Okay, before you think of major league franchise owner, let's set the record straight from up here in Maine.  We're talking little league franchise owner!  Back in 1980, there were 12 little league teams with sponsors in Houlton Maine.  I always thought it would be neat to sponsor one but the slots were full.  So I asked to be on a waiting list.  Well low and behold, one local team, Shop N Save decided that the little leaguers should earn the money for their uniforms and entry team fee. I think many of these little guys are do well to just locate a glove and don't need the extra pressure to pan handle or take away money from their household needed for other luxuries like school lunches, field trip lunches, going to the movies, etc.So we "inherited" a super team that went on to be litt... 02/06/2008

    You go to games to hoot, holler and root for the team your son is on, so while you are there, why not cover and film the game for the folks back in your hometown that did not make the road trip? Following Maine high school hockey and basketball in the dead of winter is fun! Making every player feel like a hero, that their home town is proud of them and seeing them work together like a team is one of life's biggest thrills.  You know the lessons, win or lose, that these high school kids learn about the game, about playing together as a team will stay with them for life.  The effort they put into the game to play with all their might, seeing the coaches and the drama in the stands and on the bench and getting a hot dog in between periods and being excited about the game.  High school ... 01/27/2008

    What's A"Moosestomper's Weekend" and hey .... should we call animal rights leaders to let them know about the event?   No..."Moosestompers Weekend" is a celebration of winter..with something different every year from fireworks, horse drawn sleigh rides. Always the favorite kids scrambling in different age groups thru piles of snow for hundreds of half dollars donated by local banks, snowsled club breakfasts and suppers and trail rides. The Wild Katahdin Snow Run foot race part of the hoofing it if you have been a regular celebrater to avoid the mid winter blues. To shake off the cabin fever. Colored light parades with snowsled brought up thru Houlton's Main Street to a Bonfire, special dances and the "Moosestomper's Ball", youth events including human curling, human dog sled and sli... 01/24/2008

     You make a good salary at the three jobs you hold down in say the Boston Massachusetts or Providence, Rhode Island Or Hartford, Conneticut. Working your fingers to the bone and all you get is boney fingers. Because between mortgage or rent, taxes, groceries, kid's braces, prom dresses worn once. Paying off school loans, that irs lien, your uncle's funeral expenses. Those car payments and insurances (whew) ...where does all the money go? And to think about stepping out to buy some Maine lakeshore or riverfront property? Not without a winning lottery ticket you think. Until now.  You have a large family. You have a burning desire to have a Maine property on a lake or other waterfront locaiton. Like river or brook, stream or pond side someday in your lifetime. To spend time with the f... 01/16/2008

     You make a good salary at the three jobs you hold down in the Boston Massachusetts or Providence, Rhode Island Or Hartford, Connecticut. But between mortgage or rent, taxes, groceries, kids braces, paying off school loans, that irs lien. Your uncle's funeral expenses, car payment and insurance (whew) ...where does all the money go? And to think about stepping out to buy some Maine waterfront or lake shore property? Not without a winning lottery ticket you think. Until now.  You have a large family. You have a burning desire to have a Maine property on a lake. Someday in your lifetime to spend time with the family a few times a year at least. Martin Luther King's three day weekend, some long off from work stint  is coming your way. You could be planning Friday afternoon to climb on ... 01/16/2008

     This past year, a super dvd movie with tons of old photos, vintage movie footage, early maps and local talent re-enacment of  Maine history was crafted into "The Story Of Houlton, Maine". The local two screen Temple Theatre with balconies on each side is an historic dream too...carefully restored to reflect the period of early silver screen grandeur! Since 1913, this theatre is the setting for the local showing of  Houlton from its first establishment by Joseph Houlton who rode by horse up from Salem Massachusetts.  See the movers and shakers and early settlers who shaped the great place Houlton is today. History helps give perspective and the vision of the early town fathers.  It explains the process that lead to where we are today and how we got there. Showings January 21st at 6:... 01/15/2008

