Ogunquit’s Christmas by the Sea

This year marks Ogunquit’s 23^rd Annual Christmas by the Sea weekend. Weather permitting, it is scheduled for Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13. Check back with the Ogunquit calendar of events for any change in dates or events due to the weather.

Friday evening features all the traditional events: carolers, the Handbell choir concert, town tree lighting and the beach bonfire. At the tree lighting, the winner of the town-wide decorating contest will be announced.

Saturday is chock full of activities, sure to please children and adults alike. Of course Santa sails into Perkins Cove to be whisked away by fire truck to the Fire Station for a 9:30 appointment with waiting children. Day long events include the annual hayrides, an Arts and Crafts show, and a basement bazaar. Throughout the day, there will be Holiday storytelling, a chowder and chocolatefest (area restaurants compete), kids’ ornament making, a Christmas parade, a candlelight walk to the Living Manger and the Barbershop Quartet concert  at the Ogunquit Baptist Church.

Hayrides continue on Sunday and be sure to save a few dollars for the annual 50% off sale at our favorite shop in town, Spoiled Rotten. Yep, everything in the store is 50% off -what a way to shop for Christmas!! It’s held on Monday, December 14^th, the day after the weekend… There is plenty of availability here at the Falls to stay over for the special sale event- Reserve soon….

Another Great Wine Dinner

This past Saturday, The Falls held the second wine /dinner at Angelina’s. We thought the first one was great, but this one proved to be even better. 40 Vacation Club owners signed up within three days of the announcement and despite 6.3 inches of rain, everyone showed up.

By the second glass of wine, no-one cared that it was raining cats and dogs!

Five courses of wonderful food (and lots of it) accompanied by appropriate wines with each course, and the smiles were wide spread, the conversation volume was up and owners had made lots of new friends. Good thing Angelina’s is just next door- no-one had to drive far to get home…..

Many of the owners who were there had attended the first wine/dinner, so be sure to watch for the next scheduled dinner- you won’t want to miss it!!!!

LL Bean Holiday special events

Don’t miss the Northern Lights celebration this year, running from 11/20/09 to 1/1/10.  Starting with the Christmas Tree lighting on November 20, join the annual celebration featuring a host of activities to make your holidays memorable. Enjoy special traditions, including kids’ activities, old-fashioned carriage rides and more fun events. L L Bean is located in Freeport, Maine, a short hour or so drive from The Falls. So, spend some holiday time at LL Bean to rediscover the traditions of the season..

At the Tree lighting Ceremony, on Friday, November 20 at 7 p.m., with the flick of a switch the whole L L Bean campus will glow with holiday cheer. See one of the largest trees in the state alight with thousands of multi-colored energy efficient LED lights. The Don Cambell Band will add great music to the festivities-Don’t miss it!

Old- fashioned Carriage Rides are available on Saturday and Sundays from 1-7 p.m. from November 21-December 27.

L L Bean is offering complimentary Valet Parking  on weekends between November 27 through December 13, and daily from December 18 through January 2.

Each weekend there are multiple events scheduled from book signings to Weekend Workshops to learn about snowshoeing, cross country skiing, fly tying and more.

Freeport’s Moonlight Madness Shopping Celebration is on Friday, November 27 at 12 a.m. There will be refreshments, activities and special discounts all around town.

Freeport’s Annual Sparkle Weekend is December 4-6. The whole town gets in the spirit! There’s an annual parade, a talking Christmas tree, Carolers , cocoa and, of course, a visit with Santa!

The list goes on-don’t miss out this season!!!!

It’s time for the second Italian Wine Dinner with the Falls! Last year it sold out in 6 days, and we’ve booked 1/3 of the availability on the first day this year….November 14 is the magical date for a delightful evening of wining and dining courtesy of The Falls, Angelina’s Ristorante and Pine State Distributors.

          The package includes an overnight stay at the Falls on Saturday night- Check-in 2pm or later. The dinner at Angelina’s is at 5:30pm and is five special courses:

1^st Course: Foccacia Bread topped with Roasted Eggplant, tomatos,             olives, and Parmesan cheese

2^nd Course: Goat Cheese Fritters tossed with a mixed Mesculin                               Salad

3^rd Course: Vegetable Rissoto

4^th Course: Filet Mignon Tips is a garlic cream sauce with sundried                       tomatoes, shallots and Portobello Mushrooms, tossed with Fettuccini

5^th Course: Ricotta Cheese Cake with Balsamic Strawberries

Wine accompaniment for each course is included.

Gratuity not included.

          On Sunday, a $20 Breakfast Certificate is included to a local restaurant.

          This is a package for two, including the one night stay at the Falls in a whirlpool room, dinner and wine accompaniment at Angelina’s and a Breakfast Certificate for $20. Call 866-873-2766 for reservations. The prices are from $240 per couple.

Last year this was the talk of the town- Hurry to guarantee you seat!

