Talk of the Towns | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

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Live & local call-in on civic issues. Happens on the third Friday of every month from 10 – 11 AM.

  1. Sep 9

    Talk of the Towns 9/9/26: The American Revolution in Maine

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What are some of the ways Maine is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Why was Portland (then called Falmouth) burned by the British in October of 1775? What role did Castine and the loyalist Penobscot Expedition play in the revolutionary war and how did Paul Revere figure into the American loss in that confrontation? What did role did Machias play in early maritime battles during the war? How were Native Americans involved in the revolutionary war? Who was the free black settler from Gouldsboro who served in the American forces? Guest/s: Julia Gray, Executive Director, Wilson Museum, Castine. Steve Fuller, Editor, The Bangor Historian. Troy R. Bennett, Storyteller, Musician, Writer. FMI: www.wilsonmuseum.org/ www.ellsworthamerican.com/bangorhistorian/ www.baileysmistakemusic.com/ www.maine.gov/sos/maineatlas/ visit.downeastacadia.com/experiences/downeast-acadia-the-american-revolution-in-downeast-maine/ www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/penobscot-expedition www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/penobscot-expedition-talk-and-archive-tour-with-dr-liam-riordan/ www.mainehistory.org/maine-connection/battle-of-margaretta-mementos/ About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 9/9/26: The American Revolution in Maine first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  2. Aug 12

    Talk of the Towns 8/12/26: Celebrating the Work of Healthy Acadia over 25 Years

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What are some of the milestones in Healthy Acadia’s 25 year history? What are the connections between promoting and enhancing health and wellness and the health care sector? What are examples of how Healthy Acadia works with partners? What are ways in which Healthy Acadia measures outcomes of its work? How does Healthy Acadia approach the issue of food security? How does Healthy Acadia support people in recovery? Guest/s: Elsie Flemings, Executive Director, Healthy Acadia. Maria Donahue, Community Health and Prevention Director, Healthy Acadia. Katie Freedman, Community Health and Food Programs Director, Healthy Acadia. FMI: healthyacadia.org About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 8/12/26: Celebrating the Work of Healthy Acadia over 25 Years first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  3. Jul 8

    Talk of the Towns 7/8/26: Stories from a Thousand Towns, with Dar Williams

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What inspired Dar Williams to write her 2017 book What I Found in a Thousand Towns? Why is “positive proximity” such an important factor in building healthy communities? What kinds of projects foster connections for community members? What kinds of “spaces” help build communities? How has A Climate To Thrive exemplified some of the lessons that Dar Williams has written about? How might resilient communities respond to the consequences of climate change? Guest/s: Dar Williams, singer, songwriter, author of What I Learned in a Thousand Towns. Andy Revkin, journalist, musician, host of podcast Sustain What. Johanna Blackman, Executive Director, A Climate to Thrive. FMI: www.aclimatetothrive.org darwilliams.com revkin.substack.com/podcast criteriontheatre.org About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 7/8/26: Stories from a Thousand Towns, with Dar Williams first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  4. Jun 10

    Talk of the Towns 6/10/26: Maine Municipal Association connects Maine towns and cities

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What is the overview of Maine Municipal Associations (MMA) 90 year history? What are the core services that MMA provides to Maine towns and cities? What is the role of MMA’s monthly magazine? Why might citizens want to get involved with local government, as volunteers or by running for election? Guest/s: Kate Dufour, Director, Advocacy & Communications for MMA and Magazine Editor Mike Starn, former MMA Communications and Magazine Editor 1975-2010 Jill Goldthwait, former State Senator, municipal officer and longtime friend of MMA, long time columnist (State of Maine for 21 years) for Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander Kay Rand, former Director of State and Federal Relations for MMA 1977-1988 FMI: www.memun.org/https://www.memun.org/Media-Publications/Maine-Town-City www.memun.org/Media-Publications/Local-Government-in-Maine www.memun.org/Media-Publications/MMA-Podcast About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 6/10/26: Maine Municipal Association connects Maine towns and cities first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  5. May 13

    Talk of the Towns 5/13/26: Historic Preservation as an engine for building community

