Robert Anderson Photo
Community collection
A group of concerned citizens is working with the Town to protect a collection of artwork donated to the children of West Harpswell and still hanging in the West Harpswell School. David Etnier, left, and Dave Hackett recently admired one of the collection’s paintings, Hamilton Harbor, created by Etnier’s father, Stephen.
Stacy Welner Photo
Smashing pumpkin
Mike Murphy shows off the Great Pumpkin he grew in celebration of Halloween. On September 24, Murphy’s gourd won third place, with a weight of 904 pounds, in the second annual Sanford Weigh-Off.
Tom Jones Photo, Mary Ann Nafh Inset Photo
Banned beaches
Inset: A private property sign and fence block off access to Cedar and Robinhood beaches on Bailey Island. An aerial view shows the beaches in contention. See article on page 9.
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The Anchor Staff
| 01 July 2010
"For Harpswell families, it is nice having their heritage recorded." said Sue Hawkes of Hawkes Lobster in Cundy's Harbor during a recent interview. "And, the posters are colorful and attractive for people who enjoy the coast and nautical decor."
She was referring to the Harpswell buoy posters, which she and Barbara "Beezie" Brown Prescott, also of Cundy's Harbor, compiled and published. They depict the colors of actual buoys used by many lobstermen of the harbor and Harpswell Neck.
Prescott said she saw an original hand painted buoy poster twenty years ago when she visited a museum on Monhegan Island. Several years later, she asked Hawkes if she would help her create one for Harpswell.
"I could not have done it on my own." said Prescott. "She has a tremendous knowledge of the people and history of Harpswell."
"For the harbor, we started with retired and/or deceased lobstermen," said Hawkes. "We especially wanted to get their colors memorialized before people forgot who began in the industry."
In addition, lobstermen eighteen years of age or older who were living in the harbor and/or selling their lobsters to a Cundy's Harbor wharf were eligible for inclusion on the poster.
Prescott and Hawkes spent more than two years working on the first edition. They talked to the fishermen, obtained the necessary permission and information, and using colored pencils, copied each lobsterman's buoy colors onto a single standard drawing.
Then they gathered the drawings together, painted all of the individual buoys onto a single sheet and added the names. With much help from Harpswell resident John Snowe, they made a template of the poster.
The women presented the completed template to Stacey Welner, of Harpswell, who designed the final computerized layout and coordinated the colors.
"She was just fabulous." said Prescott. "We couldn't have done it without her."
Hawkes said they were asked many times to also publish a Harpswell Neck poster. Because they didn't know the fishing families there as well, Prescott and Hawkes took forms to the general store and area wharfs for the lobstermen to fill in their names and colors.
"Dain Allen was so helpful, giving us the retired or deceased fishermen's names and colors for his wharf," said Hawkes.
Both posters can be purchased at various locations in town, including "The Harpswell Anchor" office, and Hawkes Lobster, near the wharf in Cundy's Harbor.
Hawkes said after expenses, a portion of the profits from the Cundy's Harbor poster goes to the Cundy's Harbor Fire Department, and Fishing Families of Harpswell receives some of the proceeds from the Harpswell Neck poster.
Hawkes indicated they would consider publishing a poster featuring the colors of other Harpswell lobstermen as well.
"It was fun," said Prescott. "You could keep going."