March 31, 2011
Have Fun this April Fools
Need some fun practical jokes that will awe the children and give everyone a laugh? You have come to the right place! April Fools is a time of mischeif but it doesn’t have to be harmful. 
Here are 5 jokes you can play on friends or family members that will make them laugh, not angry.
1. Color Crazy Cereal
Squeeze several drops of food coloring at the bottom of a cereal bow and pour cereal on top. When your child adds milk, s/he’ll be in for a colorful surprise!
2. Slippery Escape
Put soap (we recommend liquid soap) on the doorknob. Watch as your friends and family try to leave and can’t! (Be sure not to put it on any fabrics or damage anything.)
3. Crafty Critter
Unplug the mouse from your computer. It takes people at least 5 minutes to figure it out! If you have access to a wireless mouse, plug in the USB after you unplug the corded mouse, and watch their confusion as you control their computer!
4. Shoe Shrinker
Put crumpled paper in the toes of your friends and family member’s sneakers. Not too much that they see the paper before they try to put their shoes on. They will think their feet have grown!
5. Rotten Delicious Apple
Poke a hole in an apple with a straw or drink stirrer. Shove a gummy worm in the hole. Be sure to keep the apple in the fridge or it will get brown.
Love spending time with your kids? You can have fun with them and spend more 
quality time with them than ever before! Just stop by Festiva Resorts at 190 Riverside Street right here in Portland. View a 90 minute presentation on Festiva’s exciting vacation opportunities and learn how to take your family to Disney or have other awesome family adventures, on a yearly basis for next to nothing. As a thank you for stopping in, you can receive travel certificates, dinner certificates, Irving gas cards and more. Give Festiva Resorts a call at 888-695-0200 to set up a tour today!
March 30, 2011
Film: Being In the World
The SPACE GALLERY’s annual film screening presented with the USM Philosophy Symposium.
Join world renowned philosopher Hubert Dreyfus, along with a generation of 
philosophers he inspired, as they take us on a riveting journey of ideas, tackling some of the deepest philosophical issues of our time. In this enlightening trip, we learn what is unique about human beings that allows us to take the risks necessary to learn skills, and how an appreciation of mastery can help us recover a meaningful world. Travel to New Orleans to meet the Queen of Creole Cuisine, travel to Spain to meet the legendary poet and flamenco master Manuel Molina, and enter the world of Hiroshi Sakaguchi a Japanese master craftsman.
FILM TRAILER
Humans acting at their best respond faster than they can think. They converse, experience “flow”, “play out of their heads”, and in general are responsive and receptive to the demands of their unique situation. Masters don’t deliberate and reflect, but “straight away do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time in the appropriate way.” Given that spontaneous actions can reveal people at their best, why is that today people feel that, in order to act well, they must always reflect and then, like a machine, choose the most rational response?
Dying to dive in and experience all that life has to offer? Want to travel and see the world but don’t know how? You should come over to Festiva 
Hospitality Group’s location in Portland Maine. At Festiva we can show you and your family how you can take longer vacations, more often, and for less money than you could ever imagine! You can see art and shows all you want, eat all the foreign cuisine you want and have epic adventures! We are a family friendly resort and we look forward to meeting you so that we can make your life more fun! Maine, New Orleans and the Bahamas are just some of the amazing places we have resorts at! Head over to our website at www.festiva.travel so that you can see for yourself the beautiful places that you and your family could visit!
March 27, 2011
Gordon Lightfoot
Canadian folk rocker, singer and storyteller GORDON LIGHTFOOT returns to Merrill Auditorium this Tuesday, March 29 at 8pm.
Lightfoot is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 70s. Gordon Lightfoot’s music career has spanned more than five decades, producing more than 200 recordings. He has been referred to as Canada’s greatest songwriter and, internationally, as a folk-rock legend. Tickets are $52, $62, and $72 depending on your seat choice.
s like this one more often. Not just read about them in Rolling Stone. Just stop by Festiva Resorts at 190 Riverside Street right here in Portland. View a 90 minute presentation on Festiva’s exciting vacation opportunities and learn how to experience awesome concerts and events like the epic Gordon Lightfoot, all the time, for next to nothing. As a thank you for stopping in, you can receive travel certificates, dinner certificates, Irving gas cards and more. Give Festiva Resorts a call at 888-695-0200 to set up a tour today! It’s up to you to take the leap.March 26, 2011
10 Maine Facts
You may know that Stephen King lives in Maine, and that our state bird is the chickadee and we are famous for lobster, but I bet you didn’t know at least one of these crazy fun facts about our AWESOME state of Maine.
Maine is the only state that shares its border with only one other state. More wild blueberries are grown in Maine than any other state.90% of the country’s toothpick supply is produced in Maine.
