Top Southern Maine Road Races - On Your Mark!

With all the good weather lately, seems appropriate to start thinking about all the things there are to do outside. One of the good ole basics  - going for a walk, jog or run around the Ogunquit area is actually something you can have a little fun with. There are great race courses throughout the good weather season. Each of these road races are an easy distance from the Meadowmere and are very well run - parking, water stations, good crowd support (everyone needs a little cheer!) and those tasty orange wedges.

So - on your mark, get set - go!

1. Beach & Bay 5K Run/Walk for AIDS
   This year, the race is on May 2nd at 11am at the Beach St Parking Lot in Ogunquit. The race is professionally timed, on Ogunquit's long stretch of white sand and comes with an after party on the beach - how you could not rush to the finish line!
   
2. Kennbunk Beach Classic 5Mile Run/3Mile Walk
   This year, the race is on May 3rd at the Senior Center in the Lower Village (more info: www.kennebunkbeachclassic.com ) Do we sense a bi-athlon? Course is known as fast and certified. Just think Chariots of Fire oceanside. Only the first 400 nab a t-shirt, but the view is included for all!
   
3. Annual Dragon Slayer 6k Road Race
   This year, the local road race with the coolest name will be run on May 17th at the York High School. The route is scenic - past the beaches and the Nubble Lighthouse, ending at Short Sands Beach (don't worry - they take you back to the start). What's the dragon? You're racing for a cure and supporting the American Liver Foundation. http://www.dragonslayer6k.org/
   
4. Four on the Fourth 4Mile Road Race
   An annual treat on July 4th - starting at the York High School. The route is a loop through Long Sands and back around - a mix of easy to moderate hills and water views. At the end, there's tables and table of food and lots of cheering - a good challenge run to bring out your inner Patriot. http://parksandrec.yorkmaine.org/road%20races.html#Fouron4th
   
5. Billy Chowder House 5k Run
   This year, the race is on July 12th at Billy's Chowder House on Mile Rd in Wells. The course follows along Wells Beach and is fast and flat. You'll make a PR happen - there's a runners buffet - Chowder included!
   
6. Ogunquit Lobster Dash (aka Lobstadash) 5Mile Run
   This year, the annual tradition will be run on September 19th (find out the details at http://www.lobsterdash.com/). A run covering the entire length of Ogunquit Beach, all the way to Moody Beach and back- the dash is sanctioned by the USATF NE and has 2 water stations.
   
7. Annual Turkey Trot 5k Road Race
   This annual fun run is held on Saturday after turkey day (this year, November 29th). A USTAF certified course that begins at the village elementary school - you'll have water, splits, mile markers and all the bells and whistles while you work off that turkey dinner. Families run in packs and there are yummy snacks at the finish.

Take an Ogunquit Vacation this May! Print N Clips are Here!

May Print & Clip Specials for our Ogunquit hotel are here!

Check out the specials by clicking here

Yep - we hear ya. All the stress and bad news is for the birds.It's time for a quick getaway. May's motto at the Meadowmere: De-stress and spend less.

Use a May Day Deal and plan a trip to Ogunquit. Good weather is here - share it with Mom on Mother's Day at our hotel, enjoy Memorial Day in Maine (it is the unoffical start to summer in New England after all!) and don't forget Rocky Road n Roses - everyone needs a little ice cream!

Planning Summer Family Fun is as Easy as A-Z

Planning a summer trip (hey rumors of 80 degrees this weekend get the wheels turning at the Meadowmere!) for the family can be a bit overwhelming. Where to start? Where to go? In New England, we got plenty of summer events to choose from. Yankee Magazine just put out their top picks and About.com's A to Z New England Summer Festival guide just came out (this is creative - props for coming up with an event for T!) - In short, there is no shortage of festivals to choose from!

Not to add to the dilemia - We thought we would simply provide helpful information on Ogunquit for the family planner this year!

