Listen to our sister station WRFR-FM. Click below or FM 93.3 Rockland or 99.3 Camden. settings.
Join WRFR community radio in Rockland
At WRFR we are all volunteers - now more than 60 strong. We play the music and host the talk shows - and we play what we like and say what we think, subject only to the FCC rules against profanity and our own principle that we must treat all members of our community...
WEEK 91 COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES WHILE SHELTERING IN PLACE
By Phyllis Merrimann I finally got my act together to store the patio furniture and plant pots in the garden shed. It took no time or effort at all. Why did I procrastinate until early December? Why to I procrastinate about other chores? Because of another...
China’s herd of wandering elephants takes a rest after 500km trek
China’s famous herd of wandering elephants has stopped for a rest after a 15-month journey far out of their natural habitat, an odyssey that has captivated the country. Authorities have marshalled extraordinary resources to monitor the herd and keep it away from...
Maine Class A Boys Basketball : Camden Hills vs. Mt. Ararat 12/14/21 Replay
Watch this replay of the Maine Class A boys basketball game between the Camden Hills Windjammers and the Mt. Ararat Eagles. this game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on December 14, 2021. the play-by-play announcer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst is Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer is Penny Crockett.
The real story behind Rudolph’s Nose
And it wasn’t red because he had too much to drink at a Christmas party, although we heard he had a pretty good time there.
Attorney general sues Maine lawyer for ‘negligent misrepresentation’ of billing
Amy Fairfield, seen here interviewing a witness during Anthony Sanborn's 2017 post-conviction review case, has been sued by the Maine Attorney General for misrepresenting the hours lawyers worked on cases to earn a higher reimbursement from the state. Photo courtesy...
Maine High School Girls Basketball : Camden Hills vs. Hampden Academy 12/10/2021
Watch this Maine High School Girls Basketball game between the Class A Windjammers of Camden Hills and the Class AA Broncos of Hampden Academy. This game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on 12/10/ 2021. The play-by-play announcer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst is Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
WEEK 90 COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES WHILE SHELTERING IN PLACE
It is hard to believe I’ve been writing these Random Notes now for 90 weeks. The prolonged virus, its power and variants, homegrown conspiracies, fake news about vaccines, transmissions, masks, social distancing, political divides about all of these topics and Americans’ inabilities to come together as families, political bodies and as a nation to protect one another and find the stamina to sustain the courage to outlast Covid and its variants makes me very anxious.
Tiny Coopers Mills reeling in the aftermath of nursing home closure
Frank Slason’s wife, Diane, lived at Country Manor for two years until this fall. Now Diane is 30 miles away in Winthrop. He visits her three times a week, but the drive costs $20 in gas each time and is nerve wracking. Photo by Garrick Hoffman.
Our Own Famous Poet
Many people don’t realize that Midcoast Maine was home to world-famous poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. She lived in Union, Camden and Rockland, Maine and her house in Rockland is being restored.
POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN
His real name was Frank “Rocky” Fiegel.
There are more devices in Mainers’ lives than ever. No one knows where they end up.
Fifteen years into what has been hailed as one of the nation’s best e-waste recycling programs, many questions remain.
Vintage Maine High School Basketball 2001 : Camden Hills Boys vs. Winslow 2/2/2001
Watch this Vintage Maine Boys High School Basketball Game between the Windjammers of Camden Hills and the Black Raiders of Winslow. This game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, Maine on February 2, 2001. The starters for the Windjammers were Nick Wilson, Tyler Warren, Grant Lippman, Brian Fitzpatrick, and John Knutson. the straters for theBlack Roaders were Patrick Dempsey, Micker Grant, Nat Bouton, Luke Crumbull, and Mike Hughes.
My only regret is EVs weren’t available in Maine years earlier
Better torque, smoother ride, less maintenance and, of course, low emissions put a history of gas-powered vehicles in the rear-view mirror.
WEEK 88 – COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES WHILE SHELTERING IN PLACE
By Phyllis Merrimann --- The Buzz The Village Soup reported a dozen households severely impacted by the Halloween storm. In actuality, at least two-dozen homes’ basements were damaged with water and mud along with an unknown number of water-damaged vehicles. As we...
Dear Friends: Seasons Greetings From Rockport
Dear Friends, Yesterday we had our first snow…not much, but it sure is pretty and it nicely sets the tone of the next month or so. On Thanksgiving evening the star was once again lit atop nearby Mt. Battie. This wonderful tradition dates back over forty years;...
Vintage Maine Girls High School Basketball Game: Camden-Rockport vs. Winslow 12/18/1998
Watch this Vintage Maine Girls High School Basketball game between the Windjammers of Camden-Rockport and the Black Raiders of Winslow. This game was played at Camden-Rockport High School on December 18, 1998. The starters for Coach Jay Carlsen’s Windjammers were Anna Sommo, Sarah Dailey, Megan Cressler, Megan Bedford, and Becca Neville. The starters for Coach Jim Poulin’s Black Raiders were Amy Carlsen, Christy Farron, Tracie Sylvester, Heather Robbins, and Heather Vigue. The play-by-play announcers were Charlie Crockett and Don Palmer. The sports videographer was Penny Crockett.
Keeping a culture alive, one drumbeat at a time
The Thunder Women of the Passamaquoddy tribe aren’t just honoring ancestors, they’re healing their community and themselves.
Week 87 — COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES WHILE SHELTERING
Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for vaccines. Some parents cannot wait to have their children vaccinated. Others are still leery. Epidemiologists and scientists are urging vaccines for this age group. 750,000 Americans have now died of Covid. Wasn’t it just last week the number was 500,000? Unvaccinated are the hardest hit.
