Rockland Maine Builds It's Iconic Lobster Trap Christmas Tree

Rockland Maine- On Tuesday morning the community came together to build Rockland's iconic Lobster Trap Christmas Tree.  The first load of lobster traps from Brooks Trap Mill arrive before 9 AM.  Once the truck is unloaded the base of the tree is laid out.  Over the next 5 hours this amazing tree takes shape.  It is not the only lobster trap tree, however it is the only Lobster Trap Christmas Tree in the Lobster Capital of the world.  With many volunteers and plenty of hot coffee and muffins from Rick City Coffee and stacks of pizzas from Dominos and Pizza Hut the job is one I look forward to each year.

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Blues To Invade Rockland For Annual Festival This Saturday, July 16-17th

File photo of a band performing at last year's festival.

Rockland, Maine - The blues are about to invade Rockland when the annual North Atlantic Blues Festival takes center stage tomorrow, Saturday July 16th and ending Sunday, July 17th, 2016 in beautiful Rockland, Maine.

North Atlantic Blues Festival lineup features acts young and old. Saturday features Blues Caravan, Toronzo Cannon, Daughters of Rhythm & Blues, Quinn Sullivan and John Hammond with Bruce Katz. Featured acts on Sunday are Alexis P. Suter, Mike Zito & The Wheel, Johnny Sansone's Deep Mud review, Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters, Elvin Bishop. Singing in between acts is Mick Kolassa.

Saturday Schedule:
Blues Caravan 11am-12:10pm
Toronzo Cannon 12:25pm-1:35pm
Daughters of Rhythm & Blues 1:50pm-3:05pm
Quinn Sullivan 3:20pm-4:40pm
John Hammond with Bruce Katz 5pm-6:30pm

Sunday Schedule:
Alexis P. Suter 11am-12pm
Mike Zito & The Wheel 12:15pm-1:20pm
Johnny Sansone's Deep Mud review 1:35pm-2:45pm
Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters 3pm-4:15
Elvin Bishop 4:30pm-6pm

The North Atlantic Blues Festival produced by Paul Benjamin, Jamie Isaacson is an annual two-day blues music festival featuring national blues performers and considered one of the most prestigious on the East Coast. The festival is held at the Public Landing in Rockland, Maine, overlooking the picturesque Rockland Harbor. Some of the top names in blues music have been featured at this prestigious East Coast festival. In addition to all day live entertainment, the festival has vendors selling a wide array of food, drinks and crafts.  Saturday evening Main Street is closed to traffic for the NABF Club Crawl. Attendees of legal age, wearing their wristband from the festival are allowed free admission to the many bars and restaurants featuring many of the top regional blues performers. There are also bands performing on Main Street for all ages at no charge.

Directions:
The festival is in the Public Landing  275 Main St,  first left off Main St.
No parking on grounds.

From Portland (82 miles): Take I-295 North to Exit 28 to U.S. Route 1 North (Coastal Route) at Brunswick. Follow U.S. Route 1 to Rockland’s Main St. Turn right on Main St.

From Augusta (42 miles) take Rt 17 to Rockland. Follow Rt 1 South take a left at the Dairy Queen stop light. Next right on Main St.

From Bangor (61 miles) take US Rt 1A to Rt 1 then South to Rockland.Follow Rt 1 South take a left at the Dairy Queen stop light. Next right on to Main St.

Festival Information:

• Ticket gates open at 9:00 a.m. and music starts at 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday and Sunday.
• Bring a lawnchair or blanket. Some folding chairs are available at the front
• of the stage for no charge.  The yellow covered chairs to the right of the
• stage are VIP seats.
• Chairs can be brought on the grounds 6:00-8:00 AM Saturday. We then
• ask you to leave until the ticket gates open.
• Rain or Shine!
• No Pets or Coolers
• No chairs with a canopy over it. It blocks the view for the people behind you.
• No sun umbrellas or tents (if raining, small umbrellas are allowed)
• A large tent is set up at the top of the hill if you want cover.
• City water faucets are to the right and left of the stage,
• for your use.
• Wristband allows you to come and go off the festival grounds
• Club Crawl held Sat night 8:00 PM. Main St is closed to traffic. 5 bands are set up along the street. All ages, no charge.
• Saturday or Weekend wristbands allows you into the participating bars and restaurants.
• Friday night music in local bars is not a NABF event, no wristbands are issued. Some establishments may charge a cover charge.

Blues To Invade Rockland For Annual Festival July 16-17th

File photo of a band performing at last year's festival.

Rockland, Maine - The blues are about to invade Rockland when the annual North Atlantic Blues Festival takes center stage on Saturday July 16th and Sunday, July 17th, 2016 in beautiful Rockland, Maine.

North Atlantic Blues Festival lineup features acts young and old. Saturday features Blues Caravan, Toronzo Cannon, Daughters of Rhythm & Blues, Quinn Sullivan and John Hammond with Bruce Katz. Featured acts on Sunday are Alexis P. Suter, Mike Zito & The Wheel, Johnny Sansone's Deep Mud review, Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters, Elvin Bishop. Singing in between acts is Mick Kolassa.

