If you are seeking some entertaining end-of-summer activities and enjoy delicious food, side-splitting fun and the chance to raise money for good causes, then come to Eastport during the second weekend of September. The Pirate Festival, the Eastport Salmon Festival, Paint Eastport Day and Port Days 2009 will be celebrated together.

The weather forecast for September 11, 12 and 13 looks good, so it will be a great time to stroll around downtown Eastport and see the sights. You can watch or participate in activities as varied as cannon lessons, a bike rally, a shipwreck party, vodka tasting and an invasion by Lubec pirates.

Events on Friday, September 11, include a concert by the pirate band "The Brigands" from 5 to 9 p.m. in Bank Square, followed by a night cutlass fighting and sword demonstration in the same location. Local restaurants will feature pirate-themed entertainment.

Saturday events

Saturday, September 12, is Paint Eastport Day. Artists are invited to register at the Eastport Gallery at 7 a.m. and paint a scene of Eastport. Their artwork will be auctioned off at 5 p.m. at the Eastport Arts Center.

Arts and crafts vendors, as well as educational exhibits, will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday at "Fruit Roll-up Park," Overlook Park and the library lawn. If it rains, the tables will be moved into the building across from the U.S. Post Office on the corner of Water and Washington streets.

Food vendors will be around throughout the day, and visitors won't have to look very far to find local groups and organizations selling tasty fare.

The fourth annual Bike Rally and School Supply Run will begin at 1:30 p.m. or after the Pirate Parade on September 12. Bikes will line up across from the Rose Garden Café on Dana Street, and there will be first and second place trophies for best bike and best vintage bike. Festival-goers are invited to vote for their favorites. School supplies will be donated to Union 104 schools.

Other Saturday events include the Pirate Dunk Tank fundraiser downtown during the afternoon, a Jail & Bail fundraiser and a Pirate Pet Pageant at noon, where prizes will be awarded to best dressed pets and owners. The Pirate Parade, which will include cutlass demonstrations, cannons and small arms fire, will begin at 1 p.m. at Sullivan Street and end at Key Street. Another fun event is the 2 p.m. Pirate Bed Race, which starts at the post office. Cash prizes are awarded to those with the fastest mattresses. Pirates from Lubec are expected to invade Eastport sometime in the afternoon in retaliation for the September 5 Eastport pirate invasion of their town.

Also on hand will be the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bridle from Southwest Harbor, thanks in large part to the efforts of Salmon Festival co-chair Jeanne Peacock, Gail Kelly of Senator Olympia Snowe's office and U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport Officer in Charge James Malcolm. The 65-foot cutter Bridle has a crew of 10.

"We are deeply honored that the Bridle and crew will be here for our festival weekend," says Peacock. "This is a celebration of Eastport, and Hopley Yeaton, considered the father of the United States Coast Guard, lived here. It is most appropriate that they are our honored guests for the weekend."

Diver Ed's Dive-In Theatre Boat Cruises will also be on-hand for the weekend, coming up from Bar Harbor. This is a unique way to explore the waters around Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay. Diver Ed will offer two trips on Saturday and one on Sunday. For reservations call 207-288-3483.

Also on Saturday, the Kids and Youth Pirate Pageant for boys and girls in several age categories begins at 5:30 p.m. in Bank Square, and prizes will be awarded for best dressed. There will be many pirate-inspired demonstrations, boat trips and parties throughout the day. A lobster and clam bake fundraiser for the Cobscook Bay Resource Center will be held on the Deep Cove Road, just past the Boat School, at 6 p.m., and the King and Queen of the Pirates will be crowned at the Pirates Ball at the Eastport Chowder House, which begins at 9 p.m.

Sunday events

On Sunday, the Eastport Salmon Festival Committee invites racers of all ages and speeds to participate in this year's 5K Run/Walk and Kids' One-Mile Run. Registration for the September 13 event takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Sea Street behind the Motel East, and all participants will be bused from the registration area to the starting point of their respective race. The Kids' Fun Run starts at 8:15 a.m. on County Road, and the 5K at 9:15 a.m. at the end of Deep Cove Road. The finish line for both races is on Sea Street, and commemorative T-shirts will be given to all participants.

A new event this year at the Salmon Festival is the Horseshoe Tournament at Split Rock, Pleasant Point, where there will be multiple horseshoe sites. Registration will be from 8 to 9 a.m., and partners will complete in a round-robin tournament for first, second and third prize trophies. Proceeds benefit the Shead High School and Eastport Elementary School cross country teams.

PAWS Humane Society will be one of the groups in downtown Eastport on Sunday, September 13. The members need volunteers who are interested in working on behalf of homeless animals in the area, and all skills are welcome.

Diners at this year's Salmon Dinner will have a choice of salmon kabobs or salmon burgers. It will be served from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. under the tent at the fisherman statue and the price is a budget-pleasing $10 this year. Wine tasting will be available, and a Maine beer can be purchased on tap. Live music will accompany the meal, with performers scheduled as follows: 11 a.m., Penny Guisinger and Kara McCrimmon; 11:30 a.m., Robert Sanchez and John Squibb; 12 noon, University of Maine at Machias Ukulele Band; 12:30 p.m., Fiddle Chick and a Picker; 1 p.m., Keltic Schmeltic; 1:45 p.m., Steve Erwin Band; 2:15 p.m., Slim Chance and the Can't Hardly Playboys; 3 p.m., R.E. Bell.

A Pirate Ship Race will be held at 12 noon, beginning at the breakwater. Other events on Sunday include nature/birding cruises aboard the Quoddy Dam or the Lady H from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in Passamaquoddy Bay. Canadian and American vessels will sail by the downtown waterfront at 11 a.m., and at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Quoddy Dam or the Lady H will take passengers out to learn about the farming of Atlantic salmon in Cobscook Bay.

Author Sarah Graves will sign copies of her books from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in front of Wadsworth's hardware store, and everyone who would like to participate in a walking tour of Eastport's interesting homes should meet at 1:45 p.m. in front of the Quoddy Dam Model Museum.

A Pirate Trial by "Pirates of the Dark Rose" will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Bank Square, and a Lobster Crate Race is planned for 4 p.m. at the Eastport Chowder House. Other pirate-themed events will be going on at area dining establishments.