Windjammers and the crews that sail them know a thing or two about fun and how to have a family-friendly time of it in Camden—one of the world’s prettiest harbors. This Labor Day weekend (Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 6) the seaside village will once again play host to Maine’s windjammer fleet, a host of other special vessels- both commercial and private, living history exhibits, wonderful food, and flat-out family fun with the annual Camden Windjammer Festival.

The full schedule of events can be found at www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com, but suffice to say the weekend offers something for everyone, from sailing aficionados, through blueberry pancake and clam chowder enthusiasts, to aspirant crate-racers and boat builders.

The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community-led celebration of Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions. From the great age of sail when four, five, and even six-masted schooners were launched into Camden Harbor, through the birth of the windjammer business here in the 1930s and continuing with the elegant yachts that visit or call Camden home every summer, sailing ships have always defined this gorgeous community where the mountains meet the sea.

Every year thousands of visitors from as far away as Alaska and as near as Bay View Street in Camden gather along the wharfs and parks to explore the ships themselves, learn salty crafts and skills, and swap sea stories and songs in talent shows and concerts that will appeal to landlubbers and swabbies alike. Now in its sixteenth year, the Camden Windjammer Festival has become a wildly popular event for tourists as well as locals. This year’s festival takes on special significance, as the Camden community recognizes and celebrates the important role the town’s maritime heritage plays in shaping the lives of all residents.

An event of this scale would not be possible without the active support and participation of local residents and businesses. With that in mind, anyone interested in volunteering for at least one four hour shift over the course of the weekend can call Dan Bookham at the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce at 236-4404 or email him at dbookham@camdenme.org. Volunteering is a great way to be right at the heart of the Camden Windjammer Festival while contributing invaluable help to the event and the community in a fun and enjoyable setting. Each volunteer receives an exclusive Camden Windjammer Festival Volunteer T-Shirt – these shirts are not for sale and can only be obtained by volunteering. Also, volunteers will be able to say that they helped stage one of the biggest parties on the Maine coast in celebration of our maritime heritage and community spirit.

Also needed to ensure that all the elements of the weekend- from the fireworks to the final design of the t-shirts- are successful is the financial support of community-minded businesses and individuals interested in sponsorship opportunities. For more information on a great way to support your community (at a variety of levels) while benefiting your business contact fundraising chair John Viehman at 594-9544 or jviehman@downeast.com. The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce, Down East, Village Soup, and Point Lookout Resort & Conference Center are already signed on as major sponsors. Also providing valuable support are the Camden Downtown Business Group, the Camden Public Library, EBS, Elm Street Printing & Graphics, Linda Norton Studio, Marti Stone Photography, and Sikaflex.

For regular updates on the Camden Windjammer Festival and for more information on any aspect of the weekend visit www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com or www.visitcamden.com, or call the CRL Chamber at 207 236 4404 or 1 800 223 5459.

Camden Windjammer Festival logo

The summer HarborArts Juried Arts & Crafts Show, hosted by the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce in Camden, Maine, returns for its 33rd year July 18 & 19, 2009.

Scores of artists and artisans will display, discuss and sell their work in a festive open marketplace nestled beside Penobscot Bay – the same land and seascapes that have inspired artists for millennia, ever since the Red Paint people first ranged the coast.

The show features an eclectic mix of established and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines, and grows more popular each year. Last year’s event, with over $1 million in merchandise, drew more than 6000 people.

Attendees will find work that appeals to every taste and budget. Fine works in watercolor, oil, acrylics, and pastels blend with spectacular photography, sculpture and mixed media. High design jewelry, metal and woodcraft, pottery and exquisite furniture is also available.

Exhibitors line Camden’s Atlantic Avenue, spill into Harbor Park, and surround the adjacent Camden Amphitheatre – all overlooking a harbor that hosts a fleet of authentic windjammers.

Attendees will find the accommodations as diverse as the show itself, great food from fine dining to take-out, and a range of eclectic and intriguing stores- all within minutes of the HarborArts exhibition area.

For more information on HarborArts, call the CRL Chamber- 1 800 223 5459 or 236-4404, email them at chamber@camdenme.org, or visit them online: www.visitcamden.com

PORTLAND – When Stanford Management’s affordable housing facilities get a $25 million facelift this summer, the company will be using paint, carpeting and materials that have a very low impact on the environment, including thousands of gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint that meets the most stringent environmental standards.

