PUGWASH – There’s nothing like going home.
Organizers of this year’s Pugwash HarbourFest are urging former residents from far and wide to come home and join in the celebration.
“If you lived and breathed in Pugwash, or anywhere along the Northumberland shore, we’d like to see you come home to HarbourFest,” organizing committee chair Louise Haycocks said. “We know there are people from this area all over the province, the country and beyond and it’s always nice to be able to come home.”
HarbourFest is back to its regular timeslot after moving to early July last year to accommodate the tall ships that were in port during the Gathering of the Clans over the Canada Day holiday weekend.
The festival, which is in its 13th year, will kick off with the first Pugwash Homecoming Meet and Greet on Friday, Aug. 10 at the Northumberland Curling Club and then close with a community pig roast and corn boil on Sunday, Aug. 12 from noon until 2 p.m. at Eaton Park.
“It’s looking like it’s going to be an amazing weekend,” Haycocks said.
Haycocks said many of the popular events surrounding HarbourFest are back this year including the five-kilometre Salt Dash that’s sponsored by Windsor Salt, the recycled regatta and sand castle competition at Dinghy Beach on Saturday, Aug. 11 and the soap box derby on Water Street on the final day of the festival.
Other events include the farmer’s market, a Communities in Bloom treasure hunt, the firefighters Olympics, yoga at Thinkers Lodge, a pancake breakfast at the fire hall on Saturday and a crib tournament at the legion on Sunday.
There’s an antique car show and shine on Saturday, a volleyball tournament on Saturday and Sudnay as well as the lobster trap maze, vendor village, beer tent, art displays, games and more all weekend.
With support from Fox Harb’r Resort, HarbourFest will include an art camp for children beginning Aug. 6 and continuing through Aug. 10.
Monday’s session is for children in Grades Primary to 3 and has a pirate theme, while Tuesday’s is for Grades 3 ad up and has sea creatures and mini-recycled boat races as the theme.
On Wednesday, the theme is fun with water and mini-recycled boat races. Thursday’s theme is beach inspired art with sea glass and drift two. This is for Grades 5 and up.
The Friday theme is beach inspired art buoys and it’s also for Grades 5 and up.
Sessions take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and participants are reminded to wear clothing they don’t mind getting dirty.
There’s no cost and the camp is at Sir Thomas More Church Hall.
To register, go to: https://www.pugwashharbourfest.ca/art-camp-registration
