The Ossipee Valley Music Festival has expanded from its beginnings to become a four-day celebration of ‘open-minded acoustic music.’
Ray Routhier
Staff Writer
Ray Routhier has written about pop culture, movies, TV, music and lifestyle trends for the Portland Press Herald since 1993. He is continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of Maine’s people and places. He’s written about why so many businesses use the made-up word “Mainely” in their names, how you can trace Portland’s history through its various smells and why Mainers lament the loss of Portland-made B&M baked beans. He’s interviewed a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, musicians and authors, including Patrick Dempsey, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Russo, Tess Gerritsen, Tony Bennett, Anna Kendrick, and Stephen King. His passions, besides writing, include baseball history, old movies and “Jeopardy!” A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, he graduated with a degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He lives in South Portland with his wife and two children.
Posted inLife & Culture
Families complicate life for ‘Bachelorette’
It can be terrifying to meet the family of your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Using that measure, Ashley Hebert faced terror times four Monday night.
Hebert, 27, was seen on Monday’s episode of the ABC reality show “The Bachelorette” traveling around the country to meet the families of the four men still in the running.
The season began in May with 25 men vying for Hebert – a dental student from Madawaska – but she had narrowed the field to four by Monday night.
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Posted inBusiness
Maine at Work: From pools to weeds to water leaks
Managing a building is a lot of work, but it beats being ‘chained to a desk’ all day.
It’s about 85 degrees out, and humid, when Warren Meech tells me we’re going to the back of the Sunspray high-rise condo complex to the pool.
But instead of taking a dip, I get to skim bugs off the surface of the water with a net. And push a long-handled vacuum back and forth along the pool bottom.
Posted inLife & Culture
Open House: Rebuilt to last
Clever design and new technology surmount the challenges of replacing a small seaside cottage lost to a storm.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Author Q & A: Close encounters of the RV kind
Former Gov. Angus King’s book blends stories from his family trip around the U.S. with insights about getting through transitions.
Posted inUncategorized
Blues you can use
What do you get when you cross some of the world’s great blues artists and a summer weekend in Maine? Why, the North Atlantic Blues Festival, of course.
Posted inNation & World, News
For ‘Potter’ fans, a bittersweet ending
Because an entire generation has thrilled to Harry Potter’s exploits from grammar school days to college years, the last film is as highly anticipated as any in recent memory.
Posted inLife & Culture
‘Bachelorette’ comes down to final 4
Can a girl from a small town in Maine find love in New York City?
Or in the wine country of California? Or in sprawling Atlanta?
That is the next crucial question for Ashley Hebert of Madawaska as she continues her search for romance on ABC’s dating reality show “The Bachelorette.”
Posted inLife & Culture, News
Camp job calls for ease at shifting gears
Maine at Work: Multiskilled counselors referee games, teach knitting, chaperone field trips, quell quarrels and make paper planes.
Posted inLife & Culture
Go outside and play
A little friendly competition can add to the fun of outdoor gatherings this summer.
The great thing about lawn games — at least some of the newer ones — is that they are usually more fun than they sound.
Take cornhole — also called bean bag — a Midwestern staple currently enjoying new popularity with the 20-something set.