Fortunes Rocks Association News

Fortunes Rocks Beach Water Quality Update

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:46:27 GMT

Fortunes Rocks Beach was temporarily closed on June 30 following an elevated bacteria reading. Given the public health implications and the inconvenience of a beach closure during the summer season, I met with Alisha Keezer, Waterfront Coordinator for the City of Biddeford, to better understand the circumstances surrounding the advisory.

As part of the Maine Healthy Beaches Program, the City of Biddeford monitors water quality throughout the summer at Hills Beach, Biddeford Pool, Middle Beach, and Fortunes Rocks Beach. The elevated reading was recorded at the Fortunes Rocks sampling location located in knee-deep water directly offshore from the Etherington Pond drainage outfall.

Water samples are analyzed by a certified laboratory for Enterococcus, a naturally occurring bacteria used as an indicator of potential fecal contamination. While the presence of Enterococcus does not identify the specific source of contamination, it serves as a standard public health measure used nationwide to determine whether recreational waters are safe for swimming.

Historical monitoring data from 2000 through 2026 show that bacteria levels at this location have been consistently low. Over the past five years, readings have typically been 10 MPN/100 mL or less, with only two previous results approaching 50 MPN/100 mL. The 134 MPN/100 mL reading recorded on June 29, 2026, exceeded the State's advisory threshold of 104 MPN/100 mL. However, a follow-up sample collected the next day had already returned to 10 MPN/100 mL, suggesting that the elevated reading was a short-lived event rather than a persistent water quality issue.

The City's preliminary investigation identified that the outlet flap boards regulating water discharge from Etherington Pond had been tampered with. The flap boards have since been secured with locks. The City is also investigating other potential contributors within the watershed, including compliance with local ordinances governing livestock near the pond. Additional possible sources under consideration include wildlife, septic system failures, stormwater runoff, and landscape chemicals. At this time, the City has not identified a definitive cause.

Our long-time member Louis Rana also contacted the Mayor regarding the closure. As a result, we are now in communication with the City Manager to better understand the City's monitoring and investigation procedures and how future incidents can be evaluated to distinguish between contamination originating from ocean conditions and potential sources within the Etherington Pond watershed.

In addition to collecting weekly water samples, the City's Waterfront Coordinator also measures ocean temperature and salinity throughout the swimming season. The City is currently seeking volunteers to assist with this monitoring program. Members interested in participating are encouraged to contact the City of Biddeford Waterfront Program.

We will continue to keep members informed as additional information becomes available.

Great Turnout at First Kids Event 2025

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 21:43:45 GMT

Our first kids craft event in 2025 had a great turnout with 12 kids ages 2 to 10 attending. This creative bunch kept the chaperons on their toes while making beautiful beach crabs and pine cone owls. All of the kids had great fun. The parents and grandparents enjoyed meeting other members with children.

If this date didn’t work out for your children, or grandchildren, get ready for the second crafts event on July 29 when Fortunes Rocks kids will make painted rocks, and beaded pens.

Don Campbell Show - What a Night!

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 12:45:08 GMT

Last night Don Campbell broke our music event attendance record with the largest crowd for a music event at FRA. Read our blog post.

General Meeting and June Social moved to Sunday

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 18:58:32 GMT

Due to inclement weather, General Meeting and June Social scheduled for this Saturday has been moved to Sunday June 29. Please note the General Meeting will start at 11 am.

General Meeting: 11 am - 12 pm on Saturday July 29

June Social: 5 pm - 8 pm on Saturday July 29

Thank you season 2025 volunteers

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:22:14 GMT

Thank you for the 29 members, who volunteered to organize 2025 season activities; host, set up before, clean up after social, events, cookouts, parties, dinners; and prepare, maintain and close out the tennis court. The full list of volunteers for the 2025 season is posted on the members only forum. If you would like to contribute, please contact the activity organizers, or event hosts. You can find the contact info in the member directory.

2024 FRA Beach Cookout Party

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:47:46 GMT

The sky was overcast, 72 degrees and low tide was at 4:07pm making for a perfect afternoon beach party. In attendance was approximately 80 people. At the end we had at least 20 people sitting around the fire till roughly 9pm.

2024 Maine Lighthouse Ride

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:37:51 GMT

FRA was the mid way stop for many of these riders, and it was a beautiful fall day. These riders used our Pavilion seating to rest and freshen up. It was nice to know that FRA has provided this rest stop for many years.

