Jon Whitney

August 27-30, 9 a.m. -10 p.m. Acton Fair, including exhibits, 4-H events, pig scramble, livestock, flower show, midway, parade, prices vary, Fairgrounds, Route 109, Acton. FMI: 207.636.2968 or www.actonfair.net

August 28, 1 p.m. Dutch Elm Condo Cup Classic, will benefit local charities, four person scramble, $100/person, Dutch Elm Golf and Country Club, 5 Brimstone Road, Arundel.
FMI: 207.985.2776 or www.dutchelmgolf.com

August 28, 5-7 p.m. Pastel and Watercolor Show, York Art Association, 394 York Street, York Harbor. FMI: www.yorkartassociation.com

August 28, 5-8 p.m. Biddeford Art Walk, enjoy an evening of art, entertainment and friends in downtown Biddeford. FMI: www.biddefordwalk.com

August 28, 7:30 p.m. The Fall Guys: rock classics, i.e. Beatles, Dylan, Van Morrison, orginals & Frankie and the Flying Hubcaps: Americana & roots music, fun for the whole family, donations accepted, benefit at Ossipee Trails Arts Center, Route 25, Limington
FMI: 207.839.3267 or 207.637.3467, www.ossipeetrailarts.org

August 29, 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Kennebunkport Village Green Craft Show, presented by The Society of Southern Maine Craftsmen, rain date August 30, On the Green, Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport. FMI: 207.283.4715 or www.societyofsouthernmainecraftsmen.org

August 29, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wells Chili-Fest, presented by the Wells Chamber of Commerce, one day event featuring the Maine State Chili Cook-Off, join the competition or judge for yourself, music, vendors, crafters and more, Wells Junior High School, Route 1, Wells. FMI: 207.646.2541 or www.wellschilifest.com

August 29, 1 - 4 p.m. A Shipbuilding Odyssey, 3-hour tour, including a trolley ride, featuring the Kennebunks' many 19th century shipyards, $30, advanced registration required, begins at the Brick Store Museum, 117 Main Street, Kennebunk. FMI: 207.985.4802 or www.brickstoremuseum.org

September 1, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Lighthouse Cruise, join Captain Neil Odams for a historical tour of the Piscataqua River basin, $18/adults, $15 children 12 & under, departs from town dock at Pepperrell Cove, Route 103, Kittery. FMI: 603.431.9155 or www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org

August 27, 8 a.m. The Pink Ladies & Pink Men Golf Tournament, benefit the Martha B. Webber Breast Care Center at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Turner Highlands Country Club, 10B Highland Avenue, Turner. FMI: 207.224.7060 or www.turnerhighlands.com

August 27, 1-4 p.m. Family History Fun Center at Old Fort Western, admission free with purchase of regular admission ($6/adults, $4/children 6-16), which includes a tour of the military, storekeeping and residential areas of the fort, 16 Cony Street, Augusta.
FMI: 207.626.2385 or www.oldfortwestern.org

August 29-30, 8 a.m. -4 p.m. Winthrop Craft and Flea Market, new craft and flea market open weekends, 1921 Route 202, Winthrop. FMI: 207.807.2701 or http://sites.google.com/site/winthropmarketfair

August 29, 1 p.m. Early Days of Logging with storyteller James Vachon, Maine's Paper and Heritage Museum, 22 Church Street, Livermore Falls. FMI: 207.897.3117 or www.papermuseumofmaine.org

August 30, 9 a.m.-dusk, Cowboy Shoot, includes a chicken BBQ, a one-hour training session and use of the guns, $20/person, Wilton Fish and Game Club, Route 2, Wilton
FMI: register at 207.779.0721 or www.sebasticook.com/files/Vol_X_Issue_4_final.pdf

August 30, 6-9 p.m. Tom Faunce and Tim Sullivan, The Liberal Cup Public House and Brewery, 115 Water Street, Hallowell. FMI: 207.623.2739 or www.facebook.com/pages/Hallowell-ME/The-Liberal-Cup/74594783981

August 31, 8 a.m. 13th Annual Woodsmen's Day, Windsor Fair, a family tradition since 1888, Route 32, Windsor. FMI: 207.549.7911 or 207.549.5249, www.windsorfair.com

August 31, 7:30 p.m. Old Crow Band, outdoor concert at Meetinghouse Park Gazebo, Main Street, Farmington. FMI: www.phrfne.org/html/oldcrow.htm