     Following your favorite local team, basketball or hockey in the winter in Aroostook County, Maine. No matter the weather, no matter the distance, hoot, holler and follow your team.  My job to capture it on youth hockey videos...like this latest varsity Maine hockey game with Houlton Hodgdon Blackhawks in Augusta's Kennebec Ice Arena with Win Dale losing 9-1! How local folks in Maine keep track of their teams place in the standings? By visiting the Maine Principal Associations Heal Points website.  This site is usually updated on Tuesdays so youth basketball and hockey players from around Maine study the statistics for bragging rights. Boys and girls, no matter the class that is determined by the Maine school enrollment numbers.  These games are in between plowing snow in Aroostook ... 01/13/2008

     In some real estate markets, you start out with a home with apartment income from an extra unit or two to leap into the home ownership arena.  Or you forget it, content to rent yourself for a time to save money in your entry level job unless you have the means to buy your first  single family home. In Houlton Maine, less than two percent vacancy and just over 560 units means being a landlord does not require you have to give away free microwaves and offer bend over backwards incentives to please rent from me and fill this one of many empty units.       There is more demand than supply and often when I suggest to a couple a little low on income producing power to consider an apartment house, heels dig in.  Bad tenants, horror stories about the guy who trashed every unit he went into... 01/12/2008

    When considering moving to a new area, its nice to know the hospital there has all the specialties.  Houlton Regional Hospital on Hartford Street has everything from OB/GYN's to cardiac specialists to out patient clinics of all kinds. Physcial therapy is handled expertly at Positive Steps and routine industrial medicine is processed efficiently at Company Doc.  Visit the Houlton Regional Hospital website here. Learn about a variety of HRH events here.  The CEO of HRH is Thomas Moakler who does a fine job of keeping spirits high and running the facilty professionally.  He knows the workers, their families on a first name basis and is not stuck in an executive office like some hosptial heads. Tom is very involved in the community and has a daughter that was the best Maine tennis playe... 01/10/2008

     When a buyer is considering a move to Houlton Maine, there are usually five questions that get asked if they know they want to live in Maine...just not sure which town.  First, tell me about your schools.  Second, what is your hospital like? Third, how much snow, what kind of Maine weather do you get? Fourth, is there a well run parks and rec program?(Yesss!) And fifth, do you have a library and how extensive is it? We've covered the other areas in earlier blogs so Cary Library's turn on Main Street in Houlton, Maine.  As a child I remember going into the old original Houlton Maine stone library and the second floor being glass!  You could walk on it, see somewhat thru it and as a little guy I thought that was pretty neat.  The older section once the new large addition was added is... 01/09/2008

     If you are hungry, the Houlton Rotary Club is spoiled by super food served each Monday noon at the Church of the Good Sheperd on Main Street.  The Episcopal Church in Houlton Maine has lunch crews that spoil Houlton Rotarians with a variety, quantity and friendly service that makes a stop imperative for you passing thru the town. The experience of a noon meeting with the food, singing and informative talk is worth the effort  to partake of the meal and fellowship.  The Houlton Maine club is one of the more active in Rotary District 7810 and proud of the fund raisers for many local projects that I blogged on earlier here in Active Rain.  For District 7810 news and links, visit here.  This year's District Governor is Terrence P (Terry) Lenihan of Bathhurst, New Brunwick, Canada.  The... 01/07/2008

     Have you gotten a chuckle out of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour?  Houlton Maine's 4th Of July Fair Committee has brought some major headliners in over the years from Larry The Cable Guy to this April's Jeff Dunham one and only Maine appearance.  Tickets on sale now..hurry they sell out quick and this comedy performance pulls in folks from the Atlantic Canadian provinces, southern Maine and even Northern New Hampshire. The Fair site for details can bring you up to speed. And for more on who Jeff Dunham if you don't know the name, is here. 01/04/2008

     Yes, the calandar says January 2nd, 2008  and the Christmas / New Years Holiday is behind us for another year.  But over the holiday lull when maybe the office phone rang a little less, and the market was a little less hectic, something else was happening.  Behind the scenes, at the homes of folks around Maine and the country, loved ones were together, or had long phone conversations and emails.  The subject varies but the common denominator was the same...real estate to buy or to sell.  Grandmother's lake cottage in Maine that is not used at all, suddenly is something the entire families realizes is a good idea to finally sell.  The family is going to need a broker to help price it, market it, guide the process thru a bank and keep the family in compliance with all federal and sta... 01/02/2008

