New England Music Camp

Messalonskee Lake is a body of water in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. It is bordered by the towns of Oakland, Sidney, and Belgrade. The lake is a 9 miles (14 km) long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size. In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world." Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue herons, bass, yellow perch, white perch, sunfish, painted and snapping turtles, loons, and occasionally Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation. Like some Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil.The lake is also more commonly called "Snow Pond", a reference to Philip Snow who settled in the area in 1774.Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the New England Music Camp, which was founded in 1937.

Camp Modin is a Jewish summer camp in New England. It was established in 1922 in what is now Lake George Regional Park in Canaan, Maine. In 1992 the camp moved to Salmon Lake in Maine's Belgrade Lakes region. An early example of a summer camp intended to provide Jewish children with Hebrew, religious, and cultural education as well as recreation, Camp Modin has been described as "the prototype for camps sponsored by every branch of the community, from socialist Zionists to Orthodox Jews."Camp Modin is now a coed, non-denominational, pluralistic Jewish and kosher camp, employing over 180 professional teachers, mentors and counselors and providing more than 70 activities. It is accredited by the American Camp Association and is a member of both the Maine Youth Camping Association and the Maine Camp Experience. Camp Modin became one of the first Jewish camps in the US to announce it would be open in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,230 at the 2020 census. Oakland is 4 miles (6 km) west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of Augusta, the state capital. Waterville and Augusta are service centers for Oakland, and many Oakland residents commute to jobs in those areas.

The Pressey House is a historic octagon house in Oakland, Maine. Built in 1855, it is one of a small number of octagon houses in the state and one of the only ones with Greek Revival styling. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It houses a bed and breakfast inn.

Memorial Hall is a historic civic building at Church and West School Streets in Oakland, Maine. It was built in 1870 as a memorial to the community's American Civil War dead. It is a remarkably sophisticated example of Italian-Gothic architecture for a rural community, expensive to build, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The Oakland Public Library, serving the town of Oakland, Maine, is located at 18 Church Street, in an architecturally distinguished building designed by Harry S. Coombs in Classical Revival style and built in 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The library underwent a major renovation and expansion in 2003.

Oakland is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the main population center in the town of Oakland in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,602 at the 2010 census, out of 6,240 in the entire town of Oakland.

The largest great pond in Maine named Great Pond is located in Kennebec County and is part of the Kennebec River watershed. There are several other, smaller ponds named Great Pond in Maine and New England. Great Pond receives water from several sources. Salmon Lake flows into the east side of Great Pond via a short channel near the village of North Belgrade. Great Meadow Stream flows into the north side of Great Pond, bringing the waters of North Pond and East Pond. Other tributaries of Great Pond include Robbins Mill Stream, Rome Trout Brook, and Austin Bog. Great Pond's waters flow out to the east through a Great Pond Storage Dam and a short section of Belgrade Stream, into Long Pond, near the village of Belgrade Lakes. The town of Rome is located at the north end of Great Pond. Most of Great Pond is located in the town of Belgrade. There are several islands in Great Pond, including Hoyt Island, Chute Island, Joyce Island, Oak Island, and Pine Island. North of the village of Belgrade Lakes, Long Pond is separated from Great Pond by a mountain called simply "The Mountain". Great Pond was formed into its present shape by the construction of the Great Pond Storage Dam on Belgrade Stream in 1886. The dam was built for power generation and is 14 feet (4.3 m) high.

Messalonskee High School is a public high school located in Oakland, Maine, United States. It serves all high school students in the RSU 18 school unit, which includes Oakland, Sidney, Belgrade, China and Rome. The school was founded in 1969 and currently has slightly more than 700 students enrolled. The campus features an 826-seat performing arts center that was built for the school in 1993. In 2005, the district dedicated the Performing Arts Center to former superintendent J. Duke Albanese. Messalonskee is a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. Notable alumni include: Nick Mayo (American pro basketball player), Dylan Gagne (Analyst for S&P), and Will McPherson (singer/songwriter).

Kennebec County is a county located in the South-central portion of the U.S. state of Maine. At the 2020 census, the population was 123,642. Its county seat is Augusta, the state capital. The county was established on February 20, 1799, from portions of Cumberland and Lincoln Counties. The name Kennebec comes from the Eastern Abenaki /kínipekʷ/, meaning "large body of still water, large bay."Kennebec County comprises the Augusta–Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of Maine was in Kennebec County, in the city of Augusta.

The Foster Farm Barn is a historic dairy barn at 538 Augusta Road in Belgrade, Maine. Built sometime between 1900 and 1910, it is a well-preserved example of a barn built during a transitional period between mixed-use farming and specialized dairy farming. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Sidney is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,645 at the 2020 census. Sidney was incorporated as a town on January 30, 1792. The town was named for Sir Philip Sidney, an English author. Sidney is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area. Since 1937, the town has been the home of the New England Music Camp.