Old Port Winter Wellness #170

Charlie Mitchell:

this week's program and what is nice is you do get a lot of people who haven't bowled in years and they've given up on it. And then they see Bayside bowl realize that they can pick this hobby back up, but in a nice environment with good food and a clean place and they come back to the sport.

Kara Wooldrik:

I saw Maine and knew this was the place for me. I love the access to the outdoors and I feel honored to be able to connect the people that live in Portland and people that visit Portland directly with the outdoors.

Lynn Tillotson:

It really is authentic. There are very few places that you can go now that have the culture and the architecture and the working waterfront and not look like a cookie cutter strip mall everywhere and main offers that

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 170, airing for the first time on Sunday, December 14, 2014. Today's theme is Old Port Winter Wellness. What do Portland area citizens and visitors do when the weather turns chilly? Enjoy a broad range of activities both indoors and out. Today we speak with Bayside bowl co founder Charlie Mitchell, Kara Woldrick of Portland Trails and Lynn Tillotson of the Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau. Listen to our discussion for ideas about your next winter wellness outing. Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Recently I spent a Saturday afternoon in quite a lovely and fun place known as Bayside Bowl. I'm not really a bowler, but I enjoyed the vibe of this place and I really think that people who haven't spent time there will want to go there after they have after they listen to this conversation that I have with

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Charlie Mitchell who is the co owner

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

of Bayside bowl here in Portland. Thanks so much for coming in and having a conversation with me no problem.

Charlie Mitchell:

Thanks for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Charlie, did you think you were going to own a bowling alley when you were growing up?

Charlie Mitchell:

No, absolutely not. I bowled once a year on my birthday. I think like a lot of people, that's about their limit of their exposure to bowling. And I had a career in law and politics going. And when I moved back to Maine, I was just sort of looking for something to get me through the winters. I was concerned about coming back to the Maine winter and started a bowling league sort of modeled on Portland as a long running ultimate Frisbee league. And it's nice because on a Tuesday or Thursday in the middle of the week, people go out with their friends and do something athletic and then hang out and it keeps you busy, keeps you seeing your friends. And in the winter I was very concerned about that disappearing. Started a little bowling league with my sister and after the first year of only 12 teams, the second year we had 26 and the third year we had 32 and there were several hundred people bowling. And so I wanted to build a place for that community, but certainly had zero expectations going into it. It was, it was just something I thought would make the winters a little more fun and turned into a lifestyle

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

that is kind of a big leap between law and politics and B side bowling.

Charlie Mitchell:

Yeah, it is an enormous leap. When I was working in dc, I was at the ACLU lobbyists on the Patriot act in Guantanamo, privacy issues. But I also started the ACLU softball team. And it actually, as much as the lobbying work was important, the softball team brought the office together in a way that hadn't been working and I think increased the effectiveness of the organization. And what I enjoyed the most about it is we created, I did write ups of each of the games and sort of made everyone out to be heroes and created softball names for everyone. And a lot of that spilled over into this bowling league. So I. There was. It's definitely a wild transition, but parts of what led me to do the bowling were existing even when I was in the other career.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And from what I understand, if you are a bowler, you actually have a handle.

Charlie Mitchell:

Yeah, pretty much. That's the tradition at Bayside Bowl. Everyone bowls under a bowling name. And it kind of sticks with you to the point where when you're at Bayside bowl, the waitresses know you by that name. Everyone sort of knows you by that name. And most people are in my phone by their bowling name. So it's hard to remember everybody's both names. But.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what is your bowling name?

Charlie Mitchell:

I bowl as Carl Hungess. It's actually a Big Lebowski reference. It's a small role in the movie.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So anybody who wants to understand this better will have to go watch the Big Lebowski.

Charlie Mitchell:

Yeah, I think they'll find it out if they give the movie another watch.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have an interesting partner, Justin Alphon, who's been on the show and who he profiled in Old Port magazine previously. He is a state senator, so he's also got a background in politics. You met in New Orleans, I believe.

Charlie Mitchell:

We didn't meet in New Orleans. We both just. We lived in New Orleans at the same time. We actually met back in Maine and just had that in common and had discussions about that. We had a number of things in common, obviously, the political world in New Orleans. And he had joined the league, and we just had a really good time hanging out and talking about the league. And as the idea hatched to build a home for the league, Justin was the first person I talked to.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what about New Orleans was such an interesting connection for you? I mean.

