Freeport Cabaret Opens! Nightlife Comes to Freeport

This weekend was the grand opening of the Freeport Cabaret on Depot St. Finally, nightlife comes to Freeport! I had the opportunity to speak with the owners, Gar and Betsy, as well as the 'host with the most,' Mike.

Gar has some terrific ideas for the space. Just looking at the calendar for the rest of May, I see open mic nights, jazz nights and a lot of local talent. We spoke about dance classes so everyone can get out there and shimmy, comedy nights and the great combo of local and 'imported' acts that Gar wants to bring in. It sounds great to me!

The menu is short and sweet (no pun intended) and includes light appetizers like the yummy fruit and cheese round we had at our table and a dessert list that last night included an Oreo cheesecake, strawberry rhubarb pie and blueberry pie. The menu will be posted online as soon as the website is fully operational.

There is a full bar as well as a decent wine & beer list.

It's an easy walk there and back and, as there is limited parking, it's a good idea to leave the car here when you're a guest and stroll through town. We are really happy to see this upscale, fun venue in town. We danced, we laughed and we met new friends. All in all, a great evening.

Here's a short list of May's entertainment schedule:

• Open mic nights- Wednesdays
• Rob Robbins and Kevin Roper- 5/15 & 5/30
• Anni Clark- 5/16
• Dave Bullard Band- 5/17
• Sunday Jazz- 5/18
• Ryan Waning Comedy- 5/23
• Denny Breau- 5/24

There's a lot more on tap for May and the June schedule is looking good! The Cabaret opens at 5 PM and the shows start at 8. Phone: 207-865-1780 for more info.

LL Bean Summer Concert Series Schedule!

OK, it's here! The 2008 LL Bean Summer Concert Series Schedule! Yowza, another great line-up. As always, concerts are free, but subject to cancellation due to weather. Don't forget to bring your lawn chair and get it set-up right after breakfast to get the best seats. (We recommend eating at 8 AM, Freeporters are quick on the draw to get their chairs set-up!)

• June 14: April Verch- Canadian Fiddle
• June 21: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy- Swing
• June 28: Martin Sexton- Contemporary Folk
• July 4: Toby Lightman- Contemporary Pop (Friday night)
• July 5: Daryl Hall- Pop
• July12: Kathy Mattea- Acoustic country
• July 19: Portland Symphony- Classical
• July 26: Buddy Holly's Original Crickets- 50's Rock n Roll
• Aug 2: Brandi Carlile with Jason Spooner- Contemporary Folk
• Aug 9: Richie Havens- Folk
• Aug 16: The Jerry Douglas Band- Contemporary Bluegrass
• Aug 23: John Hiatt and the Ageless Beauties- Contemporary Folk
• Aug 30: Lonestar- Pop/Country
• Aug 31: Keb' Mo'- Pop Blues (Sunday night)

All concerts start at 7:30 PM in Discovery Park at LL Bean. Saturday nights, except where noted. White Cedar Inn is 2 blocks from Discovery Park, and easy walk!

Last summer was a terrific line-up and everyone had a great time. Hope to see you this summer!

Freeport, Maine Area Restaurants

This is just a quick link to the White Cedar Inn's web page with a list of local restaurants. We have made it our goal to try each of these this year. Of course, we've made a good dent in the list already. Bon Appetit!

As always, if you have a favorite place to eat, let me know and I'll add it to the list!

10 Things to See and Do on Route 1

OK, here it is, the long-awaited '10 Things to Do on Route 1'. Two weeks ago we drove from Freeport to Camden and these are some things we stopped to do along the way. Some are just fun places I thought you'd like to visit and others are places we always like to go. Read away! It's a 2 hour drive from here to Camden, give or take, depending on traffic. Sometimes we can make it in an hour and a half. The mileages I listed are from the front door of our place, White Cedar Inn. (Click the bold names for links to their websites.)

