About Oxford County, ME

The beauty of rural Western Maine is truly breathtaking. This hidden treasure of Maine is often overlooked due to its distance from the highway, but worth the scenic and peaceful drive to get there. The Western Maine Culture website is a great way to familiarize yourself with the area and plan your next vacation.

While you plan for one of the best vacations of your lifetime in Western Maine, also check out the Norway Historical Society and The Adviser Democrat, a local paper based in Norway Maine serving the entire Oxford Hills area in Western Maine.

I promised to keep you updated on the progress, so here it is...

Beth Coffin, of West Paris Maine, is 25 and lives with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  The trailer she lived in with her parents was falling apart and unsafe for her and her family.  For over a year, Beth worked with the community to raise money to build a new home that would better meet her needs.

After many donations of time and materials and a lot of hard work, the home is now almost complete and Beth and her family are truly excited to be moving in.  This is a great example of a community coming together to help one of it's own.

June 17, 5-6:30 p.m. Wine Tasting, featuring local wines and mead, Cafe Nomad, 450 Main Street, Norway. FMI: 207.739.2249, www.facebook.com.

June 17, 8 p.m. Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, vocalist, fiddler, guitarist and songwriter, $20, dinner available beforehand by reservation, Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695, Dugway Road, Brownfield. FMI: 207.935.7292, www.stonemountainartscenter.com.

June 17-20, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m Sunday, "Bus Stop" by William Inge, presented by the Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts Association, $10/adults, $8/students and seniors (55+), Norway Grange, 15 Whitman Street, Norway. FMI: www.ohmpaa.org.

June 18-20, 9 a.m. Friday to noon, Sunday, Pleasant Mountain Fiber Arts Workshop, Sharon Costello, nationally known felter is featured fiber artist, fiber arts classes, Denmark Arts Center, 50 West Main Street, Denmark. FMI: 207.452.2687, www.denmarkarts.org.

June 18, 7:30 p.m. TWO, juggling brothers Matthew and Jason Tardy, an explosive, inventive and unbelievable performance, The Lovell Brick Church for the Performing Arts, 502 Christian Hill Road, Lovell. FMI: www.lovellbrickchurch.org.

June 18-20, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, "Hello, Dolly!" directed by Jerry Walker and presented by Lake Region Community Theatre, $15/adults, $12/ages 12 and under, Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Center, 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison. FMI: 207.583.6747, www.lrctme.org.

June 18-20, times vary, 5th Annual Maine Blues Festival, (primarily on Saturday), featuring over 40 blues bands at over 20 venues, shuttle buses, vendors, food, and more, Naples Village Green, 15 Village Green Lane, Naples. FMI: www.mainebluesfestival.com.

June 19-20, 9 a.m. Lake Region Open Golf Tournament, Naples Country Club on Saturday, Bridgton Highlands Country Club on Sunday, play your own ball, winner based on two-day total score, Naples Golf and Country Club, 134 Sebago Road, Naples. FMI: 207.647.3472, www.mainelakeschamber.com.

June 19, 10 a.m. Landscaping to Save our Lakes, advice about organic gardening, lawn care and Maine lakes from Paul Tukey, best-selling author and publisher of "People, Places and Plants," sponsored by Lakes Environmental Association, $5/non-members, Bridgton Town Hall, North High Street, Bridgton. FMI: 207.647.8580, www.mainelakes.org.

June 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 4th Annual Windham Summerfest, Business Expo plus pancake breakfast, parade, entertainment, food booths, car show, children's activities, yard sale and more, Windham High School grounds, 406 Gray Road (Route 202), Windham. FMI: www.windhamsummerfest.com.

June 21, 5 p.m. Summer Solstice Hike up Bald Pate, traditional 20-30 minute hike to the rocky summit to remember Bob Chase, a founder of Loon Echo Land Trust, meet at the Bald Pate parking lot, Route 107, South Bridgton. FMI: 207.647.4352, www.loonecholandtrust.org.

June 22, 6-8 p.m. The Lake Region Greenprint: A Community Partnership Public Input and Listening Session, to develop a strategic plan based on local and regional priorities designed to meet community open space, park, recreation and conservation goals, sponsored by Loon Echo Land Trust and The Trust for Public Lands, meet at Crooked River Adult Community Education Center, Route 11, Casco. FMI: www.loonecholandtrust.org.

June 22, 7 p.m. Paul Frederics, author of "Canning Gold: Northern New England's Sweet Corn Industry," will talk about local corn shops, followed by "corny" refreshments, public welcome, Norway Historical Society, 471 Main Street, Norway. FMI: 207.743.7377, www.advertiserdemocrat.com/NHS.

June 23, 6:30 p.m. The Met's Live: in HD! Romeo et Juliette, $15/adults, $10/students, Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, 745 Main Street, Fryeburg. FMI: 207.935.9232, www.fryeburgacademy.org.