Charlie Mitchell:

Oh, it was. I mean, I think in Justin's discussion with you, one of the places that we both went to frequently in New Orleans is a place called Mid City Lanes. It's famous for. It's called Rock and Bowl. They had, you know, great bands there all the time, decent food and bowling. It was just the combination of those things that I think we had seen a place we both admired. So when the idea for a home for this league came about, I think he and I could both sort of see the same vision.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It is interesting because I think in my very limited bowling experience, I think I was with the Yarmouthtown Summer Recreation Program, and once a summer, we went to just a very straightforward bowling alley with the smelly shoes, or maybe not smelly shoes, but there wasn't. I don't know. Part of the thing about it was it didn't feel that fun to me, you know, because I didn't love the bowl. You know, I didn't love the sport.

Charlie Mitchell:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But when I went to visit your. When I went to visit Bayside Bowl, I noticed immediately it's very welcoming. You can be a bowler or not a bowler. When you go off to one side, there's a large open room, which I know people have engagement showers. They have. When I was there, there was a baby shower. There are people with their blue balloons. There's a spot for families to eat, so people are watching football games. There's a bright open bar and great food, really great food. I was so impressed Because I was eating this vegetarian chili and I'm like, wow, a place that combines so many different elements.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Were these things important to you?

Charlie Mitchell:

Oh, absolutely. And yeah, we were just hosting a wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday. We wanted to open a place with great food. I mean, part of that just stemmed from the fact that league bowlers are in the same place multiple times a week. You've got to give them good food. And any new business in Portland trying to serve food, I mean, the standards here are really high and we wanted to be a part of that. Our first year we were open, we won the Phoenix's Best New Restaurant award. We've won the Cajun Cook off from WMPG a few times in a row. We take the food part of our business incredibly seriously. And lots of times people do just come and have dinner or sit at the bar. The music side of things has been a learning curve, figuring out sort of what niche to fill in the Portland music scene. And I think we've really gotten into a place where we're comfortable. We do have live music now, at least on every Saturday and oftentimes on Fridays. We do have DJs throughout the week on the lanes, which is pretty nice. And as a lot of Portland slows down for the winter, that's sort of when Bayside bull ramps up and. And it's in all of those areas. I mean, basically all of those are extremely important to us. One thing that differentiates us from any other bowling center in the country is there is a wave or a trend of these boutique bowling alleys and Lucky Strikes and Splitsvilles and Kings is some of the chains that are out there. And even Brooklyn bowl to an extent, which is a fantastic center. And now they have one in Las Vegas and one in London and they have great music and great food. But what we're doing differently than all of the new boutique bowling alleys is we're taking our bowling extremely seriously. And we're sanctioned by all the official bowling governing bodies. We host leagues. The lanes are perfectly conditioned. And even this year in March, we're hosting the Professional Bowlers association, which will be a first time that they've ever come to Maine. We'll have ESPN at the place for a few days. So that's, I think what makes Bayside unique nationally is that we're doing the food and music as well as we can. And at a standard we think lives up to Portland's expectations. And then also doing the world class bowling.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

How many different leagues do you have?

Charlie Mitchell:

We have a number of Leagues we have, you know, there's a Monday night league and a Wednesday night league that sort of renew every 10 weeks. We have a restaurant league on Sunday nights, we have a media league that plays. We have multiple business leagues throughout the season. We have the draft league. And then the league that built Bayside bowl is called Bowl Portland. That was the one that we started in 2007 with I guess, 12 teams, 2008, 12 teams. And now they're sort of the home league of Bayside Bowl. And if you go in and you look on lane one, you'll see the giant banners for the championships of that league, since it's the house league.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So how many people would you estimate bowl at Bayside bowl over the course of a year?

Charlie Mitchell:

That would be almost impossible to name. I mean, in a given season, the league bowlers probably number around 500. But then, you know, on any Friday or Saturday you have two to three hundred people come through who may only be there once a year. I mean, there's thousands and thousands and thousands of people are bowling. And what is nice is you do get a lot of people who haven't bowled in years and they've given up on it and then they see Bayside bowl, realize that they can pick this hobby back up, but in a nice environment with good food and clean place and they come back to the sport and then other people are there just to have a drink and bowl and maybe we'll see them again next year.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I like the fact that it's something that families can do together. It seems as though we've entered into this weird parallel play thing where kids have kid sports and then adults have triathlons and never the two shall meet. When you're a Bayside bowl, it's really, I don't know, ecumenical. It's a place where it doesn't really. You can all connect, you know, because bowling doesn't necessarily require a certain age or heft.

Charlie Mitchell:

Yeah, no, it's true. You see multi generational groups on the lanes all the time. And if you go to Bayside bowl from open to close on a Saturday, you really see everything. It'll often start with a seven year old's birthday party and then you've got people in there with their grandkids and then you've got the lunch crowd, then you've got people coming in at night for a bar, you've got every age group and it's pretty nice. It's one of the few places I think that exists that's like that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Why is this so important to you that you provide this place where people can be social? Why was it important when you were working with the ACLU and created the softball league that fostered this community? What is it about all of this that sort of speaks to you?

