The 13th Annual Marine Heritage Festival is set to go this weekend in Southampton.
Co-Chair of the event Deb Kaufman says the festivities by the Marine Heritage Society will start on Friday with an artisan market at the Southampton Coliseum, which will see about 60 vendors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event will then move to the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre for a bike festival around Fairy Lake that afternoon starting at 4:30 p.m. for registrations.
During this time, the museum will be offering free admission for families to view the exhibits as well as a ghost walk at 8 p.m..
Then on Saturday, Kaufman says people can attend the Pioneer Park area in Southampton for various activities taking place over the Saturday and Sunday.
The day will start with a pancake breakfast at the Southampton Rotary at 8 a.m.
“We have lots of food available, have a children’s gold hunt, we have Captain Wayne Sparrow’s cardboard boat race, we have fun in the park going on for kids as well, lots of family activities, then we have a fish fry in the evening, and new this year we are also going to have an evening of entertainment,” says Kaufman.
She says the festivities will continue on Sunday morning with an Ecumenical Service by the waterfront. This will be followed by live music starting at noon which will be accompanied by a beer garden and food.
The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks will also be present for fun activities with children, including a shootoff.
There will also be several prizes up for grabs.
New to this year, Kaufman says as they have experienced issues with parking, they are offering a free shuttle service and a bike valet.
“People can park their cars and hop onto the shuttle bus and get dropped off fairly close to where the events are going on,” says Kaufman.
She says the society hosts this event to bring awareness to the marine history in the region.
“We want to celebrate all of the great endeavours that we do as a group,” says Kaufman. “There is about 150 of us involved as volunteers for the marine heritage and we do various things to support the community. This is a fun free family event.”
More details about the event this weekend can be found on the Marine Heritage Society website here.
