Some worry about limited established regulations; others want more third spaces. A vote on liquor in a small town to be held on Nov. 20.
The crowd exceeded the original meeting space's capacity, so they moved to the bays of the Penobscot Fire Department. Photo by Maizy Weirich.
Nov. 11, 2026
By Lydia Hart
PENOBSCOT – An overflowing crowd filled the Penobscot Fire Department on Nov. 10 during a public hearing to discuss allowing the state to grant liquor licenses for on-site consumption in town, which would pave the way for Penobscot’s first pub.
The pub would be owned and operated by Penobscot resident Jamie MacNair. It would be built next to the town's only store, Northern Bay Market, which MacNair also owns.
About 85 residents attended the public hearing, which was set to take place in the training room of the town’s fire house. As more people arrived, the crowd quickly exceeded the room’s capacity. Volunteer firefighters moved the town’s four fire trucks out of the station’s vehicle bays.
After attendees picked up their folding chairs and reset them along with the speaker podium in the much larger area of the now-empty bays, the meeting commenced.
“This proposal should be judged on its own merit, on my record as a business owner, and what is actually being proposed,” MacNair said. “It’s a small, 20 by 20, English-style, community pub. A place where neighbors can share a pizza, enjoy a beer if they choose, catch up with friends, and spend time together.”
MacNair came to the meeting with photos of her general store (left), the proposed building for the pub (center) and a mock-up of what the pub’s interior might look like. Photo by Maizy Weirich.
Residents voiced both their support for and opposition to the establishment during the hearing.
Elaine Gerard spoke in front of a crowd of 85 people in favor of the pub. Photo by Maizy Weirich.
“How many people are actually coming here to open a bar? There's just not enough demand here,” Shelley Sweet said, a local resident. “But there is a demand. Because I, as a new Penobscot person, want to have a place to gather with friends and family. I want to have a place where I don't have to drive to Blue Hill, or I don't have to drive to Ellsworth.”
Other residents also said Penobscot needs more “third spaces” where community members can gather.
“We’ve been 1,200 people for at least 50 to 75 years. I don't think a little pub is going to make people run in,” Elaine Gerard said. “The young people might want to hang out, and if they’ll have me and don't mind me sitting in the corner, I would like to hang out too.”
Some residents voiced concerns that Penobscot lacks the proper regulations to oversee an establishment that serves alcohol, and that any liquor license approval could lead to a domino effect of other businesses entering the town.
Bailey Bowden called for a commercial site plan review. Photo by Maizy Weirich.
“My point is, this is all premature. We should have an ordinance first,” Jon Albrecht said. “Without an ordinance, this is just open season.”
[Full disclosure, Albrecht is a photographer and columnist for The Rising Tide.]
Penobscot resident Bailey Bowden called for a commercial site plan review to help set rules and ensure new businesses are compatible with the town’s character.
“The majority of respondents to the comprehensive plan wanted to remain a rural community,” Bowden said. “They didn't want cluster housing, apartment developments, stores coming in. We don't want to be seen as a service center.”
The quiet rural character of Penobscot was a central point of the town’s 2024 comprehensive plan. But the same plan also discussed the allowing of providing space for young people and new businesses.
The comprehensive plan states: “We envision a town that is prepared to meet the challenges it will face in the next decade and beyond, a town that will encourage development in a manner that maintains our rural and scenic qualities; that will prepare for the effects of a changing climate and adapt to meet them; that values its natural resources; that supports, promotes and provides local education that will prepare our students to pursue whatever path they choose; that develops the kinds of services and tax structures that will enable older residents to remain in town; and encourages young people to move here, start their businesses, raise their children, and grow old here."
The town is assembling a committee that will draft a proposed ordinance to govern various commercial enterprises, including those that serve alcohol. The town is still looking for three more of the mandatory nine members needed.
Jamie MacNair has proposed opening a pub next to the Northern Bay Market, which she owns. Photo by Maizy Weirich.
During the meeting, several residents raised the possibility of calling for a town vote to enact a moratorium on any new commercial development. If that happens, and depending on how the moratorium is worded, it could either put a halt to MacNair’s proposed pub, or allow her pub to be grandfathered in, while only affecting new and separate proposals.
Near the hour and a half mark of the meeting, MacNair, who was raised and lives in Penobscot, said that the addition of a pub will help her keep her “mom and pop” general store stay open.
“I get called every single week from a family wanting to buy our store. That would change our town,” MacNair said.
The next step in the process is a vote on Nov. 20, when residents will decide if they want to allow the state to grant the consumption of on-site alcohol in the town. The vote will have two parts: first, asking whether to allow the state to grant liquor licenses to serve alcohol Monday through Saturday, and second, asking whether to ask the state to allow additional license to serve alcohol on Sundays.
The vote begins at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Penobscot Fire Department and will be conducted by secret ballot. The votes will be tallied and announced that evening.
If the town of Penobscot votes against allowing liquor licenses to be granted, the issue may not be brought before the town for another vote for one year.
