their talents by transforming the Mansion's interiors with extravagant decorations. This year, the Mansion will be decorated to reflect the stanzas of the much-beloved Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. This not-to-be-missed event is now in its 26th year!

Adults $15; AAA/Senior $13.50; Members $7; Children (6-17) $5; Children under 6 free; Family ticket $35

EVENT: Maine horror double feature Monday!

WHAT: Screening of locally made horror films: Award-winning SHE FEAST (15 minutes), feature film THE WRONG HOUSE (82 minutes) and trailer premieres for THE STALKER and JUBILEE JONES.
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 22, 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 8:00)
WHERE: Geno’s Rock Club, 625 Congress St. Portland, ME
COST: $5 suggested donation. SHOW IS 21+
FMI: Call the Fun Box Monster Emporium at (207)329-5395 or visit the Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156896187676741

Sunday night at The Orpheum in Foxboro, MA, the Maine-made short film SHE FEAST took top honors at the international Killer Film Challenge. The challenge assigns groups of filmmakers a horror sub-genre and gives them 72 hours to create and submit a completed short horror film.

The Maine Murder Party were assigned the splatter genre and created the bloody short film SHE FEAST, directed by Nate LaChance and starring Carrie LaChance, Krystal Kenville and Vanessa Leigh.

Three days after cleaning up at the Killer Film Challenge, SHE FEAST struck again, winning BEST PRODUCTION at the Portland Phoenix 5th Annual Short Film Festival.

Monday night (Nov. 22) at 9 p.m. at Geno’s in Portland, Mainers will have a chance to catch the extended cut of SHE FEAST, along with a special screening of the Maine-made horror thriller THE WRONG HOUSE. Also premiering are the trailers for locally made feature films THE STALKER (director Nate LaChance) and JUBILEE JONES (director Teymur Lazimov).

THE WRONG HOUSE was inspired by a break-in at the home of director Shawn French and his wife (and co-producer) Sue Stevens. It stars Stacy Ann Strang, Brendan Potter, Daniel Galloway, Megan Mathieu and Julian Brand as a group of friends camping in the Maine wilderness who burglarize an isolated home in the woods. When the owners track them down, the thieves learn too late there are some people you just shouldn’t mess with… and that they picked THE WRONG HOUSE.

THE WRONG HOUSE is one of the best-reviewed independent horror films to ever come out of Maine, racking up raves from critics in over a dozen states and three countries. It was an official selection at the Queen City Scare Fair in Meridian, MS and will be represented at this weekend’s Dark Carnival Film Fest in Bloomington, IN.

Currently self-distributed on DVD through Amazon and all Bull Moose locations, THE WRONG HOUSE has been picked up for international distribution by Elite Entertainment and an Elite DVD/Blu-ray edition loaded with over an hour of special features will be on store shelves later this winter.

“We’re psyched to be screening THE WRONG HOUSE again in our home state,” said writer/director Shawn French. “So many people have had their homes or cars robbed and Mainers are really enjoying our twisted little tale of revenge.”

www.thewronghousemovie.com
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wrong-House/281901606309

Lobstering in November

I figured since I'm writing about Maine and its history I really should know what a working boat is like, so I seized the opportunity to go out with my friend Brian on Capt. Tom Marr's boat, the Blue Dolphin II, this past Monday. I'll be writing up an article on it soon, but meanwhile the photos are up and ready for viewing if anyone is curious!

It was a grey day, but not too cold. We hit the water around 6:00am and finished up around 3:00pm.

Here's the link to my Flickr album with all the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkbrilliance/sets/72157625431852808/with/5192799096/

The City Has Ghost Streets : Part 4 - Winslow Park & Oakdale

Above Oakdale, facing downtown Portland, circa 1963.

Beneath today’s roadways, walkways, and structures are some extinct lanes and sites of Portland past, whose references are merely their ground coordinates. These comprise the city’s Ghost Streets. Though replaced, plowed under, or built-over, the souls of these Ghost Streets, institutions- even parks- bear silent witness to the lives and souls that inhabited and traversed them, and we need but only notice traces left behind. What clues remain today? This installment reveals glimpses of an area and a well-known crossroads in Portland’s Oakdale section. There has been a lengthy hiatus since the previous time Ghost Streets have been spirited from the great beneath here on the Strange Maine blog. This time, extensive archival work has permitted for the viewing of some remarkable aerial photographs, providing necessary context for an area that has undergone dramatic change.

