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V O L . X X I I N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 5 , 2 0 1 6 12 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Green Tree Events in Saco unveiled a new brand, "Boothbay Festival of Lights," on behalf of the Boothbay Region Joint Economic Development Committee. The program is designed to showcase Boothbay region offerings to guests of the winter holiday event Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay. College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor received a $40,000 faculty grant from the Henry David Thoreau Foundation in Somerville, Mass. to cultivate students as effective advocates for renewable energy and climate change issues. Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery in Union expanded its online shipping to 36 states. The Women's Health Resource Library and Maine Coast Heritage Trust in Topsham announced Bruce John Riddell, landscape architect in Boothbay Harbor, and Eric Dube of Casco Bay Engineering in Portland were selected as the design team for the Milbridge Commons, a four-acre parcel of conservation land on Main St. in Milbridge. The Maine-based Farmers' Almanac predicts 'snow-fi lled' winter L E W I S T O N — The Farmers' Almanac is calling for an "ice cold and snow-fi lled" winter in the Northeast — and stirring up a lot of weather talk nationwide. The publication, which just released its 200th edition, is known for its long-range weather predictions, packaged in 216 pages with an orange cover. "Accurate long-range weather predic- tions have been what people associate with the Farmers' Almanac," said Peter Geiger, editor of the publication, which has 235 employees in Lewiston. The Farmers' Almanac, founded in 1818, is known for its early forecasts, predict- ing more than 18 months into the future, including this year's call for an "old fash- ioned winter." Geiger cites the example of a woman who said she'd ordered an extra cord of wood and topped off her oil tank after reading the Farmers' Almanac prediction for winter. Late NFL coach Dennis Green, who died in July, used the Farmers' Almanac to create his training camp schedules, Jarrett Bell, an NFL writer at USA Today, told ESPN. Last week, WLS7 in Chicago warned of a "numbingly cold winter" and quoted Geiger as saying the Windy City should brace for temperatures as low as 40 below. But one Cleveland station debunked the forecast because the Farmers' Almanac doesn't use long-term computer models for its predictions — or any computers, for that matter. "The science of meteorology has come a LONG way since 1818," said Matt Holiner, a meteorologist at Fox19 in Cleveland. If you don't like the forecast, you could always consult the Farmers' Almanac's chief competitor, the Old Farmer's Almanac, which is calling for a cold and wet winter. The Old Farmer's Almanac is pub- lished in Dublin, N.H., by Yankee Publishing Inc. Each has a long history: The Farmers' Almanac was launched when James Monroe was presi- dent (it moved from Newark, N.J., to Lewiston in 1955), while the Old Farmer's Almanac dates to 1792, when George Washington was leading the country. An NPR stor y in 2014 delved into the accuracy of long-term forecasting, "Punxsutawney Phil vs. the Farmers' Almanac: Whom do you trust?" It found the almanac predictions to be accurate to a point. As told to NPR, Penn State meteorolo- gist Paul Knight said of the Farmers' Almanac: "[They] say from November 5 thru 10, for that whole period: sunny/ cool. If one day is sunny and cool, does that count? Does every day have to be sunny and cool? If you held them to every single word for the entire area and every word for the entire period, then I say they might not even be right one third of the time." — P e t e r V a n A l l e n known for its long-range weather predictions, packaged The Farmers' Almanac, founded in 1818, is known for its early forecasts, predict- ing more than 18 months into the future, including this year's call for an "old fash- Geiger cites the example of a woman who said she'd ordered an extra cord of wood and topped off her oil tank after reading the Late NFL coach Dennis Green, who died in July, used the Farmers' Almanac to create his the Farmers' Almanac's chief competitor, the Old Farmer's Almanac, which is calling for a cold and wet winter. The Old Farmer's Almanac is pub- lished in Dublin, N.H., by Yankee Publishing Inc. Each has a long history: The Farmers' Almanac was launched when James Monroe was presi- dent (it moved from Newark, N.J., to Lewiston in 1955), while the Old Farmer's Almanac dates to 1792, when George Washington was leading the country. the accuracy of long-term forecasting, "Punxsutawney Phil vs. the Farmers' Almanac: Whom do you trust?" It found the almanac predictions to be accurate to a point. gist Paul Knight said of the Farmers' Almanac: "[They] say P H O T O / P E T E R VA N A L L E N

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