Bridgton, ME

A road racing friend of mine writes:

The "4 on the 4th" Road Race in Bridgton is a traditional way for our family to celebrate Independence Day.

First thing in the morning we come together to run or cheer on the runners at the annual race. I don't normally like to run in crowds, but it's fun to see so many people involved - from runners to volunteers, who work the registration tables, sing the Star Spangled Banner, provide water stops, keep traffic at a standstill, collect chips at the finish line and offer massages.

And 90% of the proceeds benefit the Bridgton Public Library, while the other ten percent benefit other local charitable projects.

After the race, we all gather to put the finishing touches on our float, which often wins a prize. The crowds that line the streets of our small town for this parade are amazing - and eager for the candy we toss.

Of course, the parade, sponsored by the Bridgton Lions Club, is quintessential Maine. It features floats created by families, organizations and businesses, Kora Shriners of South Central Maine, Bridgton Community Band, horses, color guards, vintage cars, twirling ballerinas, jugglers, clowns, Scout troops, and fire trucks from throughout the Lakes Region.

The day ends with a family barbeque at our camp on Moose Pond - hot dogs and burgers, potato salad, and strawberry shortcake are always on the menu, but we'll get creative too. We'll swim, play a friendly game of wiffle ball, and sit around the campfire toasting marshmallows for s'mores. Finally, we'll retire to the screened-in porch overlooking the water and watch fireworks go off up and down the lake.

It doesn't get much more All-American than that. Fireworks, band concerts, parades, cookouts, road races, Independence Day - it's all happening in the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine. Come and enjoy Independence Day at a vacation home on any of the lakes or ponds in western Maine where our motto is "the way life should be."

The race, certified by the USATF, begins at Food City at 8 a.m., with registration at Bridgton Memorial School from 6 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. Information about the race is available at www.fouronthefourth.com. You can register on line at www.comfortsignups.com.

If you're interested in seeing what lakefront properties are for sale on Moose Pond, click below:

Search for properties on Moose Pond in Bridgton and Denmark

To celebrate the longest day of the year and the first day of summer, and to remember its founder, Bob Chase, the members of the Loon Echo Land Trust will be leading a hike up Bald Pate Mountain in South Bridgton, Maine on June 21st.

The hike will start at 5 pm and participants are asked to meet at the Bald Pate parking lot. The hike takes about 30 minutes and the views from the summit provide a bird's eye view of the surrounding lakes and hills including Foster Pond, Peabody Pond, and Hancock Pond.

The Loon Echo Land Trust was founded in 1987 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to see some of the natural areas of the northern Sebago Lake Region preserved in their natural state, immune from development and exploitation. Since its founding, the Loon Echo Land Trust has put into permanent conservation 3,396 acres of land in the towns of Bridgton, Casco, Denmark, Naples, Harrison, Sebago, and Raymond, including 14 conservation easements and 6 preserves.

Their largest preserve is the Pleasant Mountain Preserve in Bridgton which is a destination for thousands of hikers every year. Their first two preserves are the Mayberry Hill Preserve in Casco and the Bald Pate Preserve mentioned above which are enjoyed by hikers in the summer and cross country skiers in the winter months.

Upcoming activities include Trail Maintenance on Pleasant Mountain, done in conjunction with the Appalachian Mountain Club on August 1st and the Loon Echo Hike and Bike Trek on September19th. All are welcome to these activities and the Trust is always eager to welcome new members and volunteers.

Visit the Loon Echo Land Trust's website to learn more.

If you are interested in conserving your own piece of paradise in Maine you should check out our Lakefront Locator where you can easily search for all the current lakefront listings in Maine.

Here are a few that you might see from the summit of Bald Pate:

Foster Pond, Bridgton - 1.2 acres with 85 feet of frontage, peace and quiet - $189,000.

Foster Pond, Bridgton - 2 bdrm camp with 211 feet of frontage - $189,900.

Hancock Pond, Denmark - 3 bdrm cottage with 100 feet of frontage - $219,000.

Hancock Pond, Denmark, cute 2 bdrm camp with 100′ of sandy frontage - $224,897.

Hancock Pond, Denmark - 3 bdrm, 2 baths, at the end of the road - $396,000.

Hancock Pond, Denmark - 3 bdrm, 2.5 baths, 200 feet of frontage - $539,900.

Hancock Pond, Denmark - 40 acre compound, main lodge and 3 cottages - $1,300,000.

One of the nice things about the lakes region of Maine is that it has a history of welcoming guests from away for over 100 years. A local favorite here in the Sebago Lake region is the Tarry-A-While resort located on the shores of Highland Lake, just off the Ridge Road, in Bridgton.

Built in the 1890s to house the parents of owners who lived up nearer the Ridge, the house soon began to feel too big for the parents and they started taking in boarders during the summer. It has fulfilled that purpose ever since.

