Part of the reason I hike is to experience the solitude of nature. I’m sure I’m not the only hiker to feel that way. But, sometimes it’s hard to find a quiet spot along the trail without being trampled by hordes of other hikers. Last weekend, though, I… Read More
Over the last month or so, the tempo of bird life has changed and undergone a fundamental shift. The advent of spring brought with it the rush of returning migrants. Neotropical songbirds filled the woods and fields with color and song, and all bird life… Read More
The Maine Bowhunters Association is holding a youth and parent archery fun day on Aug. 25 at Old Town Archery. The program, which will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., is intended to help the MBA fund efforts in youth archery education through the… Read More
Interscholastic sports hold a special place in Maine, as an opportunity for kids to succeed in a competitive environment, and as an opportunity for communities to share in those quests. But several notable events in recent weeks suggest that the interscholastic sports arena doesn’t hold… Read More
It will be a homecoming of sorts for ESPN senior operations producer Kevin Hendel when he arrives in Bangor on Friday afternoon. The 16-year veteran of the all-sports cable and satellite television network moved from Bristol, Conn., two years ago to work at ESPN’s Charlotte,… Read More
The 2007 recruiting season has been more like a sport fishing trip for University of Maine baseball coach Steve Trimper. The Black Bears needed pitching, and Trimper was casting his line far and wide to find it. The second-year head coach hooked a couple of… Read More
While details of Saturday’s fatal boat crash on southern Maine’s Long Lake have yet to be fully explained, the incident did illustrate a scary trend on the state’s waters. As of Wednesday, state officials had not said whether either of the boats involved were using… Read More
This weekend, thousands of Mainers and tourists will descend on Machias for one of the state’s more popular summer festivals and the three-decade-old road race that accompanies it. The annual Machias Blueberry 5-mile run, one of the more popular summer destinations for area runners and… Read More
BANGOR – While it wasn’t the way the U.S. West champions from Hilo, Hawaii, were used to winning games, the unfamiliar tension and drama of Tuesday night’s game was more than just a come-from-behind victory. It was also a welcome distraction, even if it only… Read More
Some of Eastern Maine’s top schoolboy basketball players recently helped a team from the Pine Tree State earn a best-ever 11th-place finish at the junior boys/17-and-under AAU National Championships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Derek Libbey of Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln,… Read More
Owing to the generosity of Bangor area golfers and golf clubs, Patti Pelletier of Bangor has more than met her goal of collecting golf balls to send to her son, Bryan James, in Iraq. Now she needs help in sending them. The response was so… Read More
BANGOR – As the tournament umpire chief for the Senior League World Series, Chris Parker wouldn’t look very kindly on any of his umpires “mailing it in” when working a game. When it comes to helping Series-goers simplify their postage needs, however, Parker has done… Read More
While practices and tryouts for the fall high school sports season opened Monday for most of the state, many of the schools in Aroostook County have been going for several weeks. Some schools have already played countable games. The Van Buren boys soccer team, which… Read More
Muskies are, according to various sources, “The fish of 1,000 casts.” According to other sources, they’re “The fish of 10,000 casts.” At least those are the party lines uttered by organizers of the Fort Kent International Muskie Derby, when you skulk back to “Muskie Central”… Read More
Sports fans have certainly been under siege lately. What with all the steroid talk and dog fighting charges, it seems like fans of all these games haven’t had a lot to cheer about. Toss into that mix the potential for a serious betting scandal with… Read More
Monday marked the first day of high school football practices, not only in Maine but in the Lone Star State, too. Some scholarship-level football players from Texas are delaying the start of their preseason regimens, however, in their quest for a Senior League World Series… Read More
University of Maine baseball players Curt Smith, Billy Cather, Alejandro Balsinde and Mike Powers all played key roles in leading the Vermont Mountaineers to their second straight New England Collegiate Baseball League title this summer. The Mountaineers compiled a 24-18 record during the regular season… Read More
BANGOR – The U.S. East champions from Freehold Township, N.J., arrived at this year’s Senior League World Series with considerable name recognition. The program is making its third appearance at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor in the last four years, having won the SLWS championship in… Read More
Cable television sports network giant ESPN will train its cameras on Bangor next week as the Senior League World Series championship game will be televised live for the first time. The live broadcast is the result of a new, eight-year TV contract between Little League… Read More
“The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love. When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged. And what a healthy thing that is! Without it, we would never stand up and… Read More