September 1, 6 p.m. "Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada," mushroom lecture and book signing by David Spahr, Hazzard Reading Room, Gardiner Public Library, 152 Water Street, Gardiner. FMI: 207.582.3312 or www.gpl.lib.me.us

August 27-September 2, 10 a.m. -5 p.m., till 9 on Friday, Photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), a rarely seen and privately owned album, plus 28 Polaroid portraits by Joyce Tenneson, various admission prices, Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square Plaza, Portland. FMI: 207.775.6148 or www.portlandmuseum.org

August 27-September 2, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesday -Saturday, one hour before performances, during intermission, or by appointment, "A Celebration in Four Parts: Landscapes, Figures, Interiors, Portraits," solo exhibition by Ian Factor, The Backstage Art Gallery, Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Center, 162 Deertrees Road, Harrison.
FMI: 207.583.6747 or www.deertreestheatre.org

August 27, 8 p.m. Marcia Ball, singer/pianist, "Rollicking, playful, good time blues and intimate, reflective balladry . . . her songs ring with emotional depth," Rolling Stone, check Web site for more details, Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dug Way Road, Brownfield.
FMI: 207.935.7292 or 866.277.6523, www.stonemountainartscenter.org

August 28, 5 -8 p.m. River Ways Exhibition, opening reception, artwork reflecting the natural and/or man-made environment along the Androscoggin River, L/A Arts Gallery 5, 49 Lisbon Street, Lewiston. FMI: 207.782.7228 or www.laarts.org

August 28, 7:00-8:15 p.m. Steeple Musicale "Give Us a Lift," benefit performance by the best local musical talent to help raise the steeple, South Bridgton Congregational Church, 16 Fosterville Road, South Bridgton. FMI: www.southbridgton.com

August 28, 7 p.m. "Murder at Cafe Noir," an interactive murder mystery dinner theatre presented by the Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts Association, First Congregational Church, Main Street, South Paris. FMI: 207.743.2437, www.southpariscongregational.com or www.ohmpaa.org

August 28, 9 p.m. - 12:45 a.m. Sofa Kings, classic rock, Buxton Tavern, 1301 Long Plains Road, Buxton. FMI: 207.929.8668 or www.myspace.com/thebuxtontavern

August 29, 8 a.m. Harvey's 2nd Annual Golf Challenge to benefit Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, $75, Scramble format, hosted by Naples Golf and Country Club, 134 Sebago Road, Naples. FMI: 207.647.3916 or www.harvesthills.org or 207.693.6424 or www.naplesgolfcourse.com

August 29, 8 a.m.-noon Lakes Region Farmers' Market, featuring Sam Anderson Band, Manchester Allen School, 709 Roosevelt Trail, Windham. FMI: 207.831.1623 or www.lrfm.org

August 29, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Maine Native American Summer Market and Demonstration, featuring hand-woven ash splint and sweetgrass baskets, traditional etched birch bark vessels, stone sculptures, wood carvings, and demonstrations by 15 of the finest Native American artists, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester. FMI: 207.926.4597 or www.shaker.lib.me.us

August 29, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Maine Custom Wood Sculpture by Bill Fournier, come watch a block of wood be transformed by a chain saw into an eagle, bear and more, Maine Wildlife Park, Route 26A, Gray. FMI: 207.657.4977 or www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark

August 29, 7-11 p.m. Learn Ballroom Dancing, Maplewood Dance Center, 383 Warren Avenue, Portland. FMI: 207.878.0584 or www.maplewooddancecenter.com

Kezar Lake in Lovell is a gem hidden in the foothills of the White Mountains. Superb swimming, boating, fishing, dining - and even golfing! - are prime summer activities in the Kezar Lake area. It's touted as "one of the five most beautiful lakes in North America."

The Lake Kezar Golf Course, originally designed by Donald Ross, opened in 1923 and is just up the road from the 9-mile long Kezar Lake. Located on Route 5, this picturesque course offers several views of the White Mountains and is home to a quintessential New England clubhouse emitting old time charm with its 1930s era rocking chairs on the veranda.

Ubiquitous stonewalls and beautiful white pines are key features of the course.

Bill Bisset, General Manager, says, "The back nine [designed by Brian Merrill, Club Superintendent] is only ten years old. The course offers two totally different playing experiences."

It's listed as one of 100 top quality courses in the U.S. and one of 100 Must Play Courses in New England.

The fairways are narrow and undulating, with ponds and brooks providing additional challenges. The dale on the second hole has gobbled many of my golf balls, but I've learned to move on from there.

