Driving back through town from its outskirts at Wiscasset Municipal Airport, Wiscasset Selectman William "Bill" Maloney got thinking about all the restaurants Wiscasset has on Route One and elsewhere. That got him thinking about Restaurant Row in the Chicago area, where he once lived. 

A retired national sales manager for an international company, Maloney is the selectboard's liaison to the economic development committee. He talked with town staff and the committee about promoting the restaurants. A guide has resulted. Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky said Maloney's idea led to a group effort, and the promotion's release was timed in part with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' Gardens Aglow.

That popular annual event gets "substantially" more vehicles coming through Wiscasset than there would otherwise be right now, Chrostowsky noted. He said people can check out the guide in advance and make plans to eat in town, or decide they want to come another time to try the restaurants, he said. "We're kind of placing a seed in people's head, that 'Look, there are a lot of restaurants in Wiscasset.'"

Local photographer Bob Bond of 40 Federal Studio volunteered his time on the promotion's artwork, Chrostowsky said. "I was very pleased. I appreciate it," Chrostowsky said. "I thought it came out great" and restaurant owners he has given the guide to have had the same reaction, he added.

Stacey Linehan owns Treats downtown. "I've always felt really proud to have a business in this town, and I'm really glad the town is embracing the eateries," Linehan said about the promotion. "Wiscasset needs to be celebrated for all that it brings to the table, from an amazing place to live and work, to all the good things that it has to offer retail-wise, food-wise, event-wise, and the different people who make it up, from local fishermen to electricians and retail shop owners. It's an awesome place and I'm really excited that the town is embracing that piece of it."

Maloney told Wiscasset Newspaper, he would like a catch phrase like his suggested "Restaurant Row" or something very close to it to be part of the town's efforts. 

Town Manager Dennis Simmons mentioned the recent promotion in his Dec. 3 manager's report. "While shopping or visiting Gardens Aglow, why not take advantage of the culinary gems in Wiscasset? For more information, visit the culinary guide ... "Wiscasset, Your Midcoast Dining Destination" (at) https://wiscasset.org/news/wiscasset-your-midcoast-dining-destination," Simmons wrote.