It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, about 84 degrees, and just the hint of a breeze caressed and riffled the river’s surface as I maneuvered the boat closer to a rocky, stump-strewn shoreline. Standing in the bow and using the foot pedal control to steer the electric… Read More
It seems the weather adage for some locales in the state this summer has been: “If you don’t like the weather, drive a couple of miles up the road!” It’s the truth! Most notable is the difference between Bangor and Milbridge, and even within this… Read More
The high-pitched, burry squealing of terns reached me on the hill, and I looked down to see squadrons of them patrolling the surf. Their bodies were dazzling white against the blue-green of the ocean, their flight light and buoyant. Every now and then I saw… Read More
It’s the time of year when anyone who constantly follows baseball at both the professional and amateur levels can feel a little burned out. Sure, there’s no such thing as burned out when it comes to Red Sox angst, or the angst of another major… Read More
Bangor High School first-team All-Pine Tree Conference lineman Rob Seccareccia, who had signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Maine, will play at Bangor’s Husson College instead. “I had been accepted at Maine but I received a letter from the… Read More
BANGOR – Mike Clendenning is eager to dispel the rumor that Golf Country at the Airport Mall on Union Street is going out of business. “We’ve been fighting this for three weeks,” said Clendenning, one of the four owners (along with his wife Nikki and… Read More
Two of Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon’s passions have intertwined. The result is an anthem for the Boston Red Sox. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
Recently, my Tuesday evenings have been spent deeply engrossed in the ongoing ESPN mini-series, “The Bronx is Burning.” The eight-part program chronicles the life and the times of New York City in the midst of four significant events: the 1977 Major League Baseball season of… Read More
Earlier this year, Bangor High girls soccer coach Larry Smith wanted to find some way to honor Danielle Thompson, a former Ram player and 2003 Bangor graduate who died Jan. 3 from bacterial meningitis during her senior year at the University of New Hampshire. At… Read More
University of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said he is “real excited” about his 2008 opener against the University of Maine. It will be played on Aug. 30 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and Maine will receive a $400,000 guarantee. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
The appropriate motto for the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies that took place last weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., seems to be “coming together.” There were a lot of items that came together for MLB and the Hall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
At some point in the life of every hiker, the question will arise, “I wonder if I could hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine?” When it does, it will be impossible to shake. You’re really asking if you’ve got what it takes to put on… Read More
Did someone forget to turn back the thermostat? Enough already, 90-plus is fine if you live in Arizona or New Mexico, but up here we’ve got thicker blood! Besides, by turning it back to the 80s we’ll save some energy, won’t we? When it gets… Read More
It hasn’t been easy being green for more than two decades. While Jordan and Shaq and Kobe and Tim Duncan have ruled the NBA, the Boston Celtics have been beset by luck both bad and tragic since 1986, leaving the good old days a generation removed. Read More
Unity Raceway owner Ralph Nason wanted to free up weekends for families to pursue a variety of activities so he decided to consolidate his Thursday and Saturday night race cards into one Friday night program this season. So far, so good. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
With a 99.77 grade average that has him first in his class, you’d think Mount View High School senior-to-be Brian Blanchard would be spending his summer sifting through college guides, checking out brochures and dreaming about getting his first car. Not so. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
A cool breeze blew up the Upsalquitch River on Tuesday night as Ollie Marshall completed another season of fishing at the Mouth Pool he patrols most summer evenings. “I don’t know how many more years I’m gonna spend packing and unpacking,” he said with a… Read More
In the summer of 1972, Bangor brought back American Legion baseball after several years without it. It was the only Legion team north of Fairfield and had players from all over the Bangor area. Thirty-five years later, there are 11 teams north of Fairfield, including two teams from… Read More
There were still 20 minutes to go before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. Major League Baseball treading deadline, but Arnie Beyeler was not working the phones. The Portland Sea Dogs manager was in the visiting team’s dugout, getting ready for that evening’s Eastern League game against the… Read More
Bryan James, a member of the Army’s Third Infantry Division based in Fort Stewart, Ga., and some of his fellow soldiers in Iraq are not unlike many golfers. “They hit them out into the desert, then they go out and retrieve them,” said James’ mother,… Read More
