Where in Maine?

[1]

Photograph by Jason P. Smith
About a dozen years ago, Virgil Farrar threw his first pair of old shoes up into a tree. His grandchildren had wanted a tree house in the rock maple in front of his home, but Farrar thought it was too close to Route 1. So he amused them by throwing some old shoes up over a branch. Within days, several more pairs materialized. Since then, hundreds of old sneakers and boots have been added. Now the spot has become a genuine northern Maine roadside attraction. Travelers from all over the state, and beyond, make their way to Farrar’s farm to photograph the footwear amid the foliage. “People take pictures galore,” says Farrar. Sometimes, they take more than that. “A guy from Machias, going to a race in Presque Isle, forgot his shoes. So he borrowed a pair. And he won!” Farrar doesn’t mind if people take pairs, as long as they replace them. And donate they do — he has piles yet to add to the collection. Part of a grand shoe-tree tradition, this old maple has been visited by CBS News and newspapers from Washington, D.C., and Machias. Send us a note at P.O. Box 679, Camden, ME 04843; whip off an email to editorial@downeast.com; or post a comment at DownEast.com if you can identify this ultimate shoe tree.