Author: Robert Sylvain

Lucky Sevens is Open in Bayside!

On By Robert SylvainIn Business Club, Uncategorized

There’s a new place to hang out on Hanover Street! Lucky Sevens has taken over the old Bar Publica space at 82 Hanover, and the idea is pretty simple: a neighborhood bar where you can grab a cheap beer, play some pool or pinball, throw a few songs on the jukebox, and stay a while.

Spencer Brantley, who ran Bar Publica, is behind it, along with partners David Kelley and Ciaran Sheenhan, the founders of Ri Ra. Brantley says the inspiration was a bar in Dublin called 777, and that once Bar Publica closed, he and his partners felt like “this area needs a neighborhood bar.”

They’ve kept the prices friendly. Draft beer is $5, house cocktails are $7, and the short food menu of burgers, grilled cheese, and fries is $7 a plate. The space is big, seating about 100 inside with a rooftop and a lower patio for warmer weather, plus a pool table, pinball, arcade games, and big screens for the game.

Lucky Sevens is open Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Stop by, say hi, and welcome them to Bayside.

Home

https://www.wheretoeatportland.com/opening-soon/lucky-sevens

10/29 Annual District One Meeting

On By Robert SylvainIn Governance

Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 6:00 PM
2026 District One Meeting
Hosted by Councilor Sarah Michniewicz
Portland High School (284 Cumberland Avenue)

2025 District One meeting photo by Robert Sylvain

District Meetings offer residents the opportunity to discuss neighborhood issues with their City Councilor, the City Manager, and City staff. We look forward to meeting and talking with you. Free childcare will be available at each meeting for kids ages 5-12. More information at www.portlandmaine.gov/annual-district-meetings

Portland’s District One includes the Bayside Neighborhood as well as the East Bayside, Munjoy Hill and India Street Neighborhoods, plus the Downtown District, and Island Communities. A map of the City voting districts and precincts is available here.

Election day is November 3rd. Information on voting can be found here.

Candidate Forum October 14th

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team, Uncategorized

Press Herald Coverage

  • Event: Candidate Forum for District Attorney & At-Large City Council
  • Organizers: Bayside Neighborhood Association and Portland Downtown
  • Date & Time: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
  • Location: Portland Media Center, 516 Congress Street, Portland, ME
  • Admission: Free and open to the public

This candidate forum brings together key contenders for local public leadership positions impacting the Bayside neighborhood, downtown commercial districts, and the greater Portland community. Co-hosted by the BNA and Portland Downtown, the event provides voters an opportunity to hear directly from candidates regarding neighborhood safety, infrastructure, housing development, economic priorities, and local municipal policy.

The forum highlights two key contested races appearing on local ballots: the Maine 2nd Prosecutorial District Attorney for Cumberland County—including incumbent District Attorney Jacqueline A. Sartoris and former District Attorney Stephanie Anderson—and the Portland At-Large City Council race, including Atiim Boykin, Joey Brunelle, and Kate Snyder. The forum will be taped live in front of a studio audience for subsequent cablecast and on-demand streaming. No comments or questions will be taken from the audience. The event is free and open to the public.

Voting & Local Election Resources

For information regarding voting requirements, district boundaries, or local voting logistics in Maine:

2nd Annual Howl-o-ween Doggie Costume Pageant!

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team

Saturday October 24th, 12-3pm

click the flyer to download, print, and post.

The Bayside Neighborhood Association presents the second annual Bayside Trail HOWL-O-WEEEN Dog Costume Pageant and Neighborhood Harvest Festival !

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2026 NOON-3PM
Costume Parade Starts @ 1PM
Meet on the Bayside Trail at Elm and Somerset Streets (behind Trader Joes)

Live Music by DD Sweet, Food Trucks, Prizes & Snacks (for humans and others)

Followed by Trick-or-doggie-treat at Bayside Businesses 3-4pm

Volunteers needed!
contact info@baysideportland.org

Vendor tables available:
https://forms.gle/BU34QFHHrfT6R5yV9

share the event:
https://www.facebook.com/share/19aPAZNQqS/

Photos from last year’s Howl-o-ween Pageant:

Welcoming Week in Bayside

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team, Welcome Team

Saturday, September 19th from noon-3pm join the Bayside Opportunity Center (BOC) board of directors for an international picnic lunch at Stone Street Playground in Bayside. BOC board members and friends will be bringing delicious dishes to share representing the many cultures found in our neighborhood, and we would love to see you there!

