Rob Caldwell

3 days ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — In its mission statement, the nonprofit Maine Academy of Modern Music—MAMM for short--says it “uses the power of music to inspire students, foster creative collaboration, and build community.” Here’s another way to think of it. “We’re essentially Maine’s School of Rock,” MAMM executive director Jeff Shaw explained. “It’s sort of like rock and roll Little League.” Thousands of students across Maine have benefited from its classes, programs, and summer camps.

1 week ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — When his dog Penny died, Harry Bliss was shattered. “My sweet Penny is gone,” he wrote in his journal. “I miss her beyond words. I’m broken.” That was not hyperbole. Bliss, a successful artist who has done hundreds of cartoons for “The New Yorker” and is the author and illustrator of best-selling books, was overwhelmed by grief. Writing his thoughts down in his journal and drawing sketches of Penny helped him cope.

1 week ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — In Maine, you'll find various centers devoted to Italian heritage and even more to Franco heritage. Now, a drive is underway to create the state's first Asian-American Community Center. "I think it's been a long time coming," Marpheen Chan of Khmer Maine, one of the groups supporting the project, which is—in financial terms alone—ambitious. The goal is to raise $10 million to construct in Westbrook a building, community garden, botanical gardens, trails, and more.

1 week ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

OGUNQUIT, Maine — Ogunquit Playhouse is kicking off a new season with a production of “Come From Away,” a musical inspired by the true story of a small town in Newfoundland that housed, fed, and cared for thousands of stranded airline passengers in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. It’s a show with a lot of heart, and this particular production asks a lot of its cast members. Every one of them has to play an instrument at some point—or several points—while on stage.

2 weeks ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — On the list of Maine’s official state symbols, sweets have fared exceptionally well. Maine’s state beverage is Moxie, its dessert is blueberry pie, its sweetener is Maine maple syrup—you didn’t think it would be Vermont maple syrup, did you?—and its treat is the whoopie pie. The June issue of “Down East” magazine takes a close look at the last of those symbols.