Acadia National Park is the second most visited park in the United States. Second only to Yellowstone.
Chester Greenwood invented the earmuffs in Maine in 1873.
Maine is as big as the other five New England States combined and is the only state to border ONE state, New Hampshire.
Maine has 63 lighthouses.
Maine consists of 16 counties with 22 cities, 435 towns, 33 plantations, 424 unorganized townships and 1.2 million residents.
The official state soda is Moxie, invented by Dr. Augustin Thompson, a doctor from Union, Maine. It was originally created as a “nerve tonic.” Moxie was invented BEFORE Coca-Cola, making it the first US soda pop.
Maine Tourmaline was the first gem mined by early settlers in the continental US. The Mt. Mica mine in Paris, ME yielded a crystal weighing 14.3kg, making it the largest in the world. A flawless 256 carat blue-green cut stone sits in the Smithsonian, from this mine.
The state motto is “Dirigo” meaning “I lead.”
If you enjoy skiing, hiking or even wildlife sighting, check out Festiva Adventure Clubs’ resort located in Rangely, 
Maine. Rangeley is a great place to experience fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, nature walks and more. Festiva is a members only vacation club that has been in business for over 10 years. We have 26 resorts from Maine to the Caribbean, 4 cruise clubs and provide discounts on other travel amenities as well. Give us a call at 888-965-0900 to learn more about the many travel options with Festiva.
March 25, 2011
Sara Bareilles Concert
Sara Bareilles will be playing a concert on April 1st, at the State Theater with Elizabeth and the Catapult and Ximena Sariñana.
Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single “Love Song“, which brought her into the number one spot on the BillboardPop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records worldwide and has been Grammy nominated three times. Bareilles’ vocal range registers from contralto to mezzo-soprano, and is often compared to artists such as Fiona Apple, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones due to her vocal ability and incorporation of piano in her music. Tickets are $22 advance, $25 at the door.
Check out her hit song “Love Song” on youtube!
You can go to events like this ALL THE TIME. Not affordable? Guess again. To find out 
how, come over to Festiva Hospitality Group’s location in Portland Maine! At Festiva we can show you and your family how you can take longer vacations, more often, and for less money than you could ever imagine! We are a family friendly resort and we look forward to meeting you so that we can make your life more fun! Maine is just one of the amazing states that we have one of our resorts at! If your heart is in the Carolinas and golf, Disney rides, or even the sunny beaches of the Bahamas, we can help make your family’s dream vacations come true. Don’t hesitate. Festiva is waiting for you.
March 24, 2011
Flavors of Freeport
Flavors of Freeport – Food and drink tastings, lifestyle demonstrations, block party, and more!
Flavors of Freeport is back yet again by popular demand for a fourth consecutive year from Friday, March 25, through Sunday, March 27, 2011. The weekend showcases the wonderful food, drinks, music, and hospitality of Freeport, Maine.
Grounded in community, family and with open doors to the rest of the world, Freeport is a community of artists, entrepreneurs, and professionals from Maine and away. Each year the Destination Freeport committee invites visitors and members of our community to a wonderful weekend filled with fabulous food, distinguished drink, great music and the excellent hospitality of Freeport. Flavors of Freeport encourages people from away, and not so far away, to come to Freeport, stay for the weekend, and explore what varied Flavors exist in Freeport!
The event kicks off with Chef’s Signature Series and Libations Gala at the 
Hilton Garden Inn on Friday evening featuring 20 Freeport’s restaurants providing samples of the best dishes coupled with wines and beers. Tickets are only $25 per person. During the event, artwork from local artists will be sold at a set price of $200 with $125 going to the artist and $75 going to two charities, Freeport Community Services and Habitat for Humanity.
The Celebrity Waiter Luncheon on Saturday afternoon will feature three courses delivered to attendees by local celebrities who will entertain and joke for guests tips which will be donated to local charities. The celebrity waiter/waitress who earns the most tips will receive an award. Tickets are $38 per person or $288 for a table of eight.
For further information, please visit Flavors of Freeport 2011.
For those coming to F
reeport from out of town, there are packages and specials available at local hotels to encourage you to stay in downtown Freeport and enjoy the entire weekend. Those packages can get pricey though. Imagine spending the weekend in your own private condo for the exact same price. Or staying in your own log cabin home with full kitchen for less than the price of one of those packages? Just stop by Festiva Resorts at 190 Riverside Street right here in Portland, not too far from Freeport. View a 90 minute presentation on Festiva’s exciting vacation opportunities and learn how you can spend quality time with your family, all the time, for next to nothing. As a thank you for stopping in, you can receive travel certificates, dinner certificates, Irving gas cards and more. Give Festiva Resorts a call at 888-695-0200 to set up a tour today! It’s up to you to take the leap.
