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Acadia National Park
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 3, 2017
CONTACT: Aimee Beal Church, Friends of Acadia Communications Director, aimee@friendsofacadia.org
Jack Russell, Acadia Centennial Task Force Co-Chair, 207-244-5394, jackrussell101@earthlink.net
Stainless steel time capsule will be on display in Bar Harbor branch lobby for next hundred years.
Bar Harbor, Maine — The mood was celebratory when members of the Acadia Centennial Task Force, Acadia National Park officials, staff and board members of Friends of Acadia, and staff of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust gathered this afternoon to dedicate a time capsule intended to be opened in conjunction with Acadia’s bicentennial year in 2116. The event featured brief comments from Acadia Centennial leaders and a “ceremonial” gavel-thump with an Acadia hiking stick to mark the end of the centennial celebration.
Said Task Force Co-Chair Jack Russell, “this final event of the yearlong, community-based, world-welcoming celebration of the 2016 Acadia Centennial exemplifies the centennial theme of Celebrate Our Past; Inspire Our Future as we sought to communicate to park stewards 100 years hence the hows, whats, and whys of the 2016 celebration.”
The time capsule, a specially-manufactured stainless steel box, was first unveiled in December at the final gathering of the Acadia Centennial Partners, the 453 businesses, organizations, and individuals who each contributed to the centennial celebration. Since then the time capsule has been filled with documents, images, art, and artifacts in both physical and digital formats, as an extended missive from the Acadia Centennial Task Force to those who will collaborate to celebrate Acadia’s bicentennial in 2116. During sealing of the capsule, the oxygen within was replaced with argon for an archival-quality environment. It is now housed in a glass-and-cherry case, with a framed placard above explaining its significance to five generations of bank patrons and visitors.
The placard notes, “We hope that the five generations who will help carry this vessel across a century will serve our beloved park as an affirmation of what human beings can do, together, to respect and conserve the natural world and human community to which we belong.” Acadia superintendent Kevin Schneider’s comments echoed this sentiment: “The surrounding communities have come together to celebrate Acadia National Park like no others across the country. More than 450 partners stepped up to be Acadia Centennial Partners. This is an amazing show of support and has elevated the Acadia Centennial beyond our imaginations…. I hope that the energy and enthusiasm generated during the centennial continues not just next year but for the next 100 years, until we open this.”
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a fitting host for the time capsule. The bank was founded in 1887 by Luere Babson Deasy, who was directly involved in the conception and conservation of Acadia National Park. The bank was the paymaster for thousands of local residents who built the carriage roads, motors roads, and bridges commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in the 1920s and 1930s. The bank was the first Signature Sponsor of the Acadia Centennial. “Our roots here at the company go all the way back to the very beginnings of the park itself,” said bank president Curtis Simard. “Therefore we’re greatly honored to house the time capsule here for the next hundred years; we’re honored to put it in the middle of the lobby instead of hiding it away in the vault so we can all look forward to opening it with great anticipation.”
Friends of Acadia served as a hub for the conception, coordination, and implementation of the yearlong centennial. David MacDonald appealed to those present, including FOA staff and volunteers, park employees, and community members, saying, “Let’s not let this tidy little package fool us. The work of protecting this place cannot possibly be contained in this box for the next hundred years. All of us are going to have to think outside the box. We’re going to have to stretch, we’re going to have to learn, to grow—and it will take all of us to protect this place for the next hundred years.”
Friends of Acadia thanks the 453 Acadia Centennial Partners whose combined contributions to the celebration—including event planning, product offerings, and financial support—have set the standard for national park centennials. In particular, the Centennial Signature Sponsors made leadership-level contributions: Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Boston Red Sox, Darling’s, Down East Magazine, EMHS, The Hinckley Company, The Jackson Laboratory, The Knowles Company, L.L.Bean, The Mount Desert Islander, Maine Public, Ocean Properties, Star 97.7, and Wallace Events.
A video of the dedication event can be seen on the Friends of Acadia Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofAcadia/.
Photos: “Time Capsule audience”: Attendees at the Acadia Bicentennial Time Capsule dedication applaud; “Time Capsule Lobby”: The time capsule and informational placard, as they will be displayed for the next 100 years at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; “co-chairs declare the centennial done”: Acadia Centennial Task Force co-chairs Jack Russell and Cookie Horner give a high-five after declaring the Acadia Centennial celebration done; “Kevin Schneider”: Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider; “David MacDonald”: Friends of Acadia President & CEO David MacDonald. All photos by Friends of Acadia/Julia Walker Thomas.
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About Bar Harbor Bankshares
Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE MKT: BHB) is the parent of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Founded in 1887, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a true community bank serving the financial needs of its clients for over 125 years.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust provides a full range of financial services through its 49 branch locations in all three Northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Bar Harbor offers easy-to-understand deposit and loan products for families, businesses, and non-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.bhbt.com.
About Friends of Acadia
Friends of Acadia is an independent nonprofit organization and the primary philanthropic partner to Acadia National Park. Its mission is to preserve the outstanding natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness of the park and its surrounding communities, for the inspiration and enjoyment of current and future generations. Since 1986, FOA has granted more than $23.7 million for park and community conservation. Friends of Acadia has over 4,500 members and makes possible the employment of more than 150 workers directly serving Acadia. Friends of Acadia can be found online at www.friendsofacadia.org.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
For information about Acadia National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338. Join online conversations on Facebook www.facebook.com/AcadiaNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/AcadiaNPS, and Instagram www.instagram.com/acadianps.