In the Maine Stream opened on August 7, 2010. Featuring the museum's own circa 1899 Wabanaki birchbark canoe and an array of vintage wooden paddles and oars on loan from the private collection of Kate Manko, this exhibition was equal parts history, art and nostalgia. 

In the Maine Stream marked the first time that a rare, 15-foot, birchbark canoe—a 2009 donation to the museum’s collections—was on public view.  The canoe’s provenance relates the story of Kennebunkport's "Indian Village" at the turn of the 20th century, when Native Americans came each summer for decades from Old Town, Maine, to camp along the banks of the Kennebunk River and cater to summer visitors by selling sweetgrass baskets and canoes and by offering guided paddle excursions to Sunset Rock. Exhibit-goers learned about various canoeing traditions on the river over the years. The exhibition also explored the intricate makings of a birchbark canoe, from the gathering of winter bark to the framing and planking.

Artistically, museum guests viewed the utilitarian simplicity of the hand-crafted wooden paddles and oars. Of the more than 40 displayed, many were painted in a folk art tradition with scenes and names evocative of Maine's natural beauty. Particularly noteworthy was a pair of birdseye maple paddles decorated with images of deer, canoeists, and a moose. To acquaint visitors with what goes into making a quality paddle, an interactive station within the exhibition was equipped with wood samples from Shaw & Tenney; founded in 1858, the Orono, Maine-based company is the oldest manufacturer of paddles and oars in the United States.

Exhibition sponsored by Cape Arundel Inn.