This Week's Haul, April 9: Paddle your own canoe

And: Who won the March Madness of Maine Characters!?

The pussywillows on the willow trees in my backyard are the first sign of spring for me.

Good morning from eastern Maine, where this week, you may have noticed that I did not send out a Tuesday afternoon post! I tried, friends, truly I did, but I’ll be honest: life is lifing. Work is working. And sometimes, you simply don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done. I promise we’ll be right back on schedule next week. I take this very seriously! That’s a The Other Maine promise.

• When Mainers decide they don’t like something, they make their feelings known - quick. Especially when it involves stupid corporations run by greedy out of state billionaires trying to take advantage of Maine resources. See: the energy corridor vote a few years ago, and banning data centers right now.

• Let’s start taking bets now on which of the big, fancy promises the redevelopers of the Bangor Mall are making will actually happen. Sure, people will pay $300,000 to live at the Bangor Mall. Sure, they’ll have glass walls and spiral stairs that mobility-challenged people won’t be able to use. I’m sure they’ll use top-notch materials, too. Super high quality.

• That said: surely somebody wants to rent a “sex house” in Ellsworth? I wonder how much the cleaning fee costs.

• Pro tip for Bangor region paddlers: the annual Old Town Canoe Scratch & Dent sale is set for April 10-12 at Ski Rack Sports in Bangor. This is THE place to get a new canoe or kayak for not a lot of money, and all that’s “wrong” with it is there’s a little ding or scrape somewhere. Perfectly good watercraft otherwise, however, so if you’ve always wanted to buy one, don’t miss this yearly chance to get a real good deal on the best canoes and kayaks in the world! Old Town Canoe is not a sponsor of The Other Maine (though if they want to be please contact me).

50 years ago this week, one of the most mysterious and gruesome murders in Maine history occurred - and all these decades later, no one knows who committed the crime, or what the true motivation was. An anonymous call alerted Penobscot County sheriffs to a burned-out car on the side of Route 9 in Amherst, with a body burned beyond recognition inside. They quickly learned the body belonged to James A. Cassidy, a Boston-area bank executive wanted for embezzling over a million dollars, who went missing from his home in Brookline a few days prior. It’s believed Cassidy died in the fire after an autopsy turned up no sign of bullet wounds - though his body was burned so badly investigators couldn’t find any other evidence of foul play. The case quickly went cold. There’s speculation there was a connection to organized crime, though nothing is proved. Why did he end up in Maine? Was he already dead when the fire was set? It remains a mystery. Maine State Police are still accepting tips to this day.

Music & Dance

April 9: False Gods, Coelacanth, Revenant and Only the Few, 7 p.m., The Old Town Theatre, Old Town

April 10: So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience, 7 p.m., Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor

April 11: Very Greasy, 7 p.m., Hey Sailor, Searsport

April 11: The Sugar Snaps, 7 p.m., Marshall Wharf Brewing Company, Belfast

April 11: Minor Gold, 7 p.m., The Underground Lounge, Belfast

April 11: The Wild Cranberries Collective presents Angusisdead, Dad Doxxer and Mannequin Republic, 7:30 p.m, Red Rabbit Bazaar, Bangor

April 12: Shanghai String Quartet, 3 p.m., Minsky Hall, University of Maine, Orono

April 12: Goodnight Moonshine, 4 p.m., Clifford Arts Center, Unity College, Unity

April 12: One Night of Queen: A Tribute Performed By Gary Mullen & The Works, 7 p.m., Cross Insurance Center, Bangor

Theatre & Comedy

April 10-12: Maine Masque presents “The Glass Menagerie,” daily at Hauck Auditorium, University of Maine, Orono

April 9: Greater Bangor Music Showcases presents “Music Off Broadway,” 7 p.m., Peakes Auditorium, Bangor High School, Bangor

Art, Books, Film & Culture

April 9: Screening of “Marcel Duchamp: The Art of the Possible,” 6 p.m., Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill

April 10: “From Refugee to Neighbor: Rethinking What it Means to be American,” talk by Abdi Nor Iften, 4 p.m., Belfast Free Library, Belfast

April 10: “Enmax, Iberdola and the Globalization of Maine’s Power Industry,” talk by Dr. Stefano Tijerina, 2 p.m., Chadbourne Hall, University of Maine

April 10: Screening of “National Treasure,” 6 p.m., Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill

April 10-11: Friends of the Bangor Public Library Spring Book Sale, Bangor Public Library, Bangor

April 11: “Our Maine Fibershed,” talk by Pat Harpell, director of the Maine Fibershed, 10:30 a.m., Page Farm and Home Museum, University of Maine, Orono

April 11: Bangor Beautiful presents live plant staking workshop, 1 p.m., Kenduskeag Stream Picnic Area, 30 Valley Ave, Bangor

April 12: Let Cuba Live presents benefit screening of “Cuba and the Cameraman,” 4:30 p.m., Red Rabbit Bazaar, Bangor

April 12: Screening of documentary “The Stamp Thief: A Holocaust Mystery,” 2 p.m., D.P. Corbett Building, University of Maine, Orono

April 14: State of the Planet lecture series with UMaine geoarchaeologist Dr. Dan Sandweiss, noon, Dyke Business Center, Husson University, Bangor

April 14: Opera House Arts Film Club presents “The Shawshank Redemption, 6 p.m., Stonington Opera House, Stonington

April 14: “The Doctrine of Discovery from an Indigenous Perspective,” talk by Passamaquoddy language keeper Dr. Dwayne Tomah, noon, Memorial Union, University of Maine, Orono

April 15: Screening of “Sludge: A PFAS Uprising,” 7 p.m., Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill

Fairs, Festivals, Markets, Outdoors & Misc.

April 11: Souadabscook Stream Canoe Race, 9 a.m., 265 Bog Road, Hermon

We’ve made it, everybody: the finale of the March Madness of Maine Characters. Quite frankly, I simply cannot believe the results.

In a truly shocking turn of events, we have an out-and-out tie between Joshua Chamberlain, Lion of the Round Top and former Maine governor, and Charlotte the Spider, hero of “Charlotte’s Web.” Legit: it’s a tie. Each character got 17 votes. 50/50.

I can see how it was a tough decision. Both are icons, for wildly different reasons. It kind of makes me proud - that equal numbers of people love a real historical Maine figure, and a fictional, sentient spider from a classic children’s book.

That said: I did not really prepare for this outcome. Thankfully, I’ve consulted with the co-commissioner of the Maine Characters Athletic Association (MCAA) - my partner Zach - and we have come up with a solution for how to honor both winners. Charlotte, wise woman that she is, will become a permanent advisor to Chamberlain. And, in honor of his legendary charge during Gettysburg, she will weave the phrase “BAYONETS!” in her web, as seen below in this obviously excellent image I made in Canva because I’m totally a professional graphic designer.

Thanks, everybody, for participating! This was so much fun. Should we do this again next year, with some also-rans that should get another chance, as well as some new characters? Let me know in the comments.