A Commentary by Bill Green
Want to do something that would really help the state? Let's go on Atlantic SAVING Time in summer. This would give us an extra hour of light in the evening, a chance to walk, bike, garden or golf until almost ten at night.
I got the idea while sitting in a cafe in Normandy, France on my honeymoon. We ate in a little outdoor cafe and as they were bringing the check, I glanced at my watch. It was almost ten! How lovely!
Since that time, I have spent a lot of time learning about how we got in the time zone that we are in and more importantly, understanding that Maine got the short end of the stick when they standardized time.
Two hundred years ago, each town set its own time based on the sun. That meant that Eastport, Maine was a few minutes ahead of Bangor which was a few minutes ahead of Fryeburg.
It didn't matter much as we didn't travel far. When someone went on a long journey by stagecoach or train, they would adjust their watch when they got to the new town or simply use the clock on the town hall or church.
As railroads expanded and modernized, it was difficult to coordinate all the different schedules. On November 18, 1883, they created the four basic time zones that we use today. Maine's time was moved back to join the other states of the Eastern Seaboard.
In an agrarian society, it didn't much matter. A majority of people got up with the sun and worked until dark.
However, as we industrialized and modernized, Eastern Standard Time became problematic.
In the summer, it was light at 3 A. M. and dark by 8 P. M.
Daylight Saving was welcomed when it arrived in World War I. It was revoked over President Wilson's veto just after the war. It returned during World War II and has essentially has been with us ever since.
So why change it? Because society has changed since the first half of the 20th Century. We stay up later than we used to. Most of us expect to have more time for recreation. We walk, bike, run, garden, do chores and play golf.
Most important, our largest industry is tourism. This would give visitors an extra hour to shop or dine outside.
A study conducted during the Baldacci Administration reported that tourists love it here, but there's nothing to do at night. The tourism people wanted to create night programs. I suggest that we just extend the day.
Here's the hard part. We would have to do this by springing ahead from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Yes, that means we would move our clocks ahead twice each year.
We would essentially set our clocks for what is best not for railroads or New York, but for us.
We will be having a Facebook Live discussion on this from about 6:15 (EST) until 6:45 this evening. Log on to our Facebook pages at WLBZ or WCSH. I hope to hear from you if you have any thoughts or questions.
If you're not able to join in, I hope that you will consider my idea as you go through your days this summer. Each night at sunset as you're being driven inside by bugs and darkness, think about whether you would like another hour outside.
Also, if you're unfortunate enough to have to get up at dawn, think about whether you would mind sleeping in until five.
Thanks for considering this idea. I think the more you think about it, the more you will come to agree that this is a great idea for Maine.