Indeed, no street is an island. A look at a length of buildings along a thoroughfare easily connects to intersecting roads and proximate landmarks and businesses. Oakdale today is commonly associated with the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine; the neighborhood extends north toward the Woodfords neighborhood, west toward the eastern portion of the Libbytown neighborhood, and east to Back Cove.

Prior to major highway construction in the early 1970s, the section of Oakdale closest to downtown Portland had been densely residential. West of the intersection of Forest Avenue and Bedford Street, now covered by I-295 with its network of curved ramps, along with contiguous portions of the USM campus, were Winslow Street, Conant Street, and Lightfoot Street. At the confluence of Winslow Street and Forest Avenue was the original Winslow Park. The streets are gone, but the park has transmigrated to another side of the neighborhood. How does a park move to new digs? We shall see...

When studying transition through historic photographs, we find our bearings via recognizable structures and street schemes. At the center of the changed landscape among these Oakdale ghost streets is the present day USM Portland Campus Library at 314 Forest Avenue. The basic structure had been built as an industrial baking company, the T.A. Huston Company bakery, by Thomas Huston in 1919. For its time and place this was a large structure, and was strategically situated close to the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks connecting Portland’s Marginal Way to points north and south. The bakery’s specialties were pastries, cookies, crackers, and biscuits. In 1931 it was bought out by National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), who operated the manufacture until 1954. From the mid-1950s through just after 1990, the 100,000 square foot, 7 floor building served as warehouse space for building and plumbing suppliers (including Johnson Supply), a shoe company, and in the late-1980s as artists’ studio spaces. In 1991, the building was purchased by USM, which opened the renovated building as a library in 1993. With this reference point standing witness through its neighbors’ changes, the unfamiliar subjects in the photographs have an abiding fulcrum.

Aerial view of Forest Avenue, with intersecting Baxter Boulevard, circa 1960.
Note Winslow Park at lower left corner, Texaco gas station (253 Forest Ave.) immediately across the street, with 5-storey cannery behind (lower right). The photo below was taken in Winslow Park!

Below, the same view as above, from same vantage point, but taken today.

Winslow Park, in its original site, appears to have been a simple memorial and green space between the pre-highway (and thus larger) Deering Oaks and nearby Baxter Boulevard. The small park’s location and name had great significance. Just across Forest Avenue was Portland Stoneware Company (Winslow & Company), popularly known as the Old Pottery. Before the landfilling and highway construction in the late-1960s began, 253 Forest Avenue and its adjacent neighbors were commercial locations with industrial docks on Back Cove. The Cove was regularly dredged, to accommodate ships parallel to Marginal Way- west to Forest Avenue. According to the Portland City Guide (1940), Portland Stoneware had been established in 1846 by John T. Winslow (1820-96), and “for many years produced crocks, jars, and ornamental stoneware. In 1870, however, the pottery started mass production of more utilitarian objects and today [as of 1940] produces digester brick, tile pipe, wind guards, flue linings, and chimney tops.” The Old Pottery closed in 1946, and the successor to its address was the large Maine Canned Foods, Inc. Winslow Park’s original manifestation dates back to 1903, as a bequest to the city of Portland and one of the Portland Park System’s first neighborhood parks. The park covered barely two-tenths of an acre, on the triangle formed by the sharply-angled Winslow Street and the broader Forest Avenue. The continuation of Winslow Street, traversing east across Forest Avenue and heading into Portland Stoneware was the now-ghost-street Pottery Lane. The Old Pottery and Winslow Park pre-dated the bakery building. A critically important year to keep in mind is that of the Great Fire: 1866, after which many Portlanders began building homes and businesses (requiring building materials) in the Woodfords and Oakdale areas. Another key year is 1899: the merger of the cities of Deering and Portland.

Streets, Winslow Park, and Deering Oaks in 1914.

Now we come to the ghost streets that were filled with 19th century homes- just west of the intersection of Bedford Street and Forest Avenue. As the photographs (taken in 1924) attest, the architectural styles of the homes (Victorian and Greek-revival clapboard) match the immediate area- which is south of Deering Center and Woodfords, east of Libbytown. Winslow Street spanned Bedford Street and Forest Avenue, running southwest-northeast. Emanating eastward out of Winslow Street, from north, were Lightfoot, Conant, and Grand Streets. These short streets were flanked west by Winslow Street and east by the railroad tracks which became the basic footprint for highway I-295.

