Ogunquit is a sleepy little coastal town in Downeast, Maine — until the summer hits and then it rivals Las Vegas.
Great restaurants. Terrific boutiques. Super fun places — Perkins Cove for shopping. The Marginal Way for spectacular ocean views and getting your steps in. And then, there’s theater. For nearly 100 years Ogunquit Playhouse has drawn crowds — and celebrity actors: Carol Channing, Bette Davis, Steve McQueen, William Shatner, Patty Duke, Betty White and endless other stars. A regular for decades — every summer sees her appearance — Sally Struthers of “All in the Family” fame.
The nearby art galleries feature exceptional exhibitions. But in the mix is a museum not to be missed — the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA). It too has hosted stars over the years. And the current show is featuring Nicole Wittenberg.
Over a couple of decades of writing about art, I occasionally experience one of those Mary Tyler Moore moments where I want to jump with delight in the streets of Minneapolis (or New York, or wherever I am) and throw my hat in the air! For those of you that this much-loved TV show predates, it was wildly popular in the mid-1970s where Mary’s character bridged aspects of the Women’s Movement with mainstream culture by portraying a strong-willed, independent woman whose life focused on her professional career rather than marriage and family.