summer reading

Summer in Maine! The time goes faster than you can say, don't get me stahhted! 'Nuff said. The weather outside is delightful and with all this extra daylight, it's always useful to have some ideas for outdoor activities. Between commuting to the daily grind (albeit with a Vacationland license plate) and those occasional weekend festivals around Maine, we need only be reminded of those simple and timeless pleasures.
Not passing up a chance to learn from history, StrangeMaine presents a few ideas drawn from the Archives of the Portland Public Library. You may recognize some of the landmarks...

Summer treats and walking with friends: Old Orchard Beach, 1937. A great thing to do on a lingering evening.


Sightseeing. Mainers can do this, too! Our versions of "stay-cations" include some great places. This was taken on Portland's Eastern Promenade, near Fort Allen Park in 1953.


Go for a spin in your faithful old car! This image was taken in 1944, though the car (called the "Deering High School Staff Car") is much older than that. Your passenger might even wind up with a foot on the windshield!


A carefree bicycle ride. Extra credit if you decorate the spokes! This was taken in 1953.


Baseball! Maybe playing it, maybe going out to the ball game. Here are the Portland Pilots in 1947. Back then, the place where Hadlock Field stands was called Portland Stadium. The firehouse on the left on the picture is still there, and the street in the background is Washburn Street.


Do some writing. In this fine weather, you can bring those literary projects outdoors! If your car doesn't have a rumble seat (and a pillow) , there are always lawn chairs. This picture is from 1938.


Sketching by the sea. Get out the charcoal, the watercolors, or the oils- and maybe a few kindred artists. Recording their impressions, these captivated folks were photographed in 1951.

The Beach. Well, of course. And we all have our favorites. Here's Portland's East End Beach in 1953.


Don't forget to keep plenty of water handy in that wicked hot weather. Or Moxie. Here's an aqueous-minded dog at the SPCA Pullen Fountain on Portland's Federal Street, in 1948.

Have a fabulous summer- and take lots of pictures, too!

Photographs from: Portland Press Herald Still Film Negative Collection, Portland Public Library Archives.

Fort Knox Paranormal & Psychic Faire 2010!

While I am unable to make it to the Faire this year, that doesn't mean you should stay at home! Far from it. Please see my article about last year's faire here: http://strangemaine.blogspot.com/2009/09/not-your-normal-fort.html Needless to say, I highly recommend a visit to the Fort, faire or not.



The annual Psychic/Paranormal Faire returns to Fort Knox on Saturday and Sunday, July 31st and August 1st, 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. This unusual event features presentations from ghost hunters, UFO enthusiasts, an exorcist, speakers on the legacy of Edgar Cayce and a practicing psychic. Psychics/card readers will be on hand for those wishing to purchase a reading and vendors will be present to sell unusual items.

Melissa Gaspar will be presenting a talk on one of America’s most famous psychics, Edgar Cayce. Cayce was alo known as the sleeping prophet, because many of his revelations about the future came about when he was in a trance-like state.

Christopher Gardner and Cindy Proulx, will lead discussions on the topic of Unidentified Flying Objects. They will be facilitating discussion on the topic with audience members.

The Bangor Ghost Trackers will be on hand to talk about their investigations at Fort Knox and other sites around Maine. The Ghost Trackers will exhibit the tools, techniques and results found in their paranormal investigations.

Former President of the American Dowsing Society, Gordon Barton, will speak on his decades of experience in the filed of dowsing. Barton will reveal that there is far more to the art of dowsing than simply looking for underground water.

Local psychic, Sky Taylor, will speak on her life experiences as a psychic and how people might tap into their own psychic abilities. Cindy Proulx, a long-time UFO enthusiast will lead discussions on the possible existence of Unidentified flying Objects.

Here is the schedule for the two-day faire:
Saturday, July 31st

All-Day Events
10:00 – 4:00 Psychics and vendors in the Fort Officer’s Quarters
10:00 – 4:00 Lecturers will be available in the Visitor Center

Lectures
Lectures take place in the amphitheater at Visitor Center.
10:00am Paranormal Investigation Process, Equipment and Techniques (Bangor Maine Ghost Trackers)
11:00 The Legacy of psychic Edgar Cayce (Melissa Gaspar)
12:00 UFOs? What Do You Think? (Facilitated by local UFO enthusiast Cindy Proulx)
1:00 Exorcism (Ahura Z)
2:00 Paranormal Investigation Process, Equipment and Techniques (Bangor Maine Ghost Trackers)
3:00 Developing Your Sixth Sense (Sky Taylor)

Sunday, August 1

All-Day Events
10:00 – 4:00 Psychics and vendors in the Fort Officer’s Quarters
10:00 - 4:00 Lecturers will be available in the Visitor Center

Lectures
Lectures take place in the amphitheater at Visitor Center.
10:00am Paranormal Investigation Process, Equipment and Techniques (Bangor Maine Ghost Trackers)
11:00 The Legacy of psychic Edgar Cayce (Melissa Gaspar)
12:00 UFOs? What Do You Think? (Facilitated by local UFO enthusiast Cindy Proulx)
1:00 Exorcism (Ahura Z)
2:00 Paranormal Investigation Process, Equipment and Techniques (Bangor Maine Ghost Trackers)
3:00 Developing Your Sixth Sense (Sky Taylor)

Admission to the Psychic/Paranormal Faire is the standard Fort admission plus a requested $2 event donation to help defray costs and fund fort restoration projects. For further information on Friends’ of Fort Knox special events go to their web site at fortknox.maineguide.com. Fort Knox is owned and operated by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands for the people of Maine.

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This two-day event, sponsored by the Friends of Fort Knox, is one of many special events this summer at the State Historic Site. The following week, Friday/Saturday, August 6 and 7, at 6:00pm, Shakespeare Comes to Fort Knox featuring the presentation of Romeo and Juliet, performed by Ten Bucks Theatre Troupe (http://www.tenbuckstheatre.org). Ticket prices for the Shakespeare event are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Fort Knox gift shop, by telephoning 207-469-6553 or by emailing FOFK1@aol.com

A twisted crime in Portland

Here in Portland yesterday a small wave of panic went through the female population after a report surfaced of a woman being attacked and sexually assaulted by a group of men while out jogging around Back Cove on Monday night. Hours later, confusion and a different kind of rage emerged in the watching population as the second part of the story came to light, and cries of "Hoax!" rang out. As of this morning, the site at Channel 8 News had been updated and amended so that now the article reads thusly:

Police: Alleged Sex Assault Victim Recants Story
Woman Charged With Filing False Public Report
POSTED: 4:11 pm EDT July 20, 2010
UPDATED: 6:09 am EDT July 21, 2010

PORTLAND, Maine -- Portland police said the woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted on the Back Cove on Monday night has recanted her story.

Detectives said the woman claimed she was attacked by five men on a jogging path on Portland's Baxter Boulevard around 9:30 p.m.

Officers said Tuesday afternoon the sexual assault never happened.

Tuesday night police said Maryanne Morin, 22, of Portland was summonsed on a charge of filing a false public report.

[Source]

Figure THAT one out. Crying wolf is a terrible thing to do.

For those who would like to read on, there is more extensive coverage of the story on the Portland Press Herald site:
http://www.pressherald.com/news/back-cove-assault-a-hoax_2010-07-21.html