The world, even here on Moosehead Lake, changes by the minute. As of this writing in March, except for Indian Hill grocery store, Harris Drug, and a couple of take-out places, the town is shuttered down. Everyone in our community is practicing social distancing in order to “flatten the curve” to people’s exposure to the highly contagious Corvid-19 virus. How will this effect our summer, so dependent upon the tourism business? Just now, who knows. Reports indicate this care for one another could run the better part of 2020.

This time of year we usually offer members a preview of our summer programs. We’re going to do that, still. It provides a measure of some normalcy during this eerily quiet time and, at the very least, some reading fodder. Here’s what we’re planning. But, we’re also flying by the seat of our pants.

 Moosehead Past, Present, and Future

A glimpse of MHS’s 2020 Bicentennial Summer & Fall?

We’re planning to open June 25th with a Moosehead version of 1950s Mocktails & Tales, a play off of our docent’s main exhibit that will feature 1950s attire in the Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan House. If possible, come party down to Elvis and a documentary slideshow about how life was lived here on Moosehead Lake during the ’50s.

In July, we have four programs planned along the Bicentennial theme “Moosehead: Past, Present, and Future” that focus on our region’s history and that coincide with featured exhibits displayed throughout MHS museums. Those include Logging Towboats and Boom Jumpers, presented at the Moosehead Lake Yacht Club Boat Show; B-52 Final Mission: The North Woods, a program and book signing by author Joseph Wax, in partnership with Shaw Public Library; and the 14th Annual Thoreau Wabanaki Trail Festival.  These may also be visited at the Moosehead Lumbermen’s Museum, and at The Center for Moosehead History, with permanent exhibits of the logging era, B-52 Crash, and Native-American stories and collections.

The Thoreau Wabanaki Festival is set to offer a truly exciting, educational array of programs, including All About Moose, Penobscot Sense of Place, Islands of Moosehead Lake, and Dark Skies, Bright Stars — in special arrangement with Lily Bay State Park for a 10 pm to midnight star gazing party, presented by Dark Sky Maine co-founder Colin Caissie. Also offered for the first time is Last Leg of Thoreau’s Trip with Penobscot Guides, a two-and-a-half day canoe/camping/cultural immersion activities program in partnership with the Penobscot Nation.

August is set to bring in Forest Heritage Days, another of Moosehead’s historic mainstays. Also in August is Cookbook Creations from Yesteryear, a special offering by our docents, and A Small Woman in a Large Wilderness: A Tale of Three Family Estates, by our resident member historian Bruce Marsh.

During September’s International Seaplane Fly-In, MHS will offer the Moosehead Aviation Museum & B-52 Crash (with some new items added to the exhibit). These turned out to offer a wonderful respite, too, last year, when Fly-In weather turned raw and cold. Visitors warmed up and could take their time browsing local history.

In December, for the first time in a long while, we will be offering a Victorian Tea with Jolene Staruch, in a festively, traditionally decorated Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan House.

May we all remain safe and well.