CAMDEN, Maine (July 26, 2010) – More than a dozen schooners will sail into one of the country’s most-scenic harbors this Labor Day Weekend as the centerpiece of Camden Windjammer Festival 2010 – a celebration of the area’s maritime heritage and Maine’s sea-faring culture.

Some of Maine’s best-known musicians will perform at concerts that people can attend for free, and artisans will ply their trades at a Maritime Heritage Fair. These tradespeople include boat builders, blacksmiths, coopers, sail makers, blacksmiths and fishermen. Performers will stage a “pirate attack” on the town.

“When the schooners enter this harbor that’s framed by mountains, it’s amazing to see,” said Meg Maiden, Maine Windjammer Association marketing director. “The windjammers are powered primarily by sail and have no engines; most are designated National Historic Landmarks.”

What: Camden Windjammer Festival 2010

When: Sept. 3-5, 2010

Highlights: Schooners arrival; music (including Gordon Bok and Paranoid Social Club); Maritime Heritage Fair; Pirates of the Dark Rose attack; fireworks display; lobster crate and R/C boat races; schooner-crew talent show; all-comers boat parade.

Full Schedule: Available online at www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com/events

Each year, thousands of people from different parts of the country and some international locations attend this end-of-summer event. Camden has been celebrating its maritime heritage each Labor Day Weekend since the mid-1990s.

“It’s an authentic experience,” Maiden said. “The skills that the captains display have been passed down through the generations. All of them have worked their way up on sailing vessels.”

The schooners will host open houses, where visitors will be able to tour the schooners at no cost and learn about the tradition these windjammers represent. In the mid-1800s, ship builders regularly launched schooners into Camden Harbor, and for decades, Camden served as home port for cargo-carrying vessels that traveled to locales such as those in the West Indies.

Camden also is the birthplace of recreational schooner trips, with vessels beginning to carry passengers in the 1930s. Today, Camden remains home port to a dozen schooners, and these majestic sailing ships continue to offer trips where passengers can contribute to the sailing of the big ships, experience life on a windjammer, enjoy the stunning scenery and participate in activities such as lobster bakes.

On shore, the Heritage Fair also will offer free educational and fun activities to visitors.

“The whole impulse around this is activity and not just static displays,” said Bridget Qualey, chair of the Maritime Heritage Fair committee. “It takes people back into their memories and family recollections. It allows visitors to ask questions and learn new things.”

Contemporary Maine culture also will be on display, with free activities such as the performance of Maine’s premier rock band, Paranoid Social Club, on Saturday evening, and a closing performance Sunday by legendary Maine folk artist Gordon Bok.

“We call him the voice of the sea,” said John Orlando, the festival’s entertainment chair. “He’s a Maine native and loves sailing.”

Most events are free for those who attend. More information about the festival and the Camden’s maritime heritage is available online at www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com.

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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Innovative Initiative Will Provide Outdoor Experiences to Niche Group

Portland, Maine (January 29, 2010) – This summer, a Maine company will begin offering something unusual, if not unique, among outdoor vacations nationally. The company will host bicycling trips guided by people who are both fluent in sign language and have first-hand knowledge of the coast.

Summer Feet, which provides supported bike trips in New England and overseas, will provide two nationally certified sign-language interpreters for each trip. In 2010, those trips will be to:

• Acadia National Park and other spectacularly beautiful areas near Bar Harbor, Maine, from Aug. 27-29.
• Camden, Maine, and neighboring communities that have been identified by various publications as some of the most-scenic and fun-to-visit locations in the country, during the weekend of Sept. 24-26.

“The communications barrier will be eliminated entirely,” said Alyssa Gagnon, a nationally certified interpreter in American Sign Language who has been involved in the New England bike scene for 11 years and working in Deaf services for a decade. “All of the information about the places we’re visiting and the bicycling advice offered will be direct from us, and not have to pass through a third-person interpreter.”

