MeInMaine Blog

Category: Living in Maine

  • Well Water In Maine, Head’s Up On What To Expect.

    Well Water In Maine, Head’s Up On What To Expect.

    Well water in Maine, it is not the same here as you find in other places. Drink up.

    Vacationland has lots of clean, fresh water to guzzle. The eight glasses a day kind you and I are suppose to be chug-a-lugging to stay hydrated.

    Clean Maine Water! Above And Below The Ground.

    Maine is loaded with clean, unspoiled recreational water too. All kinds of it in the form of lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and ocean front h20 kind.

    Lack of water of any kind in Maine does not happen. Yes, it is one more way we are truly spoiled living here in Maine.

    In our real estate job of marketing Maine property listings, the question “what about water wells” comes up a lot. Because where the buyer is moving from has there are big time water problems. It is very expensive to drill a water well.

    I hear horror stories about horrendous water quality and low quality issues outside of Maine. How hydro-fracting is messing up the water table. And man is polluting their over tapped water supply for domestic and recreational use.

    Opening up the tap and a steady stream of clean fresh water is the dream for folks moving to Maine. The private drilled well water without the municipal taste of chlorine and flouride is one of the perks with Maine country living.

    If you plan to raise animals on a farmstead, water has to be plentiful, clean, available round the clock.

    No one can wait for a gone dry water well supply to return so they can water the thirsty livestock. Irrigation happens to help regulate some agricultural crops but what Mother Nature supplies the farm fields and pasture land usually does the trick.

    Float Your Boat In Maine Water!

    Cows don’t get their drinking water out of a stagnant pond. Fencing down to the water’s edge means the water can get contaminated with animal waste. The same warm pond water where frogs live is not used for organic farm irrigation either due to concerns about food safety and bacteria, e-coli, etc.

    Besides wanting to see a moose or whale, to eat a slab of blue berry pie or to sit down to a feast of steam clams or lobsters. The vacationing visitors also want. to see a lighthouse or two. The relocating, moving to the Pine Tree state folks also ask how’s the water in Maine? It’s on their minds because it is it is part of the reason for the heading to Maine.

    I talked to Jamie Watson of Watson Well Drillers in Littleton this afternoon.

    To get his perspective as a 6th generation Maine water well driller. Jamie told me in southern Aroostook County you can hit granite but that northern sections don’t have it to contend with drilling wells or chewing up bits.

    The deepest well he ever drilled was 800′ business application used at Freddy Valshing’s sugar beet refinery in Easton Maine. But Watson says that the typical well in Northern Maine he pokes int the ground is 150 to 200 feet deep. That depth of drilled well provides plenty of water to serve your needs.

    Water pools on a Maine coast!
    Water Pockets Around Coastal Rock Formations In Maine.

    Uncle Sam says the minimum gallons per minute for a drilled well has to be 2.5. And there needs to be adequate depth to create a reserve to draw from when water is needed in a household or business.

    More from the state of Maine on drilled wells.

    I have a private drilled well that is 60 feet deep at Drews Lake, am on public water next to my office at an in town residence. A family farm has a couple wells and the main one is 225′ down inside a hatch in one of the auxiliary buildings. A hand pump on top of a rocked around well is down by US RT 2. Another one was filled in with gravel that we could clean out if we ever wanted to put back into service.

    Watson Wells owner said the biggest problem today is kids that don’t conserve water.

    That make little effort to time those showers and that must have amazing water heaters to keep it hot hot hot. Growing up on a farm, we did not waste water. Even if it was plentiful you lead your life in moderation, easy does it mode.

    maine river water
    Water On The River In Maine!

    Water collected from roof gutters connect to feed a rocked cistern in the farm home basement. Rain water is soft, not hard. Probably started before the days of drilled well that could deliver more water quickly.

    Sometimes a poor producing well is because the foot valve is not low enough in the casing. Like a straw not hitting the lower portion of a glass, you suck air, not fluid. Good, clean potable water is a must for healthy living anywhere on the planet.

    Dug wells are not that uncommon in Maine.

    If you dug down 14′ or more and put crushed rock on the bottom, piling concrete tiles on top of each other. Adding a lid on top with a hand pump. That does your time up at camp in Maine just fine. A lake or pond cottage draws the water from what’s out front.

    I have tested lake water and had it come back fine and dandy for drinking, for all the domestic uses. Some argue the water tastes like Mercury, Honda, Suzuki or Yamaha though. (Smile). Dug wells are created by hand shovel, a back hole and lined with concrete tile, rock and mortar walls. Topped with a protective cover. Some call dug wells a ground water magnet. Sealing them in the best you can will help lessen the chances of contamination. The walls of a dug well must be solid enough to keep them rigid and from collapsing.

    The average household does not just abide by the one Saturday night bath whether you need it or not. How often do you shower a day and for how long? How many loads of laundry do you produce and are they full loads?

