To show off the energy renovations we've done this fall, we having a Warm Home Party with the Maine Green Energy Alliance.
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Belfast Business owner promotes Energy Efficiency Invites public to a “Warm Home” Open House on January 27th
Jim and Patti LeClair, owners of the Maine Coast Welcome Center in Belfast will open their business and adjacent residence to the public on Thursday, Jan 27th at 6pm to showcase recent energy efficient improvements made to their property.
“After reading about the savings available to homeowners in a brochure from the Maine Green Energy Alliance (MGEA), we had a professional energy audit performed,” explained homeowner Jim LeClair. “Our auditor performed a blower door test and confirmed many energy leaks. Moving forward, we were surprised how many choices we had to become more energy efficient,” he continued. “MGEA was a great resource for helping us understand the process.”
By working with local contractors trained in energy improvements, the LeClair’s were able to combine substantial energy savings with a renovation of a 1969 era apartment and were able to do a lot of the work themselves. “Now we want to show others in the area a real project,” added Patti LeClair; “How an existing residence can be improved without having to rebuild it. I’m amazed when my weather station tells me the wind is howling because we’re so cozy inside!”
During the Open House, a short slide show will present before and after photos detailing the project from start to finish and guests will be treated to coffee and dessert. Shelby Wright, Education and Outreach Coordinator for MGEA, will be on hand to talk with visitors about the Efficiency Maine Energy Savings Program, how to get started to becoming more efficient and the benefits of doing energy efficient upgrades to their properties. Individuals that schedule an audit at the event on the 27th will receive a $50 off coupon from MGEA for their own home energy assessment. “The average homeowner can save $1,000 a year on their energy bills by installing comprehensive home energy upgrades,” Wright explained. “The LeClair’s property is a prime example of how energy efficient improvements can help homeowners and businesses save money on their energy bills and improve the comfort and safety of their properties.”
The MGEA program, which offers education and outreach staff and dedicated homeowner service is a one stop shop for finding contractors, scheduling audits, and completing necessary paperwork; the project is funded by Efficiency Maine. They have been working closely with the Belfast Energy and Climate Committee and program participants like the LeClair’s to facilitate the energy upgrades of 200 area homes by Dec. 31, 2011.
The Maine Coast Welcome Center is located at 169 Searsport Ave. (Rte 1) in Belfast. The “Warm Home” Open House is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27 from 6-8 pm. For more information call Jim LeClair at 207-930-3633 or email Jim@Maine-Coast-Welcome-Center.com or got to www.mainegreenenergyalliance.org.
Maine's Dept. of Conservation has just released a new Recreational Map & Guide to Maine's Public Lands.
Maine’s public reserved lands are remote lands managed for variety of resource values, including recreation, wildlife, and timber harvesting. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands owns more than 500,000 acres of public lands, organized into 29 units ranging in size from 500 to more than 43,000 acres and many other smaller scattered lots. These lands are available for recreation and offer unique, back-country experiences.
People ask how we come up with all those creative ideas?
We listen to our partners. They have great ideas & they share their stories with us! At the Maine Coast Welcome Center we love to share those stories as we help tourists make decisions on Where to Stay, Where to Eat, and What to Do. We talk to thousands of tourists each season about our business partners, so if you’ve got an interesting story to share, we’d love to partner with you, too.
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What Tourists Want
Happy New Year! My News Year's Resolution was to get out a newsletter sharing our experiences this past season. Here's your sneak preview. Comments Welcome!
In this edition of "What Tourists Want" we'll be talking about Newsletters and how it relates to attracting tourists.
This newsletter focuses on sharing real examples our partners use to stand out. Using creative ways to attract tourists helps you convert tourists into customers this season and many seasons to come.
Please hit reply and tell me your favorite "thing to do" to keep away the cold. I answer every email sent to me.
Regards,
Jim & Patti LeClair Maine Coast Welcome Center (207) 415-5646 & 415-5647
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www.maine-coast-welcome-center.com
I have the greatest respect for some of our partners who have weathered many storms of Maine tourism and still have the "spark". They still love what they do. I got my inspiration for a newsletter from Marian Burns in Bar Harbor.
Marian of the Mira Monte Inn has been operating this exquisite B&B in Bar Harbor for 30 years. One of our first partners, Marian impressed me from the start. She had us do a photo slide show to showcase her inn. As we talked, I confessed I hadn't stayed at a B&B for a few years, (actually back in the time when B&B's had a shared bathroom). She said, "Jim, you must stay with us to experience our hospitality so you may share it with your guests." I planned a visit the next week.
On arriving, I was impressed with the impeccably maintained 1800's building. The room had a four poster bed and large thick towels in the bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. What really impressed me, however, was the flat screen HD tv and high speed wifi ! This inn was a huge update from my experience. Marian told me, "Jim, times have changed and we've changed to give our guests what they want."
