Washington County is one of the oldest counties in Maine, which happens to be the oldest state in the nation. But underneath those demographics are dozens of small businesses which tell a different, more youthful, story. In this episode, I speak to three young entrepreneurs who have committed their talents and their time to building businesses -- and their lives -- right here in Washington County where they were raised.

Machias Marketplace - 207-255-0605, Kaylee Pettegrow, Machias Maine, providing a year-round link with Washington County farmers and the local community.

Murphy's Garage - 207-255-0375, Kayla and Joe Murphy, Machias Maine, offering maintenance, diagnostics, and repairs on all passenger vehicles and light duty trucks.

Cutler Harbor Rentals - 207-271-8888, Caleb Campbell, Cutler Maine, offering four unique short term rental units located in Downeast Maine in the small town of Cutler.

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

It’s graduation season. Maine’s colleges held their commencement ceremonies on the first weekend in May, including the University of Maine at Machias where on Sunday, May 5, 82 students marched to Pomp and Circumstance played by local pianist Ellie Larson.

A few days before graduation, I had the chance to interview members of the UMM Class of 2024. and I asked them what they appreciated about their soon-to-be alma mater, what they liked about Machias, and where they’re headed next.

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

The Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center adds to vision of serving cancer patients throughout Washington County with support, capabilities and care with a new facility now open in Baileyville, Maine.

Find resources here: Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center
Follow on Facebook here: Cancer Resource Center
Find and follow Machias Marketplace here!

Music: 
Pinewood Jig by Humans Win, Lance Conrad
Fun Days by AShamaluevMusic

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

Washington County food pantries report the need for food is growing in our region, and not just among job seekers, but among working families, too. Listen to Sarah Craighead Dedmon's conversations with Ken Warner, Nancy Lewis, and Regina Grabrovac, three people, among hundreds, working to get food to the Washington County people who need it most.

Music: 
Pinewood Jig by Humans Win, Lance Conrad
Waterfall by RomanSenykMusic

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

Relic Cider co-owners Brittany and Charlie Foster have been hard at work this autumn gleaning apples from wild apple trees and from heritage orchards planted long ago around Washington County homesteads. 

Next year, hard cider fans will be able to raise a toast with Relic Cider's first hard cider line. Last month, the Portland Press Herald reported that "hard cider is having a renaissance, and its taken hold in Maine," saying the number of Maine cideries has doubled since 2019. Relic Cider is the first Washington County cidery.

Welcome to Way Downeast.

Cheese and Cider Festival
https://www.heartofellsworth.org/downeast-cider-cheese-festival

Music: Pinewood Jig by Humans Win, Lance Conrad

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

This week, something new on the podcast. Following our custom on the Washington County Almanac, this week we bring you some brief observances of the week at hand, an audio Postcard from Washington County. 

Jamie Moore is a man of many abilities including carpentry, fishing and as you'll hear on this week's Washington County Writer's Corner, poetry.

Music:
Pinewood Jig by Humans Win, Lance Conrad

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

On this episode of Way Downeast, we’re talking about Washington County lighthouses. We’ll hear from Bob Trapani Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation, and Cutler storyteller Delia Farris, granddaughter of Little River Lighthouse Keeper Willie Corbett and friend of U.S. lighthouse expert, author, and publisher, the late Tim Harrison of Cutler.  This episode also introduces a new feature, the Washington County Writer’s Corner. Stay tuned to hear a reading from Machias author Loretta Boyer McLellan.

Books and More:
Down East Maine, A World Apart by Frank Van Ripper
Lighthouses of the Sunrise County
Lighthouse in My Life: The Story of a Maine Lightkeeper’s Family
http://www.lorettaboyermcclellan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lorettaboyermcclellan/
https://www.facebook.com/LorettaBoyerMcClellan/
Amazon.com: BoyerMcClellan
Bob Trapani as seen in Down East Magazine

Music: 
Pinewood Jig by Humans Win, Lance Conrad
Funny Days by New Library Sounds

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

Half, if not more, of the Revolutionary War battles fought in present-day Maine took place in Washington County. In this episode, you’ll hear how the British lost not one but three ships in Machias, and how the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Washington County patriots banded together to drive the British from Machias, once and for all. Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Donald Soctomah tells of the significance of Chief Francis Joseph Neptune’s valiant “long shot,” and what came after the American Revolution for the tribe, including a gift from General George Washington. 

Welcome to Way Downeast.

Reference Links:
Passamaquoddy
Wabanaki
Revolutionary Reenactors, Downeast Maine
The Maine Story
Donald Soctomah
Daughters of the American Revolution, Hannah Weston Chapter

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

The Machias Wild Blueberry Festival is a summer festival like no other. 

Situated in the heart of wild blueberry country, the festival has expanded from a small one-day event in the 1970s to a three-day extravaganza that still carries forward decades-old local traditions like the wild blueberry quilt, live music, the library book sale, the blueberry farm tours, the FOOD, the tradition of a Saturday night dance, and perhaps the most unique of all --- the Blueberry Musical, a locally written and performed musical comedy centered on Washington County, and blueberries.

What other festival has that, I ask you?

In this episode, we meet Dwight Whitney Jr., the man who first came up with the idea for the festival in 1975, then speak to Festival Director Ellen Farnsworth, Blueberry Run Race Director Angela Fochesato, DEVI Productions owner Ryan Malagara, wild blueberry farmer Lisa Hanscom, renowned Machias Music Man and Blueberry Musical Writer/Director/Actor Gene Nichols, and Blueberry Ball Director Melissa Hinerman.

For festival schedule and calendar information, visit www.machiasblueberry.com.

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.

Welcome to Way Downeast, where host Sarah Craighead Dedmon will share small-town stories and have big conversations about Washington County, Maine — its communities, its heritage, its challenges, and its struggles, but above all, about its people. 

Way Downeast is a production of The Washington County Almanac. Sign up for essays and updates at www.washingtoncountyalmanac.com.