No Fat Pat’s in 2026, but owner still dreams of return for clam shack
Jeff Janvrin knows the cold reality of running a small business, but he can't shake the dream of reviving Fat Pat's clam shack.
With no pier and a moldy museum, Eagle Island remains in limbo
Restrictions on access to the Eagle Island State Historic Site will continue for a seventh straight year, with no replacement for its storm-wrecked pier and no solution for long-term issues at the museum.
Mermaids and mythology mix in ‘paranormal romance’ set on Harpswell coast
Sarah Milner isn't sure when her journey as a writer began, but when she gained traction on her first novel — a "paranormal romance" set largely in Harpswell — she learned that every writer's journey is different and personal. Like many writers, she learned the hard way.
On humanitarian mission, Great Islander observes effects of Cuban embargo
The humanitarian crisis in Cuba may not resonate with Americans who feel whiplashed by conflicts and crises around the globe and at home. But one Harpswell woman who first crossed the 90 miles between Cuba and Florida years ago recently returned to help people whose basic necessities are disappearing under the U.S. oil embargo imposed in January.
Itty Bitty women roll with the big hits
Kelley Hughes and Jill Jacobs, friends for nearly 20 years, sat on the floor behind the serving counter at Itty Bitty Coffee Shop, crying. They had fallen and couldn't get up.
New book chronicles pioneering work of Great Island metalsmith and author
Like a lot of people his age, Tim McCreight smiles when he looks back on his college years in the late 1960s and early '70s. His reasons, however, might be different than most.
Before Mitchell Field: ‘The fuel farm’ provided steady employment for locals — and an industrial playground for their kids
When the U.S. Navy opened the Casco Bay Fuel Depot in 1954, it turned to locals for the civilian workforce necessary to maintain and watch over the facility 24/7.
Before Mitchell Field: The Cold War brings the Navy to Harpswell
There are a few people in town who walk on Mitchell Field and see things nobody else sees. While everyone sees the meadows and trails, the beach and the bandstand, a few self-described "old folks" see their childhoods in a time before the U.S. Navy built the Casco Bay Fuel Depot on the site.
Amid conflict on trails, town urges compliance with leash laws
Five years after forming a task force to tame the problem of unleashed dogs in public places, the town of Harpswell has made it clear that 2025 is the year to rein in pet owners who let their mutts run around without restraint.
Local high schoolers resist phone rules — but their reasons might surprise adults
As a national movement to ban cellphones in schools grows and Mt. Ararat High School considers a new policy on the subject, three Harpswell teenagers are raising their hands to say, in effect, a cellphone ban would not address more serious issues. Their big-picture view of the debate might surprise adults.
