Comic Paula Poundstone. Photo by Michael Schwartz
Comedian Paula Poundstone typically performs in Maine a few times a year and this summer will be at Jonathan’s in Ogunquit July 12 and at the Strand Theatre in Rockland Sept. 7.
The Sudbury, Massachusetts, native, who has lived in Santa Monica, California, for many years, said she loves Maine for its beauty and its audiences.
She typically arrives on the day of her performance and rarely has time to explore, but she’s been to some spots enough to know where she likes to go and what she likes to do. Here’s how Poundstone would spend an ideal day in Maine.
Poundstone sometimes performs two nights in a row at Jonathan’s, which allows her time to stroll around Ogunquit, often stopping for a pastry at a local bakery. But for the ultimate sweet treat, she kicks it old school at Cumberland Farms on Main Street.
That’s where she knows she can find Ring Dings, a lifelong favorite snack that’s not available in California – though she says they’re not what they used to be.
“I think probably, like so many of the foods that make life worth living, when they they took the trans fats out, they just weren’t as good,” she said.
During her last visit to Ogunquit, Poundstone had a moment of panic at the Cumberland Farms when she couldn’t find any Ring Dings, but a helpful clerk escorted her to the correct snack rack.
The Beach Street Wrap from Backyard Coffeehouse & Eatery on 178 Main St. in Ogunquit. Photo by Paula Poundstone
When not in the mood for junk food, Poundstone heads to Backyard Coffeehouse & Eatery for the Beach Street Wrap. It’s a wheat wrap stuffed with house made hummus, carrots, Granny Smith apples, cucumbers and tomatoes.
“The apples are a stroke of genius, and each ingredient tasted so happy to be with the others,” she said.
She was also pleased the shop was willing to accommodate her diet.
“They asked me if I was allergic to anything, and when I told them I was allergic to dust mites, they didn’t put any in,” she said.
Another favorite stop for Poundstone is the Ogunquit Post Office.
“I write letters, and I like having a good stamp to put on a letter, not just a flag, and many places, they’ll have these posters up on the wall that show these really cool stamps, and then you ask if they have them, and they say, ‘No, we have these flags,'” said Poundstone.
Not so in Ogunquit, which Poundstone said never fails her. “They always have really cool stamps.”
Another favorite Maine spot is Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield. She loves it so much, she recorded a live album there a few years back.
Poundstone also has performed there several times and said the green room is the best she’s ever been in, which she credits to owner Carol Noonan.
“When she started her venue, she focused on the things that make the performer comfortable,” said Poundstone, who always gets there early to enjoy the place. “I don’t in most venues because you’re mostly just sitting in a cement room, but I do purposely go early, not only for the terrific meal but so that I can enjoy Carol’s record collection.”
Along with its comfortable seating, the green room at Stone Mountain Arts Center has a working record player and hundreds of records to play.
The record collection in the green room at Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield. Photo by Marlies Ouwinga
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