The Maine Show

In this episode of the Maine Show Podcast, we are talking with Sean Sullivan, Executive Director of the Maine Brewers Guild, about why the Maine craft beer scene is so vibrant.  And just why are there so many breweries in Maine?  Plus, what comes next.  Can a state of relatively modest size support all of these breweries?   This podcast is a companion piece to an article by host Ben Sprague on the same topic on Substack.  Visit: bensprague.substack.com to read this article and others.  

Susan and John Burgess, farmers in Newport who grow, among other things, Christmas trees, talk about their lives in farming, what has changed over time, and what the year is like for people in the Christmas industry.  

Earl Villanueva shares his story of moving to Maine with his wife and working remotely for one of the top companies in the world all from his home in Veazie.  Earl works for AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, helping to pioneer their 5G and cloud computing services.  He shares his ideas and suggestions on how Maine can attract more people to live here and enjoy life in the anticipated post-COVID world of working remotely.  

Dennis Markatos-Soriano and Kristine Keeney share the story of the East Coast Greenway, a collection of trails, paths, roads, and connectors linking Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.  With a particular focus on Maine, this episode covers the history and mission of the organization, current efforts underway, and how you can get involved.  Visit www.greenway.org for more information.  

Josh Bridges talks about growing up in Downeast Maine, making his way to Bangor, and working as a mental health professional with a particular interest in Alzheimers and dementia issues.  

Emily Burnham talks about growing up in the Searsport/Belfast area, becoming a journalist with the Bangor Daily News, and how COVID-19 has impacted the local arts community.  This episode also features a look at some of the key events and people in Downtown Bangor circa 2007-2011 that were catalysts for much of the positive momentum that continued throughout the decade that followed.  

Emily Poland, School Nurse Consultant for the State of Maine, talks about how school nurses have been working to help keep students, teachers, and staff safe and informing public policy during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to their many other responsibilities in our Maine schools.  

Dr. Jeremy Yardley of Northern Light/Eastern Maine Medical Center talks about working in a hospital during this very challenging year, what it felt like to recently get the vaccine, and what he sees for the weeks and months ahead.  Dr. Yardley is a Bangor High School graduate and moved back to Maine several years ago.  

Mary Butler talks about playing college basketball at Brown University and then choosing to move back home to Bangor to work in public health.  

A bride prepares for her wedding, a restaurant owner negotiates a changing landscape, and a sportscaster with no sports: three stories of how COVID-19 has changed life as we know it here in Maine.   Special thanks to Jordan Bragg, Susan Stephenson of Pepino's, and Eric Gullickson from WABI TV 5 for joining the podcast to share their stories.   Musical content provided courtesy of BenSounds Royalty Free Music on YouTube.  

Today the Maine Show is rebroadcasting Episode 097, a conversation with Lee Jackson.  When Lee was first elected to the RSU 34 School Board in Old Town, he was among the youngest elected officials in the country.  In this episode he talks about growing up in Maine, his work on various campaigns, and the intersection of race and politics, among other things.  

As part of our continued efforts to amplify the voices of those whose lived experiences can help us learn and become more understanding of one another, the Maine Show is proud to rebroadcast Episode 087, a conversation with Maulian Dana, Tribal Ambassador for the Penobscot Indian Nation. 

The Maine Show listens back to Episode 024, a conversation with David Patrick, about his life and perspective as a black man in Maine, a father, and a community organizer.   The Maine Show stands together with our people and communities of color and seeks to elevate the voices of those whose perspectives and stories can help us better understand one another as we seek real progress.  

In this special edition podcast, Dr. Noah Nesin, the Chief Medical Officer at Penobscot Community Healthcare and a longtime family physician, talks about COVID-19.  He answers a wide range of questions including: what should people be doing right now in terms of social distancing and self-isolating, what should a person do if he or she shows symptoms, how is the coronavirus transmitted (bodily fluids? open wounds? mosquitos?), can you get it more than once, what about pets, can the virus be transmitted on paper such as pieces of mail, can it lead to pneumonia, and many more.  Thank you to Dr. Nesin for joining the Maine Show at this important time.  

