damariscotta

We love Damariscotta.  We go often - Reny's, Glidden Point Oysters, Maine Coast Book Shop, Lake Pemaquid Campground.

I just learned about the nearby alewife fish ladder at Damariscotta Mills.  We have alewife in our area, but we lack a good ladder and volunteers help the alewife upstream using buckets! 

The Damariscotta Mills fish ladder is currently being restored - a little at a time each year so that the fish can continue to use it in the spring (going upstream to spawn) and the fall (when the young ones go to sea).

Columbus Day weekend the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder Restoration organization is having a chowder festival.  The fish ladder celebration will be held on Saturday, October 9 from 11:00 to 4:00 at the Fish House, which is at the base of the fish ladder.   They will serve homemade soup and chowder in fish ladder mugs that you can keep. This is also an opportunity to see the fish ladder and the restoration work up close.

The timing of this event corresponds nicely with Damariscotta's Pumpkin Festival which we already planned on attending. (We went two years ago and had a great time.  Particularly the pumpkin drop mc'ed by Bob Marley.)

This maine. magazine article is a pretty good overview of the litle town.  There are even some new items for me.  I've never eaten at the Publick House or the River Grill.  The latter has a chef made famous at the Anchor Inn Restaurant in Round Pond.  Also in Round Pond is a casual lobster place - Muscongus Lobster Co..