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10 things to do on 4th of July in Maine

6/30/2016

If you spend your summers in Maine or you live here year round, you might like something fun to do during 4th of July weekend. Below are a list of some great events in the Midcoast and Downeast areas. Plan things right and you might catch a couple of them.
LL Bean Concert And Fireworks - Catch a free double feature concert featuring Maine's own David Mallett-- veteran singer-songwriter followed by The Mallett Brothers Band with his sons, Luke and Will Mallett. Join us for an incredible night of original music that spans country, rock and roll, Americana and folk genres. Follow it up with fireworks at 9pm.
Bath Heritage Days Fireworks - There is plenty to do and see during this four day festival in historic Bath. Make time for the auto show, live entertainment and, of course, the fireworks.
Cruises In Portland - Watch the Portland fireworks from Casco Bay. Enjoy music and a cash bar before the fireworks start.
Stars and Stripes Spectacular in Portland – In Maine's largest Independence Day celebration, enjoy a patriotic concert by the Portland Symphony Orchestra and fireworks over the water from the Eastern Promenade.
Boothbay Harbor 4th Of July Festival - Catch the fireworks over the harbor, fired from a barge near McFarland Island.
Bar Harbor - Independence Day Celebration - Start the morning with a blueberry pancake breakfast and follow it with the Independence Day parade. Catch some live music before the fireworks end the evening.
Lewiston/Auburn Liberty Festival At Great Falls Park - A three day celebration starts off with The Fuse, a night of live music dancing and delicious food.
Ogunquit - Catch the fireworks on July 4, 2015 on Ogunquit's Main Beach.
Pick up a picnic lunch from a favorite restaurant and head to the beach for peace and quiet.
Stay home and enjoy a calm evening reading a great Maine book.
What do you like to do for Fourth of July?

Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books. With the tagline Maine books, Maine authors, Maine stories, Randolph quickly developed a reputation as a publisher of quality Maine books. An active community member she co-chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.

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Beach Reading from Just Write Books

6/23/2016

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Summer is the time to catch up on your reading. Whether you’re at the beach on a warm, sunny day or curled up during stormy weather, a book makes a great companion. Check out these ten offerings from Just Write Books that will provide entertaining on sunny or rainy days.

by Virginia Chute

A Daughter of Francis Martin
This historical novel is deftly written keeping to historical facts and filling in with an imagination and a sharp pen that allows us to follow Virginia Chute on her travels back in time.

The Remembrances Of Marietta Lufford
Marietta's Remembrances tell of her troubled childhood in rural England and London, her adventurous journey to the New World and the tribulations of surviving in a country dominated by strong willed men, fanatic Puritans and Indians.

by Virginia Chute

Coming Home: A Maine Mystery by Robert M. Chute
Jim Johnson returns from World War II to his hometown and to the family business, a country inn on a lake in northwestern Maine. Johnson's return is filled with surprises—a body hidden in a garment bag in an empty cabin, his deceased father's association with bootleggers and his childhood friend, Joan Chaplin, now married but with an absent husband. His relations with Joan, and with other women, are complicated by traumatic experiences during the war which he fears may have left him impotent. Johnson's quest to find answers leads him on a cross-country journey pushing him to explore himself in a rare gem in mysteries.

Return to Sender by Robert M. Chute
Robert M. Chute brings us the sequel to Coming Home: A Maine Mystery. In Return to Sender, Melonie Janus thinks she knows who killed her stepbrother and dumped his body into the lake to fake an accident. Jefferson County's Sheriff Dumont and DA Black are stymied by a lack of evidence for arrest and trial. Melonie embarks on a dangerous private voyage, traveling to Wyman Falls at the southern end of a wilderness lake extending north across the Canadian border. Readers of Coming Home will recognize many of the residents of Wyman Falls as they continue their usual (or unusual) activities. Willis Wyman and his steam-powered lake boat, Leland Fogg, a disabled veteran with mathematical and romantic aptitudes, and the obsessive-compulsive Runner Higgens and his dog Whitey play roles in this excellent mystery set in post World War II rural Maine.