1. Frost Gully Gallery (Freeport)- An eclectic mix of artists. Gallery open 12-5, weekdays. Just 1 mile from here.
2. Shelter Institute (Woolwich)- Learn how to build your own timberframe house at one of their classes, buy the tools you need or just revel in the joy of the home building craft at its finest. 23 miles from here.
3. Montsweag Flea Market (Woolwich)- Mostly outdoors, some tables under cover. Seasonal, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 6:30 AM (yes, AM!) to 3 PM. 23 miles from here, just past the Shelter Inst, on left.
4. Avalon Antiques Market(Wiscasset)- 3 floors of everything you could imagine. I went back yesterday to buy a pair of 'Feathered Bird' pictures that Rock really liked that we had seen on the trip to Camden. They are simply a painted backdrop on which are added 'birds' made with real feathers. Why he likes these 'works of art' is anyone guess, but he does! My friend, Shellie, (see Claiborne House blog) said they were generally made in the Philippines and were a common wedding gift from 1920-1940. Oh joy, there must be millions of them out there. 25 miles from here.
5. Moody's Diner(Waldoboro)- with all that driving, sightseeing and antiquing, you're going to be hungry! Moody's is 'world famous'. They have their own cookbook and pie like you dream about. Stop in and refresh yourself! 46 miles from here.
6. Fawcett's Toy Museum (Waldoboro)- We haven't stopped in here, yet, but are planning to do so before summer. It just sounds too interesting to miss! 49 miles from here.
7. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks (Warren)- I have heard grown men wax lyrical about this 'tool shop'. (And I've seen their wives eyes glaze over!) It's a toy box for the serious wood crafter and not to be missed! 8:30 AM- 5 PM, M-F, Saturday hours in July & August only. 50 miles from here.
8. Maine State Prison Store (Thomaston)- There are some truly unique items in this store. Even if you aren't planning on buying anything, you should at least stop by to see the 'Biker & Mermaid' carving in the window. Open daily 9-5, with holiday and snow day exceptions. 57 miles from here.

9. Maine Lighthouse Museum (Rockland)- For the lighthouse lover! Check hours before stopping in.
10. Down East Magazine (Rockport)- You've read the magazine for years, now's the time to stop in and look over all those books you keep meaning to order!

And that's it...10 things to do between here and Camden. Of course, that is a really, really short list! Next up is a list of 'Off Route 1' things to do along the way!

Happy travels!

Flavors of Freeport Festival

The second annual 'Music & Libations Festival' is in the planning stages as I write this. The festival will take place in various locations around Freeport on February 6, 7 & 8, 2009.

Next year's festival will be focused on the 'Flavors of Freeport' and will include a variety of 'flavors' and not just in food! The flavors will include:

• Music all around town, in some unlikely locations (more details as they are firmed up!);
• Wine, beer and vodka tastings;
  
• The fabulously successful 'Chef's Signature Series' that showcases the local Freeport talent;
• The Freeport B&B Chocolate Challenge where all Freeport B&B's are invited to bring their best chocolate recipe to the table;
• Salsa and Hip Hop dance lessons;
• A Saturday night dance;
• Wine seminar with food pairings;
• Sunday brunch

I am practicing making my 'signature' chocolate dessert for the challenge. I know there is a brownie recipe in the running as well as a cannoli recipe I can't wait to try. I'll be working on getting a few more of the B&B's to join in so there will definitely be 'death by chocolate' at the Friday night Chef's Signature Series!

As we did this year, next year's festival will be supporting The American Heart Association and the Go Red for Women campaign. (Chocolate is good for your heart! Dancing is good for your heart! Wine is good for your heart! Relaxing with your sweetie is good for your heart! And it's all in one place- Freeport!)

This is gearing up to be another terrific winter getaway weekend we hope to see you here!

Marshall Point Lighthouse

Part of our trip to Camden this week was a side trip to Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde. You can either turn off Rt 1 onto Rt 131 at Montpelier (General Henry Knox Museum), or turn off Rt 1 and take Rt 73 past the Owl's Head Transportation Museum. Head out toward Port Clyde and follow the 'lighthouse' signs.

It was a clear, brisk day when we were there. But, I do love the smell of the salt air! The skies were brillaint blue, the kind that we get here in spring and early summer. We met up with a couple of teachers who were on vacation from Ohio. (We also saw them again the next day in Camden...small world here in the winter!)

If you are headed up or down Rt 1 between Freeport and Camden, the turnoff for Rt 131 is 58 miles from here. Out to Marshall Point from Rt 1 was another 12 miles. If you hit Port Clyde during lunch there are a couple of somewhat seasonal restaurants right in town. You can also catch the Monhegan Ferry at the dock.

I'm working on a list of things to do on Rt 1 between Freeport and Camden, stay tuned! I'll include directions and hopefully some great photo op locations, such as this lighthouse keeper's cottage.

Traveling as we do in the quiet season, allows for picture taking that doesn't involve lots of cropping to remove random people!

Tommy Hilfiger opens in Freeport, Maine

The new Tommy Hilfiger store is now open on the corner of Main St and Bow St where Dansk/Lenox used to be.

Wow! They really did some nice renovation work on that space. New wood floors are just a start. The windows are showcasing their summer line-up with lots of sporty stripes in rich colors.

More news around Freeport...a new Jazz Club will be opening around May 1 on Depot St. No other details at this time, but more news as we hear it. In addition to the new club, there will also be a larger music venue when Buck's Naked BBQ opens in its new space near the corner of Desert Rd & Rt 1. Along with LL Bean's Summer Concert Series, the joint will be jumpin' this summer!