The ban is intended to protect people from second-hand smoke, said City Councilor Edward Suslovic, who leads the Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee.

“The purpose of this is not to punish smokers,” Suslovic said. “The purpose of this is to protect nonsmokers from exposure to second-hand smoke.”

The ban, which takes effect March 6, does not apply to sidewalks abutting the parks outlined in the city code, but it does apply to benches within those parks.

Smoking is already prohibited within 20 feet of playgrounds, beaches and athletic fields, including the Riverside Golf Course.

The ordinance bans smoking in parks where a permit is required for a public function, such as Tommy’s Park, Post Office Park, Monument Square, Deering Oaks park and Lincoln Park.

Smoking also will not be allowed on the Eastern or Western promenades.

Other popular spots that will be affected include Baxter Woods, Bell Buoy Park, Capisic Pond Park, Lobsterman Park, Longfellow Square, Payson Park and University Park.

The ban also applies to Oat Nuts Park, Heseltine Park and Presumpscot River Preserve, the Valley Street and Quarry Run dog parks, and others.

For the full Portland Press Herald article, follow this link. 

http://www.wcsh6.com/video/2084158630001/1/Road-and-sidewalk-configuration-on-the-Eastern-Promenade

Please join us for a favorite holiday tradition as we go caroling along the Prom and Munjoy Hill. Carolers will meet at the Fort Allen Park bandstand just in time for the Christmas Boat Parade of Lights. Sheet music will be provided, so never mind if you can’t remember all the lyrics to “Silver Bells”.

We’ll begin by crooning carols as boats adorned with sparkling lights cruise the harbor. Next, we’ll meander into the Munjoy Hill neighborhood to serenade our friends and neighbors. Afterwards, we’ll gather at a private home of a welcoming FoEP member to warm up and enjoy refreshments. Bring a flashlight to read the music and wear warm clothes.

Watch this lovely video from last year’s cheerful caroling crowd!

Friends of the Eastern Promenade decorate the bandstand at Fort Allen Park in patriotic colors to honor American troops through the holidays.

PORTLAND — In a twist from the traditional green and red, the bandstand at Fort Allen Park was bedecked Sunday in red, white and blue to honor the troops for the holidays.

About a half-dozen volunteers hung garlands, wreaths and more than 1,000 lights on the bandstand that overlooks the water on the edge of the Eastern Promenade.

A Christmas tree, decorated in blue, stands at the center of the bandstand as a new addition this year.

Photo by Derek Davis, Portland Press Herald Staff Photographer

“We decided to celebrate for the troops this year and we’re decorating in red, white and blue for the first time as a way of doing something for them since they’re not here,” said Crandall Toothaker, a volunteer with Friends of the Eastern Promenade, which sponsored the third annual event.

“A lot of people drive down here and will see this and be reminded to be thankful,” Toothaker said.

The bandstand, built in 1891, will stay illuminated from dusk to dawn throughout the holiday season.

Fort Allen Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a Historic Landscape by the city of Portland.

The 9-acre park contains the original berm from Fort Allen, built in 1814 — two years into the War of 1812 — to protect the entrance to Portland’s harbor.

Friends of the Eastern Promenade thought that honoring the troops was an appropriate choice for the park, which is home to memorials for the Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War and the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Fort Allen Park is the densest part of the Promenade for memorials. We want to continue to mark that and honor that tradition and show the real spirit of the holidays,” said Diane Davison, president of Friends of the Eastern Promenade.

Friends of the Eastern Promenade is a nonprofit community group founded in 2006 to help preserve the park’s historic public landscape and encourage its recreational use.

In addition to bearing the decorations, the bandstand will be the starting point for caroling in the park on Dec. 15.

Staff Writer Jessica Hall can be contacted at 791-6316 or at:

jhall@mainetoday.com

To see the full article: http://www.pressherald.com/news/red-white-and-blue-salute_2012-11-26.html