Charlie Mitchell:

I think I enjoy it myself, and I know that it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. I mean, it's community building, and it's in an environment that's open to everyone. It's not tinged with a lot of conflict. It's just bowling. But it's a great community. I just love having that. I built that in D.C. and I tried to do that here. I mean, it's just a wonderful group. I mean, and now the people I know from Bull Portland, I know in every aspect of my life, they work with them professionally in lots of realms, and they're some of my best friends. And it's. It's a great community. And to give that group a home is really, really rewarding. You know, these are people, I assume, and this is a sport you don't have to give up, you know, as you age. I mean, I could be bowling with these guys for the next 30 years.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

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Dr. Lisa Belisle:

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Dr. Lisa Belisle:

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[Unidentified voice]:

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Dr. Lisa Belisle:

you grew up in Maine?

Charlie Mitchell:

Yeah, I grew up in Vasselborough.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And your mother was a state legislator and you chose to come back here? Vasselborough is not a huge place. You went to D.C. you came back. What was the draw?

Charlie Mitchell:

Well, I left Maine, I guess. I've left three times. I've always come back. I lived in Boston. I lived in New Orleans, lived in D.C. i did love New Orleans, but there's never been. I've never been anywhere that felt like home other than Maine. I just have always loved the people. I love the outdoors. I've grown up in central Maine, being outside of coming to a city like Portland, which I got to experience a lot when I was. I went to law school, so I was in Portland a decent amount during that stretch and fell in love with the city. Just being able to get to Moosehead Lake in three hours and to be in the woods in an hour and canoeing, I mean, it's just. I've loved the outdoors in Maine, and I love the people of Portland. And I couldn't wait to get back, you know, I mean, I liked. I liked my job in Washington, but as soon as I had the opportunity to come home, I did.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I met, I believe he's the manager the other day when I was there. Adam.

Charlie Mitchell:

Oh, Adam. Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

He's worked there from the beginning. From what I understand, he speaks very highly of the place. He also had other experiences came back for him. It seemed like there was a really. There was a sense of pride and there was a sense of ownership and a sense that what he was doing was. Was important. Is this something that is common with the people that work at Bayside Bowl?

Charlie Mitchell:

Oh, yeah. I mean, we're family there. I mean, most. I think it's relatively rare within the industry, but four of our six servers have been there for all four years. Everyone who works in the bar has been there for all four years. My kitchen manager and mechanic have been there for over three years. My events manager has been there all four years. People love being at Bayside, and I think everyone is an important part of the community there. And part of what Bayside bowl is is its staff. I mean, that's what people come there for. Not only to see their friends on the lanes, but to see their friends at the bar and to see their friends in the Kitchen. And it's a, it's a great community. And you know, we've, our staff has been offered health care since the beginning, which I also think is rare in the, in the industry. And people have sick time and paid vacation. It's so, it's a, it's a good working environment, but also it's just a family and we all work really well together.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Did it give you pause to realize that you were building something that didn't already exist in Maine and actually in a location in Portland that maybe wasn't at that time as up and coming as it has become.

Charlie Mitchell:

The fact that it was new didn't give me any pause whatsoever. That just made it even more exciting because I knew, I knew that this would be a place that people would enjoy going into Bayside. It was just a happy coincidence really. I mean, we had looked at another location that the agreement that we thought we had didn't work out. And it was in the week after trying to get our heads around the new plan. I was just driving by that location and saw the For Lease sign. And I had known that building because I had gone there and played video games and looked at the pool tables and so going in there, it just felt right immediately. And Ross was very supportive of our project when he still owned the building. So I think we just, we're very fortunate to find that building. The building is really a part of the character of the business in a way that I don't think any other location would have been.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You founded Bayside bowl four years ago and there's always the, of course, the excitement of a new business and then there's the sort of out in the future, the hopeful ongoing success. But in the meantime, there is just some grit and determination and showing up every day and making the right decisions and being dedicated to your vision. And I feel like that may be where you are right now.

Charlie Mitchell:

When, when Bayside opened, I was, I was living upstairs. I had a fold out couch above the business and was working seven days a week as much as I could. Going to sleep after the shift and getting back up and getting back at it. And certainly takes that in the beginning to get the business running. I mean, in terms of thinking about Bayside's future, I mean we, we have so much to improve every day. You can always work on making things run better and making a better experience for people. We are really excited, as I mentioned about, we'll be hosting our first national PBA tournament at the end of the year. It's something we're really looking forward to and building towards. We hope to eventually be able to expand the location. It's very frustrating to turn people away in the winter that want to just come in and bowl, so we're looking to do that some point in the future anyway. We'd like to add to our capabilities and bring in a little more space, a few more lanes, and it continues

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

to bring you enough joy and satisfaction that you can't help but want to keep doing it.

