Tired of the same-old same-old Christmas shopping routine? Looking for something involving shopping in your nightgown and pushing your bed down Main Street?

Bar Harbor’s upcoming Early Bird Pajama Sale and Bed Races has got you covered.

Where else can you go shopping at stores full of sales, starting at 6 a.m. — wearing your pajamas for an extra discount — and break up your retail roll with a bed race?

It’s the 16th year for the Early Bird Pajama Sale and the third year for the Bar Harbor Bed Races, the brainchild of Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chris Fogg.

It all takes place Saturday, Nov. 20. As a way to celebrate the end of the summer season, the Chamber organizes the event. Fogg said recently that an extra reason for celebrating is the strong season the town had this year. 2010 was one of the busiest years on record, and he expects that when final numbers are in, the town could have been host to nearly 3 million visitors. 

Event organizer Heather Jones said the bed race was added to the day’s events three years ago as a way to extend the early-morning sale festivities.

Local stores will open at 6 a.m. with lots of sales promised. An extra discount is offered to those who shop in their PJs. For those who live and work nearby, it might be interesting to see your favorite banker in his or her flannels.

As for the bed races, Jones said approximately 12 beds are decorated and entered into the contest, which starts at 10 a.m. It begins with a parade from the Village Green to Cottage Street. Beds compete individually, and then the top four fastest beds compete again against each other.

The rules are simple: One bed, no motor, one “bed rider” and four “bed pushers.” Beds in the past have been sponsored by the Fire Department, Jackson Labs, the Bar Harbor Waste Water Division and Birch Bay Village, a local retirement community. The fire and police departments have been known to enter beds decked out with lights and sirens. A $500 prize is awarded to the fastest team, $200 for second place. A prize also goes to the best-decorated bed.

Last year, the fastest bed racers were the town’s water and sewer department, which went by the team name “The Unflushables.”

If you wonder exactly how fast these beds travel through the streets of Bar Harbor, Jones said that “on average, the individual bed run times are between 35 and 38 seconds. Blink and you could miss it!”

Jones said she is happy to have a better public address system this year — so people lining the street will be able to hear the score announcements — along with a digital sign to flash race times. Yes, they take their bed racing seriously.

For more info, call the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce at 288-5103 or visit them on the Web at www.barharborinfo.com. For a list of participating shops, go to www.barharborinfo.com/events/early_bird_pajama_sale_bed_races.

Extend your stay . . . and bring your tux

The next fun event in Bar Harbor will be “Village Holidays” on Friday, Dec. 3. Santa arrives at 5 p.m., “The Miracle on 34th Street” is performed by the Acadia Community Theatre at the Criterion Theater and Arts Center, and Midnight Madness starts at 8 p.m. and ends at midnight. Instead of pajamas, plan to wear a ball gown or tuxedo, as extra sale prices are extended to those in formal evening wear.

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