Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport will hold SardineFest on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free, day-long event celebrates Maine’s sardine industry and the working waterfront communities connected to it.
The day will feature live music, talks, a children’s stage, crafts and games, and a sea life touch tank with Herring Gut Coastal Science Center. Visitors can sample sardines and other offerings, talk with exhibitors, visit the Sardine Craft Exhibition Hall, and meet champion sardine packer Rita Willey. Museum exhibits and demonstrations will be open throughout the day.
Speakers will give talks on the history of running a cannery, the culinary history of sardines, the final days of the industry, its impact on Belfast, and the restoration of “Big Jim,” the 40-foot fisherman statue featured in Sardineland, the museum’s exhibit exploring the people, places, and stories behind Maine’s sardine canning industry.
A full schedule and event details can be found at PenobscotMarineMuseum.org.
