2013-14 Southwest Harbor & Tremont Port Directory and Chamber of Commerce Guide

Christina Boucher is extending the 10% discount for early payment for advertising from December 15 to December 31.  This discount is on top of the Chamber Member discount AND the 20% discount if you advertise in both directories.

Here is the rate sheet: 2013RateSheet.pdf

Here is the order form: 2013Insertion.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact Christina at: baysidegraphics@roadrunner.com or 664-9946.

You can view the 2012-13 edition in Flipbook format here: http://epub.knepperpress.com/publication/?m=23354&l=1

News from the Directors: Board Meeting 12.5.12

2012 Dues and Services: The Board is closing out the books for 2012 and preparing final bills for dues and other services.  The 2013 budget is in review with additions to the advertising budget including the pay-per-click program and an expanded Trail Map.  The Directors are happy to report that we are no longer using our line of credit for operations and are looking to how and where to improve advertising services for our members.

A Retail Relations Sub-committee chaired by Joan Steele (Salty Dog Gallery) will poll current and potential members in Southwest Harbor and Tremont for ideas on how to improve Chamber service.  Mission Statement: The Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce seeks to promote a vibrant economic community by attracting visitors and connecting them to local businesses. The Chamber is also a place for business owners to meet and work on local issues where the co-operation of the larger group is useful to accomplish goals that singly, businesses cannot achieve on their own. In addition, the Chamber contributes to the larger community by supporting worthwhile events.

Mobile Website: Should the Chamber create a mobile website?  How many of our  members use smartphones?  How many have mobile websites to promote their own businesses?

Communications to Members: The Board discussed different mechanisms to improve communications to members.

General Manager: Advertising will start in the New Year. The position will be full time in summer and reduced hours in the winter when the office is closed.  The membership will receive notice of the advertisement and the job description in January.

Bus Service: The Town Managers of Tremont and Southwest Harbor are meeting with the Island Explorer director to discuss improved bus service for the Quietside.  The Chamber is working with Southwest Harbor to build a new, handicapped accessible, public restroom behind the Village Green where it is hoped the out of town bus may connect with a local bus that serves more of Tremont.

Next Board Meeting: Wednesday, January 2 @ 10AM at the Chamber Office.

Acadia's Annual Park Pass Sale

Passes will be on sale for $20 (half price!), in person only—no phone orders— throughout December at the winter visitor center at park headquarters on the Eagle Lake Road and the Gouldsboro, Mt. Desert, and Tremont town offices; and at the annual Bar Harbor Village Holidays & Midnight Madness Sale on December 7, 8 p.m. to midnight, at the Acadia information site on the Village Green. For more information call 207-288-3338, extension 0. Remember: 80 percent of entrance fees collected in Acadia stay in Acadia. And, featuring artwork by a local elementary school student, the pass sticker is a great way to show your connection to Acadia year-round, no matter where your car is parked!

News from the Directors: Board Meeting, 11.14.12

General Manager: The Board is planning to hire a General Manager to replace Jay Emlen, who retired after Oktoberfest this year.  Currently the Board is overseeing office operations and will begin advertising in the new year with the plan to hire in March.

Budget: The Chamber expects to finish solidly “in the black” in 2012.  The Board has reviewed a first draft of the 2013 budget and is expanding the “pay per click” advertising program begun this year.

Trail Map: The 2012 Trail Map was a great success this year.  There are about 100 maps left in the office from a print run of 8000.  This year we are working on an expansion of the map to cover area toward the north of SWH and Tremont and east to take in some of the trails, bike paths and activities on the eastern side of the Sound.

Oktoberfest netted about $10K this year.  The Oktoberfest sub-committee will be meeting regularly on the last Thursday of every month to plan Oktoberfest 2013.

DART: Downeast Acadia Regional Tourism: www.downeastacadia.com held its third quarterly meeting in Trenton earlier this month.  DART, an arm of the Maine Office of Tourism, is funded with lodgings tax money and exists to promote businesses and tourism in Hancock and Washington Counties.  Members include chambers of commerce, business associations, The Hancock County Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton, and representatives from Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  To become a tourism partner and list your business on the DART website, click on "tourism partners" at the bottom of the home page.  Your listing will automatically appear also on the Maine Office of Tourism website.