YORK – Thomaston’s Ricky Jones shot a 2-under-par round to lead the 51-player field in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier at the Ledges in York. Jones had rounds of 68 and 70 to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship for the second straight year. Trevor Murphy… Read More
Shey Gardner, a quarterback and safety from Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, is one of three recipients of the second annual John R. Schmidlin Trophy. Gardner, running back-defensive back Aaron Champagne of Lawrence of Fairfield and fullback-linebacker Devon Brown of Gardiner were honored during halftime of… Read More
Former University of Maine guard Tracy Guerrette is back in the UMaine system, but five years after graduating, she’ll be a coach, not a student-athlete. The former Wisdom High School of St. Agatha star makes another return – to her native Aroostook County – as… Read More
When San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds surpasses Hank Aaron’s all-time career home run total of 755, throngs of reporters and fans will be waiting for the event, which is regarded in baseball annals as one of the three most difficult marks to attain. The… Read More
For many of the people who finally head afield on a Maine moose hunt, the “hunt of a lifetime” is the culmination of years of waiting. That’s because gaining the right to hunt moose isn’t easy … and it’s perfectly random. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
BREWER – Britt Hulbert of Bar Harbor and Tommy McWalters of Thorndike recorded first place finishes in the Maine Games Pine Tree Triathlon Sunday and earned berths in the Best of the U.S. Triathlon Championships in Cyprus Gardens, Fla., in October. Hulbert posted an overall… Read More
Bear baiting sullies state’s image Anyone visiting Maine who happened to read the Bill Graves column (BDN, July 28-29), “Time to prepare for bear,” would get a picture of our great state that is far from the true one. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Standing on the banks of his home river earlier this week, Jeff Owen reflected on his earliest paddling days, and the places he has visited as a result of his passion for the sport. “We trained here when we were kids,” the 41-year-old Orono native… Read More
Seems like work gets in the way of a good time lately. That and life’s other inconsistencies have piled up to impede my need for the solitude of an escape to nature. I got an evening last Saturday to paddle a bit on Pushaw Lake. Read More
Despite being only midway through summer, outdoorsmen with an eye toward bagging a black bear this year need to get the process under way. A very generous general hunting season extends from Aug. 27 right through the end of deer season on Nov. 24. During this period bruin… Read More
A few weeks ago I wrote about a rare viewing of an elusive marsh bird, the Virginia rail, as well as a sighting of a blue grosbeak, over on Poplar Street in Old Town (along the “causeway,” that passes Mud Pond on the way to Pushaw Lake). I… Read More
The Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic is clearly the most electric of the state’s postseason high school all-star games. But that’s not because of the lightning-filled storms that have delayed the start of the last two games. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
A couple of weeks ago, few Mainers could have told you what didymosphenia geminata was. Fewer would have known that it’s often called “didymo,” or “rock snot.” Hopefully that’s going to change. And the quicker, the better, for all of Maine’s waters. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
The University of Maine- Presque Isle has hired two head coaches for the upcoming school year. Tammy Krul, a Caribou resident, will take over the Owls’ women’s soccer program while Mike Michaud has been named baseball coach. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Every year, the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K road race strives to give something back to the community. This year is no different, as the world-class race, which will be held in Cape Elizabeth next Saturday, Aug. 4, has chosen STRIVE as this year’s… Read More
A potential Boston Red Sox closer of the future has been a catcher for the vast majority of his organized baseball career. Even as late as his junior year in high school, the idea of throwing from the mound rather than throwing balls back to… Read More
High school football in Down East Maine is gaining momentum. Calais and Woodland have combined forces to develop a cooperative program that will begin playing at the subvarsity level this fall with plans to join the varsity ranks in two years. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Marcus Gustafson’s life changed forever on April 3, 1999. That night, he scored the overtime game-winner to beat New Hampshire 3-2 in the NCAA championship game in Anaheim. His life changed dramatically again in August of 2005. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
After reviewing the spring 2007 academic statistics, Husson College officials, faculty members and coaches are flying high over the grade point averages of the Eagles’ student-athletes. Almost half (47.6 percent) of the students involved in Husson’s 11 athletic programs obtained a spring GPA of 3.0… Read More
