by John Alphonse |
|
The resurgence of Deering Oaks Park appears to be gaining
momentum. Construction now underway by the city replacing some automobile
throughways with grass and walking paths, along with expansions and upgrades
to the park's eatery by new owner Dave Kingsley, are bringing about an improved
atmosphere to one of the city's premier four-season public spaces.
On Monday, The Barking Squirrel Cafe, which
was primarily a concession stand before Kingsley got hold of it, heralded
the arrival of its four-keg cooler, (photo at right) enabling the restaurant
part of the business to serve up fresh local beer. The inaugural selection
is Allagash White, Geary's Pale Ale, and Shipyard's Export and Goat Island
Light.
The Barking Squirrel also lists a menu of 20 international and domestic wines to serve with its equally ethnic cuisine.
Another plus for the park's atmosphere, and for local musicians, is Kingsley's willingness to experiment with offering live music on certain evenings and at brunches. He is currently seeking acoustic acts and hopes the venue grows to include bands.
Currently the city is sponsoring bands every Tuesday night all summer at the park's outdoor bandstand.
Oh, yeah, there's still a concession stand with ice cream and fries and all. And you can rent recreation equipment for all seasons ranging from paddle boats to frisbees in summer and ice skates in winter.
Kingsley hopes that improvements he's made to his business
- and subsequently the park - encourage other individuals as well as the
city to further invest in what is perhaps the peninsula's most vibrant green
space.
Outdoor movies are on the horizon at The Barking Squirrel, and one thing Kingsley is intent upon is that there will be "no charge" for any entertainment at The Squirrel. He is searching for a suitable screen and intends to run old classics on given nights, creating what he calls a "walk-in movie type of thing."
Along with entertainment improvements, Kingsley sees the coming year as the time to begin restoration of "The Tower," the historic part of the building which presently houses oversize bathrooms. Tentative plans are to create a visitor center, ice cream parlour and new bathrooms in the tower portion, enabling separate lines for the food and rentals aspects of the business.
Kingsley hopes the city continues to focus on the unmet
needs of the park and its users, and would like to see an improved ice skating
facility, with "at least a portion" of the pond bottom cemented
over to enable a more maintainable ice surface.
The pond in Deering Oaks at one time filled and drained with the ocean tides; it was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 1800's.
The Barking Squirrel's hours are expanding in late June to 10 p.m. Thursday thru Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, and 9 p.m. Monday thru Wednesday. They serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.
PRINT THIS COUPON AND REDEEM FOR ONE FREE DINNER ENTREE Compliments of: The Barking Squirrel Cafe |
© 1997 reality x publishing co.
All rights reserved.
