Save the Date!
20th Anniversary of the US National Toboggan Championships, February 5-7

The U.S. National Toboggan Championships is the only organized wooden toboggan race in the country and possibly the world. The toboggan chute is located in Camden, Maine at the Camden Snow Bowl, a community owned year-round recreation area which has developed thousands of dedicated skiers since 1936.
The chute is 400 ft. long, 70 ft. in elevation and speeds up to 40 mph are attained. The run-out is on to frozen Hosmers' pond. If there is clear ice on the pond, some sleds will go the entire way across (1/4 of a mile). The most wonderful aspect of the U.S. National Toboggan Race, is that anybody can participate in a national race and anybody can be the National Champion, no matter the age or ability.

www.camdensnowbowl.com/20th-annual-toboggan-championships

Winterfest
January 30 & 31
 
The Camden Winterfest returns to the Historic Bok Amphitheater in downtown Camden overlooking the prettiest harbor in Maine for the 8th annual community celebration of winter over the weekend of January 30th & 31st, 2010.
This popular event is presented by The Camden Public Library and its Committee for Harbor Parks and Amphitheatre along with local sponsors. The parks will be filled with food, theater, music and art for children of all ages.

www.winterfest.mycamdenmaine.com/

Oh So Cozy Sleepwear

Some people count sheep to fall asleep quickly, but here in Maine we're more likely to count Lobsters, Moose or Puffins. Our all cotton, sleepwear, creepers and boxers are comfy and stylish.

Fabulous colors and great graphics make our PJ pants, nightshirts and pajamas for kids not only cozy, but fun to wear for lounging and sleeping.
 

www.smilingcow.com/apparel/sleepwear

January's Prize Winner

Congratulations to Dennis & Jeannine

Dennis and Jeannine from Calais, Maine are this month's prize winners! We'll be sending them a 2010 Lighthouse Poster Calendar.

This calendar by graphic artist, Alan Claude, is a dramatic and bold interpretation of Maine lighthouses and their surrounding environments.  These 12 classic (11x14) posters illustrate the strengths and spirit of each Maine lighthouse.

www.smilingcow.com/mainely-maine/2010-lighthouse-poster-calendar.html

Our 69th Annual Half Price Sale was a whirlwind! People poured in at 6 a.m. and then slowly over the next two weeks leaving the shelves practically bare and ready to fill with exciting new items and old favorites for next year.

Some people got through their entire holiday gift list while others bought that one item for themselves they've been hoping would still be there the day of the sale. As always it was both fun and exhausting for everyone... and, of course, we'll do it all again next year.

A big thank you to everyone who came out for the sale and throughout the 2009 season. We hope to see you back again in 2010.

In the meantime The Smiling Cow dot com is a treasure trove of holiday gifts from Maine! During the next few weeks we will be adding more new items to our site and will keep you up to date on special holiday deals!

November's Prize Winner

April from Maryland is this month's lucky prize winner! Congratulations.

We are sending April a Smiling Cow ornament from our collection of holiday collectibles. These special edition holiday themed building replicas from the Camden miniatures collection are meant to be hung from your tree or used to decorate your mantel or tabletop. Each small scene is decorated by hand and sparkles with glittery snow. The ornaments are the ingenious design of artist Marlene Whiting and are made from wood at Brandywine Woodcrafts. Ornament dimension is 3"x3"

www.smilingcow.com/seasonal/smiling-cow-christmas-ornament.html

Featured Item from our Website
2010 Lighthouse Poster Calendar

It's hard to believe, but, yes it's almost 2010!
This calendar by graphic artist, Alan Claude, is a dramatic and bold interpretation of Maine lighthouses and their surrounding environments. These 12 classic (11x14) posters illustrate the strengths and spirit of each Maine lighthouse every day of the year.

