Organizers of the 2016 Eastport Old Home Week and Fourth of July celebration were pleased with the turnout and already are looking forward to making next year's celebration even better.
"     The use of the breakwater and a U.S. Navy ship were greatly missed," says Eastport Fourth of July Committee Chairman Barbara McPhail. "But there is heightened anticipation for 2017."
     Canada Day was celebrated on July 1 and flashes of the multi-colored hues sparkling at Deer Island Point are always watched across the quiet roaring of the Old Sow whirlpool on the U.S. side at Dog Island in Eastport. This year one young boy could not contain his excitement, exclaiming after each brilliance drifted away in the inky blackness, "That's my favorite!" His quiet cries of joy were punctuated with "Oh, my heavens!" and "It's a miracle!" His reactions to the thunderous fireworks display on the Fourth of July in Eastport three days later can only be imagined.
     "The sun broke through on the morning of July 2 and continued to shine through the rest of the Old Home Week celebration," notes McPhail of the weather over the long weekend. "We were very lucky."
     One of the most popular events during the celebration is the codfish relay, which can be a challenge for younger entrants, who may find the oilskins and boots, not to mention the slimy codfish, a bit too much to handle. Those who fell were helped on their way, and those who kissed the fish or carried it in their teeth were cheered by the crowd.
     "Water Street was packed with people attending the Flippenout trampoline show," says McPhail, and the seagulls may have been startled when Eric and Sean Kennedy went airborne to almost roof level with their jumps. The duo's aerial acrobatics tested the limits of gravity. They donned snowboards and then skis, doing the same triple twists and flips as before, but with the weight and bulk of the equipment adding that much more to the precision of their work. Having some fun with the youngsters standing agape at the edge of the trampoline, the two had a series of children throw them balls while they were in mid‑flip. And like the seagulls, one acrobat had to adjust his timing while high in the air when a particularly brisk gust came whistling across the bay. Not to worry, he suggested with a playful shrug.      And the twists and flips and turns went on.
     "They were a great group of guys and stayed to sign autographs," reports McPhail. "We would like to have that type of entertainment back."
     The Rubber Ducky Race, another first-time event, began on Independence Day morning when 600 rubber ducks hit the roped off channel between the fish pier and the WaCo Diner and started with a rather stately and companionable flotilla. It was not until the last leg that three broke loose from the raft, cut to the outer rope and bobbed to the finish line. The remaining 597 rubber duckies followed suit, breaking the circular formation and heading for the outer rope in a quick reconfiguration. The three clear winners and the following hordes were swooped up in nets by the attentive assistants awaiting at the finish line. Three rubber duckies with ambitions jumped the rope and headed for high adventure, but "we captured all of the ducks. None got away," reports McPhail. The proceeds from the duck race will fund future Fourth of July events.
     Cars, trucks and motorcycles sparkled in the sun and dazzled the eyes of enthusiasts of all things engines. A sleekly engineered 2016 Monte Carlo was cheek to jowl with a "barn find'" a 1977 Oldsmobile Omega of worn brown, that had a number of vintage car enthusiasts of a certain age looking nostalgic. Sports cars flaunted open‑air driving with shiny paints and ranged from a 1963 MG to a 1966 Corvette. Starsky & Hutch would have been pleased to swap out their famed 1975 Ford Gran Torino for a souped‑up 1970 Chevy Chevelle or a 1968 Dodge Charger. Pragmatic souls in search of a little flair found pleasure in a 1968 Ford F100 pick‑up truck with a boxy cab and frame and flat‑black paint. Its street‑side companion was a 1972 GMC 3500 pick‑up truck with metallic silver paint and rugged chrome hubcaps. The two had a rather pleasing effect in the line‑up, like dogs bred for work meeting show dogs for the first time. Other highlights included a 1938 Fargo truck in a stunning color combo of red and gray with plenty of chrome and detail work, including a wood and red leatherette bed cover in the back and tire air‑valve covers made of dice, and a 1955 Chevy Bel Air in turquoise and white, looking very pleased to be as expansive and curvy as can be.
     Cars, trucks and motorcycles sparkled in the sun and dazzled the eyes of enthusiasts of all things engine at the annual Buddy Allen Car, Truck and Bike Show in Bank Square. A sleekly engineered 2016 Monte Carlo was next to a "barn find," a 1977 Oldsmobile Omega of worn brown that had a number of vintage car enthusiasts of a certain age looking nostalgic. Convertible sports cars with shiny paint ranged from a 1963 MG to a 1966 Corvette. Starsky and Hutch would have been pleased to swap out their famed 1975 Ford Gran Torino for a souped‑up 1970 Chevy Chevelle or a 1968 Dodge Charger. Anyone in search of a little flair could gaze at a 1968 Ford F100 pick‑up truck with a boxy cab and frame and flat‑black paint. Next to it was a 1972 GMC 3500 pick‑up truck with metallic silver paint and rugged chrome hubcaps. Other highlights included a 1938 Fargo truck in a stunning color combination of red and gray with plenty of chrome and detail work, including a wood and red leatherette bed cover in the back and tire air‑valve covers made of dice. There was also a turquoise-and-white 1955 Chevy Bel Air looking expansive and curvy.
     The Doll Carriage, Wagon, Bike and Trike Parade was well attended, and whether the parents were having even more fun than the children was hard to determine. A Star Wars fighter jet led the older set, while one little gal, obviously still feeling the fueling effects of the sweets she had collected during the Penny Scramble, gave a heroic shove to her patriotically‑inclined carriage for her father to pursue and veered off to look at other distractions such as a stream comprised of a gingerbread house, Little Red Riding Hood, fire trucks and other bedecked wheels bearing charmingly garbed participants and parents.
     The streets were lined with spectators for the Grand Independence Day Parade, which led off with ear-splitting sirens, then the back-firing of go-carts as the Shriners raced by, slapping the out-stretched hands of children, and Tigger, Sponge Bob, Mickey and Minnie posing for hugs, and floats sailing by. Everyone comes forward to embrace the holiday, their freedom and the brief moment of summer sun, clapping in honor of the veterans marching by, cheering the floats and joyously dancing to the music.
     The bagpipe bands performed after the parade, with those listening getting carried across the waters as they heard "Scotland the Brave," "Going Home" and the lone piper on "Amazing Grace." After one band finished, the steel drums started right up, and the pipers started dancing.
     The celebration ended with the correctly advertised "Grand Presentation of Eastport's Fantastic Fireworks Display" on the waterfront, and at least one Eastporter over age 70 said it was the best fireworks she'd ever seen on July 4.
"I thought the fireworks were great," points out McPhail. "There were a few new ones that I hadn't seen before."
Eastport Police Chief Dale Earle reports the long holiday weekend was "uneventful. There were no arrests, and we only had one vehicle towed. People had a safe and happy Fourth."
     "We're already planning for next year," reports McPhail. "So we want people to think about new events like the rubber duck race and the trampoline artists. Think of us if they see something they like at another event during the year."
     "Many thanks to all of the volunteers," she adds. "We couldn't do it without them, and we can always use new ones. We start planning in January."