What better time is there for a road trip than during the summer? 

On Aug. 9 at Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML), award-winning photojournalist and author Tim O’Brien offered a glimpse of the over 450 photos and 400 locations that comprise his new book: “The Maine Roadshow: A Roadside Tour of the State’s History, Culture, Food, Funk & Oddities.” 

Over the past several decades, O’Brien had built a career as a specialist in the history of theme parks, roadside attractions, carnivals and sideshows. He has appeared on the “Martha Stewart Show,” “Good Morning America” and several theme park documentaries on the Travel Channel, The Discovery Channel and National Public Television.

A self-described “Mainer-by-marriage” (or M.B.M., for short), O’Brien’s latest project took him over five years and 7,000 miles to complete. The journey began as a Thursday road-tripping ritual with wife Kathleen, a native of Waterville. They’d pick a direction and explore wherever they ended up.

“We really never had a destination in mind. We just enjoyed the journey,” he said. “Probably about the third of the things that are in the book just came from us getting lost.”

Audience members were treated to a slideshow of the locations and oddities he visited, plus some that didn’t make the final cut. “Narrowing it down was probably the hardest job I’ve ever done in my life.”

One highlight included artist Ron Cowan’s set of human face sculptures carved into pier posts in Belfast. At low tide, the faces are visible, but are completely submerged by high tide, earning them their name, “The Long Breath.” From there, O’Brien took the audience to the Mini Fenway Park in Oakland, the all-volunteer water-ski shows in Sanford, “The Blueberry Capital of the World” that ironically resides in Cherryfield, and many more. 

There were also some attractions anyone familiar with the Boothbay region will recognize, such as Captain Brown, the iconic 25-foot statue that has been drawing visitors to Brown’s Wharf since its installation in 1968, and Miss Piggy, the mailbox on Route 27 that’s always dressed for the occasion. 

Whether it's a roadside attraction, a historic storefront, or a hidden speakeasy where everything costs $5 (although you may want to avoid the wine, according to O’Brien), “The Maine Roadshow” offers readers a statewide travel itinerary or a just a fun look into unique landmarks. The book can currently be found on the publisher's website, Casa Flamingo Arts, and Amazon.