Lakefront property on Concord, Little Concord or Shagg Ponds in the Sebago Lakes Region will provide you with a remote getaway destination.

Search for lakefront properties on Woodstock Ponds

Hidden in a secluded part of the town of Woodstock is Concord Pond. If you are seeking a quiet spot to vacation, this may just be your place. There is no power in the area, contributing to the feeling of remoteness. The 135-acre pond has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The water quality is slightly below average. If you bring a boat, the access is carry-in.

A mile or two downstream is Little Concord Pond with a surface area of 26 acres. The maximum depth of Little Concord is 56 feet. The principal fishery is brook trout, which is stocked annually. Access is limited to walk-in or 4-wheel drive from Shagg Pond Road. Special regulations are in effect on this pond to proved a quality fishery, including fly-fish only, a daily bag limit, and an extended season. Anglers should consult the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife laws before fishing on the pond.

Shagg Pond, at the foot of Bald Mountain, covers a surface area of 65 acres. It's not large enough to waterski on, but is a great place to explore via canoe or kayak. The public boat access is a dirt ramp off of Shagg Pond Road.

Anglers will find splake abundant in Shagg Pond. Do check your rule book because a few exceptions apply to the pond, i.e. an extended fishing season with artificial lures, and use or possession of live bait is prohibited.

In 2007 variable-leaf milfoil was discovered in Shagg Pond. The CLA continues efforts to control the milfoil. In May 2010, the CLA received a substantial Maine Milfoil Initiative Grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Department that will help the association purchase a "DASH" boat equipped with a suction hose.

All three ponds offer picturesque mountain views of Bald, Mollyockett, Spruce, Zircon, Davis and Speckled Mountains. Hiking trails are maintained by the Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. If it's a technical climb you seek, check out Shagg Craig. Nearby, you can play golf at the Bethel Inn and Country Club or Sunday River Golf Club. Ski areas within a short drive include Sunday River and Mount Abram.

So . . . if you wish to turn the clock back and enjoy an unhurried vacation, consider lakefront property on one of these three ponds ringed by low mountains.

Located in the northeast corner of Oxford County, Maine, these three ponds offer idyllic, scenic vistas. They are protected by the Community Lakes Association, which was "organized to protect the health and beauty of the ponds and lakes in and around Greenwood and Woodstock, plus Songo Pond in Bethel."

Lakefront property on Big Bear Pond in the Sebago Lakes Region towns of Turner and Hartford will yield a lifetime of pleasure. Whether you are a seasonal or year-round resident, every day will feel like a vacation when its spent on the pond.

Search for lakefront properties on Big Bear Pond

Big Bear Pond covers a surface area of 324 acres and has a maximum depth of 28 feet with an average depth of 12 feet. Scott Williams, executive director of the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, reported to the Bear Pond Improvement Association (BPIA) that the water quality is above average.The BPIA oversees "the well-being of Big Bear and Little Bear Ponds, and the surrounding watershed . . ."

In 2001-02, the association conducted a watershed survey to identify areas of run-off erosion. Common problems included slight to moderate surface erosion, bare and sparsely vegetated soil and lack of vegetated buffers along the shoreline. Easy and inexpensive solutions meant seeding and mulching bare soil, creating run-off diverters, and establishing or enhancing buffers.

A grant from the Clean Water Act, Section 319, paid for a portion of these improvements. While all run-off problems pose a significant threat to the lake, it was the lakefront owners' willingness to correct them that has helped maintain above average water quality.

Big and Little Bear are connected by a shallow, rocky passage. Motorboats can pass through, but operators need to use caution.

Since the ponds are both shallow, you'll find good fishing for warm water game fish such as bass and pickerel. Keep in mind that there is no public boat launch. Both ponds are open to ice fishing during winter months. The Turner Town Beach on Bear Pond Road is for residents only.

As a four-season recreation destination, Bear Pond has much to offer including swimming, boating and fishing. Water-skiers will find the calm sheltered waters of Little Bear ideal. Hikers will enjoy the views of both Big and Little Bear Ponds from Bear Mountain. Hayford Hill and nearby Streaked Mountain also have hiking trails. The Turner Highlands Golf Course and Country Club offers scenic views of surrounding fields and mountains. The Turner Timberland ATV Club maintains trails for adventurous riders. And the Turner Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club connects "trails from Auburn to Livermore and Buckfield alongside Turner's scenic Androscoggin River, The Wildlife Game Preserve, Bear Pond and Bear Mountain." The snowmobile club is also home to the "One Lunger 100" Vintage Race, the Northeast's only vintage snowmobile race.

Located only 20 minutes north of the Twin Cities of Lewiston/Auburn, the pristine waters of Big and Little Bear Ponds provide an ideal setting for all your outdoor adventures.

Little Bear Pond, mentioned above, is also part of the BPIA. Little Bear, at 109 acres, is a shallow cove with a maximum depth of 10-12 feet and an average depth of 6 feet. The water quality is rated as average.