In what has become an annual event, researchers from The Jackson Laboratory Center for Alzheimer's and Dementia Research set out across Maine's Mount Desert Island to participate in The Longest Day and raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association.
The Longest Day is the day with the most light — the summer solstice on June 21. People might have thought that the pouring rain this year would stop them, but it didn’t! Team members hiked up Cadillac Mountain at 3 a.m. in the dark and rain while others chose to run up the street to the summit at the same hour and same conditions. After eating breakfast together, he researchers split into smaller groups of hikers, bikers, swimmers and a street team to make Bar Harbor purple.
After lunch, hikers continued to hike all day while the make Bar Harbor purple team continued to make Bar Harbor purple by distributing Alzheimer’s Association pamphlets around town. The group worked with nearly a dozen local businesses to promote The Longest Day.