Take Pride In Acadia Day Set for Nov. 2

Registration is now closed and this event is at capacity. Please call Paige Steele at 207-288-3340 or email paige@friendsofcadia.org to add your name to our waiting list. 

ACADIA NAT’L PARK — Nearly 500 volunteers are expected here on Saturday, Nov. 2, to assist in putting the park’s historic carriage roads to bed for the winter.

Friends of Acadia’s Take Pride in Acadia Day attracts hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers of all ages to rake leaves and clear drainage ditches along miles of carriage roads in preparation for the cold weather. The well-coordinated volunteer effort, now in its 29th year, focuses on areas where clogged drainage ditches and culverts could result in significant damage to road surfaces during the freeze-and-thaw cycles of a coastal Maine winter.

Perhaps the most important volunteer opportunity of the year in Acadia, Take Pride in Acadia Day is vital to the park’s ability to keep the carriage roads in pristine condition. The event begins at at Acadia National Park Headquarters on 567 Eagle Lake Rd, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 and runs from 8 a.m. and until noon. After the morning’s work, crews will return to park headquarters for a hot lunch — the event’s traditional “CCC” meal of chili, cornbread, and cider (plus an extra “C” of cake).

Volunteers should dress for the weather and in outdoor work clothes. Tools and gloves are provided.

Because of the size of this event, registration is required.

Only groups that register together can be assigned to the same work site. Up to 10 individuals can register together online at the Friends of Acadia website; larger groups should contact Paige Steele at paige@friendsofacadia.org or 207-288-3934. This event typically fills to capacity, so advance registration ends Oct. 28.