Gardiner Drama & Dining #284

Michael Giberson:

It's really a great little community. We've kind of watched it struggle. Of course, when I was a kid, it was a thriving community because there were, there were three big shoe factories. The downtown had everything you could imagine and you didn't really have to go anywhere to get anything in the 50s and 60s. Then those towns, all those mill towns started to die and fade away. And when we got there, the downtown was pretty bleak. And slowly, over the last 29 years, we've seen it come back.

Michael Miclon:

You know, I think, I think, I mean, I think to live in Maine, you have to be really creative anyway. I mean, we have the changes of the season so extreme and you're always, you know, you're preparing. You're always preparing. You're either preparing for winter, getting excited for that's getting through. We used to, we don't have mud seasons anymore, but we used to. But always trying to prepare and get ready. So you have to be, you have to be multifaceted. And I think that sets up people that, you know, we learn a lot of things and then you have lots of months that are like, you know, cold and dreary and what are you gonna do? Stay inside, Create something.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 284, gardener drama and dining airing for the first time on Sunday, February 26th. 20. Located on the Kennebec river, the town of Gardiner is one of Maine's hidden gems. Originally a center of industry and known worldwide for exporting ice in the 1800s, Gardiner is now home to the iconic A1 diner and the up and coming Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center. Today we speak with Michael Giberson and Neil Anderson, who have owned the A1 diner for almost three decades, and with Michael Micklon, the executive and artistic director at Johnson Hall. Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Anyone who's ever been through Gardner is aware of the A1 diner, which is quite the landmark. And today it's my great privilege to have with me Michael Guyberson and Neil Anderson, who own the A1 diner in Gardner. In April, they'll celebrate 29 years of ownership of the diner, making them the longest running owners of the 1946 Worcester dining car. It's pretty impressive.

Neil Andersen:

It's hard to believe.

Michael Giberson:

We think so.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, thanks for coming in and talking to us about this because. Interesting subject, I think.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah. So why diners?

Michael Giberson:

Well, my dad owned the diner and he bought it as a retirement business and soon found out it was not a retirement business and he owned it for nine years. Neil and I had lived together in Boston and we had wanted to open a little breakfast restaurant in Boston, but neither one of us had two pennies and I had moved to LA for a short time and Neil was still in Boston. And I called my dad one day and he said, I'm gonna sell the diner. And I said, well, maybe I'll come home for that. So that's kind of where it all started.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So, Michael, you were actually born in Gardner when there was a regional medical center.

Michael Giberson:

I was, yeah, I was. I'm a native.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So how did you end up, how did the two of you end up meeting? You said you spent time in Boston. You were both out of the state of Maine for a while.

Neil Andersen:

We, I grew up in Massachusetts. I was born in. In Massachusetts. And we worked together at, shall we say at Legal Seafood.

Michael Miclon:

Yes.

Neil Andersen:

So that's where we met, and we worked together there for a while, and then we worked together at another restaurant that is now defunct. And that was what was happening. Yeah, so it was in the blood.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So it's kind of a commitment to work in food and food service and hospitality, and it's something that you. It has to be a conscious decision if you're going to do it, as long as you've done it.

Neil Andersen:

I think it was kind of an unconscious decision at the time because we were both pretty. It would be conscious now. It was.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah. I kind. I grew up in the restaurant business. My aunt and uncle owned a restaurant, and I worked there when I was a junior high, high school kid. I learned a lot of different stuff from my aunt, who taught me bookkeeping and doing the payroll and all that kind of stuff. And so it was kind of in my blood. Plus, I've always cooked since I was a kid. But there was really no conscious intention to end up in a diner.

Michael Miclon:

We just.

Michael Giberson:

Just by chance we ended up there.

Neil Andersen:

And my grandparents were caterers on the South Shore. So, I mean, I grew up in a house that had catering equipment in the basement that I would play with pots and pans and stuff. And my grandmother was a great cook. So. Yeah. And then I worked as a bartender and, you know, scooping ice cream at friendlies. Just from the ground up. Absolutely.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So were there detours before you got to the place of deciding, okay, this is what we really want to do?

Neil Andersen:

I mean, just the path of life that you take along until you're, you know, I was 25 or 26 and you were 36, so still both relatively young. I think ownership wasn't, you know, we had talked about it would be fun to do something, but it wasn't like, oh, we've got to own our own place. It just sort of came upon us, and then you seize that opportunity.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So there's something really special about diners that keeps us interested. I think there's a really rich history there. How much of that did you know about before you started this business?

Michael Giberson:

I think we knew a little bit. I mean, I did from my dad having the business, but I wasn't around when he had the business, so I wasn't really into the history of the whole thing or didn't know that much about the diner industry as a whole. And then once you're in it, then all of a sudden you become aware of, oh, there's all these books about diners and people that are interested in diners, and it's kind of Like a cult of diner. With some people, they'll travel 100 miles out of their way to go to a diner.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah, and I think it's cyclical. I think when we started it, you know, it had faded because it was big in the 40s and 50s when the, you know, cars were just starting and people were traveling. And then in the 70s and the early 80s, it had sort of faded out. But it was almost start of the renaissance of people buying old diners. There was a place called the Flash in the Pan that we used to go to on Route 1. That was one of the early places. And we were like, oh, diners can be cool. You can serve good food in a diner. This place is great. And that was a big inspiration to us. So. And then I think we've seen it sort of cycle and then coming up now with diners drive ins and dives, that's like, think the renaissance is in full blue bougain, which is wonderful because these are historic places that are special, I think, and they need to be saved and appreciated and.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah, and they are special because we've seen whole generations cycle through that diner. We've seen young couples get engaged there, have kids. Their kids have worked for us, you know, so.

Neil Andersen:

And they have kids.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah. And we've heard so many stories from people, tell us how special it is to come to the diner as a child and then come as a teenager and come as an adult. I mean, myself, I hung out in that diner. It was the. It was the junior high after school hangout when I was a kid, because you'd go in there with very little money and you'd get a Coke and you'd play the jukebox and you'd get some French fries, and that was the place to be.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what is it about your diner that keeps people aside from obviously the social element and the culture of it, what keeps them coming back? What's the mystique of the diner?

