A pig roast, lobster bake and hours of local, live music are on tap for this year’s edition of the Salt River Music Festival Saturday,  July 30 in Boothbay. Now in its third year, the daylong celebration is the brainchild of Scott Rittall of Salt River Farm and serves as a fundraiser for the community garden project in front of the 35-acre farm off Route 27.

“It’s a thank you to the community and a chance for us to showcase the farm,” said Rittall.

Admission is $10  and performances will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lineup features 10 local musical acts including singer-songwriter Abby Watson, the Woodshed Mystics, outlaw country band Folknaught, the Rick Turcotte-led Rickoshays and co-headliners Mechanical Banshees and Y Wouldn’t U. The festival will kick off with a performance by Susie Edwards and Olivia Rittall. 

“It’s a homegrown festival,” said Rittall. “There is a ton of talent in this area.”

For those who prefer food with their music, hamburgers, lobsters and roasted pig will each be served for $10 a plate.

The farm has been in the Rittall family for generations and is the perfect place to host a family-friendly party, said Rittall. The farm produces a variety of berries, vegetables and persimmon trees and has a personal connection for the family with flowers grown by Rittall’s mother, Joan. The community garden is open to all and a percentage of the crops are grown for Food For Thought, a program which provides nutritious, child-friendly, and easy-to-prepare food to chronically hungry children on the peninsula. 

Last year’s festival saw attendance of nearly 200, a slight dip from the previous year, a fact Rittall blames on the near-record heat. 

“It’s a rain or shine event,” said Rittall. “It’s a great way to spend a Saturday.”