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."

Jen Hazard, author of "The Maine PlayBook: a Four Season Guide to Family Fun and Adventure" and the driving force behind the Cute Potato blog and website talks about her work as a writer, raising a family in Maine, and some of her favorite spots to explore.  

Visit www.cutepotato.com for more information about Jen and her work or find her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! 

Evan Richert, former Director of the State Planning Office under Governor Angus King, talks about his career as a Planner, teacher, and even his early days as a journalist.  From projects in South Portland to Augusta to Orono, Evan has been involved with many notable efforts throughout the state of Maine. This conversation touches on Evan's work history but also his thoughts on what it takes to grow a culture of entrepreneurism, what the missing pieces are in the state of Maine currently, and how they can be filled.   

Jessica Grondin, Director of Communications for the City of Portland, talks about what it is like to be the spokesperson (and manager of social media accounts!) for a city as large and diverse as Portland, Maine.  She also discusses her background growing up in Bangor, attending school in Massachusetts, and working for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, among other things.  

Once a homeless teenager in Portland, Christopher Poulos shares his story of recovery and from going from jail to the White House to graduating from law school and being admitted to the federal bar in the same courthouse from which he was once taken in handcuffs.  His inspiring story touches on a number of themes including the importance of treatment and recovery, of dogged determination, and of not giving up on oneself or the ones we love even in moments of despair.  

Abe and Heather Furth, partners in business and in life, share some of the stories behind the creation and growth of Woodman's Bar and Grill, Verve, and Orono Brewing Company, which has no expanded its distribution statewide and is a key part of the growing craft brewery scene in Maine.  

While the Maine Show Podcast takes a pause to record new episodes for the weeks ahead, we revisit one of our most popular episodes: a conversation with local singer and musician, Stesha Cano.  Learn more about Stesha at www.steshacano.com.  

The owner of Rock Maple Sugarhouse in Sandy Bay, Maine (which is on the western border near Jackman) talks about what it is like to produce maple syrup on a large scale with 35,000 taps.  From seasonality and concerns about the weather to financials and worries about global trade, there is a lot more to sap production than meets the eye.  Jack Decker shares his story and the story of Rock Maple Sugarhouse in this episode of the Maine Show Podcast. 

Faced with heart issues and stress-related issues two and a half years ago, Bradford Eslin started taking medication and exercising.  Soon after he ditched the medication and just stuck to running.  Now this plumber from Bucksport is getting ready to run in the Boston Marathon, regularly logs 60-70 miles a week, and his health has never been better.  This is  a story of discipline, life choices, goal setting, and physical fitness from an everyday Mainer who has developed an extraordinary talent and is now inspiring others.  

In this episode, Nancy Smith, Executive Director for GrowSmart Maine, talks about ways her organization is supporting economic development throughout the State of Maine as well as some of the challenges Maine faces right now and where there are pockets of optimism and success.  Nancy also discusses her past career as a Maine legislator and what brought her to Maine originally (working in the Maine woods!).  

To find out more about GrowSmart Maine, visit www.growsmartmaine.org. 

Paul Huston of Brick Oven Bangor Rye Bakery talks about his mid-career move along with his brother to acquire and manage this long-time Bangor business, lessons learned, and how they get all that bread out to all those customers each day.  

To learn more about Brick Oven Bangor Rye Bakery, find them on Facebook or at www.brickovenbangorrye.com, or just stop by their location on Hancock Street.  

Photo credit: Marlee Huston

Fresh off a Boys Class C State Championship in Maine high school basketball, Max and Caden Mattson of George Stevens Academy and their dad, Assistant Coach Matt Mattson, sit down to talk about experiencing basketball as a family and more in this episode of the Maine Show Podcast.  

In a special edition of the Maine Show Podcast, we are sharing an episode of You're the Expert from the 2017 Maine Science Festival in its entirety.  You're the Expert is a show that brings comedians and scientists together to decipher the sometimes weighty and complicated work that scientists do.  In this live recording, three comedians interview University of Maine Professor Dr. Kristy Townsend about "the Mysteries of Fat!"

Special thanks to Chris Duffy, Pretty Good Friends, and everyone with You're the Expert as well as our friends at the Maine Science Festival for sharing their work with us and letting us broadcast this special episode on the Maine Show Podcast!  

To learn more about You're the Expert or to listen to other episodes, visit theexpertshow.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter!

Mainer Frances Loring recounts a month spent recently helping refugees in Greece.  She also discusses a lifetime in healthcare including work at what is now Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center and Eastern Maine Medical Center.  

This is a story of compassion, hard work, and caring on the ground amidst one of the great challenges of our time.  

Nathaniel Seekins, a native of Searsport, shares his story of growing up in Maine, attending school in Connecticut to learn about technical lighting for stage productions, and then ending up in Europe working on, among other things, the Harry Potter stage show.  Nathaniel then ended up working on super yachts in Germany before returning to Maine with his wife and son. They now live in Bangor.  

For our 100th Episode, Ben sits down with Brewer Mayor Jerry Goss to talk about cooperative efforts between Bangor and Brewer, Jerry's 33 years in education, and why he ran for City Council after he retired from being principal at Brewer High School.  

Simon Thompson, a native of Portland, graduate of Harvard, and former Maine Field Director for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, joins the podcast to share his story.  Among other things, Simon discusses his decision to move back to Maine, how the transition has been, and what the state should do to draw back more young professionals.  

Outdoor writer, blogger, and video blogger Aislinn Sarnacki talks about her background as a writer, what inspired her love of the outdoors, and how she has made a career out of.  Plus she talks about the success of her first book ("Family Friendly Hikes in Maine") and the excitement about her second book, which is coming out this spring.  

Find all past episodes of the Maine Show Podcast at www.maineshowpodcast.com.  

A member of the RSU 34 School Committee, Old Town's Lee Jackson was one of the youngest elected officials in the country when first elected.  He has since been a part of numerous political campaigns and causes throughout Maine and beyond.  In this interview, Lee shares his story and also discusses, among other things, the 2016 Presidential election and the Republican Party's current relationship with young people and people of color.