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Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, MOODY, NORTH BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SOUTH BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, October 24, 2025 Volume 21 • Issue No. 43
Brad Kenney Celebrates 20th Anniversary at Playhouse Karen Marie Arel, Staff Writer OGUNQUIT Jo yc e a n d R ay m o n d Kenney made sure their children grew up surrounded with music, art, and theatre as the heartbeat and soul of their family life. In fact, one sister, Dawn, lives part-time Nashville and is today a bluegrass singer and songwriter. Growing up in that environment set the stage for Ogunquit Playhouse Executive Artistic Director Bradford Kenney, leading him to his destiny along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean – Ogunquit, Maine. The combination of playing under the theater footlights at five years old and playing “one of the Frederics” in “The Pirates of Penzance” as a way to boost
his college applications helped Kenney to rediscover his love for singing and dancing. After deciding against college, Kenney found himself traveling the world finding destina-
tions for clients of Trans National Travel, where he worked in product development. He later moved into tourism through the Worcester County Convention & Visitors Bureau, handling hospitality marketing. He was also the PR representative leading sales missions for the New England, Boston, and Salem markets in the UK, Germany, and Japan – a nice job for a 25 year old. With a desire for more involvement in theater, Kenney left behind the travel industry to move into the role as Artistic Director at the Worcester Foothills Theatre, a professional theater company in Worcester, MA. He also balanced another role as co-founder and Artistic Director of the Wachusett The-
atre Company. Kenney had friends and connections at the Ogunquit Playhouse and knew of their reputation for attracting some of the biggest stars in theater. A few years after former owner John Lane passed away, the Playhouse reached out to him for help with their budget. Then, in 2005, out of the blue, came a phone call from Karen Maxwell, board chair of the Playhouse, asking him if he would be interested in applying for the Artistic Director position. The next call came from his friend Eleanor Vadenais, letting him know he needed to put together a resumé. Kenney told her he didn’t have one. It seemed that he had gone from one career to the next
– the work just came to him. At age 40, he pulled together his first and only resumé and sent it off to the Playhouse. Kenney was standing at a crossroads in his life, pondering whether to move to Los Angeles to be a casting agent or accept the new position offered to him at the Playhouse. The call of the sea, the waves crashing against the shore, the smell of the salt air, the picturesque landscapes, all tugged at his heart. It all came down to a whisper in his ear as he walked the Marginal Way one fateful afternoon – “You are supposed to be here.” “It was as clear as day – I [was] supposed to be here, I think the Playhouse needed See KENNEY on page 2 . . .
Wells Chamber to Host 12th Annual Veterans Day 5K WELLS The Wells Chamber of Commerce will host its 12th annual Veterans Day 5K on Saturday, November 8, at 10 a.m. The 5K run and walk will start and finish at the Trailblazers Family Club, 102 Bills Lane in Wells. Proceeds will benefit Honor Flight Maine. Sevigney-Lyons Insurance Agency is the primary event sponsor. The Veterans Day 5K has become a local tradition since it was first organized in 2013 to
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Ongoing Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt
Now through Friday, October 31 at Hope Woods, Kennebunk. Take a stroll through Hope Woods and spy the pumpkins along the trail. When the hunt is completed, come into Kennebunk Land Trust for a prize and a treat! FMI: info@kennebunklandtrust.org or 207-9858734.
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Classifieds
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Health & Fitness
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Home & Business Library News
Festival of Frights Parade/ Trunk or Treat
com/race/me/wells/vd5k, www. wellschamber.org, or call 207646-2451. For more information on Honor Flight Maine, visit www.honorflightmaine.org.
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Obituaries
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Puzzles
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FINANCE & CAREER
Sports & Outdoors
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4:30 p.m. at Short Sands Beach, York. Parade begins at Short Sands basketball courts and finishes at the Center for Active Living, 36 Main St. Those who wish to participate should line up at Short Sands Basketball Courts by 4:15 p.m. No sign up - just show up! Afterwards, there will be a “Trunk or Treat” at the Center for Active Living. Get those costumes ready and join in! Special thanks to York Parks & Recreation Department, the York Police Department, and Center for Active Living FMI: www.yorkparksandrec.org/special -events.
KCC Halloween Celebration
5-8 p.m. at Kittery Community
See HALLOWEEN on page 29 . . .
October 24-26
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Pets
ual, Best Overall, and Best Under 12 years old. Come enjoy a cup of cider and a treat while choosing your favorites! Sponsored by RE/ MAX Realty One Team Wonder and the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce. FMI: 207-754-6354. 4-6 p.m. at Center for Wildlife, 375 Mountain Rd., Cape Neddick. Celebrate Halloween at CFW! Enjoy family-friendly “haunted” trails, marshmallow roasting, spooky stories, and meet the Animal Ambassadors. Costumes encouraged. RSVP required at www. thecenterforwildlife.org or 207361-1400.
4 p.m. deadline at 84 School St., Ogunquit. Community members are invited to paint, carve or decorate a pumpkin and drop it off at RE/MAX Realty One offices by 4 p.m Friday, Oct. 24. They can then
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and in the following age groups: under 20, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 and older. For more information and to register, visit www.runsignup.
Trick or Treat at CFW
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Dining
Food & Drink
return on Saturday, Oct. 25, to vote for their favorites. Categories include Best Business, Best Individ-
Friday, October 24
Arts & Entertainment 13-17 Calendar
relies entirely on donations to cover the cost of flights, lodging and tours – veterans never pay. Registration costs are $20 for adults in advance (by November 7) and $25 afterward. Students ages 11 to 17 pay $15 in advance and $20 after November 7. Children age 10 and under can participate for free. The first 100 registrants will receive a free longsleeve T-shirt, and breakfast foods will be available for purchase after the race. Prizes will be awarded to top male and female finishers overall
Halloween Haunts and Happenings 2025
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honor area veterans and support veteran-focused charities. Each year, the event draws runners and walkers from across southern Maine and New Hampshire. Honor Flight Maine is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization founded in 2014 to honor Maine’s veterans by offering them a free, escorted weekend trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials erected in their honor. The group serves veterans of all branches, ranks and eras, with priority for the oldest and those facing life-limiting illnesses, and
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Real Estate section!
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