Neil Andersen:

Food.

Michael Giberson:

I think it's.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah, let's say first and foremost, I think food. I think we've. We serve good food and we serve honest food and we have a great variety of things. I think we've sort of found that sweet spot between diner classics and interesting contemporary food. So, I mean, it's a restaurant. People come there to eat, most importantly.

Michael Miclon:

So.

Michael Giberson:

And it's important to have a variety. I mean, we have everything you'd expect to find in a diner. But in a small town in Maine, in mid winter, you have to do everything you can to encourage every customer to come in and having a real variety on the menu does that.

Neil Andersen:

Vegetarian food, ethnic food, regional food, and that's something that we were always interested in. That was. We knew from the start that what we would have to do to keep us interested and to keep us there, we couldn't just do the standards. We had to hopefully step it up a little bit.

Michael Giberson:

Plus, we watched my dad struggle because his business was kind of dying, because it was very traditional. His clientele was elderly. His biggest time of the month was when Social Security checks came out. So we obviously knew we had to change that business model in order to succeed. And we managed to do it. Just first we just kind of tweaked his menu and made better quality of what he was doing. And then we started introducing our own type of cooking.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So if someone were to visit the diner today and say, as a vegetarian, myself and I haven't been to the diner for a few years now, but what could I expect to see there?

Michael Giberson:

Well, there's always the ever changing menu boards on the wall and they have a bunch of vegetarian stuff on them. Usually there's a lot of vegetarian stuff just permanently on the menu. There's some Asian noodle dishes, there's a variety of salads, there's a veggie burger, and then a lot of the soups are vegetarian. And of course, we try to keep a lot of the specials vegetarian too, because even though there's a ton of carnivores in the world, even the carnivores want to eat less meat now. You know, they like to mix it up just because they know it's healthier.

Neil Andersen:

All these curries, I mean, vegetable stews, we've got these gorgonzola rice cakes that have grilled portobello mushrooms on them. So there's. Yeah, all sorts of stuff.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, now I can't believe I haven't been there in a while.

Neil Andersen:

I feel like you can't either.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Exactly. I'm gonna have to make a trip up there very soon just to have the vegetarian food. Now, a lot of people know Gardener as it's kind of a place in between. Lot of people, there's a lot of people who will drive through. And obviously you can't really drive through Gardner without seeing the A1 diner. But to you, Michael, this is it. This is where you were born, this is where you were originally from. You spent the first 17 years there and then you've come back there and Neil, you've made a conscious decision to

Neil Andersen:

be there since 86. Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what's so special about Gardiner.

Michael Giberson:

It's really a great little community. We've kind of watched it struggle. Of course, when I was a kid, it was thriving community because there were. There were three big shoe factories. The downtown had everything you could imagine. And you didn't really have to go anywhere to get anything in the 50s and 60s. Then those towns, all those mill towns started to die and fade away. And when we got there, the downtown was pretty bleak. And slowly, over the last 29 years, we've seen it come back. The. The community itself has great housing stock. There are beautiful old homes, quiet neighborhoods. It's really a beautiful town situated on the river and on the Cobbsee Stream. The city's done a great job building new waterfront area, connecting to the rail trail to Augusta. We're building a new trail up the Cobbsee Stream. So it's a great community. And Johnson hall is a huge factor. Huge factor.

Neil Andersen:

And it's a member of the gardener of the Main street community in Maine which has. We've been involved in. In the beginning. So it's. Yeah, it's sort of like quintessential small town Maine that's sort of reinventing itself. Absolutely. And it's really wonderfully centrally located. I love the fact that we can get to Rockland or Camden or Brunswick or Portland or, you know, there's any number of places you can go. It's very centrally located without having to drive. You can get to Bar harbor or Belfast or. It's terrific.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So, Michael, your family, how did they come to be in Gardner?

Michael Giberson:

My mother's family has been in Gardner for generations. My dad's family, his parents both came through Canada and into the US My dad's father died when he was a kid, but they met and High school sweethearts, right? Yeah, my parents were high school sweethearts. My dad was the captain of the football team and they were married for, you know, until my dad died for 60 years. So they've. They've always been gardener people.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And what about you, Neil? As somebody who's not of the. Of originally of the gardener community, obviously now very much a part of the gardener community. How has that felt to come in from the outside?

Neil Andersen:

Terrific. It's funny now that I think I've lived the majority of my life in Gardner as opposed to the town that I grew up in. And like I was just in Massachusetts and in Boston, you know, dealing with my mom and stuff. And when I come back, I'm always so happy that I made this decision. I think the time was right. It feels it feels very much like home to me. You know, it's. You lay down your roots, and when you're 25, that's, you know, you haven't really quite decided who you are, and then it sort of unfolds in front of you, and this is where it's happened. So, no, I'm thrilled to be there. I mean, yeah, you gotta love what you do and be happy where you are.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

The restaurant business can be challenging, especially if you're talking the middle of Maine in the middle of the winter. But there's something about what you're doing that's kept you interested, not only for the 29 years that you've had the A1 diner, but prior to that and the time that you spend in the other restaurants. And I think, Neil, you still also work in another restaurant, so why do you keep coming back? What is it that keeps drawing you?

Michael Giberson:

Well, I think the basic thing is the love of food and the community that happens around a diner, around any restaurant, is great with the staff, with your customers. I mean, most of the people we know in central Maine, we know through the diner. And, you know, you meet friends that way. You meet new acquaintances, you meet famous people, you meet travelers. It's very, very interesting just to go out into the diner because I'm, you know, I'm isolated in the kitchen most of the time, but I do wander out front and I strike up conversations. And it's always amazing to hear people's stories and where they've come from and where they're going.

Neil Andersen:

And, yeah, you're either cut out for it or you're not. And you know that. And there are people that get into it and they realize I can't do that, this. And I've had lots of, you know, people that use it as a stepping stone to get somewhere else, you know, waiting on tables, things like that. And then those of us that are kind of lifers. And it is. It's in you. It's your personality. And I think you have to have an affinity for people and hard work and the challenges that they present you. And it's certainly not for everyone. I mean, I know I. I couldn't imagine myself working in a cubicle or an office or being really isolated. I'd lose my mind. It would just make me crazy. So you just figure it out, I think.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So are those two of the characteristics people that have an affinity for others, but also people who are used to hard work?

