Monmouth, ME

Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of Rum...Pirates! Unstoppable Woman? - Day 8

Blow me Down! Pirates are coming to Monmouth, Maine this month! Blimey, pirates! AND a Major-General!

The Theater at Monmouth, the Shakespearean Theater of Maine, will be performing Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance from September 23 through October 3. The Pirates of Penzance is a very popular comic opera and will feature professional and community actors. Mark S. Cartier (most recently seen in the movie, The Box, with Cameron Diaz) will be playing the Major-General's role. This show will no doubt be performed with the same rollicking enthusiasm and creative artistry that the Theater of Monmouth has become known for.

The Theater at Monmouth (TAM) was founded in 1970 aa a repertory company and performs year-round in Monmouth's Cumston Hall. Professional artists from Maine and around the whole country come to Monmouth every year to perform here.

For more information on show times and ticket prices, visit the Theater at Monmouth's web site. There you will also find information on the upcoming 2011 season. And you can check out the TAM alumni list - which includes names like Patrick Dempsey and Bronson Pinchot!

So don't be Lily-Livered! Come spend an evening in Monmouth watching pirates, maidens, inept police, and a Major-General wreak havoc and sing and dance while doing it! Yo, ho, ho!

No rum though....Aaarrrggghhh .

Located in the heart of the Winthrop Lakes Region is the crown jewel known as the Theater at Monmouth.

In 1899, Dr. Charles M. Cumston of Monmouth commissioned Harry Cochran, an accomplished painter, writer, composer and musician, to design a building with an opera hall, caucus room and town hall. Today, Cumston Hall continues to tower dramatically over Main Street. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and houses the 250-seat opera house, town hall and public library.

This is the 41st season for the Theater at Monmouth or TAM as it is known locally. In 1970, Richard Sewell and Dr. Robert Joyce established the theater as a professional summer theater to produce Shakespeare's plays and the classics. The mission is "to bring innovative approaches to Shakespeare and other classic plays through professional productions which enrich the lives of people in Maine at historic Cumston Hall, Monmouth and throughout the state." In 1975, the Maine State Legislature named TAM the Shakespearean Theater of Maine.

About 45 professional artists and college-age theater students from Maine and all around the country perform multiple roles in several rotating shows each summer. Many return for several seasons or more. David Greenham is the Producing Director. Jeri Pitcher and Bill Van Horn are the Associate Artistic Directors and Dennis A. Price is the Company Manager.

This season's shows include the following: Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" and "Pericles, Prince of Tyre," Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?" George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance," and an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost." The fall performance will be Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance." Throughout the year, Theater Workshops and Residency Programs are also offered.

The Monmouth Community Players, founded in 1992, also performs at TAM. Their mission is to "provide a positive and affordable theater experience for adults and youth in the Winthrop Lakes Region by presenting exciting productions and talented casts under skilled directing."

Hallmarks of the theater include excellent acoustics and sight lines. Stained glass windows, stenciled murals, ornate trim and plaster ornamentations set TAM apart from other summer theaters in Maine. A long-term restoration project has been completed. Tony Castro, an accomplished painter, had been hired to touch up some apple blossoms. In the process, he discovered something underneath and through using a photo to do some detective work, discovered a strip of ornamental banding that once spanned the entire theater. It's thought that during the Depression, they covered the ornate strip with something easier to maintain.

Back in 1979, Kenneth S. Rothwell of the University of Vermont wrote an article in the spring issue of Shakespeare Quarterly entitled "Shakespeare in Northern New England: Monmouth and Champlain." "The Theater at Monmouth (Maine) offered a variety of surprises. As a start, there was the saucy little opera house concealed inside the sparse but elegant Victorian-Gothic Town Hall."

This summer, you might want to take in a show or two at the "saucy little opera house," set in the classic New England town of Monmouth. And before the show check out lakefront property on Cobbosseeconte Lake, Annabessacook Lake, Sand Pond, Cochnewagon Lake and Wilson Pond.

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June 24, 11a.m.-4 p.m. Living History Tours, 19th century home and farm of the Washburns, one of the great political and industrial dynasties, guided tour includes visit to the one room schoolhouse to experience how "scholars" of 1853 learned their lessons and a visit to the library to meet members of the Washburn family, Washburn-Norlands Living Center, 290 Norlands Road, Livermore. FMI: 207.897.4366, www.norlands.org.

