ANSWER: Sun Spots did some research and learned that maple bricks were popular in the days when transporting white sugar was difficult and expensive and so these maple bricks were used instead of white sugar. Sun Spots found two companies that advertise maple bricks in their product line, one in New York and one in Vermont.
The company in New York states: “This is not a popular product so it is not in our online catalogue but one that we have made for many years. … Today, with white sugar so cheap most maple is made into syrup and used for its flavor rather than its sugar content. We still sell these bricks (although we make them smaller than the traditional bricks) as some people remember them from their childhoods when they were available as a cheap candy.”
Jillson’s Farm & Sugarhouse, 143 Jordan Bridge Road, Sabattus, 207-375-4486, lists maple sugar blocks among its products. Slattery’s Farm and Maple Supply Co. in West Minot, 207-966-3643, doesn’t list maple bricks but you could call and ask if they could make you some. Maine Maple Products sells maple sugar and you can call 1-800-310-3803 for more information.
Sun Spots would like to hear from local maple suppliers who know where maple bricks can be purchased in Maine.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Dirigo High School has two rings found on separate occasions that we would like to return to the owners. One is a 2008 Dirigo High School ring and the other is an AAU tournament ring. Owners can claim the ring by coming to the high school or calling 207-562-4251. Thank you. — Staff at Dirigo High School.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I may have known this at one time, but why is Bangor called the Queen City?
ANSWER: Sun Spots contacted Cathy Conlow, Bangor city manager, who reached out to Dick Shaw, a resource for information about Bangor. Dick replied, “My theory is that Queen City is a regal-sounding name that helped build trade in Bangor, plus Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 and shortly afterward, local papers starting calling Bangor ‘The Little Queen.’ There was great interest in royalty during her long reign.”
Dick also referred to an article written by Wayne E. Reilly, titled “Why is Bangor called The Queen City?” which was published in the Bangor Daily News. In the article, Wayne writes, “Dick Shaw, local historian and a prodigious reader of old Bangor newspapers, has found some early references to Bangor as ‘little Queen’ (1842) or as ‘Queen City of the East’ (1859 and later) in the Bangor Whig & Courier. … The reasons why Bangor would have considered itself a Queen in the 19th century are summed up in a book called ‘American Nicknames’ by George Earlie Shankle quoted in a paper on file at the Bangor Public Library. It says, ‘Bangor is nicknamed the Queen City of the East because [of] its location on the Penobscot River, its magnificent residences and its standing among cities of Eastern Maine.’ Certainly no one can argue with that, but I’ve never heard anyone calling Bangor the Queen City of Eastern Maine.”
There appear to be several theories, but nothing known for sure.
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