Neil Andersen:

I mean, it helps. And it doesn't mean that people who don't Work in the restaurant industry aren't hard workers, you know, but it's, it's physically grinding too. It's, it's, it takes its toll on you. It's, you know, and it's non stop. It never really stops.

Michael Giberson:

And when you're the owner, you're, you're really married to it. I mean, we luckily live less than a half a mile from the diner, so if there's a problem, I can be down there in a couple minutes. And my crew knows that and they don't hesitate to call, which is great because I want to be involved and I want to help them out in situations. Everything from the credit card machine not working or a leaky pipe or, you know, whatever, so. But you really are a slave to your business when you own something like that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, it sounds like it's almost like having a child or that never grows up. Yeah, never grows up. Never. Okay.

Michael Giberson:

Gets older, but never grows up.

Neil Andersen:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what are some of the things that you've learned specifically from owning your own business versus working within the industry?

Michael Giberson:

That's a tough one. Yeah. Really.

Neil Andersen:

I mean, I feel like staying focused on what we do best. We've tried to branch off and do other things and they've been somewhat successful, but we've always come back to the core of the diner and that's when we've been the happiest and the most successful. So I really feel like just, you know, having that focus on the thing that you do and do it as well as you possibly can. I mean, I think that the working for other business, other restaurants have helped me be a better owner. I think they work in tandem. I don't see them as sort of completely separate entities. To me, I mean, I think being a diner owner makes me a better employee for someone else. And being an employee for someone else hopefully makes me a better diner because I see it from both angles.

Michael Giberson:

It's been so long since I've been an employee. I don't remember.

Neil Andersen:

He'd probably be a terrible employee now because he's worked for himself for so long.

Michael Giberson:

That's true.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, but you know, it's interesting because I know owning your own business, I mean, it's great because you're your own boss, but then you're it. The box stops with you and that's its own set of stressors because there's nobody else to wake up in the middle of the night and worry about.

Neil Andersen:

People don't understand that. Yeah. That your whole life is on the line and everything that you have and you own and you do. You know, it rises and falls with the success of your business.

Michael Giberson:

And really, that's, you know, that's another driver to make the business successful is because that's a huge chunk of our retirement, is when we sell that business. So we have to maintain it. We have to keep improving the building, the kitchen, the. I mean, we have two old buildings. The diner itself, 1946. But our kitchen building is from the late 1800s. They used to work on models. Keys in our kitchen used to be a garage. There were gas pumps out front. So it's been a challenge. And when we inherited. Not inherited, but when we bought that building, it was really ancient and decrepit, especially the kitchen building. It's taken us 30 years to modernize it, and we're still working on it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So I'm wondering when we have people in. We always ask who. Who do you think would be. Should get some recognition for what they're doing in their community? So you actually suggested Tom Harnett. Or maybe it's Harnett.

Michael Giberson:

I think it's Harnett.

Neil Andersen:

Harnett, sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah. So you suggested your. And you called him Gartner's great mayor.

Neil Andersen:

Yep. We've actually had a couple of great mayors. Andy. Yeah, we have Andy McClain, who was the mayor before. This was terrific. Great.

Michael Giberson:

But.

Neil Andersen:

And Tom has been now. Yeah, he's a great guy.

Michael Giberson:

And Brian Rhines.

Neil Andersen:

And Brian Rhines, who have done a lot for the town.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah.

Neil Andersen:

Just good, even people. Yep. Even keeled. Like inclusive, wonderful people who care about their community, but, you know, are like the best of what a politician can be, I think.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So. Tell me about that. I mean, in a small town, it must have. There must be some. Well, I guess you're not that small, but in a smallish community, there must be some challenges with being the mayor and to be able to maintain the kind of relationship that he obviously has with his community and deserve this recognition. How does he accomplish that and still move things forward?

Michael Giberson:

Well, being in a small town, you know, it's just like being in a bigger political sphere. There are the people who want to do stuff and the people who don't want to do stuff. There are the people who cling to the past that don't want anything to change. And that's always a challenge. I was on the council for two years and I saw that. Living proof of that, that there are people who, no matter what you want to do, there are people who really don't want to do it or they want to drag their feet doing it. So that is a challenge. And I think Tom and the previous mayors have realized that and worked towards goals that were achievable and built coalitions that made that happen and worked with the council to do that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

In a town like Gardiner, which has been evolving since it's not any longer dependent upon industry the way that it once was, what do you see the needs as being? You said that you've worked with Main street and this is all about trying to evolve small towns in the state of Maine. So what do you perceive needs to happen so that Gardner and other towns like it can move forward?

Neil Andersen:

I think it is happening. I mean, there's a new medical center that's being built that's going to have some housing that will be a big deal. And of course, the other side of this interview is Johnson hall, which I think will be a huge key part in the cultural center. And that will, you know, when that's up and running, when the big theater is running and they're having a constant, you know, stream of great shows and it's going to be bringing people into the community and then that I think organically grows small businesses and other restaurants and, you know, things of that nature. I mean, so to me, the arts part of it is huge.

Michael Giberson:

I mean, there are people in any town who don't care about the downtown. They don't think it's necessary, but it really is the heart and soul of the community. And, and if you have a downtown that really is dying, that says a lot about the community. I mean, the building next to us used to be a drugstore and for years after the drugstore on our business it was boarded up. And what signals does that send to people who pass through the community when

Neil Andersen:

that's the first thing they would send to?

Michael Giberson:

So the main building at the main intersection in town is a boarded up building, you know, so there, you know, there are a lot of things that are challenging to a small town in a downtown like that that need to be resolved. And it takes the work of the whole community to do that. And it's very incremental. It does not happen overnight, as we've seen. It's like two steps forward, one step back, you know, all the time, but slowly it is turning around. We've got a brand new co op in Gardiner, we have some new businesses opening. People are developing the upper floors of the Main street for housing, you know, so all of those things are important.