    Do you hang those fresh, wet clothes out on a line to air dry on a breezy, sunny Maine day? Or does Suzie need her favorite pair of blue jeans washed all by themselves with much panic involved because the high school dance is only a few hours away?

    Clean, Fresh, Fast Moving Water In Maine.

    I was not brought up to do one item wash loads and the household was not turned upside down until the coveted article of clothing was washed, ironed, folded and tucked away.

    In the Oakfield Maine area, along the Mattawamkeag River, there are many driven point wells.

    What is a driven point well? You see them used around soft sandy ground where the water table is high enough for an adequate supply. The driven well point is placed in my experience 12 to 25 feet deep but work fine and are typical to certain areas of Maine.

    This blog post on well water in Maine concentrate more on the supply and how deep to expect. Granite, bedrock can add to the cost and depth of a well and this geological formation is more difficult to drill according to Watson.

    Testing your water for bacteria, for hardness, for arsenic, radon, high iron or sulfur content and other elements can avoid health problems later. The cost to put on filters, to add reverse osmosis units and other water softeners and conditioners can cost a pretty penny. Plus they need regular maintenance to continue to do their job. It is not once and done… someone has to make sure they keep doing their job with the filter change and charcoal cleansers.

    Most of the water tests I have taken over the years have been sent to Northeast Labs in Waterville. I have had super success with the turn around times, the advice from helpful staff at Northeast Labs if you are looking for a reference from personal experience taking well water samples.

    How many gallons per minute is another helpful statistic to know about when learning about an existing drill water well’s performance statistics.

    I have seen 30, 50 gallon per minute private drilled wells. And you hear the term a lot talking about true artesian wells. Not every drilled well is an artesian well. Here’s the definition of an artesian well.The difference between an artesian well and other types is the pressure, the flow that naturally happens.

    Playing On The Maine Waterfront In A Raft!

    I had listed a home in Ludlow Maine. Where the water flows without aid of a pump and empties out of the well cap into a pond feeding a brook. I timed the amount of water per minute and found four gallons was the flow.

    No jet pump, no submersible pump down into the drilled well… but all by itself siphoning action happening out of the side hill. Often you hear the term artesian well used on all kinds of drilled in the ground sources but only a few are the real deal. Where positive pressure causes the water to rise and empty up and out of the well cap.

    When a natural spring is dug out, it too can be a water source. Where the water naturally bubbles up and fills the reserve used for drinking and domestic use. The drilled wells I see used in the area are six inch pipe iron casing on the top fitted with a shoe where the metal meets the rock formation below.

    Problems with drilled wells that had the cap cut off below the ground’s surface are a trouble maker down the road.

    Sure you don’t back into the metal above ground casing or have to mow grass around the drilled well protrusion.

    Snow Flakes, The Frozen Water Winter Kind!
    Water From The Sky! The Snow Flake Kind!

    But finding when the foot valve or pump needs replacement becomes more of a mystery. And bacteria seems into the well head vent when the wood or whatever material decays used to protect it.

    These wells get dug up and PVC piping is added like a sleeve around the iron or steel casing to make it easy to spot. And a snap to put a quart of bleach down into them for disinfection to happen when a bad test and high bacteria cut comes back from the water testing lab.

    In another blog post on well water, I promise to have a discussion on the quality of what we drink.

    What the issues are and how to tackle them for safe drinking water. This blog post was more to help someone brand new to Maine know about the types of wells, how they work and where their application is appropriate. Thank you for stopping by to read this blog post on drilled wells in Maine.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 |  info@mooersrealty.com  | 

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Life In “The County” When Temperatures Rise.

    Life In “The County” When Temperatures Rise.

    Weather in Maine, anywhere in Vacationland. When the topic comes up it is a more often than not a discussion involving snow flakes. How cold does it get? How much white stuff do you fellas collect in winter up there is Maine? Are the roads plowed? Do you hibernate? Are there igloos and dog sleds or polar bears involved living in Maine over the winter months?

    Wells Beach Maine, The Scenery On A Hot Summer Day In The Sand.

    For starters, Maine has many distinct regions and the weather in each varies too. It’s a big tall drink of water state. “The County” is the crown of Maine.

    The largest of Maine’s sixteen counties, Aroostook alone has fourteen thousand miles of trails to explore any time of year. With or without a blanket of white snow, it is one special top shelf corner of the state to discover.

    Weather in Maine is never an issue because we have lots of experience with all kinds of it. You just adapt the wardrobe to fit the temperatures you have to work with for the outdoor fun. Or when it means bundle up or strip down. For working outdoors, the show must go on. It does quite nicely no matter how high or low in the tube the red juice sits in the glass tube .

    Where I Spend Summers In Maine At Drews Lake. One Sunrise Scene This Week.

    You dial in the local forecast to work around the weather patterns overhead on those rec trails you wish to explore. Or for the chore list ahead of you on any given day no matter what the thermometer reads.

