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Maine Maple

Monday, February 25, 2008

Skowhegan: Maine's maple syrup season begins

One of the things we anxiously wait for here in Camden is the Maple Syrup to start flowing and this morning - we got the news. Stay posted for local events that celebrate March Maple Sunday!

Windward House Bed and Breakfast uses only Maine Maple syrup for breakfast. We also have a great package March in the Mud

The best way to deal with the Mud is to get out and enjoy it. Better yet, hiking in the mud provides that little extra exercise one might need to get that winter weight off. Package includes:

2 night stay in a warm and dry fireplace suite, Mid Coast Maine Hiking book, local hiking trail maps and bubble bath for that bath you will need when you come in from your muddy adventure.

-prices start at 325.00 Package is available the months of March, April and May.

Quoted from http://bangornews.com:

Skowhegan: Maine's maple syrup season begins

SKOWHEGAN, Maine— When conditions are just right — mild days, cool nights — the sap flows and Maine’s maple syrup season begins.

The season can start anytime between mid-February and late March, but whenever the sap is ready this year, producers are hoping for one thing: a season that will break the three-year trend of a downturn in production.

The USDA reported that New England temperatures last year were 60 percent too cool, 21 percent too warm and 19 percent favorable during the season.

Bob Moore of Bob’s Sugar House in Dover-Foxcroft is looking forward to a more productive season this year.

"Last year was bad," he said. "But there is no way to know what will happen this spring. It all depends on Mother Nature."

Moore said many producers, including himself, have already started tapping their trees even though the flow has not started yet.

The good thing about the marketplace is that supply and demand balance each other. Because syrup supplies were down last season, producers got a higher price for their product.

To herald the syrup season and celebrate the millions of dollars it brings to the state’s economy, Maine Maple Sunday is celebrated this year on March 23, with many sugarhouses opening for business and providing entertainment and samples for visitors.

In central Maine, the town of Skowhegan has adopted the

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www.skowhegan.org/committees/planning-home.asp

Run Of River

www.skowhegan.org/committees/runofriver-home.asp

Standing in community's center

Standing in community's center

02/06/2008

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It's there in the form of the shipyard worker from Kittery who has driven hours in the darkness just to participate in the ice fishing derby on the lake, same as he's done every year for almost a decade now.

It's there in the story of the humpback white perch, measuring more than 15 inches long, that's spread faster than a wildfire across a dry western plain -- despite having more than 200 fishermen gathered for the derby and the impromptu game of "telephone."

It's there in the baked bean cook-off that features everything from traditional beans to spicy, South American ones -- the very cook-off that inspired "controversy" with beans that were "not local" and "from away."

That community was there in myriad other forms, too, from the soapbox sled derby to the snowshoers and cross-country skiers, from the dog named Lady Simone to all the vehicles parked on the lake, more than you would find in a crowded Wal-Mart parking lot on a Saturday afternoon.

The Lake George Regional Park's annual Winter Carnival is a lot more than an ice fishing derby, though that derby stands as the centerpiece event in the carnival. Then there's the centerpiece personality which, without a doubt, is the park's director.

Jeff McCabe may hail from Massachusetts, but he's clearly leapt into the community that surrounds Lake George. In fact, he did so literally on Saturday -- hopping into a survival suit and plunging himself into icy cold water at the comical urging of members of the Skowhegan Fire Department, who were staging a water rescue demonstration at the carnival.

"Well, I couldn't back down then," McCabe says, a wide grin peering through his tussled hair and shaggy goatee.

Not that one got the impression he would have considered passing on an opportunity to try something new. In fact, he insists at virtually every turn that people traveling with him open themselves to new things.

He plunges a steaming cup of baked beans into your hands.

"You've got to try these," he says.

He attends to prior commitments by introducing you to someone new.

"Here, he runs a maple sugar shack. You should talk to him."

He can't make it from Point A to Point B -- from the sledding hill to the derby headquarters on the lake, for example -- without stopping and talking to 112 different people along the way, deftly maneuvering his way through conversations on topics ranging from fish species to cross-country skiing conditions to whose beans were really the best.

"I don't even really know that much about fish," McCabe shrugs, almost apologetically.

"Do you like beer?" he asks.

Uh ... "Go with Jim. He'll get you back to your car."

Who Jim is and what he has to do with beer is the mystery, one you'll figure out later -- after you climb into Jim's truck and find out where you're headed (the local microbrewery, "Oak Pond Brewery"), another piece of the community surrounding Lake George.

Jeff McCabe isn't tagging along on the trip, though. He's on the move. He's got a community waiting on him, a community he eagerly participates in and shares with everyone he can.

