Hundreds Enjoy 30th Annual Christmas By The Sea Parade, Tree Lighting

Camden, Maine - On a partly cloudy Friday evening, December 2nd, 2016, hundreds of people young and old came out to line both sides of Main Street for 30th annual Christmas By The Sea's parade brought to you by Key Bank. Parade down Main Street began at the Union Street/Elm Street intersection before ending at the Camden Public Library in Camden, Maine. There were around a dozen or so of fire trucks and floats.


After the parade there was a tree lighting in the park lit by Santa overlooking the harbor. Also, there were carols song by Camden Hills Regional High School students that filled the park before Santa arrived to light the tree.

Christmas By The Sea Kicks Off Today

Friday - December 2, 2016
All day until 9:00 pm Holiday Shopping Extravaganza
Featured activities and special holiday shopping prices at stores throughout Camden. Pick up a stamp card at the Chamber of Commerce office -- receive stamps from participating retailers and be entered for your chance to win a weekend prize pack in Camden.

12:00 pm Holiday Music Concert – First Congregational Church
Festive Holiday Music to enjoy to put you in the spirit for this joyous season. Information (207) 236-4821.

4:30-6:00 pm Christmas by the Sea Opening Ceremonies – Camden Public Library
Holiday Selections performed by Camden Hills Regional High School choral and instrumental groups. Bring new or like-new hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to decorate the Camden Community Hat and Mitten Tree. Your items will benefit those who need a bit more warmth this winter.

6:00 pm Christmas by the Sea Parade – Downtown Camden
A festive parade through Downtown Camden. Floats gather on Union Street Camden and travel down Main Street to the tree lighting at the Harbor Park. Is your group or business interested in participating in the Christmas By The Sea Parade? Apply online here.

6:00-8:00 pm Holiday Open House - Camden National Bank
Warm up inside with cookies and hot cocoa and holiday music.

6:00-8:00 pm Carriage Rides Through Town
See the holiday lights decorating the streets of downtown Camden as you ride aboard a horse-drawn carriage. This will put you and your loved ones in the holiday spirit for sure! Carriage rides courtesy of Camden National Bank.

6:30-9:00 pm A Walk Through Bethlehem – Chestnut Street Baptist Church
Experience the First Christmas as you stroll through the city to get a personal view of more then 80 costumed cast members as the recreate the city of Bethlehem as it might have been the night of Jesus' birth.

6:30 pm Community Tree Lighting Ceremony – Harbor Park
Experience the First Christmas as you stroll through the city to Santa presides over our community tree-lighting ceremony at Harbor Park, ushering us officially into the Holiday Season. With Schooner masts lit in the background and the star visible above on Mt. Battie, the full sight can only be witnessed from this vantage point in Camden.

7:30 pm The Nutcracker – Camden Opera House
Atlantic Ballet Company's full length version of this magical holiday production. Ticket Prices are $18.00 for Adults, $14.00 for Children under 12 and Senior Citizens. Tickets can be purchased at http://buynutcrackertickets.com/ or the day of the show at the Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St Camden (207) 236-7963.

Saturday - December 3, 2016
8:00 am-12:00 pm Holly Berry Fair – Rockport Opera House
Rockport Garden Club brings you Sparkle and Glitz, featuring appetizers and baked goods: tables full of costume and vintage jewelry. A craft boutique offers hand-crafted items and hand-painted furniture. Cook’s Corner filled with kitchen items. Baked goods, quick, ready to defrost, delicious delights from the frozen Soups and Appetizer Alley. And treasures from Granny’s attic. There will also be several raffles. FMI: 338-0340 or 901-574-2825.

Shop Second Saturday "Shop to Win" Contest continues
Featured activities and special holiday shopping prices at stores throughout Camden. Pick up a stamp card at the Chamber of Commerce office -- receive stamps from participating retailers and be entered for your chance to win a weekend prize pack in Camden.

9:00 am-12:00 pm Beltie Holiday – Aldermere Farm
Join this unique holiday celebration at Aldermere Farm, Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s historic saltwater farm preserve, and enjoy delicious treats, craft memorable gifts for your loved ones, and get your photo taken with a Belted Galloway calf.

9:00 am-1:00 pm St. Thomas Episcopal Church Holiday Fair
St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church will be holding its annual Christmas Fair, a tradition in Camden. Doors open at 9:00 am. Crafts, Vintage Treasures rummage sale, homemade baked goods and preserves, a raffle of three “Made In Maine” product baskets and one “For Kids” basket, and a soup and bread luncheon. 33 Chestnut Street, Camden. Handicap entrance around the corner on Wood Street. For more information, please call 236-3680.

9:00 am-2:00 pm Local Artisan Fair – First Congregational Church
Come to shop and be inspired by all of the wonderful creations. There will be a wonderful array of jellies, fabric arts, handmade jewelry, and local made crafts. A great opportunity to find a wonderful gift for someone special or maybe yourself.

