December 2011

By Carol McCracken (Post # l,053)

“We wanted a coffeehouse in the business district and now we are looking forward to being in the tourist district,” said Kathy Walsh this afternnon. Walsh was referring to the opening of Crema, an Italian themed coffeehouse which is expected to open early in February on the Portland waterfront – 9 Commercial Street. We were chatting at the popular Arabaca, 2 Free Street which Walsh and her husband, John, own together. Walsh admitted that the relocation of the huge law firm, Pierce Atwood, from the area has hurt Arabaca’s bottom line.

Back on September 17, MHN.com reported on Post # 884, that Crema, housed in an old manufacturing building near the Grand Trunk Railroad, would be opening early this month. However, plans were slowed down and now Walsh is looking to an early February opening. A visit to the proposed Crema location showed an electric fireplace to be a centerpiece of the new coffee house, but still lots of work left to be done and other details still to be resolved. The new Crema will be fully ADA compliant by the time it opens and will be open 7 days a week as is Arabaca.

The largest incentive for Crema was the ability of the Walshs to move their coffee roasting equipment from the near by 144 Fore Street location where it is now housed. A special area of Crema has been designated for this process which is run by co-owner John Walsh, highly respected in the area for his brewing expertise. Customers will be able to observe the process. In addition to expresso, there will be a very small menu, including a Soup du Jour, few sandwiches and salads. The Walshs may also obtain a city license for beer and wine at the Crema location which they do not have at Arabaca. Walsh still needs to hire a few good people to staff Crema.

The couple, originally from Lincoln, MA. lived in Seattle, WA. between 1990 – 1993 where John learned about brewing coffee from the experts. One was David Schoner, Vivace, and the other was the owner of Cafe D’Arte. Those experiences got them hooked. They started looking in the east for a place to estabalish a coffeehouse; even considering Cambridge, MA. But they settled on Portland and have no regrets.

Just how Kathy will divide her time between Arabaca and Crema has not been figured out yet. But there’s no doubt that this competent and likeable woman will succeed at this new venture.

Share on Facebook

By Carol McCracken (Post # 1,052)

Mayor Michael F. Brennan underwent cancer surgery over the weekend at Maine Medical Center here in Portland. Surgeons removed a carcinoid tumor from his small intestine and his prognosis is excellent, according to a press release from the city’s spokeswoman, Nicole Clegg. The Mayor returned home to recover yesterday and expects to return to City Hall next week on a limited basis until he is fully recovered from the surgery.

Mayor Brennan had sought treatment for recent stomach cramps two weeks ago, during which the tumor was discovered. The tumor was successfully removed and Mayor Brennan will seek additional, non-evasive treatment for lesions found on his liver.

“I am extremely grateful to my pimary care practitioner, surgeon, nurses and other medical professionals who provided me with exceptional care and I thank them for their treatment and the compassion they extended to me and my family,” stated Mayor Brennan.

“Cancer can be an extremely frightening diagnosis and I am fortunate to not only have a treatment plan with a very positivie long term prognosis but as an insured American have barrier free access to the health care system. My personal story illustrates the fundamental need all Mainers have to be able to access the health care system when they need to. If I had waited or left this disease untreated, both the health consequences and cost of treatment would have been significantly greater,” the press release continue.

“With nearly one in four Mainers lving without health insurance, it’s clear to me that we have a moral responsibility to develop policies and strategies that ensure that everyone has access to high quality care including prevention and diagnostic services. The simple truth is that tens of thousands of Americans will find themselves in the same situtation today, tomorrow, or the next day and they should be afforded the same level of care I have been fortunate enough to receive. Lack of health insurance should not force anyone to make a choice between a visit to their primary care physician and groceries or child care or heating oil.”

Share on Facebook

By Carol McCracken (Post # 1,051)

“We started doing this back when our two children were young,” said Rose Olmsted this afternoon in her living room. Now young adults, she said “I still like to see the faces of children when they look at the Christmas display” in the front yard at 73 North Street on the Hill.

“It started out very small,” she said. Tim, her husband, does most of the work and Rose assists him. The display started small. The first year only the flower bed in front was decorated with colored lights. This year the display has over 1,000 lights in it. Every year it gets a little bigger. While Tim builds as much of it as he can, the family starts looking for new pieces for it right after the holidays end. Next week, the four of them will go to HomeDepot and other places looking for additions for next year. Rose said the family’s electric bill is $200. each for November and December. They budget well in advance.

This year there were about 10 “blow-ups” in the display. As of today, there is only 1 left sitting atop the fence. Tim took down the others immediately after Christmas because they are so suspectable to wind damage. The entire display will come down on New Year’s Day.

Next year Rose wants to add a family of deer beside the house. And sometime, perhaps next year the Olmsted’s want to add music to the display.

“It’s definitely a family venture,” said Rose. Ashley and Jonathan, both students at Southern Maine Community College continue to be as involved as ever. Rose works at Maine Medical Center and Tim works in advertising. He’s a descendent of F. Law Olmstead, the famous landscaper. He designed Central Park in New York City and his company planned the Eastern Promenade.

Share on Facebook

Kitchen crew included: Ed & Rachel Kester, Bill Huntington and Sue MoodyBy Carol McCracken (Post # 1,050)

Eight deep fried turkeys and 8 hams, 100 lbs of potatoes, 40 cans of cranberry sauce, 7 dozen eggs, 8 home made pumpkin, pecan and blueberry pies, a raffle, Christmas caroling and a special tribute to the 79 fallen soldiers in Maine came together masterfully yesterday and transformed the Boys & Girls Club into a banquet worthy of Homeless Vets and other Homeless in Portland. It was masterminded by the Myrick Family and carried out by it and friends.

A record number participated in the 3rd annual Christmas Dinner – putting some estimates at more than 200 attendees. Jim Costello, Jr., recently elected president of the Club board was among the guests.

Hannaford Brothers deserves special thanks for donating the turkeys and hams.

Please see previous post for more background information.

Share on Facebook