The Pace of Summer . . . The Peace of Summer

An old-fashioned wooden motorboat and an inflatable motorboat are moored at a wooden dock, while sailboats float at anchor in the lake beyond.

by Esther J. Perne

It's the high noon of the 2008 season, the changing of the months, the moment in time when the perfect summer day and the perfectly packed array of events balance each other tantalizingly.

These weeks are rich in outing options, with music, dance, theater, art, fairs, festivals in abundance throughout central Maine . . . so many of them free, and family-oriented — and fun. Celebrations of significant anniversaries, especially, are on this season's schedule: Day's Store — 50, the Belgrade Lakes Association — 100, Kennebec Land Trust — 20, Old South Church — 180, Ladies Delight Lighthouse — 100, plus others less visible in the news. Calendars of events spill over with activities and outings, day camps and workshops, educational talks and walks — things to do with the children or grandchildren, in a group, as a family, or alone.

Attend them or not, it's nice to know all these traditional summer outings are there, that so many of them have belonged to every summer for as long as anyone can remember, that a busy schedule exists for the taking, and that vacationers living here or visiting can choose an active, even frenetic, agenda.

Day's Store Fiftieth Anniversary Float in a Parade.

But . . . the lake region is also rich in relaxation: pause here, picnic there, putter, take pride in doing practically nothing. There's sanction to venturing not far, to swimming and rowing and paddling and hiking and biking quietly, close to home or camp base. There's downtime to focus on or discover smaller worlds — what a sun-splotched lake looks like through the cracks in a dock, how gentle falls the rain on a windless night, how dawn arrives in a burst of bird song, and how small children when given the freedom to wonder marvel at tiny bugs and discolored leaves and butterflies brushing across an unkempt flower patch.

The draw of activities, events, outings is powerful this summer, but so are the qualities of calm and quiet. It's the high noon of the 2008 season. Here's to the pace . . . and to the peace of summer!

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Summertime in the Belgrades

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The Pace of Summer . . . The Peace of Summer