I think people from Maine have an innately deeper appreciation for cool things when they happen. Especially people from eastern and northern Maine. Those Portland folks get cool stuff all the time. Up here, we have to work for it. We have to wait for it. And when we get it, we enjoy the hell out of it.

In 2007, we had a lot of things to enjoy, both new and old. No look back on the year in music in eastern Maine is complete without mentioning the most significant grass-roots cultural development in recent Bangor history: Ofelia’s Arte Fino Gallery, the nonprofit art and performance space and thrift shop that opened on Central Street in May.

Full disclosure: I’m a very active volunteer with Ofelia’s. I have a big-time bias. But the reason I’m involved is because I saw what an amazing thing it did for downtown Bangor. Free, local art and music every weekend? Kids with piercings and mohawks rubbing shoulders with doctors and lawyers? A poetry slam with 100 people in attendance? Seven hundred showing up for an art opening? Unless you are the biggest, grouchiest square on the planet, you’ve got to recognize what a rare and wonderful thing that is.

But reality catches up with you. Six months after it opened, fire code issues with the building forced it to shut down. The initial outrage over the circumstances surrounding the closing has abated somewhat, but the excitement and energy that Ofelia’s developed over those months has not. Regardless of what ends up happening with Ofelia’s as an organization, it is proof that this city and this area are ready, willing and able to support a vibrant local art and music scene.

Of course, before Ofelia’s there were plenty of other venues in the area that supported the scene – namely the Underground in Bangor and the Kave in Bucksport. We should be very grateful that there are dedicated people in our communities that love music and young music fans, and want to help facilitate those two things coming together by running chemical-free, all-ages clubs. For a kid growing up in rural Maine, an outlet like that is a gift.

2007 saw a rise in the consistency and quality of programming at small Maine theatres. A list of venues in eastern Maine includes The Grand theater in Ellsworth, the Strand Theatre in Rockland, the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport, the Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, the Bangor Opera House and the Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft. All of those facilities have worked hard to bring local, regional, national and international talent to their stages – not to mention they’re doing it in old, preserved theaters in downtown areas, keeping a great tradition alive.

Each year, I try to single out a few individuals to give props to for supporting the scene. This year, I feel like there are so many people to thank and praise for their contributions to local music that I do believe I’m not going to have enough room in my column to mention them all. So, I’m asking you, Web-savvy reader, to go to my blog, RockBlogster, and join me in a dialogue about what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s totally awesome in the eastern Maine music scene – and arts and culture here in general.

I’ll get the ball rolling by naming some names, and you tell me what you loved, or didn’t love. RockBlogster is on the BDN Web site, www.bangordailynews.com. On the lower half of the home page, there are links to a bunch of blogs, including mine, which is red and has my ugly mug all over it. To comment on the entry, you need to register for the site, which is 100 percent free. We need your e-mail address and stuff, but we won’t fill your inbox with spam. We promise. If you don’t want to, though, you can just e-mail me at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

Happy New Year, everybody. I hope when I write this year-end wrap-up in 2008, I can say that we accomplished even more than last year. If 2007 was any indication, this is just the beginning.

Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net. You also can check out her blog at www.community.bangordailynews.com.