The town is booming on this lovely Saturday. It's a near perfect 70 degrees, cool enough for a morning jog or walk, warm enough for a paddle in the harbor or even a swim in the lake. Guests are out and about this morning, checking out the Farmer's Market for local foods, crafts and snacks.

Take your dad for a sail on one of the schooners in beautiful Camden harbor - many are offering special deals! 

Today is opening day of the new yellow house of the Cellardoor Winery at the intersection of Routes 1 and 90. Wine tastings are paired with activities galore meant for young and old, local and visitors. Here's what's on the menu:

"In celebration of the new creation’s emergence Cellardoor Vineyard has
announced a Grand Opening event entitled "Pop the Cork! Fest for
Saturday June 14th. Activities, music and fun are scheduled to take
place at the new Villa in Rockport and at Cellardoor Vineyard in
Lincolnville.

The festival will feature free wine tastings, and Morse's brats &
'kraut on the grill at both the Vineyard and Villa. Highlights of
events scheduled for the Villa include cooking demonstrations by Anne
Marie with her "Secret Sauce", book signings by Kate Gooding, author of
"Black Fly Stew", art from "Paint the Yellow House Day", and live music.

Out at the Vineyard guests can see and touch a selection of antique
automobiles, have their golf swing analyzed by the Samoset's golf pro,
enjoy live acoustic music by "Dorie in the Desert", and kids can paint
t-shirts for Dad (hey, at least it's not a tie!).

So treat Dad and yourself to a fun-filled day of wine, food, art, and
music at Maine's Oldest Vineyard and come celebrate the opening of the
new Cellardoor Winery at the Villa"

Father's Day weekend is approaching and with it the annual fundraiser for the American Lung Association of Maine - the Trek Across Maine 2008. Two thousand or so participants began the trek this morning at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, ME, near the border of Maine and New Hampshire. Throughout the weekend they will pedal across the state to the finish line in Belfast, just north of Camden on Route 1. Our one and only jack-of-all-trades innkeeper, athlete, photographer JP is participating in the trek and we wish him and everyone the best of weather conditions and a pleasant, memorable experience.

You, too, can bike in Maine any time. We can arrange bicycle rentals right here at the inn.

It's a gorgeous 74 degrees and sunny here in Camden today. A guest, who is in town for the Maine Media Workshops (the famous school of photography, film and video production), just mentioned to me this morning that she couldn't find a cloud in the sky to photograph.

An early morning drive to photograph Cellardoor Vineyard's new Villa (more to come) brought me past the Belted Galloways at Aldermere Farm in Rockport.

Ask any local where the "Belties" are, and they'll point you to Aldermere Farm, long one of area's most popular attractions, especially for kids longing for a look at the famous black and white colored "Oreo cookie" cows. But the Belted Galloways grazing in Aldermere's green pastures aren't just for decoration. Aldermere Belties are known to breeders around the world as some of the finest stock anywhere.

Nestled in between Lilly Pond and the Penobscot Bay, one has a sense of traveling back in time when visiting Aldermere Farm. It is one of the most picturesque settings along the east coast. Thanks to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Aldermere Farm will remain untouched for future generations to visit and enjoy.

Yesterday really felt like the first day of summer even though the official start isn't for another ten days or so. Not only was the temperature summer like, all of downtown Camden's shops were open, several boasting spruced up and freshly painted signs.

Of course, all of Camden's excellent ice cream shops were open and each had a line of eager customers. The waterfront's benches were filled to capacity and I met several summertime regulars who I hadn't seen since Labor Day. It was great to catch up.

Finally the other idicator of summer was the display of primary season political signs that grace the little highway divider across from the library. The Camden Garden Club does a wonderful job planting flowers on this spot. After tomorrow the signs will be gone, but fortunately the flowers will remain.

The Camden waterfront was bustling this morning as the daysailers prepared for their first cruises of the day.

The Schooner Olad had guests aboard while Captain Aaron Lincoln was sharing some details about his wooden vessle before setting sail. The Schooner Olad offers five historic two-hour daysails aboard the completely restored, classic yacht once frequently sailed by CBS news anchorman, Walter Cronkite.

