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This is the story of how a No. 5C model Flexible Flyer sled came home to roost. In 1884 the Agnew family took ownership of the house at 5 Pearl Street that is now the Captain Jefferds Inn. Captain William Jefferds had passed away in 1851 and his wife Sarah had passed on in 1871. The Agnew family ended up owning the house from 1884 through 1944.

In 1903 Catherine Sanford Agnew married Edgar Stirling Auchincloss. After her marriage, Catherine had ties to the Maine property as well as property in Connecticut. Catherine and Edgar had four children between 1904 and 1909. Sometime between 1915 and 1921 they acquired a Flexible Flyer sled. When they were in Maine the sled would rest on the porch of the Pearl Street house when it was not being used to fly down local Kennebunkport hills.

In the 1930's the sled made its way to Connecticut where local lore holds that Catherine, known locally as “Balma” would gleefully ride it belly flop style from the Library at the Gunnery School in Washington Depot, CT down to the Mayflower Inn.

In 2012 the sled ended up in an estate sale in Connecticut where a friend of Erik’s son Jonathan came across the now antique Flexible Flyer. The friend got talking with Lee Auchincloss and realized that the sled had ties to the property now owned by Jonathan’s father. She scooped up the sled and gave it to Jonathan who presented it to Erik for Christmas. It is pretty amazing that this lovely sled managed to make its way back home to the porch where it used to rest in the early 1900s.

For folks interested in the history of Flexible Flyer sleds, the No. 5C model was produced between 1915 to about 1928. This series utilized an all steel front end initiated on the Tuxedo Racer a few years before. Part way through the series the logo on the center of the sled was modified. In 1921 the eagle in the logo started carrying a sled whereas before it was an American shield. We know that this particular sled was manufactured before 1921 because in the logo the eagle carries an American shield.

Who doesn't like a good chill going up and down their spine? It is the time of year where spooky happenings abound. We have put together a collection of events that offer folks interesting ways to learn about local history and even take in musical, storytelling, and dance performances that tap into the macabre. Enjoy!

ALL SOULS' WALK

This narrated historical walk with costumed interpreters begins at the museum and covers a half-mile loop through Kennebunk’s Hope Cemetery. Not too spooky, it’s a perfect activity for the whole family. Each tour lasts about one hour, and they run continuously starting at 1 PM. The last tour departs at 4 PM.  Costumed interpreters cast from the local community will portray the historical figures at the gravesites. Participants will learn local history through the fascinating and often tragic tales of residents from bygone eras. There will be stories about ill-fated sea captains, a Civil War soldier killed in battle, children lost at sea, a Kennebunk girl’s calamity atop Mount Washington and other Kennebunk notables from the past 250 years. Tours conclude back at the museum, with cider and treats.

The event will take place rain or shine. Tickets are $10 per person or $30 per family; no advance reservations required except for large groups.

ALL SOULS' DINNER

In conjunction with the All Souls' Walk, the third annual All Souls' Dinner will be held at Duffy’s Tavern and Grill, 4 Main Street, Kennebunk. Cocktails will be available starting at 6:30 PM. Dinner (choice of four entrées) will be served at 7 PM. In the ancient All Souls’ tradition, an empty chair will be left at each table in honor of the dearly departed. The cost is $25 per person with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Brick Store Museum. Advance reservations are required by calling the museum at 207-985-4802.

The Brick Store Museum is located at 117 Main Street in Kennebunk’s historic district. For more than 70 years, the museum has been dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday Year-round. For more information visit www.brickstoremuseum.org or call 207-985-4802.

9th ANNUAL OGUNQUITFEST

Featuring the Bridge to Beach Bed Race, scarecrow contest, haunted house, classic car show, scavenger hunt, ghost stories and tours, wagon rides, marketplace, pumpkin and cookie decorating, costume parade, high heel race, crafts and more. October 19 through October 21. Sponsored by the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce. For more information: 207-646-2939 or www.visitogunquit.org.

WALK AMONG THE SHADOWS IV: SOULS AT SEA

Hear tales of long-dead residents inside the oldest resting place in Portland.
WHEN: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. October 18-20 and October 25-27; tours leave every 15 minutes
WHERE: Eastern Cemetery, Congress Street, Portland
HOW MUCH: $10; $5 for kids under 12
INFO: spiritsalive.org

WICKED WALKING TOURS

Learn about Portland's dark legends and ghostly tales during a twisted tour through the Old Port.
WHEN: 8 p.m. October 19-20, October 23, 25-26, 29, and 31
WHERE: Meet at Bell Buoy Park near Casco Bay Lines, Portland
HOW MUCH: $15; reservations required
INFO: wickedwalkingtours.com

TALES OF TERROR AT VICTORIA MANSION

Victoria Mansion would like to invite you to the 6th annual Tales of Terror! Spine-tingling stories from nineteenth-century writers are read and performed as the Mansion's lights are dimmed to gaslight levels.

There are four performances:
Friday, October 19 at 6 & 8pm (general audiences).
Saturday, October 20 at 6pm (kids 10 & under) & 8pm (general audiences). 

