Summer bummer | The economic slump zaps warm-weather fun
The temperature in Maine has been rising, but so have the prices for fuel and food, putting a damper on summertime pursuits. The lackluster economy has Maine residents and visitors cutting back on summer activities and changing their habits to get more bang for their buck, like trading in powerboats for sailboats or carpooling campers.
Stars and stripes: The Fourth of July weekend was a mixed bag for Maine. Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association, said the state’s accommodations along the coast were busy, but shopkeepers reported slower business than usual for the holiday weekend, according to the Portland Press Herald. Maine seemed to attract a larger number of Canadians and other foreign tourists, as well as visitors making last-minute decisions to travel here, the paper reported. Traffic on the turnpike over the holiday weekend was down 10% compared to the first weekend of July last year, according to VillageSoup.com.
Light the fuse: Many Maine towns managed to avoid a predicted fireworks shortage and were able to put on annual Independence Day shebangs as usual, thanks to Steve Marson, owner of Central Main Pyrotechnics in Hallowell, who traveled to China last October to buy fireworks straight from the manufacturer, according to the Portland Press Herald. But while fireworks were in full supply, money wasn’t. The city of Bangor had to cut back on its fireworks display, after funding for the show dropped 26% from last year, from $15,000 to $11,000, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Bug juice: Attendance at Maine summer camps has held strong this season, in part due to the fact that many families signed up and made down payments months before the economic slump hit, according to the Portland Press Herald. But high fuel and food prices have both day and overnight camps exploring ways to cut costs by carpooling with other camps, paying closer attention to food costs and restricting motorboat use by staff members.
Raise the mainsail: It’s not just summer camps that are rethinking their boating habits. Maine boaters are cutting back on how much time they spend cruising on the water, traveling at lower speeds to boost gas efficiency and even trading in their gas-hungry powerboats for energy efficient sailboats, according to the Portland Press Herald. Motorboat sales in Maine and nationally have been on the decline since last year.
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