Welcome to Bridgton

To all of the visitors in town this week, welcome to Bridgton, and thanks for reading my column! Maine is beautiful in all seasons, but summer is special. Local business owners are marveling over the numbers of vacationers in the Lakes Region this year, and our unscientific but fairly reliable data point to Bridgton having had the busiest Fourth of July weekend in memory. The classic summer weather and lots of sunny skies have made it a perfect season to spend in Maine.

Speaking of the heat…for the first time in its 10 year history, organizers of Art in the Park postponed it by one day due to the extreme temperatures forecasted for last Saturday. It was feared that the artists’ tents would be little saunas baking under the midday sun, so it was rescheduled for Sunday. Fortunately this last-minute glitch did little to dampen the spirits of exhibitors or visitors, as numbers were high and sales brisk. This art festival on the shores of Shorey Park is a highlight of summer in town and it’s great to see it flourishing more and more with each passing July.

Lakeside Lobsters

One near-mandatory requirement of a trip to Maine is eating at least one lobster, and the preferred method in summer is fresh picked claw meat stuffed into a hot dog roll and slathered with butter (or not!). This perfect mixture of high and low personifies Maine culture, and August is the perfect month to sit by the lake and gorge on one. The Lakeside Garden Club is once again selling the classic Maine treat for its annual fundraiser, so stock up while you can.

The club maintains public gardens throughout Bridgton and the Lakes Region, and proceeds from the sales benefits their town beautification efforts and educational scholarship program. The lobster rolls are only $8 each and pick-up is at the First Congregational Church on South High Street from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 9. They are available as pre-orders only, so call by Aug. 1 to place yours at 647-2813.

Camera Obscura Sketching Day

Then on Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. until noon photography buffs are in for a real treat, as Rufus Porter Museum curators hold a workshop on the early roots of photography and the initial use of the camera obscura.

The class starts at the museum with a short lecture about what a camera obscura is and how Rufus Porter used one, then attendees will construct their own out of provided materials and travel off site to use their creations and draw plein-air. No drawing skills necessary, and bring your own camp chair and sketchbook if you have them; the museum will provide the rest. $10 will cover supplies and instruction. Please call 647-2828 to register for either class, and for info on the Civil War exhibit and upcoming events.

Grab Bags of Glad Rags

If you are looking for a thrifty way to stock up on back-to-school gear while helping a local nonprofit, head downtown this weekend. The Bridgton Hospital Guild Thrift Shop, conveniently located next to Reny’s on Main St. in Bridgton, throws their popular “End of Summer” half-price sale starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, and running through Friday the 10th.

The frenzy continues with their “Fill-A-Bag for a $2” sale starting Monday, Aug. 12, through Friday, Aug. 17.

The Bridgton Hospital Guild Thrift Shop is a fund-raising project that donates all profits to buying equipment and supplies for Bridgton Hospital, and hosts community outreach programs. For full details about the Bridgton Hospital Guild including how to become a member, go to www.bridgtonhospital.org/gateway-guild.html. The shop is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday Showcase

The Bridgton Community Center is a vital local anchor for many of our friends and neighbors, hosting dozens of weekly classes and support groups as well as funding senior transportation and free Community Kettle dinners. Join them as they launch their newest project, the Performance Cafe.

If you are a musician, poet, magician, comedian or any other kind of performance artist you are invited to take the stage at this new Sunday series, which is free and open to everyone. This open mic event runs from 7-9 p.m. on July 28 then into August on the 11th and 25th. Please call Carmen Lone at 647-3116 for more information on this and other great programs at the BCC.

Village Folk Festival

Bridgton has a vibrant artist community, and local organizers are celebrating our many talented artists and craftsmen with a new cultural and artisan fair. August’s inaugural Village Folk Festival will offer music, vendors, hands-on demonstrations and lots of food.

The daylong festival on Friday, Aug. 16, will be held on Depot Street with a garden-to-table party in the Bridgton Community Gardens, and artisans and exhibits lining the sidewalks. It is so exciting to see the efforts of Nicholas Chalmers, Lucia Terry and all the other volunteers who have built this festival from the ground up finally come to fruition. Please join us as we create a new summer tradition in Bridgton. And remember, the Common Ground Fair started small too, and look how many people flock there in the fall. See you on Depot!

Curious Arts, Quirky Science

The local Rufus Porter museum continues its stellar cultural outreach program this summer, with its acclaimed Civil War exhibit in full swing. This meticulously curated exhibit features hundreds of photographs, documents and artifacts in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the war, but there are other compelling reasons to visit the museum this month.

Their children’s cultural calendar is filled with educational opportunities for kids, including the “Curious Arts, Quirky Science” program. Join enthusiastic instructors at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, for a fun and informative class based on the muralist Rufus Porter’s 1825 “Curious Arts,” an instruction manual primarily designed to give the public quick and easy steps to creating various types of artwork and applied science experiments. Students (and parents) will learn about Porter’s scientific interests, publications, and oftentimes peculiar experiments. Children will follow updated versions of Porter’s original recipes to create invisible ink and learn about applied science.