Missing out on summer travels and adventure? Join Michael Boardman for a trip to visit the wildlife of the north coast of Alaska.
For the past several months, York County Audubon has canceled its programs and workshops to help ensure everyone’s health and safety. The organization has announced that its first Zoom Online program (at no charge) on Tuesday, June 16, at 7 p.m.
Boardman is a wildlife artist and member of the Maine Master Naturalist program. In spring of 2019, he was selected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be the artist-in-residence at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He was flown to the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge in June to spend two weeks at the Canning River Bird Camp, assisting the ornithologists there study all the migrating birds breeding on the tundra.
In his presentation, Boardman will share his unique experience in an extreme environment, with plenty of artwork and stories about how the avian life of the Arctic Refuge connects us all to that endangered landscape.
He is known for his watercolor bird portraits and nature journal sketches. Numerous artist residencies have allowed him to connect art and science, including Acadia National Park, Hog Island Audubon Camp, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, and most recently Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska in June of 2019. He is also the owner and artist of Coyote Graphics, creating nature based garments from his artwork. For more information, visit www.coyotees.com.
Boardman will discuss his time in the Arctic Refuge, share stories and images, and answer questions. For more information on the program, visit yorkcountyaudubon.org.
Local volunteer receives state recognition
At the Maine Democratic Party’s annual state convention on May 31, held this year as a virtual event, Kennebunkport resident Tom McClain was honored for his volunteerism and contribution to the civic life of our community and state.
Tom McClain
During the Democrats’ 2020 Rise and Organize Rally, McClain received the Vivian Powell Award, conferred in memory of the late Vivian Powell. According to Party Chair Kathleen Marra, “This award is passed on to a volunteer whose commitment to the grassroots, ‘in-the-trenches’ efforts of the party marks a significant contribution to the life of our political process, and through it the success of our state.”
McClain served as chair of the Democratic Committee of the Kennebunks and Arundel for many years before stepping down in March of this year. During his tenure in that post, he helped grow the group’s membership, served as a delegate to the state convention, supported the campaigns of numerous local and state officials, and was an active fundraiser for candidates as well as local charities.
“I first met Tom McClain in his driveway, when my wife and I dropped off a turkey for the food drive he coordinates every Thanksgiving,” said current Democratic Committee of the Kennebunks and Arundel Chair Dan Sayre. “As the years have rolled by, that’s still my enduring image of Tom – leading by doing and serving people in need. His model of political work has always been to focus on finding ways to deliver help to people who need it.”
The 2020 state convention was scheduled to be held in Bangor, but was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was replaced by the rally that was livestreamed online, and virtual elections were held prior to the event for national convention delegates and party officers. Rally speakers included numerous national and state party leaders and candidates.
Brick Store bicentennial events coming up
In 1820, Maine split from Massachusetts to become its own state. Three months later, on June 24, 1820, the town of Wells split into two, with the new town of Kennebunk becoming the first town to be established in the new state. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of these events, the Brick Store Museum is hosting several virtual events and programs to mark the occasion.
The celebration starts on Saturday, June 20 with the museum’s ever-popular Shipbuilding Odyssey, which will take place virtually this year. Participants will start with a presentation on local imagery and artifacts relating to regional shipbuilding history; followed by a video tour of Kennebunk shipyard sites. Tickets begin at $5. Register in advance at www.brickstoremuseum.org/calendar.
On Wednesday, June 24, Kennebunk’s bicentennial day, the museum is hosting a virtual evening of celebration. The event will include a champagne toast; the Bicentennial Distance Challenge Virtual Race kick off; a lecture on the history of Wells and Kennebunk in 1820; and the unveiling of a special historic weathervane. Admission is free, though registration is required to receive invitation with instructions to join the virtual event. Register at www.brickstoremuseum.org.
A Member’s Preview of the upcoming Perspectives: 2020 Bicentennial Exhibition, which opens to the public on July 1 (the museum’s re-opening day) is planned for Tuesday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m. Zoom in for a special evening as museum staff will take visitors on a tour of the exhibit, and artists will drop in to chat about their featured pieces. Bring a favorite cocktail and snacks, and gather virtually for this fantastic exhibition. The museum will serve up some suggestions from business members on take-out options soon. Free to members. Register in advance to reserve a spot via the museum’s website. Looking to visit in person? Limited tickets, first-come, first-serve, will be available to members for one-hour time slots beginning at 4 p.m. through 8 p.m. that evening.
Courtesy image
The Bicentennial Distance Challenge is a virtual run/walk/bike that asks participants to travel an historic 7 mile distance to celebrate local history, and support the Brick Store Museum and the Historical Society of Wells-Ogunquit, as well as other cultural nonprofits in Wells and Kennebunk impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bicentennial Distance Challenge is sponsored especially by Southern Maine Health Care.
Registration for the race is $35 per person, and $10 for children younger than 16. The race kicks off June 24 (the town’s birthday), and can be completed anytime before Oct. 17. Every participant receives a commemorative bib number to wear during their race; a short history of Wells and Kennebunk; race tips; and cast participant medal during the Virtual Finish Line event in October. To register, visit Runsignup.com or www.brickstoremuseum.org.
For those looking to plant a memory this year, the museum is running the Bicentennial Tree Project, which invites families to purchase tree seeds at the museum to plant and watch grow into the future.
The museum is offering two tree seed kits from which to choose: the stately American elm, which used to be a plentiful tree in Kennebunk before Dutch elm disease wiped them out in the 1970s (it is also the tree on Kennebunk’s town seal); and the Paper birch tree, historic in Maine for its use by the Wabanaki in canoe-making. Tree kits are $25, with $20 of that amount being a donation to support the Brick Store Museum’s mission of education, preservation, and community access to shared history.
To purchase kits, visit www.brickstoremuseum.org, call 207-985-4802, or visit the museum Tuesday through Sunday during open hours (re-opening on July 1).
First Parish schedules yard sale
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, Kennebunk will hold a yard sale Saturday, June 27, beginning at 9 a.m. on the lawn between the church and the Kennebunk Free Library. Featured items include cherry sofa table and side tables, quilt rack, child’s rocker, lamps, Americana, Lenox china, nested baskets and jewelry. To keep things safe from the COVID-19 virus, volunteers will require masks and gloves, which will be available by donation for those who don’t have them. Rain date is 11 a.m. Sunday, June 28.
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