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.