Two Festivals Cook Up Crowd-Pleasing Fun

A pirate encampment, street dance, cutlass fighting, lobster boat racing and fireworks are among the events featured for the sixth annual Eastport Pirate Festival on September 9, 10 and 11.
"There's a lot of growth," reports Chris Brown, who co-chairs the event with Ross Furman and John Miller. "A lot of people are coming from out of the area, particularly down state."
The weekend before, on Saturday, September 3, the Eastport pirate invasion of Lubec will occur. The pirates will invade the town by land, sea and air. Events in Lubec will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and include a tug-of-war, a pirate parade, a bed race and kids games.
Highlights for the festival in Eastport include the Portland band Fishwhistle on stage and the Pirate Ball on Friday, September 9, while family-friendly events on Saturday include the cannon lessons and demonstration, a kids pirate schooner ride and kids games, pirate re-enactments, a pirate parade at 1 p.m., a pirate bed race at 3 p.m. and fireworks at 7:30 p.m.
"This year, the parade will start at Shead High School, go down Washington Street and end at Bank Square," says Brown. "It will be bigger, and people wanted us to have more music in it, so there will be more music."
"And anyone who's going to be in the parade should approach by Clark Street and Hillside Cemetery," he adds.
Sunday highlights include the pirate-themed pet pageant, antique auto, boat and motorcycle show, boat parade at 10:30 a.m. and international lobster boat races from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., lobster crate races at 4 p.m. and public trial of Anne Bonney and Mary Read.
"A lot of the boat racers from Jonesport and elsewhere will be arriving the night before because, to get their boat in the water, they'll have to go on the high tide," says Brown. "So the water will be full of boats on Saturday, too."
Costumes are encouraged all weekend, and Brown believes the stage at Sutherland Overlook Park and the Pirates of the Dark Rose encampment at Bank Square will be popular spots.
"There's a lot going on and there should be something for everyone," says Brown.