Down East December 2013

December 2013

The table of contents from the December 2013 issue of Down East.

Features

The Settlers

A six-year-old Amish Community in Aroostook County works together through winters filled with tragedy and record snowfall to keep their settlement alive.

 

Gentle Giants

The cat’s out of the bag: the Maine Coon is one of the most loyal, personable, and lovable breeds around. In a new book, The Maine Coon Cat, Maine Coon enthusiast Liza Gardner Walsh delves into the mysterious history of this regal feline, and offers tips on how to find one of your own.

 

133 Maine-Made Gifts

This holiday season, we’re celebrating the Maine craftspeople. From clothing designers and artists to woodworkers and coffee roasters, we went on a statewide search to find gifts made right here in the Pine Tree State. Shop our collection of more than one hundred gifts for everyone on your list.

 

Sanctuary

On any given night in Maine, hundreds of teenagers have no place to call home. A few find their way to safety — and, maybe, a better future — at Bangor’s Shaw House.

 

Departments

Where in Maine?

Can you identify the location of this towering tree?

 

Editor’s Note

 

The Mail

Letters to the Editor

 

Your Maine

What’s your best memory of Christmas in Maine?

 

Lawful Lights

Don’t believe the Internet. It’s okay to celebrate Christmas year-round.

 

Civil War

A Maine soldier’s dispatches in 140 characters or less

 

What’s in a Picture

A Whale of a Time

 

Whoopie Pies with a Buzz

Franciscan friars combine their baking and brewing skills in Bangor.

 

Splitsville, USA

When it comes to divorce in the United States, Maine is second only to Nevada. Why?

 

All Aglow

A family’s dream home is brightened up with fresh colors and lots of lights.

 

Cooking for Chanukah

In her cookbook Notes from a Maine Kitchen, Kathy Gunst offers two recipes for celebrating the Festival of Lights.

 

Snow Diving at Christmas

My family has a soft spot for Maine during winter.

 

Trattoria Athena

Greek and Italian menus from Trattoria Athena and its sister restaurant, Enoteca Athena, enliven Brunswick’s culinary scene.

 

Maine’s Fallen Heroes

A new exhibit in Portland honors the human side of the Civil War.

 

The King of Late Night

Danny Cashman’s The Nite Show hits a milestone.

 

Cracking Up

Portland dancers ditch the tutus for a different kind of Nutcracker.

 

From Our Archives: December 1986

A Look Back at Down East Twenty-Seven Years Ago

 

Holiday Celebrations

Make the season merry and bright at holiday celebrations across the state.