PORTLAND, Maine — Ross Adam is two people at once.

By day, as a gray-and-blue-clad mailman, he has trudged the same Deering neighborhood route on foot for nearly a decade. He stuffs letters through mail slots, scans bar codes, takes care with the occasional aggressive dog and deals with the weekly flood of Saturday fliers that make his satchel extra heavy.

By night, dressed in his trademark tartan trousers, Adam packs pubs and venues all over southern Maine with his brand of high-energy, multi-instrumental folk music. Adoring fans and strangers alike hoist their glasses and sing at full volume, eager to forget their troubles and revel in the tattooed, Scotland native’s relentless charm.

But late night music gigs and early post office mornings aren’t a friendly fit, and maintaining the balance is nearly impossible.

Increasingly, like many artists with day jobs and successful side hustles, Adam feels like he must make the difficult choice between one or the other.

Adam is a responsible father of two children with college expenses. He’s got a mortgage, a wife and a future retirement fund he’s nearly vested in.

At the same time, he recently released a popular new album and secured a music manager who is helping him get better-paying gigs. He’s about to embark on his first international mini-tour of Ireland, using vacation time.

He has the nagging feeling that at age 36, it’s now or never for becoming a full-time musician.

“You only get one life,” Adam said. “It’s so sacred. You’ve got to be able to look back and be happy with what you did with it.”

Growing up in the small Scottish town of Burntisland, Adam didn’t come from a musical family. He discovered music as an eight-year-old while sheltering from a rainstorm on a family camping trip inside a music store.

There, he picked out the melody to “The Skye Boat Song,” a traditional lullaby his mother sang to him, on a piano. His astonished parents soon bought him a small keyboard.

At 11, he and a friend wandered into a free bagpipe lesson. Adam stuck with it, coming back every Wednesday night, learning the pipes and life lessons from older men he recalls as being “big, tough guys.”

The band was called the Burntisland and District Pipe Band, and Adam was soon traveling, marching and competing with it, all around Scotland and England.

“When I joined that pipe band, it changed who I was,” he said. “It was my whole life. It gave me discipline.”

High school rock bands followed but, at the same time, Adam was fascinated by folk musicians who could get a crowd of distracted pub-goers all singing together. He was especially impressed by Alex Killin of the Kingdom Folk Band.

“He could get everyone singing — old people, young people, even the bartender,” Adam said. “I always thought it was a cool superpower.”

Adam was soon emulating his hero, playing solo gigs and doing whatever it took to get a crowd singing. But, as a young adult, grownup realities also started to take over. He earned a social work degree, worked with at-risk youth, married an American woman, moved to South Portland and started a family.

Crossing the ocean, he left his professional musical ambitions behind. Instead of gigging, Adam got a good job at the post office with decent pay, union benefits and a retirement plan.

But a subsequent divorce and what turned into a new marriage changed all that.

Shortly before the pandemic, he went on a blind date that morphed into a bonfire party with friends. There, Adam pulled out his guitar and entertained the gathering the way he would have, in a pub back home.

“I knew I was going to marry him after about the first 10 minutes,” his blind date and now spouse, Shannon Adam, said.

Enamoured and encouraging, she urged Ross Adam to take his talents seriously and booked him for a St. Patrick’s Day show at a pub. The gig was a success, and his music career took off.

At a recent show at RiRa in Portland, it was standing room only with all eyes and ears on Adam as he commanded the room. Using special, sound-looping pedals, he played guitar, fiddle and banjo at the same time while stomping another pedal creating a drum sound — which made the crowd clap along to the beat.

At one point, wearing a wireless headset microphone, Adam left the stage and asked the rowdy crowd to be quiet while he sang them a tender song about whiskey. Almost like magic, the hushed room stayed silent as he walked among the audience like a revival preacher, singing, patting children on the head and laying his hands on shoulders.

Then, as Adam finished the a capella song, he raised his pint and released the audience with a toast. The crowd burst into whoops and applause while he remounted the stage and got the party going again with traditional Scottish and Irish songs, as well as the hip-hop classic “No Diggity.”

A few days later, on a gray, snowy morning, Adam pulled his postal van up to the sidewalk on Stevens Avenue, and he stepped out of the sliding side door. There was no applause as he started his route, mail satchel slung off one shoulder, his steaming breath hanging in the air.

Adam said he genuinely likes his post office job and cherishes the connections he’s forged.

