Yarmouth Seafest to be held in July
Committee to add new attractions to complement traditional favourites
Plans continue to take shape for the 42nd Yarmouth Seafest this summer.
The festival will be held July 15 to 19, in connection with the Roaring 20s Antique Auto Club car show on July 17 and 18.
Dave Warner, Seafest interim president, says most of the regular Seafest events will be held, but the committee would also like to create some new attractions.
“We haven’t decided what those will be yet,” he said. “But we’ll identify some exciting new things that will re-invigorate the event, which is what’s needed.”
Applications to government agencies are in place and a theme will be chosen for 2020 Seafest from a handful of suggestions.
Warner will remain interim president until the new president, Darryl LeBlanc, branch manager for the Yarmouth Coastal Financial Credit Union, steps into the position as the event draws closer.
A few new people have contacted the committee to offer their time and talents. One is working on a plan for volunteer recruitment. An open house will be held in late February, inviting people to get involved and talk about opportunities.
Warner says last year’s parade, with 15 entries (most of them fire department entries), was organized with very little notice by a volunteer.
“He’s prepared to come back and tackle it in a stronger way,” he says.
This year, one of the parade safety rules specifies that someone walk on either side of every entry.
Ways to increase participation in the Parade of Lights will be discussed in upcoming meetings.
Some of the favourite events returning to Seafest include the children’s parade, scavenger hunt, mackerel toss, rum-running competition, bell concert and pub crawl, which Warner says was very successful the last few years.
“They had a massive number of people that went on it last year. That event fills in for an age group that didn’t have something of their own,” he says.
Former Seafest president David Outhouse will be in charge of this year’s pub crawl.
Warner was Seafest president from 1987 to 2002.
“I did 15 years of service, but I haven’t stopped. There are still some events I enjoy doing. I’m always an announcer at the rum-running because it’s a challenge to motivate people to get in a dory and row or make fools of themselves and have fun with it. I enjoy that. I also oversee the bell concert,” he says.
The next Seafest committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Rudders. Warner says the theme will be finalized and the schedule will begin to be filled in. The public is welcome to attend.