Two festivals sport crowd-pleasing fun

By oft-trod land and roiling sea, bodiced wenches and cutlassed buccaneers stormed into Lubec from Eastport on Sunday, September 5, as a prelude to the Eastport Pirate Festival the following weekend of September 10B12. A small contingent of rumrunner types waving Jolly Rogers may even have got dropped off from above, as Hurricane Earl roared past -- or rather, sauntered -- on Saturday. The threat of Earl did delay the invasion of Lubec from Saturday to Sunday.
The bloodthirsty -- or maybe just grog-thirsty -- invaders swarmed through Lubec's downtown Water Street and its food-rich hostelries brandishing tattoos and yelling for planks to walk. Lubec natives swarming amidst them were promptly bedecked with silver-colored necklaces of skull beads. All were encaptured in rapture.
Scarlet bandannas topped kids of all sizes who bounced around a play house, popped water balloons with abandon, plunged in ecstasy down an obliging water slide, jousted with mock swords in true gladiator fashion, and got happily dunked in kid-size tanks. Bigger, big-hatted pirates also did big. They paraded grandly. They rippled muscles in the first Lubec-Eastport tug-of-war. They savored local specialties concocted for them at Water Street's eateries. They sauntered wickedly in gorgeous if awesome costumes. They raced with beds.
Well, there was really only one bed, created by minions such as Ukey Santos of Crow Town Gallery, Debbie and Jerry Kasunic of Northern Tides Studio, and volunteer Tina Wilcox. The bed valiantly out-raced its rival, a wriggly chair bedizened with giant skull-and-crossbones drapery. The bed winners will flash more of their mettle by competing in another race on Saturday, September 11, during Eastport's Pirate Festival.
As Wanda Matthews notes, the program on September 4 did include the breakfast at Lubec's Masonic Lodge. The rest of the invasion was rescheduled to Sunday, September 5, when the bed race, parade and tug of war were held. Eastport pirates pulled into Lubec both by sea, aboard a flotilla of boats, and by land, riding motorcycles.
Games of chance added more treasured donations to those given at Saturday's opener. Proceeds from the events will help in celebrating Lubec's bicentennial next year.
What say Water Street's emporia owners? Some, like Bayside Chocolates and Wags 'n Wool, either opened late or closed altogether so that shopkeepers could take part in the fun. Northern Tides' Jerry Kasunic raves about how great the event was for businesses and for enabling people to meet and participate together. Jack Cohill of Cohill's Inn agrees: "Anything that brings Lubec and Eastport together has to be good." Dianna Meehan of the Atlantic House sums it up: "We had the pirates from Eastport before, but they just wore costumes and ran around a lot. This is the first year when activities were planned and businesses like ours were asked to take part by developing menu specials." She smiled as she said, "I did clam cakes and chowder."
Asked about customers, Meehan says, "Mostly locals, and that's very nice because the town people want to share in the action, and everyone likes something new. We're pleased at the chance to get together."
Meehan suggests that planning for next year's pirates might start in June or even earlier. "That would allow enough advance notice for businesses to get ready and more time to schedule events." She also cited the lasting benefit derived when Downeast towns, each with unique resources, cooperate for mutual community advantage. The Lubec-Eastport pirate invasion has clearly proved that it can happen.