20th Annual Decorator Show House

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
YORK —
The 20th Annual Decorator Show House of The Old York Historical Society sits atop a hill overlooking a huge meadow and the York River.
It is a 1920s farmhouse on the historic McIntire Farm on Cider Hill Road, one of York’s most historic sites.
Over the next weeks more than 20 professional decorators from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York will bring their own specific ideas to assigned areas of the house. Working alone or in teams they will transform the house into a show place to be displayed to the public from July 18 through Aug. 15th.
To be selected as a show house, the property must be “of particular interest to Old York,” Marianne Bauman, chairwoman of the Publicity Committee said this week. “It has to have some kind of historic value.”
This site clearly fits those criteria.
The McIntire Homestead, which has been in the same family for over 300 years, located in the Scotland District of York, dates to the late 1600s.
Next to the farmhouse is the McIntire Garrison that was built in 1707 and is the oldest documented house in Maine. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Much of the surrounding property is protected by conservation easements held by the York Land Trust and the Museums of Old York.
According to Old York officials there are no deeds to help identify the exact date of the original structure. By 1872 the York County Atlas identified a second house on the Homestead property.
Where this structure was located and in what style it was built is unknown as it burned in 1922 and again in 1942.
Following the 1922 fire, a Portsmouth architect was hired to build a house there, resulting in an intriguing combination of Greek Revival architecture and 1920s stylistic flair.
While the mantles surrounding the fireplaces are modeled after Greek columns, the interior woodwork was stained instead of painted, a stylish choice typical of a 1920s home.
The event, the largest single fund-raising event for Old York, is made possible by the work of dedicated designers and visual artists, a corps of more than 300 volunteers, and the support of museum members and the community.
McIntire Farm will be open for a “Before Tour” May 2-3 from 11 AM to 4 PM On-site parking is available and a donation of $5 is requested.
The annual Preview Gala will be July 17. The event will feature a live band, food and an open bar. Tickets are $75 and may be purchased by calling (207) 363-4974. Patrons who donate $250 will receive two tickets to the event, reserved seating at the Patrons’ Table and special recognition.
The Show House will be open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday to 7 PM and Sunday from 1 to 4 PM It is closed on Tuesdays.
On-site parking is available and admission is $20. Tickets to the Show House are good for $2 off the cost of admission to the Museums of Old York.
Photo caption: The McIntire farm on Cider Hill Road is this year’s Decorator Show House of the Old York Historical Society. (Courtesy photo)

Ogunquit Welcomes the Season withits Patriots Day Celebration

By Jim Kanak

Staff Columnist

OGUNQUIT —
The crowds were out in Ogunquit this weekend as the Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Patriots Day festival. The event, which celebrates the midnight ride of Paul Revere and also the return of good weather, has activities that offer something for everyone. Saturday served as a case in point, highlighted by the craft bazaar on the grounds of the Ogunquit Playhouse, the Taste of the Town at the Dunaway Center, and a treasure hunt that led interested scavenger hunters all across town.
Denise Sopchyk and Carole Aaron spent Saturday staffing the chamber’s concession stand at the bazaar. They had a firsthand look at how things went in the crowded tent, where visitors had their choices of jewelry, photography, massage, clothes, and basket crafts to name just a few of the attractions.
“Things are going great this morning,” Sopchyk said. “We have not been able to keep up with coffee and the vendors are happy. That’s a good sign.”
Tammy Heon staffed the Ogunquit Playhouse’s table, stocked with copies of the written history of the Playhouse as well as schedules of the coming season’s plays. “We just cast Lorenzo Lamas as Zack in ‘A Chorus Line’,” Heon said. “He just loved it here (when he starred in ‘The King and I’ two years ago) and has been wanting to come back. And Sally Struthers will be back in ‘All Shook Up’, playing the mayor – the resident bad girl.”
Ken Bartuka of the Names Project, the group that brings the AIDS Quilt to town each spring, manned a table as well. “We have had quite a lot of people coming through,” he said. “I was surprised. I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been a good crowd so far this morning. I think the free trolley is helping.”
At one end of the tent, members of Cub Scout Troop 357 were selling rubber ducks for Sunday morning’s duck race. Three kids, Ryan Shackford, Marcus Tufts and Sarah Shackford, worked the booth with their moms, Beth Tufts and Pam Shackford. They were nothing if not enthusiastic in their sales pitch.
“You can get an adorable little duck and win $1, 000,” Ryan told passers-by. And all for just $10 a chance.
By late morning, the Dunaway Center was abuzz as staff from the nine participants and the chamber set up in the Great Hall for the taste test.
But, there was additional action, as well. The treasure hunt ended there. Joe Scicchitano and his kids Dominic and Nadia, in town from Berwick, Penn., had traced the clues across town to find the final in a series of lanterns that had been hidden.
“We got everything,” the elder Scicchitano said. “The kids went like crazy, starting at Veterans Park. There was one color of each paper lantern placed in shops.”
“Each one gave a clue for where the next color was,” said Nadia.
Scicchitano said the family frequently visited Ogunquit. “It’s our home away from home,” he said.
As noon approached, the line for the taste of the town event swelled. Visitors could choose among a great variety of treats from chowders to black beans and sausages to vegetable spring rolls to pulled pork sandwiches to spinach salad. There were desserts as well, including chocolate truffles, gelato, and fudge.
Vera and Tom Scolastico of Wilmington, Mass. tried some clam chowder. “The chowder is delicious,” Tom said. “We’re having a lovely time.”
For Bernice and Robert McNichols of Foxborough, Mass. the pulled pork was a treat but so was the entire event.
“The pulled pork is very good,” Robert said. “It has cole slaw on top. We try to make this weekend every year.”
Photo caption: Pack 357 of the Cub Scouts sold rubber ducks for the Patriots Day weekend Duck Race in Ogunquit. Proceeds went to the Cub Scouts. Front, L to R: Sarah Shackford, Marcus Tufts, and Ryan Shackford. Back, Beth Tufts (l) and Pam Shackford. (Weekly Sentinel photo)