Neil Andersen:

I think it's tinkering with the mix of sort of retail in A downtown of what you know is necessary that can be supported 365 days a year and then other smaller businesses that are a little more specialized. So it's got to be a mix, I think, and that's challenging.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So when you have a town like Gardiner that is not coastal and it does attract people during the summer, but I'm guessing there isn't quite as much of a shift shift from a tourist standpoint as some parts of Maine. How, how do you, I guess try to convince people that you're still open for business in York?

Michael Giberson:

Well, I think one of the things that's really helped us is both the highways come to Gardiner and the old coastal route before they built the new bridge in Augusta was to get off the highway in Gardiner. And if you go into, on Route 9 or Route 17, you drive through Gardiner. And I think that's one of the things that's really helped the town itself. And it is really touristy. You know, unlike the coast which is always touristy, tourists have discovered central Maine more and branching away from the crowded areas of the coast a lot. And a lot of people who come back year after year want to explore more so they discover these towns that are away from the coast. So all of those things have helped.

Neil Andersen:

And this region where we are, there's a ton of lakes and ponds. So there's a ton of summer people that come in that have summer camps and homes. So you see a big swell. I don't think it's as dramatic as it is say in places like Booth Bay where it just closes down and goes to nothing. So that's actually to our advantage. I think. We are a year round community, but also, I mean using things like social media and you know, we've been very fortunate to have a lot of great press and we have, you know, an Instagram account and a Facebook account. So people, and people like to be in touch that way. They like, you know, I mean there's tons of people who will comment or follow us that live on the other side of the country or somewhere else, but they come here in the summer and they want to keep in touch and see what's going on. And so I think that is a constant reminder and that's worked greatly to our advantage and being well being on Diners Drive and synthesis well.

Michael Giberson:

And we did have a ton of crazy media coverage which was amazing. And like I said before every, you need everything you can get in a small town in Maine in the winter. And we had, you know, we've been in the New York Times, we've been on the Food Network, we've been in major magazines. It's been amazing. It's kind of a snowball thing because we don't go looking for any of that publicity. It just kind of happens and it's great. And I think part of that is the resurgence in the popularity of, of diners.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah, people are interested.

Michael Giberson:

You know, people are interested. And plus, it's a, you know, it's a. It's a great building. It's a beautiful building. Just to come and look at it. It's, you know, when you think it was built in 1946 and it's been used hard every day and it's still standing, it's pretty amazing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Do you think that you. In addition to getting people who come back because they have some nostalgia about what's happened in their past, do you think that you're also getting a younger generation that really never knew any of this stuff?

Michael Giberson:

We see more and more of that. I see so many young couples in and teenagers in 20s. It's amazing. I'm always so happy because I didn't ever want it to be the stodgy old folks place, you know, where the old guys came in and sat and had coffee all afternoon and smoked cigarettes. And we see more and more young people. It's great. And I always just am so happy when I see that.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah, I think, I mean, it's a. It is a great mix. And we certainly have lots of. Of elderly clientele that we love. They're the heart and soul of the lunch crowd. And they're. They're wonderful and they have the time to spend. But I think there's young people making their own memories now and creating their own experiences. And I think they want a more genuine experience as opposed to sort of a generic cookie cutter fast food faux chain, you know what I mean? That's the same everywhere. This is something that's kind of unique and a little bit more individual and hopefully a little more special, you know, And I think they're staking that claim for themselves, which is great.

Michael Giberson:

And I think that's some of what's driven young people to move to Gardner, too. From out of state and southern Maine is a lot of people who grow up in big urban areas don't want their kids to grow up in that same situation. They want to move somewhere that they can have more a sense of place and have a downtown that they can call their own and raise their kids in a small community. And I think we've seen a Pretty large influx of people from away who are doing that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So you're celebrating 29 years in April and you probably have a few really good years ahead of you. Quite a few, I'm guessing, because you're both young, a couple. Okay.

Michael Miclon:

Well from a couple, probably a lot

Neil Andersen:

of years and at least a few good ones. Okay.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What would you like to see happen? What is your hope for yourselves and also for the A1 diner?

Michael Giberson:

Well, we have a challenge coming up because the bridge that the diner sits on is going to be replaced in 2019. And it's a huge project because all the utilities for the power company and the phone company and the gas company all ran under that bridge.

Neil Andersen:

And we sit right on that bridge.

Michael Giberson:

Right. So we're going to be closed for a little bit in 2019. We don't really know the details of it yet because the final plan isn't done. We'll be closed for a couple months maybe. We're not really sure. So that's going to kind of give us a chance to reassess where we are and what the future is. And, you know, I'm coming up on wanting to retire and probably after that diner is reopened, after the bridge thing happens, we'll put the diner on the market and we have two or three people who are already interested and I'm sure if it was public, we'd have even more people interested. But my goal is to turn the diner over to someone who loves it like we do. I wouldn't sell it to just anyone. I want to sell it to someone who loves it for what it is and wants to continue the tradition of great food there.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah. Very hand. It's gonna have to be someone very hands on, owner operated. I think so. But I would agree. Yeah, that. That sounds reasonable to me. I'll probably continue to work elsewhere for a while, but it would. Yeah, I think we've earned it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I would say you have.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I'll make sure that I make it back over there.

Michael Miclon:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Before you, before you close down.

Neil Andersen:

You've got plenty of time. It's not going to happen tomorrow.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And then before you retire.

Neil Andersen:

Yeah, you've definitely got plenty of time.

Michael Giberson:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I've been speaking with Michael Guyberson and Neil Anderson, who own the A1 diner in Gardiner and who in April will celebrate 29 years of ownership. I really appreciate your taking the time out of your very busy schedules to come and have this conversation with me. And I also appreciate the community that you've continued to contribute to and create within your own diner. So thank you very much.

Neil Andersen:

Absolutely. Thanks for having us.

Michael Giberson:

It's great fun. Thank you.

Neil Andersen:

Terrific.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

me, I have Michael Miklon, the executive and artistic director at Johnson Hall Performing Arts center in Gardner, who has been a professional Entertainer since since 1982. Thanks for coming in today.

