Bangor/ Brewer Fourth of July Events!

Every Fourth of July there is tons to do and we find if we limit ourselves to one location that seems to bode well with the whole family. Every other year we choose whose family we spend the fourth with ( with our families only being 30 minutes from one another). This year ( like every year) there is a lot going on in Bangor/ Brewer!

• 7 am to 10 am they have a pancake breakfast at the Brewer Auditorium.
•  The parade starts at 11 am
• There is a free concert on the Bangor Waterfront from 2pm to 9:30 pm 
• Fireworks start at 9:30 pm 

Disclaimer on fireworks! Being the type of people we (optimists and well intending) we brought our daughter to the Hollywood Slots parking garage last year to make our daughters first fireworks experience out of this world with family friends and my family. My four year old nephew loved them and was hooting and hollering the whole time! My 1 and a half year old cried and was petrified. I felt like a horrible parent for putting our daughter through that and we left immediately to my work parking lot to get our crying toddler away from what seemed to be everywhere! As we were leaving we saw two children with soundproofed muffs on and I couldn't help but think, why didn't I think of that? So this year we are going to be prepared! Fingers crossed and here is to hoping!

Summer Fun!

So my " Plan A" is to get my little one outdoors as much as possible while giving her exposure to new things and social interactions. Summer is a great time for this since people are coming out of hibernation to enjoy the nice weather! The pools and beaches are open, concerts in the park, drive-in movies are in session and festivals every weekend. The only thing about our " Plan A" is that they are often times dependant on weather. Here are some of my favorites!

Bangor:

• Bangor Drive-in $22 a car 8:00 to get a good spot
• Beth Pancoe Pool 
• Monday- Friday
• General Swim 1:00 to 4:30 pm $2 per child ( Resident Child), $3( Non-resident Child), $3 (Adult Resident), $5 ( Adult Non-resident)
• Family Swim  6:00 to 8:00 pm $1 per child ( Resident Child), $2( Non-resident Child), $2 (Adult Resident), $3 ( Adult Non-resident)
• Saturday & Sunday
• General Swim 1:00 to 4:30 pm ( same prices apply as above)
• Dakin Pool ( was closed in 2015 webpage has not been updated)
• Cool Sounds Concert Series - Every Thursday ( July 7- August 25) in West Market Square @5 -free of cost!
• Discovery Museum- special themes all summer starting in July and ending in August ( check with your local library for free family passes)
• Pushaw Lake -- WARNING has been known for swimmers itch. 
• Gifford's Ice Cream 
• Bogwalk - Sunrise to Sunset

Brewer:

• Brewer Municipal Pool 
• Cost: $.75 (Resident Child),  $1.50 (Resident Adult),  Free (Brewer Senior Resident),  $1.50 ( Non-resident child), $2.50 ( Non-Resident Adult)
• General Swim Hours
• Monday – Friday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday & Thursday: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday & Sunday: 12 noon – 4:30 p.m.

• Brewer Parks and Recreation
• Good Time Hour June 27 - August 11 10:00 - a.m.- 11:00 a.m. 
• Ages: 3 & 4 
• Tuesday & Thursday Fee: $22.00( Residents)  $30 ( Non-residents)
• Ages: 5 & 6
• Monday & Wednesday Fee: $22.00( Residents)  $30 ( Non-residents)
• Jimmie's Ice Cream Parlor

Bradley:

• Leonard Mills
• Spencer's Homemade Ice Cream

Clifton:

• Chick Hill 

Corinth:

• Albert W. Tate's Strawberry Farm ( Call for more info.) 
• Rocky Ridge Farm -- Strawberry Picking ( Call for more info.)
• Corinth Village Creamery -- Yummy ice cream with large portions!

Enfield:

• Morgan's Beach -It’s a place for families to have a picnic and let the kids run wild in a safe environment. They have bathrooms, changing rooms and concession stands.
• Cost: Less than $10 a car

Hampden:

• Patten Pond- I've never been personally, but I've read it's known for swimming and fishing on the state of Maine webage. 
• Children's day- August 17th, 2016
• Hampden Marina 

Holden:

• Jenkin's Beach-Another great place for families to have a picnic and let the kids run wild in a safe environment. They have bathrooms, changing rooms and concession stands.
• $4 a day for Adults
• $2 a day for Kids (2-11 years)
• Free for (2 and under)
• Pete's Pretty Good Ice Cream

Lincoln:

• Prince Thomas Park -The beach is staffed by lifeguards 
• Monday-Friday
•  12:30 - 8 pm
•  Saturday & Sunday 
• 1-5 pm
• Stone Wall Farms -- Strawberry Picking ( according to webpages)
• Ireland Farms -- Strawberry Picking ( according to webpages)

Millinocket:

• Mt. Katahdin / Baxter St. Park

Old Town:

• Mud Pond- Great place for a BBQ or picnic lunch
• Hirundo Wildlife Refuge- Always has events happening year round. But, all are seasonal and different!
• Water Splash Pads - Main st. and Perkins Ave.
• Concerts in the Park on Thursdays @ 6:30
• Canoe Hullabaloo - TBA
• River Festival-TBA