    What you use to explore and enjoy Maine pure natural outdoors depends on the season. Hoof it and hike. Climb on a bike. Grab poles to cross country or down hill ski. Or gas up and here we go on snow sleds, ATV four wheelers. Climb in a raft for high water river action.

    Or fire up the old jeep for those back wood trails. All approached easy does it whoa slow. Have a plan Stan. With a tread lightly attitude approach. Remember, the use of private land owners property in Maine any season is always a privilege, not a right. Show respect for the wildlife, the land owner, the crops or trees growing on the acreage.

    Maine Summer Wild Flowers Arranged By Mother Nature.

    But how hot does it get, how high do temperatures rise in Maine?

    Winter weather and lots of myths have been circulating for years. The temps can average around 22 degrees that part of the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall. But what is your weather in Maine like in spring, summer, winter? The chatter about that usually takes a back seat to winter windchill and snow accumulations for anyone who has never lived here.

    But for the record a comfortable 70 degrees is your summer average… the same reading most folks set the thermostat on or lower for inside living.

    Sometimes Purple Aroostook County Potato Blossoms. Not Always White Ones With Golden Centers.

    Along the coast of Maine the weather patterns and winds, temperatures and moisture in the air is different. Than up in Aroostook or say over in Franklin County or in the Highland rugged terrain regions are not the same.

    The breeze does not blow the same. The moisture in the air is varied. So when you try to broad brush anything in Maine, she is too big to try and apply the same response to the weather question.

    Downeast Maine would get more of a dampness in the air than say further inland where there is less water weather influences.

    (White fluffy full of air snow instead of heavier water logged slushy snow can be the extremes that happen in Maine for winter weather precipitation.) It dries out winter, spring, summer or fall moisture wise the further inland you head up into Maine.

    There is more to Maine than dipping your toe in Kittery at a visit to an outlet retail trading post just off an I-95 exit location.

    The breeze of the York and Wells Beach regions is different than the one blowing in the mountains or during haying on a Maine farm deeper into the interior. The heart of Maine is not the Southern tip that is handy to Boston.

    Your weather exposure on a Maine lobster boat bobbing off shore and hoisting fish traps is not the same surroundings you experience cultivating and hoeing on a Maine farm tractor. Or cutting, conditioning and bailing hay or harvesting berries, potatoes, grains, whatever is raised from the fertile farm soil.

    Maine Has So Many Lakes To Float Your Boat And Enjoy! Public Boat Launches All Over The Place And No Lines, No Fees. Welcome To Vacationland, Maine!

    All I know is in general, Mainers adapt to the weather and life with a positive attitude.

    Make the most of what we have and be grateful. Taking it all in stride. But I can not tell a lie. High heat of summer can make you feel dog tired, wet with sweat and light headed. It affects sleep, your mood can dip because being as productive as possible is hard. It is like Superman knows there is a chunk of Kryponite hidden around here somewhere. Check the lunch box or under the couch cushions or what’s buried in the back yard.

    The summer heat makes you less industrious and we are used to apply liberally the work ethic lotion. Lather it on and no one wants the label lazy because they are not. That drive and dedication is what made the state famous. We don’t complain about the heat, and try to fight the myths, the negative talk about winter weather conditions too. Mainers try their best to not complain and count their blessings.

    How hot does it get in Maine?

    As I hunt and peck this blog post where I am in Northern Maine it is 82 degrees, the wind is 5 miles per hour and the humidity is 63 percent. It is hot for Maine standards and that’s where our Maine crystal clear clean cool lakes come into play.

    Soak the body, swim with the fish. Climb in a kayak and drift, paddle slowly and watch the sunset, the loons, other boaters on a Maine lake the plan for tonight for me. Booking a white water river rafting trip on the Kennebec, Dead or Penobscot River sounds like a good way to cool off to me.

    Maine Has A Lot Of Water. Some Salted.

    Hot else do we handle the heat? Heading to the Maine lake, by visiting those ice cream dairy bars. Taking a bike ride. Tacking and harnessing the wind in a sail boat. Stripping the clothing and turning on a fan to sleep nights. Cranking up the AC in the car or rolling down those windows. Removing the top completely or cracking opening the sun roof.

    Getting up early when it is cooler and capturing those Maine temperatures.

    Inviting them in to stay all day long. By opening up all the windows. To bring in the five in the morning AM chill. To trap it inside by closing the windows, quickly getting in and out use of the exterior doors. Shutting the blinds and curtains to make for comfortable living inside to prepare for the hot summer day ahead.

    Gonna be a hot one, a scorcher today in Maine Chummy. But the winter wood pile still needs the attention to stay one heating season ahead of the next. To avoid the green sizzling sound of creosote in whatever stove we use to heat the interior of where we live the looming approaching winter.

    We only get a handful of over the top muggy weather periods in Maine. We worry about the farm crops and animals out in the heat. Irrigation is not the norm on a farm but the globe is heating up and getting warmer, dustier, dry as a bone in more places.

