Celebrates 50 years of the Annual Windjammer Days Festival

Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 50 years of the Annual Windjammer Days Festival.

Festival committee expands the event to four days

Boothbay, ME (April 2, 2012) — Scheduled to take place June 24 ^th - 27^th 2012 (with the schooners in Linekin Bay on the 26th and in the harbor on 27^th) this year’s 50th Annual Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days Festival will be one to remember, as the region celebrates fifty years of the famed historical event to commemorate the historic Windjammer tall ships, who carried large amounts of cargo from one continent to another, marking Boothbay Harbor a center of American shipping and ship building.

The annual Windjammer Days Festival, hosted by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, will feature its classic line-up of events including:  a hometown street parade, an antique boat parade of more than 30 boats, waterfront concerts, museum exhibits, kids tents, pancake breakfasts, golf tournament, boat excursions, live theater, art and craft shows, historic maritime stories and a spectacular firework display over the harbor!  The majority of  Windjammer Days events are free to the public.

Event organizers have also added several exciting new occurrences to the agenda as well as expanding the event from two days to four days, making this year’s 50^th annual event all the more energized.

For the first time--

·         The Boothbay Harbor Yacht club will feature its One Design Race.

·         Artist’s Alley will showcase the work of local artisans.

·         Allison Lee Freeman and the Lincoln Arts Festival Chorus will perform live sea chanteys on the waterfront and on a boat.

·         Historian Jim Sharp will give a talk on the Maine maritime heritage.

·         The Pirates of the Dark Rose will perform.

·         The parade will feature a special history in the making portion.

·         Windjammer Days Poster contest is an effort to support local artists and our maritime heritage with the goal of creating a design that captures the essence of the 50^th Annual Windjammer Days Festival.

·         Windjammer Days Decals available for participating businesses, sponsors  and local residents as a fundraiser for a minimum of $50.00 in honor of 50 years.  A variety of sponsorship levels available.

This year’s Windjammer Days will be so exciting. The Chamber of Commerce will share a 50^th birthday with the event which is so integral to positioning Boothbay as a tourist destination for those who enjoy travelling to Maine in the summer,” said Catherine Wygant, Executive Director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s participating schooners so far include the Eastwind, Heritage, Lazy Jack, American Eagle, Harvey Gamage, Spirit of Massachusetts, Timberwind, Nathaniel Bowditch, Amistad, Sherman Zwicker and Lewis R. French. During their normal schedules several of these schooners offer over night trips and hourly cruises while others offer programs of sea education and adventure for the youth of America.  

Windjammer Days is one of the signature events featured under Experience Maritime Maine, a multi- layered marketing campaign celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Maine Maritime Museum and promoting Maine's Maritime heritage throughout the summer of 2012.   Experience Maritime Maine will be exhibiting at the Windjammer Days event www.ExperienceMaritimeMaine.info.

Windjammer Days 2012 sponsors include Pinnacle Vodka, Downeast Energy, The First Federal Savings Bank, KeyBank, N.A., Bath Savings Institution, The First, N.A, J. Edward Knight, Pepsi Bottling Company, Marshall Tents & Events, Cabbage Island Clambakes, Hannaford, Blake Builders, Pottle Realty Group, Margaret Jones Perritt, Lyn & George Doran, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Maine Department of Marine Resources, The Boothbay Region Y-Arts Chorus, Boothbay Playhouse, Harbor Children’s Center, U.S Coast Guard, Boothbay Region Historical Society, Flagship Motor Inn, WHOM 94.9 and the Boothbay Register. 

For more information about this year’s Boothbay Windjammer Days Festival including sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce at 207-633-2353 or visit the Chamber’s website: http://www.boothbayharbor.com/.

Find us on Facebook for up to date information on the Windjammer Days events.