Camden, Maine (June 8, 2010) – Fireworks that send plumes of seawater in the air and explosions of color into the sky above one of the nation’s prettiest harbors will occur this July 1- 4 as the Camden Hills region presents its “Festival of Independence” celebration.

In addition to these fireworks, the Festival will offer outdoor activities, museum events and other family attractions. Its centerpiece will be the live music being performed on the pier and at concert halls around the area, with everything from country and doo-wop to classical and marches being played.

“The July 4 weekend is one of those times in the year when people can slow down and do things with the family, just for fun,” said Daniel Bookham, executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce. “This year, we’re giving people a place to go where they can hear all kinds of music, enjoy a hiking trail with views of the ocean, watch a parade and find something great to eat.”

What: Festival of Independence

Where: Camden Hills, Maine

When: July 1-4, 2010

Highlights: Musical performances, theater, outdoor activities, parade, museum events, fireworks. (List of activities, locations and times is below.)

A community-funded fireworks display will take place above – and in – Camden Harbor, with shells being launched both skyward and onto the surface of the water.

“The fireworks that land on the water are very new,” said Steven Marson, owner of Central Maine Pyrotechnics, which is putting on the display. He approached a manufacturer in China several years ago with the idea of in-the-water fireworks, and they developed the explosives at his suggestion.

“When they go off, people will think, ‘Oh, those are dud shells,’ “ Marson said. “Then, the water comes to life. They’ll see plumes of water that are gold, silver and green.”

In-the-sky fireworks also will be spectacular this year in Camden because they are being fired from the water, he said. “Whenever you are on a barge, you are able to use the largest shells, and when you use large shells, you can do a lot of different patterns.”

Festival of Independence Events

• Thursday, July 1: Bay Chamber Concerts Summer Music Festival Opening Night, Rockport Opera House, 8pm
• Thursday July 1- Saturday July 3: Camden Civic Theatre presents A Streetcar Named Desire, Camden Opera House
• Friday, July 2: Family Fun Day at the Camden Snow Bowl: open hiking trails, tennis courts, mountain bike trails, softball diamonds and more! All Day
• Saturday, July 3: Thomaston 4th of July Parade, 11am.
• Saturday, July 3: Music by the Sea, presented by Camden Rotary, Harbor Park, Camden (three exciting bands from noon until 5pm).
• Saturday July 3: Bay Chamber Concerts present a Doo-Wop Bash, starts at 8:30pm. Classic music from the 50s and 60s, offered free to the public as a thank you for 50 years of Bay Chamber Concerts. Includes display of classic cars on Atlantic Avenue. Harbor Park, Camden.
• Saturday July 3: Eve of Independence Fireworks, 9:15pm (weather date Mon July 5). Display by Central Maine Pyrotechnics
• Saturday, July 3: Reprise of the Doo-Wop bash, starting at 9:45pm (post fireworks).
• Saturday July 3 & Sunday July 4: The Fabulous 50s and Sensational 60s Car Meet and Antique Aeroplane Show, Owls Head Transportation Museum.9:30-5pm
• Sunday, July 4: Mojo Mondaynite Jazz Orchestra 1:00 pm, in the Camden Amphitheatre, Atlantic Avenue, Camden.

The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership association that serves businesses and organizations from 54 towns and seven states who actively seek to support business and community in the Camden Hills region of Maine.

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Foodies find new dining experiences, activities in Maine’s Midcoast

CAMDEN, Maine (May 3, 2010) – The arrival of fiddleheads near the forest and glass eels at the shore this spring marks the beginning of the dining season in Maine’s Midcoast, where the cuisine retains its unique flavor, even as it grows in sophistication and national recognition.

For decades, visitors and residents alike have enjoyed the traditional fare found in the Camden Hills, where lobster and other seafood arrive fresh from the ocean each day. More recently, though, the public has begun to understand just how much innovative cooking is being done by Midcoast chefs, with local ingredients such as the prehistoric-looking fiddlehead ostrich fern and tiny glass eels – 300 to 400 per pound – that are migrating from ocean to river.

“You have some really innovative chefs here,” said Lani Temple, who owns the Megunticook Market in Camden and runs cooking classes at the Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville. “They are using local, fresh ingredients and taking them to a whole new level.”

The Midcoast also has a large and growing number of farms supplying food to area restaurants, stores and farmers’ markets. Some farms, like Aldermere Farm in Rockport, invite visitors to see how they raise livestock such as the famous Belted Galloways that are known as “Oreo Cookie cows” because they are black on either end, with a thick white stripe in the middle.

“People who love food love the Camden Hills because there is so much for them to eat and do while they are here,” said Daniel Bookham, executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce. “There are cooking classes to visit, specialty foods to explore and even locally produced wine, gin and other beverages to enjoy.”

One in six leisure travelers nationwide – about 27 million people – participate in wine tours, cooking classes and other culinary activities as part of their vacations, according to a study by the Travel Industry Association of America. Maine’s Midcoast is a natural spot for them to explore.

“Maine has really created its own food-based economy,” Lawrence Klang, executive chef at Natalie’s restaurant at Camden Harbour Inn. “There are so many people farming and being conscious of where their food comes from. Everybody is working together.”

In Maine’s Midcoast, local artisans produce a variety of cheeses, while other individuals employ local fruits and herbs to make specialty foods. These can be found in the many shops that extend into inland farming communities and sit nestled beside harbors that are said by a variety of publications to be some of the most-beautiful in the United States.

The Camden Hills is known for its scenic beauty, and offers unusual natural features such as mountains that meet the sea. These features also create unusual opportunity for Foodies looking for rare cuisine.

