Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2014 Waterfront News MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM NEWS
Maine Maritime Museum offers new trolley tours for 2014 season
BATH – This season, visitors to Maine Mari- time Museum will have new opportunities to explore and experience the state’s renowned shipbuilding heritage through new tours offered in Bath.
The museum has developed two new trolley tours, “The Bath Iron Works Story” and the “Historic Bath Architecture: The City that Ships Built” in response to the BIW decision to suspend the museum’s popular shipyard drive-thru tours because of safety and security concerns during a period of heightened shipyard construction and ship- building activity. “When we fi rst learned of the BIW decision, we went to work on replacement programs immediately,” said Amy Lent, executive director of the museum, “and we quickly concluded that the situation present- ed an opportunity to look at how we were telling the BIW story and fi nd ways to do it better.
“What’s happening at BIW is a critical- ly important story for Maine and the nation and one that should be told,” Lent continues. “So we rallied our staff and volunteers to develop a tour that would tell the story in a more engaging and informative manner. What they’ve come up with is even better than the old tour and tells a more complete story.”
The most critical part of the previous “Behind the Scenes Tour,” has been re- tained, according to the museum’s Director of Public Programs Jason Morin. “Visitors have told us that hearing the story from ‘insiders’ is the most compelling part of the tour, so current and previous employees of BIW will continue to serve as tour guides. Giving visitors the opportunity to meet, listen to and ask questions of actual BIW shipyard workers was at the core of their ex- perience,” he says. “Visitors enjoy it almost as much as the BIW workers enjoy sharing information about their shipyard’s history
and culture.”
The new tour begins with a new intro- ductory video that features employees ex- plaining the building process for the Navy’s most advanced warships beginning with the basic metal cutting and welding, progressing through assembly, launch, outfi tting, sea trails and fi nal sail-away to join the fl eet. Visitors then board the trolley for a rolling tour past the BIW yard and through Bath with key elements related to the shipyard and its history highlighted by their “insid- er” guide. The tour will be offered Monday through Saturday beginning on June 2 and running through October 11. The second new tour, developed with the assistance of Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc., is called, “Historic Bath Architecture: The City than Ships Built,” and focuses on the impact that shipbuilding had on the ar- chitecture and life of the city, which bustled with maritime activity in the 19th 20th
and early centuries.
“The city of Bath has such an interest- ing and important past.” said Lent. “This new tour will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to get a glimpse into the lives of the fascinating individuals who played key roles in the development of our state and our nation, while seeing examples of the outstanding architecture infl uenced by Maine’s global maritime activity.” Tickets for both tours and additional information are available on the museum’s website at
www.MaineMaritimeMuseum. org.
MMM is a Blue Star Museum Maine Maritime Museum is one of 28 museums and historic sites in Maine and more than 2,000 across the U.S. that will of- fer free admission to military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014, as a participant in the Blue Star Museum program in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense.
2013 LOBSTER BOAT RACE CD
This year, museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initia- tive, and include fi ne arts museums, science museums, history museums, nature centers, and children’s museums.
Participating museums in Maine cov- er the state from York to Presque Isle to Rangeley. The complete list of participating museums is available at
www.arts.gov/blue- starmuseums.
“As we kick off our fi fth year of Blue Star Museums, more museums than ever are part of this military appreciation program,” said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigeka- wa. “Together with Blue Star Families and more than 2,000 museums, we are proud to help connect military families with the cultural resources in their communities.” “Blue Star Museums has grown into a
nationally recognized program that service members and their families look forward to each year,” said Blue Star Families Chief Executive Offi cer Kathy Roth-Douquet. “It helps bring our local military and civilian communities together, and offers families fun and enriching activities in their home- towns. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers.”
The program is available to active
duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five immediate family members. Eligible members simply present their current identifi cation cards to receive free admission.
Schooner ADVENTURE at Maritime Gloucester Gloucester’s iconic fi shing schooner
Adventure will partner with Maritime Gloucester starting June 1 when it moves to Maritime Gloucester’s waterfront campus on Harbor Loop.
According to Maritime Gloucester’s Executive director Tom Balf, “The Schoo- ner Adventure will be an important addition to our educational and visitor programs. As a dockside attraction with guided tours, charter and periodic public sails, Adventure will complement educational experiences and the daily public sails now offered by the Schooner Ardelle. Its presence on the Harriet Webster Pier will help further es- tablish Maritime Gloucester as a preeminent maritime destination north of Boston. We know many in the community welcome this partnership.”
Everett James in Essex, MA built Ad-
venture in 1926 to designs by the renowned marine architect Thomas McManus. Ship- wrights are currently working on restoration
Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival August 23-24. Ranging from antique row- ing craft and mahogany runabouts to cabin
About 1,800 photographs from all eleven 2013 lobster boat races. $12.50, which includes postage.
To order send to: Maine Coastal News, P.O. Box 710, Winterport, ME, 04496 or call (207) 223-8846 and charge to your credit card.
KUSTOM STEEL
The fl ash of polished brass and gleam of varnished wood across the water will be the order of the day as more than forty ele- gant antique and classic boats sail into the historic port of Salem, Massachusetts for the 32nd
of the fo’c’sle and galley at the Gloucester Marine Railways, and uprigging should occur in early June at the docks at Maritime Gloucester.
John Fuller, Executive Director of
Gloucester Adventure, Inc. said “docking Adventure at Maritime Gloucester will help us re-launch Adventure into the next leg of her long and storied journey. As an inte- gral part of Maritime Gloucester’s historic waterfront campus, including their highly regarded educational programming, Ad- venture will support Maritime Gloucester’s mission to inspire their visitors and students through hands-on education and experienc- es that can now occur on board the vessel. Our being on the Harriet Webster Pier is a win for Maritime Gloucester, Schooner Adventure, and the City of Gloucester.” Fuller added that The Adventure hopes to revive its popular Sunday pancake break- fast aboard the vessel that once attracted visitors from throughout the region.
Historic Fleet to Grace Port of Salem
cruisers and sailboats of many stripe, these unique vessels will be displayed to the public at Brewer Hawthorne Cove Marina over the weekend. Each vessel has a placard giving her specifi cations, when and where she was built, famous past owners and other histor- ical anecdotes. And one even gets to board some of the boats! Many owners offer a per- sonal tour, regaling visitors with fascinating tales of voyages, how they acquired their boat, and the joys and woes of restoring her. “Although we won’t know which boats are coming until closer to the show, “says Pat Wells, Festival Coordinator,“we have invited the former Presidential Yacht HON- EY FITZ to sail to her namesake waters; the Presidential Yacht SEQUOIA graced the Festival in the past! “The stunningly beauti- ful 70’ 1937 commuter yacht APHRODITE has also been invited as has the 17’ Bindal Faering KAMIN and many to-be-seen ves- sels in between. Pat encourages those with a classic to bring her. To enter your boat, call Pat at 617-666-8530 or email patwells@
earthlink.net. Boats don’t have to be in show condition, she says, “The spirit of the Festival is to gather together the grand old craft and all who love them.”
Looking to have metal work done at a reasonable cost? Welding a specialty!
Also marina slips with lots of parking and storage available. Call: (207) 991-1953
South Main Street, Brewer, Maine 04412
Although the boats are the main attrac- tion, the Festival offers other diversions to take in – a crafts market, nautical exhibits, children’s activities, the Blessing of the Fleet and live music throughout the weekend. The grand fi nale is the Parade of Boats in Salem Harbor, best seen from Derby Wharf a little after 3 PM, Sunday. To get the fl avor of the Festival, readers can check the Festival web site at
boatfestival.org,
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