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Chamber Updates, Member News

& Tips for Business You Can Use

BBRC News & Notes

(4 Minute Read)

August 11, 2023

In this issue:

✅ Looking ahead: the third Saturday in August

✅ 12@12 at The Brunswick Hotel, 8/16

✅ The BDA names Lynn Mansfield new Executive Director

✅ MARC groundbreaking ceremony, 8/14

✅ Music, Masts & Lobster Traps, 8/27

✅ 2nd Friday ArtWalk TONIGHT!

...and more!

Dear Members,

While still a week away, we thought we'd highlight three special events happening next Saturday, the 19th - Kindness Day in Bath, the Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival, and the Maine Highland Games and Scottish Festival at Thomas Point Beach. They all offer something a little different from each other, are all family-friendly, and all showcase the wonderful people of midcoast Maine.

10th Annual Kindness Day Bath

Downtown Bath

10:00am - 1:00pm

Attendees are encouraged to bring some kindness and spread around as much as they receive at the 10th Annual Kindness Day Bath. A variety of organizations host booths including animal petting, kind-note writing, and free flowers. The City of Bath is offering free trolley rides during the event while Maine Maritime Museum will offer free ‘mini-mariner’ 3o-minute cruises from the city dock, leaving at 9:00am and 10:00am. Booths will be scattered all over the downtown streets, with many local businesses participating too. Lastly, a hearty tip of the cap to the city council of Bath, who officially made August 19, 2023 Kindness Day Bath.

https://www.facebook.com/kindnessdaybath

18th Annual Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival

Maine Street, Brunswick

9:00am - 5:00pm

Started in 2006, the festival features 80 - 100 artists showcasing their work. Maine Street sidewalks and the Brunswick Downtown Mall get peppered with canopy tents full of the most beautiful art in Maine. Artistic categories include: Fine Craft (which includes pottery, wood working, wood burning, etc.), graphic art/drawing, jewelry, painting, mixed media, and photography. The event routinely pulls in thousands of art lovers with many artists selling their work as well as ‘Best of’ contests. Additionally, several musicians will share their gifts giving the day that extra special community-centric vibe!

www.BrunswickOutdoorArtsFest.com

44th Annual Maine Highland Games & Scottish Festival

Thomas Point Beach Campground

8:00am - 5:00pm

Grab your kilt, your family, and your appetite next weekend and head to Thomas Point Beach for one of the truly unique events of the year! The Saint Andrew’s Society of Maine presents the 44th Annual Maine Highland Games & Scottish Festival. They've got bag pipe and drum competitions, highland dance competitions, kilt making demonstrations, Scottish market shopping, sheep herding, and so much traditional food. Add in the incredible athletic events, the children’s games, the musical artists and the Scottish Country dancing interactive demonstrations - truly something for everyone!

www.MaineHighlandGames.org

In non-August 19th news, details on our next 12 @ 12 lunchtime networking session are below, along with information on a super exciting groundbreaking ceremony happening on Monday morning - the Midcoast Athletic and Recreation Complex (MARC) is finally happening!

We know summer is a busy time for everyone, thanks for taking a few minutes to see what's happening in our corner of Maine.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

The BBRC Team

Events, News & Notes

August 11, 2023

12 @ 12: The Brunswick Hotel

4 Noble St., Brunswick

Wednesday, August 16th, 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Needless to say, we love 12@12. What's better than (free!) lunch with 11 other local professionals and five minutes to discuss your business with all of them? It's truly one of the best programs we run and we're thrilled to be at The Brunswick Hotel this month.

You can register by emailing chamber coordinator Anthony. Spots are going quickly so don't wait!

Email to Register!

2nd Friday Brunswick!

ArtWalk, Music, Theater

TONIGHT! 4pm - 7pm

Downtown Brunswick

Join the BDA as they host a variety of artists, musicians, and entertainers, for the third of four 2nd Friday ArtWalks. Event festivities include an ArtWalk with artist displays on sidewalks and in several downtown galleries, retail shops, and restaurants. Each month highlights a different area of downtown with tonight featuring Inner Pleasant Street.

Artists interested in participating in 2nd Friday Brunswick can register for a small fee.

Head over to the BDA's website for more information on artist registration, hosting businesses, entertainment schedule, and a list of participating artists.

Music, Masts & Lobster Traps

Maine Maritime Museum

August 27th, Gate Opens at 3pm

This first-time concert event features the Mallet Brothers Band (with opening act Paddy Mills) and is a fundraiser for the Maine Lobsterman’s Community Alliance. The event includes a super raffle, food trucks, local brews, vendors, and more! Doors open at 3:00pm with Maine folk artist Paddy Mills taking the stage at 3:30pm. Guests with tickets to the concert event have access to a beer garden hosted by Mast Landing Brewery, XTRATUF, and Rugged Seas where a new, special brew honoring our maritime heritage will be unveiled. In addition, Mere Point Oyster Company will be shucking flavorful Maine oysters.

