When we got married in 2023, we brought a small party to Elena’s grandmother’s retirement home. (She was a spring chicken then at 96, she’s 98 now and going strong.)
Now that Leon has joined us, we’re bringing the (larger, louder) party to one of our favorite places: Ari’s family’s lakeside ‘camp’ in Maine, and we hope you can join us!
Here’s our tentative plan:
Friday, June 20: Welcome party, location TBD, but probably in Winthrop, Maine at a local cidery. (We need to confirm they have availability that day.)
Saturday, June 21: Celebration day at camp! Ari’s family has a small cabin at an old summer camp in Readfield, Maine, we’ll have outdoor activities in the morning, a short ceremony (renewal of vows) by the lake, with dinner and dancing to follow.
Note: June 19 is the Juneteenth holiday, so hopefully this makes it easier to travel if you’re coming from further afield.
—> RSVP HERE <—
FAQ:
What’s a “camp”? Okay, so, in Maine, a “camp” is typically a “sporting camp” i.e. a small, seasonal cabin on a lake with minimal facilities. Camp Menatoma was a boys camp from the 1920s to 1976, when it succumbed to demographic trends and was subdivided and sold off as seasonal residences, so not the “typical” Maine camp, but we call it “camp” and we call each of the old cabins/bunks “camp” and you’ll get used to it. We think.
Where the hell is Wayne, Maine? It’s one town south of Readfield, an hour from Portland, and three from Boston (This is also a bumper sticker you can buy to commemorate your visit, it also has a really good ice cream shop.)
How do I get there? Probably by driving, but we may look into a bus for the weekend and definitely post a ride-share board. It’s 3 hours from Boston, so you can make it in a day trip (but it’s a long trip). Or fly into Portland (60 minutes away, most major airlines) or Augusta (15 minutes, Cape Air 9-seaters from Boston). There’s also a train to Portland and Brunswick (50 minutes away) and a bus to Augusta several times each day.
Where do I stay? We’re figuring this out and will work out room blocks soon; there are plenty of “usual suspect” hotels in Augusta and plenty B&Bs, cabins, airBNBs, etc closer by. Some of the cabins at camp may be available as well, we will need to confirm with owners who will have an open camp but not be there that weekend. We will email more details out soon.
How formal will this be? Not very! “Camp formal,” which you can interpret as you see fit.
What’s the weather? Will the lake be warm? It’s June in Maine, so the average high is 75˚. It’s the solstice and our lake is shallow, so it only takes a couple of sunny days to warm it up. So it should be nice. (It could be 55˚ and raining, which is why we’ll have the festivities in the dining hall. But it’s Maine, 55˚ and rain is a potential weather condition 365 days out of the year.)
What about black flies? Usually the black flies are gone by this time in June. No guarantees, but we’ll have bug spray. And screens.
What the hell else is there to do? Plenty! We have some watercraft (canoes, kayaks, SUPs) to take out on the lake. The float should be out if you want to swim, if not, you can still swim and sun yourself on the dock. And jump off the high-dive tower. There are nice woods trails nearby for walking and hiking, we’ll probably have an informal running race the morning of the wedding, and trails and quiet roads for biking as well. There’s not much in Readfield itself but some shops and restaurants in Hallowell and Augusta a few miles away. And the aforementioned ice cream stand in Wayne.
What else is nearby? Readfield is in the center of nothing, but near a lot. Portland is an hour away and there’s plenty to do there. It’s a two-hour drive to Acadia, and three hours to Mount Katahdin. The Appalachian trail, with assorted mountains, sort of arcs around to the northwest about 1:30 away in several spots. The Maine Coast is within about an hour and, yes, they do have lobster. Boston is 3 hours away, Quebec City and Montreal about 4. Lots to do if you want to extend your stay nearby.
Will Stevensons be open for strawberry picking? It may be on the early end, but they’re usually open by this time in June.
Will Leon be there? Will Thumper be there? Yes, and probably. There will be plenty of time to hang out with Leon, and while Thumper is very much an indoor cat, if you want a kitty sesh we can arrange a visit where he will be happy to sit in your lap and get pet.