Belfast Rotary Club’s annual Belfast Harbor Fest brought a full weekend of maritime celebration to Steamboat Landing and Commercial Park August 7–9, marking one of Waldo County’s signature summer traditions.

The free, family-friendly event opened with “Evening by the Bay,” a benefit gala featuring live and silent auctions, food and music, with proceeds supporting local causes such as the Waldo County Technical Center student fund and, in recent years, a Rotary-backed accessible playground project. Saturday’s schedule packed in a pancake breakfast, a 5K road race, a classic boat show, boatbuilding demonstrations, Front Street Shipyard tours, a rowing regatta, kids’ activities, live music, and the popular 5K Bug Run/Walk — a nod to Maine’s nickname for lobsters. The winner of the Bug Run/Walk took home 10 pounds of lobsters.

The weekend closed out Sunday with the crowd-favorite Cardboard Boat Challenge.

Lobster boats from around the Midcoast competed for bragging rights August 9 in the Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races, held in Pemaquid Harbor and John’s Bay in Lincoln County.

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