As a part of the event, the Maine Maritime Museum will offer special programming with the purchase of a regular museum admission beginning at 9:30am (this ticket does not include the concert ticket). Demonstrations and educational exhibits highlighting Maine’s working waterfront heritage will include a lobster education center, a trap building demonstration, aquaculture demonstration, pogie seining exhibit, emergency survival raft and gear demonstration, Abenaki tribe drum circle and history exhibit, lobster boat and schooner tour cruises and more! Food and drink from Longreach Kitchen and Highroller Lobster Company will be available starting at 12pm.

Please note that concert tickets are separate from the daytime museum admission, and can purchased here.

Music, Masts & Lobster Traps Tickets

Brunswick Downtown Association Names New Executive Director

The Brunswick Downtown Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Lynn Mansfield as its new Executive Director. With over 27 years of experience in managing non-profit organizations, Lynn brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to lead the BDA's mission of promoting Downtown Brunswick and representing the needs of its valued members.

Lynn's passion for member-driven organizations and her deep-rooted connection to the Brunswick community make her an ideal fit for this role. Having raised her family in nearby Durham and with children who graduated from Brunswick High School, she has a unique understanding of the town's importance as a hub for business, entertainment, education and healthcare.

"I'm honored to be a part of the Brunswick Downtown Association and to work alongside its dedicated members," says Lynn. "I am eager to leverage my experience and knowledge to drive positive change and foster growth in this vibrant community."

As the new Executive Director, Lynn aims to strengthen the Association's collaborative efforts with businesses and community stakeholders to enhance Downtown Brunswick's vibrancy and economic vitality. With a commitment to fostering a sense of unity and cooperation, she will work tirelessly to advocate for the interests of members and ensure the town continues to thrive.

Please join us in welcoming Lynn Mansfield as the Executive Director, and we look forward to her transformative contributions to our thriving community.

Link to Application

Have a wonderful weekend!

Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News

We’re thrilled to announce launch of Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News, a new publication of the BBRC focusing on Brunswick Landing events and business updates, news from MRRA, and infrastructure information. It is intended to both highlight things happening on Brunswick Landing, and to share information that is highly-impactful to Brunswick Landing businesses.

Please note that this is a separate newsletter from the weekly Chamber newsletter. If you would like to be included, you must sign up using this link.

Anyone is welcome to sign up however submissions will be limited to BL businesses and BL news with very few exceptions. Feel free to submit anything you think may be relevant but we will be the final arbiters of what is included. That said, your submission could very well end up in our regular Chamber newsletter.

Content Submission Form

August 2nd Edition

After Hours, 12 @ 12, & Cornerstone Info

Hosting Opportunities

Our 12 @ 12 series is a smaller gathering of local business professionals. Each participant gets lunch and five minutes to introduce themselves and their business to the group. We have lots of openings for the rest of the year, more information and application below.

12 @ 12 Information and Application

Chamber After Hours hosts get the chance to show off their space to 60-80 attendees and educated them on their organization. While we are fully booked for the remainder of 2023, we're always happy to secure hosts for 2024. More information and application can be found below.

Chamber After Hours Application and Information

2023 Cornerstone Memberships Are Still Open!

Help Sponsor All the BBRC Does in 2023

The Cornerstone Membership Program is a tiered program of support that includes 12 months of annual dues*. Cornerstone Members are recognized supporters of all chamber events/activities in a year including: The BBRC Awards Dinner, Hacker's Ball, Midcoast Tree Festival, all Chamber After Hours and more. Cornerstone members also receive a tiered marketing package for the year.

Cornerstone Member $5000

The top tier makes you our Cornerstone Member for your industry, includes 12 months of your dues, and gets you primary recognition at chamber programs and activities. There is exclusivity as only six members can be at this level, and five are spoken for at this moment. 1 remaining.

Chamber Partner $2,000

The second level, called our Chamber Partner level, gets you 12 months of your dues, secondary recognition at chambers programs and activities and is open to all.

Chamber Supporter $1000

This tertiary level of support is ideal for smaller members as this includes $400 towards your annual dues payment along with recognition at chamber events and some marketing too.

2023 Cornerstone Member Packages

E-mail Cory for a Cornerstone Meeting

Member Resources

Join our membership

Our community is growing by the minute and we'd love to welcome you! Complete our member application to sign up.

And if you've been a member in the past and would like to rejoin, submit an application or reach out to Cory. It's that simple!

CLICK HERE for our 2022 Membership Application.

Pay your invoice online

Thank you for being a part of the Chamber community! Your engagement and financial contributions make all our work possible!

CLICK HERE to pay your invoice online.

*Please include your invoice number in the payment processing form.

Student Workforce Connections Job Board

Connect with high school job seekers using the Student Workforce Connections Job Board. Send your available job postings to careers@midcoastmaine.com.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the program and posting guidelines.

Post your events to our calendar

We want our online calendar packed with your events! The process is simple: Submit your event details through our website and we will approve.

SUBMIT your events.

Update your member info

An accurate listing in our directories ensures you stay connected - with us and prospective customers/clients. If you have changes to report, or haven't updated your information in a while, complete the form linked below and return to Cory.

CLICK HERE for the 2023 Member Information Update Form.