Of course, Ebenezer's Pub is right beside 3rd green. They have over 35 beers on tap, mostly Belgian, and over 1,000 bottles of beer in their coolers and cellar. So . . . if you need a cool one after surviving the second hole, you've arrived at the right place.

Bill explained that a unique feature of the course is that it's owned by shareholders whose mission is to keep the cost affordable to locals.

He adds, "The course is user-friendly and the club has a reputation of being a friendly, affable place."

His favorite hole is #17, which is pretty and offers a reasonable challenge. The most challenging holes are #7, which is a 200-foot par 3 with 195 yards of carry and #18, which is a par 5 and the longest at 525 yards. Play on that hole finishes between two white pines and over a buried stone wall, now a berm.

As a people-oriented place, the Club offers a Men's Social League on Tuesday mornings, which is designed to mix people so that they get to know everyone. The men are placed in a different foursome each week. The Mixed Couples Scotch 4-some begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and includes 9 holes of golf followed by dinner and cocktails on the porch. There are other weekly group opportunities, as well as tournaments, including a popular Battle of the Sexes Tournament held the third week of July each year. Now in its tenth year, Bill tells me, the men have won five times and the women have won five times.

Membership is $600/individual for unlimited golf, $1050 for a husband and wife and $150 for an MSAD 72 student. They also give corporate discounts. And Lake Kezar Country Club has a recipocal agreement with Indian Mound Golf Club in Ossipee, New Hampshire. Members of either club can play at the other course for $25, which includes the greens fee and a cart.

FMI: 207.925.2462 or www.lakekezargolf.com

If you'd like to take a look at Kezar Lake lakefront property for sale just a quick click on the box below will take you to all the current listings:

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Depending on where you are, you'll enjoy views of Pleasant Mountain and the Shawnee Peak Ski Area, Black Mountian, Mount Washington and the White Mountains from Moose Pond in Bridgton, Sweden and Denmark.

Though it's called a pond, Moose Pond is eleven miles long, one-mile wide at its widest point, covers 1,617 acres and has three basins. Apparently the northern basin area was once timber land, which would explain the stumps. Today, all three basins are favorites for anglers, boaters and swimmers.

There are two boat launches. One is on Denmark Road in Denmark, about 1/2 mile on the right, just after the pavement ends. The other on the Route 302 Causeway in West Bridgton, was renovated this year by the Maine Department of Conservation with help from the Bass Federation of Maine, the Town of Bridgton, Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) and the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District.

They replaced the old 10-foot wide concrete plank ramp with a new 20-foot wide ramp. It makes launching much, much easier. And before you launch, you should wash your boat at the boat wash, located just up the street on the far side of the West Bridgton Fire Department.

Warm days and refreshing August nights you'll find me paddling around the northern end of the pond. This section is shallow, with lots of rocks and tree stumps, therefore there are no speed boats.

About a dozen small islands dot the northern basin, making it perfect for picnicking while watching wildlife including heron, red-winged blackbirds, kingfishers, song birds, muskrats, beaver, deer, a variety of fish, and more. In fact, I've seen a red fox hunting along the edge of the pond, moose grazing in the shallow waters dining on water lilies and pickerel weed and a bald eagle flying overhead.

Harold "Hal" Arthur, a volunteer lake monitor, has been helping Colin Holme, LEA Field Services Director, take water samples every two weeks for years. Based on the information they gather, Peter Lowell, Executive Director of LEA describes Moose Pond as one of three "Cream of the Crop" ponds in the Lakes Region. The Moose Pond Association, formed about a year ago, is working diligently to make sure it remains on that list.

Besides being home to perch, pickerel, hornpout, smelt and other fish, Moose Pond produces lots of nice bass. With the three different basins, anglers have options for fishing different types of habitat.

Three Bass Tournaments will be held during September and October. Here's some contact information in case you are interested:
9/6/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Eagle Bassmasters, Dale Libby, Open/Weigh In, 207.205.0896
9/12/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Saco Valley Cast Masters, Steve Philbrick, Club/Weigh In
10/18/09, Moose Pond, Denmark, Dirty Dozen, John Hertz, Open/Weigh In, 207.577.1347

FMI: Lakes Environmental Association: http://mainelakes.org
Moose Pond Association: www.moosepondassociation.org

Perhaps you'd like to take a look at lakefront property for sale on Moose Pond. Just click on the box below:

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