Recent down time for recovery from so-called minor surgery – have you ever noticed that it’s only minor to those who aren’t being operated on? – has given this old coach more time than usual to follow the local, state, and national sports happenings. News… Read More
Fly fishing for Atlantic salmon can be a frustrating sport … if, that is, you choose to focus on the number of casts it often takes to land a single fish. Ignore that fact, and focus on the beauty around you – salmon rivers are… Read More
OXFORD – The pole-sitter for the 34th annual TD Banknorth Oxford 250, Shawn Martin, was pleased to hear that Caribou’s Spud Speedway is opening after seven years of inactivity. That’s because Spud Speedway is where Martin began his racing career 11 years ago at the… Read More
Five or 10 years ago, you never would have seen Rusty Emmerton at the East Outlet of the Kennebec River, geared up and ready to spend a day on one of the state’s top fly fishing waters. Back then, the 51-year-old Swanville man admits, about… Read More
University of Maine goalie Ben Bishop underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in his native St. Louis two weeks ago and said he will be ready when the Bears’ dry land training gets underway in September. “I had a torn meniscus [cartilage] in my left knee,” said… Read More
Each summer I await the third week of June with the enthusiasm and impatience of a kid anticipating Christmas. My annual excursion to Florida to revel in three days of fly casting for saltwater’s “Silver King” takes place at that time and while non-anglers might… Read More
When you go running in the woods in mid-July, on a warm afternoon, you aren’t likely to hear very many birds singing. There are a few reasons for this: the time of day is the least-productive for songbirds, which are most vocal in the early morning hours and… Read More
Bangor’s Mark Corson and Hermon’s Anthony Wilcox epitomize the word “dedication.” Corson, who lives in Exeter, and Wilcox, who still lives in Hermon, commute to Auburn every day to work for the Richard Moody Racing team. They hook up in Newport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
AUGUSTA – While the general consensus at Thursday’s Maine State Harness Racing Commission meeting was that Maine’s tight horse supply warrants some concern, it’s not enough to alter the remainder of the 2007 racing schedule. “I am concerned with the supply of horses in the… Read More
The thought of joining the high school coaching ranks passed through these brain cells a few years back, if ever so briefly. The decision not to go that route wasn’t for lack of opportunity. Ask most athletic administrators and they’ll lament the lack of applicants… Read More
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife calls them “rule-making proposals.” In the future, anglers will likely call most or all of them “laws.” And at a public hearing held in Bangor Tuesday night, more than 200 of those proposed fishing regulations were fair… Read More
PORTLAND – Kevin Lepage said he was thrilled when Todd Graffam and Archie St. Hilaire contacted him about running in Sunday night’s TD Banknorth Oxford 250. The 45-year-old Lepage, who drives the No. 37 NASCAR Nextel Cup car for Front Row Motorsports, will be racing… Read More
Holding the title of meet director for a major road race or track and field meet is certainly not easy. Rolland Ranson will have the best officials in the country helping him run the show when the USA Track and Field’s National Masters championships return… Read More
Former Hampden Academy student-athlete Amanda Rodgerson is leaving Southern Maine Community College to take the head women’s basketball coaching position at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. “I just found out Friday,” she said. “It was getting late in the summer so it’s a big… Read More
He’s not really a slugger, but he leads his team in home runs. He’s not really a speedster, but he’s third on the team with five stolen bases. He’s not really a seafood guy, but he loves sushi. Meet Jed Lowrie, a case study in… Read More
David Beckham is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday in an exhibition game against English Premier League power Chelsea. The former English national team captain and wife Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams have made quite a splash. Read More
When basketball players end their high school playing careers, there’s always a local rec league nearby to keep those competitive juices flowing. The same goes for baseball players, with opportunities locally like the Bay League to quench that thirst to hit an 85 mph fastball… Read More
Bangor-Nokomis girls basketball games will provide more than their share of interesting matchups, and not just on the floor. Kori Dionne, a former point guard for Bangor High and a 1999 Bangor graduate, will take over as coach of the Nokomis of Newport girls basketball… Read More
As we slowly trolled up a calm Penobscot River under the setting sun late last week, hoping to hook a striped bass or two, a friend’s words resonated in my head. This friend has begun fishing the Penobscot quite regularly, and vows to keep doing… Read More
Thanks to my uncle and my Mom, I am a reader. This time of the year usually finds me in the sun, deeply engrossed in a Robert Parker or a James Patterson suspense novel. If true confessions are the norm here, then I must admit that I am… Read More
The opening of Spud Speedway in Caribou has been pushed back until Sunday. Newburgh’s Greg Veinote, who recently bought the track from Ralph and Nancy Nason, said they couldn’t hold racing this past Sunday because the fire marshal hadn’t inspected the facility. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