It's all quite overwhelming.

n n n

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/021115.html

Democrats to caucus

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By Morning Sentinel Staff Report January 22, 2008 02:04 PM

Recent Updates

Obama wins Maine 7:41 PM

Waterville likes Obama 6:15 PM

Obama takes Gardiner, Manchester 5:41 PM

SKOWHEGAN — Skowhegan Democratic Caucus will assemble at 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 10 at the Skowhegan Community Center.

Doors open at 2 p.m. and the business meeting will begin promptly at 2:30 p.m. with Presidential preference voting at 3 p.m.

Only registered Democrats can participate in the caucus, which gives them a chance to talk to neighbors, meet local candidates and surprise guests.

Jeff McCabe, chairman of the Skowhegan Democratic City Committee, said he has received calls from many interested people.

A list of all local Democratic caucus times is available at www.mainedems.org.

Republicans or Greens who want to participate in the Democratic caucus must register as Democrats no later than Jan. 26. Those who are not enrolled or are unregistered to vote may register as Democrats any time prior to the caucus or at the caucus itself.

www.westernmountainsalliance.org/wma.html

2007 Lead Western Maine participants, left to right, Roger Lambert, Strong, Betsy Bell, Mexico, Raylene Tolman, Strong, Linda Deane, Livermore Falls, Kate Goldberg, Bethel, Eric Hinckley, Farmington, John Stinchfield, Phillips, Kathleen Beauregard, facilitator, Rachel Jackson Hodsdon, Wilton and Jeff McCabe, Skowhegan. Not in the picture: Jan Kubiac, Albany Township.

www.unity.edu/news/mccabe07.asp

New Lake George Park director blazes trail

By DARLA L. PICKETT

SKOWHEGAN -- Jeff McCabe remembers dropping by Lake George Regional Park 10 years ago to visit with his college buddies. "A lot of my friends worked at the park for college internships, so I would stop by during the summer," McCabe recalled. Little did the Unity College graduate know that someday he would be the person in charge of future college students in the same position. McCabe, 29, took over as park director in December, when Nancy Warren retired. "The legacy of Lake George is pretty inspiring," McCabe said, pointing to its history as a youth camp -- Camp Modin --for years before the park was established in 1993. The state purchased the land for the park before 1997 and leased it to operators of the park, which straddles the Skowhegan-Canaan line. The park is leased to both towns and run by a nonprofit group, Lake George Corp. The board is comprised of five people appointed by selectmen in each town. The park, which survives on donations, fundraisers and gate fees, also is helped by extensive volunteer and internship programs, according to McCabe. Including land purchased in 2002 with money from the Land for Maine's Future and foundation grants, the park is now a 320-acre treasure with swimming holes, boat launches, hiking trails, 15 miles of cross-country ski trails, 16 buildings "and some of the best bird-watching around," McCabe said. He said there also are bath houses on the east and west sides of the lake, a social hall on the west side and other smaller buildings for family reunions, barbecues and group functions. McCabe said his new position is an apt fit because of a strong partnership between the park and his alma mater. Unity College provides interns an education on how the park is run while they perform work there. McCabe's job includes fundraising, handling the day-to-day operation of the park, bookkeeping, office management, and human resources. During the summer, there are up to 20 day camp employees. Beyond that, however, an enthusiastic McCabe has set his eyes on bigger goals. "I hope to grow the year-round usership, pursue foundation funding, upgrade and maintain the buildings and improve trail maintenance," McCabe said. He said he also hopes to expand the park's affiliation with area schools, perhaps offering environmental education in the fall and spring. Already, McCabe said, he has written two grant applications and has two more in the works. "There are a lot of people committed to this park," he said. "What I think a lot of people don't realize is how much the park relies on donations to run. "It's not actually passes and gate fees that keep the park running. Capital improvement relies on substantial donations and grants, from buying a chain saw -- which we need right now -- to finishing our office. It still needs a deck and ramp for handicap accessibility." McCabe, originally from Arlington, Mass., graduated from Unity College in 2000 with a degree in environmental education. For five years he was executive director of Somerset County Soil and Water Conservation District. In that capacity, he traveled the state working on conservation and environmental issues as they relate to water quality and soil erosion. McCabe lives in Skowhegan with his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Carly Francis. "I thought this job was a good fit for me. It's not every day people get to work where they have a sense of place. Before I was all over the county. Now I'm in one location," McCabe said. "I spent a lot of time in Maine as a kid and I always said I would move here. Now here I am, and I love it."