Dear Editor:

Last fall, the town of Boothbay Harbor hosted a Walkability Audit to explore ways of improving the livability and local economy of the region. A key recommendation from that work was the development of a consistent, yet easily recognizable and widely identifiable brand image for the region, feeling that a strong brand is a good economic development tool.

The first step in developing a brand is to identify the values and vision for our region. You are invited to attend a professionally led workshop and work side by side with your neighbors to identify what it is that makes the Boothbay region such a special place to live.

Information discovered in this worship will then be used by design professionals to recommend a visual motif, theme, or construct that symbolizes the region. The ultimate goal is to express a shared “brand” for the Boothbay peninsula, and develop the brand assets to be made accessible to communities, organizations, private businesses, nonprofits and others who might have a stake and interest in promoting or connecting to the future of the peninsula.

Please join your neighbors, business owners, and community members from Southport, Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay and Edgecomb on Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Boothbay Region YMCA Coastal Club Room. The workshop begins at 5:15 p.m. with registration and a light dinner at no charge, followed by exercises to help identify the key values of the region.

Register for this free workshop at: www.friendsmidcoast.org/registerboothbay.htm. Advance registration is required for food planning purposes.

For more info, contact our facilitator Jane Lafleur at Friends of Midcoast Maine: info@friendsmidcoast.org

Please extend this invitation to your friends & neighbors. Everyone is welcome. Bring your enthusiasm and ideas to this workshop, as we help to define this incredible region we call our home.

Michael Tomko
Walkability Working Group Steering Committee member