Wine and Whiskers, Tim Meadows Heads to Criterion, Real Estate and Other Briefs
The following are briefs and short news excerpts compiled at (or sent to) the Bar Harbor Story.
MOUNT DESERT 365 ANNOUNCES COURT APPROVAL OF HEEL WAY
MOUNT DESERT— Mount Desert 365 announces that the Business and Consumer Court has denied the plaintiff’s appeal, affirming the Mount Desert Planning Board’s decision to approve the organization’s Heel Way subdivision application.
The court decision comes more than a year after the application review began. The Mount Desert Planning Board approved the application October 24, 2023, following an eight-meeting process that began in March 2023. That approval was appealed in November 2023. Though planning continued, site work was postponed pending the court’s ruling.
Mount Desert 365 welcomes this positive news and is eager to begin work on site in the coming months. Upon completion, Heel Way will introduce six year-round homes to the local market. The need for year-round housing in the town of Mount Desert, and on MDI, has reached a critical level and the organization is proud to work alongside Island Housing Trust, The YWCA of Mount Desert, Jackson Lab, MDI Hospital, and others, to address it.
To share your support or learn more about the plans for Heel Way, please email community@mountdesert365.org or call the office at 207-276-0555.
Mount Desert 365 is a community-based organization dedicated to promoting long-term economic vitality of the town of Mount Desert, Maine, through expansion of sustainable year-round residential communities and economic revitalization of commercial districts.
JAX LABORATORY LOOKS TO EXPAND CENTER
BAR HARBOR—The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) hopes to expand on its campus and the project goes before the Bar Harbor Planning Board on July 3 for a completeness review.
According to the Planning Board’s agenda, the 600 Main Street scientific center hopes “to construct an addition to the Core Research Complex. The addition will allow for the consolidation and expansion of JAX’s Rare Disease Translational Center (RDTC) and provide dedicated laboratory and office space.”
Town staff requested in its report that the following information still needed to be submitted, most of which is standard for applications and often comes in after the meeting. Those included capacity letters from the town’s sewer department, water department, and the Public Works Director; fire marshall approval; amended DEP site location of development permit.
According to a letter from Woodard and Curran, “The addition will be two stories with a mechanical penthouse. The footprint will be approximately 9,200 sf for each floor, with a 1,700 sf penthouse.”
It will be directly attached to Building 53 and called Building 80.
The letter also states, “It will be steel and concrete construction with brick and metal panel veneer. The building will mimic the height and general massing of the adjacent buildings on campus. The site design concept is centered around minimizing disruption to existing conditions and leveraging existing on-campus utility services, driveways, and parking lots. There will be no wetland impacts from the proposed project.”
We’ll update this story after next week’s meeting, which is open to the public and will be on Town Hall Streams.
GREAT MEADOW LOOP CLOSURE
BAR HARBOR—A section of the Great Meadow Loop Trail on Great Meadow Drive closed effective Mon June 24 until further notice.
The trail crew will be removing old road asphalt with heavy equipment during this time to restore the area to a more natural state. Hikers will be able to walk along the roadway of Great Meadow Drive to access trails into the Sieur de Monts area.
Updates at go.nps.gov/AcadiaAlerts
Memorial Service for Dick Broom
BAR HARBOR—There will be a memorial service for Mount Desert Islander reporter, Dick Broom, at the MDI High School theater on Thursday, June 27 at 4 p.m. The public is encouraged and invited to attend.
ISLAND CONNECTIONS DESPERATELY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
Annual Wine & Whiskers Event to Support the SPCA
TRENTON – Support the animals while enjoying wonderful food and drink and bidding on amazing auction items at the SPCA of Hancock County’s 11th Annual Wine & Whiskers fundraiser.
The summer fun begins at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday July 23 at the Bar Harbor Club on West Street in Bar Harbor. The cost is $150 per person ($75 of which is tax deductible) and will include hors d’oeuvres and a three-course dinner. There will be a cash bar. All the proceeds from the evening support the operation of the non-profit organization’s animal shelter.
One of the highlights of the festive event is the silent and live auctions.
The signature live auction item this year is a two-hour cruise for 10 people aboard Rick Savage’s beautiful vessel, Asticou. Best-selling author Linda Greenlaw will serve as the captain and Havana Restaurant will provide the food for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Other auction items include jewelry by Lisa Hall, purses by Dooney & Bourke, local artwork, gift certificates to area restaurants and businesses and one-of-a-kind outdoor chairs made from old lobster traps.
This year’s Wine & Whiskers event is in honor of Natalie Knox, a beloved animal advocate, former SPCA board member and Ellsworth business leader, who lost her brave battle with multiple myeloma last year.
