SPIRITED FUN
Bangor is friendly and picturesque — and muse to horror master Stephen King
BANGOR, Maine — You know Bangor, that little city in central Maine? The little city that’s home to Stephen King? Ah, yes, now you know it. The king of the horror novel, whose works include “Carrie,” “The Shining” and “Misery,” has put Bangor on the map.
If you doubt that, consider this anecdote from the U.K. office of BuzzFeed, a popular Internet media company. It asked its staff to identify something noteworthy about each U.S. state, and for Maine, what came to the Brits’ minds? Stephen King.
Bangor isn’t his birthplace — that’s Portland — but he attended the University of Maine about 10 miles north of Bangor, where we were classmates. Everyone on campus, it seemed, knew who he was — a campus leader and anti-Vietnam War activist who was often featured in the school newspaper.
After graduation, he stayed in Maine for a few years, then moved to Colorado for a year and spent time in Britain. He and his family even- tually settled here in 1980.
Bangor is his home, and it’s also his muse: It has inspired several of his books and was a film location for several movies based on his works.
Not surprisingly, when out-of-town friends visit, they always ask me to take them on a tour of King haunts, especially a drive past his house, which is the color of dried blood. I always oblige, but Bangor is more than just Stephen King sites. I show them some of my little city’s off beat museums, nature sites and one-of-a-kind eateries.
Most of all, I like to give them a feel for what’s kept me in Bangor: its easygoing, live-and-let-live ambience. Of course, Bangor’s easy access to some of the world’s most beautiful shores and mountains doesn’t hurt.
But there’s no getting around King. He’s a bit of a cottage industry: Commercial King-themed tours are available, including one conducted by a recognized authority on all things King.
Among the high points of any tour: some of the houses whose occupants may not be of this earth, a historic water tower and a truck stop. They’re all part of the fabric of Bangor, a town that beckons you to stay for a spell.