MADAWASKA – “The Heart of the St. John Valley” is the new guide published by the Greater Madawaska Area Chamber of Commerce in Maine’s northernmost reaches.

The 54-page guide was released by Chamber officials at their annual meeting Friday night in St. Agatha. It replaces a 13-year-old guide.

The full-color guide includes information about the towns of Frenchville, Grand Isle, Madawaska, St. Agatha and Sinclair. Some 10,000 copies were printed.

“Welcome to the Greater Madawaska Area,” entices people to visit or move to the “Heart of the St. John Valley. The Vacationland of Maine.”

The publication is used by the Chamber to pass out to walk-in clients, mail to people who inquire about the area, and as a handout to send to chambers of commerce and visitor bureaus in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The guide is also sent to chambers in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick.

“This has been on the minds of directors for a long time, but it just didn’t get done,” Dennis Michaud, executive director of the Greater Madawaska Area Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday.

“We started working on this 18 months ago.

“We did all the work locally to save money for advertisers and to get a personal touch into it,” he said. “By doing it ourselves, we believe we gave it the personal touch – who people are and what they are.”

Michaud said the Chamber received delivery of the finished guide Thursday, the day before its annual meeting.

The St. John Valley Times assisted in development of the guide, but it was published elsewhere because of the full-color process.

Michaud credits the advertising and layout work of Jen Doucette and the editing of Michelle Martin.

The $12,000 publishing cost was covered by advertisers. Michaud said it would have cost at least $20,000 if the project were done elsewhere.

The Chamber hopes to use the guide for the next two years, then a new one will be published.

A history of the area is included. Research for the historical essay was done with the work of Lawrence A. Violette in his book titled “Our History.”

Michaud did the research for community pages that feature each town in Greater Madawaska.

The guide, Michaud said, includes information about what people ask when they make inquiries in person or by mail.

He said the towns involved in the Greater Madawaska Area Chamber of Commerce have been requesting a new document to promote the area.

For more information about the guide or to get a copy, contact Michaud at the Chamber of Commerce by phone at 728-7000.