How a self-taught farmer created a blossoming agritourism destination in Midcoast Maine

I didn’t set out to become a cherry farmer.

Like many good stories, mine unfolded gradually—rooted in curiosity and shaped by a deep longing to create something beautiful, meaningful, and enduring. It began with a lakeside estate in Midcoast Maine that felt like a time capsule waiting to be opened.

When I first came upon the property that would become Blenheim Park Maine, I was captivated not only by its potential, but also by its past. The grounds, established in 1924, carried the spirit of another time. I could almost hear the rustle of silk dresses and the clink of cocktail glasses from the Jazz Age echoing through the trees. There was something cinematic—almost poetic—about breathing new life into a place with such history … and doing it with cherries, no less.