COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

A Community Festival: What That Really Means

The Maine Lobster Festival is truly a community festival. The Festival would not, and could not, exist without a commitment to giving back to the people of Midcoast Maine. That commitment to our community is why we’re offering FREE ADMISSION this year in honor of our 75th anniversary!

In the mid-1990s, then-Lobster Festival President Ed Kolmosky gathered the set-up crew and quickly realized that the pavement at Harbor Park was in rough condition. Some tent stakes would not hold in the crumbling hard-top.

Kolmosky called the city manager and learned there was no money in the budget for repairs. His typical “can-do” response resulted in getting a local paving crew to the grounds in a less-than-typical time frame. The Lobster Festival took care of the paving for the city property at no cost to taxpayers.

That was not an isolated instance. A few years earlier, the city needed a new ambulance but had no funds to pay for it. You guessed it: The Festival bought a new ambulance for the city.

When a local developer set his sights on the land at the top of the hill above the park, longtime Festival stalwart and retired teacher Mildred Merrill realized the last harbor view on Main Street was threatened. It took several years, but under Mildred’s steadfast leadership, the Festival bought the land and donated it to the city with the understanding that the view would not be blocked.

These are three examples of the Festival’s core mission: giving back. Its strength is in its volunteers.

“This combination is what makes the Maine Lobster Festival unique, and it’s what keeps us going all winter,” said Tim Carroll, past president of the Festival.

Other community contributions and gifts worthy of note have gone to Oceanside High School for a new auditorium curtain, improvements to and furnishings for the teachers lounge, and additional educational support.

The Festival also has supported other projects, including the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, Camden First Aid Association, Freedom Riders, Meals on Wheels, Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry, Teen Center, Rockland Fire Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Knox Interfaith Teen Safe Havens, Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County, Destination Imagination, Rockland District Nursing Association, Literacy Volunteers, Trekkers, Festival of Lights, and Bicycle Coalition of Maine. A portion of the gate admissions is distributed annually for worthwhile recreation projects throughout Knox County. Also essential to the Festival’s mission is ensuring there are enough funds to open the next year’s festival.

The Festival is proud to be able to bring a boost to our local economy by bringing in thousands of visitors every year to our beautiful area.

Thank you for supporting the Maine Lobster Festival as it supports the Midcoast Maine community.