Halloween in Maine

The Portland Press Herald has a comprehensive listing of Halloween events in Maine. See the posting here.  In addition, check out our listing of Halloween events in Maine as well. 

Maine Breweries and Brew Pubs

There are a lot of Mainers who are brewing beer here in Maine. These specialty beers are very good and deserve a look (taste). Check out the many brew pubs and breweries here in Maine.

Maine Breweries and Brew Pubs

Apple Picking in Maine

It is not to late for some late season apple picking in Maine. Many of the orchards are still open. This is a great way to spend some family time in the out-of-doors enjoying the fall foliage and fresh.  Click on the link below to find out where Maine apple orchards are located. Many of these apple orchards provide the opportunity to "pick apples yourself".

Maine Apple Orchards and Apple Picking

Goat Island Lighthouse in Kennebunk, Maine now Restored

The Goat Island Lighthouse in Kennebunk, Maine is now restored. The lighthouse, located off of Cape Porpoise, has been in existance for many years but it has just received a facelift with a reconstructed bell tower and other improvements. Read more in "It's like a walk back in time", The Portland Press Herald, October 13, 2011. Learn more about lighthouses in Maine.

Listing of Halloween Activities in Maine (2011)

Halloween is upon us and parents are looking for opportunities to provide some safe fun for their kids. Check out a recent news article by Amy Calder that helps you with this task. See "Celebrating things that go BUMP in the night", Kennebec Journal, October 16, 2011.

Hunting Guides in Maine

Hunting season is fast approaching in Maine.  If you are coming to Maine and you need a hunting guide then the link below will be helpful to you.

Hunting Guides in Maine

October Bike Rides in Maine

A Maine biker, Karen Beaudoin, offers two suggested bike rides for great exercise and the opportunity to enjoy some fine Maine October weather. One is a ride to and around Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine and the other is Camden, Maine. Read the suggested routes in her article "Two rides that are sure to thrill, even if the colors don't", The Portland Press Herald, October 16, 2011. Learn more about biking in Maine.

Harvest on the Harbor - Portland, Maine (October 20-22, 2011)

Portland, Maine's premier food and wine experience - referred to as "Harvest on the Harbor" will take place on 14 Ocean Gateway Pier on October 20-22, 2011. Learn more at:

http://www.harvestontheharbor.com/

4th Annual Craft Show (USM at Gorham Nov 12-13, 2011)

The 4th Annual Craft Show will be held at the University of Maine in Gorham on November 12-13, 2011.  Artisans from around Maine and New England will be on hand to sell handcrafted products.  There will be arts, crafts, raffles, door prizes and more.  The works will include wood products, photography, fabric art, hand-crafted jewelry, knit items, garden art, pottery, and specialty food items.

http://www.southernmainehuskies.com/fundraising/CraftShow

Halloween Overnight with Myrtle - Newscastle, Maine

Are you interested in spending a night at a haunted house with a history of paranormal activity? Are you brave enough to spend the night in the same bedroom where the source of that activity passed from her mortal life?  And would you like to do it on Halloween night? While there you can join in on the adventure and use specialized equipment to document paranormal activity. Mysterious Destinations offers you this opportunity at the Tipsy Butler B&B and the Newcastle Publick House - both haunted by Myrtle!  This adventure is by reservation only. 

Contact Sally at 207-380-4677 or www.mysteriousdestinations.com
The Tipsy Butler Bed and Breakfast and Newcastle Publick House
Newcastle, Maine

Windy, Rainy Days Great for Birding in Maine in Fall

A Maine birder (Herb Wilson) has written an article that tells why windy, rainy days in the fall are great for birding along the coast of Maine. It seems this is related to the nature of the autumnal migration of birds. Learn more in "Windy, rainy days often make for best birding", The Portland Press Herald, October 16, 2011.