Soubanh Phanthay, a recently elected member of the Brewer City Council, shares the story of spending part of his childhood years in a refugee camp in Thailand with his parents and siblings before moving across the world to Houlton, Maine.  Soubanh also discusses his love of food, how he eventually ended up in the greater Bangor area, his photography business, and why it is so important for him to give back to his community. 

Bryan O'Connor, author of the book, For the Record: My 1,000 Favorite Albums 1957-2017, talks about his love of music, perspective on changing trends over time, representation and bias in the music industry, and more.  

Jean Deighan, an investment advisor, business owner, advocate for the arts, and philanthropic supporter of so many important causes throughout the state of Maine, shares her story.  

Jamie Clark, owner of The Willie Wags, shares her story of growing up in Maine, starting her own business, launching a podcast, and more including the many ways she supports female entrepreneurs.  To learn more about The Willie Wags find them on Facebook and Instagram! 

Bangor's newest City Councilor, Gretchen Schaefer, talks about why she was interested in running for local office, how she campaigned and won, and how her time as an elected official has been going so far.  She also discusses her day job at Husson University and her own podcast, "Balancing Chaos."    

WABI TV 5 Reporter and Anchor Brian Sullivan talks about growing up in Bucksport, getting into journalism, the joys and challenges of the job, and the state of local media in this free flowing and wide ranging podcast conversation.  Follow Brian on Twitter at @bsullivanTV.    

Husson University Women's Basketball Coach Kissy Walker recounts her life in basketball. From being a star point guard at Cony High School to the University of Maine to a coaching career that has generated countless memories and now over 500 wins, Kissy Walker has done it all.  In this podcast she tells some of those stories plus talks about her coaching philosophy.  

Ben sits down with Kristen McAlpine, Nazrin Dixon, and Matt Grant to make picks on some of the top Super Bowl prop bets for the upcoming game between the Patriots and Rams.  Who will win the game?  How long will the National Anthem be?  What color will Adam Levine's shirt be at halftime? What color liquid will be poured on the Super Bowl winning coach? All that and more in this special impromptu edition of the Maine Show Podcast.  

Ben Treat, recently named Director of the Bangor Public Library, shares his story.  From growing up in Brewer to moving to Boston and New Hampshire and then returning home, Ben talks about his love of learning, libraries, family, and the state of Maine.  He also discusses how libraries are changing and what some of his goals and priorities are for one of Bangor's most beloved institutions: the Bangor Public Library.  

Bangor City Councilors Clare Davitt and Laura Supica share their stories of what brought them to (or back to!) Bangor and what lead them to run for City Council.  From discussion of their lives and backgrounds prior to even considering running for office to talking about the campaign itself and then the first year of service, this is a wide ranging and entertaining conversation.  

Host Ben Sprague shares the news that the show is going on a semi-permanent hiatus.  He says, "This is not a goodbye and it's not a closing out of the whole podcast, it's just an acknowledgement that there are seasons in life for different things, and right now my energy and emotion and time are all turning inward towards my family and our immediate future."   Ben is also happy to share the joyful news that he and his wife, Malorie, are expecting their third child in November, a boy!  He says, "I have absolutely loved bringing you this podcast week after week for these last three years, it has been an absolute honor and I have loved the conversations with the guests but also getting to know many of the listeners.  I just can't keep up with it anymore on a week to week basis.  My goal when I started was to do a new episode every Tuesday and for the most part I was able to do that for awhile, but then life happens, and now with a third child on the way, a day job at First National Bank, and my work as a City Councilor and for this year mayor of the City of Bangor, it's just been too much and while I hate to admit that, I also want to be realistic about a healthy work-life balance, spending time with my kids and wife, and not being on a computer editing audio files and researching interviews week after week."   Ben wishes to thank the audience for tuning in week after week and he concludes by saying, "It has been an absolute honor to be able to bring this podcast to you and like I said, don't lose total track of the link to it because you may see a new episode pop up here and there."  

Jen Hazard, author of "The Maine PlayBook: a Four Season Guide to Family Fun and Adventure" and the driving force behind the Cute Potato blog and website talks about her work as a writer, raising a family in Maine, and some of her favorite spots to explore.   Visit www.cutepotato.com for more information about Jen and her work or find her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! 

