Five interactive kiosks will be installed across Greater Bangor later this fall to help residents and visitors alike navigate the area.
The kiosks will be used to show maps, what events are happening in the area and more. Three will be installed in Bangor: in Pickering Square, at the Bangor International Airport and at the waterfront. The other two will be in Brewer and Old Town with one on the Brewer Riverwalk and another along the riverfront in Old Town.
The new installations come from the GBR, an initiative of the Greater Bangor Recreational Economy for Rural Communities. The initiative was announced on Tuesday at Husson University.
The kiosks will help people who may not know exactly what events are going on in Greater Bangor and where to visit, Betsy Lundy, executive director of Downtown Bangor, said.
“We have all these amazing assets and our number one problem is that people aren’t aware of them. There isn’t really a way of conveying to people what events are happening and what activities are available on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
The kiosks are the first part of a new wayfinding plan funded through the GBR meant to promote more tourism and recreation in Greater Bangor. The GBR bought the kiosks and more than 100 new signs that will be used in the region through a grant from the Maine Office of Tourism.
Plans to create a gear library and use more river access for recreation were also previewed.
The locations for the kiosks were selected because they’re all high traffic areas, Lundy said.
When a kiosk is not being used, information and ads will scroll automatically on the screen, Lundy said. Advertisements for activities like local trails and regional events in Greater Bangor will appear alongside ads for businesses.
The changing display will give smaller attractions that can’t afford to promote themselves a chance to be seen by more people, Lundy said.
“The reality is, the Hannibal Hamlin statue in Hamlin Park does not have money to launch an advertising campaign to share its existence, so we have to find a way to let people know about all these assets regardless of their ability to advertise,” she said.
Although the passive elements will constantly be used, the kiosks are made to be interacted with.
The kiosks will show people lists of restaurants in the area, nearby activities and any upcoming events. Information will be updated by the Downtown Bangor group, Lundy said.
The Greater Bangor Recreational Economy for Rural Communities, a 21-community coalition that promotes the Bangor area as an outdoor recreation and cultural tourism destination, purchased the kiosks for roughly $23,000 each from Rove iQ earlier this year, Lundy said. They haven’t been installed yet because the group was waiting on SIM cards, Lundy said.
The GBR may have just been introduced, but the Greater Bangor Recreational Economy for Rural Communities was formed in 2022 and has been working to secure grants and funding for programs across the area.
The organization has secured state and federal funding through grants from entities like the Maine Office of Tourism and the U.S. Economic Development Administration over the past few years.
The group also spent $375,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding in 2025 for multiple projects, part of which was used to hire Bright Brothers and Starkey Strategies to conduct market research and create the GBR brand.
The new brand and logo will be seen across all 21 communities involved in an effort to promote the region as a whole rather than individually.
The initiative has helped Greater Bangor by promoting the area as a whole with multiple activities in each community, appealing to different tourists than before, Lundy said.
“It’s hard to envision a person coming to this area and not engaging with both downtown Bangor and some of our other assets in the area,” she said.