15 Lightfoot Street. Notice the bakery (today's USM Portland Library at left!)

22 Lightfoot Street

2 houses on Conant Street (above)

Winslow Market, 10 Winslow Street- near Forest Avenue.

27 Winslow Street.

Below: Mr. Rocco Nicolai, at 27 Winslow Street, in 1967.

58 Winslow Street

By the completion of highway I-295 (November 1974), a massive project with city-wide ramifications, a swath of elevated expressway effectively separated Oakdale from Parkside and the remainder of downtown Portland. Parallel road-construction projects included Franklin Arterial, extending Preble Street onto the landfilled Marginal Way, extending State Street through Deering Oaks Park, and creating the Libbytown interchange at Libby’s Corner. Numerous homes and several neighborhoods gave way to the new highway connectors. Among the casualties was Winslow Park, whose site had been taken by eminent domain in 1969. Today, the western portion of the I-295 southbound trestle stands over the park, and the southbound Forest Avenue onramp traverses the ghost of Winslow Street.

Above: Map from 1954.
Below: Forest City Motors, with bakery in background. Bedford Street at left, Winslow Street at right.

Below: today's view, compared to above in 1950.

Exponentially expanded in the past 25 years, the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine occupies much of the area immediately northwest of the intersection of Forest Avenue and Bedford Street. The Muskie School of Public Service (Wishcamper Building, opened in 2008) and its adjoining parking garage, and adjoining Abromson Community Education Center (built in 2004) stand upon the ghost streets of Winslow, Lightfoot, Conant, and Grand. Wishcamper is immediately upon the footprint of the corner of Winslow and Bedford Streets- for decades the site of Forest City Chevrolet. The core of the campus (between Beford and Falmouth Streets) is historic land in itself, having been part of Sir Ferdinand Gorges’ land grant, and later the Deering family estate. Payson-Smith Hall’s construction, begun in 1957, signified Portland Junior College’s transition into the University of Maine in Portland.

Below: Aerial view with Portland campus at center with new Luther Bonney Hall, circa 1965.

Above: Footprint of the original Winslow Park.

And yet there remains Winslow Park- the “new” Winslow Park. Through the early 1970s, the Winslow descendants successfully contested the elimination of the park and its memorial in Maine’s Supreme Court. The Court’s decision, in 1976, stipulated that the original plaque (from Winslow Street) be embedded in a stone upon a parcel of land at the corner of Baxter Boulevard and the Preble Street Extension. The New Winslow Park was dedicated on June 6, 1980. Visitors to the new park will notice the large 1902 plaque near a tall, modern sculpture. The present Winslow Park is situated at the edge of the expanse of 1970s roadway landfill- yet still just a short walk northeast from the Old Pottery.

The new Winslow Park
Above, with Back Cove in background. Note the 1902 plaque.
Below, with USM Library and Forest Avenue in background.

Now, with these reference points, landmarks, and coordinates, the known and overt are joined with the subsumed and hidden. As you merge from Forest Avenue onto I-295 south, or exit from I-295 for northbound Forest Avenue, you’ll know the path crosses through the Old Pottery that produced household ornaments and sewer ducts alike. Hurtling across the Forest Avenue overpass, your wheels bisect the airspace of the old Cannery that succeeded the Old Pottery in its place. And walking across the USM Portland campus that is south of Bedford Street, your steps meet the ghosts of sidewalks, houses, stores, and backyards past that trimmed Winslow, Lightfoot, Conant, and Grand Streets. So keep your eyes tuned, when noticing modern structures amidst old settlements. These indicate layers of built landscape. Your very being traverses the plains between the surface present and the foundations and footsteps of your predecessors. The City Has Ghost Streets.

Above, view toward downtown from USM Library.

Aerial view from east, above Back Cove. Notice the pre-I295 terrain, with the Cannery (former Portland Stoneware site) in foreground. Circa 1964.

Above: an inadvertent ghost street stroller, traversing the ether of Lightfoot Street. View from USM Library looking southwest.

