We’ve talked about the sardine canneries in Ferry Village where many of the local neighborhood women worked in the early- to mid-1900s. When a herring boat came in, the horn at the factory would blow and it was a common sight to see doors opening and women walking down to the cannery. There were two […]

Do you need help with snow shoveling? If you are age 65 or older and have a limited income, Age Friendly South Portland may be able to link you with a volunteer to shovel for you. Please call the city of South Portland Social Service office at 767-7617 for more information. We have had an […]

Forster Manufacturing Company, Inc. operated a clothespin assembly plant in South Portland from 1947 to 1956. Let’s take a look at this old Maine company and its founder who appears to have had a habit of spreading misinformation in an attempt to protect his trade secrets. Charles Forster is credited with creating the manufactured toothpick […]

‘Tis the season for gift giving. No matter how or what you celebrate, the winter brings an abundance of opportunity to treat the people you care for. In the spirit of the holiday season, we wanted to put together a low-waste gift guide. To do this properly, we asked South Portland’s resident low-waste experts: the […]

Last week, we introduced you to Susan Parmelee, our sustainability program manager who started back in October. This week, the spotlight is on Steve Genovese, our new Greater Portland Council of Governments Resilience Corps fellow. Steve started in our office in October, focusing on outreach and communications and assisting in a range of office programming. […]

Part 2 We continue where we left off last week with our story about Malaga Island and some of its connections to South Portland. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a false science known as “eugenics” was gaining popularity. Eugenics theorized that people of different races had inherent genetic traits, such as intelligence. […]

Age Friendly South Portland, in partnership with the South Portland Public Works Department, is once again providing its Sand Buckets for Seniors program this coming winter season. Like last season’s successful program that served more 250 residents throughout the city, seniors and individuals with mobility issues can reach out to public works to receive a […]

Some new additions to the South Portland Sustainability Office can only mean one thing: new installments to our Sustainability Staff Spotlight series. This week, we’re featuring Susan Parmelee, the city’s sustainability program manager who joined our team in October. She works to implement One Climate Future, our joint climate action plan with the city of […]

Part I Perhaps some of you have heard of Malaga Island, known as the “Shame of Maine.” Malaga Island, sitting off the coast of Phippsburg, was home to a racially-diverse community of people of European, African, Native American and mixed-race heritage starting in the 1860s. For many years the term “Malagite” was used as a […]