Not Your Ordinary Gingerbread Cookie...

By Melanie Brooks

On Saturday morning, Shane Leonard and I hopped in my car and drove to Belfast. The reason? We were going to take photos and interview Elaine Tucker about her fabulous gingerbread cookies for our December magazine. We had a blast hanging out in her kitchen. The weather was gorgeous and we had an amazing view of the harbor from the huge windows in Elaine's house.

We don't want to give anything away...but these cookies were just to beautiful to not share with you. Elaine decorated this one to look like me! I think she did a pretty good job, too! To see more of her fancy cookie decorating skills you'll have to wait for our December issue. I promise, it'll be worth it!

Maine Fiddle Camp

By Melanie Brooks

Yesterday Shane Leonard and I grabbed our cameras and drove to Montville to check out Maine Fiddle Camp. My friend, Anne Mostue, and her sister were attending this year and I thought a music camp for adults and families was too cool to not visit. So I did.

Common Ground Fair Draws Mainers Down to Earth

By Kayla Riley
Photos by Melanie Brooks

The Common Ground Country Fair held annually in Unity, Maine is now a cultural mainstay, providing locals with information about organic farming, delicious food, Maine made wares, and song and dance. But in its early stages it was small potatoes.

It began as a “harvest celebration” in 1977 at the Litchfield Fairgrounds. A small group of Mainers with a passion for organic gardening and farming had recently started the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, or MOFGA. An astounding 10,000 people attended, and members of MOFGA soon realized they would have to find a bigger venue.


In 1981, MOFGA held the Common Ground Fair at the Windsor Fairgrounds. That year, the crowd multiplied to over 50,000 people. For years, MOFGA searched for a more suitable location that could not only house the Fair and its many attendees but also a year-round agricultural center.

The perfect place happened to be Unity, and in 1996 MOFGA purchased more than 200 acres of land on which to hold the yearly event. The Common Ground Fair was held for the first time in Unity in 1998. Along with the popularity of the Fair, MOFGA has grown to about 5,000 members, 18 staff members and 2,000 current volunteers.


This year’s turnout was no exception to previous years. With everything from the remarkable sheep dog demonstration to the rather unpleasant Harry S. Truman Memorial manure toss, the Fair had something for everyone. For the kids, there was a wide variety of activities including face painting, arts and crafts and a vegetable garden parade. At the folk arts tents, local artists could be found sharing their talents with eager onlookers.

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

By Emily Sypher

For those artists out there who are looking for an artistic getaway or just some new inspiration, have I found the place for you! Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is an artists’ heaven on earth. Once you arrive you’ll never want to leave.

Haystack is a year-round establishment, though the majority of its courses run during the summer. There are seven summer sessions of both one and two week courses in a multitude of mediums ranging from beginner drawing to advanced glassblowing.


Founded in 1950 in Montville, Maine (near Haystack Mountain), the campus is now located in Deer Isle. Designed by highly acclaimed architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, the current campus received the Twenty-Five Year Award in 1994 from the American Institute of Architects’ for its design. The studio structures sit on stilts, with stairs and walkways to connect them. The running joke during my stay on campus was that we would all lose five pounds by the end of camp due to the endless amount of staircases.


When I first viewed the summer course options I felt like a kid in a candy shop–I couldn’t decide which course I wanted to take the most! I finally settled on a small metals course during the camp’s first session. Having no experience in metals I was a little nervous at the beginning, but by the end of the session I felt like a pro.


Between the amazing instructors that hail from across the nation and my fellow classmates, the learning curve in our class was phenomenal. In two weeks I could weld, solder, enamel, cold connect, cast, and more. I was truly sad to leave Haystack at the end of my two weeks, but like many of the other artists, I know I made friendships there that will last a lifetime. That sadness was also quickly replaced by excitement about the new skills and inspiration we were bringing home with us, and of course, the already brewing plans for our next summer’s adventure back.


For those who can’t commit to a full week or two-week course, Haystack also provides a number of weekend workshops as well as visiting artist opportunities throughout the summer. Since its first conception the program has grown by leaps and bounds, benefitting everyone from the surrounding community to international artists. For more information on Haystack visit their website.