Esther Sharrigan and M.D. Urbanck dance to music from the Scotti River Trio at Schooner Landing Restaurant and Marina in Damariscotta on Wednesday, July 2. After an electrical fire destroyed the business in September 2024, the business hosted its soft reopening just in time for the Fourth of July. (Ali Juell photo)
Like a phoenix, a beloved Damariscotta restaurant rose from the ashes over the Fourth of July weekend.
Following almost complete destruction and an extensive rebuilding project, Schooner Landing Restaurant and Marina, at 47 Main St., reopened its doors on Wednesday, July 2 to kick off its summer season.
The majority of the restaurant and marina was destroyed in an electrical fire last September, forcing owners Scott Folsom and Caleb Jones to rebuild from the ground up.
Folsom said it’s been surreal to see Schooner Landing make its return and to feel the outpouring of support, both from within and outside of Lincoln County. Getting the project approved and finished so quickly, he said, could not have happened without the community.
“You spend pretty much every waking hour thinking of how to get from the pile of rubble that was here to today,” Folsom said. “It was a pretty phenomenal feat.”
The plans for a new pier were approved by the Damariscotta Planning Board in March, allowing Folsom and Jones to quickly get to work on the reconstruction.
When the project finished on Sunday, June 29, Folsom and Jones immediately moved on to hiring and training so they could open by Wednesday.
“Usually we have a whole month of training before the season starts; this time we had a day,” Folsom said.
Even with a tight turn around, the owners and their staff managed to pull off their July 2 soft opening. The restaurant and marina was packed with customers while the Scotti River Trio played.
Business only got busier as the Fourth of July weekend went on, Jones said, but it was a relatively smooth start to Schooner’s season.
“Customers from here and away were just happy to be back on the property,” Jones said. “We’re all happy that they’re back, too.”
The co-owners spent plenty of time figuring out what was next for Schooner Landing.
“Scott didn’t sleep for about six months thinking about every detail,” Jones said.
The owners came to decision they would do whatever was necessary to get the business reopened as soon as possible.
Despite some minor changes to help with efficiency, both Jones and Folsom said they worked to keep the pier’s original charm intact. A portion of the original deck even managed to escape the fire, Folsom said, and so the new wood mixes with the old.
There’s no longer a covered pub on the outer deck, but Jones said a second bar will be installed in that area for the season. Once that’s set up, Folsom said any further development won’t happen for a couple of seasons.
With the business reopened and here to stay, Folsom said customers should be ready for nights filled with live music and the eatery’s classic menu.
It will be a shorter seasonal run than usual as they look towards closing some time in October, but Jones said managing to open for even a portion of this season was worth the effort.
“I was just relieved to see … the energy I love so much back on the deck,” Jones said.
The fire represented major adversity, but Folsom said the tragedy showed how much people valued the business. He said he couldn’t express enough gratitude to those who waited for Schooner Landing’s reopening and helped in the process.
“The contractors, the builders, the carpenters, everybody pretty much dropped everything to help us,” Folsom said. “It was important to them to help us get open, and we’re forever grateful.”
For more information about Schooner Landing, go to schoonerlandingmaine.com or find the business on Facebook and Instagram.
From left: Natasha Zaccadelli, Mark Zaccadelli, Garrett Coffin, and Megan Coffin chat on Schooner Landing Restaurant and Marinas pier on Wednesday, July 2. The Damariscotta bar and restaurant was crowded for its soft reopening after rebuilding from a fire in September 2024. (Ali Juell photo)
