When you begin to travel the world, it can become hard to see sophistication or international culture in your hometown (especially when it's as small as mine). It's where you roamed throughout high school, where you learned to drive, where you buy groceries, and it's thoroughly unremarkable. It'll always be close to your heart, sure, but worldly flair? Not exactly.
But, home from my most recent adventure abroad, I've begun to see how much Blue Hill and the surrounding area really do offer for those who don't see it through the lens of teen memory. After all, it takes a pretty remarkable town to thrive on the tractor pulls and pig races at the yearly country fair and at the same time play host to internationally renowned chamber music concerts. This is my guide to all things (ok, some things, I'd have to write a book to even begin to chronicle all things) cultural in Blue Hill, Maine and surrounding Down East towns.
The Food
Of course, being a coastal town, fresh seafood abounds. And while there are drive-in, fried-food joints aplenty, innovative chefs have in recent years done fresh and delicious things with the old classics.
We'll start with El El Frijoles, and if you get the joke in the name, you get bonus points (worth nothing but bragging rights, sorry). Owned and operated by Michael Rossney and Michele Levesque, it's a Mexican inspired eatery run out of a barn. Online reviews abound, so I'll just tell you that it's quirky, fun, and expertly combines local, organic ingredients with south of the border cuisine. It's also in the middle of nowhere (ok, Sargentville), but that's not unusual for this area. A+, rural Maine.
After a burrito from El El Frijoles, you can head into the heart of Blue Hill to Black Dinah Chocolatiers, a gourmet chocolate and truffle creation from Isle au Haut. They share their Blue Hill location with the local florist, Fairwinds (as well as the Art Box, but more on that later), and serve an impressive variety of chocolate, ice cream, coffee, and tea. Chocolate flavors include Sexi Mexi (dark chocolate with chiles and cinnamon), Earl Gray, Lavender, and many seasonal varieties with local ingredients, such as New England Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Balsamic, and Maine Mint.
The Art
Blue Hill is home to a surprising number of talented and often nationally recognized artists, including Robert Shetterly, Rebekah Raye, and the late Frank Hamabe, to name a few. There must be something in the sea air that inspires artists to create and others to enjoy their work, because right off Main Street there are two fine art galleries within 50 feet of each other, not to mention the numerous other galleries (such as Handworks) featuring local glasswork, pottery, textiles, and so much more.
Liros Gallery and Cynthia Winings Gallery provide a thorough glimpse into the fine art world, with oil paintings, watercolors, prints, and mixed media pieces. Liros Gallery also contains a room dedicated to Russian icons. The inclusion of the icons is perhaps incongruous for a small gallery in coastal New England, but the display is beautiful and, to a casual observer like me, fairly extensive.
Not only does Blue Hill have an impressive showing of fine art for such a small, rural town, but the art aficionados in the area also do an excellent job of making art approachable to the local community. This brings me to the Art Box.
After mastering the local culinary world with their restaurant El El Frijoles, Levesque and Rossney turned their attention to the art world, outfitting an old tobacco vending machine to introduce the local populace to local artists in the form of, quite literally, bite-sized creations. Levesque enlisted local artists to make pieces that fit in a 2.5x5 inch box. The boxes are stacked inside the machine with a representative piece of artwork from each artist on the front, so you can get an idea of the artist's style before making your decision. But, each piece is unique, so you never know exactly what you'll receive. After purchasing a $10 token from the florist counter in whose shop the Art Box resides, you pull the lever for the artist of your choice, and down drops your very own piece of collectible artwork. Pieces range from more traditional mini paintings and prints, to mixed media designs (one artist creates murals inside old--and cleaned--sardine cans!), to pieces of jewelry. At $10 apiece, it's more expensive than typical vending machines, but it's a fabulously reasonable way to immerse yourself in the local art scene and become a mini-art aficionado.
The Music
I can't begin to cover all of the music that takes place in the vicinity of Blue Hill. There are talented local bands and musicians aplenty and they are all worth hearing. However, Blue Hill is also home to Kneisel Hall. This internationally famous chamber music series is a remarkably incongruous musical event for a town of 2,000+ people to host. Since 1953, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival has annually presented a series of concerts by internationally renowned faculty, while the origins of the school for pre-professional musicians date back to 1902.
But, not only is Blue Hill home to the global musical culture of the Western Classical tradition, it also embraces Trinidadian musical heritage in the form of steel drum bands. Father and son Carl and Nigel Chase are responsible for introducing this small corner of New England to the rhythms and tones of Caribbean street music. Now, 40 years later, "pans" are a staple of the Blue Hill Peninsula. There are steel pan bands and classes in several local schools, and the popular community band Flash in the Pans performs regularly, often at "pan dances" in the local park, where tourists and locals alike of all ages dance to favorite songs and enjoy the all too fleeting summertime evenings.
While Blue Hill (and the surrounding area) may be a small town with one main street and no traffic lights, it has somehow become an international meeting point where artists, musicians, and foodies abound, both as professionals and talented amateurs, all working to give this lobster-fishing town a taste of cosmopolitan culture. Whether you're drawn by the dulcet tones of the pans, local crafts, international artwork, or the chance to taste spicy lobster tacos, Blue Hill is worth the trip, even if it's out of your way (and it likely will be).