New Businesses: Board member Joan Steele (Salty Dog Art Gallery) and Kristin Hutchins (Hutchins Cottages at Acadia) delivered new business welcome baskets to Bunny Fallon at the Velvet Underground and Tanya Long at Tanya’s Off the Grid.  Bunny’s vintage clothing store is located behind the SWH Library next to All In One.  Tanya is opening takeout food service in Christina Butler’s building on Main St. in SWH.

If anyone knows of any new businesses opening in SWH or Tremont, please let us know and we will deliver a new business welcome basket.  If you want to add to the basket, you can drop your contributions off at Gail Royal’s, Westside Florist at the Seal Cove Shops in SWH.

Next Board Meeting: December 5 @ 10AM at the Chamber Office.

2013 Southwest Harbor & Tremont Port Directory and Chamber of commerce Guide

Christina Boucher of Bayside Graphics, is beginning work on the 2013 Directory/Guides for Southwest Harbor and Tremont and Mt. Desert.  They will be available next year by Memorial Day.

2013 Rate Sheet: http://acadiachamber.com/pub/2013RateSheet.pdf
Rates remain the same for 2013 with a number of discounts offered including one for chamber members only.

2013 Insertion Order: http://acadiachamber.com/pub/2013Insertion.pdf
Return this early to take advantage of all the available discounts.

The directory has a circulation of over 70,000 and there are added services coming up this year with the Flip Book.  Look on acadiachamber.com under Maps & Guides to view the Flip Book version of the Guide.

Bylaws

The new Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce bylaws are posted for members: Bylaws.pdf.  These were approved at the Annual Meeting on September 13, 2012.

Office Hours

The Office will be closed for regular hours after Monday October 15.  We will be checking the e-mail and telephone messages daily, Monday through Friday throughout the winter.

Invitation: Social Media and Basic Computer

Dave Charron and Nicole Oulette are the guest speakers at the Women's Business Owners Meeting hosted October 2 at Harbor Ridge Apts. from 5 - 7pm.  The WBO would like to extend an invitation to attend to all Chamber members.  Please RSVP fellow chamber members Florence Dunbar of Royal Promotions: royalpro2@gmail.com or Colleen Maynard at BHBT:  cmaynard@bhbt.com, if you can come.

A small charge of $10 will cover refreshments.

Dave Charron owns Compusult: http://www.comp-u-sult.com/ which provides IT computer services and IT support and computer repair for small businesses on Mt. Desert Island.

Nicole Oulette owns Breaking Even Communications: http://breakingeveninc.com/ offering internet marketing, computer training and web development services.

Invitation to Tourism Businesses

Downeast Acadia Regional Tourism and the Maine Office of Tourism invite you to an afternoon of discussion and Q & A on marketing strategies for our region.  In Ellsworth, September 18.  Follow this link for details and information to RSVP. DART.MOT.Invite.pdf  

New bylaws to be put to a vote

The Chamber board has worked on revising the Chamber's bylaws with two primary goals in mind:

1. Simplify the language and organization of the bylaws with an eye towards clarity.
2. Revise sections that do not match the actual operation of the Chamber.

Please review the following documents:

• Revised bylaws, to be voted on at the upcoming Annual Meeting.
• Current bylaws.
• Commentary giving motivation for the changes proposed.

The Annual Meeting has been scheduled for 6pm on Thursday September 13th. Watch your mail box for  your invitation.

Could you use a funny story right now?

I thought maybe you could all use a laugh right about now. Therefore, I submit my two favorite questions/comments of the summer so far.

Number 1-Today, August 9th, a couple from Texas walked in and the man said to me,"Boy I didn't know it was high season around here right now. I didn't expect it to be so busy." I guess he was a bit lax in the pre-trip research.

Number 2-A few weeks ago a woman called and was looking for a small cottage. I gave her some ideas but she really didn't want to pay much of anything for her accommodations. After rejecting all of my ideas she said, "Don't you know someone with a mansion who has a guest house on it?" Oh sure, I'll give Martha a call right now!

Do you have a favorite story you would like to share?

Chamber website FREE advertising service

Post an Announcement for Today:  Post an announcement for one day from your member login page.  This is great place for B&B's and Inns, Motels and Hotels to post a vacancy.  Not only will the Office Staff see it and use it to assist callers and visitors, but for guests who go straight to the website and do NOT check with the office it is a resource for them as well.

Audio/Visual Cabinet

Thank you to The Wendell Gilley Museum for the loan of a beautiful cabinet which houses a 32" HD TV and a DVD player.

