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V O L . X X I I N O. V I I A P R I L 4 , 2 0 1 6 18 V isitation at Acadia National Park this past January and February shot up by 45% over the same time period in 2015 — from 23,000 to 34,000 — a huge increase for the winter months. Was it the mild winter? Low gas prices? Or the growing buzz about the National Park Service's centennial anniversary? While there isn't a clear answer, inns and bed-and-breakfast establishments are reporting anecdotally an increase in advance bookings — a sign the summer could see another increase in visitors. To handle the expected crowds, the opera- tor of a free bus service within the park is scouring the nation recruiting drivers and fi nding extra buses. At the same time, the Acadia Centennial Task Force — a partner- ship of Acadia National Park, Friends of Acadia, and businesses and nonprof- its in the communities surrounding the park — is aggressively promoting the centennial. Two local papers, the Mount Desert Islander and the Ellsworth American, will feature an advertising insert in May. e Islander is featuring a weekly story accompanied by the centennial logo. Down East magazine is produc- ing a dedicated issue in June and has donated three-full page ads to promote the anniversary. e Boston Globe has committed to coverage. "And we're engaged in a pretty aggressive program of social media, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram," says Jack Russell, co-chair of the Acadia Centennial Task Force. Visitation already on the rise In 2015, Acadia had 2.81 million visitors, an 8% jump over 2014, when 2.56 million visitors showed up. Attendance in the past two years is among the park's best ever, says Acadia's management assis- tant, John Kelly. Acadia offi cials are reluctant to make attendance projections. "Let's say we did projections, and a bike shop buys more bikes to accommo- date our prediction — and we're wrong," says Kelly. " ey've gone out and invested in response to us. So we don't make projections for that reason. We also don't do it because we'd be better off predicting the weather than visitation." But the lodging industry is clearly preparing for an increase in visitors. "What I'm hearing among bed- and-breakfast owners, and other people I talk with, is that reservations are up already," says Martha Searchfi eld, interim director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. Searchfi eld, who owns Canterbury Cottage, a bed-and-breakfast in Bar Harbor, says she's seen a small increase in people calling for reservations. "I think it's going to be an incredibly busy summer," Searchfi eld says, adding: " at's not fact-based. It's anecdotal. But there's a sense of anticipation in the air." At the Saltair Inn, a year-round, eight-room bed-and-breakfast owned by Kristi and Matt Losquadro, advance reservations are up 30% compared to this time last year. "I don't know what to attribute that to, if it's the centennial, or the fact that we just redid our website, or the mild winter," Matt Losquadro says. "But, yes, reservations are coming earlier. Our summer is already a third booked, maybe close to half. And our spring has been much better than last year. We're get- ting three or four, sometimes fi ve or six reservations a day." Rebecca Richardson, owner of a rental agency, Bar Harbor & Acadia Cottage Rentals, handles everything Jack Russell, co-chair of the Acadia Centennial Task Force, seen from Acadia National Park's Beech Cliff, overlooking Southwest Harbor. P H O T O / DAV E C L O U G H Welcoming the world, while being prepared With approach of summer and park centennial, Acadia braces itself F O C U S I think it's going to be an incredibly busy summer. I think it's going to be an incredibly busy summer. I think it's going to be an incredibly busy summer. I think it's going to be an incredibly busy summer. 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