Charlie Mitchell:

And I'm able to. I feel grateful and lucky every day, so I think I can't beat that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Charlie, how can people find out about Bayside bowl and all the things that are offered there?

Charlie Mitchell:

Well, you can. Our webpage is www.baysidebowl.com and you can reach us at 79-1-BOWL on the phone and to make any sort of direct request to us, you can email us at reservationsaysaysaysidebowl.com I encourage people to spend

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

some time thinking about bowling or hosting a baby shower or having some great food, stopping in for a drink. It's really a wonderful place and I appreciate the fact that you're bringing some winter fun, some year round fun to the people of Portland. We've been speaking with Charlie Mitchell, who is the co owner of Bayside Bowl. Congratulations on your success thus far and hope for even greater success in the future.

Charlie Mitchell:

Great. Thank you very much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As a physician and small business owner,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I rely on Marcy Booth from Booth, Maine to help me with my own business and to help me live my own life fully.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Here are a few thoughts from Marcy.

[Unidentified voice]:

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Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Many people who come to

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Maine enjoy going out into the wilderness and spending time on the ski trails that are well known in the western mountains or perhaps up on the carriage paths in Bar Harbor.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But what some people don't know is

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

that we have trails right here in

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Portland and the Portland area that we

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

can enjoy year round. And today we have Kara Wooldrick from

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Portland Trails to speak with us about

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

about what's going on with her organization. Cara Wooldrick is the executive director of

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Portland Trails, an organization that preserves green space for public access and connects people with places.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Thanks so much for coming in.

Kara Wooldrik:

Thank you so much for letting me come in.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, it's really great to meet you. And it's interesting because I've had in my mind a set of lists. It's kind of a phantom list of guests that I would like to have. And until we decided to do an article in Old Port magazine about ski trails in the winter, you were still a phantom guest. But now you're here. It's reality. I'm really, really pleased with the work that Portland Trails is doing. I'm really impressed.

Kara Wooldrik:

Oh, thank you so much. We love our role in the community in Greater Portland.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And it seems to me that you've grown a lot. I believe the first trails that I used to walk along were out in the Fore River Preserve, and I also did some running in the Evergreen Cemetery. But you've now you trails all over the place. They're extending into different cities, different towns. They're being used year round. I mean, you've just. And you map all this stuff out very, very well. You have a really great website, a really great resource for people.

Kara Wooldrik:

Thank you. We're now at about 70 miles of trails in greater Portland. And so we started with a few trails in beautiful areas that people wanted to visit. And over the last 20 years, we have been able to fill in a network so that people can get from the places that they live to places to play very easily by trail. And likewise, children can get to school by trail, people can get to work by trail. So we see them as a real transportation facility for people, whether they're biking to work or walking to work, or they just want to go out for a nice walk after work. So we are now within a half mile of every resident's home and try to be as accessible as possible. To all community members.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So this must have required some thoughtfulness in order to actually be within a half mile of every residence home. Because you couldn't just willy nilly say, oh, let's just stick a trail here in the middle of the woods.

Kara Wooldrik:

Certainly, I'd say we are intentional opportunists. We like to take advantage of opportunities that arise in the community. Maybe somebody buys a piece of land and they'd like to make sure there's a recreation facility on it. At the same time, we're also thinking about, can people in this neighborhood get to the library, get to the grocery store, get to school by walking or biking? And if we can help that make that easy for them, then we do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Portland Trails has been doing this for 20 years.

Kara Wooldrik:

We're about 23 years old.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

23 years old. So how did this all begin? What was the impetus?

Kara Wooldrik:

There were a few different movements happening at the same time. One was around creating a land trust, the Forest City Land Trust. And we are a land trust. We hold land and easements, which means permission for conservation values, but also permission for people to go and recreate. So there was this movement, the land trust movement, of let's try to protect some of Portland's land before it all gets developed. And then there was also a group interested in recreation and getting people out hiking and mountain biking and skiing. And how can we combine those efforts? And so those folks that had that energy and that passion 23 years ago decided to merge and create one organization, Portland Trails. And so while we are a land trust, we don't look and act like many of the wonderful land trusts in Maine. We certainly do hold land, but our focus is really on getting as many people as possible onto the land. We don't buy land and then keep it separate from people. We want people to be out interacting with it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And what is your interest in the land and getting people out moving about on it?

