My mother used to tell me stories of when she was my age, she could drive all the way through Harpswell without seeing another car on the road. Tourists did exist in Harpswell, but they generally just came down to take pictures and they didn't spend an entire season on the islands.
Today, there are more cars on the road and more people running and walking their dogs on the narrow street that is Route 24, a windy road lined with summer homes and local homes alike. As far as local business profits go, this influx of people has been great. People come down to the islands and spend a lot of money at restaurants, gift shops and kayak rental areas. The locals continue to do what they've been doing; commercial fishing industries still thrive here.
However, the local culture has definitely been impacted by the wealthy summer residents. For starters, the rich tend to have an uppity and entitled way about them. I've heard stories from people who work at the restaurants around the islands and many have recounted all the dumb questions and bad attitudes. The notion that "I'm on vacation, so I can't be bothered," is a dangerous one, because while the wealthy may be on vacation, we still have to live here and put up with everyone.
There's no doubt that the locals know how to party; I should know, because I've been to plenty of them. However, the people from away, who are usually called "Highlanders" by the locals, don't like to put up with our cutting loose. Making too much noise on a Saturday night used to be commonplace, and the locals didn't mind because they had nothing to disagree about. Now, the snooty highlanders want their tea at eight-thirty and be in bed by nine, no exceptions. Naturally, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office has been dispatched many times. What the highlanders don't realize is the sheriffs, for the most part, don't see anything too wrong with the things we do, because we are never going to stop doing them.
After working all day on the ocean or on land, hauling traps, patching traps, loading lobster trucks, waiting tables on shore, working a cash register in a sea of tourists, most of us either want to relax or blow off steam and party a little. Our location in the world makes for a great place to have a couple of drinks in peace. Music plays in the garages of the local population. People like unwind after a hard day's work. Problems arise when groups of people who really have no business with us try to change the way we live our lives because it's disrupting their "lovely vacation community." Stubborn as we are, this is not the way things will be, at least for now. Rising real estate values for waterfront properties in Harpswell means our home is being bought up by people who only reside here for two months out of the year, turning our cramped islands into ghost towns for three seasons and a bustling tourist trap in the summer. The local population gets a little older, as the only people who can afford to live here have been around since it was cheap. Young locals like myself can't afford the land values anymore, and the only people who can afford it are well-off people from out of state. As the younger generation of locals leaves, the culture beings to die.
On the other hand, highlanders seem to think they can get away with just about everything. A friend of mine told me that two people from away were out walking when a major thunderstorm blew in, and without batting an eye or flinching, they ran onto his property, onto his porch, and took a seat by some umbrellas and tables. In the United States, private property is a well-coveted idea, and many people may have responded in a violent way to someone on their property. My friend did not respond aggressively, but it's still just a little jarring that rich people who summer in Harpswell think they could really get away with trespassing just because it's raining. Had it been my friend and I who ran onto their lovely veranda to escape the weather, the Sheriff would have been called and we might have gotten arrested.
In an altercation involving a wedding between a small gathering of firefighters and their families, all from out of state, and several locals, one guest said something like, "We spend a lot of money on your island, you should treat us with respect!" Needless to say, this comment was not well received. It's an intensely problematic statement, because us local types don't take kindly to outside input. The idea that working-class locals should be subservient and extremely kind to people who try to change our homes is a real life, degrading living condition for us in the summertime. We could be a lot worse to them, but we try to keep to ourselves and let them do their thing until they leave. We can only take so much.
Some advice to travelers; you are a guest here on the islands. Even if you have a nice little summer home on Lowell's Cove or next to the road at Veteran's Row. Your "village area" sign doesn't do anything but divide you and the locals more. Calling the police on native Harpswell residents makes you stand out as someone not worth dealing with, and word definitely gets around. You may feel very isolated if you continue your behavior. People might rev their engines when they pass your house. You might get the finger every now and then. We're not scared of you. You chose to be the way you are, and you can't get out of it now. If you treat locals like dirt, you will reap what you sow. Your actions are disagreeable now, and you will be treated poorly in the future.
If you want a true vacation anywhere in the world, try to be nice about it. Mix with the locals instead of shutting them out. Be a friend to people. Don't stop in the middle of the Orr's Island bridge to take a picture. It's a state road. Go the speed limit, or more, because that's what the locals do. If you want to call your summer house a home, live here, don't just vacation here. Be a real, true person and don't treat working class people like crap. Try going to the places where locals go and see if you can make a friend or two. We'd be glad to take you under our wing if you at least make an effort to be nice. Some have done it. There are people who only live here in the summertime that the locals consider one of their own. Try to follow in their footsteps. However, don't think that you can just throw money at us and consider you a friend. People tend to truly like each other for their personalities, not their money. We don't need your out-of-state charity. Spending money at Cook's, Erica's or Este's does not mean we owe you anything besides what you paid for.
In short, you'll enjoy your vacation more if you don't consider it a vacation. You'll have a better time if you just consider it no more than visiting your friends in Harpswell. We can be your friends, but you have to make the first move. Prove to us that you're not just some rich guy or gal who wants to have a couple of cronies. If you don't like us, go somewhere that has more people like you. New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island; that's where most people from away come from. If you live there the rest of the year and you don't like the locals in Harpswell, spend your vacation at home. It's not going to hurt our feelings.