“Island lamb” that is fed on seaweed and sea grass has a flavor distinct from ordinary meat because its food is seasoned by the mists of the ocean. The meat is similar in flavor to a certain kind of lamb found in the Paulliac region of Bordeaux, France, where the feed is nearly identical, said Klang, who received his formal culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu L’Art Culinaire, London.

Also, the Matsutuke mushroom is available in September and October in the Midcoast because this legume grows only where forests meet the ocean. In the United States, the mushroom is found in the Midcoast and Pacific Northwest.

Ingredients such as these are used to make both locally specific recipes and unique “fusion” dishes with other foods from around the world. “They are actually inventing dishes,” Temple said.

Food is part of the culture locally and a passion residents like to share with others, she added. “People usually know where food is coming from, how it is raised, how animals are fed and how they are being treated. You see residents mingling with visitors, sharing information about food. It’s a great experience.”

Founded in 1939, the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber currently serves businesses and organizations from 54 towns and seven states who actively seek to support business and community in the Camden Hills region of Maine.

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CAMDEN, Maine (March 30, 2010) – At a time when the Canadian “loonie” has risen to nearly par with the U.S. dollar, the Camden Hills area is working to educate Canadians about why Maine’s Midcoast is a particularly attractive vacation destination.

Midcoast officials are reaching north of the border in a concerted way for the first time, both because of the strong Canadian dollar and the creation of new transportation links to Maine. In the last two months, transportation officials have announced the introduction of direct passenger flights between Portland and both Toronto and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. These developments present an opportunity to tell the story of Maine’s Midcoast to a largely new audience.

“Maine attracts a lot of Canadian visitors every summer, but too few of those travelers recognize that the Camden Hills area is unique. It is the only spot in the Eastern United States where mountains literally meet the sea,” said Dan Bookham, executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce.

The coastal communities of Camden Hills have been described by publications such as Forbes Traveler and Boston magazines as some of the prettiest towns in New England, if not the United States. They area is both uniquely Maine and simultaneously evocative of Canadian locations such as Lunenburg, Thunder Bay and St. Andrews.

“All our students from Quebec rave about the beauty and friendliness of the Camden area,” said Brian Boyd, director of the Acadia Center for English Immersion in Camden. “Students often mention that it’s much closer to Quebec than they realized, just four or five hours by car.”

These visitors comment on how much they enjoy the architecture, which is very different from what they have at home, and say that the area is perfect for a learning vacation, Boyd said.

The region offers many of the activities and family friendly experiences that Canadians tell researchers they want from their Maine vacations. These include:

• Outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, sailing and kayaking.
• Dining that ranges from local fare, such as lobster and “whoopie pies” to nationally acclaimed cuisine at fine restaurants.
• Activities for families, whether that is a trip to a transportation museum, art gallery or working farm; two Canadian French television stations (channels 2 and 16) are available.
• Shops that are located in authentic Maine village centers nestled beside harbors dotted with schooners and lobster boats.

Research completed for the Maine Office of Tourism found late last year that shopping is one of the major reasons Canadians visit the state and that these visitors particularly enjoy exploring downtown shops. Camden and other nearby communities offer one-of-a-kind stores, where shoppers can find unique merchandise and prices that were affordable even before the run-up in the loonie’s value

“Canadians who are visiting Bangor or the Maine Mall in South Portland can add a whole new set of experiences to their trip by visiting the Camden Hills,” Bookham said. “Maine’s Midcoast is just an hour and a half drive, along lovely and scenic roads, from Bangor or Portland.

“Better yet, the Camden Hills can be their vacation home, whether they are looking to pitch a tent or stay at a world-class luxury inn,” Bookham said. “The Camden Hills is at the center of the state’s world-famous coast, and the perfect location for experiencing all things Maine.”

Founded in 1939, the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber currently serves businesses and organizations from 54 towns and seven states who actively seek to support business and community in the Camden Hills region of Maine.

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Camden, MAINE (February 19, 2010) – Imagine walking down your wedding aisle on a mountaintop that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean or exchanging vows on a sailing ship as you float along a rocky coastline dotted with historic lighthouses.  In Midcoast Maine, stunning weddings come naturally.

“When you’re standing on Mt. Battie in Camden Hills, you look out and there is the ocean, stretching as far as you can see. You can see the town of Camden nestled in the harbor, and it really feels like you’re standing in the middle of a fairy tale,” says Kristin Wadsworth, who lives in the Camden area and helps couples find the wedding resources they need through the Chamber of Commerce.

Spring and summer are the most popular seasons for getting ready for weddings, and brides are planning right now for their 2010 and 2011 ceremonies. Few locations have as much to offer these couples as the alluringly beautiful Midcoast of Maine.

The best way to understand what the area has to offer is to visit for yourself. Wedding-specific resources will be showcased at the annual Midcoast Wedding Expo on April 18, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Point Lookout Resort in Northport, Maine just north of Camden. The event is being produced jointly by the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville and Penobscot Bay Area Chambers of Commerce.

From historic mansions and world-class resorts to charming inns, ornamental gardens and intimate islands, the towns of Midcoast Maine offer every kind of setting for a dream-like wedding and an abundance of highly skilled wedding professionals to ensure that every couple experiences their perfect day.

Location choices and planning resources are essential in any wedding endeavor. The Midcoast area is a home to dozens of beautiful venues and a large variety of experienced professionals in catering, photography, videography, wedding planning, flowers, accommodations and more.

To learn more about the Midcoast area for planning and experience a truly classic and beautiful wedding, visit www.visitcamden.com/weddings. Additional information about the Midcoast Wedding Expo is available at www.maineweddingexpo.com.

The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership association that serves businesses and organizations from 54 towns and seven states who actively seek to support business and community in the Camden Hills region of Maine.

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