For such a small island, MDI has an incredibly rich and diverse history. Most people are familiar with the stories of Bar Harbor's Gilded Age, or George Dorr establishing Acadia National Park, but there's so much more! Did you know our smuggling history dates back much earlier than prohibition, to the Jefferson Embargo in 1807? Or, about the Battle of Norwood Cove when locals successfully fought a British naval frigate, the HMS Tenedos? Wild weather adds to the romance of our long winters and hearty perseverance, but the Purple Fire Snowstorm remains one of the top ten weirdest weather events in US history. MDI Historical Society’s Raney Bench will take you on a fun romp of lesser-known island stories that will have you looking around our familiar landscapes with new eyes.  

This talk is part of Acadia Senior College’s “Food for Thought” series and will take place at Birch Bay Village, Bar Harbor. Lunch will be served prior to the talk.    $20