‘It’s where oil and water meet’ co-owner Kim Martin declared as we stood along the impressive row of glistening stainless steel Fustis, looking out at the beautiful harbor, through floor to ceiling windows.  It quickly became clear to me, that coming here to shop was only half of the story.

‘What’s a Fusti?’ As soon as I asked the question I saw the eyes of Kim and partner Denise, light up with passion for their new endeavor.  Before us were fifty five of these ‘vessels’, handcrafted in Italy, for the sole purpose of housing fresh gourmet oils and vinegars from around the world.  And when I say fresh, I mean so fresh, that some varieties had not yet arrived, as the particular crop was still growing in the fields of exotic places like Portugal and Greece.  As for the gourmet, this article cannot do justice to the mouthwatering flavors that I enjoyed that afternoon.

‘Would you like to try some?’ Kim asked, as I looked at her somewhat skeptically, not quite sure how I felt about tasting oil and vinegar straight up.  Kim proceeded to educate me on how to properly taste these homemade delights, infused with everything from wines to jalapenos to, are you ready for this? Chocolate!   But it only took one swallow to understand that these were not your average oil and vinegars, of even the most gourmet variety.  These were of the kind that could indeed stand on their own in the tasting department, not to mention what they could do when added to salads, entrees and even desserts!

As we moved around the vibrant space, Kim and Denise introduced me to a variety of other gourmet treats; none of which, in all of my days of shopping, had I before seen exact replicas.  Handmade chocolates of exotic varieties like Himalayan salts; as well as a few unexpected flavors like bacon and jalapenos (looking for a unique Valentine’s Day gift anyone?); Organic pure cane sugars of every flavor imaginable; clove, lemon, toasted coconut, even sweet onion! (savory homemade baked goods come to mind of course, but think of the killer cocktail party one could host, with sugar rimmed glasses of this caliber!); syrups from France (think Orange Blossom and Violet), salts from Australia (Mediterranean, Merlot and Velvet), teas, drinking chocolates, Himalayan salt plates, organic homemade pastas, marinades, duck fat!  There were even organic herbs and spices from a local grower in Dresden, Maine.

As I bid so long to my lovely hosts at Eventide Specialties, I felt an odd sense of what I could only describe as relief.  Relief that, in a world where everything imaginable is literally at our fingertips (and just a click away), we still have the option to open the front door of a locally owned and operated business and be welcomed inside.  I felt more like a guest than a customer.  I felt a great sense of pride for the Community in which I live, where members like Kim and Denise are committed to offering their guests something more than a place to purchase goods.  Their handmade, healthy, eco-friendly and farmer friendly products, combined with their attention to personal service, create an experience that will surely keep their guests coming back time and time again.

In addition to welcoming individual shoppers, Eventide offers private consultations, parties, gift baskets, wedding favors cooking presentations and other unique services.  Eventide Specialties is located on 5 Boothbay Harbor House Hill in Booothbay Harbor.  Visit them on line at http://www.eventidespecialties.com/ or call 207.350.4244.

The Art of Packaging will focus on how to grow your business and our community through collaboration.  Guest Speaker and Development Project Officer for Maine Office of Tourism, Margaret Hoffman, will demonstrate how to create innovative packages, increase online exposure through visitmaine.com and increase revenue by developing a ‘menu of experiences’.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the owners of Boothbay Craft Brewery and  enjoy a sneak preview of their soon to be completed brewery. Also available to share ideas on how partnering can reduce marketing costs will be:

Emily Harradon of Cumulus-Portland (WBLM, WCYY, WHOM & WJBQ)                                                                                                                                              Marilyn Quinn of Blueberry Broadcasting (WABK//WBFB/WMCM/WLKE/WQSS/WRKD WTOS/WTQX/WTUX/WVOM),                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Lisa Kristoff of the Boothbay Register                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Lee Arnott of Sweet Thunder Video Productions

Please RSVP to lori@boothbayharbor.com, on the chamber facebookpage, or call the office at 633.2353.  Guests are encouraged to dress casaul and comfortable, as the brewery is still a work in progress.

The BBHR Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank the following businesses for their collaboration in promoting and supporting this event:  Maine Office of Tourism, Boothbay Craft Brewery, Boothbay Register, Sweet Thunder Video Productions and Blueberry Radio Broadcasting.

It may not have felt like a Christmas celebration with temps reaching into the 50’s this past Saturday in Boothbay Harbor, Maine; but the fall-like weather was no match for the magic of the holiday spirit that radiated from the streets and harbor and captured hundreds of festival goers that day. That magic began early Saturday morning when Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves spread their holiday cheer to the residents of St. Andrews Village, Greens Landing and St. Andrews Hospital.

