Newcastle Square Realty in the News!

   Breaking News - We've just been named Small Business Blog of the Day by the prestigous small business blog Pajama Market !

 We started this blog, along with our web site redesign just 3 months ago and in the begining weren't sure if anyone was reading.  Sometimes I'd mention something regarding a post and even some of the brokers here would would look at their shoes, mumble something and scurry off. But lately more and more people have been stopping me on the street to comment  on or just mention that they saw what had just gone up.

   So we'll keep posting and try to keep it interesting (and yes, we'll put in more pictures). Make this one of your stops for information about Damariscotta and the Pemaquid Penninsula. For some of the finest real estate in Lincoln County be sure and visit the Our Listings section of our main site (hey we've got bills to pay too).

Jim Cosgrove

Pemaquid Oyster Festival

   Making plans for the weekend?  Be sure and remember the Pemaquid Oyster Festival this Sunday September 24.  There will be boat rides, educational exhibits, guided kayak trips on the Damariscotta River , live music from 3 different bands and over 10,000 Pemaquid Oysters!

Coincidentally, oysters are featured in a piece in Octobers Vanity Fair magazine. There, we learn such interesting facts as Casanova ate 50 oysters a day and Napoleon favored them as his pre battle snack (who knew dictators had pre battle snacks?). I was disappointed to learn that Hemingway ate his oysters with a dry white wine.  Everyone knows the beverage of choice with an oyster is a cold Pemaquid Ale.

   The money raised at the Pemaquid Oyster Festival benefits the Edward A. Myers Conservation Fund. Ed Myers was a wonderful man, well known in our area and the "godfather" of modern aquaculture on the Damariscotta River. In 2005 over $14,000 was raised at this Festival, to be used for conservation efforts in the Damariscotta estuary.

   For more information and a schedule of events visit the Lincoln County News website.

"Captain" Tom Field

Damariscotta Condominiums

   We are very pleased to introduce to the market a new condominium project in the Damariscotta Village area.

    Located on Elm Street, these beautifully appointed units are literally just steps away from the Lincoln County Theater, shops, restaurants, galleries and the harbor.

   The conversion of this stately c. 1848 building is the work of a well known local craftsman who will be staying on the premises and occupying one of the units.  Every aspect of this conversion has been carefully thought out and executed with meticulous attention to detail.

   All units feature beautiful moldings, wood floors, fireplaces and kitchens with granite counter tops, quality appliances and fine cabinetry.

   Planned for a total of five units, there are currently three available including a first floor unit with a private courtyard, a two bedroom second floor unit with an attractive deck and pergola and a two level unit with a balcony and private roof top deck.

   Our experienced brokerage staff had an opportunity to tour this property earlier in the week and all agreed that the combination of fine workmanship, quality materials and outstanding location put these properties at the top of the list of housing options in the Village district!

   For more information or to arrange a private showing please contact any Newcastle Square Broker today.

Jim Cosgrove

Congratulations

   Miles Memorial Hospital CEO Judy Tarr is the subject of an "Alumni Profile" in the latest edition of Saint Josephs's College of Maine magazine.  Judy received her Master's in Health Services Administration from Saint Joseph's in 1999.

   For those readers outside the area, Miles Memorial Hospital is our highly regarded local health care facility.  Miles has recently announced plans to join with St. Andrews Hospital in Boothbay to create a single health care provider for both peninsulas.  The proposed location for this new facility has not yet been announced but is being watched for with great interest.

   Saint Josephs College was once a small liberal arts college beautifully sited on the shores of Sebago Lake.  It is now a not so small liberal arts college with possibly the prettiest campus of any college in Maine, a strong Nursing program, a major external degree program and an up and coming Division III baseball program.

   Congratulations, Judy!

Our Colonial Past

   If you have an interest in history (or are just looking for an excuse to visit the prettiest part of the world) you may wish to visit the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic site this Saturday and Sunday.  A large group of military re-enactors or "living historians" will re create some aspects of a military installation in coastal Maine to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the start of the French and Indian War.

   Warfare between the French and British and their Native American allies actually lasted from 1756 to 1762 in North America but was part of a larger conflict that played out in Europe, India and the Caribbean.  1759 is now considered by historians to be the pivotal year in this conflict and the year where the advantage swung to the British.  Without a British victory at that time the history of our own country would have been very different.

   Presently know as Fort William Henry, the fort and the historic site will feature a period encampment and visitors will have a chance to see portrayals of Native American, English and French life at Pemaquid in the 18th century. There will be demonstrations by colonial crafts persons and militia re-enactors.  I'm told that most of the action will take place on Saturday with some events on Sunday morning. For more information and better directions than I can give visit the website of the Friends of Colonial Pemaquid .

   Our area is rich in colonial era history and architecture and Newcastle Square Realty has been fortunate to broker the sales of many important properties from that era.  I am constantly amazed at the level of workmanship and quality that was practiced at that time and can't help but wonder at how some of todays homes will look in 250 years!

Jim Cosgrove

   

The Best Season

   Well Labor Day has come and gone and downtown feels very different this morning.  There are plenty of parking spaces and no college kids with laptops at the coffee shop. All of the K-8 schools in School Union 74 opened this morning and it was nice to see all the smiling kids ( and their even happier parents) waiting for buses as I drove in.

   Now begins what many of us consider to be the best time of year here in Mid Coast Maine.  These next two months will feature some of the best weather we'll see all year with warm days and cool nights.  The summer crowds are gone but there will be a decent amount of visitors here, enough to make things interesting.  There will be no trouble getting tee times at any of the local golf courses and best of all, the bugs are gone!

   If you've been considering a visit to our part of the world this is truly The Best Season to come!

Jim Cosgrove

Moonlight on Muscongus

   Up until this year I had never been much of a fan of kayaks or any paddling activity. The limit of my experience was short canoe trips or rowing out to my boat from the dock (although given the distance from the dock to my boat I got an outboard for the inflatable a while back). So I have been somewhat surprised at the fun I have been having sea kayaking this summer.

   Recently my wife and I accepted an offer from the owners of Midcoast Kayak to go on one of their Moonlight Kayak Tours. Our group of 12 including 3 guides met at the dock in Bremen and left from there. After a 15 minute safety and education briefing and getting our color coded fluorescent light sticks attached to our life jackets we took off for a 3 hour tour around Musconous Bay, across the Hog Island Bar and out to Coombs Ledge. As the sun was setting in the west the moon was rising across the bay in a brilliant orange that was breathtaking.

   After stopping and watching for a few minutes we continued on up to Louds Island where we could hear the seals in the darkness snorting at our approach. A quick paddle across the bay towards Round Pond and Bristol and then a short trip back to the landing in Bremen. By this time it was mostly dark and we were guided by the glow of our lead guides red glow stick and the few lights on the shore. It is so quiet on the water at night that you can hear everything for miles. If you get the chance this is a "must do" trip in our Midcoast area.

Tom Field