Hundreds of people who were visiting the Gardens Aglow display of Christmas lights at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay were left in the dark Sunday night when a car struck a utility pole on Barters Island Road and knocked out power to the popular holiday destination.
After the lights went out, visitors were told that the display would be closed for the evening. Guests piled into their motor vehicles or boarded shuttle buses that transported them off the property. The display is open from 4-9 p.m. on Sundays.
“It is dark, but we do have some generator power,” said Carol Harris, a staff member at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. “We are walking people back to their cars and to the shuttle buses.”
Harris said anyone who paid to visit the gardens Sunday will automatically receive a credit card refund. Adult tickets purchased in advance cost $12 per person; seniors. $10; and families, $30.
“We do hope that folks will come back to see us,” Harris said.
An emergency communications dispatcher for Lincoln County said a vehicle struck a utility pole around 4:45 p.m., just 45 minutes after the Gardens Aglow display started. “There are wires down. It’s a mess right now,” the dispatcher said.
The accident took place on Barters Island Road, which runs past Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The dispatcher said there were no reports of injuries as a result of the crash.
Central Maine Power Co.’s website reported that the outage affected more than 1,300 customers in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor.
Gardens Aglow is billed by Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens as the “biggest and brightest light display in Maine.” The attraction features over 500,000 energy-efficient LED lights that are used to decorate gardens and buildings. Gardens Aglow runs from Nov. 17 through Dec. 31.
Shuttle buses are provided. The buses run continuously from the municipal lot near the Boothbay Harbor and the town office to the gardens.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens consists of 295 acres of tidal shoreland. The property opened on June 13, 2007.
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