Event Planner's Guide 2017

MOT IVATE .

FESTIVALS & ANNUAL EVENTS 2017 MARCH

Looking for a way to reward your valuable employees or host a memorable team building experience? With miles of breath- taking coastal scenery, gorgeous inland vistas, and attentive hospitality staff, Maine is an ideal incentive destination. Since Maine is one of the nation’s great outdoor playgrounds, you may want to combine your business meeting or convention with an exhilarating recreational outing. Or let your delegates discover their own adventure; just knowing what’s available to them is likely to make them more eager to attend your event. Welcome to Maine. The Western Lakes and Mountains region offers superb downhill skiing, snowmobiling and rafting, while most other outdoor activities are easily accessible in Greater Portland. You can paddle gently in a canoe through the state’s largest salt marsh in Scarborough or take in a panoramic view of brilliant foliage on a fall hike up Bradbury Mountain in Pownal. Maine Audubon sanctuaries in Portland, Falmouth and Free- port are the ideal place for bird watchers to roam while golfers will find excellent links, both inland and oceanside. Biking and kayaking are two of the most popular outdoor activities that can be done as a group, and experienced guides are available to lead your group in both. Elegant schooners will sail your party down the bay for a close-up view of forts and lighthouses. Or you can don rubber gloves and haul traps with a Maine lobsterman. Try ice-fishing or whale-watch- ing, or let L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools introduce you to archery, paddle-boarding, fly-fishing, or a host of other exciting activities. Reward your group with a motivating adventure or simply enjoy the views as you conduct business amid a natural backdrop conducive to productivity and clear thinking. Maine will not disappoint. “ Maine, and especially Portland, has some of the friendliest people; they really made our members feel welcomed and at home.” — Tom Voytek, Commander, CWV Post 1562

1–11 / Maine Restaurant Week Specially-priced three-course meals celebrate Maine’s culinary scene from the South Coast to Maine’s Mid Coast. 24–26 / Maine Boatbuilders Show Portland’s gathering of the finest craftsmen & boatbuilders on the East Coast. MAR 29–APR 2 / The Maine Flower Show in Portland. Displays by Maine’s best garden and landscape companies. JUNE 11 / Old Port Festival in Portland. Crafts & food booths, kids’ activities, music & live entertainment. 16–18 / Launch! A Maritime Festival in the Kennebunk region. Celebrating all things maritime for which this area is so well known. 22–24 / Greek Heritage Festival in Portland. Greek foods, arts and crafts, and live entertainment. 25–JUL 1 / Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor. Fully rigged windjammers sail into the harbor. Concerts, antique boat parade, & fireworks. JULY 1–SEPT 2 / Summer In The Park in Freeport . Fun family events and free concerts all summer. 21–23 / Yarmouth Clam Festival Celebration includes a parade, races, games, entertainment & all the clams you can eat. AUGUST 2–6 / Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland. New England’s fun festival where lobster is king. 5 / Beach to Beacon10K Road Race in Cape Elizabeth. 5,000+ runners race from Crescent Beach to Portland Head Light. 12 / Art In The Park in South Portland. Paintings & prints by artists from the entire Eastern Seaboard. 10–19 / Portland Chamber Music Festival in Portland. Evening performances by outstanding young musicians.

Photos on right: from top: HappyME; Northern Outdoors Adventure Resort

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