HARPSWELL — The small-town Festival in Harpswell is back again with a twist. This  year the Harpswell Festival will be spread over a day-and-a-half. Activities kick off at 5 p.m Saturday, July 25, at Mitchell Field on Route 123. Live music, kids’ competitions, festival food and  fireworks, at 9 p.m., will be the main attractions.

The next day, Sunday, July 26, at 11 a.m. the gates open for the complete festival with food, crafts, exhibits, kid’s games, and large attractions such as a climbing wall and bungee jumper. Again this year, visitors will have access to the sandy beach. 

Also available will be live music on the Main Stage.  Stage Two opens Sunday with dance exhibitions throughout the day, pausing only for the festival parade at 1 p.m.
Attending the parade will be giant puppets of Harpswell historical figures. The 1–foot high puppets of Admiral Peary, first to the North Pole, Hannah Stover — aka the Witch of Harpswell —  and a lobsterman were constructed by local artists with assistance from Nance Parker of  Shoestring Theater and made possible through a grant from the Maine  Arts Council. Dogs are allowed (in costume if possible) to march in the parade.
Local nonprofit organizations will once again provide most of the food. There will be lobster dinners, hamburgers, hotdogs, lobster rolls and other summer treats. This fare will be supplemented by traditional carnival food: fried dough, french fries, fish and chips, and cool drinks.
Don’t forget to pick up your souvenir Festival 2009 t-shirt and hat. For more information, driving directions, or to volunteer, contact:  www.harpswellfestival.org, Harpswell Festival, Inc., PO Box 405,  Harpswell, ME 04079, 833-0562, tdallen@suscom-maine.net.

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