So, don't be caught on January 1st without a 2010 calendar! Get yours here: www.smilingcow.com/mainely-maine/2010-lighthouse-poster-calendar.html

Part of what makes the Smiling Cow so special are the people who work here. Many of them have been with us for years and years! Kristy, for example, has been here since she was 14! We won't tell you her age, but we will tell you that she started here 20 years ago! And Sandy, who worked here during high school in the early 50's, and is now a great grandmother, has been back with us for close to 30 years!

When the current owner, Meg Quijano (far right) took over the store from her parents, Margaret and Henry Fisher, they gave her lots of great advice, but one of the most important tidbits was, "the customer is always right"! At the Smiling Cow we put our customers first and we work as a team, supporting each other through ups and downs and taking great pride in a job well done.

So, thank you Smiling Cow staff for making this not only a great place to shop, but a great place to work too!

Maine Fare

The fourth annual Maine Fare showcases many events including chef demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, food and beverage tastings, author signings, and dinners, Maine Fare investigates the history, present and future of Maine's wonderful food, from farm to table.

"Maine is home to some of the most varied and rewarding eating and drinking experiences in the country. Come to Maine Fare and experience what we mean when we say Maine is where good food begins!"
- Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Cook book author, food writer, life-long Maine resident and Maine-Fare founder.

For more information:

http://www.mainefare.com/

Camden Windjammer Festival, Labor Day Weekend 2009

The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community-led celebration of Camden's maritime heritage and living traditions. From the great age of sail when four, five, and even six-masted schooners were launched into Camden Harbor, through the birth of the windjammer business here in the 1930s and continuing with the elegant yachts that visit or call Camden home every summer, sailing ships have always defined this gorgeous community where the mountains meet the sea.

Every year on Labor Day weekend thousands of visitors from as far away as Alaska and as near as Bay View Street in Camden gather along the wharfs and parks to explore the ships themselves, learn salty crafts and skills, and swap sea stories and songs in talent shows and concerts that appeal to landlubbers and swabbies alike.

Join us Labor Day weekend 2009 (September 4th, 5th, & 6th) for a celebration of Camden's maritime heritage and living traditions. When it comes to a community party the crews, captains, craftspeople, business owners, residents, neighbors, and visitors really know how to have a great, family-friendly time in one of the world's prettiest harbors.
 

For more information:

http://www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com/

 Maine Sea Glass Necklace

With a beautiful Maine sea glass necklace you can hang the ocean around your neck.  These necklaces are made of Maine sea glass from our nearby beaches. The sea glass is hung on eighteen-inch sterling silver chain. Choose from:  white or green.

You can find them here:

http://www.smilingcow.com/mainely-maine/maine-sea-glass-necklace.html

Beginning on Monday September 7th, The Smiling Cow store hours will be:

Monday through Saturday from 9:00 to 5:30 and

Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00.

Blueberry Pie
A Delicious Way to Get Your Antioxidants!


Pie Crust
- 21/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 14 tbs. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 6-8 tbsp. ice water

1. Sift flour, sugar & salt in mixing bowl.
2. Add chilled butter and, working quickly with fingertips or pastry blender, rub or cut butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Sprinkle in ice water a tablespoon at a time, and toss with fork until dough just begins to come together.
5. Turn dough out onto your work surface and gently gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half and  flatten each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Blueberry Filling
- 5 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch or 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Gently mix all ingredients together.

Assembling the Pie!

1. Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Chill for about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer blueberry mixture into the chilled bottom crust.(Dot blueberries with 2 tbsp. butter cut into small pieces :)
3. Roll out top crust, slide over blueberries and tuck the overhang under the bottom crust edge to seal.
4. Cut a few slices into top crust to let out steam, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar and bake for 20 minutes at 425*F, then turn down oven to 350*F and bake an additional 30-40 min.

Serve with ice cream? Oh, yes!

Maine Blueberries
Small but Loaded with Flavor

Maine blueberries don't look exactly like the blueberries from other places. For one thing, they're smaller and they grow on low bushes that hug the ground. And Maine blueberries aren't picked either, they're raked. It's tough work, but worth it!

Maine is the largest producer of lowbush blueberries in the world with a harvest that's grown on over 60,000 acres of land.

