The ninth annual Eastport Pirate Festival will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 5, 6 and 7, and will feature food, fun and lots of family-friendly entertainment.
     "It's going to be real exciting," promises Chris Brown, Eastport Pirate Festival co-chair. "We're going to have a lot more activities for kids as well as a lot more involvement with Lubec."
     "One of the highlights for children will be the Buccaneer Boot Camp for kids ages 6 through 12," says festival volunteer Melissa Newcomb. "The Pirates of the Dark Rose will be holding it on Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. at the WaCo walkway, and the participants will learn how to talk like a pirate, take a pirate oath and learn how to defend Eastport. Then they can be part of the Hellion Brigade the next day and help defend Eastport against invaders from Lubec."
     "There will also be a puppet show suitable for the family," adds Newcomb. "Kids can learn how to clean and polish cannon on Saturday, meet Captain Crudbeard and his pirate bird Oreo and enjoy the Pirates of the Dark Rose give a demonstration of how it used to be going to the dentist in the 1700s."
     The weekend before the festival in Eastport, the Pirate Invasion of Lubec will be held on Saturday, August 30. Boats will leave Eastport at 9 a.m., and the Lubec Pirate Day in downtown Lubec will include a tug-of-war and kids carnival and a parade.
     Events on Friday, September 5, the first day of the festival in Eastport, will include the various awards for best dressed pirate or location; a pirate puppet show; and music from Dirigo Sound, Megan Clark, Fiddlechick and Friends, the One Man Band and Saint John-based "Before the Mast."
     A Pirate Downtown Art Walk will be held in the evening when local art galleries will have extended hours. The new king and queen will be crowned at the Pirate Ball, and a pirate fight featuring cutlass and sword demonstrations and small arms fire will be presented at 9:30 p.m. outside the ball at the Eastport Chowder House.
     On Saturday the National Guard bounce obstacle course and giveaways will be set up from 10 a.m. until 12 noon by the Frontier Bank. A pirate gold and doubloon scramble scheduled for 11:30 a.m. should be a lot of fun for youngsters, and a Kids and Youth Pirate Pageant will be held at 4 p.m. Children's games will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. downtown, while the Galley Rats band entertains from the stage.
     Other activities on Saturday include the Suddy 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run for Kids beginning at 9 a.m. at Shead High School. Ruth Dunfield will entertain in front of The Commons from 9 to 11 a.m. The popular Pirate Parade will start at 1 p.m. and Pirate Bed Race at 3 p.m. There will be several types of musical entertainment found throughout town during the evening and, following a barrage of cannon fire, fireworks will light up the night sky at dusk.
     One of the highlights of Sunday, September 7, promises to be the pirate invasion of Eastport at 12 noon. "We're encouraging local boats to join the armada from Lubec and help with the invasion," stresses Brown. "It's going to include more boats than ever before."
     The Pirate Pet Pageant will begin at 10 a.m., and a tiger slide and rat race will be set up above the post office from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Following the invasion of Eastport, Crudbeard's cannon lessons and cannon polishing and cleaning will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the WaCo pier. A Pirate Small Arms Presentation will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Bank Square, and a Lobster Crate Race will start at 3 p.m. near the fish pier.
      All weekend, people will be encouraged to stop by and interact with the Pirates of the Dark Rose at their Bank Square encampment. Doodle the Clown will be making balloon animals and accepting donations for the Shriners. Festival attendees can purchase or pick up free items under the welcoming tent, browse the thieves market, artisans craft market as well as food and entertainment vendors downtown.