Front Street will be buzzing with visitors at the antique car show during Bath Heritage Days on Sunday. The event’s Fourth of July Parade, which ends on Front Street, will be Monday. File photo
Bath Heritage Days, the four-day festival that normally occurs around Independence Day, returns to the downtown this weekend after having been canceled the previous two years due to COVID-19.
Festival organizer and Main Street Bath Director Amanda McDaniel said she expects to see 3,000-5,000 visitors each day of the event.
“We want to show them how charming, welcoming and fun this place is,” said McDaniel.
Celebrations will kick off Friday with the Morse High School Booster Barbecue at Library Park, to help fund the school’s sports programs.
“We love having that be the opening night, making sure the things we do continue to support the community around us,” said McDaniel. Guests can expect to enjoy lawn games, carnival rides, an antique car show, live music and fried dough sold by local vendors, she said.
McDaniel said Bath traditions will be upheld with the yearly fireman’s muster competition. Established July 4, 1849, individuals will compete by using hand-pumped fire engines to see who can shoot the longest stream of water.
“It’s one of the most aggressive, hilarious and exciting things to watch,” said McDaniel.
Over a dozen musical acts performing this year, and for some, that’s a symbol of reemergence from the COVID pandemic.
Ethan Robbins, guitarist for the Boston-based Americana-style band Cold Chocolate, said the pandemic caused emotional and financial hardship, but said is excited to play at Bath Heritage Days.
“Mostly, COVID has just caused shows to be canceled left and right, which has been frustrating both emotionally and financially. But the latter half of this year has been proving to feel more like a ‘normal’ year, which we are excited for and cautiously optimistic,” said Robbins. “We are excited to play Bath Heritage Days. We’ve heard such great things about the event.”
Americana band, Cold Chocolate. (Left-right) Drummer Ariel Bernstein and Guitarist Ethan Robbins. Photo contributed by Ethan Robbins
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on the music community,” said Zak Kendall, guitarist for Maine-based indie-soul-folk band Golden Oak. “If we realized anything through these trying years, it’s that music, and live shows mean more now than they ever have.”
Maine-based band, Golden Oak, from left, Lena Kendall, Jackson Cromwell, Mike Knowles and Zak Kendall. Photo contributed by Zak Kendall
“There is always something so special about playing music in a community that so graciously supports the arts and reflects that through community-building events like the Bath Heritage Festival,” Kendall said.
After three days of music, food and fun, Bath Heritage Days celebrates July 4 with a family fun run, Maine’s largest Independence Day parade, a strawberry shortcake social, live music and fireworks.
The festival runs July 1-4. For more information visit visitbath.com/events/heritage-days or facebook.com/BathHeritageDays.
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