CASTINE — Plans are well underway for a family-friendly cultural celebration that will span five days, July 11-15, as Castine welcomes the replica 18th century historic frigate the Hermione, set to arrive on Bastille Day, July 14.
In anticipation of the arrival of the Hermione, Lafayette’s Frigate of Freedom, the celebration will kick off on July 11 with the official opening of an exhibit educating attendees about the adventures of the replica frigate at the Castine Historical Society, the designated host of the Hermione’s visit. John Wilmerding, author and collector of 19th century American art, will be the guest speaker at the event. Moreover, the Castine Historical Society’s newly restored and renovated Grindle House will be dedicated.
As the weekend unfolds, interactive workshops, storytelling and outdoor film screenings will be held on the Town Common; historical and maritime lectures will be hosted at Maine Maritime Academy; and Revolutionary War re-enactments at Fort George.
The celebration will continue on the waterfront Bastille Day, July 14 and July 15, as a parade of boats accompanies the Hermione along Penobscot Bay and into port. The waterfront festivities will feature many traditional Maine groups — Acadian, English, Franco-American and nautical — music and dance performances, local artists, fireworks, local food, foodways and a marketplace of vendors, including Castine merchants and Maine-made products. Ship deck tours of the Hermione also will be available.
For information, including a list of events, go to castinehistoricalsocietyhermione.org.