1999 HIGHLIGHTS

Among the highlights was a great party in Portland to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of Idexx Corporation. This required that we produce a huge, fully erupting volcano to kick off a rockin’ beach party.

For The Maine Festival on the Arts we assembled a collection of the most compelling regional bands from the last 20 years or so, reunited them, and presented them in conjunction with the bands they play with now. Fun!

Again this year for a U.S. Navy Destroyer (USS Stump DD-978), we provided a large tug, 100’ barge, Harbor Pilot, and 95-passenger water taxi. Believe it or not, some people think all we do is book bands, comics, and DJ’s.

For CedarWorks USA we produced a party and lobsterbake that featured a giant inflatable slide, climbing wall, and great music. Parking, security, rentals, and event staff all worked together very smoothly again this year

For the Mortgage Bankers Association we arranged boat trips, luxury motorcoaches, fishing, kayaking, canoe trips, lighthouse tours, music, and comedy

The Fourth of July saw us managing an incredible party in Northeast Harbor which featured The Tex Beneke Orchestra, North Star Bluegrass, the Bayside Stompers, and a fireworks show that cost more than most houses here in Maine.

… And a big thank you to some of the artists who make it so great, such as: Maria Muldaur, Rustic Overtones, Bill Cosby, Asleep At The Wheel, Tom Rush, Chubby Checker, The Temptations, The Smothers Brothers, Harry Connick Sr., The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Drifters, Motor Booty Affair, Juice Newton, Jonathan Edwards, Beausoleil, and Bonnie Raitt, to name-drop just a few.

Summer of 1998: A Chronology

July 10: Schooner Days in Rockland. A large gathering of sailing ships in the great harbor. At shoreside, close to downtown, the entertainment included The U.S. Army Band (40 pieces strong), plus Schooner Fare, Creatures of Habit, local vocal and dance groups, and a fireworks show. This is the kickoff to the 2-day North Atlantic Blues Festival, which featured a total of nearly 20 hot blues bands.

July 19 - 23: We booked, produced, and coordinated logistics for a major corporate client's annual management conference. Music included The Artie Shaw Orchestra, a fine Motown Revue, and an excellent Boston-area jazz band led by singer Conny Devanney; speakers included Larry King, Joe Paterno, Sen. John McCain, Louis Freeh, and a personal hero, Whitey Ford.

July 29 - August 3: For the Maine Lobster Festival this year, many said we couldn't top last year's headliners, The Temptations. This year we snagged The Dixie Chicks before they became such huge stars (congrats on those CMA awards), who put on a fabulous show. Also featured this year was "Zydeco Sweetheart" Rosie LeDet, The Tony Boffa Band, The Boneheads, Blue Willow Band, and the legendary Sha Na Na, who turned the place upside down with a high-energy and funny show.

August 6-9: The following weekend we had the privilege of assisting with the programming and booking of the headline entertainment at The Maine Festival in Brunswick. This included performances by The Radiators, The Iguanas, and Lisa Haley & The Zydekats.

August 16: The Shawnee Peak Folk Festival in Bridgton featured several old friends and fine performers, including Livingston Taylor, Patty Larkin, Bill Staines, Rory Block, Chris Smither, and Susan Werner.

August 18: It cannot be said that the New York Yacht Club doesn't know how to throw a party. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of their first cruise to Maine, we arranged an unforgettable soiree for 600 at the College of The Atlantic in Bar Harbor.

August 22: This was a double-header for Chuck. By day, a lobster bake for 400 people for Cedar Works to celebrate the opening of their great new headquarters in Rockport; we handled the caterer, the tents, a great array of games for both kids and adults, a band, parking, security, and event staff. That evening, we produced The Artie Shaw Orchestra in a successful fund-raising concert for The Camden Public Library.

August 28-30: The 2nd annual Kelmscott Renaissance Festival in Lincolnville. We programmed, booked, and produced the entertainment which included armored knights-on-horseback jousting, knife-throwing, slack-rope walking, plate spinning, period music, and many costumed strolling acts. We also supervised Festival operations, parking, and security.

September 12-17: An international VIP group chartered a stunning fleet of sailing yachts. Each day, we coordinated logistics, arranged for state-of-the-art A-V equipment, catering, top-notch entertainment including Leahy (who took a night off from being the support act on the Shania Twain tour to come to Maine for this gig), Noel Paul Stookey, Old Grey Goose, and The Tony Boffa Band. It was a thrill to work with the presenters at this event, including Dr. Deepak Chopra, Jerry Yang (Yahoo), John Sculley (Apple, PepsiCo), Scott Cook (Intuit/Quicken) Elizabeth Meyer, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, and Dr. Felice Dunas.

September 26: Bill Cosby is a very funny fellow. He was also a thrill and a joy to book and produce (and great fun to hang with) for 2 full-house shows at Merrill Auditorium in Portland to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

This is just a glimpse at some of the events we put together in summer of 1998; the chronology was assembled to help give you a sense of what we might do for your next gathering.