Top Summer Events for Your Ogunquit Maine Vacation

1. Chamber Music Festival, June 11-14 at the Barn Gallery. These talented artists are some of the best to be found. Wonderful performances - and pre-season pricing (this one sneak in because it's so very close to real summer!)
2. Ellis Park Concerts, July - August. Everything from Jazz trios to a dog show, square dancing to big band swing. Check out the full list of events here: http://www.gatewaytomaine.org/visit/event_calendar/ellispark.html
3. July 4th Celebrations, July 3-5. Who doesn't love fireworks and ice cream on the 4th of July? Have Village Food Market make up the picnic basket and head out for the perfect spot to one of the local shows: http://www.meadowmere.com/Packages___Specials/July_4th_Celebrations_in_Ogunquit.html

4. Ogunquit Rotary 2-cent Sale, July 16th. Want to find out the power of a dollar? Check this sale out. Best deal in town.

5. Made In Maine Festival, August 15th. Even wonder what a bean hole bean is? Can't get enough Maine Blueberries? Feel like going native? Well, this is your chance. Enjoy live music, demos, corn on the cob and more. Let loose and become a Maine - iac with all things Made in Maine: http://www.meadowmere.com/Packages___Specials/Made_In_Maine_Festival.html  

6. Ogunquit Sidewalk Art Show & Sale, August 20th. The village streets are alive with the arts. Not surprisingly, given Ogunquit's history as an art colony, this sale has amazing work and everything from sculpture to oil.

7. Capriccio Festival of the Arts, September 7-20th. Including the Festival of Kites on September 12th - what kid wouldn't love to fly a kite on Ogunquit Beach? Even better, catch a picture of your little one right next to a professional kite flyer. Other events include ballet, concerts, showings, readings and exhibits.

8. Antique Art Show & Sale, September 19 & 20th. Benefitting the Ogunquit Heritage Museum, you'll find some pretty good discoveries here. Prints, furniture, jewelery and linens (you've got to see Merton with his table clothes) - all under one roof for two days.

Ogunquit Heritage Museum - A Little Treasure

Many of you are familiar with the arts and beauty of Ogunquit, having been to the Playhouse and ambled Marginal Way.

But a little gem of a museum may be your best bet this summer. The Ogunquit Heritage Museum is actually in the heart of the village on Obeds Lane, tucked away on a quiet little park. It's actually just steps from the Meadowmere and on the way to Ogunquit Beach from our hotel. The Museum building, known as the Captain James Winn House, is a restored home with amazing original features.

This year, we hear that exhibits will include Marginal Way, the trolleys (remember Molly the Trolley? Does every kid need a picture next to Molly?), new featured Ogunquit artists and a history of Josias Chase, the man who donated the Marginal Way.

Staying from last year is the Dory Exhibit  - which is a real handmade Ogunquit Dory. These little ships are what lobstemen and fishermen would leave from Perkins Cove in to catch dinner and make a living. the Dory at the Museum is to scale and it is fascinating to think of a lone person sailing one into the Gulf of Maine. Very Homer Winslow.

So why hasn't this little Museum been found? Well it's funded entirely by donations is relatively new compared to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and the Ogunquit Playhouse. But you'll learn a lot about the wonderful and fascinating history (did you know that rum was run here? Actually, that may be a big part of Billy's famous punch now that we think about it!) of Ogunquit. Open from June 2 through Labor Day and with Christmas by the Sea and OgunquitFest tours, this is a nice (and free) thing to do when in Ogunquit. Enjoy!

Patriot's Day - Big Time Big Top Fun

Let the fun begin! Patriot's Day festival kicks off with a bang - or at least a drum beat. Tonight starts with a fife and drum concert and later, Paul Revere rides again.

Little known tidbit - the Red Coats (aka the British) marched across the Ogunquit Playhouse fields. It's actually a local ghost story in Ogunquit that when the fog off the ocean reaches the fields, you can see the Red Coats marching by.  So while it's doubtful that Paul Revere rode through Ogunquit, it's quite liking someone awoke our little village in the middle of the night as colonies began their journey into becoming the United States of America. At that time, the Meadowmere was a field (aka meadow) - they probably marched right on by our hotel too!

(Another side note - there were 2 riders that night. Paul and another gentleman. How come we only reenact Paul? Mostly likely because he was the more successful of the two. While the other gentleman (William Dawes) went door to door at each house, Paul went bar to bar. It seems that one encountered mostly women and elderly; Paul alerted every young man of militia age. Good call - or maybe he was thirsty - who knows)

Saturday, the Patriot's Day festival in Ogunquit features the Taste of the Town, a Treasure Hunt and Casino Night. A point of pride, Taste of the Town crowns the weekend's restaurant favorite. Each guest gets a taste and a vote - consider it Restaurant Idol or Top Chef! The Tory Treasure Hunt takes one all over town (hint - we here there's something cool about the Purple Lanterns). Finally, Casino night is all about trying one's luck.. Hit a little Black Jack and Roullette and - here's a first - there's always a winner - it's for charity.