Marian celebrated 30 years in the business this past winter. To share with her guests, she sent out in her newsletter, 30 Things to Do in Bar Harbor. We used it this summer at the Maine Coast Welcome Center. I remember when I received the newsletter, what a nice thing for Marian to share her 30 years of experience with me. When I saw Marian this past spring I thanked her. I noticed the "sparkle" in her eyes. She said, "You know Jim, when guests come to visit with my list, they usually stay longer."
Click here for Marian's 30 Things to Do in Bar Harbor & here for our slide show.
This year, Miram was named winner of the chamber’s highest honor, the Cadillac Award.
Our friend Marion celebrated 30 years operating the Mira Monte this past summer and put together a list of 30 things to do while visiting Bar Harbor. Use this list in your travel plans for this season!
PS Marion won the area's Cadillac Award this season for "a person that epitomizes the virtues of leadership, service, sacrifice and the quest for personal excellence."
Thirty Reasons to Stay Four Nights in Bar Harbor Mix and Match for the best variety vacation you've ever had.
1. Walk the Shore Path anytime- dawn to dusk- (25 minutes) and to Bar Island (at low tide). (25 minutes) 2. Walk the Connector Trails to the base of Dorr Mountain (1 hour) 3. Visit the Abbe Museum of Indian Culture (3 minutes from Mira Monte). 4. Eat lobster one night, scallops one night, fish another night, fried clams the fourth night. 5. Borrow our CD and drive through Acadia National Park – 4 to 6 hours if you stop and explore as directed. 6. Have a picnic on the rocks at Otter Point. Have a picnic on the shore of Bar Island (we'll tell you the times – remember the tides rise and fall 12 feet every six hours). 7. Go on the lobster boat, “Lulu” – a fabulous experience (2 hours) 8. Go whale watching (mid-June to late October) – 4-5 hours 9. Go sea kayaking (1-3 hours) 10. Take the “Sea Princess” out of Northeast Harbor – 2 ½ hour nature cruise into the only fjord in the lower 48. 11. Take the “Sea Princess” out to Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) for dinner (3 hours) 12. Take a historic walking tour around old Bar Harbor and hear interesting stories of the early “rusticators” and their summer “cottages”. (2 hours) 13. Visit the “Oceanarium” and see the lobster hatchery, deep sea animals and the animals of the salt marsh. 2 hours 14. Walk the ocean path from Sand Beach to Otter Point – past Thunder Hole and experience the incredible beauty of Maine’s rockbound coast, see boulder beaches, tidal pools, and daunting cliffs. 15. Try rock climbing the cliffs of Acadia – lessons are available in the village. 16. Picnic at low tide on the shore of Bar Island. We’ll advise you when low tide permits this activity. (Tides here rise or fall 12 feet every 6 hours). 17. Sail on the Margaret Todd (the only four masted schooner in the area; also boasts picturesque red sails). (2 hours) 18. Visit the Wild Gardens of Acadia – in Acadia Park. It features all of the native plants of this island. (1/2 hour) 19. Visit the Azalea Gardens in Northeast Harbor. This Japanese style gardens is picturesque all season long; there is a Zen sand garden, and a moss garden. The artful pruning helps you to slow down and experience a calm, restful walk. In June the azaleas are breathtaking! (1/2 hour) 20. Visit the Thuja Garden in Northeast Harbor. This English formal garden sits on the top of a cliff. Drive up or walk up the switchback path and enjoy some spectacular view of Northeast Harbor and the Islands beyond. The Dawn Redwood trees are living fossils and are extremely huge trees with a unique twisted branching pattern and soft deciduous fir-like spills for leaves. 21. Visit the site of Bass Harbor lighthouse – just beyond Southwest Harbor. (The lighthouse is privately owned, but you can go out on the rocks to take pictures). 22. Take a walk through a natural bonsai forest at Wonderland – near the lighthouse. (1/2 hour). 23. Enjoy summer theater (in Somesville from late June to Labor Day) 24. Enjoy one of the many music festival performances offered throughout the summer. 25. Enjoy the fall foliage in Acadia. Gorgeous multicolored hillsides and the blue ocean in the background are everywhere - at peak color from October 10th to the 18th, but there is usually color from late September to November. 26. Celebrate the Fourth of July with us in Bar Harbor: a parade, music on the village green, a lobster festival at the athletic field, and fireworks over the ocean at 9 PM. 27. Enjoy a band concert on the village green on Monday and Thursday evenings in the summer. (1 hour) 28. Bicycle on the Carriage roads (50 miles of compacted gravel roads wind through the Park up the hills and around the ponds. No cars or motorized vehicles are permitted on these roads) (3-4 hours) 29. Take a horse and buggy ride on the Carriage roads 2 to 4 hours. 30. Enjoy a canoe ride on Long Pond or ride with the tide up Northeast Creek and get a ride back as the tide goes out.
