OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Old Orchard Beach is one of 15 towns in the running for Budget Travel’s America’s Coolest Small Town 2015, and you can put in your vote online.
“There’s more to this town than its namesake beach, though truth be told the seven-mile stretch of sand is awesome in its own right, with its legendary amusement park and nightlife that includes live bands and great seafood,” states information about Old Orchard Beach on the magazine’s website.
Old Orchard Beach is the only New England town in the list of contenders, which includes Pismo Beach, California; Huron, Ohio; Fort Myers Beach, Florida; and Grand Marais, Minnesota.
To vote, go to www.budgettravel.com. Voters can weigh in once every 24 hours until Feb. 25 at 11:59 p.m. The top 10 towns will be featured online and in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
Local economic development group OOB365 has posted a link to the website on its Facebook page.
“For a community that is all of three miles by four miles, 20 minutes from Portland and has been experiencing a housing boom with some cute affordable housing options for young families, Old Orchard Beach is ready for the ”˜coolest small town in America’ title,” said OOB365 member Sharri MacDonald in an email. “Old Orchard Beach is full of character and it is the people who have made it this way. I, for one, am proud to be from Old Orchard Beach and even more proud that our town is in the running for this title, we are the coolest.”
MacDonald said it’s the people in the schools that offer “small classroom education that even the most prestigious private schools cannot offer.” It’s the businesses that make Old Orchard Beach an affordable vacation spot for families with a night life that can compete with much larger communities, said MacDonald. The town has top-notch restaurants that offer everything from pizza to fine dining, she said.
“Year round our community is bustling with spirited events, like Winter Carnival, the Last Blast New Year’s Eve Beach Party, and the only State Championship BBQ Festival in Maine,” she said.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext.325 or egotthelf@journaltribunecom.
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