Halloween Event in Parsonsfield, Maine - The Haunting at Parsonsfield Seminary

The 5th Annual "The Haunting" event is being held in the Seminary Hotel in Parsonsfield, Maine in the 42-room building and campus. The Parsonsfield Seminary holds this event to raise funds and provide some entertainment.  Read a news article on a visitors recent experience there at "Seminary makes good spot for haunting", The Portland Press Herald, October 16, 2011.  Check out their Halloween event at the link below.

www.parsonsfieldseminary.org

Click here for other Halloween events in Maine

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Shackford Head State Park (Oct 23, 2011)

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands in conjunction with the Maine Forest Service will be conducting a guided fall foliage hike of the Shackford Head State Park on October 23, 2011 at 10 a.m. The complete hike will take two hours. Click on the link below to learn more about this fall hike in Eastport, Maine.

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Shackford Head State Park
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Mid October Trip to Western Maine

My wife and I are having a weekend away in Western Maine - actually attending a family wedding. The weather started out cloudy and raining on Friday (Oct 14, 2011) but we woke up to a cool but nice day on Saturday morning. It is partly cloudy and we have a good view of the Western Maine mountains from our hotel room. We are staying at the Jordan Grand Hotel which is part of the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine.  The fall foliage here is pretty - not as nice as some years past - (due to a wet August and September and Hurricane Irene) but nice enough. I don't know if it has "peaked" or not but it is pretty near or just past "peaked". 

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Sebago Lake State Park (Oct 16, 2011)

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Maine Forest Service will be co-sponsoring a Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Sebago Lake State Park on October 16, 2011 at 10 a.m. This 3-mile walk will offer pleasing views of a wooded forest with great autumn colors. The park is located in Casco, Maine. Learn more at the link below.

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Sebago Lake State Park
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Maine Fall Foliage Not Up to Standard in 2011

It looks like the fall of 2011 will go down as a sub-standard fall foliage season. The leaves are turning color late, some leaves have already fallen, and the colors are not the usual variety and brightness that we normally see. It is still a pretty view and worth coming to visit Maine. Read more in "Fall missing its true colors", The Portland Press Herald, October 11, 2011.

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Bradbury Mountain State Park (Oct 15, 2011)

There will be a Guided Fall Foliage Hike at Bradbury Mountain State Park on October 15, 2011 at 10 a.m. The top of Bradbury Mountain provides views of the land from the mountain to the Maine coast. The hike is approximately one hour long and is co-sponsored by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Maine Forest Service. Bradbury Mountain State Park is located in Pownal, Maine.  For more information click on the link below.

Guided Fall Foliage Hike of Bradbury Mountain State Park
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Fall Foliage Chairlift Rides in Camden, Maine

To get a special view of the Maine seacoast fall foliage you should consider a Fall Foliage Chairlift Ride in Camden, Maine at the Camden Snow Bowl. The chairlift rides are offered to hikers, mountain bikers, and sightseers on Sundays in October (2, 9, 16, & 23) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Black Woods Scenic Byway in Maine

The Black Woods Scenic Byway in Maine has some great mountains and lakes to explore.  There are trailheads, boat launches, and other facilities available for your recreational activities.  Visit the website for more info, maps, brochures, and recreational ideas.

Adroscoggin Riverlands State Park Guided Foliage Paddle (Oct 15, 2011)

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands in conjunction with the Androscoggin Land Trust is conducting a Guided Foliage Paddle of the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park on October 15, 2011 at 10 a.m. Paddlers will need to bring their own boats, life vests, gear, water, lunch and snacks.  The park location is in central Maine just north of Lewiston/Auburn in Turner. Click on the link below for more information.

Guided Foliage Paddle of Androscoggin Riverlands State Park
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Organic Beer in Maine

The Portland Press Herald recently ran a story (Rule change a boon for organic hops", October 1) about the farmers in the Northwest (the U.S., not Maine) now planting new varieties of organic hops without the use of pesticides. This stems from a federal decision that mandates brewers to use organic hops in 2013 if they label their beer as organic. While the news article was interesting it didn't really relate to Maine that well; and as one of the commenters (see the bottom of the news article) noted - it was filler for the newspaper. Another of the commenters noted that Maine does have some organic brews. Just so happens that yesterday I drank a Maine organic brew called Fall Summit Ale by Peak Organic Brewing Company of Portland, Maine. Delicious! The following link will bring you to a web page with a listing of Maine breweries and brew pubs.