June 24, 5 p.m. Giffords 30th Anniversary Celebration, Maine's award-winning ice cream company with more than 140 years in the dairy industry, celebrating 30 years of ice cream stands, Giffords Ice Cream Stand, 293 Main Street, Farmington. FMI 207.699.5500, www.giffordsicecream.com.

June 24, 6 p.m. Annual Potluck Supper, Rangeley Lakes Historical Society, held at Church of the Good Shepard, 2614 Main Street, Rangeley. FMI: 207.864.5571, www.rangeleymaine.com.

June 25-27, 8 a.m. 15th Annual Maine Antique Tractor Club Festival, feature tractor: 1949 Ferguson TO 20, stone boat pulls, lawn and garden pulls, progressive drag pulls, pedal pulls, doddle bug pulls, tractor games, skillet toss, hammer toss, pancake breakfast, bean supper, contests, demonstrations, displays, auction and more, $5/adults, $2/ages 11-17, free/age 10 and under, Farmington Fairgrounds, Maple Street, Farmington. FMI: 207.737.9206, www.maineantiquetractorclub.com.

June 25-27, times vary, River Fest and Upper Kennebec Valley Outdoor Expo, celebrate the Kennebec River and enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities, outdoor expo, free raft trips, 5K race, glow stick rover run and more, music by Aztec Two Step, Emilia Dahlin and Rustic Overtones, various venues, Skowhegan. FMI: 207.858.2550, www.skowsavings.com/riverfest.

June 25, 7 p.m. Teen Band Show featuring Almost Doesn't Count, Chronic Indecision and Arms Against the Sea, hardcore, screamo and rock, music and dance, supervised, chemical-free, $6/person, Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center, 280 Water Street, Gardiner. FMI: 207.582.7144, www.johnsonhall.org.

June 26-27, 2 p.m. Saturday-noon Sunday, Radio Amateur American Radio Relay League's Field Day, see HAMS in action as they practice emergency communication, show their skills and equipment, and compete in nationwide and worldwide communications contests, sponsored by Waterville Area Wireless Association, Waterville Airport, 70 Airport Road, Waterville. FMI: 207.873.2071, www.wa1wa.net.

June 26, 7:30 p.m. "Shakespeare's Clownes: A Foole's Guide to Shakespeare," Curt L. Tofteland explores the wide range of comedic characters who populate William Shakespeare's plays, one night only, $22/adults, $18/seniors and students, The Theater at Monmouth, 796 Main Street, Monmouth. FMI: 207.933.9999, www.theateratmonmouth.org.

June 29, 10 a.m. Kayak/Canoe, Lost Pond, call for directions, Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, 171 Main Street, Belgrade Lakes. FMI: 207.495.6039, www.belgradelakes.org.

June 29, 7 p.m. Celtic Concert with Paul McKenna Band, $15/door, $12.50/advance, Lakeside Theater, 2493 Main Street, Rangeley. FMI: www.rangeleymovies.com.

June 30, 7-8:15 p.m. Around the World in 80 Minutes, collaboration of show tunes, movie hits and TV themes, including Brazilian, British, European, Latin, Spanish and Hawaiian, presented by Auburn Community Band, Festival Plaza, corner of Court and Main Streets, Auburn. FMI: 207.333.6601x 2108, www.laitshappeninghere.com.

At the top of the Belgrade Lakes Chain sit East Pond and North Pond. The Belgrade Lakes Region has long been famous as a summer retreat for professionals and celebrities.

The spring-fed East Pond has a surface area of 1,823 acres and a maximum depth of 27 feet with an average depth of 18 feet. East Pond is roughly oval in shape with several coves along its margins for kayakers to explore. It's surrounded by a hardwood forest and has a marshy outlet in the northwest corner.

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East Pond flows into North Pond and Little Pond via the marshy outlet in the northwest corner. This outlet helps filter the water that enters North Pond.

North Pond has a surface area of 2,225 acres and a maximum depth of 20 feet. The pond is a half mile wide and three miles in length. There are many coves to explore.

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The Belgrade Lakes Area is known for its recreational opportunities. Boating, sailing, waterskiing and hiking are just some of the activities to enjoy here in the summer. The Smithfield Moonshiners and Oakland Snow Goers snowmobile clubs maintain snowmobile trails. An ice fishing derby to benefit Pine Tree Camp is held each winter with a weigh-in at Sweet Dreams Convenience Store on Route 8 in Smithfield.

Smithfield is a small town located between the two ponds. It offers stunning scenery and quiet rural charm.