On Friday night, storyteller/playwright Lynne Cullen will tell two frightening stories by great writers of Victorian horror fiction: The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey K. Tolstoy and Louella Miller by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.
To learn more about Lynne, please visit her website HERE.

On Saturday night, storyteller and actress Brittany Cook will perform Poe’s Menagerie: A Radio Play featuring some of the Writer’s Best-Known Beasts. Saturday’s 6pm performance is especially for families with kids 10 & under and includes The Conqueror Worm followed by Hop-Frog, both by Edgar Allan Poe. Saturday’s 8pm performance is for general audiences and will include The Black Cat, followed by The Raven.

To register for a seating, please click the appropriate link below. Registration opens September 21, 2012

Admission:  Adults $20, Museum Members $15, 17 & under $10
Friday, October 19
6pm
8pm
Saturday, October 20
6pm (for children 10 & under) SOLD OUT
8pm

'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' WITH THE KOTZSCHMAR

Watch the classic 1925 silent film accompanied by organist Scott Foppaino. The Portland Ballet performs "Danse Macabre" before the film.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28
WHERE: Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland
HOW MUCH: $18
INFO: tickets.porttix.com

SYMPHONY SPOOKTACULAR

Hear some of the best-known spooky music under the direction of conductor Robert Moody. Portland Ballet will dance during a piece from "Twilight" and lead the audience in the zombie dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30
WHERE: Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland
HOW MUCH: $10
INFO: tickets.porttix.com

Beginning on Saturday, June 23, and running through Saturday, July 14, the Kennebunkport Historical Society will sponsor a Designer Show House at the former Kenneth Roberts Estate, Rocky Pastures, in Kennebunkport. This is the first time the house has ever been open to the general public and is an historic opportunity to explore a beautiful property with a rich back story.

For decades, Kenneth Roberts (1885-1957) was one of America's most popular historical novelists, writing such best sellers as Northwest Passage, Oliver Wiswell, and Lydia Bailey. Roberts’ attention to historical detail, vivid language, and his ability to string together seemingly isolated, rather dry facts made his novels not only models of historical writing and accuracy, but also enjoyable to read. Roberts worked first as a journalist, becoming nationally known for his work with the Saturday Evening Post from 1919 to 1928. During this time period, he was the first American journalist to cover the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, Adolf Hitler's initial attempt to gain power.

Roberts' Kennebunkport neighbor Booth Tarkington convinced him that he would never find the time to succeed as a novelist as long as he worked as a journalist, and Tarkington agreed to help by editing Roberts' early novels. Although Roberts continued to sell a few essays to the Post, his next few years were largely dedicated to historical fiction. He often wrote about his native state and its terrain, also depicting other upper New England states and scenes. For example, the heroes of Arundel and Rabble in Arms are from Kennebunk (then called Arundel), while Langdon Towne, the chief character of Roberts's Northwest Passage, is depicted as being from Kittery, Maine.

The Kenneth Roberts Estate, or Rocky Pastures, is a sprawling stone house that was built for Kenneth Roberts in 1938 by the architect Frazier Forman Peters of Westport, CT. Set in rolling meadows and wooded areas with ancient stone walls, Rocky Pastures is a 6,000 square foot house with 12 rooms that reflected Roberts’ love of solitude and nature. The property is a stone’s throw from Kennebunkport’s picturesque Ocean Avenue. It was here that Kenneth Roberts penned his popular novels of historical fiction that earned him a 1957 Pulitzer Prize in the Special Awards and Citations category.

An Opening Night Soiree will be held Friday evening, June 22, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and $60 per person for Society members. For tickets, call the Society at 207-967-2751, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or purchase by clicking here. All soiree tickets must be pre-purchased. For more information visit the Kennebunkport Historical Society website: www.kporthistory.org.

Additional events include:

- Monday, June 25 – The Colony Hotel – Lunch and Learn - Featured speaker is Joyce Butler, historian, archivist/curator, and writer. The topic is “Kenneth Roberts: The Man.” Guests will look at the talents and colorful personality of one of America’s most loved writers of historical fiction. Butler will chronicle his life at rocky Pastures and tell anecdotes of his family and friends. This intimate portrait is sure to delight all. Tickets to the show house are included. $45 per person.

- Monday, July 2 – The Colony Hotel – Lunch and Learn - Featured speaker is Sandy Oliver, renowned food historian and writer. The topic is “Kenneth Roberts’ chapter on food in his book, Trending into Maine.” This chapter unleashed a torrent of reader response that initiated the cookbook, Good Maine Food, authored by his niece and secretary, Marjorie Mosser. Tickets to the show house are included. $45 per person.

- Monday, July 9 – The Nonantum Resort – Lunch and Learn - Featured speaker is etiquette specialist Andrea Pastore. The topic is “Navigating a Place Setting.” Andrea will present etiquette situations and thoughtful, fun and useful solutions. For more information about Andrea, visit http://etiquettesolutionsbyandrea.com/. Tickets to the show house are included. $45 per person.