For almost 30 years the end of summer in Eastport has been celebrated with a festival paying homage to the Atlantic salmon and other delicious seafood found in local waters. The 2016 Eastport Salmon & Seafood Festival will be held on September 3 and 4 of Labor Day weekend and include lots of art, crafts, history, races and the delicious salmon dinner.
     "It's a nice authentic experience," says Eastport Salmon & Seafood Festival committee member Jeanne Peacock. "It's great that there are such different things for people to do all day."
      The schedule on Saturday, September 3, includes the Flea for All downtown flea market from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m; the Fiber Arts Show at the Eastport Welcome Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the sale of crabmeat rolls under the tent from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m; the silent auction and reception at the Eastport Arts Center from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. for Paint Eastport Day artwork; and the Eastport Moonlight Movie All About Eve at the Sutherland Amphitheater at dusk.
      Salmon Sunday, September 4, begins with a children's one-mile run at 8:15 a.m. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. behind Motel East. The 5K race/walk starts at 9:15 a.m. in the same place.
     Horticulture consultant Paula Kovecses will lead a walking tour of the trees of Eastport from 9 to 11 a.m. It will begin in front of Peavey Memorial Library. Lighthouse Lobster & Bait at the end of County Road will begin giving tours of the largest indoor lobster pound on the Atlantic coast at 10 a.m. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Fiber Arts Show will be held at the Eastport Welcome Center, and that is also the time that local food and craft vendors and educational exhibits will be open.
     The centerpieces of Salmon Sunday have always been the salmon dinner and live music by Washington County musicians, which are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. under the tent. Through the years the details of the events and the meal C side dishes and desserts, the wine, the servers and cooks C have varied, but the one constant that brings people back year after year is that delicious piece of grilled salmon. Friends, neighbors and visitors eat under a big tent gazing contentedly at the breathtaking view of Passamaquoddy Bay just a few feet away.
     This year's 8-ounce salmon fillet will be accompanied by Raye's Mustard salmon sauce, baked potatoes, peas, homemade rolls and blueberry desserts. A ticket for the dinner also includes an educational boat tour of the salmon pens. "We had so many people enjoy the rides to the pens last year, we're making sure we have more room on boats," says Peacock.
     Andrew's Brewing Company, Lubec Brewing Company and Salmon Creek Wines will be selling their products from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.; and Gail McGlamery will lead a historical walking tour from 1 to 2:30 p.m. telling about Eastport's colorful history while walking by historic homes. The Tails of Quoddy Bay puppet show sequel will begin at 2 p.m. in the Sutherland Amphitheater, and the final event of the day is in Perry, where a concert at the Perry Congregational Church will begin at 3 p.m.