Geo-Tours of Down East Maine

A web site entitled Down East Explorer is dedicated to geo tours of Down East Maine. The site could help you with your next geocaching trip.  Visit www.downeastexplorer.org for more info.

Yankee Magazine Names Camden, Maine as 3rd Best Foliage Town in New England

Camden has been named the 3^rd best foliage town in New England, up from 6^th in 2010, according to a poll conducted on YankeeFoliage.com, Yankee Magazine’s fall foliage Web site. A seaside town located in the “jewel” of Maine’s midcoast has everything a visitor is looking for, color intensity against the backdrop of the rocky coast, scenic drives, hikes and a whole host of outdoor recreation—adding to that world class dining, lodging, shopping and cultural venues that make Camden and the communities of the Camden Hills definite not-to-miss fall favorites. The voting took place from mid-August and ended yesterday, on September 28.

Read the rest of the article in "Camden Named 3rd Best Foliage Town in New England in Yankee Magazine's Online Poll", Republican Journal, September 30, 2011.  Learn more about Maine fall foliage.

Maine Foliage Report - October 5, 2011

The Maine Foliage Report from the Maine Department of Conservation for October 5, 2011 is below:

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

October 5, 2011 | Maine Foliage Report
Maine Department of Conservation
www.MaineFoliage.com

Maine's Western Mountains, Eastern Lakes Displaying Colorful Foliage

Fall foliage color is turning nicely in Maine's western mountains, and lake regions of Washington and Penobscot counties, while peak color has arrived in the northern half of the state, according to the fourth 2011 fall foliage report from the Maine Department of Conservation (MDOC).

Currently, Maine Forest Service and state park rangers are observing peak leaf color, or at least 75 percent color change, in northern tracking zones (Zones 7, 6, 5 northern, and 4 northern) covering all of Aroostook County and northern portions of Penobscot, Piscataquis and Somerset counties. These regions now have moderate, 30 to 50 percent, leaf drop, according to rangers.

Rangers are reporting high color, or 50 to 75 percent toward peak, in the southern section of Zone 4 and suggest a drive along Route 9 between Brewer and Baring. Moderate color, or 30 to 50 percent toward peak, is now showing in the western mountain towns of Bethel, Kingfield and Rangeley (southern Zone 5), the central region from Dover-Foxcroft to Bangor (northern Zone 3), and along the downeast coast from Bucksport to Eastport (Zone 2). Leaf drop is currently low, or 10 to 30 percent, in these Regions.

Low foliage color, or 10 to 30 percent toward peak, is being reported along the coast from Kittery to Belfast (Zone 1), and in southern areas including Fryeburg, Sebago Lake, Androscoggin County and Kennebec County. These regions now have low leaf drop.

MDOC forester and park ranger-led hiking events planned for this weekend in our state parks and public reserved lands include a family friendly, half-mile, one-hour hike at Mount Blue State Park in Weld, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct.8.

A moderate, 4-mile hike at Kennebec Highlands public lands site, overlooking Long Pond, Belgrade Lakes Village and Great Pond, will take place on Sunday, Oct 9 at 2 p.m.

Events are held rain or shine. For directions and more information on both foliage hikes, go to http://www.parksandlands.com. Maine's fall foliage conditions will be updated each Wednesday through at least Oct. 19 on this website. Maine foliage fans can also share photos and favorite viewing spots at the Maine Fall Foliage page on Facebook, or follow foliage news on Twitter using the "mainefoliage" hashtag.

Go to http://www.visitmaine.com or call the Maine Office of Tourism at 1-888-624-6345 for more information about fall activities and events in Maine.  Go to this link for more Maine Foliage Info.

Down East Sunrise Trail Fall Folliage Ride - October 22, 2011

The Down East Sunrise Trail runs along Down East Maine and is over 87 miles long.  It extends from Washington Junction to Ayers Junction.  The trail accomodates a variety of users from hikers, bikers, to snowmobilers.  On October 22nd there will be a Fall Folliage Ride for ATVs and Bikes.

