Features

About 30 years ago, Scott Moody was clamming near Harpswell by the Sea when he came across "a monster bed" of shellfish he couldn't identify. "What the hell are these?" he asked himself. He showed some of them to Bob Waddle, a lobsterman and seafood buyer. Waddle recognized them right away: European oysters.

Abby Wakefield and Sara Kronon hatched a plan to start a new business in Harpswell while slurping oysters on the half shell and quaffing sparkling rose wine at a local restaurant.

There's no better time at Harpswell Community School than a Wednesday afternoon as the school year draws to a close. For four weeks in May and June, community volunteers bring their skills to the elementary school at 2:30 p.m. each Wednesday to offer students hands-on learning opportunities.

Looking back now, Rich Cole knows opening his gunsmithing shop on Bog Hollow Road, just off Harpswell Neck's main drag, in 1985 was a big mistake. It was far too isolated to attract the kind of clientele Cole was looking for: bird hunters and competitive clay target shooters interested in custom, high-end, Italian shotguns as beautiful as they are accurate.

"I grew up in Brunswick, but I've always come to Harpswell. This was the place we would take people from out of state because it's so beautiful. During the pandemic, Harpswell got gentrified. But when my girlfriend and I decided to move in together three years ago, we found an affordable apartment on Orr's Island. Our landlord had bought the property and lowered the rental rate for locals, people who would benefit from the community."

On April 16, 1993, 19-year-old volunteer firefighter Mike Drake had just arrived at a burning building in Bath when someone said a baby was inside. Drake grabbed a ladder and raced to an upstairs window. Once inside, he plucked the 18-month-old girl out of her crib before hustling back down.

"My sister, Mary Patricia, and I grew up on the east side of Lowell's Cove with my grandfather and grandmother, John and Mary Tibbetts. My grandfather was related to everybody over there. When I was old enough, maybe 7 or 8 years old, I started working on the lobster boat, like young boys did at that time and still do."

A new coloring book for all ages features landmarks and wildlife from throughout Harpswell, each page hand-drawn by an illustrator who grew up on the islands.

You know summer is just around the corner when boys and girls begin gathering at the Trufant-Summerton Athletic Field on Great Island for another season of baseball.

The Grammy-winning pianist Paul Sullivan performed to a full house at Islands Community Church on Bailey Island on May 2. The church put on the concert in memory of Jean Johnson, a member and volunteer who died when she was struck by a vehicle in January.