Check out all the events at http://www.ogunquit.org/eventbrochures/PatsDay1.pdf

Enjoy!

Perhaps the most important travel article ever

When one is one the road, all sorts of interesting experiences can result. Seems MSNBC has taken pity on the most basic travel need - a good bathroom. Check out their guide to toilets - from low tech to computer consoles, golden thrones to turkish arrangements. When nature calls, you'll never want for the good old American Standard more.

Makes us at the Meadowmere pretty thrilled with renovations at our Ogunquit hotel. While nothing will be gold plated or perhaps have such an open view, we're pretty sure our facilities in Maine will pass the Traveler's Guide!

http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=1003838&GT1=41000

Amazing Images - They're Wild!

One of our regular guests at the Meadowmere just shared these amazing images of painted hands. Ogunquit, one of Maine's most well known art communities, has some pretty amazing art - but we have yet to see anything like this.

Gotta hand it to the artist - Definitely deserves a round of applause! (hee, hee)

If you know the artist, please share! And thanks for sharing!

 

 

 

Earth Day unplugged at Clay Hill Farm April 22

Earth Day is really the culmination of a movement back in 1962. It was all about bringing focus to preservation during the Kennedy administration. The results was the first offical Earth Day in 1970 and a pretty cool list of accomplishments since then (the EPA gives a play-by-play online). This includes the Energy Star program, Clean Buses for Kids and Water Sense for water conservation.

This Earth Day, Clay Hill Farm is inviting every to a different kind of movement - one with a little more swing to it. Live music, food and local Maine green products will be on display Wednesday April 22 starting at 530pm. Clay Hill is a great venue - it's not just a restaurant and function facility, but also a bird sanctuary (grab that field guide) and wildlife reserve (don't worry - mostly squirrels, deer and a few bugs by the restaurant itself - nothing a good, eco bug spray won't save you from).

Upping the cool factor - Jonathans Blakeslee, our Green Wedding Groom-to-Be, will be performance. Huh? Well, that's actually a factor in how they won - they had a great song playing in the video by Jonathan. Another reason, his tea company, White Heron Tea, is eco-friendly. Probably helps the pipes too!

Finally, even if you are visiting us in Ogunquit (it's school vaca week at the Meadowmere) and are not sure about this whole green thing and the idea makes visions of granola, bug bites and tree hugging in your head - just go for the good food, good music and to find out what in the world Haunted Milk is. Just wear long sleeves.

SWK Anniversary Contest is a Chef's Dream

The first anniversary of Stonewall Kitchen's Cooking School is quickly approaching- hard to believe that a year has gone by!

 Of course, what's an anniversary without a party? To celebrate, SWK is giving away some serious cooking tools to one lucky winner. The Grand Prize is a Viking 30'' Range Top Stove and other prizes include a Viking Food Processor and collections of Cooking School Favorite Tools (who knew pot clips were so handy!). Hey, if lately you've been cooking more, this could be a lot of fun (The stove is over a $4,000 value. Whoa.)

How do you get in on this? Just take a class between now and June 28 - you'll be entered each time you go to a class. So the more you cook, the better the chance to win! We also here that every now and then, classes are BOGO - so imagine this, you go 1 class, get a second free and have 2 chance to win. Sweet deal. And yes - our Make Me A Chef package at the Meadowmere counts too. Bring a friend, have some fun in Ogunquit and good luck!

Oh - and a little bird tells us that the class on May 15th is going to be full of surprises!

Billy's Opening Punch

Today is a big day in Ogunquit - a sort of rite of passage if you are a local or in-the-know. Today is Barnacle Billy's opening day. That's right, the rum punch is back for the season and the lobsters are steamin'. Even better- the weather will be 60 degrees and dry  - perfect for taking a seat on the deck.

So get there early and get your famous rum punch (go easy, it's a doozy) and steamers (that's steamed clams for the land lovers). It's opening day for Billy's Ogunquit!