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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,

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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

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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

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Darthia to Kingbird

Bill and Cynthia Thayer and two new friends pose in front of the Darthia Farm Store. Erin James photo. By Rhonda Houston “Well, it’s pretty exhausting work,” say Bill and Cynthia Thayer after a moment of thought. A few days after I sat down with the Thayers of Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro, I can’t quite

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Journeyperson Program

By John Bliss Last spring, Stacy, Emma and I moved from Pennsylvania to Maine; two whole shades of difference on the zone hardiness map! So for us, spring seemed to last twice as long last year. Before the move, our first set of seedlings broke through their moist soil and stretched toward the window overlooking

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Does Organically Grown Food Taste Better?

Toki Oshima drawing By Mort Mather If you know that I’m a past president of MOFGA, you might think you know how I will answer this question. It is not that simple, though. To begin with, taste is, to a large extent, subjective. Add to that different varieties, different weather conditions, different soil types and

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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,

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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

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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

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Evanses Garden

This is the house that Eric Evans built, with bee balm gracing the dooryard. English photo. American Chestnuts, Daylilies, Vegetables and Friends By Jean English Laura and Eric Evans seem to have lived a life comprised of one fascinating project after another. The community garden – or, more accurately, community of friends garden – that

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