6:30 AM

You start your day early, as farmers do. After coffee at home, you head out to check the greenhouses. You run a 40-acre organic vegetable farm outside Skowhegan, growing produce for local restaurants, farm stands, and the Skowhegan Farmers’ Market — one of the oldest and most respected markets in Maine.

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8:30 AM

The crew arrives and you assign the morning tasks — harvesting lettuce and radishes for a restaurant delivery, transplanting tomato starts, and running the drip irrigation. The soil in the Sandy River valley is some of the best farmland in the state, and Skowhegan’s agricultural roots run deep.

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12:00 PM

For lunch, you take a break at Coburn Park, a beautiful public park designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. You eat your lunch on a bench by the pond and enjoy 20 minutes of quiet before the afternoon.

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1:00 PM

After lunch, you make deliveries to two restaurants in town and drop off crates at the farm stand. Then you spend the afternoon in the field — weeding, staking, and making notes on crop performance. The connection to the land and the seasons is what drew you to this work.

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5:00 PM

After the workday, you clean up and drive to Lake George Regional Park for a swim. The park has a sandy beach, hiking trails, and disc golf.

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7:00 PM

For dinner, you head to Run of the River on Water Street, a local restaurant and bar with a seasonal menu and craft cocktails. The atmosphere is casual and the food is creative — a welcome addition to Skowhegan’s growing dining scene.

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8:30 PM

After dinner, you drive out to Bigelow Brewing Company on Bigelow Hill Road for a nightcap. The taproom is cozy and the beers are brewed on-site. You try a seasonal IPA and chat with the bartender about what’s new in town.

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10:00 PM

Back at home, you settle in for the night. Skowhegan is a town that’s finding its footing again — investing in its downtown, attracting creative people, and building on its agricultural roots. The Skowhegan State Fair, held every August since 1818, is a reminder that this place has always been about the land.