April 8, 7 p.m. Viva Quetzal live, exuberant group reflects the rhythms and melodies of the Andean region of Bolivia, Venezuelan Golpe Tucuyano and Ecuadorian Sanjuanito beats, $10/adults, $6/ages 11 and under, Bingham Hall, Gould Academy, Church Street, Bethel. FMI: 207.824.7700, www.gouldacademy.org. April 8-11, 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, "Grease The Musical" presented by the Lake Region High School Drama Club, advance tix $8/adults, $6/students, $10 and $8 at the door, Lake Region High School Auditorium, 1877 Roosevelt Trail, Naples. FMI: 207.627.8070, www.sad61.k12.me.us. April 9-11, all day and evening, Parrot Head Festival Weekend, Jimmy Buffett cover bands, contests, prizes, parties, pond skimming and more, all proceeds benefit Make-a-Wish Foun... 04/16/2010

Four beautiful bodies of water in the western mountains and Lakes Region provide bountiful recreation opportunities and settings for vacation homes, camps and cottages in Norway, Maine. Norway is located 2 ½ hours from Boston, one hour from Portland, and 20 minutes from Shawnee Peak or Mt Abram Ski Resorts and 30 minutes from Sunday River Ski Resort. The four lakes, Lake Pennesseewassee, a.k.a. Norway Lake, Sand Pond, Hobbs Pond, a.k.a. Little Penn and North Pond are all protected by the Lakes Association of Norway (LAON), which is led by President Bruce Cook. Since 1971, LAON has been dedicated to collecting data and informing the public about issues affecting the lakes of Norway. As their Web site states, "We're about clean waters." Lake monitoring takes place from May through Septemb... 01/21/2010

Norway Lake Marina (doing business as Keller's Place) sits on the shores of Lake Penneseewassee, whose common name is Norway Lake. Norway Lake is about five miles long and a half-mile wide with a maximum depth of 48 feet. The marina is easily accessible at 295 Lake Road, across from the junction of Routes 117 and 118. In its second year of operation, Miles Millett runs Keller's Place for owner Bobby Lehmkuhl. Miles told me that they offer new and used South Bay pontoon boats, Old Town canoes and kayaks, boat gear such as tubes and other recreational items, boat rentals, slip and mooring rentals, dockside fuel, shrink wrapping, winterization plus indoor and outdoor storage. Currently all 30 boat slips are filled. Right now the marina is open Monday thru Friday from 9-5:30 and 10-3 on Sat... 08/20/2009

Traveling the back roads of the Oxford Hills area to search for lakefront properties around Sand Pond and Lake Pennesseewassee one discovers many treasures. One such treasure is tucked away on Pikes Hill in Norway, just up the road from Lake Penneesseewassee - Frost Farm Gallery. The gallery is located in the historic David Weston Frost farmhouse at 272 Pikes Hill. Bruce and Adrienne Little opened the gallery and shop ten years ago. They offer custom framing, digital restoration, vintage and antique prints, jewelry, linen and postcards plus collectibles and gifts. In talking with Bruce, his eyes lit up when he described the "First Friday" receptions. On the first Friday of each month seven galleries in Norway hold "meet and greet the artist" receptions. Bruce was just getting ready to s... 08/20/2009

When thoughts of "a vacation camp in Maine" come to mind, the vision conjured up is often one that is typified by Maine's own L.C. Andrew cedar log home. Since the 1920s, L.C. Andrew has provided the quintessential example of Maine lakefront, cedar-sided cabin and cottage aesthetics with their locally grown and built homes. Constructed only with Northern White Cedar from Maine, these homes have been a staple in lakefront design and simplicity for generations. Thuja occidentalis (Eastern Arborvitae, Northern White cedar) is among the most long lived trees in North America. There are living specimens that are dated at over 1000 years old. This fact isn't lost on the discriminating home builder whose needs include a camp or cottage that compliments its surroundings, while being easy to mai... 06/05/2009

Allow me to go back a bit - before iPods and laptops, HDTV and MTV, all wheel drive and triple-bladed razors,  and ATMs and IRAs - to a time when families watched Walt Disney on Sunday nights, girls always put their hair up in curlers at night and wore dresses to school, and boys went fishing and played baseball, a glove always hanging from the handlebars of their bicycle. Back in those days, you were lucky if you knew someone who had a camp somewhere - it didn't have to be far away, just someplace other than where you were most of the time. Someplace not quite familiar. It was usually on a pond or small lake. Rustic. Simple. It probably had electricity, but maybe no indoor plumbing. Just a place to get away to - to relax, to nap, to swim and fish, to listen to the cicadas buzzing in th... 05/18/2009