Meanwhile, downtown in the Whale Park folks watched in anticipation as lobstermen tied up at the town dock to decorate their boats for the lighted boat parade.  Y Arts arrived at the park at noon and entertained the growing crowds with a wonderful selection of holiday melodies. Just before Santa and his gang arrived by boat, the Y Arts crew pulled the winning ticket for their $10,000 raffle {a fundraiser to support the Y Arts Program} and made local resident Scott Campbell a very happy man!

Then, as the crowd drew its attention toward the harbor, they caught a glimpse of what they had all come for; the US Coast Guard guiding Santa and his helpers to shore. They stepped off the Novelty boat, headed up the ramp past cheering fans and boarded the horse drawn wagon to Santa’s Workshop (aka Gimbel’s Country Store), where cocoa and cookies were served while children enjoyed lap time with Santa.

Visitors too large for Santa’s lap headed off to enjoy the many other festivities happening around town, like the festival of trees at the Opera House, an open house at Studio 53 Gallery and Boothbay Region Arts Foundation, a Craft show at the BBH Fire Department, a Christmas fair at the BBH Congregational Church, lunch at McSeagull’s Restaurant and, of course, all of the excellent local Christmas shopping!

At 3pm folks began to gather on the library lawn to enjoy music by the Hollowell Community band, along with important folks like the Three Wise Men, Santa, Mrs Claus and all of the Elves.  At dusk, Santa lit the tree with his magic wand and a crowd followed the Three Wise Men across the footbridge to Our Lady Queen of Peace for the Live Nativity Scene.

When darkness fell, spectators congregated once again at the Town Landing to watch in awe as 15 beautifully decorated boats circled the harbor. It was a sight to behold and a fitting grand finale to a day that could only be summed up as Holiday Perfection!

The Boothbay Region anxiously anticipates a taste of new local flavor in the coming months, with the grand opening of the Boothbay Craft Brewery in Boothbay, Maine.

Owner/Builder/Brew-master, Win Mitchell took time out of his overflowing schedule yesterday afternoon to give a hard hat tour of the facility that will soon be known as the peninsula’s one and only local craft brewery. The Boothbay Craft Brewery is one of about twenty breweries in the state of Maine that are members of the Maine Brewers Guild, who share a mission ‘to keep Maine in the forefront of the microbrew revolution by offering high quality and creative diversity for the customer’. The Guild, with its members and various supporting organizations, offer invaluable opportunity for the state to grow local business through their shared passion, by hosting various events and initiatives throughout the state, such as Maine Beer Week, The Maine Beer Trail, and Maine Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay, a brewers fest that was held at The Boothbay Craft Brewery last July and is scheduled to return for round two on July 14^th, 2012.

The ‘Bru Team’ has many meanings at the Boothbay Craft Brewery/Boothbay Resort, and resort hosts and brew-masters are only a couple of the hats this team might wear on any given day. The team has not only constructed the impressive facility entirely themselves, but they have done so with a conscious effort to protect the environment, using many recycled materials and eco friendly products. And through it all, they never miss an opportunity to give credit where credit is due. ‘We wouldn’t be here without the help of our friends’, and by friends, they primarily mean their ‘Brew Family’. Or in their words…

‘As most of you are probably aware, a rising tide floats all boats, and in the Craft Beer world the same applies. The collaborative and altruistic nature of the brewing industry is where we all get our strength. We are proud to support all small breweries that have this same “Imperial Attitude” ’

Construction on the breweries exterior is scheduled to be complete in the next 10 days, at which time the crew will move inside to interior finish work. The 5 Barrel Steam Fired Brew House, currently being built in Prince Edward Island, is scheduled to arrive in early February. Once installation and inspections are complete, the brewing will begin.

The start to finish brewing process takes about three weeks, so brew fans should follow them on twitter, facebook or their website, if they want to be among the cool first to enjoy the breweries Signature 633 American Pale Ale.

The Breweries first major event, The 633 Hop Swap, will take place on Saturday, June 2^nd, when the Bru Team will kick off the hop growing and summer season by inviting all fans to join the Bru Team and grow along with them. For more information about this event or the Boothbay Craft Brewery, visit their website or sign up for the Bru News.

The Boothbay Resort and Boothbay Craft Brewery are local family owned and operated businesses located at 301 Adams Pond Road in Boothbay, Maine.

The Boothbay Region YMCA celebrated the completion of a milestone project this past weekend; one that will most likely become the cornerstone of families in this community for generations to come.  With the generosity, hard work and support of neighbors, family and friends, the YMCA was able to attain a goal most communities would think impossible. 

The Grand Opening of the Bosarge Family Aquatics Center was held on Saturday, October 29^th and hundreds of elated members showed up to celebrate the long awaited transformation of their beloved YMCA.  For the first time in a year, the entire community had the opportunity to witness first hand, that the construction project often referred to as ‘the new pool’, went far deeper than a new pool.

