Hike n’ Bike

The big news in Bridgton this week is the seventh annual Loon Echo Hike n’ Bike Trek Saturday, Sept. 22. This event is a huge fundraiser for Loon Echo, as the local conservation organization celebrates its 20th anniversary of protecting the Lakes Region’s most beautiful wild places.

Bridgton’s beautiful new 55-acre Pondicherry Park was made possible in part by the efforts of Loon Echo, and they are currently focused on conservation of over 2,500 acres of Pleasant Mountain. Their work ensures that Bridgton will have pristine greenspace forever and can only succeed with support from the public.

The classic Bike Trek draws riders from all across New England for its 25-, 50- and 100-mile courses and is a favorite event for riders because of the varying terrain and scenery. For those less inclined to pedaling, polish (or dust off) your boots, because new this year is the Hike Trek, a 6-mile course beginning on the Southwest Ridge Trail of Pleasant Mountain, across the summit and down the ski slope to Shawnee Peak.

The route is mildly challenging but appropriate for all skill levels. The cool, bright days of September are perfect for a good hike, and the views from Pleasant Mountain are stellar. There will also be live music by the Blue Willow Band and The Sensations, a barbecue buffet and vegetarian lunch, and great prizes including a road bike from Gorham Bike and Ski, A Bear Creek canoe and a season pass to Shawnee Peak.

Additionally, this year’s entire trek is being presented as a “Carbon Neutral” event, powered by 35 wind watts donated by Maine Interfaith Power and Light. There will be giveaways promoting “green” living and organic trek T-shirts for sale. For more information, pick up a brochure at the Loon Echo building at 1 Chase St. in Bridgton, or register online at www.lelt.org.

Autumn bounty ready

Fall’s bounty of pumpkins, cornstalks and mums are brightening storefrontsand sidewalks around town. To get your own, visit the Bridgton Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning at the Bridgton Community Center for all the fresh vegetables, gourds, late-season greens and goat cheese you could need. This dry, warm spell we’re having with its cool-ish nights should sweeten the harvest to perfection.

Shaping up

Major rehab projects continue from one end of Main Street to the other. As excited as most people are about the big Reny’s and Magic Lantern projects, some locals had expressed concern over how both loomed so large over Main Street, dwarfing the smaller buildings around them.

This week, though, the newly added green tile roofing and cedar siding on the Magic Lantern have given it a softer profile immediately, the warm colors blending with DownEast’s offices behind it. The theater is still on track for a mid-December opening.

With its grand new entrance and windows framed in Reny’s now looks less imposing too. Mary Kate Reny tells me that her family hopes to have the expansion completed by the end of the year also and are looking forward to the store’s opening.

This week’s most notable architectural news is the dramatic facelift of the historic Wales and Hamblen building. Consensus is that the facade of the 120-year-old building looks fresher than ever and evokes a classic Victorian-era “Painted Lady” aesthetic. George and Amy Macguire deserve an ovation for their determined efforts to save the building, which was getting precariously rickety and weather-beaten.

Former owner Lynne Talbot, who sold the Macguires the building two years ago, is thrilled with the makeover, and said “It looks beautiful.”

Special mention also goes to EFG Books, whose new cactus and succulent window display really puts me in a “High Lonesome” mood.

Overheard at the bar

And, finally, in an effort to provide everyone with the most important, newsworthy items of the week I present my new “completely uncorroborated and quite possibly completely false but you never know…” series “Overheard at the Bar.” This week’s tidbit- was that The Queen of All Media Oprah Winfrey looking at property on Long Lake? See you next week!