Spring is making it's way north to the mid-coast and we are beginning to see the lily, crocus and daffodil shoots pushing their way through what's left of the few clumps of snow here and there.  But, spring is in the air and we are looking forward to what joy and treasures our gardens will put forth this year!  And, speaking of gardens . . . there was no treasure to be found in The Miser's garden opening at The Rockport Opera House on April 22 and running for the following two weekends.  

Join The Everyman Repertory Theatre, Camden's very own rep company, as they open the season with Moliere's The Miser.  Translated and adapted by P.G. Hodgson, directed by David Troup and Set Design by John Bielenberg, The Miser follows the story of Harpagon,  who's decided that his children are costing him too much money and must be married off.  With parents and children at cross-purposes (a theme that never changes!), The Miser proceeds with his own arrangements, but discovers that the fortune he buried in his garden has been stolen.

Fun for all and a wonderful way to welcome spring to mid-coast Maine!

From March 1st through March 12th is Maine Restaurant week - An increasingly popular event showcasing many of Maine's fantastic restaurants.

Several restaurants in Camden and Rockland will be offering specially priced menus. What a great way to try someplace new or perhaps revisit and old favorite.

From the Maine Restaurant Week website:

"Maine Restaurant Week™ is more than just a celebration of Maine’s incredible food scene, it gives restaurants a much-needed boost during a time when business often slows. Also its economic impact is felt by the many businesses that provide goods and services to Maine’s vital restaurant industry. Customers love it because the specially priced three-course menus offer value that feels downright decadent. Maine Restaurant Week's value is lasting, many customers who try new restaurants because of the event return to dine again. Another important aspect of Maine Restaurant Week is all of the fundraising for local non-profit organizations. Thousands of dollars have been raised since Maine Restaurant Week launched during March 2009."

Check out the participating restaurants and menus at:

http://www.mainerestaurantweek.com/index.php

This Labor Day Weekend Maine celebrates the mid-coast's maritime heritage and sea-faring culture at the Camden Windjammer Festival 2010.  More than a dozen schooners sail into Camden Harbor and invite you aboard to tour these work horses of yesteryear.  On land, the Maritime Heritage Fair showcase the tradesmen (and women) - boatbuilders, blacksmiths, coopers, sailmakers and fishermen who still make their living from the sea.

Complete your Windjammer experience with a tour of the Penobscot Marine
Museum in nearby Searsport (about a 30 minute drive north on Route 1). 
Maine's passenger-carrying windjammers represent the largest commercial
sailing fleet in the developed world and are a resonant symbol of the
Maine coast.  The Museum's wonderful exhibit Earning Their Keep: Maine's Windjammers
brings the history to life through photography, artifacts, ephermera,
videos and schooner models.  Be sure not to miss contemporary marine
photographer Fred LeBlanc's exhibit.  An experience not to be missed! 

9am – 5pm, Saturday and Sunday,  July 17th and 18th, more than 100
artists and craftspeople display and sell their work at the 32nd Annual
Harbor Juried Arts & Crafts Show.

Jewelry, pottery, sculptures, glass, paintings, wood products, games
– are just the beginning of what the show has to offer. Tents and
booths are set up in Camden’s Harbor Park, overlooking the bustling
waterfront of fishing boats and windjammers. Atlantic Street is closed
to vehicle traffic and harbor park is bustling!

Everything kicks off on January 30th with the 8th annual Winterfest in Harbor Park and the Amphitheatre. The centerpiece of Winterfest activity remains the Community Ice Carving, where teams transform ordinary blocks of ice into sculptures using traditional ice-carving tools.

Also on the 30th, the Rockport Opera House plays host to the "Snow Ball"- a fun dance and social. Doors open at 6:30pm and the Awesome 80s Band will take the stage at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35.

If you enjoy cross-country skiing, Aldermere Farm (home of the famous 'oreo cookie' cows) on Russell Avenue in Rockport has a full moon ski & snowshoe tour on January 30th at 6;30pm.