Down one side street, he found Steve Robnett, standing in his driveway. After handing Robnett his mail, the two chatted for a while. Robnett said he knew all about his mailman’s other life.

“We’ve actually had him play two house concerts here,” he said. “We love Ross.”

Further on, at the Rwanda Bean coffee shop, manager Alexa Kelly said Adam has always been more than just a mailman and helped her as she struggled through a messy divorce.

“He was one of my biggest rocks,” Kelly said, “I didn’t have anyone else in my life who knew what I was going through.”

To this, Adam mostly shrugs.

“You leave a trail wherever you go,” he said, “so I try to be good to people.”

But, as his music career blossoms and takes up more time, Adam has a decision to make. A recent bout of pneumonia exacerbated by exhaustion made it even more clear: one job or the other has to give.

Right now, he’s leaning toward full-time music. There isn’t anything which makes him feel more alive or in the moment.

“There’s nothing like it, even in a small pub. It feels incredible when people sing along. It’s almost like they’re part of the band — it’s magic,” Adam said. “I feel like I was made for this.”

A national gun control advocacy group upgraded Maine in its annual scorecard Tuesday after crediting lawmakers with passing various measures following the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence gave Maine a C+ in the 2024 version of its Annual Gun Law Scorecard that ranks every state and also looks at gun death rates. That came after Giffords, the nonprofit led by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Arizona, who survived getting shot in the head during a 2011 assassination attempt, gave Maine an F in 2022 and a D- last year, reflecting what had been lax gun laws in a rural state with a strong hunting culture.

But things changed dramatically after a 40-year-old Army reservist from Bowdoin used a semi-automatic rifle to kill 18 people and injure 13 others at a Lewiston bowling alley and bar on Oct. 25, 2023, the state’s deadliest-ever shooting and the country’s worst that year. The Democratic-controlled Legislature responded by expanding background checks, investing in violence prevention and mental health initiatives and requiring 72-hour waiting periods.

Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who opposed past gun control efforts, vetoed a bump stock ban and let the bill requiring 72-hour waiting periods for gun purchases become law without her signature. The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and Gun Owners of Maine filed a lawsuit in November that seeks to strike down the waiting period law.

Giffords cited the waiting period law, expanded background checks and a $1 million investment in community violence prevention programs in upgrading Maine to a C+ this year. Lindsay Nichols, the organization’s policy director, said Maine “stood out” nationally for passing various laws and for jumping up more than one grade.

“Maine’s jump is significant,” Nichols said.

The Giffords scorecard said Maine ranks 21st nationally for its “gun law strength” and 27th for having a gun death rate of 14.1 fatalities per 100,000 people. It called on legislators to ban bump stocks, ban ghost guns, repeal Maine’s permitless carry law and pass “gun industry accountability legislation” that could allow lawsuits against firearm manufacturers.

Opponents of gun control said they were not surprised with the higher grade. Gun Owners of Maine Vice President Joshua Raines said that since Giffords ranks states highly if they “restrict law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights, we look forward to them needing to downgrade our ranking as soon as possible.”

While Democrats saw their State House majorities narrow after Republicans picked up several seats last month, more gun control proposals could come before Maine voters in the next year. After the Legislature did not take up a late effort in the spring to pass a “red flag” law, advocates launched a campaign to put a red flag or “extreme risk protection order” measure before Maine voters via a referendum.

Red flag laws, which 21 states have adopted, allow both family members and police to ask judges to confiscate weapons from people deemed dangerous, while the existing “yellow flag” law does not allow family members to directly petition a court.

Mills worked with gun-rights advocates to craft the 2019 yellow flag law and has not thrown her support behind a red flag law. A commission she formed to review the Lewiston mass shooting found the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office had probable cause to use Maine’s yellow flag on Robert Card II about a month before the shooting after family and peers repeatedly shared concerns about his mental state, threats to “shoot up” places and access to guns.

Police instead conducted welfare checks at Card’s Bowdoin residence in September 2023 and left when he did not answer the door.

Mills proposed and signed into law earlier this year tweaks to the yellow flag law meant to make it easier for police to take a person into protective custody before the person receives a mental health evaluation and a court hearing. Mills also signed off on extending background checks to advertised gun sales and investing in mental health initiatives added to the state budget.

Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said supporters need to collect about 7,500 more signatures to reach their goal of 75,000 signatures before submitting the petition to the secretary of state. It could appear on the ballot either in November 2025 or November 2026, Palmer said Tuesday.