9:00 am-3:00 pm Face Painting! – 25 Mechanic Street, in the hallway between the Bagel Café and Manny's and Karyl's
Free face painting in downtown Camden! Choose a colorful, creative holiday design and enjoy refreshments that benefit a student program.

9:30 am Santa Arrives by Boat – Rockport Harbor & Rockport Marine
Greet Santa as he arrives by boat in Rockport Harbor, followed by photos with Santa and his Elf at Rockport Marine, taken by photographer Mark Haskell.

10:00 am Frozen 5K– Point Lookout, Northport
8th Annual Frozen 5K Thomas F Chester Memorial Run. Registration starts at 9:00 am. The race begins at 10:00am. Tickets: $20.00 per person or $30.00 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Tickets available at mda.donordrive.com. #EndALSwithMDA #Frozen5k

10:00-12:00 noon – Holiday Craft Making for Children – Children's House Montessori School
Free Children's holiday Craft Activity.

10:30-11:30 am Holiday Cookie Decorating – YMCA, Rockport
Children can come decorate holiday cookies provided by The Red barn Baking Company with candy decorations provided by uncle Willy's Candy Shoppe, and frosting provided by 3 Dog Café.

11:00 am-2:00 pm Free Gift Wrapping & Refreshments – Watershed School Open House
Watershed School students will offer complimentary gift-wrapping, hot chocolate and cider, and live music from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 32 Washington St., in Camden.

12:00 noon Santa Arrives by Boat – Camden Public Landing
Santa's reindeer get to take a break as Santa's sleigh turns into a boat and traverses Camden Harbor. Santa will come ashore at the town's Public Landing.

12:15 pm Santa Story Hour at the Camden Public Library
An age-old tradition that conveys the real meaning of Christmas. Santa himself reads a story to children at our community library, complete with "Ho, Ho, Ho's"!

1:00 pm Free Photos with Santa at Camden Public Library
Children of all ages will enjoy a treasured photo with Santa and his Elf, taken by local photographer Mark Haskell.

3:00 pm The Nutcracker – Camden Opera House
Atlantic Ballet Company's full length version of this magical holiday production. Ticket Prices are $18.00 for Adults, $14.00 for Children under 12 and Senior Citizens. Tickets can be purchased at buynutcrackertickets.com or the day of the show at the Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St Camden (207) 236-7963.

3:30 pm Bonfire Lighting – Lincolnville Beach
Come enjoy the sights of the beach and the Bay beyond.

4:00 pm Tree Lighting and Sing Along – Lincolnville Beach
This is a special event to mark the holiday season!

4:00 pm "The Ringing of the Bells" – First Congregational Church
A concert of a variety of glorious bell ringers. Doors open 3:00 p.m. Show starts at 4pm. A free-will offering will benefit a local charity.

4:30 pm Santa Arrives – Lincolnville Beach
Santa arrives by fire engine to greet children of all ages on the beach at Lincolnville! Visit Santa by the bonfire and stay toasty warm.

6:00-8:30 pm A Walk Through Bethlehem – Chestnut Street Baptist Church
Experience the First Christmas as you stroll through the city to get a personal view of more then 80 costumed cast members as the recreate the city of Bethlehem as it might have been the night of Jesus' birth.

Sunday - December 4, 2016

Shop Second Saturday "Shop to Win" Contest continues
Featured activities and special holiday shopping prices at stores throughout Camden. Pick up a stamp card at the Chamber of Commerce office -- receive stamps from participating retailers and be entered for your chance to win a weekend prize pack in Camden.

2:00-4:00 pm Ho Ho Holiday Children’s Book Fair – Camden Public Library
Children will be able to purchase books at the event and the local authors will be signing them.

3:00 pm The Nutcracker – Camden Opera House
Atlantic Ballet Company's full length version of this magical holiday production. Ticket Prices are $18.00 for Adults, $14.00 for Children under 12 and Senior Citizens. Tickets can be purchased at buynutcrackertickets.com or the day of the show at the Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St Camden (207) 236-7963.

Camden’s 30th Annual Christmas By the Sea, December 2-4

Santa On The dock. Ben Magro

Camden’s 30^th Annual Christmas By the Sea, December 2-4Favorite Local Traditions – and the real Santa

Tree Lights Camden Joe Corrado

Camden, Maine (November 21, 2016) – Camden is a festive place the first weekend of December. On Friday evening, with the shops open late and the streets aglow, horse and wagon rides will take visitors around town to see the sights. People will line the streets to watch the festive lighted floats parade through town, with Santa on the last float with the cub scouts. This is the 30^th year that THIS Santa has ridden in this parade. It’s the only pre-holiday stop he and his Elf make each year. Children who whisper to him what they want for Christmas, and pose for a photo in one of the three local towns – several are children of parents who also sat on his lap a 20+ years ago. To us and to them – Santa is the real thing (whiskers too)!