EVENT: Waterboro paranormal site tours

Some of you may remember a couple of years ago when one of the cases taken on by the Paranormal State television show was a Maine property, in Waterboro. Well, this Halloween in a rare event, they are opening up the house to the ghost-seeking public as a fund-raiser for the local Animal Welfare Society.

WHAT: "Pet Cemetery" house guided tours
WHEN: Friday 10/29 through Sunday 10/31, 5:00-9:00pm
WHERE: 1226 West Road, East Waterboro, ME
COST: $5 donation
FMI: (207)985-3244

Visitors are welcome to bring their own audio and video equipment to document their visit to the site.

If you are unable to visit but do want to make a donation to the Animal Welfare Society anyways, please consider visiting their website which provides information on how to do so at: http://www.animalwelfaresociety.org/spt_donate.php

Our original post about the house, from the time of the episode's first airing, is here: http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2008/01/pet-cemetery-haunting-on.html

EVENT: Shoestring Theater Halloween parade!

How many times have you heard about this parade after the fact, and said, "Darn it, why didn't someone remind me to go?!!" Well, no excuses this year, 'cause I'm reminding you right now.

WHAT: Shoestring Theater's annual Halloween parade
WHEN: Sunday, October 31st @ 6:00 - Participant lineup starts @ 5:30
WHERE: meet at 155 Brackett Street, Portland ME

This annual parade is Portland's howling, dancing, and drumming reminder of what Halloween is. Everyone is invited, all ages are welcome. If you'd like to participate in the parade, either in your own costume, with your own instruments, or by using some of the Shoestring puppets and instruments that are available, please arrive at 5:30 so they can get everyone settled in time for departure at 6:00.

The parade leaves the Shoestring Theater's home at 155 Brackett Street, across from Reiche School, and winds its way through the shadows of the West End, bringing a little bit of Halloween brouhaha to everyone in its path. Come and have fun!

A video of part of 2007's parade:

Shilling Shockers in Maine

Another Halloween treat I look forward to every year is Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers Halloween special! This year she has a great list of public access channels in Maine that will be showing her annual show.

I've linked to the stations' schedule pages to make it easy for you. In addition, most (including Portland's CTN-5) have online streaming episodes of the show available for anyone to watch from their home computers if you can't watch when/where their airing officially. Have fun!!!

Belfast: BCTV Channel 2 http://belfastcommunitytv.blogspot.com/

Gorham: GOCAT Channel 2 http://psg.gocat.org:50000/external_schedule/simple_day_schedule?id=3D%3C=channel%20#

Hollis, Buxton, Limerick, Limington, Standish, Waterboro:
SRC-TV channel 2 http://www.src-tv.org/schedule.html

Norway, Paris, Waterford:
NPC-TV Channel 11 http://npctv2.org/testimonials.html

Portland: CTN Channel 5
Check schedule or watch streaming Shilling Shockers episodes online here! http://ctn5.org/schedule/ctn-5

South Portland: SPC-TV Channel 2

Washington County (Eastport, Machias, Lubec and numerous smaller towns):
Washington County TV Channel 2 (sorry, no online schedule link that I could find)

EVENT: Radio Horror on Halloween!

Longtime readers of the blog may remember in past years mention has been made of the excellent Halloween radio drama specials done by the local group at FinalRune Productions, featured at Radio Drama Revival's website. This year brings fresh fodder from their imaginations!!!

They've been running special spooky stuff all month, but on Halloween night the new masterpiece of modern sci-fi suspense known as The Cleansed is going to air for the first time. To see some great action photos of all the crazy location segments they recorded over the last little while in prep for the show, check out their website: http://www.finalrune.com/this-halloween-tune-into-the-cleansed/

It's going out at 7pm EST at WKIT in Bangor and then again 9pm on WMPG here in Portland. The story is one that has run through the minds of Americans a lot in the last few years...

Some time in the not so distant future, the world as we know it is starting to unravel. The United States is mired in unwinnable wars, gas is scarce and the transportation system grinds to a halt. Homegrown terrorists take out the electric grid. Food is strictly rationed and distributed by the military. As citizens grow increasingly angry with the government, martial law is called in to maintain peace.

And then things really start to get bad.

You can listen to the promo here: http://finalrune.com/mp3/cleansed-halloween-promo.mp3

And a 5 minute sample here: http://finalrune.com/mp3/cleansed-sample.mp3

This Halloween! Tune into THE CLEANSED

FinalRune's newest piece of work, the pilot episode of our new sci-fi serial The Cleansed, will be debuting on Sunday, October 31st - that's Halloween, my friends!

