“There’s a positive vibe there, a sense of community. The feeling of community in Camden has gone by the wayside...." The foundation of the issue - a total deterioration of community in Camden. No one will be telling Wild Rufus that their fun "hand chairs" do not match the character of the town in Belfast. Live and Let Live. People in Camden are at one another throats because their Trust Fund's value has been slashed and these pathetic "business people" cannot actually make money themselves. They are vicious sleazy lot. Moreover the economic development committee is doing nothing but talking about decorating town windows?! They will never get it - market the real estate don't window dress it - it will always be as empty as your pretty head. Just another pig in lipstick.

Enjoy the sense of fun and community that pervades Belfast and Rockland, for that matter. IN Belfast enjoy Lily Lupine and Fern and now Wild Rufus - two former Camden businesses that ditched the vicious town. Maybe Windjammer Weekend can go to one of those towns? Have you checked out the wonderful Summer Solstice or art nights in Rockland?! What a great little town. Anywhere but Camden

John Smith - I have to agree with you. How many more cheesy t-shirt shops and generic tourist traps selling useless crap does Camden want? I lived there my whole life, and have a lot of fond memories, but I much prefer spending my time in Rockland or especially Belfast. Both communities are much friendlier, more down to earth, and less arrogant.

I remember while growing up that residents of the town weren't allowed to sit on the chamber of commerce benches, down by the public landing, after business hours. The police informed us that this was "private property" (the chamber of commerce wasn't public?? There was a public payphone right there next to the benches !?!?) and that we would be arrested if we were on the benches. They went so far as to put one of my friends in handcuffs and take him to the station for defying their "no bench sitting" order. Of course they would constantly overlook the hapless tourists that wandered onto the property and sat on the benches, and instead would only spend their time policing the faces the recognized, you know, the very people who make up the community.

This was just another attempt, in and endless string of ridiculous rulings and decisions by the planning board, business owners, police, and other associations to keep kids out of the public eye and away from the "tourists" who were held in such esteem that it made us feel like second-class citizens in our own town.

Other examples would be the constant harassment we received while in the 5 and Dime parking lot, or in the amphitheater near the library. I remember the tension escalated to the point where the owner of a downtown hotel, which sits on the river and may reference said river in it's name, drunkenly spray painted slanderous comments about kids and teens in the town in the 5 and Dime parking lot (I believe one the the comments was the oh so mature statement that it was not a "parking lot" but rather a "loser lot".)

I think this issue we faced as kids is indicative of a large issue that Camden faces. Once you start ostracizing certain segments of a community, where does it end? How many other people, teenagers or not, may have not spent time downtown because they did not feel welcome, or did not feel like spending extra money for the same thing they could get in Rockland or Belfast? How many business were directly or even indirectly affected by this elitism?

The downtown area in Camden has always been one of "high tension" for me. While Jeffrey Nims may want the public to see the relocation of Wild Rufus as a 'natural shift in the downtown business' it can't be ignored that some of the better (and unique) businesses in downtown Camden have either relocated or have been forced to shut down because they weren't fostered properly, or maybe weren't seen as 'Camden material'. Businesses such as Lily Lupin and Fern, Bayview Cinema, and Wild Rufus were all unique and stood out in a downtown business area that already has enough restaurants, cafes, tourist traps and t-shirt shops.

While I certainly don't want to paint a total negative image of the business owners and the town of Camden, I think it's important to realize that there were, and it seems still are, very real issues that the town wants to ignore and sweep under the carpet.

Like you said JohnSmith - it's like putting lipstick on a pig. And to further that imagery; to me it's like some of those people really think 'their farts don't stink' ...

RIP Wild Rufus Camden branch and good luck in Belfast, I'll continue patronizing you guys no matter where you go. You'll definitely be missed in the downtown Camden scene, and it just gives me one less reason (on an already short list) to spend time in Camden ... the place I always thought I'd considered home.