Orono:

• Concerts in the Park on Tuesdays @ 6:30
• Orono Municipal Pool
• Cost: Daily Entrance Fee: $2 (Residents), $3 (Non-residents)
• Monday – Friday
• Open Swim 12:00  - 5:00pm
• Family Swim 5:00- 6:45 pm
• Saturday &Sunday
• Open Swim 12:00 - 3:00 pm
• Family Swim 3:00- 4:45 pm
• Bogwalk - Sunrise to Sunset

Just a safety tip/ suggestion never leave home without some water, sunscreen and bug spray! For longer car rides we make kid friendly music mixes or get out a CD from our local library. Fidget toys also help paired with lots of snacks.

I also want to throw this out there that any suggestions on topics or events to post about are welcome. Also,If you have more to add feel free to send me a message or comment below! I hope you find this helpful!

Weekly Happenings To Keep in Mind!

A parent of a toddler that is a very busy bee my husband and I always have a Plan A, B and C to make our day go smooth. These are our plan C's ( our steady rock solid standbys). When all else fails and we cannot think of anything else to do these are our fallbacks that we know are always going on. We are huge library goers, our daughter struggles with the sitting for story time frequently, we are always reintroducing the library to her ( she finally sat during a story time for three minutes outside of the song and rhyme time last month!). As a pre-school teacher and observing friends children ( as well as my own) all children's interests are different and I suggest following their passions. Also, take into consideration the child when choosing events ( temperament, energy level and daily schedule). There are many events my husband and I pass up because we think it may be setting our daughter up for failure. A prime example was there were free goat snuggle sessions in Westbrook coming up -- something our daughter would love. When I showed interest a friend said she waited in line for up to an hour to get a 2 minute session with a baby goat on top of the two hour drive down and back at some point that day. That would be setting my two year old up for failure and disappointment. In theory that sounded perfect, in reality we would struggle in line for an hour or two for two minutes of bliss to have that ripped from her later resulting in a meltdown in our car until she eventually fell asleep on our two hour car ride home. There are many times my husband has opted out of story times knowing my daughter needed to get out and run. This is okay too. On the other spectrum I have had friends tell me their kids gross motor skills were their for the bounce house or they didn't enjoy them. As far as schedules are concerned I have friends whose kids are down at 6:30 for the night and others at 8:30 depending on the naps and needs for the child and parents. Nap times are things to take into consideration when choosing destinations.These are the places my husband and I frequent with our daughter. You may have some you want to add in comments that you frequent/ know good friends host or have heard good things about!

Bangor:


Bangor Public Library

• Mother Goose Story Time: Wednesday @ 10:15 ( newborn to 24 months)
• Tiny Tots Storty Time: Wednesday @11:00 ( 2 to 4 years old)

Briar Patch Story Time: Tuesday@ 10:30

Maine Discovery Museum 

• Messy Art: Wednesday @10:30 ( schedules change in July & August for camps)
• Clay Play: Friday @ 11:00 ( schedules change in July & August for camps)

Playgrounds and Parks: Chapin, Fairmount, Little City, Downeast, Broadway, Hayford, Vine St., Howard St. and Second Street.Plus, all elementary school locations. Sunrise to Sunset.

Walking trails: Bangor City Forrest, Prentiss Woods, Essex Woods, Kenduskeag Stream Park, Brown Woods, Walden Parke and Northeast Penjajawoc. Sunrise to Sunset.

Family Fun Bowling Lanes -15 Hildreth St. ( Bumpers for little ones and affordable)

Mcdonalds Playplace: Broadway ( for those rainy days or freezing winters)Tip: best to go when older kids are in school and we get fruit for our daughter to snack on there as a healthy alternative.

Brewer:


  Brewer Public Library Pre-schooler Story Time: Tuesday and Wednesday @10:30 Sept. - May

Playland Adventure Toddler Time: 10:00 a.m. daily $5 for children 2 & under plus adults play for free. $9 for 3 to 9 year olds with adults playing for free. We call this toddler time since only parents of toddler go during the school year ( Sept. - May) during the day. Summers get crazy when school is out so we avoid it to dodge the school age kids ( they aren't so good about following the toddler inflatable rules so much).