March 23, 2011
Kids Open Studio: Sketchbook Project
In anticipation of the arrival of the 2011 Sketchbook Project starting on March 30, SPACE GALLERY will explore the idea of keeping a sketchbook. Providing kids with mock moleskins, art supplies, and lots of inspiration, we will talk about what it means to keep a sketchbook, how to maintain it and then begin working on them. Kids can bring their sketchbooks home to fill up, but make sure to come back through to check out the show and celebrate the art of sketching!
Drop in any time from 12pm-4pm, Saturday 03.26.2011, Prices are $5.00/$3 members. All Ages!
Value family time? Head over to Festiva Resorts at 190 Riverside Street after the kid’s open studio. View a 90 minute presentation on Festiva’s exciting vacation 
opportunities and learn how you can spend more quality time with your family, and less time worrying about your wallet. As a thank you for stopping in, you can receive travel certificates, dinner certificates, Irving gas cards and more. Give Festiva Resorts a call at 888-695-0200 to set up a tour today!
March 22, 2011
Maine Seafood
Maine takes pride in being one of the leading producers of farm raised marine seafood in the country. Have you ever tried to buy Maine Lobster in California? You probably cannot afford it. Here in Maine you can usually find specials of the Maine lobster where you can get 2 whole lobsters for 20 bucks! That makes it well worth vacationing in Maine alone. You will get quality and freshness in Maine seafood partly because of the special properties of the Gulf of Mexico, the deep cold waters of the Gulf makes sure of this. There are so many seafood restaurants in Maine that you can pretty much take your choice in any city and have a wonderful meal.
Are you thinking it is time to take your family on a vacation to Maine? Come into Festiva Adventure Club’s Portland preview center and learn about the exciting vacation options we offer. Festiva has been in business for over 10 years, has 26 resorts from Maine to the Caribbean, 4 cruise clubs and we do discounts on other travel amenities as well. Give us a call at 888-965-0900 to learn more about what Festiva Adventure Club has to offer.
March 21, 2011
Summit Adventures at the Maine Mall
Do you love the extreme sports? You can try them inside at Summit Adventures in Portland, Maine. They offer a wide array of extreme sports such as the rock climbing wall, bungee trampolines, laser tag, the human hamster ball and so much
more. They are very affordable, you can try any of their activities for just $5.00 each and they also offer packages at a discounted price. If you are going to be in Portland, you should check out their website beforehand to get all the information. You will want to check out Summit Adventures which provides family fun for all ages!
Always wanted to visit Maine? When was the last time you took your family on a vacation? Come into Festiva Adventure Club’s Portland preview center and learn about the exciting vacation options Festiva offers. We have been in business for over 10 years, have 26 resorts from Maine to the Caribbean, 4 cruise clubs and do discounts on other travel amenities as well. Give us a call at 888-965-0900 to learn more about what Festiva Adventure Club has to offer.
March 20, 2011
Did you know…?
Portland, ME is an AWESOME city.
It’s small and cozy, yet has the hustle and bustle city feel of a larger city, if you are hanging out by Exchange Street or the Eastern Promenade. It has tons of 
restaurants, clubs and events to go to. But I’ll bet you didn’t know a few of these 10 facts about our beloved city….
- Portland, Oregon, earned its namesake after Portland, Maine.
- Portland was first temporarily selected as the state capital when Maine became a state in 1820. In 1832 the capital was moved to Augusta.
- Settled in 1632 by the British, Portland was originally called “Machigonne”. Now a street references the name the Native Americans gave to Portland, located just off Brighton Avenue after Stevens Avenue in the Rosemont neighborhood.
- The City of Portland is said to be 2nd in the number of restaurants per capita in the United States, behind San Francisco, CA.
- Major-league pitcher Robert William “Stanley Steamer” Stanley was born in Portland.
-There is a REAL (yet silly) law that states shoelaces must be tied when walking down the street in Portland, Maine.
- The skating scene in the movie “The Preacher’s Wife” was filmed in Deering Oaks Park in Portland.
- The Hustlers was the name of the 1930 Portland baseball team
- Portland was named one of the country’s top 25 art destinations by American Style magazine.
- Liv Tyler (Steven Tyler of Aerosmith’s daughter) was born in Portland, ME
While in town exploring our beautiful city, stop by Festiva Adventure Club, check out our log cabin in the city, and check out great deals on our Members Only 
Vacation Packages. Ask one of our Festiva Hospitality Travel Agents how they can get your family to take vacations while still respecting your budget. You can explore more than just Portland, ME. You can explore all the way to Portland, OR and beyond! More information can be found at www.festiva.travel.
