Getting ready enjoyable for the in-laws and a couple of different observations

By some stroke of luck (?) I’ve two units of in-laws coming on the town this week from out of state to remain as much as two weeks. Oddly, after they go to, it’s truly a few of the few days I take off from work through the summer season, and it’s the time I develop into a vacationer in my very own state. You’d suppose I might take extra time to take pleasure in summer season enjoyable in Maine extra often, however there may be all the time an upcoming undertaking or preparation for fall applications that want my consideration, so their trip time turns into my trip time, too.

They are very totally different folks, which makes planning enjoyable escapades a bit trickier, however not everybody has to go on each journey. Here are a few of the experiences I’ve advised we might be part of (be happy to steal this when you’ve got firm coming on the town or — GASP — if you wish to take pleasure in some summer season your self):

Attend a enterprise networking occasion

Sure, this will not look like enjoyable for everybody, however my mother and stepdad are each former Rotarians and would frequently go to totally different enterprise social occasions earlier than they retired. Next week, we’ve back-to-back days with neighborhood occasions.

On Monday, July 13, the BDA is internet hosting a ribbon-cutting at The Brunswick Hotel, from 4:30-7 p.m. with the talking portion round 5 to open their new inexperienced area off their patio.

On Tuesday, July 14, be part of your whole chamber mates and different enterprise colleagues who wish to mingle and community at Brickyard Hollow in Brunswick without cost pizza and nice conversations as we host Chamber After Hours from 5-7 p.m. All businesspeople are welcome and the price of admission is a enterprise card. You can RSVP on the chamber web site at midcoastmaine.com.

On Wednesday, July 15, there may be one other ribbon-cutting with the BDA at Maine Senior College, from 1:30-2:30 at 14 Middle St.

See a live performance open air

I do know I share this rather a lot, but it surely’s so distinctive as we’ve six days of concert events:

• Bath – Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings (visitbath.com).
• Brunswick – Wednesdays (brunswickdowntwn.org).
• Harpswell – Thursdays (harpswell.gov).
• Wiscasset – Thursdays (wiscassetchamber.com).
• Bowdoinham – Sundays (bowdoinham.com).

Most concert events begin at 6 p.m. On Saturdays, the concert events in Waterfront Park in Bath begin at 5 p.m., and with new grant help, these concert events herald distinctive new acts to the world.

See a live performance/present indoors

My mother-in-law is a lifelong choral signer, and so it could be a visit to Pickard Theater for “1776” if she desires to expertise Maine State Music Theatre, or it could be Bowdoin International Music Festival, which is already in its third week!

If you don’t know BIMF: Basically, Brunswick hosts ridiculously good classical music concert events from late June to early August yearly with youngster prodigies and their instructors additionally performing. Their instructors and visitor artists are a few of the best classical musicians of their discipline wherever — like wherever on the earth. It is a gem, and you’ll find extra information at bowdoinfestival.org.

Go take a hike

Okay, with some mobility points, it’ll doubtless be a stroll, however there are many strolling trails within the area which can be accessible for everybody. The Androscoggin Bike Path, Town Commons in Brunswick, downtown Bath, Brunswick or Wiscasset, and even Giant Stairs for average skills are all nice walks. Find an inventory of advised walks/hikes in our 2026 chamber information known as the “Eat Play Stay” accessible on the Bath Regional Information Center, Brunswick Train Station and relaxation areas all through Maine.

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And now for 2 observations that I could or will not be certified to share, however right here we go. I all the time attempt to offer you a statewide perspective and, at instances, attempt to stimulate conversations throughout our silos. Take these as simply ideas to mull over or ignore them utterly — you all the time have that choice with any of my columns.

What we will study from World Cup fever!

FIFA’s World Cup soccer occasion has taken over my sports-deprived focus greater than I ever may have anticipated this summer season. I had hit an actual drought with the Red Sox being lackluster and NFL coaching camps nonetheless months away, however the World Cup has been transformative.

Seeing Team USA have great success was inspiring, earlier than they have been knocked out by Belgium — a rustic that eats, breathes and beloves soccer (and was simply, fairly frankly, higher than us). My largest takeaway is the fervour that the nations have for his or her groups. Every nation on the earth has politics and issues that divide them, and all of them — together with the USA — put that apart for 90 minutes at a time and rooted as one for his or her nation, and there’s something to be taken from that.

That’s to not say ignore issues in your nation and to not communicate your reality or what not. But there may be extra that brings us collectively than divides us, and it shouldn’t take a World Cup or the Olympics to remind us of that.

Replacing Platner

There has been a ton of dialogue about this all over the place, and rightfully so; U.S. Senate seats usually are not small affairs. One factor I’ll level out is that anybody saying the Democratic candidate must be changed by somebody who’s “like Graham Platner” is totally ignoring that not everybody votes for a candidate for precisely the identical motive. Platner is a Marine veteran, recovering from PTSD, from coastal Maine, a person, a gifted orator, a progressive, an oysterman, antiestablishment, a harbor grasp and 100 different issues. To say he’s “this” so he must be changed by “this” is insulting to many different voters. “He is veteran so he should be replaced by a veteran” or “he is a progressive and should be replaced by a progressive” or “he is a man and should be replaced by a man” or “he is from Sullivan and should be replaced by someone from Sullivan” all ignore different voters who don’t view this such as you.

The level is, there are lots of of causes somebody votes for a candidate, and to faux 72% of voters voted for Platner within the main for a similar actual motive is insulting to everybody whose prime motive isn’t your prime motive. As an unbiased unenrolled, I’ll say, the one truthful option to substitute him is to get all of the candidates who need the seat to declare, and let Maine voters have their say whether or not by means of voting or caucusing. It’s the one truthful method.

Cory King is government director of the Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber of Commerce.