Evan Richert, former Director of the State Planning Office under Governor Angus King, talks about his career as a Planner, teacher, and even his early days as a journalist.  From projects in South Portland to Augusta to Orono, Evan has been involved with many notable efforts throughout the state of Maine. This conversation touches on Evan's work history but also his thoughts on what it takes to grow a culture of entrepreneurism, what the missing pieces are in the state of Maine currently, and how they can be filled.   

Jessica Grondin, Director of Communications for the City of Portland, talks about what it is like to be the spokesperson (and manager of social media accounts!) for a city as large and diverse as Portland, Maine.  She also discusses her background growing up in Bangor, attending school in Massachusetts, and working for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, among other things.  

Once a homeless teenager in Portland, Christopher Poulos shares his story of recovery and from going from jail to the White House to graduating from law school and being admitted to the federal bar in the same courthouse from which he was once taken in handcuffs.  His inspiring story touches on a number of themes including the importance of treatment and recovery, of dogged determination, and of not giving up on oneself or the ones we love even in moments of despair.  

Abe and Heather Furth, partners in business and in life, share some of the stories behind the creation and growth of Woodman's Bar and Grill, Verve, and Orono Brewing Company, which has no expanded its distribution statewide and is a key part of the growing craft brewery scene in Maine.  

While the Maine Show Podcast takes a pause to record new episodes for the weeks ahead, we revisit one of our most popular episodes: a conversation with local singer and musician, Stesha Cano.  Learn more about Stesha at www.steshacano.com.      

The owner of Rock Maple Sugarhouse in Sandy Bay, Maine (which is on the western border near Jackman) talks about what it is like to produce maple syrup on a large scale with 35,000 taps.  From seasonality and concerns about the weather to financials and worries about global trade, there is a lot more to sap production than meets the eye.  Jack Decker shares his story and the story of Rock Maple Sugarhouse in this episode of the Maine Show Podcast. 

Faced with heart issues and stress-related issues two and a half years ago, Bradford Eslin started taking medication and exercising.  Soon after he ditched the medication and just stuck to running.  Now this plumber from Bucksport is getting ready to run in the Boston Marathon, regularly logs 60-70 miles a week, and his health has never been better.  This is  a story of discipline, life choices, goal setting, and physical fitness from an everyday Mainer who has developed an extraordinary talent and is now inspiring others.      

In this episode, Nancy Smith, Executive Director for GrowSmart Maine, talks about ways her organization is supporting economic development throughout the State of Maine as well as some of the challenges Maine faces right now and where there are pockets of optimism and success.  Nancy also discusses her past career as a Maine legislator and what brought her to Maine originally (working in the Maine woods!).   To find out more about GrowSmart Maine, visit www.growsmartmaine.org.   

Paul Huston of Brick Oven Bangor Rye Bakery talks about his mid-career move along with his brother to acquire and manage this long-time Bangor business, lessons learned, and how they get all that bread out to all those customers each day.   To learn more about Brick Oven Bangor Rye Bakery, find them on Facebook or at www.brickovenbangorrye.com, or just stop by their location on Hancock Street.   Photo credit: Marlee Huston

Fresh off a Boys Class C State Championship in Maine high school basketball, Max and Caden Mattson of George Stevens Academy and their dad, Assistant Coach Matt Mattson, sit down to talk about experiencing basketball as a family and more in this episode of the Maine Show Podcast.  

In a special edition of the Maine Show Podcast, we are sharing an episode of You're the Expert from the 2017 Maine Science Festival in its entirety.  You're the Expert is a show that brings comedians and scientists together to decipher the sometimes weighty and complicated work that scientists do.  In this live recording, three comedians interview University of Maine Professor Dr. Kristy Townsend about "the Mysteries of Fat!" Special thanks to Chris Duffy, Pretty Good Friends, and everyone with You're the Expert as well as our friends at the Maine Science Festival for sharing their work with us and letting us broadcast this special episode on the Maine Show Podcast!   To learn more about You're the Expert or to listen to other episodes, visit theexpertshow.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter!

Mainer Frances Loring recounts a month spent recently helping refugees in Greece.  She also discusses a lifetime in healthcare including work at what is now Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center and Eastern Maine Medical Center.   This is a story of compassion, hard work, and caring on the ground amidst one of the great challenges of our time.  

