This letter is written to express my appreciation for the many volunteers and the many businesses and organizations that support Rockland Main Street’s annual Summer Solstice Celebration Street Party and Dock Party, as well as the countless number of families and individuals who enjoyed the festivities on June 16. 

A production of Rockland Main Street, Inc., major sponsors for this year’s event were Journey’s End Marina, LCI Fiber, Back Cove Yachts, Valley Beverage, First National Bank, DuPont Health and Nutrition, and KDK Screen Printing. Other sponsors included Gartley & Dorsky Engineering, the Hampton Inn, Island Institute, Maritime Energy, Philbrook & Associates, Brooks Trap Mill, Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, Allen Insurance & Financial, Southend Grocery, Sheila Lowe- Independent Aflac Representative, the Maine Lobster Festival, Farnsworth Art Museum, Arts In Rockland, and Rockland Cafe. Our media sponsors were The Free Press, The Courier Gazette, and Village Soup.

We also want to extend our appreciation to the members of City Council and the City Manager, the City of Rockland police, fire, and public services departments, and crew members of the United States Coast Guard who volunteered at the Dock Party. Thanks also to the North Atlantic Blues Festival, Wasses Hot Dogs, Grasshopper Shop, 4M Productions, and the Kiwanis Club of Rockland for logistical support. Many thanks to Dan Miller and Living Room Circus for the music at the dock party, and the many musicians who performed during the street party, along with the nearly 50 businesses, organizations and street vendors who added to the fun and festivities.

Each year, Rockland Main Street, Inc. and its Summer Solstice Committee invests hundreds of man-hours planning and executing the events that take place in Rockland on the third Saturday in June. To do so takes coordination, patience, funding, and a lot of hands-on volunteer labor.

Rockland Main Street, Inc., is a 501[c][3] non-profit  organization that advocates for the downtown district on behalf of the entire city. With a focus on community development, economic vitality, historic preservation and design, one of our more visible missions is to create promotional events that bring people together to discover the values of a vital downtown.

In addition to our all-volunteer board of directors and committee members, there are so many other wonderful people, from high school students to business owners and managers to retirees, who donate their time and talent to the overall effort, some for an hour or two, or who work on one or two specific components of the event.

We hope that the readers of this letter recognize the hard work and dedication of those who devote so much of their energy this time of year to enhance the value of Rockland’s downtown district for the entire community.

Rockland Main Street, Inc. is a focused partnership of residents, businesses and local government that enhances and protects the unique sense of place and economic vitality of downtown Rockland. In spite of the name and its primary focus on the downtown district, the organization is inclusive in its outreach and welcomes participation from the entire community.

As Edward McMahon, chairman of the National Main Street Center says, “Downtown is important because it's the heart and soul of a community. If you don't have a healthy downtown, you simply don't have a healthy town.” 

And as I like to say about Rockland Main Street, Inc., “If we do this right, every small business will want to be located in downtown Rockland, and everyone else will want to work, live, and play here.”

On behalf of the Summer Solstice Celebration committee, the Rockland Main Street, Inc. board of directors, and all downtown stakeholders, thank you for your enthusiastic participation. 

Best personal regards,

Gordon Page, Sr. is executive director of Rockland Main Street, Inc.