International Homecoming Festival 2009 Parade Calais/St.Stephen. This year included things for the bi-centennial of Calais – 200th Birthday. There was lots of great events and here is some highlights from the parade.
This is the video clip of the Antique, Classic cars in the parade from St. Stephen and Calais Maine. St. Croix Valley International Antique & Classic Car Show
Farmer’s Market held on the square at the main intersection in downtown Calais every Tuesday during the summer.
Arrival of the Sylvina W. Beal, on the Friday, July 31, the anniversary of the day Calais became a town. The Sylvina is believed to be the first time in more than 150 years that passengers have arrived in Calais by boat. The Sylvina is also the first schooner to visit Calais via the St. Croix in 80 years.
A group from the Bicentennial Committee who were waiting the greet the Sylvina, dressed in period costumes.
The Sylvina Beal is scheduled to arrive around 8am on Friday. It will make the first time in fifty years that a schooner has sailed up the St. Croix River to Calais, and 150 years since a ship arrived bearing passengers. The schooner will be docked behind the Calais Free Library all day Friday for viewing and will set sail for a return voyage downriver to her home port at Eastport just before sunset.
The new Veteran’s Memorial at Memorial Park will be dedicated as part of the ceremonies on Friday. Bricks engraved with the names of friends and loved ones who have served our country can be purchased. Contact Calais City Hall for details.
Don’t wash your cars! We need all the sunshine we can find this week to celebrate the 200th birthday of the City of Calais.
Four early Maine films will be shown at the Holmestead, 527 Main St. on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m., as a special feature of the Calais Bicentennial. To be shown are: a 1906 film about logging, a 1920 film about potato harvesting, a 1940 film about ice harvesting, and a 1930 film about granite quarry work. This program is presented by the St. Croix River Valley Film Society. There is no admission charge. Donation suggested.
Calais Bicentennial Celebration offers two trips along the St. Croix River and across the Passamaquoddy Bay on a historic sailing vessel. Sunrise Sail” Eastport to Calais and “Sunset Sail” Calais to Eastport
The 84 foot two-masted wooden schooner Sylvina Beal, built in 1911, will board up to 48 passengers in Eastport very early on Friday morning, July 31 and is scheduled to leave the dock at 5:00 AM and sail with the incoming tide and the sun rising across Passamaquoddy Bay and up the scenic St. Croix River all the way to Calais. There will be one stop at Robbinston Landing allowing some passengers to board.
The departure from Robbinston is scheduled for 6:30 AM, the vessel will pass St. Croix Island about 7:00 AM. Arrival Time in Calais at the Town Dock will be at about 8:00 AM. This “Sunrise Sail“ should be a spectacular nature adventure as well as an opportunity to step back into history and to experience a different way to travel, the way people and goods got to Calais before there were roads or highways.
The “Sunset Sail” will board passengers in Calais and the Sylvina Beal will leave the Town Dock at 7:00 PM and sail with the beginning of the ebb tide down the St. Croix River back to Eastport. Again only 48 passengers will have a chance to enjoy our beautiful river and the coastline of the bay in the horizontal light of the setting sun at the end of a long summer day. Some form of narration and live entertainment is planned to point out the historic significance of this once so vital waterway, which has seen canoes and rafts in the early times long before the European discoverers arrived. Soon after the potential of this navigable waterway became known many sloops, schooners and larger sailing ships started to bring settlers and supplies and soon sawmills produced enough lumber to turn a little town into an important lumber port, ship building town and a thriving commercial center. Those days are gone, but the river is still here.
The City of Calais will provide free bus service for all passengers who need transportation to return to the point of departure and for those who need to retrieve their car. The bus will leave from Calais City Hall at 10:00 AM for Eastport and at 10:30 PM from Eastport City Pier for Calais.
Tickets are $ 40,00 per person at the dock. $ 35.00 advance sale tickets are available at the Calais Bookshop, 405 Main St. Calais 454 1110 and at the Eastport Windjammers office 104 Water St. Eastport. 853 2500
In case of cancellation because of weather conditions tickets will be refunded.
For information call Alex Markhoff 454-8281 or Fred Becker 454-3695
One word of advice for all passengers, to be comfortable, bring a jacket or sweater, the temperature on the water can be much cooler than on land.
If you can’t be a passenger this time, you might want to join us down at the City Dock to welcome the arrival of the schooner Sylvina Beal.
The concert band from Calais High School is inviting any interested Calais alumni or residents to join them during the July 31 Bicentennial at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Teacher Alison Brennan will send the music for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Armed Forces Medley,” “This is My Country” and “God Bless America” to any interested musician. Interested musicians are asked to practice and attend a rehearsal at 6 PM July 30th and then take part in the ceremony the next day. Dress for the event is navy-blue short-sleeved shirt or T-shirt and nice blue jeans. Musicians will need their own instrument and lyre. Musicians who don’t have lyres may purchase one from Brennan. The band has 48 members in grades 7 through 12. For information, call Brennan at 454-2591 or in the evening at 454-8822.
The costume committe now has a display set up in the foyer of the Downeast Heritage Museum Building, Drop in to the Tourist Information Centre to review our display.
Included are reproductions of ensembles from the 1800’s along with some original pieces. Also display of Native hand made baskets and some jewlery and lace worn in days gone by. Additional items are most welcome.
The Quilt for the Calais Bicentennial Quilt Raffle is now being shown at the Calais Savings Bank on Main Street in Calais, Maine. Raffle tickets may be purchased at the bank or by contacting any member of the Bicentennial committee.
Also, The Calais Free Library Art Gallery is having a very special historical show during the month of May. The Art Gallery is open: Mon. & Tues.: 12 (noon) – 8 P.M.,
Wed.: 9 AM -5 PM, and Thurs. & Fri.: 9 AM – 6 PM
Read more details on the Calais Bicentennial Quilt Raffle.
The costume sewing parties have been great fun. We expect to have a small display early in May. The location will be in the DownEast Heritage Building next to the Maine Tourist Information. We will not be scheduling future parties unless you have a special request. Please contact Joan Perry @ 457-5447 if you are in need of a place to cut out your costume or do your sewing. Thankyou to all who participated and we look forward to seeing everyone in costume during the Bicenntenial Events.
