Maine Magazine announced Monday that is canceling this year’s Kennebunkport Festival after chefs and sponsors had begun pulling support following allegations of sexual harassment against the magazine’s owner and former publisher.

“We are canceling this year’s Kennebunkport Festival. We are doing so because we don’t want recent news about Maine Media Collective to cast a shadow over the festival,” read a statement on the festival’s website. “We are grateful for the support of our sponsors and advertisers and to all of you who have purchased tickets. All ticket holders will receive a full refund.”

Last week, Jessie Lacey, who worked as a designer for Maine Media Collective, the parent company of Maine Magazine and several other glossy magazines, alleged that Kevin Thomas twice kissed her without permission while the two were having drink at a Portland bar in March 2010. Another coworker had been with them but left before the encounter, Lacey explained in a detailed post last week on the website Medium.

She said she and Thomas agreed the next day to move on but, “What followed was an agonizing eight months of systematic bullying, relentless gas lighting, and calculated mental harassment the likes of which I had never before, or since, experience.” Lacey left the company a short time later.

Thomas, in a statement last week, acknowledged kissing Lacey and said it was wrong but he disputed her characterization of events.

Andrea King, who took over as CEO and publisher of Maine Media Collective last November, said she believes the workplace culture there has vastly improved.

But after news of Lacey’s allegations spread late last week and into the weekend, some businesses are distancing themselves from Maine Media Collective.

David Turin, a well-known chef, announced on Facebook that he planned to withdraw his participation in the Kennebunkport Festival, a glitzy event sponsored by Maine Magazine that was scheduled for June.

“After a review of the current situation David’s Restaurants have notified the Maine Media Collective (Maine Magazine) that we are withdrawing from the Kennebunkport Festival this year,” he wrote.

Maine Art Gallery, Kennebunk Beach Realty, Pack Maynard & Associates Real Estate and the Breakwater Inn & Spa all announced that they were withdrawing participation as well.

Merrilee Paul, who owns 50 Local with her husband, applauded businesses for standing up.

“We are happy to see area businesses putting their money where their values are and pulling out of the Kennebunkport Festival,” she wrote. “50 Local has not been involved in the self serving Kennebunkport Festival sponsored by the Maine Magazine for 8 years as we had heard talk of the most recent press and allegations. We do not advertise with them, support them, or even thumb through their multiple publications. We do not support a business of that nature.”

This story will be updated

Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: PPHEricRussell

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