Michael Miclon:

Thanks for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So you really have a lot of things on your list. You've done and been done so many things in so many places.

Michael Miclon:

Sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But you grew up in Buckfield.

Michael Miclon:

I did. And that's really, it was a huge opportunity to grow up in that little town which really didn't have a lot else going on. So Celebration Barn theater is about 15 minutes away and some performers, people came from all over the world to study there. And luckily for me, two of them landed in Buckfield, decided to build a house there, Benny and Denise Real and they had a traveling show called the Buckfield Leather and Lather Traveling Variety Show. It was a remake of an old vaudeville show where they actually made leather products and sold those and then did live shows a la like old medicine shows. And they were just amazing. And so I grew up watching them. And then Denise in 1982 decided to teach the drama class at my high school. And so I was one of those naughty class clown kids that no one knew what to do with. And they were like, maybe if we get him into drama, it'll give him something to do. And I did. And actually that same year, Patrick Dempsey, Dr. McDreamy, we both were encouraged to take her class and both, like I always say, our careers have just paralleled each other, you know, right along.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So are you a different sort of McDreamy?

Michael Miclon:

Are you like, yes, I'm a Mick Lawn. He's a McDreamy. Yeah, I, yeah, I always want I love live theater more than I mean, that. That's really what my. My goal was, was I wanted to do what Benny and Denise were doing, and I really focused on that. So I really started performing right away. Once I. I started an apprenticeship with them, at the end of that year, they asked me to apprentice with them. I had no idea what that meant, but I said yes immediately. And basically what it meant is they trained me in, you know, performance and juggling, comedy, mime, vaudeville, improvisation, you name it. And I would stack firewood and paint their deck, babysit their kids, do all that in trade. And it was amazing because I could have never afforded to pay for the education that I got. I did that for six years with them, so it was great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So why live? Why a live theater versus going the McDreamy direction?

Michael Miclon:

Sure. I love that connection with a live audience. I've always loved that, that. That you get to affect the people that are coming into the room. I do love film and I love that kind of work, but it's a very different experience. And I also love that for the audience. They get to. They get to affect. You see, that's the other part is that, you know, their laughter and applause, or lack of laughter and applause makes a difference, makes you work harder, makes you try to find that connection. And I'd love to find the connection with a live audience. And it's just always been, you know, I did it any. I was. I would say I was the youngest of five kids, so I was sort of born with an audience, so I always wanted to get that reaction and then went to school and found a bigger audience. And so once it was actually controlled and I could actually, you know, use techniques and. And actually learn, it was great. I love to do it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I'm kind of interested about, you know, to hear about this because I don't think of. Tell me a technique. What would be a technique for trying to connect better.

Michael Miclon:

So there's a variety of different things you can do. One is, is that is as you approach your audience, as you. When you. How you come out onto the stage is one of the key things. And. And it's. In a lot of ways, you. You come out, try to sort of seek permission to be there. So you come out and you. You look for ways as. As quickly as you can to make a connection with either a specific audience member or as the group. But you go out and you really are looking. You know, it's very different than stand up, where you're just. It's like battle. Like you got to go out and you got to strike first. This is more the style of entertainment I do is you go out and you're really trying to get permission, you're trying to get buy in from your audience. So you find different ways, whether it's to come out, you do a trick for them, or you come out and you, you know, do an introduction that really is, you know, just designed to make, make a connection with your audience. And then once you have it, once you've gotten that first step, then you go a little further, a little further. And a lot of the live stuff that we do involves actually pulling people from the audience right up onto the stage and interacting with them there. And really, I always look at everything I do is what they call fourth wall down, which is. Which there is no barrier between us and the audience. Like a play is fourth wall up. Everything we do is fourth wall down. So really getting out there and making that, that instant connection.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So is there a relationship between the type of work you do and improvisational theater?

Michael Miclon:

Absolutely. I mean, improv is key because if you don't, if you, you have to be able to change direction if it's not going the way you want it to. So if it's, if you're not making that connection, you've got to be able to shift gears as quickly as you can. So sort of trusting my. One of my main teachers was Tony Montanaro and he always talked about, we. Fortunately, he said when you start to recognize it, you get hundreds of impulses a second. You're getting all kinds of options. And as you train, you start to learn to take the best ones. If you're trying to do comedy, you'll take the ones that lean towards the quickest laugh. And I've really been able to hone that skill over the last few decades of really trying to get it so that as quickly as possible. People talking about, you're so quick. And it's like. Well, it's really a training. It's about doing it over and over and over and trying to find those best impulses that come in.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So as part of it, trying to understand what's going on behind the eyes of the people that are in front of you.

Michael Miclon:

Exactly. I mean, you learn to. I mean, we always talk about, we're mimes. And mimes have such the worst, you know, they're given the worst rap in the world. But mime really is about. Is about studying humans, whether it's their emotion and being able to mimic it. That's the term. And so you really learn to read people so that's one of the key things is being able to look at your audience and you can. Body language is huge. And I always, for me personally, and it's become sort of the mission as I go, I look for the guy that's not laughing, that's got his arms crossed, that's not sitting up. And my goal is by the, you know, as soon as I can, to have incorporated, engage that person, got them to uncred, minimally uncross their arms. Because crossed arms is so such a sign of like, you're not getting to me. I'm protected. And then once they, once they relax and you know, they realize you're not, you know, it's not a stand up show where you're trying to zing them. You're just trying to build a relationship. So I'm always looking for that. So it's really about building, you know, and understanding body language and seeing what they're doing. You know, laughter is easy because if they're laughing, it's great. But I'm always looking for the people that aren't and see if I can get to them.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So I'm interested in this because when I give presentations, I give talks and oftentimes to doctors.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And they are very much known for the crossed arms.

Michael Miclon:

Not all of us, but they're looking for the cross arms.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

A little bit skeptical, you know, very much in their heads. And so if you're dealing with a doctor who's doing that and maybe I'm that doctor.

Michael Miclon:

Right, right, right. Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

How would you approach it?