Own lakefront property on these ponds and you can enjoy lazy days swimming, fishing, boating and snowmobiling. From your spectacular hideaway, you'll be only about 15 minutes from Waterville, where you can shop or golf, and go to movies, restaurants, and shows at the Waterville Opera House.

A state-owned boat launch is located on Bog Stream. Popular fish to catch here are smallmouth and largemouth bass, white perch and chain pickerel. According to James Lucas, assistant regional fishery biologist in central Maine, "Most of the fish species currently in North Pond are not native to the pond . . . Minnow, white suckers, hornpout, American eel and pumpkinseed sunfish probably are native to North Pond." It's rumored that a really big largemouth bass hangs out in the shallow marsh at the southern end of North Pond. If you catch it, be sure to release it so others may enjoy the same adventure.The North Pond Association was formed in 1985 to construct a dam on Great Meadow Stream in order to better manage the level of water in the pond. Today the association supports and conducts "social, educational and stewardship efforts to benefit the natural environment of North Pond and Little Pond." Rick Watson, president of the association wrote in the February 2010 newsletter, "The really, really good news is that with little exception, the water quality has remained unchanged for nearly 40 years on North Pond. There is work to be done, however, and we are at the tipping point where much more of any bad stuff, phosphorus, run-off, fertilizer, etc. could push us to a point we don't want-like an annual algae bloom."

The pond is known for its excellent boating and fishing. Anglers enjoy catching white perch and trout in the pond. Fishing licenses can be obtained at D & L Country Store on Smithfield Road in Oakland. Nicki's Tackle Shop on Route 8 in Belgrade has all your fishing needs. A state-owned boat launch with a hard surface is located at the southern end of the lake off East Pond Road in Oakland.The water quality of East Pond is below average. The East Pond Association has completed a watershed survey and is seeking Section 319 grants to work on rectifying the problem by encouraging lakefront property owners to create vegetative buffers and fix other erosion problems that allow phosphorus and other pollutants to enter the water. The association has also "partnered in innovative water quality improvement studies and pilot projects through Colby College, the University of Maine, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, [and] the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department."

Only 15 miles from both Augusta and Lewiston, in the heart of the Maine Lakes Region, you'll find two small ponds with big personality-Cochnewagon and Wilson Ponds. They are part of the Cobbossee Watershed District.

At about 410 acres, Cochnewagon is a relatively shallow pond with a maximum depth of 28 feet and an average depth of 22 feet. Certified Water Quality Monitors, Ryan Burton and Joe Saunders, test the pond every couple of weeks from spring till fall. The water quality is average. Over the years AmeriCorps and other volunteers have completed projects such as placing rip-rap and planting shrubs and plants to create buffer zones, which protect the lake from phosphorus run-off.

Cochnewagon is set in the center of Monmouth. A town-owned boat launch on Town Boat Landing Road off Beach Road makes it easily accessible. You'll find ample parking, the town beach, picnic tables and a small basketball court by the boat launch.

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Head a few minutes north on Route 132 and you'll find the narrow, crescent-shaped Wilson Pond. A boat launch, maintained by the state, is located at the southern end of the 582-acre pond in North Monmouth. A beach and picnic facility on Wilson Pond Road is owned by the North Monmouth Community Club. Wilson Pond provides anglers with good trout, bass, perch and pickerel fishing.

Wilson Pond had had good water quality in the past, but it declined steadily, reaching a record low in 2004. The Cobbossee Water District has surveyed the pond to identify existing and potential phosphorous run off and is working with the town and state to improve the water quality. The Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed launch their vessel, the Otter II, on this pond and others to share information about lake protection, including Best Method Practices such as vegetated buffer and camp road maintenance.

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If you are looking for a peaceful getaway on lakefront property, let Cochnewagon or Wilson Ponds be your perfect place to relocate or retire.

Nearby you'll find the Mt. Pisgah Conservation Area, where you can hike to the 60-foot fire tower, and the Gott Pasture Preserve, with trails to hike, a vernal pool to explore and 1,100 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Wilson Pond.

The habitat of Cochnewagon is ideal for warmwater fish. White perch are especially abundant here. Ice fishing is also popular. In the February 7, 2010 edition of the Portland Press Herald, Deirdre Fleming reported that " . . . satellite location for the [Sebago Lake] DerbyFest's Youth Derby . . ." is Cochnewagon. The Youth Derby is organized by Tim "Jack" Jackson, owner and founder of Jack Traps in Monmouth.