Portland, Maine, has a very active running community, which is why on any given day of the year you will see your fair share of novice to die hard runners (they will run in virtually any weather), joggers, and road racers all around Greater Portland.
The community continues to grow thanks to Portland Trails adding additional running avenues, groups like the Maine Track Club and The Nor’Easter Run Club, organizing runs and races to encourage exercise and team training, and companies like Peak Performance and Maine Running Company available to service the needs of runners of all levels.
As you can imagine the running community is very friendly, open to training with new runners, and building relationships as runners connect with each other and recognizable faces at the many road races in the Portland area. Each race has their mix of the veteran runners who are very competitive to the novice runners who enjoy a little competition and want to challenge themselves to run a new personal best.
Many of the races have become an annual tradition for most, like the Beach to Beacon 10k, the Mother’s Day Sea Dog 5k, and the Irish Road Rover 5k. No matter your finish time, these are great races to compete in, as the crowds are always strong. The Mother’s Day Sea Dogs 5k has been so well received by runners and spectators that 2009 marked the addition of the Father’s Day Sea Dogs 5k. You can’t go wrong with a 5k loop around Portland that finishes at Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, who do a wonderful job hosting both events.
Road racing also finds runners enjoying the coastal charm of Portland with the Peaks Island Road Race that requires a beautiful ferry ride over to the island for a pleasant run in the gentle sea breeze. For the real die hard ambitious runners, the Polar Bear 5k in Downtown Portland takes place in February, when the sea breeze can be a bit brisk and chilly, not to mention the high likelihood of snow on the ground.
With the strong running community you can always count on a number of races and runs each year to benefit charitable causes, which then turn into annual events like the Laura Vogel Memorial 5k and the Run/Walk for Hope.
If you just need a reason to get your butt out and run and would like some competition to push you along, there is the weekly Back Cove 5k Series which runs the Back Cove (Baxter Boulevard loop) each Wednesday evening from late Spring to early Fall.
In case you were wondering where you might take your next run, here are a number of Mapped Runs for you; Map My Run – Portland, Maine
Enjoy running around Portland. Have fun!
Great News! Portland, Maine, has just been ranked 22nd in a report released by Business Week ranking the “Best Cities for Generation Y”. Portland ranks high on the list surrounded by many large cities like New York City, Boston, Washington DC, and Los Angeles, as well as big college cities like Madison, WI., Boulder, CO., Ann Arbor, MI., and New Haven, CT.
The driving factor in the study seems to be the labor markets that these cities offer with stability being a reason for attracting Generation Y. While Portland does have a number of employment opportunities catering to the Generation Y crowd, the cities vicinity to Boston, the strong art and music scene, and relatively inexpensive living stand out as reasons for attracting them to Portland. Not to mention one can bike, boat, hike, and ski in numerous places within 30-45 minutes of Portland, which adds a further attraction.
Congratulations Portland! A great honor and hopefully additional publicity to attract more great citizens of Generation Y.
Read full story here – Why Certain Cities Attract Gen Ys”
Portland in the rankings here – Portland, Maine #22
CreativeClass.com List of Cities – Cities List Here
When beach goers wish to catch some rays and enjoy the beautiful surf of the Maine coastline you usually hear of them venturing to the well-known and popular beaches like Old Orchard Beach, York, Wells, Kennebunk / Kennebunkport, and Ogunquit, which attract many of our out of state visitors and tourists.
However, nestled away are some great little beaches that while they attract crowds are not commercialized like the other beaches above and one can enjoy a relaxing day near the water to work on the tan and enjoy a quiet beach day with other like-minded folks.
Here is a quick overview of the beaches around Greater Portland, their distance from Portland, and what they have to offer;
Outside of the main beaches are some great beaches below where at times you can avoid the crowds and enjoy a calm and relaxing walk, rest in the sand, or just listen to the ocean;
As you can see, the Greater Portland area does not have a shortage of beaches. Grab your sunscreen and beach towel and hit the sand and grab some sun! Enjoy!
For further information on the above beaches listed, please visit the State of Maine’s 2007 Geological Survey Guide of Beaches website.
Over 100,000 visitors will fill the streets of Yarmouth, Maine, this coming weekend for the 44th Annual Yarmouth Clam Festival, drawing tourists from all over the country and thousands of locals who do not miss the annual tradition.
While a schedule of events is planned for each day of the festival providing great entertainment, there will be artists and craftspeople displaying their works in the streets throughout the festival weekend. For you history buffs, the Yarmouth Historical Society will give guided historical tours of the Town of Yarmouth via Pineland Farms Trolleys.
If you have ever been to the Yarmouth Clam Festival before, you are well aware of the mass amounts of wonderful food to enjoy as you visit the entertainment acts and vendor booth displays. Rather than go into great detail, I have provided the following link featuring a list of all the food vendors and the treats they will have for you Yarmouth Clam Festival Food List. You will note 6 of the booths will feature the famous clams. No worries with the “red tide” concerns this year, as the Yarmouth Clam Festival folks prepare well in advance and have plenty of native clams that were “flash frozen” months ago to preserve the quality and taste for you to enjoy this weekend!!
Friday
The festivities begin with the official opening of the festival at 10am on Friday, July 17th, with singing by the Down East Barbershoppers at Memorial Green. The events of Friday feature a number of music and entertainment acts, carnival rides, horse and wagon rides, and most notably the crowd favorite Battle of the Bands, and the Clam Festival Parade.
The Battle of the Bands will feature six Yarmouth High School bands facing off between 230pm-5pm at Railroad Park, with the winner returning to play Sunday at 2pm during the festivals closing.
This years Clam Festival Parade beginning at 6pm on Main Street will feature area groups and businesses on floats with their interpretation of this years parade theme, “Hats Off to Broadway”.
Saturday
A full packed Saturday kicks off with a Blueberry Pancake Breakfast at Memorial Green (7am-1030am) , and the Canoe & Kayak Race starting at 7am at Yarmouth Town Landing and finishing at The Muddy Rudder. The Kids Fun Run begins at Memorial Green at 715am, where depending on the childrens age they will compete in a half-mile or one-mile run. Beginning at 8am at Memorial Green is the Pat’s Pizza Clam Festival Classic 5 Mile Road Race, a quick flat race and always competitive. Cap off the morning with some music and entertainment, followed by the Clam Shucking Contest set to begin at 1115am on the Library Lawn. In the afternoon, don’t miss out on the entertaining Firefighter’s Muster at 1pm, or Capt’n Eli’s Karaoke Challenge starting at 3pm, and finish off the night with a Fireworks Display beginning at 915pm (note the fireworks are set off from Royal River Park and best viewed from behind the library or Memorial Green).
Sunday
Enjoy another Blueberry Pancake or Flapjack Breakfast at 7am, prior to the 9am start to the 29th Annual Men’s and Women’s Professional Bike Race on Main Street (36 miles loop for men, 21.6 for women). An event not to miss is the highly anticipated Diaper Derby hosted by Lee Goldberg, sportscaster from WCSH6 in Portland, from the Library Lawn beginning at 12pm (note registration begins at 10am). Finish up your festival while listening to the Battle of the Bands winner at 2pm on Memorial Green.
The Yarmouth Clam Festival does have a No Pets Policy with the exception of service animals, so please leave your pets at home.
Other Yarmouth Clam Festival information and news for you…
Yarmouth Clam Festival Home Page
Parking & Directions
Accommodations
Yarmouth Clam Festival Daily Schedules
Press Release – “There will be no shortage of clams for You”
Clam Festival on Twitter
Clam Festival Facebook Page
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