The 28^th annual Maine International Film Festival opens tonight, Friday, July 11, and will run for ten days. Not only a chance to watch movies, the festival allows you to discuss the films not only with other movie lovers but also with the moviemakers and to travel the world without leaving the comfort of a padded, reclining seat in an air-conditioned theater. More…

Canned sweet corn from Maine was exported across the globe and was highly sought after. This industry lasted from the 1860s to the 1960s and brought prosperity to rural communities across Maine. By the end of the 19^th century, 75 corn canneries could be found in rural Maine, including one in Belgrade. More…

The water temperature is finally warming up a bit more to my liking — BUT is still not quite THERE!! Upper Long Pond (at least the top 12″) is a refreshing 78.7°F today (7/2/25) and in my humble opinion, obviously refreshing but not perfect! More…

Upon first setting my sights on the white-dappled and red-eyed Common Loons of our very own Great Pond, I instantly fell in love. I observed loon behavior from aggression to courtship, their feeding habits, and even the way these heavy-bodied birds take flight. More…

Abdi Nor Iftin’s memoir Call Me American is not what I expected. Having already enjoyed Somali immigrant books about soccer in Lewiston, I was expecting the American “victory lap.” Not so with this young man who finally arrived in the U.S. in his late twenties. Most of his memoir tells the story of his more than twenty years in Civil War Somalia. More…

This past week, I was encouraged to see a lot of youngsters fishing with their families. Many of the families were catching sunfish and smallmouth bass and keeping some for a 4^th of July fish fry. I warned some of them that the youngsters shouldn’t be eating fish from the lake. It’s pretty depressing having to do so. More…