Welcome to the 25^th Annual Harvestfest in York, Maine!!! The plans for this year include some new and exciting activities along with the grand old traditions. The celebrations begin with the Annual Sidewalk Sales at Short Sands Beach on Columbus weekend, October 10, 11, and 12 where the shops move their merchandise to the sidewalks for their end of  the season sales’

Friday, October 16 kicks off  Harvestfest and includes the Old Fashioned Marketplace with crafts and wares from all across the country, and a food festival on the Village Green in historic York Village. Friday is the second annual Lobsterfest under the tent and the ballpark at York Beach.

On Saturday,  October 17^th. Activities in the Village will include Kidsfest, the juries craft show, an ox roast, live entertainment and the Esplanade, showcasing non-profit organizations of York. The celebrations and festivities continue at the York Beach ballpark. This will include crafters, live entertainment, and the new Corn Toss Challenge. Festivities at Short Sands continue into the evening with the Annual Pumpkin Stroll and FIREWORKS!!

Sunday October 18^th events include the Classic Car Show, crafts at the ballpark, fantastic food and a Native American POW-WOW under the big tent at the Short Sands ball field. And finally the afternoon will feature the Reap the Harvest raffle prize drawing  with thousands of dollars in prizes…

 For more information, call the Greater York Chamber of Commerce at 207-363-4422.

This year, the 6^th Annual OgunquitFest will begin on Friday, October 23 and run through the weekend, ending on Sunday October 25. The weekend will be packed with family oriented events including Ghostly Tours, and a haunted house and maze on Friday , a car show, autumn bazaar, a great pumpkin patch presentation  and cookie monster decorating, pony rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, children’s fall storytelling, a casino night and the “Heels for Health” High Heel Race on Saturday, and topping the weekend on Sunday will be the continuation of the autumn bazaar, a costume parade, the riotous “Bridge to Beach Bed Race” and a haunted house and maze.

The weekend is always filled with laughter and fun for the whole family. And don’t forget to hurry over to Spoiled Rotten to pick up one of their specialty candles created especially for this weekend- Ogunquitfest- it smells terrific.

All Shook Up mixes a little bit of Shakespeare with a whole lot of The King, and guarantees that your entire family will be jumpin’ out of their blue suede shoes! The book by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) sets the action in Smalltown, USA circa 1955, when a  “ rolling roustabout with a song in his soul and an eye for the ladies” rambles into town on his motorcycle, guitar slung over the leather jacket on his back.

Just as in Shakespeare’s lighthearted comedies, everyone falls under love’s spell, but with the “wrong” person. Dennis, the town nerd, loves grease monkey Natalie, who loves the roustabout, Chad, who’s fallen for the museum curator Miss Sandra, who’s a sucker for men bearing poetry, but not for Jim, the man who pines for her. It gets even more complicated, however, because—just like in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night-there’s a character who goes under some gender-bending in order to get close to the one she loves. Add to all that the changing culture climate of the 1950s America and you get “the best retro rock show since Grease”.

Playhouse audience favorite Sally Struthers (Mayor Matilda Hyde) is joined by Todd Duball (Chad) along with Jennifer Cody (Natalie), fresh from Broadway’s Shrek, and  Tony Award winner Cady Huffman (Miss Sandra). All Shook Up is not a show about Elvis, but definitely is a tribute to his legend and his music, and uses the songs he made famous to give insight into the madness of falling in love. The show features 24 classic Presley hits including “Heartbreak Hotel”, “ Burning Love”, Jailhouse Rock”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “It’s Now or Never”, and “Don’t Be Cruel”.

C’mon everybody! You can’t help falling in love with All Shook Up. Put on your Blue Suede Shoes, grab your teddy bear and follow that dream to the Ogunquit Playhouse.

The Marginal Way beckons you to follow its path. You enter, meander, stroll, sit, stop and wonder at the beauty. How could you ever leave? It is where you return to first whenever you visit beautiful Ogunquit.

Seeing the crashing water, the rocks, the tiny beachlets, the brightness of the sun and smelling the expanse of ocean makes summer creep back into your being. The beach, in the distance, embraces all varieties of people, umbrellas, kids and sand structures. Lifetimes of summers past return to form the sights, smells, sounds and touches of memory. And no matter how many times you return, it is never the same.

The path spawns traffic all day through. In the early morning it is sleepy parents with strollers, toddlers, joggers and power walkers. Mid-morning finds men and women of all ages enjoying a taste of heaven. Later on, families on vacation and teenagers- some interested in where they are and others not. Young adults and young couples come and go throughout the lazy afternoon hours. Later in the evening, those going to dinner or strolling populate the route. Whatever the time of day, watching the people mesmerized by this wonderful strip of land makes you smile.

In the early fall, when the mornings are crisp, the clear cold air welcomes you and only an occasional other walker is nearby. You stop at certain points to take mental notes for daydreaming use in the winter, and you can hardly wait for next summer so you can return ……

 The 11^th Annual Capriccio Festival of Kites will be held on the Ogunquit Main Beach. On Saturday, September 12, 2009. This is an all day event with a mass ascention at noon. Over 300 free kites will be given away to the kids to decorate and fly. Local kite clubs will flying their kites. This has been a heavily attended event over the years and the variety and size of kites is something to behold! Don’t miss this late summer day of fun.