    Land On A River In Maine. It Is Not Just Lakeshore, Oceanfront That Is Attractive. Like This Nearly 60 Acres On The Aroostook River In Oxbow Maine For $32,500!

    Long periods of no rain and hot sun don’t help the bottom line on a Maine farm up here in Aroostook County. Lack of water or too much of it can ruin the crop on a Maine agricultural spread for crops or critters. But again, we adapt and do the best we can with what we have for natural resources to stay on that patch of dirt.

    Everyone is concerned about how the weather and the temperatures, amount of rainfall all affect the local farmers, the loggers in the woods, the fishermen on the open seas. Weather is a topic of discussion year round in Maine.

    Last winter was a heavier snow load, longer one for sure. Great for the skiing and snow sledding vacation destinations. Those paid to manage it plowing and shoveling it during a slower economic time. So no complaints about the muggy hot weather showing up in the local Maine forecast today. Just adjusting to it adds to the major temperature degree swing we enjoy in Maine.

    We get a lot of weather in Maine. That’s true and we are not amateurs dealing with it. Just don’t experience a lot of the middle of the road kind weather temperatures. As a rule, true Mainers are pretty heat intolerant or become snow birds to escape it in the winter the older they grow. But we prefer it a little cooler thank you very much. Over the blistering hot please. We are better at the cold than handling the heat.

    Hot or cold or in between. It’s all good no matter what the Maine weather.

    Because it is not too crowded, all pure and natural scenery surrounding us. The temperature shift makes each of the four seasons much different from the one before and to follow. We do not get one boring weather pattern. Something new happens quickly to change it up to stay on our toes and not doze off.

    I’m signing off, heading to the Maine lake to take a dip. To get out, heat up, return to the lake water for another submersion to make for comfortable sleeping toinght.

    Thank you for stopping by. Extremely grateful to be lucky enough to live in Maine full time. That I got to visit with the first grandchild, Penolope tonight on the way to the Aroostook County waterfront seasonal home!

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

     

  • Rotary Clubs In Maine

    Rotary Clubs In Maine

    The impact of Rotary Clubs in Maine, small towns know the true merits of the blue and gold wheel.


    If there was no Rotary Club, much would be missing in the community landscape in the Maine communities they serve. All the service clubs like the Elks, Masons, the American and Veterans of Foreign Wars, the snow sled, ATV and sporting clubs all add big time to make the rural areas shine. But this blog post is from personal experience with the Rotary Club I have witnessed.

    In the early 1980’s I joined the local Rotary club in Houlton ME.

    Money raised for so many capital fund projects directly benefits where I live in Vacationland. My local club that meets Monday noon at the Watson Hall of the Church of the Good Shepherd is part of Rotary International District 7810. Clubs from both sides of the US and Canadian border are part of my Rotary district. Here is a Rotary club finder to help you get on board the local meeting schedule.

    Much of the fund raising is geared to local area youth oriented endeavors. We serve several school administrations. Maine is a sparse populated state with miles between the school districts. But funding worldwide polio plus, humanitarian aid for suffering areas on the spinning globe are part of the mix in where money is allocated.

    My Rotary club celebrates 100 years of service this year!

    The clubs membership hovers between 60 to 70 local members. You get out of Rotary what you put in and the individual member needs the club more than the other way around. It is all about service above self, the Rotary motto. He profits most who serves best.

    Rotary Club Of Houlton ME, Celebrating 100 Years Of Service Above Self!

    An earlier Rotary club blog post outlined what projects were underwritten by local members. Our biggest fund raising of the year is the annual Rotary Auction held around Thanksgiving. But local Bingo, E-waste also add to the funding for local needs. The local club has run canoe races, put on Radio Day, manned the gates for the 4th of July entry points, and much more.

    Lots Of The Local History Involves Rotary In Houlton Maine.

    My favorite part of being a Maine Rotary member?

    How so much more can be accomplished as a group rather than as an individual. You get to know the local community members more deeply working on worthwhile community projects. Rotary sees a need as a club and then attack the problem collectively.

    Rotary Balloon Night During McGill’s Outdoor Community Concert.

    My local community needed an outdoor bandstand for McGills Band summer concerts, for local veterans day celebrations, etc. It was used for part of the Houlton Maine Rotary 7810 annual convention when local Rotarian Leigh Cummings was 2012 district governor.

    Waiting For Your Heat Number Pair Up During Houlton ME Soap Box Derby Race.

    When the local soap box derby need help building its own engineer race course, the local Rotary club was involved from day one. A garage for the topside of the race track was built with money raised by the local Rotary club. The local race site is the state of Maine venue for the big event held each June to find out who represents the state in Akron Ohio’s All American Soap Box Derby national race.

    The Houlton Rotary Club Built This Outdoor Amphitheater For All To Enjoy!