Do you have any DVDs you would like to loan or give to the chamber which are of local interest or of promotional interest? It would be nice to have a variety of disks to run. Right now all we have is 2 DVDs, one 10 minutes and one about 1/2 hour. Please call 244-9264 or email jay@acadiachamber.com if you would like to contribute to our video library.

New members

Please welcome new members Downeast Sailing Adventures and The State of Maine. We are very pleased to have them.

Downeast Sailing Adventures is operated by Andrew Keblinsky. Andrew skippers the Friendship Sloop, Surprise, a Maine built wooden boat carrying a maximim of 6 passengers. Visitors may book online at http://www.friendshipsloop.com/ or call 207-288-2216 or 888-404-SAIL.

In an email from Brian Mulligan, Governor's Account Executive, Maine Dept. of Economic & Community Development, Brain said, "The Governor and this administration is focused on growing business and jobs in the State and feels strongly that partnering and supporting the Chambers of Commerce is the best way to reach out to and help businesses grow in our communities."

Gallery on the Green and Office News

This weekend's Gallery on the Green was well attended. Tim and Thea Flanagan said that they were very pleased with Saturday's attendance and Sunday's was good too - even with the rain.  Linda Graham, our office staff was terrifically busy with over 100 people in the office over the weekend.  We hope our retailers and restaurants enjoyed a good weekend too.  Thanks to Cafe Drydock for the coffee and Cranberry Hill Inn and Hutchins Cottages at Acadia for the muffins.

The Gallery on the Green is returning in two weeks.  The Chamber would be happy to thank any member willing to donate some muffins or scones for the next event.  Contact Kristin through the Chamber if you can help with that!

BTW, this year's record for office visits goes to Flamingo Festival Weekend where we estimate 200 visitors - Linda says she may have lost count!

The 8000 Trail Maps that we printed this year are moving well. We put an optional price of $.50 on them this year and a few businesses are selling them.  Others are giving them away.  One member, having exceeded her allotment of 200 has purchased 100 more at the member price of: $.25.

To date, the Chamber offices have given away 500 maps.

Reminder to members: keep your listing on the Chamber's website, up to date here: http://member.acadiachamber.com/

Going fishing in freshwater or salt

We receive many questions regarding fishing license requirements for vistors from out of state (and in-state too). The information and links below should make it easy to find the answers.

Freshwater fishing generally requires a license for anyone 16 or older. The rates and rules vary by residency and age. Licenses are available at town offices. Please go to this link for details:
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/licenses_permits/fishing.htm


It used to be that if you wanted to fish in salt water all you had to do was throw a line in and wait for a bite. That has changed. Saltwater fishing now requires "registration". This can be done on-line for $1.00 or at town offices for $2.00. Here's the scoop:

Who needs to register for Maine’s new saltwater registry?

Maine residents, do you have a valid Maine freshwater fishing license? There is a check box on the freshwater application form for you to indicate you saltwater fish, check that box and you are good to go. There is an exception, if you hold a lifetime or over 70 license you will have to register annually. If you do not have a valid Maine freshwater license then you must register. This can be done by going to www.maine.gov/saltwater ($1.00), going to the DMR office, 2 Beech St., Hallowell, ME 04347 or by any appointed Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife agent ($2.00).
Non-Maine residents, do you have a valid Maine freshwater fishing license? There is a check box on the freshwater application form for you to indicate you saltwater fish, check that box and you are good to go. If you are registered to engage in saltwater recreational fishing in another state, or with the National Registry, you are also good to go. If none of this applies, you may register by going to www.maine.gov/saltwater ($1.00), going to the DMR office, 2 Beech St., Hallowell, ME 04347 or by any appointed Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife agent ($2.00).
There are some exceptions for both residents and non-residents. You do not need to register if:

• You are under 16 years of age
• You are a passenger on board a for-hire (headboat/charterboat) vessel that holds a recreational operators license
• You are renting a smelt fishing camp from someone that holds a recreational operators license
• You are fishing from a dock, pier or wharf that is owned by someone holding a recreational operators license
• You are a Maine resident fishing on July 4th, Labor Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend
• You hold a valid saltwater license or registration from another state
• You are registered on the National Saltwater Angler registry through NOAA
• You are a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians or  the Aroostook Band of Micmacs
• You have a valid commercial license and you have checked that you recreationally saltwater fish