Saturday Schedule:
Blues Caravan 11am-12:10pm
Toronzo Cannon 12:25pm-1:35pm
Daughters of Rhythm & Blues 1:50pm-3:05pm
Quinn Sullivan 3:20pm-4:40pm
John Hammond with Bruce Katz 5pm-6:30pm

Sunday Schedule:
Alexis P. Suter 11am-12pm
Mike Zito & The Wheel 12:15pm-1:20pm
Johnny Sansone's Deep Mud review 1:35pm-2:45pm
Ronnie Earl And The Broadcasters 3pm-4:15
Elvin Bishop 4:30pm-6pm

The North Atlantic Blues Festival produced by Paul Benjamin, Jamie Isaacson is an annual two-day blues music festival featuring national blues performers and considered one of the most prestigious on the East Coast. The festival is held at the Public Landing in Rockland, Maine, overlooking the picturesque Rockland Harbor. Some of the top names in blues music have been featured at this prestigious East Coast festival. In addition to all day live entertainment, the festival has vendors selling a wide array of food, drinks and crafts.  Saturday evening Main Street is closed to traffic for the NABF Club Crawl. Attendees of legal age, wearing their wristband from the festival are allowed free admission to the many bars and restaurants featuring many of the top regional blues performers. There are also bands performing on Main Street for all ages at no charge.

Directions:
The festival is in the Public Landing  275 Main St,  first left off Main St.
No parking on grounds.

From Portland (82 miles): Take I-295 North to Exit 28 to U.S. Route 1 North (Coastal Route) at Brunswick. Follow U.S. Route 1 to Rockland’s Main St. Turn right on Main St.

From Augusta (42 miles) take Rt 17 to Rockland. Follow Rt 1 South take a left at the Dairy Queen stop light. Next right on Main St.

From Bangor (61 miles) take US Rt 1A to Rt 1 then South to Rockland.Follow Rt 1 South take a left at the Dairy Queen stop light. Next right on to Main St.

Festival Information:

• Ticket gates open at 9:00 a.m. and music starts at 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday and Sunday.
• Bring a lawnchair or blanket. Some folding chairs are available at the front
• of the stage for no charge.  The yellow covered chairs to the right of the
• stage are VIP seats.
• Chairs can be brought on the grounds 6:00-8:00 AM Saturday. We then
• ask you to leave until the ticket gates open.
• Rain or Shine!
• No Pets or Coolers
• No chairs with a canopy over it. It blocks the view for the people behind you.
• No sun umbrellas or tents (if raining, small umbrellas are allowed)
• A large tent is set up at the top of the hill if you want cover.
• City water faucets are to the right and left of the stage,
• for your use.
• Wristband allows you to come and go off the festival grounds
• Club Crawl held Sat night 8:00 PM. Main St is closed to traffic. 5 bands are set up along the street. All ages, no charge.
• Saturday or Weekend wristbands allows you into the participating bars and restaurants.
• Friday night music in local bars is not a NABF event, no wristbands are issued. Some establishments may charge a cover charge.

68th Maine Lobster Festival Kicks Off This Wednesday, July 29th

File Photo: King Neptune and his court along with 2013 Sea Goddess 
arriving at the 67th Maine Lobster Festival in 2014.

Rockland, Maine - Thousands of people from all over the world will flock to the 68th annual Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine's harbor park. This year's festival kicks off Wednesday, July 29th, 2015, noon sharp, ending Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 at 6pm.

There will be things for everyone to enjoy such as Coronation, crowning of a new Sea Goddess on Wednesday, opening night, music from top local and national performers, parade on Saturday down Rockland's main street, food from several vendors, rides for all ages provided by Smokey's Greater Shows, watching lobsters being cooked at the large lobster cooker, activities for all ages and more.

Schedule for this year's festival:

Wednesday, July 29th, 2015

All Day
ART SHOW AT MAIN STREET BRANCH OF CAMDEN NATIONAL BANK

Art Show at Main Street branch of Camden National Bank.

All Day
FESTIVAL OPENS

Festival Opens
Wednesday, July 29 - 11AM
Thursday, July 30  through  Sun Aug 2 - 9AM

9:00 a.m.
4-DAY PASSES AND ENTERTAINMENT TICKETS
Entertainment

Four Day passes and Entertainment tickets on sale at the Main gate.

1:00 p.m.
ALL'S TENTS OPEN

Children’s Tent, Fine Arts & Crafts Tent, Marine Tent, Maine Made Tent, ongoing demonstrations, all vendors.

4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
MAINE'S FASTEST KNITTERS
Entertainment
North Entertainment Tent

Maine Fastest Knitters  Yes… fast knitters!