    Local hospital equipment funding for much needed modern technology helps all ages in the Maine community. If loved ones don’t have to travel for medical attention, if they can stay local and get the support they need for the hand up to get back on their feet. Everyone wins when the local Maine Rotary club makes it happen.

    The singing a song, collecting happy dollars, the recalling stories of past lost members of Rotary that are greatly missed. All those local Rotary traditions and history are preserved and cherished.

    It all makes Rotary an important part of the weekly routine living in small Maine communities. Everyone in Rotary is busy, much involved in their professions and other local service, school, municipal obligations.

    Local District 7810 Held In Houlton Maine In 2012!

    You learn a lot from other members that are experts in their professions. Each week if you rotate around the tables of members who get together for the wonderful home cooked meal, so much knowledge is gathered.

    The best way to now the members of the community are by working hand in hand on anything to improve the area. That’s what Rotary does and without it and other service clubs in small town Maine communities, the quality of life would suffer greatly.

    The Local Rotary Auction.. Everyone Shops For Items To Build On.

    Are you a member of your local Rotary club?

    Why or why not? Do you make up missed meetings by visiting other clubs in your district? Were you a member and dropped out? Rotary is International. Rotary is a rock solid local group to support with your time and financial resources. Everything Rotary does benefits the local area, the state, the World we all live in.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com | MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Soap Box Derby In Houlton Maine

    Soap Box Derby In Houlton Maine

    Soap Box Derby in Houlton Maine, the Aroostook County race venue held it’s big June race last Saturday. The State of Maine Soap Box Derby race is in Houlton each year.
    This Is “Derby Hill” Where Maine State Soap Box Derby Local, State And Rally Races Are Run.
    The success with the derby racing program is tied very much to the course used to host it. If a small town or city street is used for a derby program, the logistics to using that hill are huge. The manpower needed to set up, maintain, tear down and tuck away the equipment needed for a local soap box derby race drains the resources.

    At one time Maine has five soap box derby race venues to give boys and girls the opportunity to downhill race.

    The locations for Maine derby racing were many and spread around the state in Houlton, Bangor/Brewer, South Portland, Rumford and Camden. Houlton is now the lone remaining site for the Maine race used to produce winning derby car drivers to represent the state in Akron Ohio’s All American Race centers on just one major factor.
    Trophies For Top Eight Places In Stock, Super Stock Racing. But Also The Spirit Award, Best Teched Car And More Awarded In The Houlton Maine Soap Box Derby Annual Local Race!
    The small Northern Maine community in Aroostook County raised funds, drew up the plans for an engineer hill for rally and local derby races. “Derby Hill” has lights, safety guard rails, a garage at the top for storage that make for time and labor efficient set up and tear down operations. When less time, smaller amounts of yearly funding is channeled into the derby race course, more effort can be poured into other vital areas of the event. The workers putting on the derby race don’t suffer from burn out and drop by the wayside from exhaustion and dwindling numbers.

    “Derby Hill” is also used by area children during the winter for sliding on the snow. Even fireworks have been staged off the area called “Topside” during 4th of July celebrations. Spring and fall soap box derby rally races in addition to the annual local run down the hill happens at “Derby Hill”.

    The Houlton Maine race started with a small group of local parents traveling to Camden to witness a local 1995 derby event. MBNA, the big credit card company was looking for a worthwhile family friendly event to sponsor. The plastic card with the magnetic strip giant allocated twenty thousand dollars to hire derby racing officials from New Hampshire to show the Maine race cities how to put on the event.
    Trial Run For Brand New Soap Box Derby Racers! Held Friday Before The Big Local Derby Race.
    Like grass fire when it is dry and conditions are right with wind blowing in the right direction, soap box derby racing in Maine took off. In fact, after the Houlton Maine derby race in 1996, the next five annual installments of the downhill event were the largest in the country.
    Maine Soap Box Derby Racing!
    Lining Up The Heat Sheet ith The Pair Of Derby Racers.
    The Northern Maine Soap Box Derby race with two hundred cars meant sixty six local volunteers stepped up to pull off the event. Money from sponsors, funding for cars, everything needed from event t-shirts to trophies, from food to car parts had to be raised. Derby car racers from over two hours away in Maine would venture to the Houlton venue to compete. In Akron Ohio when the largest race city award was presented at the All American downhill event, it would be asked over and over. How big is your city, is Houlton Maine to field up to two hundred soap box derby car racers? Just a tad over 6000 population for an answer made the person asking the question scratch their head in disbelief.
    Matt Conley, 2019 Super Stock Soap Box Derby Racer Heading To Akron Ohio To Nationally Compete In The All American Race!
    How could that small a Maine community field that large a field of derby car racers? The answer is you don’t know the size of the heart and passion of a home town proud parent or sponsor or derby race volunteer. More on Maine Soap Box Derby racing in Houlton, the county seat for Aroostook.
    Megan Peters, Heading To Akron in July 2019 To Race In The All American Soap Box Derby National Race In Akron Ohio!

