AUGUSTA – The third annual Spring Running Festival, a celebration of life in, on and along the Kennebec River, will take place Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, at Mill Park and Old Fort Western on the riverfront.

The festival is named for the annual Kennebec River “run” of fish that return from the sea to their freshwater spawning grounds each spring.

Activities will get under way at Mill Park at 3 p.m. Friday, when festival vendors will offer their locally produced, handcrafted jewelry, jams and jellies, handmade games, photography and tole paintings.

At 6 p.m., the new Kennebec River Initiative video will be shown in the education tent at the park. The film traces the history and traditions of the river.

Then Penobscot Nation educator James Francis will talk about Native American naming ways and how they represent the links between people and places in Maine.

A fish chowder meal followed by music and dancing will be held at the Calumet Club, 334 West River Road, beginning at 5. Nate Gray, Kennebec River restoration leader for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, will talk about efforts to improve access to and protect the Kennebec watershed area. Entertainment will follow.

Activities will get under way again at 10 a.m. Saturday (rain date: Sunday, June 15) at Mill Park and in the Old Fort Western/East Side Boat Landing neighborhood.

The education tent at Mill Park will feature a full schedule of exhibits. Old Fort Western will offer historical displays and demonstrations.

The ninth annual Fort to Fort Canoe and Kayak Expedition will take place in association with the festival starting at 8 a.m. at Fort Halifax in Winslow. There will be a shuttle service.

Entertainment will get under way at 1 p.m. at Mill Park.

Admission is free. For the full story go to www.springrunning.com. The festival concludes at 5 p.m.