Unable to attend the Grand Opening, and anxious to see our new Y, my colleague Heather and I stopped by for an [unannounced] visit, hoping to take a look around.  We were warmly welcomed by Executive Director, Andy Hamblett, who gave us the grand tour; from sparkling fresh paint, tile and water, to nearly finished and fully equipped locker rooms for women, men and families, to balcony spectator bleachers, private party and board rooms, we soon realized it was more than one could absorb in a visit.  

We began our tour in the new Harold Gordon Lounge, a welcoming area just outside the Aquatics Center, where parents can comfortably wait for their swimmers, or spectators can watch a racquet ball game from above, while enjoying vibrant wall colors, spectacular local art work and a most impressive ‘Y Capital Campaign Wall’ with every supporter of the project listed, from start to finish.  

Next, we proceeded through glass doors into the State of the Art Bosarge Family Aquatics Center.  The jaw dropping sight left us breathless and elated, realizing for the first time, the magnitude of this incredible gift our community has been given.  The 6 lane, 25 yard pool glistened in the bright, clean space and the bells and whistles were everywhere!  Toe rails, underwater speakers, built in timing devices, competitive measuring devices…the list goes on and on.  Not to be overshadowed was the smaller but plenty impressive therapy pool, with invisible edges for easy entry and a most welcoming average temperature of 88 degrees! 

As we continued through, we saw the finishing touches being added to the sauna and three locker rooms, by what was now a skeleton construction crew.  Andy shared with us his heartfelt gratitude toward each and every crew member on the project and said ‘they have become part of the family and we really hate to see them go’.     The newly installed elevator took us upstairs to the balcony level, where spectators can watch competitions from a bird’s eye view, or even in a private room.  Pool party anyone?

Another elevator ride delivered us to the new Wellness Center, an enormous span of space, separated only by windows, offering three different exercise opportunities in an overwhelmingly open and friendly environment.  The East wall of what will be known as the Spinning Room, boasts recycled floors from the Racquet Ball Court and floor to ceiling windows with views to the great out- of- doors, which will eventually be beautifully landscaped with recycled plants from the Botanical Gardens. 

And even with all of this magnificence; the vibrant colors, art, personality, space and state of the art facilities, it was still impossible to overshadow the behind the scenes portion of the project.  The thousands of gallons of water and heat that will be saved annually, resulting in not only huge cost savings but a greatly reduced impact on our environment, the improved water, sound and air quality, the careful selection of materials used to stand the test of time in a moist environment, the consideration in design for each and every individual, and the tribute to literally thousands of people who have made it all possible in one way or another.

At the end of our tour, one thing was as crystal clear as the new 25 yard pool.  The effects of this project and the ‘shifting’ of space that resulted from it, have directly or indirectly affected every aspect of the Boothbay Region YMCA; from aesthetics and comfort, to energy efficiency and a reduced impact on our environment, to improved air and water quality.  In a nut shell, a platinum example of a healthy and socially responsible project that remained on time and on budget to the very end.

Congratulations and thank you, to the entire team that made this YMCA transformation a reality for thousands to enjoy for years to come!  Your efforts continue to make a permanent and positive difference in our community and our futures.

It’s a bitter sweet time of year for many businesses in the Boothbay Harbor Region; a time when we bid a sad ‘so long’ to our friends until next spring, but also look forward to a bit of R&R after the busy season.  Last evening the Boathouse Bistro bid their winter farewell in style -70’s style that is, and hosted their friends and family one last time before the spring of 2012.  And oh, what a party it was!  The staff looked fabulous, the food was as decadent as ever and the company, of course, couldn’t be beat!  Many thanks to our friends at The Bistro for your hospitality and for all that you do for our community!

Though it is a fact that many businesses close for the winter around our region, there are many that do not.  We still have plenty of choices for places to stay, eat and play, so consider the road less traveled this winter and come to Boothbay Harbor for a quiet, romantic, relaxing getaway!  We promise you will find a place every bit as beautiful as it is in the summer….just different.

For more information on who’s open year round, call the chamber team at 207.633.2353, visit us online or stop by and see us at the Chamber office…we’ll be here!

The upcoming holiday weekend is jam packed with events beginning with the 5th Annual Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta  .  This event is achieving world acclaim with its enormous pumpkins being grown to break world records.  This years winner (shown below) is a whopping 1,375 lbs. and is only one of dozens that emerged from the patches of expert pumpkin growers all over New England,  many of which were grown right here on our own Mid Coast.  The 10 day festival began with official weigh-off’s on October 1st and doesn’t slow down until late in the afternoon on Monday October 10th.  This FREE event truly has something for everyone and is sure to be one of the ‘most unusual’ things you might find to do while visiting our region. 