True to its name, the Maine Lighthouse Ride highlights the breathtaking views of coastal southern Maine, including multiple lighthouses, rolling terrain, and stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the iconic Scarborough Marsh. The MLR offers four ride lengths to challenge riders of all abilities – 25 miles, 40 miles, 62 miles, and 100 miles!

Join us to explore the scenic trails and unforgettable lighthouses that make coastal Maine a fantastic place to live and visit. Finish strong and proud knowing that all proceeds benefit the Eastern Trail Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds, maintains, and promotes the Eastern Trail, southern Maine’s premier multi-use greenway.

A Fiesta to Remember!

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 11:25:06 GMT

Taco Bar Night: A Fiesta to Remember!

A Fun Evening

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:56:42 GMT

A Fun Evening with the Biddeford Beat - July 2024

Wednesday Night Cookouts

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Every Wednesday night starting July 3 FRA will roll out the new grill so members and their guests can grill up their favorite foods. Bring something to grill, something to drink, and your own plates and utensiles. FRA will provide condiments such as mustard, relish and ketchup as well as tables and chairs.

Stellar Grand Opening

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:55:20 GMT

Our membership showed up with a large turnout for the opening of our new clubhouse at our June Social. The pavilion was perfect for the party despite a few raindrops. Everyone loved the pond and ocean view from the upper deck. Thanks everyone for making it a fun evening, and most importantly for making the new members feel at home. We appreciate all of the member compliments expressed at the party about the pavilion design and the hard work that went into making it happen. The effort of volunteers for setup, hosting and cleanup is gratefully acknowledged. Here is the link to an album started with photos taken by member Cary Frye: Social June 2024 Please upload your photos.

Weeding Party at the court

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 21:09:38 GMT

Thank you Norann Oleson for organizing the Weeding Party to remove the uninvited sprawling weeds at our clay court today. Thanks also to Karen Stebbins, John Fitzgerald, Jim Oleson, and Martha Mitchell, who joined us for the fun. The court looks pretty good ready for the ocean deposited sand to be hauled away, and replaced with Har-Tru clay. Hopefully, one of the tennis court companies will show up next week to complete the mission..

Polly Nodden 1968 Purchase of FRA Tennis Courts

Wed, 29 May 2024 20:20:35 GMT

On 12/18/2023, the Board awarded Lifetime Membership to Association Member, Polly Nodden, residing at 16 Elizabeth Road in recognition of her family’s land contribution. You can read Polly’s narration of the 1968 purchase of the current association lot at:

https://fortunesrocks.org/History-of-Tennis-Court

We’ll try to see if we can resurrect What’s Cooking On the Rocks?

Old Fortunes Rocks song

Wed, 29 May 2024 11:02:07 GMT

One of our musically gifted members - John Redman = put a band together ("The Biddeford Beat"), and wrote a portfolio of original songs to perform. In particular, one of his songs entitled "Old Fortunes Rocks" is an adaptation of Old Cape Cod, a hit by Patti Page in the 1950's with new lyrics fitting our neck of the woods. “I figured if Cape Cod had a song, Fortunes Rocks deserved one since it's at least as nice as Cape Cod is.”, says John. You can listen to the song by clicking on the link below. Vocals feature local singer Mesa Schubeck.

12 - Old Fortunes Rocks.wav

Northern Lights May 10, 2024 10pm

Sun, 12 May 2024 12:32:03 GMT

Day 6 Framing Completed

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 20:03:14 GMT

DEP Permit

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:37:42 GMT

We filed Permit by Rule Notification Form with Maine DEP on Oct. 20 along with the required documents including Fortunes Rocks Beach Sand Dune Geology Map, U.S.G.S. topography map of the location, site and building plans, and others. By rule, the permit is automatically granted after 14 days if DEP fails to respond. We were notified about the deficiencies in our application on the last day. After two weeks of interaction with the agency, our DEP application was approved on Nov. 15.

Biddeford Planning Board

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:30:00 GMT

We filed our Biddeford Planning Board application on Oct. 1 along with required documents including a cover letter, proposed site plan, 2D construction documents, and 3D visualization. In particular, our cover letter articulated movement of the footprint to the greatest practical extent without exasperating city's parking problems by moving the clubhouse movement 10' South, and rotating 8.5 degrees about the NE corner. On Oct. 18, Biddeford Planning Board held a public meeting to review our club’s proposal to build a new open air pavilion to serve as the clubhouse for our members. At the end of Mike Richard’s presentation, the Planning Board unanimously approved our proposal.