Big Jim recently took a giant step toward being rejuvenated to his ruggedly handsome self. Starting life as a poster boy for Maine’s sardine industry, the weather-beaten billboard endured snow storms, hurricanes, torrential rains and glaring sun for over half a century, first from his first perch on Route 1 in Kittery and later at the former Stinson cannery in Gouldsboro.
Under blue skies at the end of March, Belmont Boatworks owner Dan Miller and his son, Henry, ventured from the Midcoast town of Belmont to Gouldsboro’s Prospect Harbor village where the Millers, Penobscot Marine Museum’s photo archivist Kevin Johnson, and Gouldsboro Historical Society members and other volunteers labored all day to dismantle and send the 40-foot tall metal sign on its way after dark to Belmont. Gouldsboro police escorted the convoy along the Downeast town’s winding roads to Route 1.
Next, Big Jim will get sandblasted and the Maine Midcoast Region’s WOW Collective’s artists will restore Big Jim to his youthful self. In late May, the billboard then will be erected at Penobscot Marine Museum to promote its “Sardineland” show. In mid-October, the giant sign will return to his home at Bold Coast Seafood in Prospect Harbor. To learn more or to donate to help fund the project, visit the Penobscot Marine Museum's website, or the Gouldsboro Historical Society website and scroll down to Big Jim. You can also read more about Big Jim in this story from Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors.
— by Letitia Baldwin
