Archives: Stories

Volunteer Profile

Rick Kipp By Marada Cook Do you ever wonder who’s behind getting the Common Ground Fair set up, and who’s in charge of cleaning up the Fair once the fun is over? Rick Kipp, 54, does all these things and more, has been a MOFGA volunteer for the past 20 years, and is now the

Read More »

Wood Prairie Farm

Jim with the Gerritsens’ orchard in the background. The Not-So-Common Potato Text and photos by Jane Lamb One of the most sophisticated operations in Aroostook County takes place in the most unpretentious of settings – the utilitarian potato-packing plant cum residence and its surrounding outbuildings, farming equipment and fields at Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater.

Read More »

Volunteer Profile

Dennis Merrill is too modest for his own good. Although he has volunteered for six years in the Common Ground Country Store and has helped with countless other projects, Dennis insists, “I haven’t really done that much.” “Dennis is the kind of guy who never makes a big deal about his help,” says Roy Miller,

Read More »

Volunteer Profile

Gail Taisey has volunteered at the Common Ground Country Fair since she was a teenager. One of her favorite areas in which to volunteer is the Livestock Area. English photo. By Marada Cook Six years, 18 shifts, and 11 different jobs. Those are the figures on Gail Taisey’s volunteer history. The cheerful 22-year-old has been

Read More »

Carding Brook Farm

The 1802 Federal Farmhouse at Carding Brook Farm in Brooklin houses a very modem organic farming couple, Jonathan Ellsworth and Jennifer Schroth. They specialize in growing small amounts of unusual produce, such as 25 varieties of tomatoes. Article & Photos by Jane Lamb Picture a classic Federal country house on a saltwater farm bordering a tidal

Read More »

Meadowsweet Farm

By Jean English Lee Humphreys’ and Ib Barfod’s Meadowsweet Farm on Finn­town Road in Warren could just as well be called Renaissance Farm, for they have excelled at music and environmental education (Lee); engineering (Ib); community activism, farming and parenting (both). Add woodworking to Lee’s list … and we can even talk about the ghost

Read More »

Volunteer Profile Spring 2003

Joe Auciello. English photo. Joe Auciello By Marada Cook For most people, being stuck between a rock and a hard spot can make life pretty rough. Ask Joe Auciello, MOFGA volunteer and professional stone sculptor, and he’ll tell you that rough spots are where the fun begins. “My father was in the Air Force, so

Read More »

Clovercrest Farm

Organic dairy farmers Steve and Mia Morrison in their barn. Photo by Kate Morrison. Second Generation Morrison Farmers Profit from Organic Dairy By Rhonda Houston On a clear, crisp day in January, hundreds of dairy farmers convened in Augusta to convince legislators that they cannot keep up their current way of life. They are drowning

Read More »

Volunteer Profile

Nancy and Bob Sullivan are as busy in “retirement” as they were when they worked – maybe even more so. English photo. Bob and Nancy Sullivan in Vibrant Retirement by Marada Cook “They’re retired,” says Janice Clark, “but they don’t really know the meaning of the word.” “We just run errands and help count the

Read More »

Poems

When It Rains, by Sue Smith-Heavenrich Inca Gold, by Mariana S. Tupper When It Rains When it rains thirsty squash pick up their roots, dance-splash mud on radish leaves. Cat-faced tomatoes and snap peas tango, dip-swirl past rutabagas, kale, escarole. Habaneros strut like roosters, they think they are such hombres calientes. Beans snap, poppies shake,

Read More »
Categories
Scroll to Top