Visits to Acadia National Park this year are up over last year.  The park's citizen advisory commission was told yesterday that more than 1.5 million people had visited the park by the end of August this year, 45,000 more than had visited through the same period last year, according to the Bangor Daily News.  That's an increase of about 3 percent, park officials told the commission.

The increase occurred despite June and July's relentless rains.  The good weather last month appears to have given attendance a boost -- for the month of August, visits increased nearly 14 percent over the same month last year.  The park's recreation specialist Charlie Jacobi told the commission that more than half a million people visited Acadia last month alone, the paper reports.

Jacobi says some visitors were lured to the park by the heavy surf kicked up by Hurricane Bill, despite some injuries and one death that occurred when an enormous wave washed over a group of surf-watchers.

Jim's comment: So we ask people "Where are you from AND Where are you going?" The answer most times is Acadia. Certainly August was the month anyone everyone chose. And so far, September is strong as well. Looks like a great end to a slow strarting seaon.