“Biddeford After Dark” is a five-part series of articles that I wrote more than 20 years ago while serving as the editor of the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier. According to what I wrote at the time, the purpose of the Biddeford After Dark series was “to explore what was often ignored: what happens in our community after most people have gone to sleep.”
I have fond memories of writing those articles, all of which were written in a first-person, narrative style.
It was October 2001, and I think my publishers, David and Carolyn Flood, thought I was nuts for wanting to work all the extra hours necessary to accomplish my goal. But I wasn’t looking for overtime compensation or a break from my daytime responsibilities.
I just thought it would be fun.
The Biddeford After Dark series stands out today – nearly two decades later – as one of my favorite writing endeavors.
Clicks on these links to travel back to Biddeford in 2001:
Part One: Tough Guys Don’t Dance
Halfway through the weekend, near midnight on Saturday, that fog seemed to be the perfect backdrop for a lone reporter wandering the city’s streets. A reporter looking for stories — the tales of the weary and the songs of those who make the darkness their kingdom.
I didn’t have to travel far.
The fluorescent, unearthly glow of the 7-Eleven sign cuts through the late night fog and mist like so many shards of shrapnel. The wail of a police siren can be heard in the distance and the downtown bars are packed and rocking.
Part Three: The Naked & The Dead
And if you sleep during the day, while the city thrives and jives; and if you walk into the night, full of energy and lust for adventure, what things will you find? And will your mind play tricks upon you? Would you see James Dean— collar turned up to the cold, autumn air — shuffling along Lincoln Street and wearing a Harris tweed jacket with a Lucky Strike dangling from his lips?
It is the time of day when people are most likely to get behind the wheel after having a few drinks. It is a time when tempers flare, and when a jealous rage is most likely to escalate. The moon lingers over the city, and the night whispers are more audible without the hustle and bustle of daytime activities.
But while the city’s leaders sleep, another group takes over. They are the watchers of the night, the defenders of the law; and the guardians of what the rest of us so often take for granted.
Part Five: Takin’ Care of Business
In-depth conversations with the donut makers, factory workers and the guys who operate Biddeford’s downtown waste incinerator; all while most of the city sleeps.
. . .
NOTE | For the life of me, I cannot find the files for Part Two of this five-part series. I guess the night takes its due without permission).
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 
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