Four inns in Rockland, Maine, annually sponsor Pies On Parade, an event that brings the entire town together, benefits the local food kitchen and provides a weekend of outstanding fun for visitors to the town. Here is a cool gift for yourself and someone special.You don’t have to be a guest at one of the inns to enjoy it, tickets are available separately, but why not take advantage of this late January event for a wickedly enjoyable getaway. The event is the weekend of January 21-22 with the Parade of Pies on January 22 from 1:00 PM to 5 PM. Make it a long weekend by driving up Friday night.
Pies of all kinds and descriptions
2012 will mark the 8th consecutive year that Rockland has baked up pies of every description for the enjoyment of locals and visitors alike. Located on the rocky shore of the Atlantic, Rockland was a prosperous lime quarrying and shipping town with an active fishing fleet until both businesses fell apart. After a rough patch the town has again become a vibrant community with art, museums and exciting lodging and dining options. Pies On Parade provides a perfect excuse for a visit.
“Pie” as a term of art here in Rockland, is broadly interpreted and includes not only the fruit pies that we all love but savory pies and pizza pies as well. You’ll find all of the old favorites, apple, blueberry (of course, this is Maine which is famed for its wild blueberries), cherry, pumpkin and even lemon meringue. Maine is also notable for the Whoopee Pie and these are also very much on the menu, including delicious examples made from the exotic oils and vinegars at Fiore on Main Street. But you will also find heartier fare such as real mincemeat pie, quiches of several varieties, the Franco-Canadian special holiday meat pie – tourtiere, and several varieties of pizza, among other choices. Perhaps the most entrancing offering are the tiny puffin “Cream Puffins” at the Maine Audubon Puffin Project.
Be part of a small town's festivities
In addition to the 4 inns who sponsor the event as many as 22 other local businesses and organizations join in as “Pie Goers” stroll from place to place sampling generous portions. Event planners provide maps locating all of the participating “pie-persons” . The amazing thing is that the portions served are good sized, enough to really savor the pies without over indulgence becoming a problem. Remember, each place has at least one savory and one sweet pie. If there are 25 providers, that’s 50 pieces of pie and you don’t want to miss any of them.
See all of the museums, galleries and more
The weekend is also a chance to visit some outstanding museums located in Rockland and neighboring Owl’s Head. The Owl’s Head Transportation Museum houses an outstanding collection of early aircraft and automobiles from around the world. A special opening for Pies On Parade attendees includes special pies keyed to the countries of origin of the cars and airplanes. The Maine Lighthouse Museum and Maine Discovery Center, in Rockland, are also open to Parade guests as are the exhibits of the Maine Audubon Puffin Project.
Rockland has also become a major attraction for art lovers as well. The Farnsworth Museum, right on the town’s attractive 19th century Main Street, is a treasure trove of the world of Maine artists and artists who have painted Maine, including examples of Winslow Homer and the outstanding Wyeth family. Itself sufficient reason for a stay in Rockland, the Farnsworth has encouraged outstanding art galleries and artists to locate in town such as the Dowling Walsh gallery across the street from the Farnsworth.
The Historic Inns of Rockport for a warm experience
The inns that are organizing Pies on Parade are LimeRock Inn, Captain Lindsey House, Berry Manor Inn, or Granite Inn and if you plan to attend you should sign up early. The rooms in these inns fill fast. Sign up with them directly or through Historic Inns of Rockland. You can feel good about the trip as well. The proceeds of the event support the local food kitchen.
Getting There
Take I-95 to Portland, Maine, then follow I-295 to Brunswick. At Brunswick follow Route 1 north to Rockland. It should take about four and a half to five hours.
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