Captain Jack and Barbara Moore were aboard the Schooner Surprise preparing her for their first sail of the day. The 90 year old Schooner Surprise is Camden's oldest daysailing windjammer. The Schooner Surprise offers four two-hour daysails daily.

A liitle farther down the wharf, Maine Sport Outfitters was preparing to take a group for a kayak paddle around the harbor. Maine Sport Outfitters offers four two-hour kayak harbor tours daily.

Looking for a tasty bite to eat, or the perfect cup of coffee? Let us recommend two of Camden's most popular spots that are just a few steps from our door.

Originally the town's primary drug store, apothecary, and soda fountain, Boynton-McKay Food Co. has something for almost everyone, from Mexican to Asian to Italian. There are pastas and salads and three soups a day. They have lots of wraps, available with plain or whole wheat tortillas (or wrapless for you low-carb folks!) If you're in a hurry, Chef Phil prepares several "Grab and Go" meals to choose from every day.

Zoot Coffee (derived from the french term, Zut Alore!) offers truly exceptional coffee and espresso beverages, as well as fresh-squeezed juices and lemonade, fruit smoothies, and fine loose leaf teas. Are you hungry? They also offer both light and hearty fare, including quiches, Italian style grilled sandwiches, specialty salads, breakfast pastries, fresh fruit pies, cakes and cookies. Stop and let expert barista's Sondra & Isaiah prepare something special for you.

For over 130 years, Camden's French and Brawn market has been providing both visitors and locals with almost any grocery item one would need for a gourmet meal, or a picnic lunch. Located at the intersection of Main, and Mechanic Streets, this liitle grocery store is a true gem.

Just a short walk from the inn, one is greated with a bounty of prepared goods such as homemade sandwiches, fresh baked pastries, and crisp salads. A wide assortment of fresh produce and fine wines will round out any picnic lunch, or dinner.

The helpful staff will even steam a fresh Maine lobster upon request! Open seven days a week, from 6am to 8pm, French and Brawn is downtown Camden's grocery store of choice.

Harbor Park is one of Camden's main attractions for both visitors and locals alike. Just steps away from the inn, perched high above Camden's picturesque harbor, Harbor Park offers a panoramic view of the harbor filled with hundreds of sailboats, and Camden's majestic fleet of schooners. Designed by renowned landscape architects, Frederick Law, and John Charles Olmstead in the early 20th Century, the park is one of Camden's historic landmarks. The parks well manicured lawn gently slopes down to the head of the harbor providing a perfect spot for a peaceful picnic lunch, or simply soaking up the sun and sea air.

Memorial Day is traditionally the opening day of the summer season for Midcoast Maine and the evidence can be seen all over town. The shops, restaurants and galleries of Camden's quiant downtown have posted extended summer hours, created outdoor seating and propped their doors open. The ice cream shops (yes, yes, more than one!!) are open late. You can guess at the quality of the ice cream from the lines that form at the small window on warm, light, summer evenings. 70F and sunny says the forecast for today - not a bad way at all to begin a beautiful summer season. We hope you'll make it here yourself!

Memorial Day is being celebrated around the Midcoast Maine area as Mainers honor the memory of those who have served our country. To see how we're doing it around here, check out the schedule of local events and parades. Everyone is welcome to attend and all veterans are welcome to parade.

We are JP, Olga and Carly, yours truly, the innkeepers of The Inn at Camden Place. We could probably insert some nice words about ourselves here, but we’d rather you keep reading our entries and come have a look to see for yourself.

We began this blog because of you! We acknowledge that the modern traveler knows what he wants and is well-versed in surfing the web for the best rates, reviews and insider’s information. We thought we’d save you the time and tell you what you can find here at The Inn at Camden Place, what’s going on around town, who is doing what and where and everything else that you might like to know. We look forward to answering questions, so, please, feel free to email us. We are here to blog about life in Camden and just what you can get out of an experience of visiting our beautiful town.

Image: Laura Toran - Camden Public Library overlooking Camden Harbor