The pandemic and the gradual climb out of it, with vaccines and easing restrictions, have made the shop local slogan more important. For some businesses, locals’ loyalty, or rediscovery of shopping locally, can make the difference in survival. So as you venture back out, or continue to resume normal buying and dining ways as conditions permit, bear that in mind for your town’s sake and the merchants’.

Walk Around Wiscasset and other efforts aside, the pandemic has partly muted the rollout of Wiscasset’s new sidewalks and other downtown features. Will this be a summer of downtown bustle with foot traffic? I predict yes, at least a moderate yes. And survey results that arrived by email from Maine Tourism Association Tuesday are somewhat encouraging.

The association’s release said 69% of members who responded were optimistic tourism in Maine “will do significantly better this year than last and will start to recover from the pandemic, while 67% were optimistic that their business is in the process of recovering this year.

“For businesses that take reservations, most say those reservations are still far from pre-pandemic numbers,” the release continues.

The mixed bag, as of March, is to be expected. If spring breakers avoid starting a COVID-19 surge and vaccinations continue as projected, let us pin our hopes high. 

Wiscasset and the Boothbay peninsula will be ready. So get parking, get walking and help them make even this year’s rainy days sunny with well-earned good numbers.