Christmas by the Sea

By Melanie Brooks

This past weekend, Camden celebrated their annual Christmas by the Sea celebration. My mother, Mary, sister, Jennifer, and niece, Ayda headed down to put a little jingle in our step. Luckily the rain held off so we could walk around town without getting wet.

There were Christmas wreathes up on every lamppost and on most storefronts. I wish we had been there at night to see what kind of light display the town had. We just missed Santa Claus, so we stopped into Cappy's for some lunch before heading out to Cellardoor Winery's vineyard in Lincolnville to catch him there.

Meadowlark Music Camp

By Melanie Brooks

Yesterday I drove to the tiny town of Washington to take photos at Meadowlark Music Camp on the shore of Washington Pond. Seventy-five people, mostly adults, spent the week practicing the banjo, harp, dulcimer, flute, fiddle, guitar, voice, and more. See some of my photos after the jump...

Pecha Kucha at the Camden Opera House

By Annaliese Jakimides
Photos by Leslie Bowman

Friday night, about 400—including at least a couple of people, Leslie and I, from as far away as Bangor—gathered at the Camden Opera House for Pecha Kucha Night in Midcoast Maine. Simultaneously, Pecha Kuchas (meaning “chit chat” in Japanese, we were told) were happening in Pittsburgh, Bali, and Belgrade, although no one was sure which one (Maine or Serbia).


Eight artists from the Midcoast showcased their work. Formula for these gatherings all over the world: The artist (loose definition allowed for an importer of wines) stands in front of the audience, while 20 slides of their work (for the wine guy, that meant Italian hillsides, and stunning, gnarled, old vines) flash on the screen. Well, not exactly flash. Each image lingers for 20 seconds, a long time if not accompanied by chatter, which some artists did and others did not. Let me tell you, some of the work was stunning, and some of the monologues entertaining, and at least one of the presenters left us with a compelling need to question ourselves about many things. It was a blast. Actually, it was a controlled blast.

Afterwards, Camden was hopping. Since neither Leslie nor I have any experience with Camden’s weekend nightlife, it’s hard to judge whether this was because of the two-day Juice Conference about the creative economy, but—no matter—conversation was flowing, and so was the wine.

Presenters were Scott Minzy, book artist and printmaker; Autumn Cipala, ceramic artist; Bill Laurita, owner of Swans Island Blankets; Mary Barnes, unconventional dry and wet drawings; Paul Chartrand, importer of organic wines; Antonia Small, photographer and writer; Anastasia Fischer, interaction designer; and Sam Cady, shaped canvas painter.

Camden Hills Goes Global

By: Melanie Brooks


Yesterday I spent the day in Camden with MPBN radio news producer Anne Ravana. She was heading down to Camden Hills High School to conduct some interviews for a story she's working on for tonight's broadcast and I went along to conduct some interviews of my own.

Camden Hills is looking to become a Visa issuing school so that they can start accepting foreign tuition students. Principal Nick Ithomitis has been thinking about this idea for about two years. With ever tightening budgets and a projected decrease in student enrollment over the next few years, Ithomitis believes now is the time to move forward.

"In these tough economic times, having tuition kids is financially appealing," Ithomitis says. Three students from abroad have already inquired about enrolling at Camden Hills, but without Visa issuing status, these students have to find programs like the American Field Service (AFS) to travel through. These programs last up to a year at the most -- not enough time to earn a high school diploma.

New England is a hotbed for foreign students looking to get an American high school education because it's safe and close to New England colleges and universities, Ithomitis says. He is also looking forward to exposing the school and community to cultural experiences through these foreign students. His plan is to start small -- a few students living with host families and hopes to eventually grow to have on campus dormitories.

With a school that offers such classes as visual and media technology, intro to photography, theater, Latin, and honors chemistry, Camden Hills already seems more like a private high school than public. Keeping these programs is extremely important to Ithomitis says.

"If something doesn't budge soon, like a lot of schools in Maine, we're going to be in dire straits," he says. Ithomitis isn't sure what they would charge for tuition for foreign students, but it would be somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000. Ithomitis says there is already room in the classrooms for more students without creating more space or hiring many new people. Offsetting the declining enrollment with foreign students also means that Ithomitis won't have to lay off any teachers in the next two years.

Camden Hills will start the application process this summer in hopes of accepting tuition students in the fall of 2010. For more on this topic keep your eyes out for the September Education issue of Bangor Metro or listen to Anne Ravana's story tonight at 5:30.