Following is a partial list of exciting Maine events coming up in the fall. For a complete listing, visit the Maine Office of Tourism Web site at www.visitmaine.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LEWISTON/AUBURN, Maine - Tall buildings, light poles and water are normally things that hot air balloon pilots try to avoid. So when two cities host a downtown balloon festival with a launch site at a riverfront park surrounded by mill and office buildings, does anyone show up?

Each year since 1993, dozens of pilots and more than 100,000 spectators have experienced the unique setting of the Great Falls Balloon Festival held in the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn. This year's festival happens August 15-17 with balloon launches, live music, entertainment and activities on both sides of the Androscoggin River.

The urban location has advantages over other events that take place in open spaces. Balloon captains look forward to viewing the cityscape after liftoff, spectators can photograph balloons with backdrops of brick mill buildings and church steeples, and the river becomes a place for pilots to show off with splash and dash landings.

"It is a test of skill for a pilot to touch their basket down on the water," said festival Balloonmeister Walter Crites. "It's fun for the pilot, the passengers in the basket and people watching."

At each of the twice-daily launches, the seat of a canoe or kayak is the vantage point for some spectators. A pedestrian bridge over the river links Lewiston's Simard & Payne Memorial Park (the main launch site) with Auburn's Riverwalk pathway. The bridge, path and Festival Plaza in Auburn are good viewing spots.

A 95-foot tall sitting panda bear and a 14-story green dragon named Oggy will join 35-40 traditional shaped balloons for mass liftoffs. Power gliders will also buzz through the sky, and sky dive team jumps are planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Fireworks over the river's Great Falls will cap Friday's events, and a parade from Auburn to Lewiston will follow the morning balloon launch on Saturday. Rock, blues, jazz, steel drum and country music acts will play at the park and Festival Plaza from Friday evening to Sunday evening, and a carnival midway with rides and games for children and adults will be open through the weekend.

Competitive types can sign up for Saturday's pizza eating contest or Sunday's clam eating contest, and photographers of all ages can enter their best festival shots in the Photo Contest. More than 30 food and beverage vendors will keep people fueled, and a pancake breakfast will be offered at each morning balloon launch.

Lewiston and Auburn make up the southeast gateway to the Lakes & Mountains Region of western Maine. From the festival site, travelers can access routes to Bridgton, Oxford, Bethel, Farmington, Fryeburg, Rumford and Rangeley.

For more information about the Great Falls Balloon Festival, call the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce 207-783-2249 or visit www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

State of Maine Event Ticklers
June 2008

CUTLER, Maine - Three lighthouse organizations in Washington County Maine and Canada will test sentinel seekers on August 9 with the inaugural Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge. Participants will visit Head Harbour Lighthouse and Mulholland Lighthouse on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada; Lubec Channel Lighthouse and West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine, and Little River Lighthouse in Cutler, Maine, by car and boat to collect visitor stamps on the challenge map and learn about the history of each light. The event will start on Campobello Island which is connected to the U.S mainland by a bridge at Lubec. The day ends with a lobster or chicken dinner in Cutler after visiting Little River Lighthouse by boat. To register for the Lighthouse Challenge or learn more, call 207-259-3833 or visit www.littleriverlight.org.

FREEPORT, Maine - Maine's largest triathlon takes place in Freeport, and remarkably it does not include a shopping leg. With more than 100 stores in town, it would be easy enough for participants to transition from a bike ride to a multi-store shopping spree, but the Olympic-distance Lobsterman Triathlon sticks to the traditional swim, bike and run format. The 2008 event happens Saturday, September 13 at Winslow Park. The race attracts nearly 800 athletes and consists of a 1.5K ocean swim from the park boat launch, a 40K lollipop loop bike ride along the coast of Freeport to Brunswick, and a 10K run from the park into the village of South Freeport and back. All male, all female and co-ed relay teams may participate, and there will be a separate aquabike race. A lobster bake with a beer garden and live music will wrap up the festivities. For more information about the Lobsterman Triathlon, call 207-221-5420 or visit www.tri-maine.com/lobster.

 

LEVANT, Maine - Weekends in September and October are full of fun for families at Treworgy Orchards. The fruit and vegetable farm near Bangor is a fall favorite for its five acre pumpkin patch, giant cornfield maze and apple picking. Visitors can tour the farm by horse or tractor-drawn wagon, and meet the goats, chickens, llama and donkey at the petting zoo. Twigs ice cream stand offers more than 20 flavors of ice cream, while bagged apples and vegetables are for sale in the barn. For more information about fall activities at Treworgy Orchards, call 207-884-8354 or visit www.treworgyorchards.com.
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------