    Videos of this year, past races below to show what this soap box derby racing program is all about.

    Please like and follow us on the Maine Soap Box Derby race page.

    The planning and execution of events in rural communities of Maine. In small Maine towns, everything is home grown not store bought. You work the event not just pay your price of admission and sit down to enjoy the show and then look for your car to go home.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker 207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com | MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Dance Schools In Maine, Watch Videos On Local Productions.

    Dance Schools In Maine, Watch Videos On Local Productions.

    Dance companies in Maine, schools where everything from tap, jazz, ballet and more steps are learned.

    The joy of dancing is an extension of the music.

    Feeling the groove, catching the vibe and letting loose. For kids, it sure beats sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of cheese puffs killing time on a device. Get up, start moving, being part of a dance routine with classes to advance the 5,6,7,8. Dance in Maine, there is a lot going on in that department.

    Dance In Maine, What Type We Talking? All Types.

    It matters not if you are located in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor or the small handful of cities or a rural community. Maine has a sparse population. Vactionland is pretty far flung in the well spaced dots on the map. In the small towns of Millinocket and Houlton, a shared dance company thrives. Check out what thirty years of dance classes has done to the program at Houlton School of Dance. Three videos of past Maine dance recital performances below.

    Starting with the littlest of dancers, helped by the older more experienced ones.

    The tiniest dancers not all moving as one dance group. The low to the ground, not all stepping to the same drummer beat are the cutest. Whether they are reindeer, snow flakes, blue birds, daisies, cowboys or whatever synchronized dance routine theme. They are collectively dressed as brand new dancers.. They are precious.

    Stay Together, Dance Collectively. Look Lively Now.

    In the rows of seats watching the dance performance up on stage, you can not help but pick out the ones that will advance rapidly and being shedding tear with their instructor at the end of their high school dance career. Our local treasure. Tomorrow’s hope and today’s live and local entertainment.  That’s what the dance groups of all ages and talent levels represent.

    It makes a family atmosphere when it is all ages and the love of dance is the driving beat. Pretty darn sad to see the seniors move on but to create the space for the next group to step up and shine brightly.

    Maine fine arts, dance is just one avenue, one element of the local entertainment that greatly enriches an area.

    Up on stage, as you sit in the audience you recognize some of the youth from other recreational, church, school events. Hard not to know many of the local youth population in a small Maine town because some of them are relatives.

    The Audience Is Excited As The Maine Dance Program Seating Fills Up.

    Watching our greatest asset grow tall and strong. To develop into the future population that runs the show. Dance is more than exercise and staying in shape. It is a routine, discipline, an accomplishment. In my area, the Houlton School of Dance starts in September and runs through mid May. Like other youth activities, dance and sports and music programs pretty much run year round the deeper you get immersed and advance into the various program levels.

    Dance in Maine.

    It’s been around a long time. My grandmother on my Dad’s side made sure all four kids took tap dancing. It was to improve balance, develop poise and help cure whatever ailed a kid pigeon toed, knock kneed or whatever the things just don’t look right condition is.

    Maybe it’s too much horse riding and bowl legged like a cowboy appearance? Not sure how you fix that big space between the knees that don’t ever get close. Dance for poise and conditioning can not hurt the situation.

    (At the same time, my same grandmother, an RN who pushed her kids into the dance steps, thought better yank those tonsils early. Before they cause problems later on. Not the norm now. The public consensus today is leave them be unless you absolutely have to issue an eviction notice. And open wide to say ahhhh… Come on. Out you go.)

    Santa’s Little Helpers, Dancing Around The Hot Bright Spot Lighted Stage.

    But back to dance.

    Gimme a beat. My parents before television has dance fever. Just like American Bandstand, they were dancing on a regular basis. My dad met my mom at a dance at Nickerson Lake’s Pavilion. Bob Callnan matched them up and look how that turned out. Four boys later looking back, music and dance were encouraged. Part of the household and the joy of both was exposed, not repressed.

    Dancing around, and not because you are a kid needing to visit the bathroom kind. My dad played clarinet in a band to be the entertainment for the paired up dancers down in front of the stage. Rod Palmer was the band leader who later was my accountant until dying at 96. He also played in the local 100 person McGillicuddy’s Band that entertains through out the summer on Thursday nights at Monument Park in Houlton Maine.

    Growing up I would hear lots of stories about all the public dances with live bands.

    Everyone traveled over home into Canada, up into Aroostook county. Or venturing down into upper Penobscot and Washington and Piscataquis counties, wherever there was a band playing and people assembling to fill the dance floor. To kick up their heels, to let off some energy and laugh, socialize and for a few hours, put life on hold.

    Fun Dancing As A Group, To Shine Individually. Maine’s School Of Dance Develops That Magic.

    My brother Stephen played in lots of dance bands on the side.