    You hear alot of complaints by folks that just don't want to wait any time when they go thru customs, airport security, or the pick up of their burger. But from my experience on the Houlton Maine border, traffic moves right along and both the US and Canadian side are doing a good job processing travelers / cargo! One complainer locally did admit that the wait was short but this person was late to get to a kid's hockey game.  That is not the fault of the border personnel.  It is poor planning on the parent's behalf.  He cut it too close and hoped there would not be anyone ahead of him and expected to sail thru the Canadian port of entry on the way to Woodstock New Brunswick.  It is easy to criticize but the strong canadian dollar has added traffic at the border. And  homeland securit... 12/27/2007

     Where to lay your head after a long day of driving to and tramping for northern Maine real estate in the Houlton area of Aroostook County?Where do you stay?  Well, you are not in an area of a zillion Motel 6's, Holiday Inns, Best Westerns and Day's Inns.  In Houlton you have four choices for motels...Iveys Motor Lodge, Shiretown Motor Inn, Stardust Motel and Scottish Inn.  In Smryna Maine, there is the Brookside Inn to consider.  Vacationland Estates is another option timeshare to consider. Tall Timber Lodge is a collection of log sided cabins on Drews Lake that can be rented for extend stay periods! Poor Shots Sportsman's Lodge is another option for lodging in Houlton Maine area too! Seasonally there are camps on the lake to rent by the week and traveling across the border into Ca... 12/26/2007

The Houlton Maine office is FSA is having an open house January 3rd from 10 am to 3 pm. Three special people are retiring. They are head honcho Dana Wright, Patricia Flewelling and Mary Blanchette.  This office is critical to Northern Maine living, funding and education.  Years ago, its predecessor Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) used to make a slug of dollar down direct loans. In early 1980's, many repossession large older homes that were over 1400 square feet came back to the auction block and were pushed out of program.  The idea of ranch style, smaller living homes for smaller families became policy. They offered lower heating / up keep expenses for the property. So less turn back to FmHA became the USDA policy. For Southern Aroostook information on the Farm Service Agency branch... 12/24/2007

     You might think that either you live in the country or rural setting. Or you are in the hustle bustle urban setting.  But now in those two broad categorites there are a slug of other variables making them vastly different.  For example, Houlton Maine shapes up like this for housing costs and crime. HOUSING COSTS -- Aroostook vs. Other Regions   Median Value of Housing (owner occupied) Median Gross Rent (renter occupied) United States $79,100 $447 Northeast$124,400$499New England$153,100$553Maine$87,400$419Aroostook $45,900 $332       Like the cost of living, the crime rate is significantly below the average for New England, as well as for the United States.   Aroostook Maine United States Crime Rate Per 1,000 People 20(2%)36(3.6%)50(5%)      Then you add in the likelihood of that c... 12/15/2007

     There is a local lady in Houlton Maine who works day in and day out at the Catholic Church's Food Pantry.  She is the leading force looking for loads of dented cans from large grocery chains and donations from this boy scout troop, civic organization or folks from every denomination.  She is amazing and had eight kids of her own.  There is a long list of helpers she created for  unloading and emergency donations when the need is urgent. This lady is like the CEO for world hunger in the local Southern Aroostook area. I asked her how come this cause...what drives her to be so creative and diligent year after year.  She said as a child in the Boston area, she was hungry...alot.  She was raised with little money or food to go round and it became a way of life, survival.  She did not co... 12/10/2007

    Over 1000 auction items, over $50,000 retail value for local projects in Houlton Maine / Southern Aroostook County! Three nights to peddle products with the Houlton Rotary Club accepting the bids using WHOU radio, Polaris cable TV network and streaming on-line. This year's auction funded $15,000 toward two local school play grounds, student exchange trips over seas and many,many local programs.  Scope out the images from the successful 52nd Houlton Rotary Radio/TV/Internet Auction below. You Tube Video on auction here. 11/23/2007

     Here is the info on the upcoming fundraiser for the Houlton Rotary Club.  The club supports many area projects but really got behind some major league playgrounds this year.  Vist the site and see how industrious and hardworking this Northern Maine group is. Aroostook County is the top of Maine..largest of the 16 counties.  Close to 70 members meet mondays at noon at the Episcopal Church's Watson Hall if you are in town for a make up meeting.  Rotary..service above self! 11/14/2007