How to Hear:

* 7:00PM EST on WKIT 100.3 "The Rock" of Bangor - Stephen King's radio station! Hit "Listen Now" on http://zoneradio.com/wkit/index.shtml
* 7:00PM EST on Transcontinental Terror, the international audio festival featuring 6 hours of original horror programming for Halloween. Streams online: http://transcontinentalterror.com/
* 9:00PM EST on WMPG, Greater Portland Maine's Community Radio: http://wmpg.org/ Links to "Listen to WMPG" on the right
* Miss these dates? Stay tuned for a live stream to be embedded on the Radio Drama Revival site.

There will NOT be a free podcast version of this show due to licensing restrictions of music used in it. So be sure to tune in when you can!

Portland's latest mural

Portland, which has a fair number of excellent murals past and present, is soon to be home to a new piece of art, executed on the side of Joe's Smoke Shop by Ryan Adams and Jeff Griecci. Griecci is friends with one of the employees of Joe's, and became aware of the trouble that has been caused by the constant need to remove graffiti from the sides of the building at 665 Congress Street. They prepped the wall at the end of the week, and this sunny Saturday morning they started to layout the draft for the mural's design.

Here the two painters consult a historic photo of the property, which sits next to the large Trelawny building, built in 1909. At the time of its construction, and as late as the photo shown (see detail below), the Trelawny Building housed the Portland Club's offices. We'll keep you updated on their progress!

Halloween 2010 events - Round III!

Here are a few last additions to the roster for this year! And, in case you missed them, here are Round I and II as well:
Round I: http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-2010-events-round-1.html
Round II:
http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-2010-events-round-ii.html
-----------------------

October Moon Red Cloak Haunted History Event with The Maine Ghost Hunters Society
Saturday, October 23, 9:00 p.m.

The Maine Ghost Hunters Society joins The Lady in the Red Cloak at the Winter Street Center in Bath for a 4 hour paranormal investigation. You can join in, too, and learn all about the equipment, possibly have a chance to use some, and be involved with the investigative team as they demonstrate "ghost hunting." We'll explore every possible nook and cranny of this haunted site!

This full moon special event is by reservation only, $35.00 Please call FMI, 207-380-3806, www.redcloakhauntedhistorytours.com.

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

WHAT: Dark and Stormy Night, the premiere Maine showing!
WHEN: Monday, October 25, 2010, 9:00pm showtime
WHERE: Geno's, 625 Congress Street, Portland
COST: $6 admission
FMI: (207)329-5385

Larry Blamire's epic old dark house meets locked room mystery spoof, "Dark and Stormy Night" will be premiering at Geno's with a guest appearance and Q&A with star, Robert Deveau. Did you love "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" and "The Lost Skeleton Returns Again"? This is by the same folks! Did you love the movie "Clue"? Alright, we're on the same page -- make sure to put this on your calendar!!! Besides, Robert Deveau is so charming how could you possibly miss a chance to meet him again?


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

Mayo Street Arts Haunted House and Costume Ball
Saturday, October 31st, 2010
Haunted House 6:00-8:00pm...Live Music and Dancing 'til 10:00pm!

A haunted church on Mayo Street - two floors of hauntings and dancing, with tricks, treats, and performances! Live music features those spooky fellows, Hobgoblin, plus Blue Lobster Troupe and Violent Femmes Cover Band. (Super awesome poster too!!) $5 kids, $10 adults
FMI: http://mayostreetarts.org/

Ghostport 2010 - TOMORROW!

On Saturday, October 23rd, the Town of Bucksport embraces the Halloween season with a day-long festival full of variety and fun -- Ghostport 2010! Visit http://www.bucksportchamber.org/ghostport.html for more info, a schedule, and contest information.

Activities include:
-- Kids costume parade
-- Brunch with witches
-- Chili Cook Off contest
-- Trebuchet pumpkin chucking into the Penobscot River
-- Jonathan Buck’s coffin race to the grave
-- Pumpkin carving contest
-- Evening Monster Mash Acoustic Bash concert
-- Friends of Fort Knox Fright at the Fort fireworks
-- Screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Alamo Theater
(see schedule below)

Across the river starting at 5:30 PM, Ghostport’s sister event, Fright at the Fort, opens for its second of four nights of scary fun (http://fortknox.maineguide.com/fright/).

