Just a few more days to get your Kitchen Tour ticket for the pre-sale price of $25. A day of touring beautiful kitchens and dining on delictable treats for $25, what a deal!

Stop in at any one of these local shops to buy your ticket: CAMDEN: Once a Tree, Party Fundamentals, Stonewall Kitchen; ROCKPORT: The Market Basket; ROCKLAND: Atlantic Baking Company; LINCOLNVILLE: Dot’s Market; BELFAST: The Good Table; WALDOBORO: The Well Tempered Kitchen.

You can also call the Merryspring office, (207) 236-2239, to reserve a pre-sale priced ticket to be picked up on the day of the tour.

The annual, and this year the 50th, rendezvous and races of the Friendship Sloop Society will take place July 22 – 24th, 2010 in Rockland, ME. These lovely gaff rigged sloops have a long history in Maine and an enthusiastic group of Friendship sloop owners convenes annually for fun and racing.

Races take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday inside Rockland harbor, and by far, the best place to watch is from the Rockland Breakwater.

The lovely gaff rigged Friendship sloop has no real birth, but was gradually developed around 1880 from the fishing and lobstering needs of the men of Muscongus Bay on the Maine coast. For many years, these easy to handle boats, were used by fishermen for daily catch. The FSS explains where the name came from, “There are many names that are remembered as builders: Carters, McLains, Collomores, Winchenbachs, Morses and others but Wilbur Morse’s name comes up as father of the Friendship Sloop because of the large number that come from his shop. It is said a sloop was launched every two or three months. Because of Wilbur’s mass production and his shop being in Friendship, this great sloop acquired the name of the town he was building in.”

Today, many of the sloops are privately owned, primarily along the East Coast, but some as far as the Pacific (that make the annual trek to Rockland!). A few operate daily sails for passengers on the coast of Maine in the towns of Boothbay Harbor, Belfast, Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and a few others.

Jewelry, pottery, sculptures, glass, paintings, wood products, games – are just the beginning of what the show has to offer. Tents and booths are set up in Camden’s Harbor Park, overlooking the bustling waterfront of fishing boats and windjammers. Atlantic Street is closed to vehicle traffic and harbor park is bustling!

It’s called A Taste at The Top, an event being held at Point Lookout, our neighbors to the north in Northport/Lincolnville, Maine on Saturday, July 24th, and it looks like fun!

Sponsored by Maine Brewers and Vintners, the event offers samples from the state’s premier micro-breweries and wineries, (too many to mention here), gourmet food, and live music in a spectacular ocean view setting. Check out http://www.centralmainebrewfest.com/ for all the info you need, including directions, and a list of vendors that are selling tickets now!
You may also email for tickets: tickets@centralmainebrews.com.

For 2010, Camden will become America’s music village on Saturday, July 3rd, with four different ensembles performing a wide range of American music- from country to marches to doo-wop and more- all capped with a spectacular fireworks display above the most beautiful harbor in Maine.

Photo courtesy Schooner Mary Day, Camden, ME

This year’s schedule of festivities:

Thursday, July 1: Bay Chamber Concerts Summer Music Festival Opening Night, Rockport Opera House, 8pm
Thursday July 1- Saturday July 3: Camden Civic Theatre presents A Streetcar Named Desire, Camden Opera House
Friday, July 2: Family Fun Day at the Camden Snow Bowl: open hiking trails, tennis courts, mountain bike trails, softball diamonds and more! All Day.
Saturday, July 3: Thomaston 4th of July Parade, 11am.
Saturday, July 3: Music by the Sea, presented by Camden Rotary, Harbor Park, Camden (three exciting bands from noon until 5pm).
Saturday July 3: Bay Chamber Concerts present a Doo-Wop Bash, starts at 8pm. Classic music from the 50s and 60s, offered free to the public as a thank you for 50 years of Bay Chamber Concerts. Includes display of classic cars on Atlantic Avenue. Harbor Park, Camden.
Saturday July 3: Eve of Independence Fireworks, 9:15pm (weather date Mon July 5). Display by Central Maine Pyrotechnics. Experience the oohs and ahhs of fireworks over Camden harbor on the eve of our nation’s birthday. Part of the multi-day Festival of Independence, come and enjoy a wonderful small town experience for the 4th of July weekend.
Saturday, July 3: Reprise of the Doo-Wop bash, starting at 9:45pm (post fireworks).
Saturday July 3 & Sunday July 4: The Fabulous 50s and Sensational 60s Car Meet and Antique Aeroplane Show, Owls Head Transportation Museum.9:30-5pm
Sunday, July 4: Mojo Mondaynite Jazz Orchestra 1:00 pm, in the Camden Amphitheatre, Atlantic Avenue, Camden.

This year’s nineteen participating galleries and studios will be open: Waterfall Arts, High Street Studio & Gallery, Daniel Anselmi at 75 Main Street Studio, Brambles, Art Alliance Gallery, Off the Beaten Path Gallery, Roots & Tendrils, Aarhus Gallery, Beyond the Sea, Belfast Co-op Café Gallery, Image Box Photos, First Light Gallery, Parent Gallery, Ben Hall at 960 Studio, Galerie Dufour, Betts Gallery at the Belfast Framer, Dina Petrillo at The Post Office Studio Workshop, Susan Cooney Fine Art Studio, and Maine Farmland Trust. Many of these locations will be having openings and receptions on the 4th.

There will be live performances on the streets and around town during the Belfast Art Walk. Performers for the 4th are dancer Heléna Melone, the band Big Blue, and saxophone player Lincoln Blake.

Learn more about the wonderful coastal town of Belfast, Maine.

In 2010, the Camden Garden Club will present the 63rd Annual House and Garden Tour from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on July 15th, 2010, rain or shine. Enjoy a day visiting lovely homes and/or gardens on one of Maine’s oldest and most famous summer tours. Unique views, waterfront properties, and in-town jewels make this tour a must for residents and visitors alike! This year, the Decorator Show House Tour & Guest Cottage is included in the purchase of the House and Garden Tour ticket. If you’re staying with us, call us for a special package including tickets to the Tour and dinner at The Edge. Otherwise, tickets may be purchased through a variety of local shops, or for more info, call (207)236-8946.