South Portland, ME - SHARE Willard Beach - Vote NO on the Dog Ban, a group of volunteer South Portland community members, is kicking off their campaign at Bug Light Park in South Portland on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 from 8 – 9:30 AM. This public event will include speakers, information about the campaign and upcoming events, and give-aways from pet care, pet food, and pet toy vendors.

SHARE Willard Beach – Vote NO on the Dog Ban has formed to defeat a November ballot initiative that proposes to ban dogs from Willard Beach from April to October. Campaign leaders will be discussing their plans to educate voters on the issue, explain why the freedom to share public open space affects everyone, and to encourage a NO vote on November 3rd.

Tom Ayres, spokesperson for SHARE Willard Beach – Vote NO on the Dog Ban, says “On Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, South Portland residents will finally be able to vote to put this issue to bed and allow our city to focus on more pressing issues. We are certain that the Vote NO will prevail to keep all South Portland’s public spaces open to the public. In the meantime, we encourage South Portlanders to join their neighbors at our kick-off event and learn more about the campaign to preserve this open space and how they can help. Dogs, their owners, and non-dog owners alike are invited to attend to show their support.”

For more information contact campaign spokesperson Tom Ayres at 207-329-5820 or sharewillardbeach@gmail.com and www.ShareWillardBeach.org,