Greetings from the Harraseeket Inn! Punxsutawney Phil cast no shadow on Groundhog Day, leading the national groundhog expert to proclaim, "There is no shadow to be cast, an early spring is my forecast!" Which doesn't mean winter's over by any stretch, but it does give us hope spring's on the way. (Which is why I changed the newsletter banner to be more spring-like.Think Spring!) In the meantime we'll
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February 9, 2020 Fort Kent.
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crowd as much action and distraction into the next few cold and snowy months as we can. The CanAm Crown sled dog races are early this year, kicking off the last Saturday in February in Fort Kent. There's plenty of snow in northern Maine. There always is. This is the view from my doorway of the Full Snow Moon setting at dawn on February 9. The ground floor windows are nearly covered. Yes, there's
plenty of snow. If you like snowmobiling or dogsledding, northern Maine has the trails and lots of the white stuff. But while many of us enjoy being outdoors this time of year, most of the action in winter seems to center on romance and eating, two things that go very well together. Incidentally, if you're looking for a way to wow your sweetie, check out our Valentines Day package. There's still time to fire up the romance!
 Valentine's Night at the Harraseeket Inn!
This one night package is available on Friday, February 14, 2020 and includes
*One night's lodging in our best available room at time of booking
*Dinner for two in the Maine Harvest Restaurant. Click here for the special Valentine's Dinner Menu. *6 Roses and 6 chocolate covered strawberries in your room for arrival
Price:
$450 plus tax
To make a reservation, call:
1-207-865-9377 Operators are standing by!
 We're celebrating the 13th Annual
Flavors of Freeport
starting on Friday the 21
th
. Even if you have two left feet, the colorful and funky dynamics of Motor Booty Affair will have you grooving around that sparkling ice bar, reminiscing about the 70's and having a great time. Funky costumes are encouraged! Two of our chefs will be competing in
Flavors of Freeport Fare and Ice
competition Friday night, one of them hoping to defend last year's title.
 After you've enjoyed the winter weekend of fun and festivities, don't hide inside. Come have some more fun with all this snow and cold weather. Want to burn off some calories while learning a new skill? Check out LLBean's
Walk-On Adventures
for some excellent instruction in country skiing and snowshoeing, then take it outside into one of the prettiest landscapes you'll ever find at nearby Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park on the edge of Casco Bay.
 Cabin Fever season has arrived, and right now our Cabin Fever package is our best selling two-nighter. Check it out below. We have other great packages available, from our one night "Fireside Package" to our ever popular three night
"Stealaway", and of course, the "Serious Shopper" package makes for a seriously fun escape, even if you don't like to shop. Snuggling makes for a perfectly pleasurable pastime in winter. We have lots of fireplaces here at the inn, and snuggling fireside elevates romance to a whole new level. Heart felt conversations about sweet nothings take on a whole new meaning in the romantic glow of firelight.
Is there anything more beautiful than the coast of Maine in winter? This is the time of year when getting snowed in can be loads of fun, depending on where you are when the storm hits. Why not take the Amtrak Downeaster to Freeport when the next storm threatens, and get snowed in with us! Turn the next nasty snow storm into the perfect excuse for a spontaneous vacation and let us pamper you for a few days. We'll even pick you up and deliver you back to the train station. No vehicle necessary! Check out this fun article that mentions us in the Boston Globe and keep your eyes peeled on the weather.
 Travel and Leisure Worlds Best Awards 2020 is open for voting until March 2. Complete the survey and you'll be automatically entered to win one of Travel + Leisure's international travel prizes. We'd be honored to have your vote, and who knows? You might win the grand prize! Even if you don't, we'd be delighted to host you here. Maine's a special place, whatever time of year, but winter season has a charm all its own, and watching the stormy surf pound the rocky coast might turn out to be a whole lot better than being stuck on a fancy cruise ship.