    His most memorable and best polished one was named “Bootleg”. He played piano, sang lead vocals and it was so much fun to be in the audience. He would entertain but also remind the dance and music patrons to tip your waitress well.

    And Steve would also let those in attendance, who had showed up this particular night at the local bar or bottle club. In whatever snow sled or Elks Club or whatever the venue that the band realized something. The performers all knew that some in the audience tonight have been struggling with a burden or two.

    Stephen Is The Oldest Brother. On The Left. I’m The Little Guy On The Lower Right.

    Recent loss of a loved one, trouble at work, wrestling with a failed marriage or celebrating a promotion, new grand child. Good, bad or ugly, for the next few hours, park it at the door. Take a break from all that and let’s dance. Let’s listen to a latest hit, do an original, play a cover or revive an oldie goldie that brings back a flood of memories.

    When is the last time you went out dancing?

    Do you crank the radio or XM or Spotify at home? Did your Mom play hymns on the ivories? Was there music and dance filling your home? Everyone benefits if is was. I know I know, no one renting wants to hear Nine Inch Nails or Metallica blaring at 2 AM when the party should have ended hours ago. Those kind of loud parties with carousing causing blue lights and police scanner chatter are not the healthy kind. Do you dance like these limber folks shimmy and shake, move and groove.

    Ever told you were a lousy dancer? Never do the boot scoot and boogie or electric slide because of it? Don’t listen to them. Get up, move around, let’s dance as David Bowie suggested. The kids in the dance videos above get it! So do the ones in this last dance video that have all kinds of original moves that might require the services of a chiropractor tomorrow.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA

  • Growing Up In Maine, Earliest Childhood Memories.

    Growing Up In Maine, Earliest Childhood Memories.

    Growing up In Maine. Earliest memories living in small town rural Maine.

    The youngest you were where you can remember vividly. How old were you when events happening around you can be recalled from memory? And not thanks to a relative making it seem real. But recalled on your own without help from the family story telling of a personal event. I can remember living on Franklin Avenue in Houlton Maine. We were only there a couple year before moving to a farm property outside of town.

    More Open Space, Less People, No Traffic, No Crime. That’s Maine. Is It Like That Where You Hang Your Hat Now?

    I was two to three years of age according to my quick ciphering calculations.

    The family still living downtown. There must have been a party the night before. It is just me shuffling around at about 5 AM. Slowly climbing out of bed, sliding down the carpeted stairs on my stomach to hang a right at the bottom. To visit the brightly lit living room.

    The sun on the eastern exposure windows pouring, shining in very brightly. Just waking up and being in the dark for quite a few hours sleeping probably added to how daylight intense it was to a little shaver. With sleepy seeds from the Sandman’s handiwork the night before still crusted in the big brown peepers.

    Wearing a one piece zip ’em up sleeper with the built in vinyl coated slipper feet.

    Moving like a low to the ground cat burglar that knew his way around the quiet as a mouse single family homestead. The warm insulated sleeper probably from JC Penney’s or Chain Apparel. There were potato chips in the bowl on the living room coffee table. The familiar big glass snack container had a wire bracket hooked to the top side of the super sized bowl. To allow the dip to hang out near the chips. It was onion dip’s turn to entertain hungry guests at the house party.

    Aroostook County’s Oldest Town, Houlton Maine.

    Thinking back it was out of character for my mom not to have cleaned up the dishes after the night of the party or when a meal was done. With the help of the family recruited to remind all that many hands made light work.

    So somewhere around two plus years of age and was MIA in the crib upstairs this particular Saturday or Sunday morning when the Maine house was dead quiet.

    Like home alone after everyone gets shuttled hurriedly to the airport. No noise because it was a tad early. All the rest of the family members had not done the rise and shine, get your head out of bed.

    Another vivid earliest of memories was the actual move to the farm from Franklin Avenue. Passengers in an International pick up, the back end loaded up with household belongings from in town destined for the country relocation. I am in my Mom’s lap, Dad is driving slowly. As we round the corner beyond the cemetery on both sides of the road and the farm comes into view. The memory moment in time is crystal clear. Nothing faded or hazy about it in the memory banks mental scan.

    Our family pitch black cat Satan, a Tom with plumbing kept intact for life is none to happy about being in the truck cab. Pacing, crying, anxious and not the best of passengers. At fourteen years of age after keeping the farmstead free of other cats and any rodents, Dr Perkins on Court Street was summoned to put the family pet to sleep. No easy task. But that event to come later. Way way beyond moving day from town to country for “Satie”.

    Satan was not the most social feline but a better mouser there was not to be seen for miles around.

    He would disappear one week a year. Head to town or somewhere he did not share with us. And to come back in one major mess. Cuts, scrapes, bruises. Torn ears, chipped teeth, looking like one of the Rolling Stones after being out on tour way too long. He would be nursed back to health. To land back on his four feet. Returned to the barnyard daily routine and sobering up from doing what Tom cats do. Flirting, competing for an intown female cat’s affections. When off duty, on R & R from protecting the grainary, performing the other agricultural barn yard list of chores. Everyone works on a Maine family farm remember? Satan knew his special role.