Be sure to stop by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce for a copy of the ‘pumpkin trail map’ which will guide you to dozens of giant pumpkins around the region, beginning with the one right outside our door.  Each pumpkin will be creatively adorned by the hands of talented local artists.  Our 468 lb pumpkin was grown by Sam Kaler of Kalers Crab & Lobster House and will be decorated by Carol Reeves of the Boothbay Country Club & Clubhouse Gallery  and Adele Bielli of Slick’s Boutique .

From Damariscotta take the colorful drive down the River Road to the Fall Foliage Festival   at Boothbay Railway Village on Saturday, October 9th and Sunday October 10th.  A long time favorite of local and visitors alike, this event is most definitely on the ‘not to miss list’ for Columbus Day weekend in our region.  Guests will enjoy more than 100 fine crafters, great food, steam train rides and non stop entertainment in the midst of a perfect fall setting.

There is so much going on, it truly is impossible to report all of it.  The only thing to do is get here as quickly as possible and start having fun.  And along the way, be sure to take in the breathtaking scenery, like the photograph above by Robert Mitchell Photography , {shot from the water looking back at Capitol Island}.

See you in the Harbor!

All that one needs to do is step through the front door of the Tile Connection in Boothbay, Maine, to see that it is a whole lot more than just a store that sells tile!  Co-Owner and tile aficionado, Audrey Miller, will be the first to admit that she’s ‘in it for the art’ and it’s quite clear that when it comes to tile art, she means business!    ’Our tile comes from a wide range of sources, including small studios that produce limited-edition and one-of-a-kind pieces.  We have tile lines that you will not find elswhere and offer a huge variety of beautiful handmade and specialty tile in ceramic, porcelain, stone, and glass…’

And if you think that the Tile Connection only offers product and service for larger projects, think again!  I recently found an iron coffee table frame at the dump that was in perfect condition minus the fact that it was missing its top.  I brought it to Audrey and voila!, my adorable recylcled table (pictured above) has a new life!

It is not just the tile that makes this place special, but the friendly, personal and knowledgable care that you will receive from the moment you arrive.   Even if you are not currently in the market to buy tile, I encourage you to stop by for a visit!  You just never know what creative juices might begin to flow within you!  And the next time you visit the dump,  think interior design project!  Don’t worry…Audrey can help!

One again, the vibrant mid coast town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine has managed to blow our socks off with world class entertainment!  Bluegrass connoisseurs, Steep Canyon Rangers, of Asheville, North Carolina brought the Opera House down on Saturday night with their outstanding performance.  As if the melodious collection of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar were not enough to leave the audience awestruck, these five talented men sang A cappella that literally left you breathless.   For a group that spends their time at places like the Grand Ole Opry, headlining at world renowned festivals like Bonnaroo, or appearing on Austin City Limits and the Late Show with David Letterman alongside their part time banjoist, Steve Martin; they paid high accolades to the incredible sound resonating from the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, and, after returning for an extended encore, announced that they couldn’t wait to return!  I think I will risk speaking for the audience when I say…neither can we!   A very special thanks to event sponsors, Topside Inn and Inn at Greenleaf Lane and Bravo to the Opera house at Boothbay Harbor for bringing such a diverse selection of worldwide talent right to our doorstep.  For more information on how you can be a part of this phenomenal organization click here.

The Maine Brewers Guild, The Boothbay Resort and The Boothbay Craft Brewery teamed up on Saturday, July 30^th to host a spectacular event that featured a selection of brews from more than 20 Maine brewers.  This fundraiser brought over 700 beer enthusiasts to Boothbay, Maine, traveling from faraway places like Poland, California and Nova Scotia.  In addition to the vast assortment of Hops and Barely, the event featured an impressive spread of food prepared by The Spruce Point Inn, a southern BBQ by Jennie Mitchell of South Carolina, desserts from Mc Seagulls Restaurant and Boathouse Bistro and a lovely selection of wines from the 1828 Vintage House, also located on the awesome property of the Boothbay Resort.   Shuttles were provided, courtesy of Wiscasset Ford, Spruce Point Inn and Rocktide Trolley, to transport guests in and out of Boothbay Harbor, for an opportunity to enjoy everything the region has to offer during their stay.    The event also featured a scavenger hunt, which was a collaborative effort between the event hosts and the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce.  The BBHR Chamber of Commerce also raffled off a one year membership to all participating brewers and are very pleased to welcome Andrews Brewing Company of Lincolnville, to the chamber family.  All in all, it could not have been a better summer day in Maine…the weather…the people…the cause… and of course, let’s not forget…the beer.