BELFAST — The Belfast Harbor Fest kicked off Friday night, Aug. 16, at Steamboat Landing and the evening brought food, drinks and music, including Tough Cats, Whale Oil, When Particles Collide and Ghosts of Paul Revere.

The annual event lasted through the weekend, with Saturday including a bug run, regatta, boat building contest, face painting, relay race and multiple musical groups throughout the day. Sunday brought a cardboard-box boat race followed by a Lobster (or Steak) Regalia benefitting Habitat for Humanity.

While Friday brought a rollicking start, the main festivities began with the Come Boating! Regatta, which drew a large crowd to the Boathouse at 10:30 Saturday morning. After more than an hour of races drew to a conclusion, most revelers headed over to the main tent, where the National Boat Building Challenge was well under way. Many stopped in face painting tent, run by the Belfast Area High School in promotion of peer leadership, which was neighbored by another popular destination for the younger revelers: a bounce house.

For those feeling slightly more ambitious Kyle Lane and Doyle Bailey, Boy Scouts from Troop 27, had you covered. Members of the troop, which meets at the Tarratine Club in Belfast, helped curious bystanders make rope, which, according to Scout Leader Bill Leavitt, is a required task to earn a “Pioneering Nerd Badge.” There were also materials for attendees to craft miniature boats, allowing them to then conduct their own mini-regatta. 

Musical groups also performed throughout the day, including the Belfast Bay Fiddlers and cover-band Captain Obvious. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.