Roadside Rest by Robert M. Chute
With Roadside Rest, Robert Chute returns to Wyman Falls. Readers of Coming Home and/orReturn to Sender will recognize many of the characters and much of the landmarks in this mystery set in post Korean War rural Maine. The mystery unfolds as a fellow from West Virginia comes to town with a deed to property owned by Willis Wyman and James Johnson. The West Virginian goes missing. There are more questions than answers in an investigation that includes quirky town characters. Meanwhile Jim Johnson is missing in action from Korea. Enjoy this story as it takes you around the world and back to Maine with nonstop action revealed through Chute's prose—that like, his poetry, is, "careful language, precise, with a sparse beauty."

Maney the Sneezing Moose by Roland Wallace
Maney is a Maine moose with a sneezing problem. Maney finds friends who are tolerant of his problem and find a way to help him. The black and white drawings are sure to fascinate both children and adult readers.
Lewis and the Lighthouse by Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben has written his first book about Lewis, a boy who lives on the coast of Maine near a lighthouse. With just enough suspense for young readers, this fun read-a-loud book is illustrated with lively art by Robert Logan.

Hidden World Revealed by Tom Seymour
Hidden World Revealed is a collection of short works by Tom Seymour previously published in his blog "Wild Plants and Wooly Bears." InHidden World Revealed, Seymour discusses his interaction with animal neighbors and explores plants and seasonal changes. Each piece reflects Maine rural life. The narratives of his walks in the woods are instructive about the natural environment and revealing of a human who walks lightly on the earth. A humble man with a fine mind invites us to know our Maine woodlands and rural neighbors. A great book to read every day of the year.

Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide by Tom Seymour
From insect repellent, to table fare, to a relaxing wintergreen tea, Tom Seymour identifies the source and describes the method of preparing wild plant concoctions or foods. Any person living or visiting in Maine should have this book to enhance the enjoyment of our great Maine outdoors. From the shore to the forest and from the first green of spring to the snowiest winter day, join Tom Seymour as he enjoys Maine "wilds."

Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books. With the tagline Maine books, Maine authors, Maine stories, Randolph quickly developed a reputation as a publisher of quality Maine books.
An active community member she co-chaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.

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The Remembrances of Marietta Lufford Book Club Questions

6/16/2016

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From beggar and thief in 17th Century England to a respected landowner in the colonial Province of Maine, Marietta Lufford is one of the most courageous women in American literature. Her reminisces as an undaunted, troubled child in London, her adventurous journey to the New World and the tribulations of surviving there make this novel a most compelling read. The incidents in her life are factual, weaving in and out of her life, dominating her world and revealing a documentary of life in the 1600s. Virginia Chute has masterfully written a history of that period in the language of the times. 2006 paperback, 429 pages.

Below are ten questions for book clubs to guide their discussions of this historically accurate novel by Virginia Chute.
The Remembrances of Marietta Lufford Book Club Questions:

What character archetype(s) can be found in the protagonist of Marietta?
How might Marietta’s fate have been different if she lacked or gained certain character traits?
How did the format of the novel affect your reading/interpretation of it? What other literary devices/tools did the author use to bring about that interpretation?
Who do you think is the intended audience? Is there a lesson or theme in the novel that this audience should pick up on?
How does the setting of Maine aid in the plot and/or themes of the novel?
What specific characters were elementary in Marietta’s progression as a woman and in her personal growth overall?
Do you think the book realistically portrays the time period? How is this portrayal similar or different from other fictional books based in the same time period?
In what ways might the journey of Marietta varied if she had been written as a male character? Would she have undergone the same struggles?
What does the depiction of Native Americans in the book suggest about views during this time period? About the characters who talk about and/or describe the Native Americans?
What did you think of the ending? Did it leave something to be desired—if so, how would you rewrite it?

This book and other titles from Just Write Books help people of all ages experience Maine of today and yesterday through a book written by a Maine author.

Buy the book.

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Nancy E. Randolph operates Just Write Books. With the tagline Maine books, Maine authors, Maine stories, Randolph quickly developed a reputation as a publisher of quality Maine books.

An active community member she cochaired the rehabilitation effort of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and guided the planning and creation of two riverside parks at each end. Along with two others she founded and serves as a member of the board of Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org to ensure the maintenance of the historic Roebling designed and built bridge connecting Topsham and Brunswick.

10 things to do on 4th of July in Maine

Beach Reading from Just Write Books

The Remembrances of Marietta Lufford Book Club Questions

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Beach Reading from Just Write Books

The Remembrances of Marietta Lufford Book Club Questions

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10 things to do on 4th of July in Maine