Articles by Robert F. Bukaty
Get your Scot on at the Maine Highland Games
TOPSHAM, Maine — The 34th annual Maine Highland Games attracted hundreds of kilt-wearing athletes, dancers, musicians and living-history enthusiasts to the Topsham Fairgrounds for a celebration of Scottish heritage and culture last Saturday. Whether it’s in the participants’ blood or they’re just Scots for the day, the affair was an ...
For Saco, Belfast residents, mailboxes an opportunity for expression
The U.S. Postal Service’s requirement for the placement of rural mailboxes is pretty simple: they should be set about 42 inches high and 8 inches from the road. Whether you use your mailbox as a form of self-expression is up to you. On Ferry Road in Saco there are nearly ...
Craving cupcakes? Seek a tiny trailer in Falmouth
FALMOUTH, Maine — First the colorful little trailer catches your eye. Then you spot the chalkboard with a big cupcake drawn on it. The next thing you know you’re making a U-turn. It seems most of Love Cupcakes’ customers pass by the first time before returning to the parking lot ...
Diaper-wearing racers tear up the turf at Yarmouth Clam Festival
YARMOUTH, Maine — Turn your back on your baby and they’ll crawl away in a blink of an eye. Put them on a starting line and try to get them to crawl 10 yards to Mommy … well, that’s not so easy. About 40 “Crawlers,” kids up to 12 months ...
Don’t like it? Wait a minute
SACO, Maine — That old saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute,” certainly rang true earlier this month. Fishermen on the Camp Ellis jetty and beach-lovers on the nearby sandy shores needed sunscreen one minute and umbrellas the next as they tried to contend with Mother Nature’s ...
How many pingpong balls can you fit in your mouth?
Most visual comics and performance artists can juggle and do a few magic tricks. But few, if any, can do the things Michael Trautman can do with pingpong balls — starting with the amazing ability to stuff five of them into his mouth at once. With cheeks that stretch like ...
Geeks on parade in South Portland
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — What is going on, and who are these people? More than a few shoppers were caught off-guard last Saturday morning, wondering if they had stumbled onto an impromptu Halloween parade at the Maine Mall. No, it was just a bunch of fun-loving geeks who had marched ...
Scarborough marsh deceptively full of life
SCARBOROUGH, Maine — A motorist traveling on busy Route 1 through the Scarborough Marsh may glance out the window and think the place looks, well, a bit boring. But anyone who has taken the time to pull over and peer through binoculars knows the state’s largest salt marsh is teeming ...
Showing America’s colors in any way they can
Flag Day will be celebrated next Thursday and many Mainers will show their patriotism by flying the old stars and stripes. But if you drive around the state you can’t help but notice many people have opted for a more permanent display. A homeowner in Eddington put up a flag ...
Restored roadster reaps rewards
BRUNSWICK, Maine — In the fall of 1978 Jim Begin bought his dream car for $250 — only back then the 1962 Austin Healey Tri-Carb Roadster looked more like a nightmare. “It was sitting in a backyard in Monmouth for 3 or 4 years, long enough so that bushes were ...
Fighting for fish in Nobleboro
NOBLEBORO, Maine — Every May alewives return by the thousands to Damariscotta Mills, where the lucky ones will climb a fish ladder that leads from Great Salt Bay to their freshwater spawning grounds in Damariscotta Lake. As for the unlucky ones, some will be harvested by lobstermen who use them ...
Portland’s watercolors
PORTLAND, Maine — The next time you watch a movie check out the night scenes. Chances are the streets and sidewalks will be wet — even though it is not raining. Filmmakers learned long ago that wet pavement reflects light. The sparkle and contrast adds a little visual stimulation to ...
Falmouth birdhouse maker breathes new life into salvaged materials
FALMOUTH, Maine — The owner of the old barn looks at the broken doors and boxes of rusty tools and sees junk. Tony DiPietro sees whimsical perches, roofs and chimneys. Soon, backyard birds will see a home. In 1998, DiPietro took early retirement after working 20 years in a paper ...
![Portland's Lizzy Anderson gets taped up with a temporary sling after injuring her shoulder in a match against Boston Saturday, April 14, in Portland. "We've got a couple nurses on our team. They think it's either a broken clavicle or collarbone," Anderson said. "If it still hurts tomorrow I'll go get it checked out [at a hospital]."](http://bdnpull.bangorpublishing.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rugged-Women_001-250x250.jpg)
In women’s rugby, ‘someone’s always bleeding’
PORTLAND, Maine — Patty Williams held her seven-month-old son Patrick while watching from the sidelines as her teammates competed in a rugby match against Boston. No one would have blamed her if she decided to take the season off. Rugby, after all, is a physically demanding and sometimes brutal sport. ...
Disabled border collie ‘wakes up happy every day’
PORTLAND, Maine — When Stephanie Fox went to see the puppy almost three years ago at New England Border Collie Rescue, she knew the breed didn’t always make the best pet. As an experienced owner of other border collies, she was well aware of their need for constant work and ...
Steer team hauls logs in Waldoboro
WALDOBORO, Maine — Logger Mike Sproul leads his 2,400-pound team of steer into the woods, passing by a skidder parked on the edge of a field. The heavy machinery could twitch more logs in less time — but it has never won him any ribbons. So today Bright and Star, ...
Springtime coming in with tides
The month of March is a quiet time at most Maine harbors and the Harraseeket River in Freeport is no exception. Many of the floating docks and moorings have been pulled from the tidal bay. Dozens of fishing boats and pleasure craft sit onshore, wrapped in white plastic as they ...
Surf’s up in Kennebunk, even when temperatures aren’t
KENNEBUNK, Maine — Skiers and snowmobilers are not the only ones feeling deprived by Mother Nature this winter. Surfers have been disappointed, too, but last week they finally got their wish. The season’s first significant storm not only dumped several inches of snow on southern Maine, but also kicked up ...
Ice fishing derby offers prizes and a chance to help others
GRAY, Maine — One month after it was postponed because of thin ice, the third annual Crystal Lake Ice Fishing Derby was held last Saturday. Several hundred anglers competed for more than $10,000 in prizes for everything from the biggest fish to the most patriotic ice shanty. Clint Jones of ...
Students get a high school education on the slopes of Sugarloaf
CARRABASSET VALLEY, Maine — When Sam Morse was in public school, he says he dreamed every day about going to Carrabassett Valley Academy. “When you travel [for ski races], it’s really hard to be in a public school,” said Morse, who grew up in Carrabassett Valley. “But a place like ...
Orono man charged with murder in death of Glenburn teen
Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers
Man accused of killing Glenburn teen denied bail, has received death threats, attorney says
Kyle Dube arrest, murder charges surprising to former Orono High School classmates
Glenburn woman gets 18 months for embezzling $100,000 from beagle rescue group
Nichole Cable: In our minds, hearts
Obama’s boyfriend line
Guest Post: “I’m about ready to name my daughter Revolution.”
How to humble a wing nut
Bucksport’s Wood enjoying the professional cage in MMA bouts
Unity Raceway heading in new direction when track opens for season Sunday
Former Dexter, Nokomis coach Pratt takes Mount View football post
UMaine’s Fransoso overcomes injuries, turns passion for baseball into stellar career
Houlton makes plans for new hockey boards at Millar Civic Center
Fun, informative or just plain strange: 8 museums in Maine worth a road trip
Bangor veteran of World War II exemplifies the way life should be
Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console