By Will Grunewald
From our August 2022 issue
$0
Cost of admission to this year’s festival, covering access to live music, family activities, and art displays. The last time the festival took place, in 2019, admission ranged from free to $8, depending on the day.
1947
The year of the first Maine Lobster Festival, held not in Rockland but up the road in Camden and Rockport, with a parade and all-you-can-eat lobster for $1. Turns out, people can eat a lot of lobster, pushing that first running into the red. But the festival persisted, and this year marks its 75th anniversary.
88
Age of Ruth Roberts Danzig when she passed away two years ago. She was the first Miss Maine Seafoods (a title since changed to Sea Goddess), crowned at the second annual festival, in 1948. A Rockland High grad, she went on to a career as a weather reporter and advertising model.
2
Extra-large play sets donated by Rockport’s CedarWorks. In the interest of hosting a greener festival, organizers are nixing carny rides in favor of the playsets, a rock-climbing wall, a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce houses, and games.
20,000
Pounds of lobster reserved for the Maine Eating Tent. The festival’s jumbo-size cooker can, at max capacity, churn out a whopping 1,600 pounds of lobster in just 15 minutes. In addition to traditional lobster dinners, other lobster fare includes rolls, mac and cheese, bisque, risotto balls, and wontons.
The Maine Lobster Festival runs August 3–7 in Rockland’s Harbor Park.
