Maine Town Divided Over Proposed Pub Opening

A proposal to open the first pub in Penobscot, Maine, a town with fewer than 2,000 residents, has divided the community. Local business owner Jamie MacNair, who purchased the Northern Bay Market in 2017, hopes to add a small pub to the existing convenience store, creating a central meeting place. However, some residents fear the establishment will lower the town's character and attract unwanted visitors.

MacNair's initial plans for the pub were put on hold when her son was diagnosed with cancer. Now, with her son declared cancer-free, the proposal is back on the table for a town vote on November 20. Penobscot is currently a partially dry town, with a law change in 2019 allowing the Northern Bay Market to sell alcohol in containers, a move MacNair deemed necessary for the store's survival.

"We're hoping to add a pub to [the market], and then that will create a place for everybody to meet and not just pass through," MacNair told the Daily Mail. She believes a pub would offer a much-needed community space, as there are no other restaurants or grocery stores within the town limits, and the nearest bar is a 20-minute drive away.

Despite MacNair's vision of a quiet establishment that would close at 7 p.m. and operate only Thursday through Saturday, some residents have voiced strong opposition. Michele Barber, a resident, expressed concerns in a letter to The Rising Tide, questioning if the next step would be a chain store or a cannabis dispensary and stating, "Penobscot’s unique historically preserved way of life is worth guarding."

MacNair, who lives above the market, has countered these concerns, emphasizing that the pub is not intended to be a late-night venue and that she believes the town is strong enough to embrace the change without losing its identity. "Preserving Penobscot should not mean preventing Penobscot from evolving," she wrote in response. "For me, this is not about changing Penobscot into another town. It is about investing in the town we already have."

The proposal requires the town to amend its local laws to allow for the serving of alcohol on premises, a change MacNair is seeking to secure through the upcoming vote. Penobscot remains one of the last towns in Hancock County with alcohol restrictions. Maine has a history with alcohol regulation, having been a pioneer in prohibition efforts in the 19th century before eventually allowing towns to control alcohol sales after federal prohibition ended in 1933. While the number of dry towns in Maine has decreased over the years, the debate in Penobscot highlights ongoing tensions between tradition and modernization in rural communities.