“This rating reflects the progress we have made so far in Maine by coming together to pass common-sense gun safety laws to save lives,” Palmer said. “But it also demonstrates how much work we have left to do.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect number of fatalities per 100,00 people in Maine.

A charming coastal community in Maine has been named America’s best small town.

Located on Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor was listed number one on US News & World Report’s Best Small Towns to Visit for 2025 list.

The New England town with a population of just over 5,200 people is known for its scenic views, crystal blue waters, fresh seafood and rich history.

Bar Harbor’s main attraction has always been the Acadia National Park – the 47,000 acres of woodlands, beaches and mountains neighboring the area.

Notably, the park’s Cadillac mountain offers enchanting trails and a clear view of the town and the Cranberry Islands.  

There are various tide pools to explore and the park is the perfect place to hike, kayak or bike, as highlighted in US News & World Report’s review. 

Visitors to the popular site may spot moose, bears, whales and seabirds. It is one of the top 10 most frequented national parks in the country, according to National Park Maine (NPS).

The coveted site was first established in 1916 as the Sieur de Monts monument. Three years later, its name was changed to Lafayette National Park. It landed on its current name in 1929. 

The charming town has a main strip full of stores, galleries and bars that are sure to wow tourists

Bar Harbor is known for is known for its scenic views, crystal blue waters, fresh seafood and rich history

Sand Beach, Bar Harbor’s most popular beach, is located just outside of the Acadia National Park.  

The beach town’s main strip is lined with quaint shops, bars, restaurants and art galleries. 

After spending the day exploring the breathtaking landscapes and beaches, visitors have plenty of nightlife options to keep the good times going.  

Trip Advisor ranked traveler’s favorite places to spend their evenings in Bar Harbor. The best nighttime establishment, according to the travel website, is comedy club ImprovAcadia. 

The Thirsty Whale Tavern – known for its wide selection of beers, its clam chowder and lobster roll – and Leary’s Landing Irish Pub, praised for its seafood and service, are other must-visit locations.

US News & World Report recommended that tourists stay in one of the small town’s adorable boutique hotels – all of which have a comforting and homey feel to them.

The travel ranking magazine listed the Balance Rock Inn as the best Bed & Breakfast in Bar Harbor. 

Its description reads: ‘The Balance Rock Inn previously served as a family summer cottage back in the early 1900s. And when you take a look at your room, you may feel as though you’ve traveled back in time.’ 

The second and third best places to stay are Bass Cottage & Ullikana Inn and Coach Stop Inn. 

Bar Harbor was founded during the 18th century and quickly became a popular summer get-away spot 

Arcadia National Park offers stunning views of the town and the clear waters

Sand Beach, located outside of Arcadia National Park, is the town’s most popular beach 

Advertisement

Bar Harbor was established by Samuel Adams in 1796 as the Town of Eden, according to the area’s historical society. Its name was change to its current one in 1918.

Before it became a popular summer resort, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Native American tribes lived on the island year-round. 

Bar Harbor started receiving more attention after 1850s painters including Frederic E. Church, Thomas Cole and William Hart started depicting the gorgeous town in their artwork. 

The ‘land boom’ caused by increased interest from tourists resulted in hotels and ‘grand’ cottages popping up throughout the town through the 1880s, according to the Bar Harbor Historical Society. 

Joseph Pulitzer, the politician and publisher the Pulitzer Prize is named after, and prominent businessman George Vanderbilt were among those who visited during that time.

In 1947, a devastating fire ravaged the town, burning more than 10,000 acres of the Acadia National Park and causing about $23 million in damage. 

Most of the permanent residents rebuilt their homes, but most of the cottages were not repaired. 

Today, the areas economy is based in tourism, boating and fishing – allowing for easy access to fresh seafood, especially lobster, for people to enjoy. 

Telluride, Colorado was ranked the second-best small town to visit for its beautiful mountain views

Jackson Hole, Wyoming was ranked the third-best place to visit and is known for skiing 

Advertisement

In 2022, Acadia National Park contributed $479 million to the local economy, according to the NPS. 

Other stand-out locations on US News & World Report’s small town list include two tucked-away treasures in Colorado and Wyoming. 

Telluride, Colorado, was ranked the second-best small town to visit for its ‘captivating scenery and delightful Mountain Village.’

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is the third best place to visit, according to the list of 25 towns. 

Best known for its skiing and ‘cozy lodging’ options, Jackson Hole receives more than 400 inches of annual snowfall.