Trolley, food and shopping good for event-goers, businesses

Mon, 09/01/2014 - 11:15am

SUSAN JOHNS, Assistant Editor

Watershed Tavern is among businesses that have helped Boothbay Harbor show off its best during the opening weekend of Harbor Fest. Courtesy of Robert Mitchell

Not everyone who wound up at the Harbor Crawl that kicked off the 2014 Harbor Fest in Boothbay Harbor had planned on being there.

But some of the best parts of any trip can be the surprises.

According to Harbor Fest’s producer Lori Pecor, one Ohio couple on the way to Bar Harbor heard about Harbor Fest during a stop at an information center in Kittery; the couple had never even heard of Boothbay Harbor, Pecor wrote in an email to the Boothbay Register in which she shared some of the event’s highlights so far.

“They booked a room and got on the crawl,” Pecor writes about the Ohio couple. “They had a blast (and) said they could not have hoped for a better way to experience the town in the short time they were here.”

Friday’s crawl, via a trolley taking participants to 20 shops and restaurants, was also not part of the Labor Day Weekend plans for another couple, whose boat broke down.

“They bought tickets and joined us on the crawl and attended every festivity of the weekend. They (too) had a blast (and) said they were so happy that a bad situation could turn so great,” Pecor writes.

More than 25 riders on the crawl stayed with it for the full three hours it was offered.

The businesses welcomed them with snacks and beverages, and, in many cases, window displays they had worked hard on, according to Pecor’s email.

Radio station 92 Moose was on hand, exposing 225,000 listeners to the region and adding to the event’s festive atmosphere.

Those on the crawl also made some buys; and the trolley brought the small mall many shoppers it might not otherwise have had.

The trolley and tasting locations stayed busy.

“Tasters were thrilled that the crawl provided them a ride to the brewery as well,” Pecor wrote in the email.

“Many crawlers said (they) had never before been in the shops we visited and planned to return when they had more time.”

An art show and road races continued the festivities over the weekend. On Labor Day, Sept. 1, the “One Happy Harbor Golf Tournament” was set for 1 p.m. at Boothbay Harbor Country Club. Monday was also the start of Restaurant Week in town, to keep the momentum going until the “Fishin’ for Fashion Show” and other events make up the closing weekend of the 10-day festival.

Visit www.boothbayharborfest.com for the complete schedule.