The trenches along the South Main Street RR tracks that rattled every vehicle that had to cross have finally been paved. With apologies to Jerry Lee Lewis:
And More…
Finally, a News Article That Calls It Like It Is
Click on READ MORE below to see what it is. And look at the publisher at the top. You might be surprised.
Broadband Internet Problem Solved!
It was just a matter of time.
Six Questions with WRFR DJ Francis Boscoe
By Ron Staschak Recently, I interviewed Francis Boscoe. He is an interesting man. Francis loves music, and he seems to want to bring his love of music to others. 1)What do you do at the radio station? I host the music show “Friendly Society” on Thursdays from noon to...
Headwinds at 20: As Downeaster nears a milestone birthday, questions arise about its future
Seems just about everyone loves a train, but can we make it work in Maine so it’s viable?
Dear Friends: Faith
And as we all now round into a long-sought safe harbor that brings hope of peace and time to repair our ship, the COVID tempest still rages and we must now fully lean into our hope and faith to see us through to a safe holding ground from that.
A Little Bit of Fun With Starlink Contract!
If you buy a product from Elon Musk you should expect a unique experience.
Click Read More to find out what he says.
Montgomery Dam vote is timely and necessary
It was a pleasure to read Sarah Miller’s thoughtful piece in PenBay Pilot on the timing of the vote for Montgomery Dam. It was a model of civil discourse that I hope to live up to.
I agree with her premise, that the town needs more discussion on whether or not to destroy Montgomery Dam and its waterfall, but I disagree with her conclusion: that a vote would be premature.
The vote, by the way, is likely to take place at the time of the June 2022 meeting, which is seven months away.
Week 86 – Covid 19 Random Notes While Sheltering in Place
The season is turning with cooler, calmer and brighter weather after the nor’easter’s high winds beached some boats and left some households without power. The PenBay Pilot featured reporter Sarah Thompson’s excellent photos of beached boats on Sandy Beach and Dick’s Beach and their recoveries.
A second storm of high winds with seven inches of rain caused some power outages and flooded basements….
Why does a duck have tail feathers?
???????
Staggering $1.5 billion lithium deposit discovered near Newry; excavating it poses a challenge
By Kate Cough NEWRY — The richest known hard rock lithium deposit in the world lies a few miles northeast of the ski slopes of Sunday River and not far from Step Falls, where swimmers can wade in shallow pools formed by hundreds of feet of cascading granite...
WEEK EIGHTY-FIVE — COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES WHILE SHELTERING IN PLACE
By Phillis Merriam, The Buzz Two relatives came by for coffee bringing Willow Bake Shoppe’s authentic Maine donuts that brightened up an overcast Saturday morning. We traded family lore and artifacts amid laughter and love. Fully vaccinated relatives make for safe...
The Big October Storm
Exciting time during the Noreaster in Rockland.
Internet for the rest of us
For those of us outside of Spectrum’s service area on islands and rural areas of Maine, or off the grid, Starlink satellite service from Elon Musk now appears to be available for order and fulfillment in some cases as soon as a couple of weeks.
Dear Friends: Hope
In this past year I came across one of the loveliest quotes that has ever found me; from Rabindranath Tagore, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”
I have that taped to my computer and I see it every day…it never ceases to get me. My, my, my…how I wish I could craft an image that pure.
Our seemingly everlasting summer has broken and it’s cold and wet out there today. Yes, we’re heading into more darkness, but always, always there’s light.
Montgomery Dam Produces a Thunder Not a Gurgle
Montgomery Dam is perhaps Camden’s most venerable senior citizen. According to the Interfluve report, recently completed for the town, its first iteration occurred in 1771, the same year the town of Camden was incorporated. This was 49 years before Maine became a state, five years before the Declaration of Independence and 17 years before the U.S. Constitution was passed. George Washington was only 39 years old.
Montgomery Dam Survey In — Overwhelming Majority Want to Keep Dam!
The dam, known as the Montgomery Dam, at the head of the harbor in Camden Maine, has been in place since the 1700's. A very strong effort from the Camden Select Board and Town Manager has been underway to remove that dam, with very little input allowed from Camden...
Maine Class A Girls Soccer : Camden Hills vs Brewer 10/19/21
Watch the Maine Class A Girls Soccer game between the Windjammers of Camden Hills and the Witches of Brewer. This game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on 10/19/21. The play by play announcer in Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst is Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
Maine High School Football : Medomak Valley vs Hampden Academy 10/18/21
Watch this Maine High School Football Game between the Panthers of Medomak Valley and the Broncos of Hampden Academy. This game was played at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro on 10/18 21. The play by play broadcaster was Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst was Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer was Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
Maine Class A Girls Soccer: Camden Hills Vs. Brunswick 10/14/21
Watch this Maine Class A Girls Soccer game between the Windjammers of Camden Hills and the Dragons of Brunswick. This game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on 10/14/21. The play by play announcer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst is Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
Maine Class A Girls Soccer : Homecoming Game Camden Hills vs. Mt. Ararat 10/9/21.
Watch this Maine Class A Girls Soccer game between the Windjammers of Camden Hills and the Eagles of Mt. Ararat. This Homecoming Game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on 10/9/21. The play by play announcer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, and the sports videographer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
Maine Class A Boys Soccer : Camden Hills vs Messalonskee 10/12/21.
Watch this Maine Class A Boys Soccer game between the Windjammers of Camden Hills an the Eagles of Messalonskee. This game was played at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport on 10/12/21. The play by play announcer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Crockett, the analyst is Dave Ridley, and the sports videographer is Midcoast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Penny Crockett.