Michael Miclon:

Well, that's why, you know, they talk a lot of times it's like talking about leading with a joke. So laughter is, is, is so wonderful because laughter really is a surprise. Like that's what we laugh because we're surprised at something. And once you're surprised, you're, you're rocking people off. I feel like you're rocking them off their defenses once you're surprised. So it's really trying to find that opening, that opening line, that opening connection that you can make. If you can get to them, if you can give them that and get them to laugh, nine times out of ten they'll start to, they'll, they will relax their arms, you know, their arms will drop and they'll start to be like, okay. And it's really about going, oh, we're on the same team. If an audience feels like it's a combative situation, if they feel like, you know, they've got to, they've got to defend themselves. It's a tougher, it's a tougher road. That's why I don't do stand up. I love stand up. I don't do stand up because, because it's not in my nature to. Because a lot of comedians talk about, you know, you've got. Jerry Seinfeld always says, you know, we are, our terms are we slayed them, we killed them, you know, and those terms are really specific because it's like if we don't, they'll do it to us, but in the style of family. I call it family entertainment. But it's really, it's just a, it's cleaner material, it's more audience oriented rather than just one liners. It's about connecting. So I try, I'm always trying to find that way to get that connection. And I love, that's why I love that style of entertainment.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Where does something like juggling come in?

Michael Miclon:

Yeah, so. Well, for me, juggling was the reason to get on stage. So I didn't have all the jokes yet, I didn't have all the stuff, but maybe if I could impress you. So juggling was initially for me when I, when I started learning it. And that was one of the first skills that Benny and Denise Reel taught me was to juggle. And of course then that gave me all kinds of confidence because it was something I'd seen, it was something that was. Seemed so difficult. And then once I learned it, I was like, hey, maybe I can do other things. But juggling is a great way because you can come out with the idea, I'm going to show you something and then you can practice everything from, you know, from when you walk out to when you throw, that first trick is your opportunity to try those jokes and try those connections. And then sometimes if you just do a trick like I have, my oldest son is an amazing juggler. He can juggle seven of anything and has worked on nine. And he's incredible. And he doesn't want to talk to anybody. He doesn't want to talk on stage, doesn't want to do it. So he says, I go out and I do it with, I do it with the tricks I do it with, you know, I do something really difficult and then he'll stop and look at the audience to try to go, what'd you think? And actually asking them in a, in a non verbal way, did you enjoy that? And that's his way of getting that connection. So juggling for me was a way to get out on stage and then try all the comedy parts. But for him, it's the reverse. It's like. It's a chance not to have to say anything, but yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Where does he fall in your lineup of children?

Michael Miclon:

He's my oldest. My oldest. He learned to juggle when he was five. He watched me like from a baby. I have tons of video of him. Before he could walk, he would grab two of anything and try. He wouldn't throw them, but he would mimic the motion. So from 0 to 5, he was. He was really living it, but wasn't actually doing it. So when he turned 5, and it's very hard to teach young kids to juggle, but he. It was. It was just in his body. So within. Within a week, he'd learned how to juggle three balls at age five. And now he lives in New York City and does. He was. He's gonna be in an episode of Mozart in the Jungle as a juggler.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I love that.

Michael Miclon:

Yeah. So he's in season two, episode nine.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Okay, I'm gonna look for that.

Michael Miclon:

Look for that. That's Shane McClan. He is like Randy the ring juggler. I don't know, but. But it's cool. But he gets. He gets lots of work. He does lots of circus, like artistic circus, Cirque du Soleil type of performances. And he was on Rachel Ray, which was a odd experience, but fun.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And so I'm assuming if you have an oldest, you must have other children.

Michael Miclon:

I do. My middle son also lives in Brooklyn and he just graduated from the New York Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts a year ago. So they live there and they do due at work together and do shows. And then my youngest actually is not in the performing world at all. Can juggle seven balls, can do all kinds of stuff. Has no desire to be on stage. And what does he butcher? Yep. As a baby and a baby on the way and very happily married and doesn't. Likes to watch his brothers, but doesn't want to get on stage himself.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So that's interesting because I was thinking about what you said about the youngest and how you're the youngest of five.

Michael Miclon:

I know.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So you're watching, you're interacting, and that engagement is really important for you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Did that in any way play itself out with your youngest?

Michael Miclon:

No, because. Well, the interesting thing was is that. So they grew up in the odd fellow theater. That was my theater in Buckfield. They grew up there. And for the older two, we had people coming from all over the world that ended up in Buckfield doing shows at my theater. And we had people that were in Cirque. Du Soleil and people that were on Broadway and with the connections that I had there, people. We'd get people to come in and just do guest spots or do their shows. My older two saw that as inspirational. They saw that as like, wow, I can do anything. These guys have showed me the way. My youngest son saw it as I could never be that good, which is. Which is very strange because usually youngests are like me, where, you know, he is funny, but he. He gets. He gets panicked. Being on stage, it just. It eats him up. He can't do it. The other two just live and breathe it. They don't even. What. What my oldest son does on stage. I mean, I mean, the. The. The ridiculous difficulty, and he mixes it with a lot of dance and. And movement. So it's. It's. It's not just coming out and juggling. It's. It's whole full routines. It's thought up choreography. And it's so difficult. Like, I know I'm a juggler, so, I mean, I can juggle five, but not. I can't do anything to the extent he can do it. But I watch him, and I often wonder. He's making it look so smooth that when the audience watches it, they don't understand the level of difficulty, which is great, which is what our job is supposed to be. But my son, my youngest, just sort of sees it all as, like, just knots him up, even from when he used to do high school plays. And he basically did those just so he could be around who was going to be his future wife. So. But he didn't really want to. He didn't want to do it. For me, I just. For me, I just wanted. I just wanted to be on stage all the time. Any opportunity. Any opportunity. When I did that first year, they did. We did three plays. I got a lead in one, but they needed a dead body in the other one. And I was the only person that volunteered. So I was like. That's how my. How Denise knew that I was destined to stay in the arts is I

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

was willing to be there because you so wanted to be on stage.

Michael Miclon:

I didn't care. I was good, too.

