ROCKLAND  - The theme of the 2026 Maine Lobster Festival Parade "Rise and Renewal" is a tribute to a 2019 book, with the same title, written by parade Grand Marshal John Bird, a local historian. According to the Lobster Festival’s webpage, “this theme will celebrate both Bird’s 500-word tome and the history of our community in the wake of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”

Following tradition, the parade participants gathered Saturday morning at Oceanside High School, on Broadway, and strolled down North Main Street and up downtown Main Street the wrong way before ending at Pleasant Street.

With a parade so big to launch, there was a delay with the 10 a.m. start time. But this gave spectators more opportunities to grab some breakfast beverages and nibbles from Rockland businesses open before the parade, young spectators to play on Main Street, vendors to sell their souvenirs from their portable carts, late arrivers to claim a viewing spot, and interesting crowd watching to take place.

The biography of Grand Marshall John Bird is shared on the Lobster Festival’s website:

“He grew up in Rockland, graduated from Rockland High School on Lincoln Street in the 1950s, and met his wife, Mary Alice, while working at the Samoset. After a 30-year career in education at schools around the country, John and Mary Alice returned to the Midcoast.”

“Since then, they have been very active members of the community. Bird worked for years keeping the health care system local and was a major fundraiser for the Rockland Public Library expansion. He has been an active member of many local and regional boards and committees, including the Lincoln Street Center and the Rockland Historical Society. In 2023, John was awarded the Heritage Preservation Award from the Pen Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce.”

Besides the grand marshal, the following 2026 Lobster Festival Delegates also participated in the parade and their brief bios are shared on the festival’s website:  

"Lindsey Clifford was named the 2026 Delegate to represent the Festival for the upcoming year. She is a 2025 graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School and is studying acting at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her family has deep ties to Maine’s lobstering industry through her grandfather, who has lobstered in Boothbay Harbor for 70 years, and her family’s business, Claws. Lindsey also runs a business selling painted lobster buoys."

"Kylli Gronros was named the Second Delegate. She lives in Rockport and will be entering her senior year at Camden Hills Regional High School. She is active in honors choirs and band ensembles, where she plays trumpet. Kylli has worked at her family’s business, Graffam Brothers Seafood Market, and is completing a hospitality-focused internship at the Samoset Resort. She hopes to travel the world and connect with different cultures."

"Madeline Whytock of Rockland was named Miss Congeniality. She is a Rockland native and 2022 graduate of Oceanside High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Husson University in 2025 and now serves as an Emergency Department nurse at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital. Madeline is passionate about service, grateful for the community that shaped her, and proud to represent Rockland."

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com