Kara Wooldrik:

Well, I love to get out and go walking with my dog or trail running or skiing. And I know that it helps me to be a healthier person. And I know from working with people over the past 20 years that it helps others to get out and be active and healthy. And I also know that the way that we can help create a sustainable community, both for economics, for people and for the environment, is to get people to understand how the environment works. And so by being out there and connecting with it, they will start to learn about it and value it. So for me, it's a thrill to be able to provide a resource close to people's homes that they can get out after a day of work, or kids can wander home from school via the Evergreen Trails and have that connection that maybe people assume is only a rural experience, but you can have it right here in Portland. I think also knowing that Portland is recognized for its food and it's recognized for its art, it's also so recognized for its green spaces and the ability to get out and go walking and hiking right here within the city. So I know it's an important economic driver for the city and the community at large.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And did you have some experience yourself as an individual when you were growing up that convinced you that this was an important thing to do?

Kara Wooldrik:

I think I felt most like myself when I was outside climbing trees and crawling around in culverts with friends. I grew up in suburban California and valued the trees I had in my backyard. I was certain that the redwood in my backyard was the largest one in the whole world because I was so little. But as I went to grad school in New England and then looked around at the communities and the place where I would want to live, I saw Maine and knew this was the place for me. I love the access to the outdoors, and I feel honored to be able to connect the people that live in Portland and the people that visit Portland directly with the outdoors.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And obviously trails are available year round. Some of them are used more for skiing than others. What are some of the other trails that can be skied?

Kara Wooldrik:

The Stroudwater River Trail, which connects from Congress Outer Congress street all the way now to Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, is a wonderful spot for skiing. We're excited to have that now linked to Smiling Hill Farm, where they have had ski trails for many, many years. And the Knight family has welcomed the connection. So now you could actually ski from Portland to Westbrook. And much of that is in the power line area, and then about half of it is in the woods. So you get different terrain, some small, fun hills, but also relatively pretty flat.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And so if people are wanting to look at the trails and whether you can actually bike them versus walk them versus ski them. This information is available on the Portland Trails website.

Kara Wooldrik:

Yes, it's all available@ Trails.org People can look for the type of activity they want to do and find trails, or they can look at trails and see what activity are available.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Riverside is well known as a golf course during the summer, but during the winter it becomes a place that a lot of people ski. And when I was on the ski team for one of the local trails, we went to Riverside and skied. So some people are aware that that exists. But there's actually new things that are going on with Riverside.

Kara Wooldrik:

Yes, Riverside is very well used in the winter, particularly on the weekends. I think people don't realize that the early mornings when the sun is rising are really gorgeous out there. And I'm often alone or there are just one or two other people. A new piece that we're doing is expanding the Riverside trails downriver along the Primscott river into a wooded area where we hope that we can groom those trails so that people can have a woods skiing experience. But they're also groomed, so you don't have to be a backcountry skier to be comfortable in that area. But that would be open to everybody.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

The nice thing about cross country skiing is that it can be really done at your own pace. If there happens to be a groomed trail, that's great, and it does make it easier. But if you wanted to go out and you wanted to kind of bushwhack, there's definitely the chance to do that in some of these trails. Even here in the middle of Portland, Definitely.

Kara Wooldrik:

There are many people that are out before the snowplows get out onto the streets in Portland, and they'll ski from their homes to the eastern prom or the western prom to either do a little bit of downhill or just to explore new places. And skis with lots of snow are much like a pair of hiking boots. You can get around and see lots of new areas. There are also plenty of people that like to go snowshoeing. And when the snow is deep, it's a terrific workout to go snowshoeing. But it's also this very quiet and peaceful time.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What are some of your favorite trails? Whether it's in the winter or other times of the year, I know it must be hard to choose amongst all of them.

Kara Wooldrik:

I'm on a different trail pretty much every day, Depending on what type of day it is, what type of activity I want to do. I love some of the tiny connector trails that we have, like the Fort Sumner Trail on the east end. The Bayside Trail, which we'll soon connect to Deering Oaks, is a lovely trail for getting to an older industrial part of Portland. But I also love going for a walk in Baxter woods with my dog and seeing lots of other neighborhood folks and their dogs. And that. That is a community experience. So much of what we do is linking community, Whether it's linking one natural community to another natural community or linking neighbor to another neighbor. So there's the quiet experiences on the trail, but there are also the community building experiences on the trail and both are really invigorating.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Portland Trails is a non profit and as such relies on the kindness and generosity of our area citizens and maybe even people who are not from our area. You have a few fundraisers that occur over the course of the year. Can you tell me about these?

Kara Wooldrik:

We currently have about 1,000 members of Portland Trails and we know that the trails are used over a million times each year. So we know that we are meeting a community need and that there are many more people that could become members. Many of our members and the public participate in some of our community events. We have the Trail to L10K race, which is a run and a walk and that is now in its 15th year. We have about 1800-2000 participants each year. It's a well known fall September community event with trails right along the water. So it's attractive to people from out of town as well as locals. We also have the Bayside 5k race and that is for people and dogs. And that's a very fun, low key community event for 200 or so people and about 100 dogs. We also have a social event that has fluctuated between fall and spring and that's called gorp. GORP happens at Urban Farm Fermentary and is time for people to get together and celebrate Portland Trails. This past year's theme was a throwback to simpler times. So it was thinking about what's the main brand and image of camping and hiking and let's capture that and hold that for an evening. Let's play some games, let's have some snacks. Let's just celebrate what Maine is and what it has been.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

There really isn't an expectation on your part when people participate as to whether they walk a Bayside Trail 5K or whether they sprint the 10K, you know, Ale to Trail to Ale. It really is whatever people are interested in doing and it's really for themselves and for their own community, their own social benefits. It's not so much a race as it is sort of a well being building experience.