Neil Andersen:

I didn't move.

Michael Miclon:

I didn't do anything.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

See, I think I find this so interesting because it seems as though there are kids that. It's just like, from the moment they, like, pop out.

Michael Miclon:

Exactly.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

They. They are somehow inclined to be in the arts or music, theater, photography, whatever it is, That's. That's where they are. Right. And if they're fortunate enough to be in a family where that's the business.

Michael Miclon:

Yep.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Then that they can kind of.

Michael Miclon:

That's what they can do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, they can do that.

Michael Miclon:

Yep.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

If you're not, then it's very interesting.

Michael Miclon:

Right. Then you have to. In my family, my parents were. I mean, they were. My dad was a teacher. My mom worked at the local phone company. But they were very. My dad always say could out, you know, he could tell a story better than anybody. He was fantastic. So I. And they both have a really good sense of humor, but didn't really do. You know, my mother was a dancer when she was younger and all that stuff. But basically, you know, by the time I came into the picture, they were just two working people with five kids. So it wasn't. Yeah, I really had to. I had to. I knew I had a spark for it, but I, I didn't even know. I didn't know what to do with it. So that's why I just thank God that I came across Benny and Denise because they knew, they saw it and we're like, okay, you got to do this. So then I took on apprentices myself throughout the years going, I've got to be able to pass that on and do that same thing. And all the people that I've. That I chose to work with are all doing it professionally now. So it's great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So does this drive you in the work that you do with the Johnson Hall Performing Arts center in Gardner? And you told me that you need to raise. I think it's 4.3.

Michael Miclon:

4.3 total. Yeah. We're about 1.8 in. Yep. And we have to raise 4.3. So the, the connection to that space is I had run my theater and I decided to, to close the. The Odd Fellow Theater in Buckfield. Thought I was done running a theater. I decided to make a film. So I made a feature length film, a comedy, which was really fun. But then I'd heard through the grapevine, the theater grapevine, that they were looking for a new executive director for Johnson Hall. They had gone through about a year of. And they'd narrowed it down to a couple of different folks. And in the end neither one of them panned out. The two people that they chose. One lady decided last minute she didn't want to move to Maine and the other guy, I don't know what the details was, but he didn't take it. So they were still, still looking. And I said, well, you know what? And they'd already gone through this whole process. I'd never put my name in. And then I made a connection. They brought me in, I interviewed, and then they hired me the next day. But the cool connection is that Benny and Denise Riehl had left Buckfield in the late 80s to go. And they actually purchased Johnson hall. And they were part of that whole resurgence form the nonprofit that I now work for now. And Denise actually stayed on working there for about 25 years. Benny passed away in 2005, but had been a major part of that program. So I went there to go. Like, I want to continue their work and I want to get their theater done. But all of this stuff. And definitely improv is a major part of it. But the work that we do there has been. Is. Is, you know, because I believe that live arts are essential to humanity. I think it is. That thing I was talking about is that, you know, you put. It's this weird agreement that you go. Hundreds of people are going to come together in a room and not like, rush the stage. We have a. We understand. I'll sit here, I'll watch you do stuff. If I like it, I'll slap my hands together and we'll call it. Good. And it's an amazing. I just. I think it's an incredible exchange, you know, and what our job is. My job is to bring in really great people. When I was in Buckfield, I did. I was in about 80% of the shows in Gardner. I barely perform there. I introduce all the shows and do that. But I really wanted to concentrate on the producing end of it. And really, before I got there, we only did about 12 shows a year. So now this year we added films and we're doing about 70. So we. It was really about expanding the program and getting it up to a standard. And that's been huge because we do everything that we do on the first floor of Johnson Hall. But the actual theater, it's the oldest opera house in the state of Maine, is on the third floor. And it's been sitting untouched basically since the 50s. So that's what we're working to renovate. So we'll go from about 125 seats on the first floor to 400 seats on the third floor. And then we'll run both theaters at the same time. So it's pretty neat.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So this is in Garden, which is certainly busier than Buckfield, just geographically.

Michael Miclon:

Street lamps.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yes, exactly.

Michael Miclon:

Restaurants.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But that's still a lot of seats that you're talking about. And have you been successful in drawing

Neil Andersen:

the numbers that you have?

Michael Miclon:

Yeah. So again, before I started There we averaged about 450 people per year. So with 12 shows, wasn't great. My first year we did 32 shows. We got about a little over 1600 people. Next year we had 37 shows. We had about 2200 people. Last year was 42 shows. We had over 3000 people. So we just keep, the numbers just keep growing and growing and growing and growing. And now we're getting to the point where people are like, man, you can't get tickets. Which is awesome. It's where we wanted to be because everyone was saying, why do you need a third floor theater if you're not filling the first floor? So now we're fortunately packing it in at the, at the first floor theater. So. And I had, you know, we had to elevate the level of, you know, we've got Dar Williams coming in. We have, we had John Gorka, Chris Smither. We tried to really upgrade. And really my first year was sort of figuring out what do people even want. I'm very much a, like, I say that vaudeville style performance, but the, what sells the best? What really does it is the music we get. We really, people just love to come out for the music. We still do a lot of the live variety stuff and we have stand up and improv shows and things like that. But it's. We really become a really solid music house. That seems cool.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So I'm fortunate on this show because I get to interview people who are artists and musicians and actors, entertainers of various sorts. And I'm constantly amazed that the arts are so alive and rich and present.

Michael Miclon:

Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's not like we have a history of arts in Maine.

Michael Miclon:

It's.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

We have a history and we have a present and we have a future.

Neil Andersen:

Sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And we're still a relatively rural state. And you're not talking about Portland.

Neil Andersen:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Talking about Bangor. You're talking about Buckfield.

Michael Miclon:

Yep. Gardner. Yeah, it's. It's incredible to me. And I have a lot of people that come to Maine, you know, from, you know, places like Indiana or, you know, I even have some friends that move from Maine to Austin. And if you're in the music world, that's great. But if you're in the live theater realm. He was just saying it's really hard to find work, let alone get work. But Maine has, has a network of people have just sort of grown up over the years knowing that.

Michael Giberson:

Sure.