    Back back to the move, the window in the back of the pick up is sideways oval. Looking back through the truck cab’s window I can see a tall floor lamp loose and swaying. Wondering to myself just how much that beige colored shade could take in the breeze of the transport. Ease up on the pedal to the metal Dad suggests Mary Lou aka Mom.

    The recall of the move was not because my parents supplied the detail. It was my own you are there observation. The parents are both gone now and not available to ask for more details. Like where were my three older brothers? Back packing or tractor beamed behind us with more cargo?

    The sense of smell is supposed to be the strongest to kick start memory recall of an earlier time in your life.

    Walking into a farm barn and the smell of hay or manure or grain, the livestock can take you instantly to that familiar setting in rural Maine. Being in the Maine woods “uptah camp” or hiking a trail can surround you the same way with rich forest smells of recall. Fresh rain early in the day. Everything is alive and vibrant. Welcome to Maine, the way life should be.

    No Two Are The Same. Because Everyday You Are Not The Same. Maine Sunrises, Sunsets Collected On A Crystal Clean Maine Lake Setting. Feeling Blessed.

    Little ice shards stuck like jewel crystals to wool mittens knit by your mom or grandmother. Those have smells from your winter outdoor playing in the snow that trigger the olfactory sense too. The hand made pearl one knit two home made patterned mittens that matched your winter coat. Removed, heavy, wet and smelling like damp sheep. Carefully placed on a wooden rack by the kitchen wood stove to dry out completely for another day of play. Every day, any season, Mainers are outdoors any chance they get. We all suffer from cabin fever if we don’t fill our lungs with fresh clean Maine air.

    Landing on the moon for someone younger than myself was the earliest of memories for a friend of mine.

    He figured he was around two at the time and remembers asking his mom why is everything white on the moon from afar? Her answer to her son was because the trees are white, mountains and craters are too.

    Total white on white washing to sterilize the lunar moon scenery. The take away logic was that everything on the moon must be a million shades of white only white. And boy could this new destination in the all important race to the moon location ever use a Sherwin Williams paint outlet his thought. For the blues, greens of Maine, fall orange, red, yellows and all the other color wheel shades needed to shake it up a bit.

    Snow Covered, Moon Lit Small Maine Town Courthouse. The Shiretown Of Aroostook Is Border Town Of Houlton ME.

    Everyone asks who are these people in the old black and white snap shot photos.

    The ones safely touch away in a hidden protected box.

    Even when family members all try their best to write on the back who their relatives are or to indicate the year they were captured. When the people who were there suddenly are not, everything goes fuzzy.

    But for most of us, the earliest memories of living in Maine are collected on our own very early.

    Combined with the ones we overheard shared at family reunions. Or from the regular Sunday after church rotations to someone’s house that was the pick of venues for this week. To spend the afternoon with aunts, uncles, cousins.

    The grown ups sat and talked. The kids played outdoor games and used their imaginations in fresh air exercise. We grew up in Maine taking turns visiting our relative’s homes. Each week it was fun because it was new and different than our own regular surroundings.. You did get a glimpse of how the other family members lived because of they weekly gatherings.

    Other early memories on the Maine farm?

    Complaining my bike with the training wheels was not fast enough. So my older brother Jonathan hooks up a rope, connected to his English racer bike and I went lots faster. For awhile. Until hitting one of the very tall and thick maple shade trees out front of the country home on the County Road.

    Still wear the large scar under the chin from that adventure. My grandmother was a nurse and probably should have had the gash stitched up but did not get sewed up because she must have triaged the wound as just a scrape. Nothing serious Mary Lou. Have him hold this peeled potato on it for a spell and he will be fine.

    Early Andrew Mooers. Snacking On A Graham Cracker On Franklin Ave Houlton ME Neighbor Home Of Ralph And Marjorie Black.

    What’s your earliest memory that is crystal clear as a bell?

    Did you have grandparents in Maine that you visited summers as a kid? Have fond memories of life on the rural farm? Or trips to the coast, were those in the mental slide show?

    Wells Beach perhaps or hiking trips to Mt Katahdin? Or renting a lake camp for a week in Maine growing up? Visiting LL Bean or Old Orchard Beach?

    Maybe your family rented a cottage on the Maine coast. Or liked camping in the Great North Woods. Ever paddled the Allagash Wilderness Waterway?

    Been to Vanceboro or Escourt Station or The Forks, Jackman, St Agatha Maine? Feeling pretty lucky to have be raised here, not just sample the state a long weekend here, a vacation stretch of days there. Live and local and a full blown native is a special inner feeling and very grateful for my roots and heritage.

    Maine, she’s a big part of a lot of fond memories whether you live here full time or not.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |

    MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA