We are looking forward to celebrating the 2018 Boothbay Lights season and invite local businesses to join us for a pre-season gathering at The Boardroom at 29 McKown Street on Wednesday, Sept. 12 from 5-7 p.m. for light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Come visit with fellow businesses around town and get a brief update on the 2018 Boothbay Lights season. Please RSVP to Michael (maxter777@gmail.com) by Sept. 10.

Other notable items to mention as fall approaches here in the region and we gear up for the Boothbay Lights:

Boothbay Festival of Lights is now Boothbay Lights – we dropped “festival.” It’s easier, rolls off the tongue, faster to write, etc. If you’re using the logo anywhere on your website, social media, in print, etc., please be sure to swap it out for the new one which you can access on the website at www.boothbaylights.com under Merchant Resources.

In addition, we will be printing an “Open for Business” map that will be available to visitors when they come to the region for Boothbay Lights. Thank you to our sponsors of the map: Boat House Bistro, Harbour Towne Inn, Ports of Italy, Robinson’s Wharf, The Russell House, and Seawicks Candle Company. If you are a business in town, please be sure to fill out the Merchant Profile Form located on the Boothbay Lights website by Oct. 1 so that visitors will have the most current, up-to-date information on your business as they plan their trip and we can include you on the map!

And one finally important news to share. As the winners of the Maine Office of Tourism’s Special Event Grant, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will be investing a significant amount of money in marketing Gardens Aglow and Boothbay Lights outside of Maine.

“Because of this generous opportunity, we’ll be able to tap into markets where the state of Maine advertises, markets already familiar with the Visit Maine brand, such as Philadelphia, Charlotte, Hartford, and Baltimore,” says CMBG Director of Marketing, Kris Folsom. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Boothbay peninsula,” she continues. “With more visitors coming ‘from away’, we anticipate that a considerable percentage of the projected 93,000 visitors will dine, shop, and spend the night locally.”