Families Say This Bar Harbor Swim Coach Changes Lives

For More Than Two Decades, Jim Willis Has Turned a Small-Town Swim Team Into a Family Carrie Jones Feb 08, 2026 The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund. BAR HARBOR—Somewhere between the concrete walls of the MDY YMCA, the bleachers and the six lanes of its pool, Coach Jim Willis quietly walks and counts and notices things. In a … Continue reading Families Say This Bar Harbor Swim Coach Changes Lives

carriejonesbooksFebruary 8, 2026February 8, 2026Leave a comment

news, sports

State Champs! Yes, Indeed!

MDI High School Girls’ Volleyball Brings Home Its Golden Crown, and MDI Girls’ XC Takes State Silver! Carrie Jones Nov 02, 2025 BAR HARBOR—The MDI High School Volleyball Team came back to Mount Desert Island with something pretty special Saturday, November 1: a state championship crown. It was the team’s first. The girls defeated Gardiner, 3-1, at the championship game, played at Hampden Academy. The … Continue reading State Champs! Yes, Indeed!

carriejonesbooksNovember 2, 2025November 2, 2025Leave a comment

sports

MDI Girls Win Eastern Maine Championships

Boys Place Second, Both Teams Heading to States Carrie Jones Oct 27, 2025 BELFAST—It wasn’t just a win for the Mount Desert Island High School Girls’ Cross Country Team on Saturday at Troy Howard Middle School; it was the sixth straight Northern Maine title. “A beautiful thing about XC team championships is the convergence of singular individual effort culminating in team success,” said Coach Desiree … Continue reading MDI Girls Win Eastern Maine Championships

carriejonesbooksOctober 27, 2025October 27, 2025Leave a comment

sports

This 74-year-old Runner is Close To 100 Marathons. Her Next Race? Right Here on MDI

MDI Marathon will be Gloria Vasquez’ 96th Race! Oct 18, 2025 by Matt Junker of the Bangor Daily News MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Less than 1% of the general population has run a marathon. Gloria Vasquez has run 95 of them. And that’s not enough for the indefatigable 74-year-old runner from Florida, who is on a mission to run 100 marathons before the age of 100. It’s a goal … Continue reading This 74-year-old Runner is Close To 100 Marathons. Her Next Race? Right Here on MDI

carriejonesbooksOctober 18, 2025October 18, 2025Leave a comment

Uncategorized

New Chapter at a Historic Clubhouse: The Links Pub Carries On a Kebo Tradition

At Kebo Valley, a New Team at The Links Pub Picks Up a Storied Torch Carrie Jones May 03, 2025 Share BAR HARBOR—A fresh team is behind the bar at The Links Pub, but the spirit of the place remains the same—welcoming, community-centered, and deeply rooted in tradition. SSC Hospitality has taken over operations at the restaurant inside Kebo Valley Golf Club, and early days … Continue reading New Chapter at a Historic Clubhouse: The Links Pub Carries On a Kebo Tradition

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sports

Jump Shots and Joy: How a 3-on-3 Tournament Honors Josh Sprague’s Spirit

Teams Like ‘I Love My Mom’ Make For an Unforgettable Tourney Carrie Jones Mar 27, 2025 Share The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank. BAR HARBOR—Certain things usually happen over and over again at the annual Josh Sprague Tournament. There are always teams. One team always comes from Dedham. One team’s name is ILMM and those letters? They … Continue reading Jump Shots and Joy: How a 3-on-3 Tournament Honors Josh Sprague’s Spirit

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sports

No-Fin Compares to the MDI Sharks

Aquathon swimmers averaged 135 laps as kids raise money to keep swim team legacy alive Carrie Jones Feb 06, 2025 Share The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Side Street Cafe. BAR HARBOR—One stroke. One kick. Another. One lap. One turn. Another. Combine endurance with muscle memory with what seems like choreography. Now add water. Next, imagine swimming 135 laps in the MDI YMCA pool … Continue reading No-Fin Compares to the MDI Sharks

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Uncategorized

Two MDI Women Competing in Ice Swimming World Championships in Italy

Jan 13, 2025 by Emily Burnham/Bangor Daily News BAR HARBOR—Two Mount Desert Island women are competing for the first time in the International Ice Swimming Championships in Trentino, Italy, this week. Puranjot Kaur, a College of the Atlantic graduate and staffer, is best known for her attempts in 2020 and 2021 to swim all the way around Mount Desert Island. Mariah Reading is a Bangor native and a longtime … Continue reading Two MDI Women Competing in Ice Swimming World Championships in Italy

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Uncategorized

What Is Bill Belichick Doing Between Coaching Jobs

Visiting Bar Harbor! Shaun Farrar Sep 23, 2024 Share BAR HARBOR—Famous people visit Bar Harbor frequently. Sometimes they are seen and sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they are everyone’s idol and sometimes they aren’t. No matter how you currently feel about Bill Belichick; if you are a New England Patriots fan, chances are that you loved him at one time or another. Apparently, between coaching jobs, … Continue reading What Is Bill Belichick Doing Between Coaching Jobs

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Uncategorized

The Island Loses a Giant

Kendall (Duffy) Akerley made the community his family Carrie Jones Sep 04, 2024 BAR HARBOR—While Kendall B. (Duffy) Akerley’s time was ending in this world, he was still getting out some public last words and those words? They were a thank you to a community that he loved so much. Kendall B. (Duffy) Akerley died August 25 after a brief illness. He was 76 and … Continue reading The Island Loses a Giant

carriejonesbooksSeptember 4, 2024September 5, 2024Leave a comment