The blueberry rake was created by a Mainer from the Downeast area by the name of Abijah Tabbutt over 100 years ago and is still used today in various forms.

Wild blueberries hold a special place in Maine's agricultural history - one that goes back centuries to Maine's Native Americans. Native Americans were the first to use the tiny blue berries, both fresh and dried, for their flavor, their nutrition and their healing qualities and it was not until the 1840's that wild blueberries were first harvested commercially.

You can find delicious Maine blueberries for sale in roadside stands and local grocery stores throughout the month of August.

Featured item from our website


There are lots of great items on our website and more being posted all the time, but this sweatshirt is a long-time customer favorite. Our Maine logo hoodie is warm and cozy for cold nights that creep up even in August.

This thick hooded sweatshirt with full zip comes with white lettering. Show your Maine spirit!

www.smilingcow.com/apparel/t-shirts-and-sweatshirts/maine-zip-up-hoodie.html

August Events
What's Happening in and Around Camden

August 1 (ongoing)
Robert Indiana at the The Farnsworth Art Museum
Explore the vast range of Indiana's work from the 1950's to the present, focusing on his efforts since he moved to Vinalhaven, Maine in 1978. The show will include some of Indiana's best known pieces, such as LOVE, the American Dream, his Marsden Hartley Elegy series and one of his newest, the HOPE sculpture, that premiered at the 2008 Democratic convention.
Farnsworth Art Museum

Monday, August 3
Windjammer Watching aboard the Bugeye Schooner Jenny Norman
Sail in company with Rockland's fleet of Windjammers as they depart for their week-long excursions. We will be serving locally roasted coffee and old-fashioned donuts. Reservations recommended.
Jenny Norman

Wednesday, August 5
KITCHEN TOUR CHEFS 2009
Fifteen excellent chefs and caterers from the Midcoast area will contribute their time and outstanding culinary talents to the 2009 Merryspring Kitchen Tour. Each of the chefs, on site in one of the eight lovely kitchens featured on the Tour, will serve samples of his or her cuisine to guests.
207-236-2239

Thursday, August 6
"Best of Maine" Auction Features Maine-Made Items & Vacationland Experiencesat the Owls Head Transportation Museum
The auction will showcase both Maine-made items and Vacationland experiences and packages from all regions of the state.

Friday August 7
Evening of Live Nautical Music and Fashions at the Strand Theatre
The Penobscot Marine Museum will showcase live music, performances and fashion at a Nautical Fashion and Variety Show at the Strand Theatre.

Monday, August 10
Views of India Maine Media Workshops
in collaboration with the historic Strand Theater in Rockland, Maine, this special presentation features two renown photographers with a lifelong passion for India. John Isaac and Stephen Huyler will share their work, experiences and reflections of this fascinating country.

Thursday, August 13
Inon Barnatan, last year's winner of the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, returns for his second season at Bay Chamber Concerts. He will be joined by Geoff Nuttall and Christopher Costanza of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, as they perform works by Haydn and Mendelssohn.

Friday, August 14th
Paula Poundstone at the Strand Theatre
Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, PAULA POUNDSTONE is famous for her razor-sharp wit and spontaneity.

Thursday, August 20
Contours Benefit Art Show at the Carver Hill Gallery. Gallery co-owner Jana Halwitz and former Farnsworth Art Museum chief curator Suzette McAvoy will curate a show of 18-25 Maine artists for this biennial event. All sales will benefit the Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

Friday, July 18th & 19th, 2009
Harbor Arts Juried Show
10:00AM-6:00PM · Harbor Park
This FREE show features an eclectic mix of established and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines, and grow more popular each year.

Thursday, August 27
First Chair All Star: Masterworks at the Rockport Opera House. Bay Chamber Concerts' 49th season ends with fanfare as 13 principal players from the great American orchestras perform the unforgettable Dvořák wind serenade op.44 together with a delightful arrangement of Mozart's opera the "Abduction from the Seraglio," K. 384; and Beethoven's Wind Octet, Op. 103.