The riding mower at Husson College will get more down time this fall after the installation of a new FieldTurf artificial field surface on Boucher Soccer Field is completed. One week after Husson College president William Beardsley gave final approval for the project, construction has… Read More
SCARBOROUGH – Six-year-old pacer Rupert Rupert scorched the rest of the field in the $7,000 feature race at Scarborough Downs Monday afternoon with the fourth-fastest mile ever raced at the track. Rupert Rupert’s time of 1 minute 54.4 seconds. The horse, which joins Landmark Honor and Whitlock N… Read More
Runner seeks $60 refund from Paul Bunyan Marathon I am a longtime runner and avid marathoner. The 2007 Paul Bunyan Marathon was scheduled to be run in Bangor last Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
Not so long ago, “bass” was a four-letter word among more than a few Maine outdoors enthusiasts whose piscatorial tastes ran more toward salmon and trout. Tournament bass fisherman Ken Hoehlein of Trenton chuckles when he recalls one such story. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
The Major League Baseball All-Star game is about show and entertainment. The home field advantage may rest on the outcome, but that does not take the game above the glitz that surrounds the week. Barry Bonds was the obvious center of attention. The game was… Read More
Eastern Maine’s harness racing community lost a valued member, significant contributor, and loyal friend last week when Doug Clendenning died at the age of 87. The World War II veteran had many different work experiences. He worked for Bath Iron Works before joining the U.S. Read More
There had been at least 20 tarpon in the string cruising the shallow azure ocean along the beach near Captive Pass. My guide had spotted a couple of the fish breech the waves when they were still 100 yards away, and when several tarpon porpoised at 50 yards… Read More
The Greenland Point Center in Princeton will host an open house and day of family fun on Aug. 25. The day begins with a 5-kilometer race and mile fun walk and run. Registration starts at 9 a.m., the mile event starts at 9:30 and the… Read More
Recently I received an e-mail from Mr. Sam Garwood of Old Town. He’d been birding on Poplar Street, which includes the causeway that passes near Mud Pond on the way to Pushaw Lake. This road and the causeway is a wonderful place to bird, as… Read More
Maybe you’ve seen people who would fit the following description on your favorite hiking trail: They’re probably beside the trail, gasping for air as they struggle to get to the top of the mountain. These fictional hikers have a pair of flip flops on their… Read More
Any fan of competitive sports generally boasts their own competitive streak; we all want to come across as knowing more than the next guy. For instance, I tried to tell Red Sox fans that J.D. Drew at $70 million for five years was a bad… Read More
WHEATON, Ill. – Cody Paladino of Kensington, Conn., eliminated Jesse Speirs of Bangor 1 up in their Round of 16 match Thursday in the 82nd U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Cantigny Golf Club. Speirs evened the 18-hole match by winning the 10th hole with… Read More
YARMOUTH – The 18th annual Betty Blakeman Memorial Tennis Tournament will be held on July 20-22 at Yarmouth High School. Held in conjunction with the Yarmouth Clam Festival, it offers competition in men’s open singles and doubles, women’s open singles and doubles, mixed doubles as… Read More
WATERVILLE – Donah Wang, who has Division I coaching experience, has been named head coach of the Colby College men’s and women’s tennis teams. Wang had been an assistant with the women’s program at the University of Wisconsin since January, and coached the Edgewood College… Read More
While the Sub 5 track club’s race series is taking a couple of weeks off after last week’s Walter Hunt Memorial 3K, the series will get back into the swing of things with a local favorite on July 28. The Bucksport Bay Festival 5K will… Read More
Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson didn’t answer to “Mister,” least of all from people he considered his friends. That’s something I’ll always remember. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
Central Maine Community College in Auburn will expand its athletic department this fall, adding men’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball and a co-ed golf program for the 2007-08 school year. The school now offers men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball. The athletic department’s expansion… Read More
OAKLAND – Seth Sweet of Madison watched last year as his dad, Dan, caddied for a friend at a Maine Amateur Golf Championship qualifier. “[Seth] said he wanted to play in the qualifier next year,” said Dan Sweet. “I thought he would lose interest over… Read More
Not long after Jim Chasse became principal at Piscataquis Community High of Guilford two years ago, he came across a student petition urging the development of a wrestling program at the school. The petition had enough signatures to pique Chasse’s interest, particularly at a school… Read More
YARMOUTH – The McNally East/West Senior All-Star Field Hockey game will be held at Yarmouth High School on Saturday at 6 p.m.. An Alumnae All-Star game will be held at 4 p.m. before the Senior game. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More