Our last gig in northern Maine before heading home to Bridgton was for a picnic / worship service for the Washburn and Mapleton Methodist churches.  The setting and weather was gorgeous.  The service was at Thomas Brewer Park in Washburn, which is right by a river, surrounded by woods, and with a beautifully kept lawn area.

The call to worship and closing prayer had circus themes, which were clever and moving.  I may repring them here sometime, but they originally came from the UCC website.  The music was provided by a local group of dulcimer players, and it was fantastic.  like any good church picnic, there was more than enough food for everyone.

Our performance itself had its ups and downs, no pun intended.  We were very tired from six weeks of camp ministry, and technically it could have been better.  On the up side, outside shows are always an opportunity to juggle fire, something that's getting very hard to do at indoor shows.  The turn out was very good, and the pastor was pleased to tell us that many people who don't regularly go to church were there.  This included the husband of a regular church-goer and someone who had just moved to the area.  These are the kinds of stories that always make it all worth while.

After a plateful of hot dogs, salads and desserts, we headed out on our 5  1/2 hour drive home.  it's good to be back in Bridgton, but we will miss our friends, old and new, in Aroostook County.  We look forward to going back in 2012, God willing.