Even though menu selection is at your own discretion, isn’t it sticker-shocking when dining a la carte? Not sure? Try doing it with someone who takes the art of the Early Bird Special to a master’s level. Someone who perceives little glass dishes of Grapenut pudding or red Jell-O as an entitled choice, but passes. […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Wednesday 2/25 “What Burns Away,” Brown Bag discussion with author Melissa Falcon Field, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700, portlandlibrary.com. Friday 2/27 “Dream Singer,” discussion with local author Frank O. Smith, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700, portlandlibrary.com. Tuesday 3/10 “Twisted Threads,” discussion/signing with author Lea […]

With the exception of credit card statements, the 2014 holiday season is a scant memory. Time has passed, but it’s never too late to honor the annual tradition of sharing the top best and worst tips of the previous year. Here’s what they were, and why, in ascending order: The best tips • A little […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Wednesday 2/18 “The Franco-Americans of Lewiston-Auburn,” Freeport Historical Society discussion with authors James Myall and Mary Rice-Defosse, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3170, freeporthistoricalsociety.org. Wednesday 2/25 “What Burns Away,” Brown Bag discussion with author Melissa Falcon Field, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700, portlandlibrary.com. […]

To my new readers, and especially to the rabidly faithful old-timers, thank you for your patience as I bit my cuticles working out tedious, yet exciting, business details with The Forecaster. Pumping out four editions weekly, this newspaper group is established, respected and, most importantly, widely read. With that appeal (and my relentless stalking), the […]

The musical genre known as Americana dominates this week’s top events. The biggest comes courtesy of Portland Ovations: “Million Dollar Quartet” is a stage dramatization of one of the most extraordinary jam sessions ever held. That happened on Dec. 4, 1956, when Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley spent a day […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Wednesday 2/11 “A Year After Henry,” Brown Bag discussion with author Cathie Pelletier, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700. Wednesday 2/18 “The Franco-Americans of Lewiston-Auburn,” Freeport Historical Society discussion with authors James Myall and Mary Rice-Defosse, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3170, freeporthistoricalsociety.org. Friday […]

There’s plenty of music scheduled over the next wintry week in Portland. Portland Symphony Orchestra continues its three-year series of Ludwig van Beethoven’s nine symphonies on Sunday and Tuesday, performing No. 3, subtitled “Heroic.” If Valentine’s Day has you in a romantic mood, you might try an interesting take on that basic theme when violinist […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Wednesday 2/4 “The Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances,” discussion with author Ellen Cooney, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3307. Friday 2/6 “Joseph K. Manchester: Northern Son in the South,” Falmouth Historical Society discussion with author Carol H. Manchester, 2 p.m., free, OceanView at Falmouth, 3 Marion […]

Excellent choices for comfy indoor entertainment abound as we enter the second half of winter this week. Tops is a visiting ensemble from the southern city of jambalaya, crawfish pie and file gumbo. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which has been a fixture of New Orleans culture since 1961, will play in snowy Portland on […]