In this episode of the Maine Show Podcast, we are talking with Sean Sullivan, Executive Director of the Maine Brewers Guild, about why the Maine craft beer scene is so vibrant. And just why are there so many breweries in Maine? Plus, what comes next. Can a state of relatively modest size support all of these breweries?
This podcast is a companion piece to an article by host Ben Sprague on the same topic on Substack. Visit: bensprague.substack.com to read this article and others.
Susan and John Burgess, farmers in Newport who grow, among other things, Christmas trees, talk about their lives in farming, what has changed over time, and what the year is like for people in the Christmas industry.
Earl Villanueva shares his story of moving to Maine with his wife and working remotely for one of the top companies in the world all from his home in Veazie. Earl works for AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, helping to pioneer their 5G and cloud computing services. He shares his ideas and suggestions on how Maine can attract more people to live here and enjoy life in the anticipated post-COVID world of working remotely.
Dennis Markatos-Soriano and Kristine Keeney share the story of the East Coast Greenway, a collection of trails, paths, roads, and connectors linking Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. With a particular focus on Maine, this episode covers the history and mission of the organization, current efforts underway, and how you can get involved. Visit www.greenway.org for more information.
Josh Bridges talks about growing up in Downeast Maine, making his way to Bangor, and working as a mental health professional with a particular interest in Alzheimers and dementia issues.
Emily Burnham talks about growing up in the Searsport/Belfast area, becoming a journalist with the Bangor Daily News, and how COVID-19 has impacted the local arts community. This episode also features a look at some of the key events and people in Downtown Bangor circa 2007-2011 that were catalysts for much of the positive momentum that continued throughout the decade that followed.
Emily Poland, School Nurse Consultant for the State of Maine, talks about how school nurses have been working to help keep students, teachers, and staff safe and informing public policy during the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to their many other responsibilities in our Maine schools.
Dr. Jeremy Yardley of Northern Light/Eastern Maine Medical Center talks about working in a hospital during this very challenging year, what it felt like to recently get the vaccine, and what he sees for the weeks and months ahead. Dr. Yardley is a Bangor High School graduate and moved back to Maine several years ago.
Mary Butler talks about playing college basketball at Brown University and then choosing to move back home to Bangor to work in public health.
A bride prepares for her wedding, a restaurant owner negotiates a changing landscape, and a sportscaster with no sports: three stories of how COVID-19 has changed life as we know it here in Maine.
Special thanks to Jordan Bragg, Susan Stephenson of Pepino's, and Eric Gullickson from WABI TV 5 for joining the podcast to share their stories.
Musical content provided courtesy of BenSounds Royalty Free Music on YouTube.
Today the Maine Show is rebroadcasting Episode 097, a conversation with Lee Jackson. When Lee was first elected to the RSU 34 School Board in Old Town, he was among the youngest elected officials in the country. In this episode he talks about growing up in Maine, his work on various campaigns, and the intersection of race and politics, among other things.
As part of our continued efforts to amplify the voices of those whose lived experiences can help us learn and become more understanding of one another, the Maine Show is proud to rebroadcast Episode 087, a conversation with Maulian Dana, Tribal Ambassador for the Penobscot Indian Nation.
The Maine Show listens back to Episode 024, a conversation with David Patrick, about his life and perspective as a black man in Maine, a father, and a community organizer.
The Maine Show stands together with our people and communities of color and seeks to elevate the voices of those whose perspectives and stories can help us better understand one another as we seek real progress.
In this special edition podcast, Dr. Noah Nesin, the Chief Medical Officer at Penobscot Community Healthcare and a longtime family physician, talks about COVID-19. He answers a wide range of questions including: what should people be doing right now in terms of social distancing and self-isolating, what should a person do if he or she shows symptoms, how is the coronavirus transmitted (bodily fluids? open wounds? mosquitos?), can you get it more than once, what about pets, can the virus be transmitted on paper such as pieces of mail, can it lead to pneumonia, and many more. Thank you to Dr. Nesin for joining the Maine Show at this important time.
Soubanh Phanthay, a recently elected member of the Brewer City Council, shares the story of spending part of his childhood years in a refugee camp in Thailand with his parents and siblings before moving across the world to Houlton, Maine. Soubanh also discusses his love of food, how he eventually ended up in the greater Bangor area, his photography business, and why it is so important for him to give back to his community.
Bryan O'Connor, author of the book, For the Record: My 1,000 Favorite Albums 1957-2017, talks about his love of music, perspective on changing trends over time, representation and bias in the music industry, and more.
Jean Deighan, an investment advisor, business owner, advocate for the arts, and philanthropic supporter of so many important causes throughout the state of Maine, shares her story.
Bangor's newest City Councilor, Gretchen Schaefer, talks about why she was interested in running for local office, how she campaigned and won, and how her time as an elected official has been going so far. She also discusses her day job at Husson University and her own podcast, "Balancing Chaos."
WABI TV 5 Reporter and Anchor Brian Sullivan talks about growing up in Bucksport, getting into journalism, the joys and challenges of the job, and the state of local media in this free flowing and wide ranging podcast conversation. Follow Brian on Twitter at @bsullivanTV.
Husson University Women's Basketball Coach Kissy Walker recounts her life in basketball. From being a star point guard at Cony High School to the University of Maine to a coaching career that has generated countless memories and now over 500 wins, Kissy Walker has done it all. In this podcast she tells some of those stories plus talks about her coaching philosophy.
Ben sits down with Kristen McAlpine, Nazrin Dixon, and Matt Grant to make picks on some of the top Super Bowl prop bets for the upcoming game between the Patriots and Rams. Who will win the game? How long will the National Anthem be? What color will Adam Levine's shirt be at halftime? What color liquid will be poured on the Super Bowl winning coach? All that and more in this special impromptu edition of the Maine Show Podcast.
Ben Treat, recently named Director of the Bangor Public Library, shares his story. From growing up in Brewer to moving to Boston and New Hampshire and then returning home, Ben talks about his love of learning, libraries, family, and the state of Maine. He also discusses how libraries are changing and what some of his goals and priorities are for one of Bangor's most beloved institutions: the Bangor Public Library.
Bangor City Councilors Clare Davitt and Laura Supica share their stories of what brought them to (or back to!) Bangor and what lead them to run for City Council. From discussion of their lives and backgrounds prior to even considering running for office to talking about the campaign itself and then the first year of service, this is a wide ranging and entertaining conversation.
Host Ben Sprague shares the news that the show is going on a semi-permanent hiatus. He says, "This is not a goodbye and it's not a closing out of the whole podcast, it's just an acknowledgement that there are seasons in life for different things, and right now my energy and emotion and time are all turning inward towards my family and our immediate future."
Ben is also happy to share the joyful news that he and his wife, Malorie, are expecting their third child in November, a boy! He says, "I have absolutely loved bringing you this podcast week after week for these last three years, it has been an absolute honor and I have loved the conversations with the guests but also getting to know many of the listeners. I just can't keep up with it anymore on a week to week basis. My goal when I started was to do a new episode every Tuesday and for the most part I was able to do that for awhile, but then life happens, and now with a third child on the way, a day job at First National Bank, and my work as a City Councilor and for this year mayor of the City of Bangor, it's just been too much and while I hate to admit that, I also want to be realistic about a healthy work-life balance, spending time with my kids and wife, and not being on a computer editing audio files and researching interviews week after week."
Ben wishes to thank the audience for tuning in week after week and he concludes by saying, "It has been an absolute honor to be able to bring this podcast to you and like I said, don't lose total track of the link to it because you may see a new episode pop up here and there."