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.