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9th Annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show: Art, Artisans, Food, Fun, and Boats, Boats, Boats!

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The Annual Maine Boat & Home Show is typically held the second weekend of August. Gates open at 10 a.m. daily
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Information for Press: Show News | Image Bank & Link Info | Contact Info
For immediate release - August 2, 2011
9th Annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show: Art, Artisans, Food, Fun, and Boats, Boats, Boats!
Boatyard Dog
ROCKLAND, Maine – Exquisite home furnishings and handcrafted wares will once again share the spotlight with a wide array of Maine-built boats, marine goods, art, live music, jewelry, and a host of special events when the 9th Annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show sails into Harbor Park on the Rockland waterfront, August 12-14, 2011. In addition to docks, tents, and land displays filled with beautiful new products, visitors will be able to take a walk through local history via the show’s 2011 theme. “Tradition Shapes Innovation: 75 Years on Penobscot Bay—A Retrospective,” was chosen in honor of the 75th anniversaries of Penobscot Marine Museum and the Maine Windjammer Fleet. Through special exhibits, attendees will see what 1930s transportation, industry, culture, boatbuilding, and sailing were like, and learn how the state’s inherent resiliency helped weather those turbulent times. Overall, the show promotes the idea that Maine-built products are durable and beautiful with a sense of history and tradition that is preserved even as modern techniques influence their design. Throughout show grounds and on the docks will be antique canoes and iceboats, vintage autos, and classic sail and powerboats. Diversity of design will be seen in displays of investment-quality handcrafted pieces that range from period-inspired cabinetry to contemporary furniture, fine jewelry and crafts, clothing, home wares, and marine gear. As always, the docks will feature a wide array of beautiful boats, power and sail, large and small, most of which were built in Maine and New England. Weather permitting, a parade of sail on Friday by the local windjammer fleet will provide them with a lovely backdrop. There will also be many boats and other exhibitors arrayed on land, plus extensive displays of historic photography and a series of historic films that portray life on the coast circa 1936. The “75 Years on the Bay” exhibit of period photographs from the collections of the Penobscot Marine Museum and local historians (near Tent F) will be complemented by a full roster of films presented in the Rockland Yacht Club building by Northeast Historic Film. In the afternoon, visitors can view classic movies, plus an exhibit of Elmer Montgomery’s timeless black and white photos, while enjoying fine varietals from Cellardoor Winery. Live demonstrations and activities throughout the weekend will give attendees the chance to watch craftspeople in action. Demos will range from the old-timey (hand spinning, net knotting, marlinspike seamanship) to the cutting edge (fine furniture building, the passive solar home, green energy). For the younger set, an instrument petting zoo, lobster fun, and art activities will take place in the dedicated Maritime Activities Tent (Tent M). Maine Boats Homes & Harbors is a magazine for people who love to read, so a host of Maine authors will be on hand to talk about and sign their books, which cover boats, history, Maine museums, birds—even mushrooms. Look for them in Tent D, next to the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Kiosk. The live music in Tent C will range through the ages as well: bluegrass, early American, a brass quintet, a ukelele band, and a troupe of roving accordionists. A wide range of freshly prepared food and drink will be for sale on show grounds as well, and can be enjoyed while sitting by the sea or in the Food Pavilion. On Sunday, the ever-popular, ever-zany World Championship Boatyard Dog® Trials will take place, wherein a corps of crazy canines (and their humans) will “compete” for prizes and barking rights. The field of dogs has already been chosen; no other pets will be allowed on show grounds. PLEASE leave YOUR pets at home. For a full list of activities, exhibitors, and event dates and times, visit maineboats.com. Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors is pleased to acknowledge the following sponsors who have shown their support for the 2011 boat and home show: Jaret & Cohn Real Estate, sponsor of the Food Pavilion; Awlgrip, sponsor of the Exhibitor's Lounge; Bangor Savings Bank, sponsor of the Exhibitor's Party; Barbour by David Wood, sponsor of the “75 Years on Penobscot Bay—A Retrospective” exhibit; Cellardoor Winery, sponsor of the Bandstand; Yachting Solutions and Cannell, Payne and Page, sponsor of the docks; ReVision Energy, sponsor of the Sustainability Tent; Stanley Subaru, sponsor of the Marine tent; Fixtures….Designer Plumbing Showroom, sponsor of the Fine Furniture & Home Tent; The Bark magazine, media sponsor of the BYD Trials; Village Soup, Media Sponsor; Sea Bags and Loyal Biscuit, BYD Trials supporting sponsors. The Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show was founded in 2003 by Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine. Held annually during the second weekend of August in Rockland, Maine, the show attracts thousands of attendees from all over the country and world. Show hours: Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission is $12 at the gate, under 12 free. No pets are allowed on show grounds. Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, the premier magazine about life on the Maine coast, is celebrating its twenty-fourth year. Noted for eclectic award-winning coverage of all aspects of coastal living, the magazine features everything from maritime matters and natural history to boats, homes, fine art, and food. The magazine has loyal subscribers around the world and more than 100,000 total readers. The company’s award-winning online edition (www.maineboats.com) boasts photo galleries, tides and weather, guides to products and services, and Local Knowledge™ to help visitors enjoy the Maine coast. Media Contact: Leila Murphy or Jennifer McIntosh Maine Boats Homes & Harbors 207-594-8622; leila@maineboats.com, jennifer@maineboats.com High-resolution images are available for download at http://www.maineboats.com/