Last year, Stanford secured $25.5 million in US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Funds for the revitalization of more than 78 housing properties in Stanford’s portfolio, including properties in Maine, Connecticut, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. The funds will help create hundreds of jobs in Maine because most of the contracts will be given to local individuals and vendors for the work that includes repairing/replacing roofs, making ADA upgrades to the parking lot and common areas, elevator system updates, replacing windows and repairing or replacing siding.

And where possible, the upgrades will be completed with hundreds of yards of carpets made from recycled materials and hundreds of gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint with the GreenSure® designation that are designed and manufactured to reduce environmental impact and meet or exceed the most stringent regulatory requirements.

“The residents are going to see big changes to their properties that will make them more comfortable and attractive,” said Rosa Scarcelli, owner and president of Stanford Management. “But they’ll be doubly pleased to know that we’re using materials that don’t harm the environment. And for a major upgrade like this where we’ll be using lots of paint and materials, it’s good to know that companies like Sherwin-Williams offer products that are eco-friendly and meet high performance standards as well.”

For example, Sherwin-Williams Harmony Interior Latex Coating has zero-VOCs (volatile organic compounds emitted by some products that have adverse health effects) and carries the company’s GreenSure® designation. It is also GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certified® and GreenGuard Certified for Children and Schools.

Furthermore the paint comes in containers made from plastic that is 100% recycled from post-consumer resin. The label contains 75% recovered fiber and 25% post-consumer waste, and is
printed using soy ink. The containers are manufactured at four plants around the US to lower the distance from plant to store.

“Sherwin-Williams leads the industry in the development of environmentally responsible products through our GreenSure® designation, which takes into consideration product performance and environmental factors,” said Steve Revnew of Sherwin Williams. “However, it is important to us that we offer products to our customers that are third-party tested and certified through the GreenGuard Environmental Institute. These GreenGuard certified products meet or exceed the most stringent green building specifications.”

“It is refreshing for us to work with a company like Stanford Management who understand the importance of using products that help protect the environment for future generations. Sherwin Williams is committed to providing the products, product knowledge and training to help ensure Stanford Management meets it’s goal of going green.” said Richard Alley of the Belfast Sherwin Williams.

About Stanford Management: Stanford Management is the largest woman owned affordable housing provider in the United States and one of the largest women owned companies in the state of Maine. It operates nearly 60 affordable housing facilities in Maine from Madawaska to Old Orchard Beach and provides housing for more than 5,000 families and individuals, as well as properties in three other states. In 2008, Affordable Housing Magazine named Stanford as one of the top 10 affordable housing providers in the country. Rosa Scarcelli, a native of Wilton, Maine, is owner and President. For more information see www.stanfordmanagement.com or go to http://pitch.pe/7464
For more information on Sherwin-Williams eco-friendly products, see www.swgreenspecs.com

CONTACT: For Stanford Management, Dennis Bailey, Savvy, Inc., 207-347-6077

If you have noticed soot around your chimney mortar joints, you may have damaged or misaligned flue tiles within your chimney.

A customer called us recently with concerns related to soot around a chimney.

Upon inspection, we determined that the flues in this chimney were free standing within a large cavity. The flues were not tethered to the chimney and had toppled. The flue tiles were leaning against the interior chimney walls. The flue tile joints had completely failed.

A number of issues had arisen from the toppled flues.

The function of this flue was to exhaust the emissions from the oil fired furnace.

The soot that had been observed by our customer was residue from the exhaust which had permeated the mortar joints.

The result being that the flue had little if any draft and most importantly the glued joints between the flue tiles had completely failed preventing complete draft and emissions release outside of the building.

The situation was a danger to the inhabitants of the building. The efficiency of the furnace was also severely impaired. The effect is similar to that of a twisted tailpipe in a car, dangerous to the occupants and adverse to engine performance and fuel consumption.

We considered the matter a priority. We properly installed new flue tiles and secured them.

We then replaced the failed mortar joints . Our customer now lives in a safe environment and will most certainly experience a reduction in energy costs. Not only is the issue resolved, it was resolved by experienced professionals.

This is what our customer had to say,

“Mr. Sanborn showed up at the time that met my needs and after
inspecting my flues informed me of a hazardous condition that had
the potential to fill my home with dangerous carbon monoxide gases.