If cultural and artistic events are more your speed, on Sunday, January 31 the Camden Opera House presents the International Film Festival of the Spirit's Warm Winter Sunday Afternoons at the Movies at 2pm; while the Camden Public Library hosts local high school musical all-stars The Cause on Thursday, February 4th at 7pm. Also, the a cappella group Improvox performs at 7:30pm on Sunday, January 31st at the Carver Hill Gallery Cider Barn in Rockport. For more info (& weather-related cancellations) call Jana at Carver Hill Gallery: 236-0745.

The Juice Conference connects leaders of the creative economy to
foster growth and prosperity. Weaving together the arts, technology,
and entrepreneurship, Juice inspires innovation by bringing talented
people together from widely different backgrounds to build on Maine’s
traditions. Juice is a forum where attendees can learn, exchange ideas,
share success stories and provide input to shape the development of
strategies for Maine’s future.

As a long-time The Mammals fan, I just had to go see Mike and Ruthy performing with Ruth's dad - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason last night at the Chocolate Church Performing Arts Center in Bath. Ruth and Mike are part of The Mammals with my husband's friend Tao Rodriguez Seeger - Pete Seeger's grandson. We've been fans for a long time and always go to see them when they perform in Maine. Last night was quite different - a lot less rock'n'roll and a lot more absolutely phenomenal fiddling. Jay's "Ashokan Farewell", "Lovers' Waltz" and "Wizzard's Walk" were absolutely flawless. They performed a new piece Jay and Molly created for a new Ken Burns' film coming out in 2009 (of The War fame most recently).

The music was fantastic but my favorite part was Will - Mike and Ruth's son who came on stage after intermission and spent the second half of the show hanging out on his mom's back while she took turns playing some amazing fiddle, ukelele, upright base and sang some beautiful harmonies. Will piped in a couple of times, mostly during the instrumentals - I guess he likes his solo. All in all - a great time! It's fantastic to see three generations on stage. Hard not to wonder whether Will might pick up a fiddle himself one day.

Christmas-by-the-Sea is just a couple of weeks away! Lots of activities are happening around town  on the weekend that Santa arrives with his elves by, of course, a lobster boat! There are open houses, huge sales at stores across town, and there is even a 5k run.

 Yours truly recently signed up to participate in the Frozen 5K - from the top of Mt. Battie to downtown Camden. Who will come join me?

Photo from the http://www.camdenme.org site

Well..... where to begin? We've had such a fantastic busy summer season that, sure enough, we got swept away in the daily operations of the inn and making sure our guests had a wonderfull time. The good news - now it's quiet and the blog is back to the forefront of our thoughts.

And thus begins a new installment of the Inn at Camden Place blog! Welcome! Stick around, you won't be disappointed!

Just today I got an email from the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce asking for parties interested in having a float during the Christmas-by-the-Sea parade to get in touch and get the ball rolling. Should we do it? Christmas-by-the-Sea is a popular festival - Santa usually arrives by boat - happening this year on the weekend of Dec. 5-7th.

Yours truly just signed up for the Frozen 5K - starting at the top of Mt. Battie and ending in downtown Camden. 

Speaking of which, now yours truly must scoot off to the gym at the Y.

Thousands have been waiting for a year for the World's Largest Lobster Cooker to make its first public appearance at the Maine Lobster Festival, held annually in Rockland, about 10 minutes away. The festival started yesterday and continues through the weekend.

The weather is shaping up to be partly cloudy and a pleasant 70-75 range with a 30% chance of rain for the weekend. A high quality lobster roll might set you back $10, but you'll never forget it. More reasonably priced lobster dinners served with everything but the kitchen sink as well as plenty of seating are available under large tents lined with tables. Plenty of fair-type food, rides, vendor booths and of course everything lobster: from aprons to ice cream to the real deal.