Kara Wooldrik:

Absolutely. Just about everything we do is, is about building community and connecting people with each other and with nature. So whether it's volunteer day or the Trail to Ale event, we try to make it as open as possible to people to create the experience that they want. There certainly are people that zoom through the Trail to Ale at incredible speeds and are really admirable. And there are people who walk it and it's the first time they've ever walked that far in their life. And those are huge victories as well. Last year I did a preview run with folks who were not yet familiar with the race or not familiar with the course. And we had somebody participate. And she and I ran together and she finished. And at the end she said, I've never run that far in my life. And that made my day, my week, my month, to know that I had been able to create an opportunity and support somebody to be able to run the furthest they'd ever run in their life. So then fast forward a month and I saw her at the finish line and we gave each other a big hug and she had run the entire thing without stopping. And it's really such a privilege to be in this role.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And I have run the Bayside 5K. I ran it with people from here at Maine Magazine and we just really had a lot of fun. We enjoyed. It's really, it's very interesting to see Portland not from the street and in your car, you know, to go around the prom and then come into a section of Portland where there's sidewalk but you couldn't get to unless you were actually on foot or some other means of sort of personal locomotion. It's a fascinating thing to have spent most of one's life in an area and then see it from a fresh perspective. And I think Portland Trails and the Bayside 5K actually really offer that.

Kara Wooldrik:

We're constantly encouraging people to get out onto some of the lesser known trails, the little tiny neighborhood connectors where you suddenly see downtown Portland from a completely different perspective. We just purchased some land in falmouth, actually along 295 and the river estuary. And when I've gone out there to do some trail work, I. I can look back at the city skyline and I've never seen it from that angle before. And I think that's this place that I call my home and I love. And here I am getting a new glimpse of it. It's almost like a new perspective on an old friend.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I am very grateful to you for the work you're doing with Portland Trails and also to Portland Trails itself. For individuals who would like to learn more about your organization, Kara, where can they go?

Kara Wooldrik:

The best resource would probably be our website, which is trails.org we also have an office down on Commercial street and we always welcome visitors to come in and learn more about the trails. We're happy to tell you our little secret commuting routes or our getaways that we go to on the trails.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You can also read about some of our adventures through Old Port Magazine, our walking, our running and for the winter, Old Port Magazine or skiing. So I encourage you to do that. We've been speaking with Kara Woldrick, who is the Executive director of Portland Trails. Thank you so much for doing this.

Kara Wooldrik:

Thank you so much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

here on Love Maine Radio, we really enjoy speaking with people who love Maine and Portland and actually all parts of Maine as much as we do today. We have Lynn Tillotson, who is the president of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau with us. And that's why I specifically say Portland, although I know Lynn, you' saco. So you love all of Maine, you love Southern Maine, you love Portland. We're so glad to have you. Thank you.

Lynn Tillotson:

Thank you for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So Lynn, what does the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau do?

Lynn Tillotson:

We are a destination marketing organization. So a lot of people, if I say I'm with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, they might look at me a little blankly and say, oh, the Chamber of Commerce. And I'm like, no, no, the Convention and Visitors Bureau. And the the easy difference is that the Convention and Visitors Bureau stimulates the economy through tourism, where the Chamber stimulates economy through business. So we really focus on marketing the destination for tourists.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you spent time in Orlando.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

14 years.

Lynn Tillotson:

14 years.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

14 years in Orlando after growing up in Saco.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you came back so you know what it's like. And you worked at a Marriott, so you know what it's like to market a destination.

Lynn Tillotson:

I do. And it's interesting because I know what people outside of Maine think about Maine, and it really helps us with that marketing effort. Most people say, oh, you're from Maine. And they think of us way up in the corner, and the next thing they say is, I always wanted to go there. So we're definitely a bucket list destination. And we play off of that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

We've seen a number of changes in the last, I don't know, 10, 20 years that have significantly impacted Portland for the better. I mean, the cruise ships that we have that are docking are enormous. And this is something that when you and I were growing up in Southern Maine, we just weren't seeing.

