I crave an old-fashioned Fourth of July.
A pancake breakfast sponsored by the Rotary. A parade with lots of flags. A concert on the Village Green. Fireworks on a waterfront.
And that’s exactly what I am going to get because I’m going to spend this Fourth of July in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Chris Fogg, Executive Director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, says, “We have a very traditional celebration
that hits everything Maine is known for.” That means, of course, that there will be lots of blueberries and lobster. To benefit the YMCA scholarship program, local businesses will be racing lobsters in a “crustacean contest.” There will be a crafts fair featuring quilts, photographs, and porcelain dolls. And a highlight is the Seafood Festival in the local ballpark with a menu of lobster, mussels, corn, and strawberry shortcake.
There’s one new tradition that may surprise you, though. The town goes to extraordinary lengths to make the celebration as green as, well, a forest in Maine.
For the last three years the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce has been partnering with the MDI Rotary Club and College of the Atlantic in some interesting ways to make the Fourth of July Celebration more eco-friendly. The Blueberry Pancake Breakfast and Seafood Festival use materials, including napkins and eating utensils, which are recyclable and compostable. The “silverware” is made out of potatoes – another great product of Maine. With all of the shopping that goes on in this charming village, the Chamber of Commerce also sells shopping bags recycled from plastic bottles.
Although these measures are special for the holiday, they are not unusual for MDI. For example, L.L. Bean supports a network of propane-fueled buses to transport hikers, bikers, and sightseers around Acadia National Park, which occupies about two-thirds of the island. Called the Island Explorer, this system has carried over 2 million passengers, reduced smog-causing pollutants by more than 11 tons, and prevented the release of over 7,300 tons of greenhouse gases. And it’s free.
In fact, the island has a long history of eco-tourism. In the 1920s John D. Rockefeller, Jr. feared the impact of automobiles on Mount Desert Island. Collaborating with Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., the son of the designer of Central Park in New York, he helped develop the 27-mile Park Loop Road, a stunning roadway encircling Mount Desert Island and presenting breathtaking views to motorists – while protecting the island’s forests and wildlife.
So, if the wholesome holiday and eco-commitment haven’t convinced you where you want to spend America’s holiday, perhaps the outdoor agenda will. For an affordable family vacation in Maine, Acadia National Park offers 130 miles of hiking trails and 57 miles of car-free carriage roads for biking. From whale watching to oceanariums, there are lots of things to do with kids in Acadia.
For more information about Bar Harbor’s Fourth of July celebration, check out the Events calendar at www.barharborinfo.com. For personal tips and candid reviews on what to do and where to eat, visit OUR ACADIA.



as MDI’s lakes and Somes Sound. The agenda of a favorite day in Acadia is to hike up Beech Mountain in the morning, picnic, then kayak on Long Pond. For more ideas on how to explore the waterways, trails, restaurants, and markets of Mount Desert Island, visit 
“What if it rains?” is the question that haunts every mother planning a vacation that’s focused on biking, hiking, and the beach. 
Mount Desert Island in Maine is home not only to Acadia National Park, but to charming inns, wonderful antiquing, topnotch spas and great restaurants. For some of my favorites, including several lobster pounds, visit
The first big difference about this camp is that all activities are intended for the whole family. The program is best-suited for children who are at least 5, but there doesn’t seem to be an upper-age limit.
In addition, there’s free time for self-guided hikes, walks, and other activities.
My tasting partner offered excellent credentials for this experiment. He is pragmatic, but also passionate about lobster, having commenced craving these crustaceans almost fifty years ago at camp clambakes and Lundy’s, the venerable seafood institution in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. I, on the other hand, a born-and-bred New Englander, have only been eating lobster with great regularity since I started spending so much time on MDI several years ago, but it’s been enough to cause me to eschew lobster at fancy New York restaurants even when somebody else is paying for it! It just has no taste. (I make an exception for
Our Beal’s lobsters arrived the next day, still active in their carton of wet newspapers after their Fed Ex journey, and our Fairway catch scratched away in his plastic bag. We carefully considered the pro’s and con’s of boiling vs. steaming, opting for the latter to preserve a little more flavor. The 