6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
SIDEWAYS HIGHWAYS

North Atlantic Blues Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

Rockland, Maine - Rockland's harbor park will be filled with the sound of blues music as the annual North Atlantic Blues Festival kicks off this weekend, July 11th through July 12th, 2015 in Rockland, Maine.

According to their site, The North Atlantic Blues Festival is an annual two-day blues music festival

Tall Ships Return to Portland!

Tens of thousands expected on Portland Waterfront this July

Portland, Maine - Sailing Ships Portland has announced a new maritime festival that is expected to bring tens of thousands of people and a fleet of tall ships to Portland's waterfront this summer.  The festival, called Iberdrola USA Tall Ships Portland 2015, will take place from July 18-20 on the Maine State Pier, Maine Wharf and at the Ocean Gateway Terminal.

The festivities will kick off with a dramatic parade of sail through Portland Harbor on Saturday, including historic vessels from as far away as Spain and the Cook Islands.  At least 8 large vessels are scheduled to visit Portland for the event, including the US Coast Guard barque Eagle, America’s own tall ship. At nearly 300', Eagle will be the biggest of the tall ships to tie up for the festival.

The ships will tie up along Portland's waterfront and visitors can tour these magnificent vessels on Sunday and Monday.

"The City of Portland is pleased to welcome a spectacular international fleet from the Atlantic coast and beyond.  Tall ships showcase our history, our hospitality and our working waterfront," said Mayor Michael Brennan.

"This is an opportunity most people never have to see these beautiful vessels up close, to go aboard and meet the crew, and to step right into our living maritime history.  It takes a village to make this happen," said Alex Agnew, President of Sailing Ships Portland.  "We are honored to have Iberdrola USA as our partner."

Iberdrola USA, which owns Central Maine Power Company in Maine, has signed on as the event's title sponsor.

“We’re pleased to welcome sailing ships and visitors from Maine and around the world to this celebration of our maritime heritage,” said Bob Kump, chief corporate officer for Iberdrola USA. “The employees of Central Maine Power and Iberdrola USA are honored to serve the people of Maine, and our support for Tall Ships Portland is a way for us to say thanks.”

The fleet is coming to Portland as the final port in the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2015 Atlantic Coast series of tall ships races and maritime festivals, organized by Tall Ships America.

Port cities that host the tall ships typically experience significant economic impact.  Organizers anticipate over 25,000 spectators to attend the three-day festival, which will include food, vendors and music in addition to tours of the tall ships.

“Since ships tend to visit in the summertime, visitors tend to travel from as far away as four hours, and stay a few extra days,” said Bert Rogers, Executive Director of Tall Ships America of Newport, RI. "Portland has the perfect waterfront for visitors to tour the ships, and enjoy rich Maine maritime heritage," Rogers said.

The marine community is offering warm support with non-profits Sail Maine, Maine Maritime Museum, and Maine Maritime Academy. Other key corporate sponsors include WCSH-TV, the Portland Press Herald and the Portland branch of Morgan Stanley.

Megan Jones, Captain of the sailing vessel Frances, welcomed news of the festival. Frances spends the summer on Portland's waterfront and takes visitors on day-sailing trips in Portland Harbor.

"We are so excited to be sharing the waterfront with these beautiful and historic vessels," Jones said.  "They are going to get a warm welcome in Portland and I hope as many people as possible come out to see them."

Sailing Ships Portland, the local event organizer in cooperation with Tall Ships America, is a Maine-based nonprofit and proceeds from the event will go toward youth sail training and education at sea.  Tall Ships and "Tall Ships Are Coming!" are registered trademarks of Tall Ships America.

Tickets go on sale April 3 at 9 a.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.tallshipsportland.com where you can also sign up to receive news about the event, volunteer to work with the ships and learn how you can be out on the water during the Parade of Sail. Tickets are $15 and allow boarding of the ships and access to the festival grounds. Access to the USCG Eagle and viewing of the Saturday Parade of Sail are free.

For more information contact Tall Ships Portland 2015 at tickets@tallshipsportland.com or 207-619-1842.

ALERT: Schooner Parade TOMORROW July 11th

ROCKLAND, Maine - The annual Schooner Parade past the breakwater lighthouse in Rockland, Maine will be held tomorrow, July 11th from 2-4pm. This annual Schooner event is one not to be missed as it is a great opportunity to get lots of photographs.

The Schooners you will see if you make the walk out the breakwater are beautiful ranging in age from 31 to 143 years old, Victory Chimes the last of her kind three master and ranging in size from 46 feet to 132 feet long. Some of the Schooners you will see are American Eagle (Rockland), Victory Chimes (Rockland), Lewis R. French (Camden), Angelique (Camden), Mary Day (Camden), Stephan Taber (Rockland) and more.

Schooner Parade is put together by the Maine Windjammer Association. Maine Windjammer Association puts on several event such as Great Schooner Race, Schooner Parade and WoodenBoat Sail In.

Please come on out to see these beautiful schooners that are powered solely by the wind and Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse tomorrow afternoon from 2pm-4pm, Friday, July 11th in Rockland, Maine.