Nathaniel Seekins, a native of Searsport, shares his story of growing up in Maine, attending school in Connecticut to learn about technical lighting for stage productions, and then ending up in Europe working on, among other things, the Harry Potter stage show.  Nathaniel then ended up working on super yachts in Germany before returning to Maine with his wife and son. They now live in Bangor.  

For our 100th Episode, Ben sits down with Brewer Mayor Jerry Goss to talk about cooperative efforts between Bangor and Brewer, Jerry's 33 years in education, and why he ran for City Council after he retired from being principal at Brewer High School.  

Simon Thompson, a native of Portland, graduate of Harvard, and former Maine Field Director for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, joins the podcast to share his story.  Among other things, Simon discusses his decision to move back to Maine, how the transition has been, and what the state should do to draw back more young professionals.  

Outdoor writer, blogger, and video blogger Aislinn Sarnacki talks about her background as a writer, what inspired her love of the outdoors, and how she has made a career out of.  Plus she talks about the success of her first book ("Family Friendly Hikes in Maine") and the excitement about her second book, which is coming out this spring.   Find all past episodes of the Maine Show Podcast at www.maineshowpodcast.com.  

A member of the RSU 34 School Committee, Old Town's Lee Jackson was one of the youngest elected officials in the country when first elected.  He has since been a part of numerous political campaigns and causes throughout Maine and beyond.  In this interview, Lee shares his story and also discusses, among other things, the 2016 Presidential election and the Republican Party's current relationship with young people and people of color.  

Fresh off of winning the 2017 Run Millinocket half marathon, Hampden Maine's Erik Knickerbocker shares his story.  A UPS driver by day, Erik talks about balancing work and running including his 90+ mile weeks.   

The podcast returns from a short hiatus! Traci Kennedy and Devin Robinson of the Maine Veterans Home in Bangor are the guests today to talk about a recent award they received as well as the ongoing work and innovative programming that is taking place at the Maine Veterans Homes across the state.  We also discuss the changing needs of veterans and the challenges of serving a broad population especially in a state like Maine.   To find out more about the Maine Veterans Home visit www.mainevets.org! 

St. Agatha native, former UMaine Women's Basketball Player, and standout Maine runner Tracy Guerrette stops by the studio.  In this conversation, Tracy talks about her background as an athlete as well as her Catholic faith including a period of time she explored joining a convent.  She also talks about plans for running the Maine Marathon, which was run after this recording but before the posting of this podcast.  So stay tuned to the podcast conclusion to hear the results of Tracy's effort in this race! Photo credit: Bangor Daily News  

Eric Kingsley of Innovative Natural Resources Solutions stops by the studio to talk about the state of the Maine forest products industry, potential in the biofuels market, and the challenges and opportunities ahead.  This episode is a good overview of the recent history of the Maine forests with some insight from Eric on what might happen next.  

Maine's Secretary of State Matt Dunlap talks about what it is that a Secretary of State does, the uniqueness of how the Maine Secretary of State is chosen, and how he got interested in politics.  He also shares some of his thoughts on the current mood of the country as it pertains to elections and election integrity, as well as some stories about his own work and experience as a former Maine state legislator.    

Retired Lieutenant Paul Edwards of the Bangor Police Department talks about growing up in Bangor, the early years of his police career, and how he thinks the job has changed over time.  He also shares what he is up to these days and some further perspective on a life in police work.   Photo credit: Bangor Daily News

The first ever Superintendent of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Tim Hudson, talks about his 50 years of experience in the National Parks Service and what his goals are for this new monument. He also talks about his experience heading up Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts and more.   To find out more about Katahdin Woods and Waters, visit: https://www.nps.gov/kaww/index.htm To find out more about what is happening in the Katahdin Region, visit: www.ourkatahdin.com  

In this episode, Michael Crowley talks about his recent job change: after many years leading philanthropy efforts for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, this Millinocket native is returning home to become the first Executive Director of Our Katahdin, which is a community and economic development organization.  Michael shares his story of growing up in Millinocket and what has drawn him back.   Photo credit: EMHS