What the February: Redux Your guide of things to do in this bleakest of months By Katy England edge staff writer kengland@themaineedge.com February. What a drag. Even when the weather has been warmer than normal, all that means is muddy boots mixed in with the snow, salt and grit of winter. The fun and bustle of the holidays is long past and we have long weeks until we can even start pretending spring is here (groundhog be damned). Well, despite what you may be inclined to think, there's lots to keep an idle mind occupied in February. You just have to know where to look. And to make your life simpler, we looked for you. We have roughly organized them by date. Now, go out there and enjoy your February. Before you know it, spring will be here. Read more... Meet some of Maine's pint-sized celebrities By Jodi Hersey edge staff writer jhersey@themaineedge.com PENOBSCOT COUNTY - Kids and pets: We just can't get enough of them. We all collectively "Ooh" and "Ahh" when we see them on television or hear their sweet giggles on the radio. They tend to steal our hearts with their sheer innocence and unpredictability. And in this age of multitasking and media overload, Maine advertisers are finding these pint-sized celebrities are just the ticket their businesses need to get potential customers to stop, watch and listen. Read more... I'm on a boat! Thoughts and observations from a cruise vacation By Allen Adams edge staff writer aadams@themaineedge.com As some of you may know, I recently went on vacation - my first one in just about four years. This is not to imply that my employers here at The Maine Edge are harsh and demanding taskmasters; if anything, the opposite is the case. Assignment editor Katy England in particular did her best to encourage me to take time away. I just didn't have anywhere I particularly wanted to go. However, that all changed when my lovely and talented ladyfriend and her family invited me on a cruise. Read more... Downeast Cider House Rules Ross Brockman, Ben Manter and Tyler Mosher Three graduates of Bates start a new business By Katy England edge staff writer kengland@themaineedge.com WATERVILLE - Three recent graduates of Bates college have embarked on a venture that will keep them in-state. The trio, Ross Brockman, 23, Ben Manter, 24, and Tyler Mosher, 23, are brewing hard cider as the Downeast Cider House, based out of Waterville. With the burgeoning popularity of craft brewing, the three wanted to take the tested idea of using quality ingredients to make a quality product - all with Maine touches. Manter, a biology major, grew up on an apple orchard and while in school always had apples on hand. Read more... Labor of Love or Love to Labor? The Multiple Job Generation: The new face of employment By Jodi Hersey edge staff writer jhersey@themaineedge.com PENOBSCOT COUNTY - Employment. It's something everyone strives to attain and struggles to keep. In fact, almost everyone knows someone who has experienced a cut in hours, cut in pay or been laid off due to our economy and the recession that hit in 2008. But among the unemployed and recent college graduates entering the job market, there is another set of unique workers out there. They are a small percentage of employees in the Penobscot County area who are having no trouble finding employment. This new multiple job generation is finding that working more than one job is just the everyday norm. That's because Julie McLeod, Emilie Bronson, Janet Klisiewicz, and Susan Patten are juggling not one, not two, but three or more jobs. Why? For some it's by choice or out of necessity, but for others it's just a labor of love. Read more... 2011 Crimees A chance to look back, point and laugh By Katy England edge staff writer kengland@themaineedge.com For the past five years I've been compiling local arrest reports from area law enforcement agencies. These stories range from the absurd to the tragic, but they have one thing in common - you can't make this stuff up. Last year, we presented you with our first round of Crimees (Like the Emmies, but with crime) where we featured some of the silliest or spectacularly odd crimes of the year. Now it's time to look back at 2011. The hard part isn't finding the funny or absurd crime - it's trying to figure out which ones to leave out. I had more than enough for a feature length story by the time I had looked through February's "Criminal Mischief." Read more... Celebrating cinema: 2011 11 favorites from the past year By Allen Adams edge staff writer aadams@themaineedge.com 2011 has offered a lot of variety in terms of cinematic offerings. There have been scads of superhero movies, loads of animated fare and a whole lot of sequels. Some have been good, some have been bad and a few have been great. Read more... Simply the worst: Half a dozen of my least favorite films of 2011 By Allen Adams edge staff writer aadams@themaineedge.com The year in film wasn't all good. However, there were some movies that went below and beyond the call of duty this year. Here are a few films that went the extra mile and took themselves from the realm of the mediocre into the land of the truly terrible. Read more... Our 5th Anniversary! Happy birthday to my job by Katy England edge staff writer kengland@themaineedge.com Five years. In the scheme of things, it doesn't seem like a very long time. But that's longer than it took for me to get a Bachelor's in English. It's the longest I've stayed in one position at one employer. It's also been, the