AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Turnpike mascots Miles the Moose and D. Claude Lobster will appear Friday at the York toll plaza to greet motorists entering the state at the start of the Memorial Day weekend.

Turnpike toll collectors also will mark the unofficial beginning of the summer tourist season by passing out 10,000 promotional postcards designed by the Maine Office of Tourism. The cards feature Maine scenes and thank visitors for coming to the state.

In past years, the moose and lobster mascots appeared on Labor Day to bid farewell to visitors and summer tourism.

Turnpike spokesman Dan Paradee said Friday will be the first time that the toll road has taken part in a promotional event for Memorial Day.