Newcastle Local Planning Committee

‘This is Newcastle’

Plans afoot to put Newcastle on the map
Thu, 02/04/2016 - 10:45am

Story Location:
4 Pump Street
Newcastle, ME
United States

    The Newcastle Local Planning Committee is working on a plan to increase public interest in Newcastle’s government and town life.

    But first, committee members say, people have to know where Newcastle is.

    “We don’t want people just driving through Newcastle to get to Damariscotta,” Selectman Benjamin Frey said. “We have a lot going on in Newcastle, and we want residents and visitors to be aware of everything we have to offer.”

    Newcastle does have some amenities that people are likely already aware of, including its breweries and art organizations, Heartwood Theatre at Lincoln Academy, and more. But many visitors don’t seem to be aware that Damariscotta and Newcastle are two separate towns.

    Enter the “This is Newcastle” campaign.

    The boards envision a “selfie” campaign in which residents would take photos of themselves, their children, their dogs, their snowmen, and anyone else they might be able to get holding signs that proclaim, “This is Newcastle.” These images would be uploaded to a to-be-created town Facebook page, and the hope is that the pictures would spur interest in a four-day “This is Newcastle” event that would include art events, photography events, programs related to food and drink, and other community programming.

    The project is still in the early planning stages. Another meeting will be scheduled later this month to firm up some of the details of the selfie campaign and to develop plans for the event, which would be held in late April or early May.