Conventioneers at Fort Lyon at Cow Island in Portland, Maine find some unusual features. They stay in large, canvas safari tents on platforms overlooking the bay.
They dine in the Rosehip Hideaway, a former gun powder magazine turned into a candlelit dining room.
They keep warm with fire pits in spaces that used to house anti-aircraft guns.
What’s going on here?
Rippleffect for the past six years has been remodeling the site that was once a 1907 circa fort.
“We proudly serve fresh food from our organic garden (prepared in a professional, solar kitchen) and offer a venue that is not only beautiful, but eco-friendly in many ways from composting toilets to rainwater catchment systems,†said spokesperson Emilia Dahlin.
Guests can wander trails and explore remnants of the fort or leap from atop Battery Abbot and fly down a 400-foot zip line for a thrill. Guests can also arrive by private ferry — either a lobster boat or historical wooden schooner, she adds.
Primarily a youth development organization for the past nine years, Rippleffect started programming for adults during 2006.
“This year, our company received a grant to develop seven educational weekend workshops for adults for next summer, each focusing on some aspect of personal, social, and environmental well-being, as part of our social entrepreneurial model,†said Ms Dahlin.
Report by David Wilkening
