Wedgeport Tuna Tournament & Festival opens Aug. 18
Organizers were expecting 16 fishing boats
From fun runs and herring tosses to paint nights and pageant princesses, a full week of activities is on tap for the 15th Annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament & Festival, being held Aug. 18 to 25 in Lower Wedgeport.
Sixteen vessels are registered to take part in the tournament, matching last year’s record number of participants, which is pretty well the maximum.
“That’s about as much as we can handle with the wharf right now,” said president Raymond Doucette. “We’re pretty well at our limit.”
Doucette said the festival has grown over the years and organizers are expecting a good turn out again this year, if the ticket sales to the dance are any indication. “We sold out in a week,” he said.
Upwards of 200 volunteers give a helping hand during the week-long festival.
“It takes a lot of volunteers,” said festival co-ordinator Chloe Nickerson. “We couldn’t really do it without them.”
Charlene and Chris’ Trivia Night gets the festivities started on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. for those 19 and over in the tent behind the Wedgeport Tuna Museum. There is a limit of eight people per team. Pre-register at the Wedgeport Tuna Museum or call 902-663-2560 to reserve a table.
On Aug. 19, the five- and 10-kilometre Tuna Fun Run starts the day off at 9 a.m., followed by the 600-metre Tiny Tuna Run for children 12 and under at 10 a.m. It’s an Under the Sea Adventure for children ages two to 12 that afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wedgeport Tuna Museum. Under the Seathemed activities, crafts and snacks will be part of the afternoon adventure with the 11 Tuna Pageant prin- cesses. It’s paint night that evening at the Wedgeport Tuna Museum from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and you can pre-register at the Museum or call.
The Opening Ceremony Wine & Cheese at 7 p.m. on Aug. 20 at the Museum will be followed by fireworks (weather permitting) at dusk. It’s time to get fishing on Aug. 21 with the Captains’ Send Off from the Wedgeport Breakwater Wharf at 7 p.m., followed by a herring toss at 7:30 p.m. Pre-registration at the Museum is recommended. A scavenger hunt is on tap for Aug. 22, starting in the tent behind the Museum at 6:30 p.m. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. Teams of two or more, a car and a camera are what’s needed to take part. Preregistration at the Museum is recommended.
Participants will be reeling in the fun in the Junior Fishing Derby on the Wedgeport Breakwater Wharf, starting at 10 a.m. on Aug 23. The derby is free and open to anyone 16 and under. A parent or guardian must be present and a mandatory life-jacket is required. That evening will be the Wedgeport Tuna Tournament Pageant starting at 7 p.m. and crowning of the 2018 Tuna Queen in the tent behind the Museum. It will be a Christmasthemed night featuring live entertainment by Simon, André, André & Shane. Each year the South West Nova Tuna Association allots 3,200 pounds from its commerical fishery quota for bluefin tuna to be caught during the tournament. Therefore what is landed during does not exceed the bluefin commercial fishery quota.
The fun begins again on Aug. 24 with the opening of the Seafood Extravaganza in the festival tent at 4 p.m. Steamed lobsters, clams, rappie pie, lobster rolls, sushi, seafood chowder, bacon-wrapped scallops, tuna steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers are among the items on the menu. The bar and live entertainment by Gerald LeBlanc will add to the celebratory scene as the first of the tuna boats start to arrive, and the weigh-in begins.
The weigh-in continues on Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. A bouncy castle for the kids, food booths and live entertainment in the tent add to the festivities. The closing ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. The dance that evening is already sold out.
There will be a free shuttle service in the Wedgeport area on Aug. 24 and 25, providing transportation to the wharf from a designated parking area.
For more information, call Nickerson at 902-663-2560, email wedgeporttuna@ outlook. com, visit wedgeporttuna.ca or Wedgeport Tuna Tournament & Festival on Facebook.