coolest five years in my life. I love working here. The people I work with are some of the finest in the state - smart, funny, full of awesome. But I also love working in this community. My four years (and counting) on the Edge By Allen Adams edge staff writer aadams@themaineedge.com It all started with a help wanted ad. It was December of 2007. The Maine Edge had been around for about a year and they had been steadily building a very real presence in the community. As a lover of both words and free things, I was already a fan. Read more... Remembering George Harrison By Mike Dow edge contributor A running thread in Martin Scorsese's new 3 1/2 hour documentary on George Harrison, "Living In The Material World," is that of dichotomy. The lyrics to "Pisces Fish," one of George's final songs (from the album "Brainwashed" released one year after his death) reveal this division: "Sometimes my life, it seems like fiction, some of the days, it's really quite serene. I'm a living proof of all life's contradictions. One half's going where the other half's just been." George openly lived his contradictions. He was saddled with the moniker "The quiet Beatle," but was frequently the first to speak up. When Beatle touring madness threatened their very existence in 1966, George made the initial call to pull the plug and escape to the safety of the recording studio. He openly pursued God but was not above partying like a rock star. He could be withdrawn and curmudgeonly, yet he embraced the surrealist comedy of Monty Python and even mortgaged his home to fund their film "The Life of Brian" - "Still the most anyone has paid for a cinema ticket," the Python's Eric Idle famously quipped. Read more... MORE IN NEWS: Remembering George Harrison (continued) Something's brewing in Bangor Geaghan's launches brewery By Katy England edge staff writer kengland@themaineedge.com BANGOR - Guinness evokes images of Ireland. You can't mention Pennsylvania without someone bringing up Yuengling. Boston has Sam Adams. Even Portland has Shipyard. Locally-brewed beers are a point of pride for many communities. But Bangor doesn't have a beer. Well, it didn't. Geaghan's Pub has expanded and added Geaghan Bros. Brewery, where they are already brewing up several tasty beers that are due to be offered to patrons of the Pub as of Dec. 3. Read more... Black Midnight 2011 New hours, new offers and a new approach this holiday season By Michael Fern edge staff writer mfern@themaineedge.com BANGOR - With the holidays fast approaching, retailers are gearing up for their annual pilgrimage into what many are hoping will be a lucrative start to this year's holiday shopping season. For many retailers, this year also means a few changes that will forever alter the shopping landscape where extended hours and online strategies will make or break this year's bottom line. According to the National Retail Federation, the nation's largest trade group that tracks data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, holiday shopping beginning on Black Friday, Nov. 25, is estimated to increase 2.8 percent this year to just over $465 billion. That comes on the heels of a healthy 5.2 percent increase in 2010, which surprised many analysts who predicted sales would fall below the 10-year average of 2.6 percent. Read more... MORE IN NEWS: Navigating the Black Friday crowds Anti-Black Friday The best of the man, the myth, the legend... Todd Parker By Todd Parker edge staff legend askparker@themaineedge.com What's up, losers? As some of you may have heard, I recently received a contract extension with the fine folks here at The Maine Edge. As part of their lucrative, yet still not quite Parker-worthy settlement, we've agreed that I more than deserve a retrospective of my typically-excellent work from this wonderful year. It's clear that you people out there, despite all of my scorn, disdain and abuse, simply can't get enough of the main man. Your constant clamoring for more, more, more Parker can no longer be ignored. Read more... Thanksgiving traditions By James Bailey edge contributor Let's cut to the chase. When and where was the first traditional Thanksgiving? Was it with the pilgrims in 1621 at Massachusetts Bay? How about Texas in 1541 or 1598? Or was it Maine in 1607? Maybe it was in Virginia in 1610, or Florida, where a small colony of French Huguenots living near present-day Jacksonville noted a special Thanksgiving prayer? This colony soon was wiped out by the Spanish. What makes this especially difficult is the fact that "thanks" was given at every meal during Puritan New England, regardless of whether it was a pot of stewed beans or a lavish spread. Heck, who wouldn't be thankful after a life-threatening three-month journey across the treacherous Atlantic, only to find a land with unseen aborigines peering at them from every tree and hill? To wander into an unknown territory without the slightest notion if you were going to be able to survive must've taken a special breed of people who were simply happy to have the opportunity to start life anew. Read more... Halloween happenings Halloween is a magical time of year where kids get to dress up and get candy. More and more adults are taking advantage of the holiday to dress up and party the night away. There's lots of haunting happenings all over the state. Here are a few ways to get your scare fix this Halloween. Read more... MORE IN NEWS: 'Trunk or Treat' Thriller. Thriller night The Grand does the Timewarp. Again