We climbed the roof together and Mr. Sanborn explained my problem
in terms that I understood and suggested a course of action.
Due to the scope of work that needed to be done,
I contacted my insurance company who sent an estimator
and an engineer to my home and
both agreed with Mr. Sanborn’s evaluation. A new estimate
was prepared and e-mailed to me within an hour. The work started
the next day with Mr. Sanborn on the job site at all times.
The finished repairs look great and more importantly
eliminated what could have been a deadly situation for my family.
Mr. Sanborn’s years of experience and knowledge help to convince
my insurance carrier that a major portion of the work should be
covered under my policy.
With the attention to detail and professionalism demonstrated by
the RL Sanborn Company, I would recommend them without reservation.
June 18,2009”

JPM
Falmouth, Maine

If you are having issues with your chimney, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced mason to inspect and resolve them.

Chimney issues lead to higher fuel cost, expensive furnace repairs or furnace replacement and are dangerous.

Working with local masonry suppliers, We offer top quality masonry products.

You can count on our skill and professionalism.
With 25 year experience striving to satisfy every customer 100% of the time, we will elate you with our craft, Guaranteed!

Call today for your free estimate (207) 479-7567 Or visit our website to see examples of our work http://rlsanborn.com
Get started here >>> http://www.rlsanborn.com/masonry_estimates_Maine.html

We look forward to providing you with valuable service.

RL Sanborn Masonry
Portland Maine

Dedham Store Images on Flickr

YouTube – Dedham Grand Opening Promo

For Immediate Release

Contact Information:

Laurie Brooks

207.552.6016

lbrooks@llbean.com

L.L.Bean to Open Dedham Massachusetts Store July 24

L.L.Bean first to open at new Legacy Place

FREEPORT, ME. July 13, 2009—L.L.Bean, a leading retailer of quality outdoor equipment and apparel, will open its newest store at Legacy Place, Dedham, Massachusetts, 9AM, Friday, July 24. Everyone who loves the outdoors is invited to the three-day grand opening celebration that promises fun and adventure for the whole family.  L.L.Bean will give away gift cards – worth up to $500 – to the first 500 customers and signed Maine storybooks to the first 100 children when the doors open. Meet Mascots Wally The Green Monster Friday 8AM-10AM, and get a hug from L.L.Bear 11AM-3PM.  A 5,500 pound, 10 foot high replica of L.L.Bean’s iconic product – the Bean Boot – stands outside the store’s entrance to welcome customers.

Expert instructors from L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools will offer FREE kayaking and fly–casting classes all weekend 10AM-5PM. All visitors can also register-to-win a Family Kayak Package valued at $1,000. For a complete list of free activities throughout the weekend visit www.llbean.com/dedham. Witness an incredible and extremely rare taxidermy display of two giant Maine Moose engaged in a locked antler battle. This display entitled The Final Charge, State of Maine Locked Moose was developed in partnership with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is one of three displays in all of North America.

 “Massachusetts offers abundant outdoor recreational opportunities and we want to make sure L.L.Bean customers are outfitted with the appropriate apparel, gear and knowledge for their next adventure,” said Ken Kacere, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Retail.  “With the opening of our third Massachusetts store, we can provide a broad range of recreational products and more hands on opportunities with our popular Outdoor Discovery Schools to serve our customers in and around the Dedham area.”

Bean’s new store is approximately 30,000 square feet and, as with all new L.L.Bean stores, built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards.  The store incorporates environmentally friendly building materials and fixtures, and utilizes systems and technology to increase energy efficiency, thereby reducing the store’s environmental footprint.  It will employ approximately 150 people and offer a carefully selected assortment of high-quality outdoor apparel and gear including hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking, biking and camping products – all backed by L.L.Bean’s 100 percent satisfaction guarantee.

In celebration of the new store, L.L.Bean is donating $10,000 to the Massachusetts Audubon Society to fund youth environmental education programs at Blue Hills Reservation, near the Dedham store.

The Dedham store is L.L.Bean’s 13th retail store outside the state of Maine. Store address: 950 Providence Highway, Dedham, Massachusetts.  A complete list of L.L.Bean Retail Stores is available on its website http://www.llbean.com.

About L.L.Bean, Inc.

L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading multi-channel merchant of quality outdoor gear and apparel.  Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe.  While its business has grown substantially, the company remains committed to the same honest principles upon which it was built – a focus on the customer, continuous product improvement and innovation, respect for people, preservation of the natural environment and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  The 220,000 sq. ft. Flagship campus of stores in Freeport, Maine is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and welcomes more than three million visitors each year.  L.L.Bean can be found worldwide on www.llbean.com. Join L.L.Bean on Facebook and Twitter.

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