Lynn Tillotson:

No, not at all. Not at all. We started a cruise consortium several years ago about, I'd say, six or seven years ago. And it's a collaboration between us, the Chamber of Commerce, the city of Portland, Kennebunkport and Freeport. So we all pool resources together to work on marketing the destination.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And what are some of the numbers

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

that we're seeing as a result of cruise ships and people putting Maine on their bucket list?

Lynn Tillotson:

When we see. When we started the cruise ship consortium, we had 17 ships coming today. We have 74 this season and 82,000 passengers. So I think it's working.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I would say so. And it sounds like a great job to have to be able to market a place that you feel very passionately about and really let people know what's going on here.

Lynn Tillotson:

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. It's the best part of my job, really. It's to get out on the road in the wintertime. Most of our staff is not in the office. We're out of state marketing all over the United States, all over the world, even. And it's the best part is to sell our state and talk about the amazing place that we all live in.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what are some of the things that someone might come to Portland for?

Lynn Tillotson:

For Portland specifically, it really is what we all know about. I mean, the recognition of the food that we have here. It really is. People all over the world are hearing about it, so they want to come here, they want to try it. They hear great things about this, this little city. But it's the largest city in Maine. And to see the culture that we have and just experience what we have right outside our doors.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So we have food, and we also have the proximity to other places that you've mentioned, like Kennebunk and Freeport. Do people explore when they come off the cruise ship? Do people take trips to some of these outlying destinations?

Lynn Tillotson:

They do. They do. And it is one of the reasons why cruise ships come here. Many merchants might say, oh, but they all leave and they don't stay in Portland. And that's actually not quite true. There are less than 20% of the ship that will go to an excursion. But cruise executives need those excursions to help promote the destination. It's financially viable for them as well. So it's a draw for a cruise ship to come here and be able to see this great city, but also to be able to go to Kennebunkport, which is their draws, the home of the two presidents, Freeport as well, with the shopping in L.L. bean. So it offers a reason to come here, but most of them really stay here.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You also, as part of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau, you also have events that you put on.

Lynn Tillotson:

We do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So tell me about this.

Lynn Tillotson:

There's only one event that we put on actually, other than, of course, our, you know, our internal events like our annual meeting. But the one event that we focus on is Harvest on the harbor, which takes place every year in late October. And we started that event seven years ago because Portland was just getting on the map for the food season. Bon Appetit magazine had just named us the foodiest small town in America. And there weren't a whole lot of food events happening. There was some small ones here and there. So we decided that we wanted to embrace the press that Portland was getting and what was happening that we saw. We wanted to sort of bring it to a different light. And we specifically chose the fourth weekend in October because for us, it's about getting tourists here. And typically the tourist season ends after Columbus Day. And so we chose that fourth week to extend the tourism season. And it's successful. It's very successful tourists. Tourism businesses are now telling us that their season ends after harvest instead of after Columbus Day.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What I like about Harvest on the

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

harbor is its location. I mean, the food is great. Obviously you have a number of wonderful chefs that you bring in, but the location is. It's amazing. Having been to food festivals, I mean, you're right there. You're right on the water.

Lynn Tillotson:

It is a great location, and we like that it benefits the city as well. So even after people are enjoying their time at Harvest, they can just walk right into town and enjoy everything that's happening here as well.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

For people who actually live in Portland, and either they have come back as you and I have to live in Maine, or they're choosing to move here from bigger cities like Boston, New York. What are some of Your favorite things to tell people to do on their staycations.

Lynn Tillotson:

I think that, you know, as. First of all, as a convention visitors bureau, we often sell Maine first because they need to, they need to get the idea in about coming here. So we sell Maine and talk about the amazing things that there are to do. And then we sort of narrow it then down into the greater Portland area. And it's the, it's the cobblestone streets, the amazing boutiques, the wonderful restaurants. Every time they turn a corner, they're going to have something that they could eat. The galleries and the art that's here is outstanding. And on top of it, all of this amazing stuff is happening. Steps from a working waterfront. And that the working waterfront truly is a draw. It's that alluring kind of thing where they're gonna, they're gonna see a fisherman right there, they're gonna see a lobsterman pulling up their traps. They love that idea.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, that's, that's actually a really good point. I think it. Sometimes, you know, having been to a number of different cities, it's easy to get into a great restaurant. But it's, that's the thing. You're not, you're not right down the street from, you know, a tugboat. You're not seeing what's actually going on. It doesn't, it doesn't feel as if you're right in the middle of the action.

Lynn Tillotson:

It's true. Not too long ago, a few years ago, we rebranded our. The Convention and Visitors Bureau. And we worked really hard trying to find the right tagline that just sort of embraces what this place is. And we ended up coming up with authentic by nature. It really is authentic. There are very few places that you can go now that have the culture and the architecture and the working waterfront and not look like a cookie cutter strip mall everywhere. And main offers that there's also something about.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Because you talk about branding Maine first and bringing people into Maine first, there's something about driving over the, over the bridge from New Hampshire. There's something about just this something that opens up in you, you know, a space, the ability to breathe, the ability to experience things that a busy brain doesn't normally allow you to experience.