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: How have various historic preservation projects energized community development, with examples from Ellsworth, Norway and elsewhere in Maine? How has the Heart of Ellsworth organization used its designation of its downtown district for the National Register of Historic Places to spur redevelopment of underutilized commercial spaces? What steps did folks in Norway Maine take to preserve their historic Gingerbread House and how does it figure into the future of the downtown area? What is the role of Maine Preservation to support community-based projects? What is the status of work to preserve the historic Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth? What advice might spur historic preservation in other Maine communities? Guest/s: Cara Romano, Executive Director, Heart of Ellsworth Carla Haskell, Owner, DGC Architects, board member Ellsworth Historical Society Brad Miller, Director of Programs and Services, Maine Preservation Joan Beal, Norway Maine, project to restore Gingerbread House FMI: www.heartofellsworth.org/ www.heartofellsworth.org/historic-preservation www.heartofellsworth.org/dt-housing-opportunity www.heartofellsworth.org/historic-preservation-workshops www.mainepreservation.org/2026-honor-awards/2026/3/17/carla-haskell-ellsworth www.mainepreservation.org/ Maine Downtown Center www.maine.gov/mhpc/ www.mainepreservation.org/2024-honor-awards/2024/3/18/gingerbread-house-norway www.norwaydowntown.org/ www.wfltmaine.org/ www.norwayoperahouse.org/ www.lightsoutgallery.org/ www.norwayuu.org/save-the-belfry/ Our Society and Museum www.fundforsacredplaces.org/ About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 5/13/26: Historic Preservation as an engine for building community first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  6. Apr 8

    Talk of the Towns 4/8/26: The Trees of Acadia– the overstory of a new book by Catherine Schmidt

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What are some of the important tree species that make up the woodland of the eastern-most national park? What records were important to telling the story of Acadia’s trees? What have been some of the dynamic forces shaping Acadias past and present forests? What are researchers discovering that will help natural resource managers in Acadia National Park cope with insect pests and changes in climate which affect present and future forests? How will reading this book make any walk in the woods more enjoyable! Guest/s: Catherine Schmidt, author of Trees of Acadia, science communicator, Schoodic Institute. Nick Fisichelli, President, Schoodic Institute. Caroline Kanaski, forest ecologist, assistant professor of forestry, University of Maine Fort Kent. FMI: Catherine Schmidt’s website: catherineschmitt.com/ Schoodic Institute: schoodicinstitute.org Downeast Books : www.globepequot.com/imprint/down-east-books/ About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 4/8/26: The Trees of Acadia– the overstory of a new book by Catherine Schmidt first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  7. Mar 11

    Talk of the Towns 3/11/26: Positivity Bias… a new anthology of Maine Writers

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What is “positivity bias”? What was the hope in creating this new anthology short fiction by Maine writers? Sharing some examples of the writing, how did authors answer the call for “defiantly happy endings”? Guest/s: Gillian Burnes, editor and contributor to Positivity Bias, from Gardiner. Madison Ellingsworth, contributor, from Portland. Robert Diamente, contributor, from Bangor. FMI: littoralbooks.com/product/positivity-bias-maine-writers-defiantly-happy-endings-isbn-979-8-9917891-5-8/ robertdiamante.com madisonellingsworth.com littoralbooks.com/product/soft-features-by-gillian-burnes/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNzJ48MYexM About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 3/11/26: Positivity Bias… a new anthology of Maine Writers first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

  8. Feb 11

    Talk of the Towns 2/11/26: Town Meetings in Maine: A primer on local democracy

    Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves College of the Atlantic provides help with production. Engineering by Joel Mann of WERU Community Radio. Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording. Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities This month: What is a town meeting in Maine? What decisions are made at town meetings? Who moderates town meetings and how are they elected? What is the town meeting warrant and how is the warrant created? Guest/s: Merton Brown, Kennebunk Town Clerk Harvey Kelley, former Town Meeting Moderator Ethan Andrews, Bangor Daily News FMI: www.memun.org/Media-Publications/Town-Meeting- About the hosts: Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals. Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor. The post Talk of the Towns 2/11/26: Town Meetings in Maine: A primer on local democracy first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

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Live & local call-in on civic issues. Happens on the third Friday of every month from 10 – 11 AM.

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