1. International Homecoming Festival
City: Calais, ME
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (207) 454-2308 or (888) 422-31
Address: P.O. Box 368
Description: So many family and friends would return to the Calais-St. Stephen area every year for the annual International Festival that organizers decided to rename it the International Homecoming Festival. “Two Countries, One Heart” is the fest’s motto, and while that may sound a little precious, this celebration of life on the U.S.-Canada border is kind of fun and funky. Taking place over the course of two weeks, the event includes beauty pageants for girls and teens—where else can you win the Miss International crown?—golf tournaments, lots of bands, lumberjack and rock-skipping competitions, a “food fest,” a street dance, various suppers, chocolate pudding wrestling, cow patty bingo (yes, real cow patties), a road race, volleyball tournament, and much more. (Did we mention the pudding wrestling?) Events are held at sites on both sides of the border.
2. Saint Croix Country Club
City: Calais, ME
Category: Golf
Telephone: (207) 454-8875
Address: Route 1
Description: You can practice your French while you play on these nine holes—the club is bilingual, thanks to the fact that it borders the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The layout is open, and the St. Croix River comes into play on one hole. Greens are of bent grass, the fairways are of bluegrass, and par is 68 for 5,470 yards. You can tee off as early as 7 a.m., and when you do, chances are you’ll be one of the first people to smack a ball in the United States, as this course is the easternmost in the country and gets the first rays of sun every morning. The facilities include a pro shop, club and cart rental, and a snack bar and lounge. Open from late April through late October. Très agréable.
3. Bernardini’S
City: Calais, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 454-2237
Address: 89 Main St.
Description: One of very few reasons to go to Calais to eat, Bernardini’s is a fairly straightforward Italian place with all the expected pastas and marinaras. But Marilyn Bernardini is a gifted enough chef to win the Maine Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year of award in 1999. Try one of her soups or even the lobser rolls, which were pleasant surprises. The place is comfortable, with checkerboard walls and glass-topped tables, but not fancy. Open year-round from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday.