Working Waterfront

Poor Internet speeds hampering island economies

By Tom Groening Fast Internet is more than a matter of convenience. Economic and community vitality hinge on download and upload speeds, local and state policy makers have realized. And the status quo is not cutting it, they say. One survey puts the U.S. at 17th among developed nations for… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Stonington Fishermen’s Wives hosts event

The Island Fishermen's Wives Association will the 26th Annual Fishermen's Day on Sunday, July 19 on the Stonington Fish Pier from 10 a. m. to 4 p.m. The event is planned as a fun-filled day honoring the community's fishing heritage. Features include a pet show, wacky row boat races, trap hauling demonstration, cod fish relay,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

North Haven library, community center host Elizabeth Bishop symposium

NORTH HAVEN — To commemorate the release of its publication Elizabeth Bishop: The North Haven Journal 1974-1979, the North Haven Library will host a symposium on the poet’s life and work at Waterman’s Community Center Aug. 14-15. The symposium offers the opportunity to learn more about Elizabeth Bishop: poet laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lyman-Morse buys Wayfarer Marine

By Tom Groening Thomaston-based Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding has purchased Wayfarer Marine in Camden. Lyman-Morse announced the purchase on July 1. The terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Both boatyards have deep ties to their communities. Lyman-Morse's history dates back nearly 100 years, while boatbuilding at the Wayfarer site began in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fishing community’s students put on a play

Ian Watkins is an Island Fellow, a participant in a two-year service program operated by AmeriCorps and the Island Institute, doing community development work on islands and remote coastal communities. Watkins works on Deer Isle and the Downeast coast with high school students. By Ian Watkins Just the other week,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islesboro approves special deer hunt

By Tom Groening At a special town meeting on June 11, voters approved a plan that would allow hunters who live or own land on the island to take an unlimited number of deer from mid-December to the end of February. The plan, which carried in a 45-27 vote, is… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Crossing has been essential, symbolic of my experience

Editor's note: Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront, and AmeriCorps. Maddey Gates has been helping with elder care efforts on four islands. To reach an island, you… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Parsing the ‘It’s not bad, it’s different’ sentiment

The comment was poignant, maybe reflecting resignation, maybe reflecting sadness. A native of Lubec, speaking about the changes she's seen since her days working in a sardine packing plant ended years ago, described a community where she no longer knows most everyone. The Lubec of years ago was a place… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The faces of My Island tell their stories

Patrisha McLean's My Island is a celebration of summer and year-round Maine island children, with more than 100 duotone portraits. The 160-page book—five years and countless ferry rides in the making, she says—is distributed by Islandport Press and is a follow-up to Maine Street, the award-winning 2010 book celebrating the… SEE MORE

Renovations included refurbished seats and curtains

Working Waterfront

Bar Harbor’s Criterion Theatre gets curtain call

BAR HARBOR — In just eight months, the vintage Criterion Theater has been transformed from a mold-laden derelict into a historic gem, its elegant Art Deco details restored or faithfully reproduced. "One of the most noticeable achievements, of course, is…" said board president Michael Boland, who then took a deep… SEE MORE