'OUR FESTIVAL IS FIVE DAYS OF FEASTING AND FUN'
TRIP PLANNER continued ...
Held in Rockland on Maine's mid-coast, it features everything lobster,
including a quaint parade, lobster cooking, eating contests and fun runs.
we would love to see more here, so if you need special accommodations,
There's even the "battle of the claws" where people climb into giant
we'd be happy to arrange that."
lobster suits and "fight" until someone fractures their shell. (Sounds like
something your mom would tell you to not do.) The Maine Sea Goddess
Maine has more than 2,500 lakes, 5,000 streams, 30 state parks and
is also coronated, selected from 18 young women.
more than half a dozen mountain ranges that offer plenty of recreation.
"Of course this is the best festival in the state," says Nancy Jeffers,
"When most people think of Maine, they think of seeing lighthouses and
the volunteer director of the Maine Lobster Festival. "This defines the
having lobster," native Alicia Bagnall says. "But I think when they visit,
mid-coast area. It is the highlight of the summer and of the year."
they are definitely surprised by how much more we have to offer. There is
so much to do — during all four seasons — because we are
The event is held in August, the time of year when lobsters shed their
such an outdoor state."
shells. They go into hiding as a new one grows, re-emerging once their
new shell has hardened enough to protect them. Soft-shell lobsters are
Supplementing Mother Nature's offerings are festivals, from the
less meaty, but the softer shell can be broken open using your hands, and
big multi-day ones, like the North Atlantic Blues Festival, to smaller
the meat is sweeter. Over 20,000 pounds of lobster will be
one-day events, like the Orne's Candy Store International Rock-Skipping
eaten — approximately the size of a semi-truc