Summer Feet has built a reputation for excellence during a decade of offering assisted trips, where the company takes care of logistics for participants. Summer Feet arranges for great accommodations and food, as well as once-in-a-lifetime activities such as sunset cruises on a schooner along the Maine coast. The company also provides van support during the day, so that travelers don’t have to worry about transporting their luggage or fixing their bicycle if something breaks.

This support frees participants to fully experience the stunning scenery of New Zealand, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and various locations in Maine. Bicyclists can get to know one another, and unwind from the demands of daily life, without worrying about the details.

“On just about every trip, we tailor the tour in some way to meet the needs of individuals,” said Norman Patry, founder of Summer Feet. “Sometimes, it’s something small, like meeting dietary needs. Other times, we provide help that’s more-involved, like working with a blind person on a tandem bike or, someone who requires special equipment to make the trip possible or enjoyable.”

“This summer, we’re going to go a step beyond those efforts to offer something you just don’t find in the industry,” Patry said. “There aren’t many options for deaf people to experience outdoor activities with guidance from people who are both expert bicyclists and fluent in sign language.”

One reason that outdoor trips such as this one are so unusual is that there is a small population of people who are qualified guides and also fluent in sign language, said Gagnon, who will be spending her fourth season as a Summer Feet guide this summer. There just aren’t as many options for people with communications barriers to fully experience the outdoors.

This fact, coupled with the expertise of Summer Feet guides, provides the company with a unique opportunity to serve a largely untapped segment of the market: people with disabilities who are interested in outdoor travel vacations.

On the first trip, participants will tour the dramatic, rocky coast of Schoodic Peninsula, across the bay from Bar Harbor, and explore both the Carriage Roads and Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park. A wine-and-cheese reception, lobster dinner and lodging in the elegant Harborside Hotel will complement the bicycling.

The second weekend takes participants to the Camden Hills area, where mountains meet the sea. Participants will cycle what Yankee Magazine called “The Prettiest Six Miles in Maine,” experiencing pristine Islesboro and exploring the one-of-a-kind Rockland area. A Sunset Sail of Penobscot Bay on a classic wooden schooner and fine dining in Camden also add to the appeal.

“Deaf people are just like anyone else,” said Gagnon. “They want to have a wonderful vacation, without complications. These weekends will allow deaf people to blend in and experience the beauty of Maine in the same way that other bicyclists do.”

Based in Portland, Maine, Summer Feet offers travelers assisted bicycle tours and the most-authentic experiences available of beautiful locations in Maine, Canada and New Zealand. Summer Feet has a decade of experience in providing van support, knowledgeable guides and logistics for memorable bicycle vacations. More information is available at www.summerfeet.net, via email to info@summerfeet.net, or by phone at 866-857-9544.

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PRESS RELEASE

4/28/08

Nathaniel Ells of Union, Maine, announces the creation of LIGHT TRAVEL – Online Booking, www.lightytb.com .

LIGHT TRAVEL, www.lightytb.com , is an independent provider of Internet-based travel booking services.
Shop online for a complete range of travel and related services. Buy tickets online for planes, rental cars, cruises, and book hotels, golf vacations etc., from their online travel booking portal.

LIGHT TRAVEL, www.lightytb.com, is affiliated with YourTravelBiz (YTB) International, and is licensed as a Referring Travel Agent (RTA) .
YTB is a provider of Internet-based travel booking services for travel agencies and home-based independent representatives in the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Canada.

Nathaniel Ells is a distributor of online travel booking websites for YTB, and is actively recruiting people interested in joining the travel industry.

YTB is a leader in the travel services business and has operated in the travel services industry for 25 years. The Company recently reported its third consecutive quarter of profitability, with total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2007 increasing by 177% to $141.3 million, compared to $50.9 million for the previous year. The OTCBB provides access to more than 3,300 securities, includes more than 230 participating market makers, and electronically transmits real-time quote, price, and volume information in domestic securities, foreign securities and ADRs.

Contact Nathaniel Ells by email at lightytb@gmail.com or through www.lightytb.com .