Wade Zahares - Artist - 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days - July 21-23 - To Benefit the Narcissus Project

Wade Zahares: Fine Art and Illustration

       A bright red truck tools around the perimeter, while a white duck swoops in from the left, does a nose dive, then careens back towards the left and lands in a pond. The U.S. flag waves to the rhythm of the "wind".  The wispy smoke from the chimney sways as it swats at the mountains. The gold-colored weather vane, puzzled, shifts direction from south to west to south again as the flickering flames from the campfire seek relief from the heat. Click on the bright yellow home and the Gallery page opens. Click on the red cottage next to the pond, and the Studio page opens (the red cottage portrays Wade's studio :). Click on the red barn and the Store page opens. What a fun homepage! Wade's home page makes me smile as it draws me into his world of art. Click here to go to Wade's Facebook page.

        I am so very happy to announce that artist Wade Zahares will be participating in the 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Days weekend event. Wade has been commissioned to create an original work of art that depicts the Narcissus, in its full operating splendor, cruising down the tracks while the intrepid "father" of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, W. S. Libbey, skillfully drives his 1908 Stanley Steamer, K 30-hp, Semi-Racer speeding alongside the undaunted interurban.

       Strong lines. Bold colors. Dazzling perspectives. All three distinguish Wade Zahares’ larger-than-life pastel paintings. Wade’s magical scenes pull readers in with their sweeping curves and unexpected angles, like an insect’s view of a garden or a bird's eye view of the Statue of Liberty. “I love creating a whole little world that doesn’t exist in everyday life,” he says.

       The 3rd Annual Teddy Roosevelt Days event will take place at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME on the weekend of July 21-23, 2017. The schedule of guest presenters is now complete. As in previous years, the fundraising event to benefit the Narcissus project will kick off with a Friday activity that requires tickets to be purchased in advance for the limited-seating gala opening. The Friday activity will include the unveiling of Wade Zahares' original work of the Narcissus, a reception, trolley rides, a guided tour of the Narcissus, presentations, raffles, a silent auction, and Theodore Roosevelt-related items for sale. All proceeds benefit the restoration of the 1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban, Narcissus. Saturday and Sunday activities are open to the public with the purchase of general admission tickets to the Museum. More details on the event will follow in the coming weeks. Tickets for the Friday gala opening will become available online early in May.

Wade Zahares' studio

PWM 

       Wade works exclusively in pastels; he is drawn to the intimacy of the chalk and the ease with which he can blend colors. The magic happens in his studio, a converted shed just off his main house. The studio, equipped with 15-foot ceilings and a house gutter to catch all the pastel dust, is set on 5 1/2 acres of farmland in Lyman, Maine, just a few miles from the Kennebunk farm on which he grew up. When Wade needs a break, he goes for a drive to soak up the New England landscape—his biggest inspiration—or tends to his flowers, gardens, and fruit trees. Then he returns to his studio, refreshed and ready to make more magic.

Wade with Daisy at the farm in Lyman, Maine

Photo courtesy of DMZ

More details on Wade and his art will be in future posts to promote the Teddy Roosevelt Days event.

W. Scott Libbey's 1908 Stanley Steamer K 30-hp Semi-Racer at the

2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. The permanent home

of this very rare car is at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in

Mount Desert Island (MDI) in Maine.

A total of twenty-five of these cars were built in 1907 and 1908 combined.

Libbey's is one of only three factory-built K 30-hp Semi-Racer survivors.

Image courtesy of Seal Cove Auto Museum

W. Scott Libbey driving his 1908 Stanley Steamer K 30-hp

Semi-Racer. Mr. Libbey would drive his steamer while inspecting

excavation and construction work as his

Portland-Lewiston Interurban line was being built (1910-1914) This page is

from the large "Interurban" Scrapbook

made to  commemorate the employees of the

Portland-Lewiston Interurban. PWM image

       Clyde Walker Pierce, Jr. reminisces driving his car while racing one of the high-speed interurbans of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban along the New Gloucester-Danville section of the line. Clyde Walker Pierce, Jr., 1915-2011 - this is an edited audio segment of an interview that was conducted by Clyde's daughter, Patricia Pierce Erikson in August 2008.

Racing the Interurban Audio Clip (Below)

       The sole surviving interurban from the PLI, No. 14, Narcissus, is now undergoing restoration at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME. For more information on the restoration and the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, go to www.narcissus1912.blogspot.com

Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.

The Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

This stretch of New Gloucester-Danville road parallels the PLI and is

where many a race between autos and interurbans took place.

Click Here: Clyde Walker Pierce Video

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. 

Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts

Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem.  This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by making a donation today!

Click Here: Donation Options

The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.

Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban

     The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.

Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project

Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding

the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for

 the Middle Reader category for The Eric

Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to

award-winning Maine author,

Jean M. Flahive