Michael Miclon:

You know, you have, you know, whether you're a corporate group, you hire entertainers and, and there's these little thriving theaters and theaters Pop up in every form. Mine was an old odd fellows building. You know, people. If there's a place where people can gather and Portland is, what I love about Portland is, you know, they don't care. They go 90 seats, great. We don't care. That's all we can squeeze in. It'll. And it works. And traditionally if you're under 300 seats, you're asking for it. You'll, I mean to succeed financially, it's Almost impossible under 300 seats. But we've proved around here it's like throw a theater in your living room. And that's, and that's actually growing thing that's happening in the state is these living room concert things that people are doing. But it's, it's. I just think that the main arts Commission, years and years and years and years ago used to have a great thing called the main touring program that they, I don't know if they invented it, but it was new to us in the state. And what it was is that if anybody, if you were hiring main artists and you were connected to a non profit, you could get these artists at a reduced rate. So from one end, you know, from, from Kittery to Presque Isle, everywhere in between, people could bring in artists. And they were, and there was this book and you'd have to audition. And I, you know, I remember getting in, getting into the main touring program was a huge, like, that was like a stamp that that meant within us as performers or whether you were, and it was, wasn't just limited to enter to live art. It could be sculptors and painters and whatever too. You could bring them in and they could do work and workshops, but it created this idea that you could get these people at a reduced rate. The performers were still getting their pay, but the main arts commission assisted with that. So it, it just built this. And then after that program went away, the networks didn't stop. People were like, well, I still, you know, I still want to bring artists in. And so school shows and, and all that. It just built and built and built and built and, and, and I think it's been a, it's, it's really the legacy of, of, of a lot of the work that the Maine Arts Commission did back in the day because it built this expectation of, oh, you've got to have art. And I think it's, I think it is unique for us because I know like I said, people that live in New Hampshire, live in Vermont, live in. And it's, it's not as easy to find this, this Steady stream of work that you can get.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Do you think, as an artist, that there's also something about the. The mental space that's available in Maine as opposed to some of the larger metropolitan areas?

Michael Miclon:

I always go, what else is there to do? Create. You know, I think, I think, I mean, I think to live in Maine you have to be really creative anyway. I mean, we have the changes of the season so extreme and you're always, you know, you're preparing. You're always preparing. You're either preparing for winter, getting excited for this, getting through that. We used to. We don't have mud seasons anymore, but we used to. But, but always trying to prepare and get ready. So you have to be. You have to be multifaceted. And I think that sets up people that, you know, we learn a lot of things and then you have lots of months that are like, you know, cold and dreary and what are you going to do? Stay inside, Create something. So I'm always amazed. And I think that's what attracts people from other places to Maine is that there is this wonderful solitude when you need it and then there's just, you know, this amazing connectivity throughout the state all year long. But, but particularly when it warms up, you can just, you know, there's so many places to go and do. You can recreate yourself or be a part of someone else's recreation. And it's awesome. I think it's awesome.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So as the executive and artistic director at Johnson hall and Gardner, you have a very specific role and you said that you weren't doing any performances there.

Michael Giberson:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But it's still in you. Because obviously if you're doing a New Year's Eve.

Neil Andersen:

Right, right, right.

Michael Miclon:

I still perform. Right. I still do shows in other places. I just found it was weird when I was in Buckfield, it was. I was more performer than executive director. And then when I came to Gardner, I really realized the need to be more focused on the executive director part and actually building the organization and helping to fortify what we were going to do. Because if we were going to get to this bigger, this bigger goal of running a four. I've never run a 400 seat theater. I've always run theaters under 200 seats. And that's a different animal. And, and I told them very honestly when I took the job that the whole reason I was taking it is that I a wanted to see Benny Denise's theater get done. But I also want to experience what it's like to run a 400 seat theater myself. I Want to know what's that? Like, the level of act that I can bring in starts to go way up. You know, we can start to get some really serious. With 400 seats, you. You can really start to. Your pool of artists start to get a lot bigger, and that's really exciting to me. You can really begin to pull some really interesting acts in and different groups from around the country, whereas we're a little bit more limited with a small amount of seats. So. But I was like, yeah, but really focused on the idea that I really have to build. I have to be more the businessman with an artistic sense rather than the artist who's trying to do the business. So I had to switch my focus a little bit.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And yet both require you to be able to read people.

Michael Miclon:

Yep, exactly. Yeah, it really does. And, you know, yeah, I feel like I perform a lot. We do a lot of what we call house roadshows, where we. We are always trying to get one of the things that we realized with Johnson hall, and a lot of organizations have this, but it's like, even in your closest proximity, that's where people tend to not know about you. They know of you. They don't know you. And yet we pull people from Portland, from Bangor, from Lewiston, Auburn to Gardner all the time. But our general area, they're like, yeah, I know. Johnson Holiday, that little place. Maybe they've never been in. Maybe they went in once and didn't like it. You never know. So what we're trying to do is get into people's homes and actually talk about what we do. We call it friend raising, not fundraising, where we feel like the dollars will follow if they. If they like us, if they're willing to come visit us and. And see that we've changed or see, see, just understand what we do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well. We will put information about the Johnson Hall Performing Arts center in Gardner on our show notes page. And I wish you all the best.

Neil Andersen:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

In raising the $4.3 million for your renovation by 2019.

Michael Miclon:

2019 is when we hope to open. Yep. And so we're hoping to start construction as early in 2018 as possible, if not late 2017.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So for people who are listening, don't hold off on sending money now.

Michael Miclon:

Right. Right now.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You should send it right now to Mike McLaun over at the Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center. Thanks so much for coming in.

Neil Andersen:

Thanks.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's really been a pleasure learning about your craft.

Michael Miclon:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have been listening to Love Maine Radio show number 284, Gardner Drama and Dining Our guests have included Michael Guyverson, Neal Anderson and Michael Micklon. For a preview of each week's show, sign up for our E newsletter and like our LoveMain Radio Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter as DRLISA and see my running travel, food and wellness photos as bountiful1 on Instagram. We'd love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of lovemain Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our Gardener Drama and Dining show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.