Lynn Tillotson:

It really is. And if you come over the bridge and stop at the Kittery Information Center, I don't know how many people, how many listeners have actually done that. Especially if you're local, you might not see stop at the Kateri Information center, but the next time you're coming north, stop at the Katerie Information center and get out of your car. And it smells like pine trees. And it is the most. I don't know, it's Maine. It's just Maine.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What I'm struck by is the fact that you grew up in Saco. You went to Thornton Academy, you left, you lived in Orlando, worked in Orlando. After 14 years, you wanted a place to raise your children and you said, I want it to be Maine. So there's something that's so special about Maine that you came back and now you're living your life here.

Lynn Tillotson:

It really is. And we look back and it was a big change to come back. It was a really big change. And at first we're like, oh my gosh, what did we do? It's so much slower and it, you know, it took that time to adjust. And I look back and wow, just things happen for a reason. And it is the best decision we ever made, you know, to have the coast, we living in Saco, we're minutes from the beach. But to have the coast and to have everything that Maine offers and we hike constantly and the mountains were big sky, it just, we love to camp. The kids truly have an experience here that they never would have received living.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So it also, it's kind of a full experience. I mean, people will talk about how cold it gets, but that's the experience of being cold. You know, it's the experience of watching the leaves change and the experience of having it be hot and humid and everything. You know, to watch the seasons change, it means something.

Lynn Tillotson:

Yeah, we love it when it snows. Of course, Maine, a tourism destination, loves it when it snows. I mean, we're a huge snowmobiling state.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And so.

Lynn Tillotson:

But yeah, you just, you have to embrace it. You have to love to ski and snowshoe and get out and make snowmen and, you know, do everything that that Maine offers and we promote that all the time.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I'm not sure that everybody understands how important it is to have organizations like the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau and like people who are out there branding Maine because it's not really, I mean, sales are important, numbers are important, a sustainable economy is important, but it's really more about the storytelling. And I think that to have somebody who can go out there and tell the story of the city of Portland or the story of the state of Maine, I think that's pretty critical to our long term livelihood and health and well being as a state.

Lynn Tillotson:

It really is. I mean, the state relies really heavily on tourism. And yes, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, we Have this saying that says we do what most people think just happens. You know, we really are out there all the time promoting the state, promoting Portland. And it's not just to individual visitors or cruise ships. We also market for the motor coaches that come into the area, for international travelers, for meetings events and sporting events, for destination weddings. It's a whole picture. And so we're constantly out there to all those different markets saying, come to Maine, come to Maine. So whenever there's a motor coach that is dropping off 50 people and they're gonna spend money in this town, it's been a direct impact of what we do. A lot of the tourism industry is it can be finicky if there's so many destinations in the US Let alone the world, that if you're not there at a show promoting your destination, it can be out of sight, out of mind. And so it takes a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort, but you have to do it. And if we weren't there, I don't, you know, I think it would make a considerable difference in the numbers that come into the state.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And as much as many of us will notice the uptick in traffic or sort of the inconvenience of some of the summer gridlock, I think it is still really important to recognize that all of us benefit from the dollars that are being brought into the state. It's really something that our state relies upon to a significant degree.

Lynn Tillotson:

We really do. I just had somebody bring something to my attention which I thought was a really good piece of information. They were like, you know, everything that we have here in Portland, the amazing restaurants and the galleries and everything that's happening. A little city of 65,000 people would not be able to support all of these restaurants and everything that's happening, all the hotels without tourism. It really is critical to our area.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Lynn, I know people are going to want to learn more about the work that you're doing. So how can people find out about the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau?

Lynn Tillotson:

Our website is visitportland.com and I'll put a little disclaimer that we are working on a new website. That's a non stop job, isn't it? It's a great website. It has some great information, but it's circa 1990s navigation. So we're working on a brand new website which will be really robust and

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

we're really excited about that.

Lynn Tillotson:

That'll probably come out in the spring of 2015. It's a big project, but certainly they can always contact me as well and I'd be happy to meet with people.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, very good. I encourage people to do that. We've been speaking with Lynn Tillotson, the President of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for Portland and the State of Maine with us at Love Maine Radio. Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have been listening to Love Maine radio show number 170, Old Port Winter Wellness. Our guests have included Charlie Mitchell, Cara Woldrick and Lynne Tillotson. Love Maine Radio is downloadable for free on itunes. Follow me on Twitter as DrLisa and see my running travel, food and wellness photos as bountiful1 on Instagram. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of Love Maine Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our Old Port Winter Wellness Show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.