EASTPORT, Maine — Throngs of people dressed in boots and bandanas crowded the streets of Eastport Saturday for the second of three days of the Eastport Pirate Festival.
This year’s event, which is entering its 10th year, attracted crowds with attractions such as a parade, bed races, fireworks, kids games, food and music.
Zachary Wentworth, 11, of Calais said the festival was “amazing,” and noted he won the pirate prince contest that had taken place earlier in the day.
Along Water Street, Gail “Rachel Steel” Fearing of Friendship and Fox Buck of Belmont showed attendees a little bit of pirate history.
Their booth included a display of treasures as well as weaponry.
Pirates, Buck said, intended their attacks to slow another ship down, “not to sink it, but to capture it.”
On display were treasures — which included treasure-chest-style boxes, beads and glass bottles and ornaments — and a candle carefully encased inside glass.
“You had to be very careful with fire on a ship of any sort,” Buck said.
A stuffed rat also accented the display. Rats were common and pirates liked to have black cats to control them, she said.
“It was very unlucky to abuse your cat. If you threw your cat overboard, seven years of bad luck,” she said.
Off Water Street, in a small parking lot near the Eastport police station, were several vendors’ tents.
“We’re selling a lot,” said Jean Ambrosio of Long Island, New York, who was offering a variety of pirate-themed T-shirts. “It’s a great crowd. Everybody is really friendly.”
Ambrosio said last year was her first year at the festival. She liked it so much she decided to return.
“I love how the whole town gets involved,” she said.