BAR HARBOR — Friends of Acadia will host the grand prize drawing for this year’s Acadia Quest program on Saturday, Nov. 6, during the 20th anniversary celebration of Take Pride in Acadia Day.

Three grand-prize winners will be randomly selected from all of the teams that complete Acadia Quest this year. The prizes were donated by L.L. Bean, the official corporate sponsor of Acadia Quest. Each of the three grand-prize winners will receive a family camping package, including a four-person Ultra Dome tent, two Camp Bag sleeping bags, two Pathfinder sleeping pads, a Coleman PerfectFlow two-burner propane stove, two folding camp chairs, and a 10-day Camp Lantern.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of L.L. Bean, both in sponsoring Acadia Quest, and in providing us with three outstanding grand prize packages,” said Terry Begley, program and events coordinator for Friends of Acadia. “These prizes, in addition to reinforcing the spirit and mission of Acadia Quest, have been an incentive and an inspiration to the teams.”

Mr. Begley continued, “Friends of Acadia is already planning Acadia Quest 2011, which will encourage participants to explore Acadia (and other natural areas throughout the state) in new ways. After three successful years we feel we need to mix things up a bit, and change the format of the Quest to keep interest in the program – especially for those families that have participated since the inaugural Quest.”

2010 was the third year of Acadia Quest, a program designed to encourage families to experience Acadia National Park together. This year, 63 teams participated in the program, including teams from Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and even Canada. Each team consisted of at least one child younger than 18, plus family, friends, and/or mentors. Teams participated in a series of youth and family-oriented experiences in Acadia National Park that encourage young people and families to explore, learn about, and protect national parks and other conserved lands.

Statistics show that now, more than ever, school-aged children and adolescents are spending more time indoors using computers, video games, or watching TV and less time engaging in the natural world, a spokesman said. Acadia Quest is an effort to engage children and their families in outdoor activities already taking place in their community.

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