“Natalie was such a wonderful and loving champion of the animals, especially cats. For years, she volunteered caring for the cats and kittens at the local stray holding facility and was such an active and respected member of the SPCA board,” said Michelle Allvin, SPCA Board President. “We couldn’t think of a better tribute than dedicating this year’s event to Nat. She is someone who truly made a difference for the animals and her entire community.”
Wine & Whiskers is the SPCA’s largest annual fundraiser. All proceeds directly support the dogs and cats in the SPCA’s care. The SPCA receives no state or federal funding and is relies on events like this and public support to operate its shelter.
For those unable to attend Wine & Whiskers, you can still support the SPCA’s mission by making a donation or becoming an event sponsor. To make your reservation, to pre-bid on auction items or to find out how you can make a donation or become a sponsor, please contact Jamie O’Keefe at (207) 299-8732. You can also make your reservations or become a sponsor by visiting www.spcahancockcounty.org
BIRCH BAY HOSTING SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
BAR HARBOR—Birch Bay Retirement Village is hosting a new summer photography exhibit by the MDI Photo Club. Seven different club members have contributed cohesive collections for display in the front lobby and the hallway connecting the independent living and assisted living wings.
Photographers from the summer exhibit include:
- Edward Muennich “At Water’s Edge on Mount Desert Island”
- Donald Carr “Flowers”
- Ellie Pancoe “Images from East Africa”
- Caty Small “Large Canvas Prints”
- Harold Drabkin “Meeting with Water”
- Jared Hansen “On Point”
- Sydney Roberts “Cell Phone Photographs”
- Billie Mitchell “Twelve Months on MDI”
Visitors are welcome and may arrange a visit to view the exhibit by contacting Susanne Hopkins, Director of Marketing at Birch Bay Retirement Village, at 288-8014 x 5211. Many of the photos are for sale. 20% of all sales will be donated to Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County.
For more information about Birch Bay Retirement Village, the MDI Photo Club and Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County is available on their respected websites.
BAR HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY
EVENTS
Sparking a Love of Science: Finding Stories in the Field at the MDI Biological Laboratory
July 8, 2024 I 5 PM I Hybrid: Maren Auditorium and Zoom
BAR HARBOR—Award winning children’s book creators, Hayley and John Rocco discuss their latest conservation focused picturebooks and show how they connect with conservationists and scientists in the field to bring stories back to young readers everywhere. Research for their latest projects has brought them to Costa Rica, South Africa, and even their local zoo.
More Details
Join us to hear how these authors and illustrators use their passion to inspire the next generation of young scientists.
Hayley Rocco is an award winning author of several books for children, including Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard book. Before dedicating herself to writing for children full-time, she worked as a publicist for several major publishers. In addition to becoming an ambassador for Wild Tomorrow, she is also the co-founder of the Children’s Book Creators for Conservation group. She lives in Rhode Island with a menagerie of animals and her husband John Rocco.
John Rocco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many acclaimed books for children including Blackout, the recipient of the Caldecott Honor, and How We Got to the Moon, which received a Robert F. Sibert Honor and was long listed for the National Book Award. Rocco is also known for illustrating the cover art for Rick Riordan’s internationally bestselling series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Before embarking on his career as an author and illustrator, Rocco was a creative director in the entertainment industry working for Dreamworks and Walt Disney Imagineering. Rocco is the co-founder of the Children’s Book Creators for Conservation group, as well as an ambassador for Wild Tomorrow.
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
SOMESVILLE—According to its Facebook post, “We need your help! The MDI Historical Society is searching for historic menus from island restaurants, private clubs, or dinner parties dating from the 1880s – 1930s. If you or someone you know has old menus (or recipes) please contact Raney Bench at raney@mdihistory.org. Thanks!”
ACADIA WILDLIFE EVENTS!
BAR HARBOR—Acadia Wildlife Center is turning 30 this July and is celebrating with multiple events to help support its mission
Ongoing:
The Annex restaurant in Bar Harbor, ME is doing a summer long fundraiser for us, for every mocktail bought they will donate $2. So grab some mocktails and still be able to drive yourself home! 🙂
51 Rodick St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Upcoming:
July 4th
10am – Bar Harbor’s July 4th Parade. Come out and see us marching in the parade! More info on the parade can be found here.
July 6th
10am -2 pm – Open House & Silent Auction. We will be throwing a spectacular event celebrating our 30th year! It will include a silent auction, raffle, merchandise, bake sale, and food from local restaurants all at the Town Hall Community Hall. People can park at the Hall and take our shuttle bus 5 minutes down the road to our Nature Center to meet our Wildlife Education Ambassadors! For more detail click here.
July 25th 7pm-8:00pm Presentation at Jesup Memorial Library, For more details click here.
Website Features
To receive its newsletter, contact info@acadiawildlife.org.
You can also easily donate through the website.
