Border towns plan events for festival

CALAIS — “Two Nations — One Heart” will be the parade theme at the 17th annual International Festival to be held Saturday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Aug. 12.

The festival committee has released the schedule for the weeklong event that celebrates the international cooperation between Calais and its neighbor St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Events scheduled include:

Saturday, Aug. 4: The covered-bridge crafts fair will begin at 10 a.m. (ADT) at the St. Stephen Legion. The youth soccer international tournament will begin at 10 a.m. (ADT) at the McGeachy Field in St. Stephen. A dance at 9 p.m. (ADT) at the St. Stephen Curling Club will have music provided by Nightmoves. A Dave Mallett concert will begin at 8 p.m. (ADT) at St. Stephen High School.

Sunday, Aug. 5: The radio-controlled model airplane fly-in will begin at 8 A.M. (ADT), with demonstrations and competitions. “Hands Across the Border,” the official opening ceremonies for the festival, will be held on the Ferry Point Bridge beginning at 8:30 a.m. (EDT). A family fun day at Pike’s Park in Calais will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT). The Calais Lions Club will hold a cookout at Pike’s Park, and the Speedy Propane barbecue will be held at the St. Stephen Waterfront beginning at noon. A community hymn sing will be held at 7 p.m. (ADT) at the St. Stephen waterfront.

Monday, Aug. 6: The Moosehead Open Golf Tournament will be held at 8 a.m. (EDT) at the St. Croix Country Club in Calais. The Pee Wee International Pageant will be held at 1 p.m. (EDT) at the Calais Middle School. The contest is open to children 6 and younger. A street dance will be held at 8 p.m. (EDT) behind Calais Federal Savings Bank on Main Street, and a waterfront street dance with music by Zerostat Sound will be held at St. Stephen.

Tuesday, Aug. 7: At 5 p.m. (EDT), the Miss Pre-teen International Pageant for girls 10 to 12, and the Miss Teen International Pageant for girls 13 to 16 will be held at the Calais Middle School. At 7 p.m. (ADT), gospel music on the waterfront will be held on the St. Stephen waterfront.

Wednesday, Aug. 8: At 7 p.m. (ADT), the Little Miss International Pageant competition, for girls 7 to 9, will be held at the Sara McCaffrey Parish Centre at St. Stephen. “Summersong ’90” will be held at the St. Stephen Middle School beginning at 8 p.m. (ADT)

Thursday, Aug. 9: The Miss International Pageant luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). The First Congregational Church in Calais

will hold a public supper at 5 p.m. (EDT), and a children’s peanut fair will be held at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) at the Calais Park. At 6 p.m.(EDT), there will be a concert in the Calais Park. The concert, sponsored by the Calais Chamber of Commerce will feature the music of Shades of Harmony. The Miss International Pageant begins at 8 p.m. (ADT) at the St. Stephen Middle School.

Friday, Aug. 10: Radio station WQDY will hold a live remote broadcast from Main Street beginning at 11 a.m. (EDT). A doll carriage and bicycle parade, for youngsters 2 to 12 will begin at 1 p.m. (ADT) at St. Stephen High School. The third annual Mountain Dew Open Men’s Slow-Pitch Softball Tournament will be held at 6 p.m. (EDT) at the Thomas DiCenzo Athletic Complex on Calais Avenue, and the Festival Fast-ball Tournament will be held at 7 p.m. (ADT) at the McGeachy Field in St. Stephen.

Saturday, Aug. 11: An entire day of festivities is planned with the highlight of the day, the International Festival Parade, slated to start at the St. Stephen High School at 10 a.m. (EDT). Earlier that day, the Kiwanis Foodfest will begin at 8 a.m. (ADT) on Milltown Boulevard in St. Stephen. The Calais Street Fair will open at 6 a.m. (EDT) on Main Street in Calais. At 9 a.m. (EDT), a five-mile road race will begin at Calais Park. The event is sponsored by Johnson’s True Value Hardware and organized by the Calais Recreation Department.

The other events on Saturday will be: a fast-ball tournament at 10 a.m. at McGeachy Field; a Calais craft fair in the Main Street Park at 9 a.m (EDT); the St. Croix Yacht Club sail-past at 2 p.m. (ADT); the Arenafest with music by Crossroads, at 7:30 p.m. (ADT), at the Border Area Arena in St. Stephen; a beer garden with live entertainment beginning at noon in Hog Alley Park, Calais; a men’s slow-pitch softball tournament at 8 a.m. (EDT), at the Thomas DiCenzo Athletic Complex on Calais Avenue; a chicken and biscuit luncheon at 10 a.m. (EDT), at the Senior Citizens Hall in Calais; a used-book sale and more, all day at the Calais Free Library; a gurney race between the Charlotte County and Calais Regional hospitals, time to be announced; a Calais Lions Club Auction on Main Street in Calais after the parade; the Calais United Methodist Church will hold a public supper at 5 p.m. (EDT); and the International “Taste-ival” Tent will be open at noon in Memorial Park in Calais.

Sunday, Aug. 12: the Calais craft fair opens at 9 a.m. (EDT) at the Main Street Park; the International Basketball Game between Calais and St. Stephen high school alumni will be held at 2 p.m. (EDT) at the Calais Middle School; the International Soap Box Derby for youngsters 8 to 13 who have a regulation derby car will be held at 1 p.m. (ADT) on Hawthorne Street Hill; the Kids’ Dog Show will be held at 3 p.m. (ADT) at the Milltown Memorial Park; an ecumenical memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. (ADT) at the St. Stephen Rural Cemetery; the festival fast-ball tournament finals will be held at 10 a.m. (ADT) at McGeachy Field; the slow-pitch tournament finals will be held at 8 a.m. (EDT) at the Thomas DiCenzo Athletic Complex on Calais Avenue; the Great International Rubber Duck Race will be held at 5:45 p.m. (EDT), on the St. Croix River between the two international bridges; the Festival of Praise will be held at 7:30 p.m. (ADT) on the St. Stephen Waterfront; and there will be fireworks at dusk on the waterfront.

Brochures with complete information about festival events are available from area merchants on both sides of the border.