If you’re longing for the warm summer breezes with all the fun that summer brings, then we’ve got just the cure! Stop by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce today and enjoy leafing through the 2014 Region Guide print edition or view it online at www.boothbayharbor.com/visit. The 148-page glossy spread is chock-full of expanded editorial, a staggering 237 “Things to Do” in our Boothbay Harbor region, 293 regional business listings and over 100 advertisements, reflecting an expanding and thriving economic region.

Don’t worry about losing your way on the peninsula either; the visitor’s guide contains three area maps that entail the entire Boothbay Harbor region, a detailed two-page Recreations & Activities map including sectional legends, and for all those art lovers out there: an Art Trail map.

In 2013, nearly 100,000 guides were distributed to more than 11 AAA offices in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; the AAA Boston Travel Show; chambers statewide; local chamber members and the downtown information center; the Maine Tourism Association, visitor centers; train stations; airports and several other public locations statewide and beyond. Guide distribution to AAA locations in general saw a 185 percent increase since 2012. For the second consecutive year, the guide also will be dropped off at the Maine Turnpike. “This distribution number does not include over 13,000 online impressions of our guide that has more than tripled from the 4,000 impressions in 2012,” Chamber Executive Director Catherine Wygant Fossett said.

Selected as one of “America’s Top 12 Small Town ArtPlaces” for 2013, it’s no surprise that once again this year’s front and back cover features stunning local art work. Our special thanks to artist Brad Betts, owner of Down East Gallery, for his cover design and artistic contributions. Betts’ plein air oil-interpretation of Hendricks Head Lighthouse, Southport, snagged the front cover. Five other paintings in his collection grace the back cover. "I am pleased to have been selected as the cover artist for this year’s Boothbay Harbor Region Guide,” Betts said. “Our region’s amazing scenic diversity has been the inspiration for many of my paintings, and those selected for the guide represent the natural beauty of our land trust preserves and botanical gardens, as well as the many scenes from boat or land around the waterfront.

“As a business owner, I’m excited about the potential of the 2014 season knowing that over 100,000 of these pocket-size guides will be distributed to visitors from all over the globe, viewed on the chamber’s website, and hopefully helping many of them find their way to my new gallery space in East Boothbay and the several art galleries in our region.”

This year, the Boothbay Harbor region is staging a presence at the Portland International Jetport airport (PWM) where 1.7 million travelers will have the opportunity to admire the Boothbay Harbor region glass-window display featuring the following businesses: Boothbay Harbor Country Club, House of Logan, The Inn at Cuckold Lighthouse, Rocktide Inn & Restaurant, Silver Lining and the Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa and also pick up a copy of the Region Guide.

Rimar Reed, the chamber’s visitor relations coordinator, could certainly benefit from helpful volunteers this season. “I mail out around 40-60 guides a day in peak season, not to mention the influx of visitors that come in each day and walk out with the guide in-hand,” Reed said. If you are interested in being a part of the chamber’s volunteer team this season, feel free to contact rimar@boothbayharbor.com. The chamber also has a paid intern position that will begin as soon as mid-June.

Members who wish to get their guides now, are welcome to stop by the chamber office or call for assistance with delivery. “For a long time now, this guide has been referred to as the most trusted and comprehensive source of information for visitors coming to our region,” Fossett said. “We encourage any member business attending a travel show this spring to promote our region by distributing our popular guides at their booth.”

Come and visit us today at the Chamber office on 192 Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor or give us a call at 207-633-2353.

We’ll help you load up your car with guides!