Attendees will meet new faces and have fun sharing notes on their favorite Maine adventure spots all while supporting Chelsea Diehl, a local travel author’s new book, Just Up The Road!
“Maine is a beautiful place that I paradoxically want to hoard to myself and share with everyone I meet.”
– John Hodgman
Sunset at Moosehead Lake, Photo by Lee Coursey
Details
Date: Thursday, July 11th 2024
Time: 6 - 8pm, please arrive by 6pm
Location: Belleflower Brewing Company, 66 Cove St, Portland, ME
Fee: $40 per person for two drink tickets, candies, & snacks
Cancellation policy: All sales are final and non-refundable. However, your tickets are transferable to an individual. If transferred to someone, please email us their name and email address at hello@heldportland.com.
What to expect
The topic - At the heart of each held gathering is human connection. Our goals are always twofold: to spark meaningful connections that ultimately foster a deeply rooted community and to inspire women with a specific topic. For our first July event, we’re sharing our favorite Maine adventure gems. Maine is called “Vacationland” for a reason and it’s home to some of the most beautiful and scenic places. Some of us were lucky enough to grow up in the Chickadee state while others made the decision to move here in order to breathe and be surrounded by natural beauty. For this event, it’s time to meet new faces and share notes on your favorite Maine trail, beach, island, coastal town, seal watching point, national park, place to sail, etc.
Opening remarks - Mary Beth and Tenaya will welcome everyone and share the concept of held and the theme of the night’s gathering. They will then introduce Chelsea Diehl, author of Just Up The Road, a travel memoir about discovering people, places, and what comes next in the Pine Tree State. She will spend a few minutes sharing her favorite destinations and adoration for the state known for its wild lowbush blueberries.
Mingle and share - Folks will be randomly divided into small groups and will spend fifteen minutes sharing their favorite Maine gem and why. After the group huddles, we’ll come back together as one larger group to share the new places we’ve learned of.
Mingling continues - After the group share, it’s time to wander around, eat, drink, be merry, and introduce ourselves to other folks.
Chelsea Diehl
Chelsea is a graduate of Emerson College with a degree in Acting and Theatre Education. In 2008, she founded My College Audition which was acquired by Acceptd in 2019.
As a college audition coach, Chelsea was a contributing author for Samuel French, Smart College Visit, Nerd Wallet, College Express and the Performing Arts Network. She has lectured on the subject at several locations, including Destination Broadway, The Drama Book Shop, and the New England Theater Conference. Chelsea stepped away from her role at My College Audition 2022. Occasionally, you can find her acting on the stage or screen.
Chelsea is also the founder of Gadabout Maine, a Maine-focused story-telling platform. Her debut travel memoir, Just Up The Road, was published by Islandport Press in October 2023. Chelsea continues to actively share her adventures throughout Maine in her popular Substack Newsletter, Gadabout Maine.
In the travel writing space, Chelsea has been a contributing author to Down East Magazine, Visit Portland and has been a featured guest on NPR's Maine Calling and News Center Maine's 207.
She lives in South Portland, Maine with her husband, daughter and rescue pup. To follow along on her adventures in Maine, be sure to follow @gadaboutmaine and subscribe to her newsletter here.