FOOD NEWS
The Maine Lobster Festival Has Been Around Longer Than You'd Imagine
BY KYLE GRACE MILLS
Rockland, Maine has a population of around 7,000 for most of the year, but the town welcomes 70,000 visitors to their annual Maine Lobster Festival, which is second to none.
At the five-day festival, over 100 vendors offer Maine lobster, seafood, handmade crafts, and souvenirs. There are parades, cook-offs, and races to keep the visitors busy.
First organized in 1947, the festival is entering its 76th year, an impressive milestone. It began as an event to support Maine fishing communities and the local tourism industry.
Festival president Celia Knight said, “[the festival] got started [because] the community wanted a way to gather everybody together, and there was a surplus of lobsters back then.”
Since the 1990s, the Maine Lobster Festival funds have been donated to state communities, helping to fund scholarships, ambulance services, food pantries, and more.
The festival's organization is a non-profit, relying on nearly 1,300 volunteers. If you'd like to get a taste of this lobster-palooza, head to Rockland from August 2nd to the 6th.