This year's Ghostport Festival promises to be bigger then last year. The Event is Saturday the 23rd, with a full moon. Rain date Oct. 30th.

Several contests are featured during Ghostport, and perhaps the most unusual of the contests is the Jonathan Buck’s Race to the Grave coffin race. The coffin race is comprised of teams of four people, plus a coffin rider called a Jonathan, who speed the wheeled coffins down a designated racecourse. The race format is similar to a drag race. For race rules please view the PDF at http://www.bucksportchamber.org/ghostport/Race%20to%20the%20Grave.pdf

Another activity that is sure to cause some excitement is the Seaboard Credit Union’s Trebuchet (similar to a catapult) that will be erected on the Bucksport waterfront.

GHOSTPORT SCHEDULE
October, 23 2010 Schedule
Rain date October, 30 2010

10:00am – 4:00pm Wahl’s Dairy Port offers fall flavors

10:00am – 4:00pm “BOO”k Sale and Raffle
Help raise funds for Buck’s Memorial Library - Celebrating 123 Spooktacular years!

10:00am Little Goblins Parade - We meet at Town Office and march down Main St.

10:15am - 11:30am PTO Brunch with the witches at the Gazebo on the waterfront

11:30am Bittersweet Gift’s Chili cook off, check in - Located at the Gazebo on the waterfront

12:00pm - 1:00pm Chili cook off judging and eating - Located at the Gazebo on the waterfront

11:30am - 4:00pm Seaboard Federal Credit Union Trebuchet launches pumpkins into the Penobscot! At Flag Point on the waterfront

12:00pm - 1:00pm Jonathan Bucks Race to the Grave, check in - In Bangor Savings parking lot on Main St

1:00pm - 1:45pm Tech Inspection and pre judging

2:00pm Jonathan Buck's Race to the Grave Coffin Races Begin! Located in parking lot behind Chamber offices

4:00pm – 5:00pm Bookstacks host Spooky Story hour

5:00pm – 5:30pm Carved Pumpkin Contest, sponsored by Wahl’s Dairy Port. Check in located behind Rosen’s on the waterfront

7:00pm – 9:00pm Monster Mash Acoustic Bash, brought to you by United Cerebral Palsy of North Eastern Maine. Performance held at the Gazebo on the waterfront

9:15pm – 9:45pm Friends of Fort Knox Fireworks Display, launched from Verona Island

10:00pm The Alamo presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Come in your best costume! You may be nabbed by a Ghostport Ghoul and win a cash prize!

The Gauntlet haunt ride review

Hello all -- I'd been wondering about The Gauntlet, a new haunt attraction that set up in Mechanic Falls for this Halloween season. Mark LaFlamme did a great write-up on it for the Lewiston Sun Journal if you have been curious too:

http://www.sunjournal.com/bplus/story/921801

Zombie Kickball 2010 Report

On World Zombie Day, October 10, hordes of the living dead staggered to the Eastern Prom for the 5th Annual Zombie Kickball game. While the zombie turn out was smaller than last year, there was still plenty of action for the large group of spectators that turned out to see the dead stumble, growl, and try to kick the ball.

Photos by Chris Wallace, video by Monkey

A zombie is thrown into a state of confusion when he sees Monkey.
Zombies attempt to climb the fence so they can gorge on the living.
The sight of Monkey makes a child zombie go crazy.
This young zombie spotted Monkey and decided to eat Monkey's brain. Good thing Monkey had his biohazard helmet on.
Zombie Michael Jackson treated the crowd to moon walking and a brief version of the Thriller dance.
Mother and daughter zombie make it safely to third base due to confusion on the playing field.
The littlest zombie works it for the crowd.
This is the zombie idea of a picnic - a comfy blanket to sit on and a bag full of human limbs.
Scout Master zombie has a marshmallow on a stick in his brain.
Zombie competition causes chaos on the field and zombies chase each other.
It's never good when a zombie has green gunk spewing from her mouth.
Zombie Jesus gets in on the action.
Monkey receives a banana from a thoughtful zombie.
See how Monkey survived the Zombie Kickball game.

Once again, another fun day of Zombie Kickball in Portland. Can't wait for next years game!