 Though winter is our slow season, we're open year round, and as always, the public is welcome to join us for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, even if you don't stay overnight. Our Broad Arrow Tavern serves from 11:30 am until 10 pm daily off the menu, as well as offering our very popular luncheon buffet daily, 11:30 until 2, Monday through Saturday, excepting days when we are serving a holiday Grand Buffet. On Sundays we offer up our award-winning Lobster Sunday Brunch in the Maine Harvest from 11:45 until 2 pm featuring all you
 can eat fresh Maine Potts Harbor lobster and many other mouth watering creations from our talented chefs. Yum! Brunch reservations are recommended well in advance as we sell out very quickly. (1-800-342-6423) Afternoon tea and our full buffet breakfast are both included in the room rate for guests who book directly with us, either on our website or over the phone at 1-800-342-6423. Tea is served in our drawing room from 3:30-4 pm Monday through Saturday and 4 to 5 pm Sundays. Breakfast is served daily in our Maine Harvest Dining Room between 7 and 10:30 a.m., with coffee and continental set out in the Drawing Room at six am for earlier risers.
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| Afternoon tea is served in our Drawing Room. |
Special Offers and Upcoming Events:
*February 17-21 LLBean's February Break Kids Camp takes place 9-4 pm daily. If you're travelling with children, this is a great opportunity for your kids to have the time of their lives while you kick back and relax around the fireplace here at the inn!
*February 21-23 13th Annual Flavors of Freeport, with Motor Booty Affair. Loads of foodie fun, a really cool ice bar and you can dance to Motor Booty too. What better combination to heat up a cold winter?
 *Spa Knit and Spin, February 28-29. Freeport celebrates the fiber arts! This is a lively gathering of very talented knitters and spinners who come together every year and bring vibrant color and warmth to our little town. Spinning wheels spin in all of our public rooms, there's a wonderful fashion show in our Casco Bay room, and all sorts of hand made treasures to purchase for that special person. Don't miss this unique event that we all look forward to each year!
Take advantage of the off-season sales and enjoy the arctic beauty and starry night skies of winter in Maine.
This two night package is offered in standard or deluxe lodging and includes:
*Dinner for Two in the Broad Arrow Tavern
*Lunch Buffet for Two in the Broad Arrow Tavern
*$50. Gift Certificate to L.L.Bean
*Buffet Breakfast each morning
*Afternoon tea daily
Cabin Fever Standard/2 nights: $475. + tax
Cabin Fever Deluxe/2 nights: $525. + tax
Available Sunday through Thursday nights only
January 1, 2019 - June 13, 2019 based on availability.
You deserve a little pampering. Come snuggle by the fireplace and rediscover the warm, cozy pleasures of our long, cold winters!
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Habitat for Humanity!
*This year marks the 17
th
Annual Hospitality for Habitat: April 16
th
through May 21, 2020, we're offering a variety of rooms at half our regular rate, in exchange for a $35. check each night, made payable to Habitat for Humanity. These funds will be distributed among the local chapters of Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat.org
, a Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Reservations must be made in advance, and the contribution to Habit for Humanity must be in the form of a check. Come visit Maine and pay it forward!
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Visit Freeport Sizzling Sales and a calendar of all the fun happenings in town! Everything "Freeport" in one handy website
Enjoy a great selection of family oriented and educational outdoor events planned at the park, and it's just a short drive from the inn. Beautiful wooded walking, snowshoeing and skiing trails along the rugged shoreline of Casco Bay. Stop by Wolfe's Neck Farm while you're out there, say hello to all the animals!
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This month's trivia question, the second of 2020, is going to take a bit of digging but the answer is right in front of you. What are the names of the Harraseeket Inn's two chefs competing in the "Fare and Ice" contest at the 13th annual Flavors of Freeport, and which one is defending last years title? All correct answers win a voucher worth $5. toward food or lodging on your next visit. One answer per household, please. You may redeem up to one years worth of vouchers at one time, a $60. value, per guest room or meal, preferrably within the year they were won. To answer the trivia, simply reply to this email. Please be patient with my replies, it takes time to answer hundreds of emails. Good luck, Happy Valentines Day and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Best regards,
Penny Gray
The Gray family
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| Snowy Maine road at sunset. J.Gates photo |
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