Monson In The Press
The Monson Experience- as told by CBS Saturday Morning, The Boston Herald, DownEast Magazine, and others!
Summerfest returns to Monson on Saturday
July 13, 2026 - Piscataquis Observer
MONSON – Monson Summerfest will return to Main Street on Saturday, July 18 with a full day of community activities and events for residents and visitors.
The annual event will feature activities throughout the day, including a triathlon, craft fair, community fundraisers, pottery demonstrations, face painting, disc golf, cornhole, a dunk tank featuring local residents and an Anything That Floats race.
Additional events include a gallery exhibit, fossil talk and demonstration, a cribbage tournament, games for all ages, a slate-skipping contest and juggling entertainment.
Written by Staff, Piscataquis Observer
Image: Stuart Hedstrom
From quiet mill town to creative destination: Monson’s new identity
July 1, 2026 - Bangor Daily News
Since launching in the summer of 2018, Monson Arts in the Piscataquis County town of the same name has been a transformational cultural force for the entire Moosehead region — most obviously in Monson itself, of course.
Written by Emily Burnham
Monson’s moment: A northern Maine town with an arts community and a James Beard Award-winning restaurant
September 1, 2025 - Maine Biz
“Could artists revive a fading Maine town?” That was the headline atop a Boston Globe story. The year was 2017 and the fading town was Monson in Piscataquis County. I was the photographer for the story.
At the time, the town looked uninspiring and pretty dull. Many homes were in varying states of disrepair, with peeling paint. There was traffic, but most drivers were just blasting past on Route 15, on the last stretch to Greenville and Moosehead Lake. Car after car rolled through. Hardly anyone stopped.
“It was rough, really rough,” says Lucas Butler, who was town manager from 2014-17.
Fast forward eight years: I went back this summer to see if the fading town had been revived. And to ask whether artists could revive such a town.
Photos and article by Fred Field
Monson’s moment: A northern Maine town with an arts community and a James Beard Award-winning restaurant
“The area is teeming with creative talent — the furniture and woodworkers, unbelievable slate workers, painters, potters, cabinet makers tucked in the woods, musicians, the food.”
Photos & Images by Fred Field
Chef Lulu Ranta Brings a James Beard Award Home to Monson
“Ranta’s impeccably warm, welcoming service at The Quarry won her this year’s Outstanding Hospitality prize.”
by TRESSA VERSTEEG
photos by SIENNA RENEE
Here and Everywhere Else
by Andrew Witmer
Here and Everywhere Else explores more than two centuries of Monson’s history and the town’s relationship with the wider world.
Find out more about the book here: Here and Everywhere Else (umasspress.com)
The Dish: Chef Lulu Ranta on Making Her Restaurant Dreams Come True
“Chef Lulu Ranta was born in the Philippines, where she worked as a maid with a dream of owning a restaurant. CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor speaks with Ranta on how she made that dream come true.”
The Best Places to Live in Maine Right Now
“Which towns are Maine's most liveable? We asked thousands of Down East readers, who helped us winnow the field. Can you see yourself in one of these eight Maine communities?”
by WILL GRUNEWALD, BRIAN KEVIN, and ADRIENNE PERRON
The Monson Experiment
“Over the past three years, the Libra Foundation has poured more than $10 million into rescuing a dying town. Will it be the spark that ignites a region-wide revival?”
by AMY SUTHERLAND
Explore New England Presents: Moosehead Magic
“Get to know the beautiful Moosehead Region of north-central Maine in Explore New England's feature documentary film.”
Mindful Living in the Deep Woods
“n her quiet, knowledgeable way, Wendy Weiger, MD, PhD, urges people to think about two important, inter-related truths. First, spending time in nature can bring you significant health benefits. Second, it can also help us make necessary changes to protect our endangered environment.”
by MARY FRANCES BARSTOW
A Fierce Chase
“John and Susan Chase tried running A Fierce Chase as a business while also working full time jobs and parenting young Aquila. These days, they enjoy offering the trails on a volunteer/donation basis instead.”
by SHEILA D. GRANT
Could artists revive a fading Maine town?
“The bitter divorce of a microchip millionaire decades ago may be the best thing that ever happened to Monson. The resulting settlement helped create a foundation that is buying up vast swaths of real estate in the fading Central Maine town that has shrunk to the point that it doesn’t have a school. Or a stoplight.”
by MEGAN WOOLHOUSE
A town that steps up on the Appalachian Trail
“For thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail, there is a phenomenon known as “trail magic.” As a rule of serendipity, it arrives when it is most needed, when the hikers are beat, downtrodden, lonely, hungry. When the weight of their pack and the miles ahead of them are crushing their will. That’s when trail magic happens.”
by BILLY BAKER