A new partner in this year’s Christmas By the Sea event is the Retail Association of Maine. Participating merchants in the Shop Second Saturday program, launching in Camden in 2017, will be featured on a shop-around card. Those completing the card will be entered in a drawing to win a package to return to Camden for a special weekend on an upcoming Second Saturday.

Santas Arrival By Boat. Mark Haskell

During Christmas By the Sea weekend, community events are held throughout the community starting Friday afternoon. Special performances at the Camden Public Library kick things off. Camden’s holiday parade comes through town at 6pm, (sponsored this year by Key Bank). Santa then presides over the Community Tree Lighting in Harbor Park. Following the tree lighting, an open house at Camden National Bank draws hundreds of visitors as they mill around the sidewalks and stores.

When Saturday morning arrives, Santa comes cruising into Rockport Harbor by boat. Santa’s arrival is followed by Pictures With Santa at Rockport Marine. The next stop for Santa is the Camden Public Landing where Santa arrives on shore courtesy of Lyman Morse. Santa’s arrivals by boat define this event that truly celebrates Christmas By the Sea.

Story Hour with Santa as well as free photos are offered at the Library immediately following his arrival in Camden. Free facepainting accompanied by live music is featured all day at 25 Mechanic Street in the hallway between the Bagel Café and Manny’s and Karyl’s. Cookie decorating for kids, a new event in 2015, will again be held at the YMCA starting at 10:30 on Saturday and will be sponsored by Lincolnville Communications.

Parade Fun Ben Magro

Santa gets up to Lincolnville as well, arriving at the Beach by fire engine at 4:30. The traditional bonfire on the beach will be lit at 3pm. The event is followed by a sandwich supper and photos at Lincolnville’s School House Museum. Later in the evening, from 7-9pm, a Christmas Social takes place at the Lincolnville Community Center. Admission is free with a donation of a non-perishable item to benefit the local food pantry.

The full schedule of events can be found at www.camdenmaineexperience.com under the Events tab. Brochures listing the detailed schedule are at the downtown shops and are available at the Chamber of Commerce on the Public Landing as well as the Camden Town Office.

Organizations and churches bring even more events to this community-wide celebration during Christmas By the Sea weekend. Events include the Holly Berry Fair at the Rockport Opera House, a Beltie Holiday celebration at Aldemere Farm, a choral bell concert at the First Congregational Church, and Santa’s Story Hour at the Camden Public Library. The Nutcracker Ballet will be performed by the Atlantic Ballet Company at the Camden Opera House several times throughout the weekend. The annual Walk Through Bethlehem takes place at the Chestnut Street Baptist Church, and Ann Dodson and Friends’ holiday concert at the Congregational Church finishes up this fun-filled weekend on Sunday evening.

Those wishing to participate in the Christmas By the Sea parade should register at www.camdenmaineexperience.com under the Events tab. The meeting place for floats is at the Sierra Peaks Tibbetts parking lot on Virginia Avenue. 5:30 is the time, and the parade starts down Union Street at 6pm.

Valued sponsors of this year’s Christmas By the Sea include Camden National Bank, Key Bank, Lincolnville Communications Inc, Pen Bay Pilot, The Camden Herald, The Camden Area Business Group, Camden Printing, DS&CO, Lord Camden Inn, First National Bank, The Hawthorn Inn, Sea Dog Brewing Company, 3 Dogs Cafe, Uncle Willy's Candy Shoppe, The Red Barn Baking Co., and Hannaford Supermarkets. The Town of Camden's event partner is the Camden Public Library.

Stay abreast of all the weekend’s events at the Christmas By the Sea Camden Maine Facebook page, www.facebook.com/christmas.by.the.sea.camden.maine. Check out all the news and pictures on Facebook and at #christmasbythesea as Santa makes his rounds and prepares to come to Camden!

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Beltie Holiday Celebrated December 6th

Christmas by the Sea's Beltie Holiday
Rockport, Maine - The Beltie Holiday event is a fun and interactive family event that took place at Aldermere Farm as part of the Christmas by the Sea events in Camden and Rockport on Saturday, December 6th from 9am until noon to pet a real Beltie calf and have your picture taken with one (so make sure you bring your camera).

The community is invited to this free event to get up close and personal with one of the Belted Galloway calves, visit with the other cattle around back of the main farmhouse, decorate a wooden Beltie ornament to take home, and experience some fun farm happenings in the main farmhouse.

The Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club will have bakes goods and felted Beltie ornaments for sale during the event and will also offer free hot chocolate. Other Aldermere Farm and Beltie items will be available during the event including tee shirts, hats, stuffed Belties, books, mugs, prints, note cards, and beef. The Beltie Holiday event is at 20 Russell Ave., Rockport. FMI: www.aldermere.org or www.mcht.org.

Holiday Video: Christmas By The Sea Parade and Tree Lighting

VIDEO: Christmas Fireworks at Christmas By The Sea

The air is cold and the sky is clear over the schooners in Camden harbor. Suddenly the sky lights up with a million lights, a fitting finally to Christmas By The Sea in Camden, Maine.