BRIEFS: CARRIAGE ROADS CLOSED, NOMINATION PAPERS AVAILABLE FOR BAR HARBOR COUNCIL, SCHOOL BOARDS AND WARRANT COMMITTEE
Library has two upcoming events!
Carriage Roads in Acadia National Park close for spring thaw
BAR HARBOR—Starting Friday, March 8, the National Park Service (NPS) is temporarily closing the carriage roads in Acadia National Park to prevent damage to them during the spring thaw. Carriage roads will be closed to all users until further notice.
Warming weather and wet conditions soften the carriage road’s gravel surface and make them susceptible to damage. Walking, bicycling, and riding horses in such conditions can cause ruts and potholes that channel water and exacerbate erosion. The NPS will reopen the carriage roads once the gravel surface dries out and becomes firm enough to prevent damage.
In the meantime, the NPS encourages visitors to explore Acadia’s hiking trails and the Park Loop Road, which remains closed to motor vehicles until April 15. When hiking, be prepared for icy conditions and use traction devices on your footwear. When walking or biking the closed sections of the Park Loop Road, exercise caution around closed gates, watch for park vehicles and equipment, and be prepared to encounter lingering ice and storm debris.
The carriage roads, along with their coping stones, gatehouses, and stone-faced bridges, are the best and most extensive example of broken-stone roads in the United States. They provide access to both sweeping vistas and close-up views of landscapes across the park.
For current information about visiting Acadia National Park, please go to www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338. Join online conversations on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AcadiaNPS), Twitter (twitter.com/AcadiaNPS), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/acadianps).
BAR HARBOR ELECTION PAPERS AVAILABLE
Nomination papers are out and circulating and there is still time to run for elected office in Bar Habor.
Seats up for election this year are:
Town Council – Two seats (Gary Friedmann and Joe Minutolo’s seats are expiring)
Superintending School Committee (Conners Emerson School Board) – One seat (Marie Yarborough’s term is expiring)
MDI High School Trustees (MDI Regional School District Trustees) – One three-year seat and one two-year seat, which is the unexpired portion of the term for the seat held by Joe Cough, who recently resigned
Warrant Committee – Five seats (Bailey Stillman, Meagan Kelly, Seth Libby, Kathleen St. Germain, Ezra Sassaman)
Nomination papers were available beginning this past Monday, March 4 and are due Friday, April 12 at 5 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Black Power in 2024
Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m.
BAR HARBOR—In partnership with the MDI Racial Equity Working Group and the YWCA, the library welcomes JG Georgette, Jacques Newell Taylor, and Athena Bryce for panel discussion on exploring the multifaceted might of Black Americans and the pernicious tethers that continue to undermine Black Power.
Janine "JG" Georgette has worked as a performing and teaching artist for the past 50 years. During the past several summers an obsession with sailing brought them to the beauty of the Maine coast, where an unexpected connection to Ellsworth was fostered by work with the Juneteenth Downeast planning group.
Jacques H. Newell Taylor is an exercise design specialist keenly interested in elucidating and exploiting the relationships between physical performance, mental performance, and personal transformation. Jacques’s mission is to leverage physical and mental health to facilitate wise, compassionate action in our communities. He is a husband and father of two and is grateful to live in Wabanaki territory, also known as Southwest Harbor, Maine.
Athena Bryce earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2021 and expects to receive her Master’s degree in Social Work in May of 2023 at the University of Maine. Athena strives to empower individuals and communities she interacts with through her work as a Public Health Educator at Bangor Public Health and Community Services. Athena’s academic and professional goals are anchored to her commitment to advocacy and social justice for underrepresented communities, ensuring that vulnerable, marginalized populations and diverse life experiences are at the center of her work.
Free and open to the public. Register at https://www.jesuplibrary.org/events/panel
Solar Eclipses in Maine, Past and Present
Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m.
BAR HARBOR—Join us at the Jesup to prepare for the upcoming solar eclipse! The program will describe the 2017 Partial Solar Eclipse, last fall’s October 14th Annular Eclipse, the upcoming April 8th 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Maine, and as a bonus, a reprise of the 1963 Total Solar Eclipse whose path was directly over Mt. Desert Island. Tips for safely observing the upcoming April 8th eclipse will also be discussed.
An avid amateur astronomer, Mr. Lanpher travels throughout New England and eastern Canada attending astronomy meetings as liaison for clubs in Maine, New Hampshire and a few in Massachusetts and observing at their star parties when the opportunity avails. He will either be in Houlton, ME or Lac Mégantic, Quebec on April 8th.
Free and open to the public. Register at https://www.jesuplibrary.org/events/eclipse