Merritt Holman is a rising junior at Deering High School in Portland and was named Young Maine Volunteer of the Year in 2024. She volunteers at the Children Museum & Theatre of Maine, helping with main-stage productions and assisting with young theater classes. When not in school or doing theater, she loves exploring nature, hanging out with her friends and reading.
Deering High School rising junior Merritt Holman. Photo courtesy of Merritt Holman
My perfect summer day in Maine would start with my best friends and me going to Rwanda Bean on Stevens Avenue to get breakfast (a smoothie) and then next door to Norimoto Bakery for a sweet treat. We’d sit outside to catch up and enjoy each other’s company.
I would then make my way home and get ready for some outdoor exercise, either going for a run on the trails behind Evergreen Cemetery or walking in the sunshine around my neighborhood while listening to some fun summer tunes.
On many weekends, I spend the day at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine on Thompson’s Point to volunteer at Maddy’s Theatre, where I’m assistant stage manager. There are plays and musicals running throughout the summer for kids of all ages. I have grown up at this museum, and it is like a second home. There is something magical about the environment and the wonderful people who I get to surround myself with when I am working with the theater team on a show.
After the morning show, it’s lunchtime, and it’s fun to meet my family at Bissell Brothers on Thompson’s Point for lunch before heading back over to (the theater). On a nice day, I might pack a lunch and eat outside overlooking the Fore River.
Performers during a New Year’s Eve Seastar Drop Beach Party in Maddy’s Theatre on the last day of 2022. Michele McDonald/Photo Editor
We have a second show after lunch, and I am normally pretty tired after that, so it’s time to head home … unless there’s a concert on Thompson’s Point that night. I’ve seen Lake Street Dive and Cake there with my family and friends. It’s a great outdoor venue. If there’s no concert, I’d enjoy the last bits of sunshine by having a fire pit with friends and family and a backyard barbecue with burgers, hot dogs and salad from my grandmother’s huge veggie garden.
The end of a beautiful day in Maine is watching the sunset, making a s’more and listening to the fireworks exploding over Hadlock Field after a Sea Dogs game.
Lake Street Dive performs at Thompon’s Point in 2021. Photo by Milena Calcagni
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