Even with snow and frost on the ground, plans for the summer are springing up.

As summer comes, so do the tourists. With a state tourism grant, sponsored by Representative Susan Williams Gifford, the Cranberry Region Visitor Center will be open for more hours and have maintenance and facility repairs.

"There's good things that will come from this grant beyond extended hours," Gifford said.

The center received $15,000 from the grant.

The center, on Interstate 195 between the Marion and Wareham exits, is one of the few visitor centers open in the Northeast. Last year, 30,000 visitors from New Jersey to Japan stopped by.

In addition to providing tourist information, the center recommends Wareham businesses to visitors and features products from the Old Country Store and Dorothy Dix Candies.  The center will open in mid-April, and interested advertising businesses should contact the Community and Economic Development Authority office in Town Hall.