"This ride covers one of the most spectacular sections of the Down East Sunrise Trail. The ride highlight is Schoodic Bog and scenic views of Schoodic Mountain. ATVs will start at 9:00 a.m. from Washington Junction and will have passed the Franklin-Route 182 Trailhead by the time the bicyclers get on trail. Each group will spend some time in the area of Schoodic Bog to take in the fall foliage, lunch, and learn about fall colors and trees from our Forester guides. Bicyclers will continue to the Rte 183-Tunk Lake Trailhead before turning around. The ATVs will continue on to Cherryfield before turning around. These rides are co-sponsored by the Sunrise Trail Coalition, Maine Forest Service and Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands."

Mount Blue State Park Guided Fall Foliage Hike

Maine is a wonderful place to view scenic fall foliage. Maine foresters are providing guided tours in many of Maine's state parks.  There is one scheduled at Mount Blue State Park on October 8, 2011 at 10 a.m. This is a short and easy 1/2 mile hike along the Center Hill nature trail that will allow you to see some wonderful fall colors.  The hike is co-sponsored by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Maine Forest Service.  The park is located in Weld, Maine. Click on the link below to view a flyer for this event.

Mount Blue State Park Guided Fall Foliage Hike  (an Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Eastern Trail in Maine Nears Completion With Bridge Over Maine Turnpike

An Eastern Trail bridge built over the Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk, Maine was officially opened recently - allowing walkers, hikers, and bikers to use the off-road trail. The Eastern Trail, once its 65-mile stretch is completed, will eventually transit Kittery to Casco Bay.  Read more about the bridge completion in "Eastern Trail gap bridged", The Portland Press Herald, September 29, 2011. The Eastern Trail was a project of the Eastern Trail Alliance.

Fall Foliage in Maine to Be Good this Year (2011)

The experts are saying that the fall foliage in Maine should be plentiful and colorful this year. We have had plenty of wet weather this year; and that is both good and bad for the leaves. The bad news is that wet weather causes a fungi-related malady called anthracnose to spread which causes the leaves to blacken and trees to loose their leaves early. However, this condition is not widespread in Maine and will not be noticed by the fall leaf peepers. The good news is that because of the plentiful rain we will have healthy and colorful leaves providing us with scenic vistas this fall. Read more in "Peeper pleasers: Experts agree -this should be a good fall for foliage fans", The Portland Press Herald, October 4, 2011.

Halloween Events in Maine

Halloween is coming up and now is the time to plan for the family Halloween event.  Many communities hold Halloween parties and events. Check out a listing of Halloween events in Maine at the link below:

Halloween In Maine

Portland, Maine Observatory

The Portland Observatory Museum will close for the season on Columbus Day, October 10, 2011. Now is the time to visit this architectural gem. Learn more about this historic structure that overlooks Casco Bay at the link below:

Portland Observatory

Maine Coastal Webcams

For a listing of coastal Maine webcams (if you can't visit the ocean it's the next best thing?) click on the link below.

http://www.maineharbors.com/camindex.htm

One such webcam on the listing is of Stonington Harbor - one of my favorite vacation destinations.

http://penobscotbaypress.com/multimedia/webcams/stonington/

Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation

There is an organization called the "Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation". If you have an interest in lobsters, lobstermen, or the Maine fishing industry then this might be of interest to you. According to its website the GOMLF

" . . . is a non-profit organization that collaborates with lobstermen, scientists and members of the communit to support a healthy lobster fishery within the Gulf of Maine, conduct vessel-based field work, protect and sustain the resource, encourage good stewardship of the marine environment and provide outreach, education and economic opportunities."

Learn more at its website and its blog.

http://www.gomlf.org/

http://lobsterlines.blogspot.com/  (I have added the blog to my list of Maine blogs)

Book on Maine - "Cabin" by Lou Ureneck

A Maine author retreats to the woods to build a cabin - and writes about it.  Read a book review of the work by Lou Ureneck as he describes his efforts to build a retreat in the woods.  "Cabin" published by Viking.

Map of Southern Map Apple Orchards for Apple Picking

If you want to do some apple picking in Southern Maine then you need to know where to go.  The link below will bring you to a map of places you can pick your own apples.

Map of Apple Picking Locations in Southern Maine

Listing of Maine Apple Orchards