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V O L . X X I I N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 1 7 , 2 0 1 6 30 Nation, we started strongly. We were a little nervous with the centennial, not knowing if we could keep up. But our business grew as steadily as we were able to keep up with it." By early October, there were still a lot of people in town, she says. Many are from cruise ships. "We had two ships in the other day. at's 6,000 extra people," she says. Bar Harbor is Acadia's largest gateway community by far. But businesses in smaller Southwest Harbor and Tremont also promoted the centennial. In Southwest Harbor, at Hutchins Cottages at Acadia, owner Kristin Hutchins linked the theme to her a composting and recycling challenge for her guests. "I was trying to fi nd a way to participate in the cen- tennial," Hutchins says. "So for every pound my guests recycle or compost, I'm donating 50 cents to Acadia," she says. So far, that's about 520 pounds, or $260. Hutchins is always fully booked during the May-October season, but her sense is the town was more crowded this year. In neighboring Tremont, F.W. urston Co. owner Mike Radcliff e says the seasonal restaurant was packed all summer. "We were about 20% ahead for the season and we're really busy anyway, so 20% gets to be a big number," Radcliff e says. "Sometimes there were 50 or 60 people down the ramp and onto the pavement, waiting to get in. at happened mostly in August, but we continue to be busier in September than we ever have been before. Some people think we would have been busier this year regardless of the centen- nial because of lack of interest in European travel and maybe other issues. I think it's hard to say. But defi nitely the island in general is busier." Another Tremont restaurant, Seafood Ketch, saw a 3% increase in June and July business, but was fl at for August and September, says Lisa Branch, who owns the long-time restaurant with her husband Stuart. ey didn't see a "centennial eff ect." "I think everything was concentrated in the park," she says. " e park held so many events that had food that people didn't need to go to restaurants." In general, the Seafood Ketch does benefi t from Bar Harbor overfl ow, she says. "We fi nd, with the cruise ships in, that we get lots of people during the day because Bar Harbor is crazy, so people come over here." 'Crazy' congestion remains a challenge Acadia is working on a transportation plan to mitigate congestion, according to John Kelly, the park's public information offi cer. In the meantime, this summer the park refi ned strategies from 2015 to deal with, for example, gridlock at the top of Cadillac Mountain, a prime sightseeing spot: Once traffi c to Cadillac's access road reached a certain point, rangers closed the road to allow vehicles at the top to clear out. at happened nine times between July and September, compared with fi ve gridlocks in 2015. For now, "crazy" congestion remains a problem, Kelly says. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Maine lawyers. Maine clients. Maine values. Por tland / Kennebunk • 207-775-7271 • 1-800-756-1166 • jbgh.com At Jensen Baird, our commitment is to you. We know what our clients need, because we know Maine. Our lawyers understand the unique challenges of living and doing business here. We aren't part of a huge national firm, we're part of the community. And we've been that way for over 60 years. www.nickoday.com 207-989-7400 35 Airport Road Brewer, Maine 04412 We're not just part of the Midcoast and part of the Midcoast and part Downeast Community... WE BUILT IT! Harbor Hill Nursing Home, Belfast Athena Lodge, Belfast Jackson Lab - Genetic Resources Building, Bar Harbor MDI YMCA , Mount Desert Island F O C U S Des Bousquet, left, and Mick Majka, owners of Epi's Pizza and the new Pork Nation, saw a steady increase in business this summer. P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R

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