For its first 50 or more years, rooms at the Inn were let out during the summer, year after year, often to the same families. Housekeeping cottages were added, as well as a bath house for swimming and boating. Meals were provided and guests ate together in the dining room of the Inn. The Inn gained a reputation for providing "a Maine summer experience", i.e. outdoor recreation, swimming, boating, sailing, and hiking and touring.

In 1966 Tarry-A-While passed out of the hands of the family and was bought by Hans and Barbara Jenni. They continued to operate it as a summer hotel and added the Stubli Switzer restaurant, the menu reflecting Hans's Swiss roots. In 1992 the Jenni's sold to Mark and Nancy Stretch who are the current owners and who continue to operate the Inn and several cottages as rentals for summer guests.

Currently the Inn offers guests 11 rooms to choose from and five cottages. All enjoy the wonderful sand beach and recreating in clean and clear Highland Lake. On site you can also enjoy tennis, badminton, shuffleboard and croquet. Across Ridge Road is an 18 hole golf course, The Bridgton Highlands Country Club, open to the public.

If you're visiting the area and would like to have "a Maine summer experience" try Tarry-A-While.

If you prefer staying at your own place on Highland Lake, but don't own one yet, here are the properties currently for sale with lakefront on Highland Lake in Bridgton:

49 The Birches, $325,000

52 Highland Road, $535,000

87 North High Street, $589,000

59 Sunset, $1,485,000

136 Highland Road and 3,5,7,9 Gallinari Way, $2,200,000

Whether you own a camp or cottage, or are renting a condo or four season contemporary at water's edge, Moose Pond offers up four seasons of fun and recreation and is truly a lake that the whole family can enjoy.

Stretching from Bridgton and Sweden in the north to Denmark in the south, this 8 mile ribbon of water lies in the shadows of Pleasant Mountain and has been a destination for vacationers and campers for years.

The northern and southern ends are wilder and shallower, providing settings for wildlife and bird sightings, as well as great canoeing and kayaking. Powerboats are welcome too, usually carrying fishermen looking for action from bass and pickerel.

The deeper water fishery is out in the Main Basin, the widest part of Moose Pond, south of the 302 causeway. Here the deepest part of the Pond reaches 70 feet and there are magnificent views of Pleasant Mountain and the Shawnee Peak ski area. This is the area to water ski, tube, and use that wakeboard.

Beyond the Mountain Road bridge in the south the character of the Pond changes back again, to a quieter, shallower body of water better suited for smaller boats and paddle craft, wildlife and bird watching, and fishing.

In the winter enjoy snowmobiling and ice fishing on the Pond, or take advantage of the lake's proximity to Shawnee Peak Ski Area, visible from most any place on the Pond. Sunday River skiing is less than an hour away and shopping the outlets in North Conway, NH is within an easy half hour drive.

The surface area of Moose Pond is 1697 acres in all, with a maximum depth of 70 feet and a mean depth of 22 feet. The quality of water here is rated "above average" and it is consistently monitored by the Lakes Environmental Association, headquartered in Bridgton.

If you have any interest in knowing more about what lakefront properties are for sale on Moose Pond, go to our Lakefront Locator, click on Lakefront Homes and Sebago Lake Region, then scroll down and click on Moose Pond and, voila!, all the current listings on Moose Pond will appear.

If you are among the fortunate and have a history of summer vacations in the Lakes Region area, or if you have recently discovered this area for the first time, you are probably already acquainted with our local movie theater, the Magic Lantern.

Situated in downtown Bridgton, alongside Steven's Brook, the newest version of "the Magic" is a welcome addition to Main Street, Bridgton. With three screens and a pub, this theater has gone a long way in helping to revitalize downtown Bridgton.

Its predecessor was housed in a building that was razed to provide room for the new version. The old building was literally sinking into the ground and there was no helping it, so down it came. The town voted to provide tax incentives for the construction of a new theater and worked with the owners to provide the area with a first rate facility that provides a focal point for the downtown.

I grew up in this area and remember the old Brookside Theater - an open, high-ceilinged theater with a stage and a balcony. One of the first movies I ever saw in a theater was here back in the early 1960s - Disney's "The Shaggy Dog". I also remember seeing "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Easy Rider" there as a teenager. In the 1970s it was taken over by a local entrepreneur who renamed it the Magic Lantern. While it was popular with locals and visitors alike, it was operating on borrowed time as the building continued to sink, the heating system was problematic at best, and attendance could be spotty.

Now we've entered the new age of the Magic Lantern - a brand new facility with Dolby surround sound, comfortable seats, three theaters (each with their own decorative theme), and a pub where you can watch sporting events and movies on the big screen, or watch live performers while enjoying a meal or a beverage.

If you're on vacation and staying at a camp on the lake there's bound to be a rainy day or two during your stay. Don't get cabin fever, though - just get to downtown Bridgton and enjoy a film or sporting event on wide screen and be transported to a world away from that rainy day.