Tag Archives: Bristol

Olde Bristol Days Returns from Virus Hiatus with the annual Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races

The 2022 festival officially opened Wednesday, Aug. 10 when the Bath Jazz Band played Pemaquid Beach Park. Clayton Bank and the Stoney Coast played The Harbor Room in New Harbor on Thursday, Aug. 11 and the Dukes of Windsor, formally known as the Pete Collins Jazz Band, played the park Friday night, Aug. 12. Saturday featured the Olde Bristol Days parade, kids games, vendors, music acts, food, and more at the beach park. Saturday night concluded with fireworks. On Sunday, Aug. 14, Olde Bristol Days concluded with the annual Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races, contested again off Fort William Henry. Photo gallery >click to read< 08:09

Coronavirus: Elver Season Starts, But Prices Plunge

At 8 a.m., Monday, March 30, about 30 elver fishermen were at the Pemaquid Falls town landing to claim their fishing spots for a shortened season. The elver, or glass eel, season in Maine got off to a late start because of a coronavirus-related delay from March 22 to March 30. Bristol Town Administrator Chris Hall said in a phone interview March 30 that he estimates there were at least 60 fishermen at Pemaquid Falls on opening day last year. The price of elvers has dropped significantly this year, from more than $2,000 per pound in 2019 to $500 per pound, the lowest starting price since 2010. This is down from a price of $2,700-$2,800 at the start of the 2018 season, the highest ever seen in Maine’s elver fishery. photo galley, >click to read< 18:51

New Organizers Carry on Tradition of Bristol Lobster Boat Races

Lobster boats cranked into high gear in Pemaquid Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 13 for the 31st annual Merritt Brackett Lobster Boat Races – a competitive event that is “serious fun,” said co-founder Donald Drisko. New organizers Brent Fogg and Sheila McLain took the helm of the event in 2017, signing on more than 40 sponsors and raising $17,000-$18,000 for cash awards and other prizes, said Laurie Crane, who had coordinated the event for the past 15 years with Drisko. Months of preparation go into the event, which draws dozens of lobster boats into the harbor, Fogg and McLain said. Both said they were happy to take on the work to keep Bristol’s tradition of lobster boat racing alive. click here to read the story, and race results 11:18