Curious about those green and white "ET" signs all over York County?
Saturday is the day to learn about them, when the Eastern Trail Alliance hosts its first Trail-A-Thon.
Throughout the day, select groups in the 12 communities that host the trail will sponsor different events, from bike rides to walks to education about the trail.
The Trail-A-Thon is expected to call attention to the new Eastern Trail signs, which mark the on-road portion of the trail all the way from Kittery to South Portland.
"It's to get people more aware that there is a trail, that it is marked and that you can go from town to town," said John Andrews, president of the Eastern Trail Alliance.
The Eastern Trail is part of the old rail bed for the Eastern Railroad, which was Maine's first railroad in the 1800s. No trains run along the trail now. Instead, those involved with the Eastern Trail Alliance envision a biking and hiking trail extending from Kittery to Casco Bay. The path is part of an even bigger plan - the Maine East Coast Greenway - which is part of a 2,600-mile Urban Appalachian Trail extending from Key West, Fla., to Calais.
The 37-mile off-road section of the Eastern Trail, from South Berwick to Casco Bay, is still under development. But the on-road portion - 85 miles of back roads from Kittery to South Portland - has signs and is ready for use.
Bill Heath of the Eastern Trail Alliance, the organizer of the Trail-A-Thon, says the road portion serves a couple of important functions.
"One is to initiate this millennium trail from Florida up to Canada," he said. "The on-road portion will also serve as an interim route while the off-road trail is being built."
On Saturday, the curious can visit booths around the area, where Eastern Trail Alliance volunteers will have maps and information about the trail. At the stations, volunteers also will direct bikers and hikers to the nearest sign, so they can use the trail themselves.
The four informational stations will be in Saco at the Eastern Trail Alliance office on Main Street; in Biddeford at the community center on Alfred Road; in West Kennebunk at the Junior High School on Thompson Road; and in Eliot at the recreation center on Main Street.
Those planning to use the trail are encouraged to register online at www.easterntrail.org. More information about the Trail-A-Thon can be found there or by calling the office at 284-9260.
In Saco, Rotarians will take an organized hike along the trail. In Kennebunk, Eastern Trail enthusiast Peter Chace will host a 50-mile bike ride on the trail to South Berwick.
Chace is excited about the new signs, which are stationed at every major intersection and point the way to the next sign. In many places, the on-road portion of the trail intersects or runs along the off-road portion of the true Eastern Trail.
For enthusiastic cyclers like Chace, the on-road portion offers 85 miles of road through 12 towns and cities. He hopes that cyclists who join his ride - which begins at 9 a.m. at the Kennebunk Junior High School - will be as excited about the Eastern Trail as he is.
"I hope it generates some awareness of the Eastern Trail to get people interested and get more support," he said. "And just get people out enjoying the fall weather."
Staff Writer Giselle Goodman can be contacted at 324-4888 or at:
ggoodman@pressherald.com
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