Welcoming week at the YMCA!
Board members from the BNA and BOC greet neighbors in the lobby of the Greater Portland YMCA in Portland to kick off Welcoming Week on Monday. Flyers, newsletters, and other resources are available all week. More information at www.ymcaofsouthernmaine.org and www.baysideoc.org

Save the date: October 14th 5pm-7pm
Candidates’ Forum
Hear from candidates for Cumberland County District Attorney and Portland City Council At-large seats
Recorded live in front of a studio audience, free and open to the public
Portland Media Center 516 Congress Street Portland
Brought to you by Bayside Neighborhood Association, Portland Downtown, and the Portland Media Center

Also Coming up: October 24th
2nd Annual Howl-o-ween Doggie Costume Pageant
Details coming soon. See last year’s event

Bayside at the Seadogs

On By Robert SylvainIn Events Team, Welcome Team

Thanks to the Portland Seadogs for hosting a wonderful evening at Hadlock Field tonight! Big shout out to BNA baord member Michael Hayes for putting it together and to our VP Peter Markoe and son for delivering the ceremonial first pitch! Congratulations to our home team for a hard fought win, and thanks to our friends, neighbors and families for joining the celebration!

Spring Cleanup Success!

On By Robert SylvainIn Citizens' Trash Brigade, Events Team

Dozens of neighbors and friends showed up yesterday to pitch in and help with the Annual BNA Spring Cleanup in collaboration with the City of Portland’s Great Portland Pickup. Thanks to Karly Meyer of the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainability and Leyla Hashi of Portland Parks Conservancy for helping put together the city-wide effort, to Eighty-8 Donuts and Coffee by Design for keeping us fueled up, and to Charlie Mitchell and staff at Bayside Bowl for hosting the afterparty. A great start to Bayside Week!

Along the way, some intrepid litter-pickers noticed some new neighbors in Bayside—the Bayside Gnome Roam got underway yesterday also. Here’s a sneak peek at some photos we’ve received already from gnome hunters:

As you can see, our friend Artie is in on the hunt too! follow him on instagram@mainely_the_child

You’re also likely to run into another beloved Bayside neighbor, the “Bayside Bunny” (okay there’s probably more than one) posing here for a gnome hunter’s camera. Be careful not to disturb the bunnies—or gnomes—and leave them where you find them for others to enjoy.

Gnome Roam Home

Gnome Making Event Success!

On By Robert SylvainIn Arts & Music, Events Team, Uncategorized

Get ready for the Bayside Gnome Roam! 🧙‍♂️

What a night! During April’s First Friday, dozens of neighbors and friends packed Maine Clay Collaborative for our Gnome Roam prep event — and the results were magical. Scores of handmade clay gnomes are now drying, ready to be fired up and let loose on the streets of Bayside.

So what happens next? The fine folks at Maine Clay will fire all those little characters in the kiln. Then we’ll fan out across the neighborhood and tuck them into nooks, perch them on stoops, and hide them in plain sight — ready for neighbors to discover during Bayside Week, April 25th through May 2nd. Find one, photograph it, share it. It’s part art project, part hide-and-seek, and totally Bayside.

Bayside Week is shaping up to be something really special. Get a head start on the Gnome Roam by showing up at our kickoff cleanup event from 10am-noon on Saturday April 25th at the Bayside Community Garden. Check out everything that’s happening at www.baysideportland.org/community-calendar/ — and if you have an event to add or want to get involved, reach out to the events team.

Let’s show everyone why Bayside is the Playside!

Thank You Maine Clay Collaborative!

Get ready for the Bayside GNOME ROAM this Friday

On By Robert SylvainIn Arts & Music, Events Team

Drop by Maine Clay Collaborative during this coming First Friday, April 3rd from 5 to 7pm to help us get ready for the Bayside Gnome Roam during Bayside Week (4/25-5/2)

What’s a Gnome Roam? All through Bayside Week, handmade clay figurines will be tucked into corners, perched on stoops, and lurking in plain sight all across the neighborhood. You make them and the folks at Maine Clay will bake them. Next we’ll hide them so neighbors can find them, photograph them, share them. It’s part art project, part hide-and-seek, and totally Bayside.

Bayside Week is coming this spring — April 25th through May 2nd — and the Gnome Roam is just part of what’s happening. Find out more at www.baysideportland.org or contact the events team to add an event or join in the fun. Help us celebrate the neighborhood you love and show why Bayside is the Playside!