![Crowds Swarm Maine Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend](http://townsquare.media/site/696/files/2020/05/20200522_130036-e1590185872830.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Crowds Swarm Maine Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend
Finally, a warm summer-esque day. It's typical on any given year to begin feeling antsy if the cold lingers as long as it has this year. But most years we haven't been cooped up trying to stop the spread of the pandemic.
I was more than ready to get some fresh air and sun. I figured even though it was gorgeous, it was still a workday and I'm lucky in that my workday tends to end earlier than most. I assumed between that and people quarantining themselves, I'd only have a few handfuls of locals to contend with. I was fine with that.
So, I donned my swimsuit (which was tighter than I had hoped but I'll blame the quarantine-15) and headed to Willard Beach in South Portland.
I had only ever wandered to that particular beach when I was a student at Southern Maine Community College. I knew how big it was so it felt like an all-around safe bet.
Boy was I surprised by the number of people there! I mean, I'm sure it wasn't the busiest Willard has ever been but considering these unprecedented times we're in, the number of people there made things feel...precedented. (I know precedented isn't a real word, its a joke. Laugh. It's ok.)
It seemed like everyone had the same idea I had. I was lucky to find a space that was at least 6 feet from anyone. There were some families and groups of friends around but the good news is, at least for me personally, everyone was respectful of my personal space.
While I sat on my blanket I couldn't help but wonder, how many of these people are local to Maine? I do know by the increase in traffic I encountered today as well as talking to friends that LOTS of cars were coming here today, presumably for some vacation action.
This begs the question, will they come and quarantine for 2 weeks as required by the state, thus seeing a surge of people from away in 2 weeks, or will we be seeing them all this weekend despite the order? My money is on the latter.
Whatever you end up doing this weekend, have fun, but most importantly be smart and stay safe.
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