Playgrounds and Parks: Brewer Riverwalk , Fisherman's Park , Sunset park, Fling Street Park, Indian Trail

Brewer Children's Garden

Hampden:

Eydthe L. Dyer Community Library

• Play and Learn ( ages 3 months to 6 years) Mondays @ 9:30
• Pre-school Story Time ( ages 3 years to 5 years) Tuesdays @10:30
• Toddler Time ( age 2) Thursdays and Fridays @ 9:30
• Story Time in Japanese Wednesday @10:00

Lura E. Hoit Memorial Pool:

• Monday- Friday Open Swim @ 12:30 to 1:00
• Monday- Friday Family Swim @ 2:30 to 4:00
• Wednesday and Friday Family Swim @5:30 to 6:30
• Saturday Family Swim @ 3:30 to 5:00

Parks and Playgrounds:

• Dorthea Dix Park

Old Town:

Old Town Public Library:

• Toddler time - Monday & Thursday Mornings @10:30 to 10:55 
• Brown Lunch Program  ( summers only for 4 &5 year olds) 

Old Town YMCA Costs:

Gymnastics: Family $15/ Members $20/ Non-members $25

• Mommy + Me Gymnastics ( ages 2-4 years) Mondays @ 2:00, Tuesday & Thursday@ 9:45, Saturday@ 10:00
• Pre-school Open Play ( 8 months to 4 years) Tuesday & Thursday@ 9:00 
• Pre-school Movement ( ages 3-5 years)

Swim Lessons: Members $25/ Non-Members $40

• Parent/child ( ages 6 months to 3) Tuesdays@ 3:30 and Saturdays @ 10:10
• Pike with Parents ( ages 2 to 5) Thursdays @ 3:30 and Saturday @ 10:10

J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center ( farm) - Weekdays 10a.m. to 4:00 pm

• Sheep
• Cows
• Horses

University Bike Trail- University to Witter Farm to Perkin's Avenue

University Forrest- Outer College avenue to Sewall rd.

Parks and playgrounds: Perkin's Avenue and Main st. ( both have free water parks, playgrounds and fields to play in)

Old Town Bowling Center

Landtrust: Bennoch Rd.

Mcdonalds Playplace: Stillwater ( for those rainy days or freezing winters) Tip: best to go when older kids are in school and we get fruit for our daughter to snack on there as a healthy alternative.

  

Orono:

Orono Public Library

• Infant and Toddler Story Time- Thursdays @10:15 
• Toddler and Pre-schooler Story Time- Thursdays @ 11:00
• Pajama Story Story Time ( one Thurday evening a month Sept.-May)

Parks and Playgrounds: Webster Park, Goodridge Dr. and Browns Beach

Land Trusts: Bennoch rd., Water St. Lupine Path and Orchard Trails

University Resources:

• Roger Clapp Garden
• Littlefield Greenhouse
• New Banlance Rec Center ( $5 a child and $8 an adult)
• Planetarium ( suggesting ages 4+)
• Merril Hall Infant/Toddler Program ( Starts in Sept. contact Margo Brown for information)
• Mainebound Adventure  Thursdays- $2 night 3 to 10 pm and Family Night Saturdays @3 to 5
• Free Skate At the Alfond - $5 an adult and kids under 5 skate for free!
• Class of 1944 Hall- music lessons at times. 
• The Mall in front of the library 

This is all I am posting for now within my comfort level as our Plan C's. If you live outside of these areas in Penobscot County let me know and I can try and find something closer to you. But, I find many of these places are central to most surrounding towns. 

Introduction To Penobscot Parenting

I choose to call this penobscot parenting since:

A.) I want Mainer's to know this is for you specifically in our area.
B.) Parenting is way more inclusive than Mom since Dad's are ( or ideally should be) involved as well.

About Me:
I am a pre-school teacher that is from Bucksport/ Bangor that married a man from Milford/ Orono and had a child. With that said, we are well connected to the Bangor, Hampden Orono, Veazie, Old Town, Milford and Bradley events in their communities. My husband and I have the unique situation where we take turns and shifts being with our 2 and a half year old all day long 7 days a week working opposite shifts. My husband has her during the day and I have her at night.

Why start this blog?
We often hear from a lot of friends asking about things we do with our daughter and how we heard about the events. We never realized how much we knew about events until we noticed others were not showing up to them. A good friend of mine that has twins, Amy, encouraged me to start this blog and with support from other friends that are Mom's in the area I got the courage to start this blog ( Katy, Julie, Chelsea and Nadia). I will try my best to send out event happening.

Mission:
The ultimate outcome is spending the least amount for the most amount of fun. I would like to keep this a positive. As a forewarning I am not willing to spend copious amounts of money on anything, so I try to limit all outings to $15 or less for a family of three ( those are special occasions). I am aiming for posts 2 to 3 days a week on events and tips to keep your infants, toddlers and/or preschoolers entertained. I want families to be as happy as can be! I don't like the days when i go to bed and wonder was this a good day for her? I try to make every day a good day for her!

Disclaimer:
I apologize ahead of time for poor grammar and the occasional misspelling. Also, I am an insufferable optimist and always look at the "flops" in life as a learning experience. Some of the things I may post are sheer opinion based on personal experiences in the past, you may have different experiences and that is okay too. Overall,I hope you enjoy and you find this helpful! Also, occasionally I follow up on an event and we show up to find the webpage was not up-to-date or the event was cancelled due to rain or unexpected events. So I am only passing along public information that I have to my access. Please don't get upset at the messenger. I try my hardest to keep up on the latest events, alas I am not perfect. I am a mere pregnant mother to a toddler working 40 hours a week, have a little empathy.