Discover how JAX is shaping the future of human health and accelerating new preventions.
BAR HARBOR—Join us virtually for this year’s Forum for Discovery. This event is JAX’s annual opportunity to convene leading researchers pursuing genomic solutions for some of our most pressing health challenges and to thank those who help make it possible. This year’s program features:
• “State of the Laboratory” update from Lon Cardon, Ph.D., FMedSci, president and CEO.
• Introduction of Mary Dickinson, Ph.D., JAX’s inaugural executive vice president and chief scientific officer.
• Research highlights from Ron Korstanje, Ph.D., associate professor, Evnin Family Chair, along with Gretchen Clark, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate, on discoveries that could potentially slow the aging process and improve healthspan and lifespan.
• Remarks from Cat Lutz, Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president of the JAX Rare Disease Translational Center (RDTC), Matt Simon, Ph.D., lead scientist, and Geri Landman, M.D., M.P.H., pediatrician and founder of Moonshots for Unicorns, on the latest advancements, challenges and achievements in the RDTC’s mission to revolutionize therapeutics for the wide range of rare genetic diseases.
Visit our website to see the full program.
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET) | 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (PT)
FLAMINGO FESTIVAL COMING SOON!
JULY CRAFT FAIR!
Coming Up at the Gilley!
Carving Kit Classes, June 25 & 27 (ages 11 and up)
Paging Nature: Nature Journaling, June 27 (ages 9 and older); A great way to explore nature wherever you go and to record all the
wonderful things you discover. In this workshop we will create a personal notebook, then head outdoors and use all of our senses to observe and spark questions. Writing and drawing will help us discover the amazing details in the natural world. For those age 9 and older.
Fabulous Feathers: Exploration and Art, June 27 (all ages). Discover what makes feathers so special–how’re they built, how they function, and all the different types of feathers that birds have. Finish by making art prints featuring feathers or using them. Suitable for all ages but children younger than 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
Visit www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar for more information or to sign up!
MEADOWS, WALSH & FRIENDS-CHICAGO STYLE IMPROV AT THE CRITERION
BAR HARBOR—Tim Meadows, Matt Walsh, Brad Morris and Joe Canale make up the fantastically funny improv show: Meadows, Walsh & Friends. Their fully improvised performances are inspired by a short chat at the top of the show with the audience. The chats launch them into a fast-moving act that features irreverent characters and heightened spins on recognizable situations, all the while building shape and theme. Each unique show is entertaining, funny, and thought provoking.
Meadows, a longtime Saturday Night Live cast member and has appeared in Mean Girls, and has guest starred on countless TV programs including: The Office, The Goldbergs and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Matt Walsh is best known for his role as Mike McLintock in HBO’s Veep and was a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy theater. Brad Morris is known for his roles in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Cougar Town, and Bajillion Dollar Propertie$. Joe Canale has been in Kay Valentine’s Day Commercial Parody, Life of Brad and Douchebag Assassins
All four improvisers have strong ties to The Second City. Matt Walsh toured with The Second City Touring Company based in Chicago, and Tim, Brad and Joe are Alums of The Second City resident stage in Chicago. Together, they have influenced generations of improvisers.
July 30th – 7:30pm
SUMMER SESSIONS FOR MDI HS MUSIC LOVERS!
BAR HARBOR—This summer, the MDIHS Music Room will be open on Wednesdays 8:30-10 AM to all past and present music students (from any AOS 91 schools, grades 5-12) for our open studio sessions. The goal is to provide you a space to practice your instrument throughout the summer on songs, improvisation, exercises or techniques you want to learn, pep band music or All-State audition music. Bring a friend, invite your parents/guardians, or come by yourself! The only expectation is that you bring your instrument and music with the mindset to play your instrument and be productive. Feel free to come once or every week! Mrs. Graves (from MDES), Mr. Breau (from Trenton Elementary), and myself will be there to help guide you. We will not be giving assignments…just providing a space for practicing your instrument to help keep your skills up! We will be offering open studio sessions the following weeks:
- Wednesday 6/26
- Wednesday 7/3
- Wednesday 7/10
- Wednesday 7/17
- Wednesday 7/24
- Wednesday 7/31
- Wednesday 8/7
- Wednesday 8/14
GOLF SCRAMBLE!
Bar Harbor Public Works Facility in Hulls Cove CLOSED on July 4, 2024
The Public Works Facility in Hulls Cove will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in observance of Independence Day.
Bar Harbor Transfer Station / Recycling Center Holiday Hours of Operation – July 4, 2024
The Transfer Station / Recycling Facility will be OPEN from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 4, 2024 and will CLOSE for the rest of the day in observance of Independence Day. Normal hours of operation will resume on July 5.
Mount Desert Island YMCA’s 125th Anniversary 1899-2024
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