Bass Harbor Head Light

One of the most popular attractions on the quietside is the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. It's easy to get to and the views can't be beat. The lighthouse sits on a bluff above Bass Harbor Bar, a shallow spot which can make for tricky navigating during certain tidal and wind conditions. Boats need to stay in a fairly narrow channel to get across the bar safely. To get here, take 102A from Southwest Harbor. You will pass by the Seawall picnic area, Wonderland and Ship Harbor Trails (all worth stopping for!) and then you will take a hard left. The road to the lighthouse is about 1/2 mile from the turn off. RVs can not go down this road because there is no room in the parking lot at the end to turn around.  There is a trail down to the water on the left of the parking lot as you look toward the sea. There is an asphalt trail to an overlook (pictured on the left) from the right side of the lot. The view from there spectacular. The pictures below were taken from that spot.





Looking west toward Swans Island and Blue Hill Bay.



Looking south toward the Gott Islands and Placentia Island

Acadia National Park Quarter Launch

The United States Mint  has recently memorialized one of our most popular Quietside landmarks. On June 11th the newest America the Beautiful Quarter was released. The Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse was chosen to represent Acadia National Park on the "tails" side of the new quarter.

The ceremonial release will be held at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, located within Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, on June 26, 2012, at 9:30 am. Afterward, at approximately 10 a.m. a coin exchange will take place where one can buy from 1 to 10 rolls of these quarters at $10 per roll. Children under the age of 18 will be given 1 free quarter each.

A coin forum will be held the evening of June 25 from 6:30-7:30 pm at the Visitor Center auditorium. For more information please visit: http://www.parkquarters.com/acadia-national-park-quarter.

We have lots of news to report as we change over from spring to summer mode.

The chamber office is now open Mon.-Fri. 9am-4pm Monday-Friday until May25th when we will be open 7 days a week 9am-4pm through Columbus Day weekend.

We just received our 2012 Quietside Trail Maps from the printer. This year they are better than ever featuring hiking, cycling, and X-C ski trails, parking areas, Island Explorer bus stops, public boat launches, tide tables, sunrise and sunset times, and moon phases. The maps are available at the chamber office and from many of our members. For a sneak preview here’s a link http://www.acadiachamber.com/2012_Trail_Map.pdf.  Many thanks to the 38 member advertisers for their support of this wonderful map. We could not produce it without them.

2012-2013 Southwest Harbor & Tremont Port Directory and Chamber of Commerce Guides are also available at the chamber office and area businesses.

2012-2013 Discovery Maps are now available.

We would like to welcome (back) Linda Graham who will be working 2 or 3 days a week at the chamber office, Linda has 12 years of experience dispensing her knowledge and wisdom of our beautiful side of Mount Desert Island.

Spring is here.....really!

The first day of spring is usually pretty much like another day of winter in these parts. No so this year. Wow, it's 75 F in Southwest Harbor as I write this. I've never seen anything like it. Who knows how long it will last, but everyone is enjoying it while they can. I doubt we'll be putting away the snow shovels though.

Tri-County Career Center

Gateway to Employment Workshops

February 16, 1:00-4:00

February 27, 1:00-4:00

Location: EMDC offices at the Mill Mall in Ellsworth

Call: 561-4083 for more information

Another amazing sunset

Another advantage to living, working and playing on the "quietside" is that it is also the west side of Mount Desert Island. I have nothing against sunrises but I really love sunsets and the west side is the best side to see them. I told you in the last blog I would add another sunset picture yesterday, but I didn't have time. I'm so glad, because on my way home last night the sky started to look very interesting. I decided to drive a little bit out of my way (about 100 yards) and go down Barlett Narrows Rd. I stopped on the little causeway there and this is what I saw. This was taken on my iphone and is completely unedited. Pretty amazing isn't it?

Jay

Commuting

Sunset is at 4:30 pm today. That's an increase of more than 35 minutes from mid-December. Consequently I have seen some gorgeous sights on my "commute" home in the afternoon. This one was after a snow squall last week. I captured it from the north end of Long Pond, known locally as "Pond's End". In the summer there would be people swimming and launching canoes, kayaks and small motor boats here. This time of year icefishermen are putting their ice shacks out.

When I'm driving to and from work, I sometimes listen to faraway AM radio stations like WBZ in Boston or WCBS in New York. The traffic reports remind me how lucky I am to be living in this beautiful place. I'll post another one tomorrow.

Jay