History will repeat itself next weekend when a piece of the Revolutionary War sails into Castine and Bucksport.

The Providence, a replica of a U.S. Navy warship, was made famous in Maine during the American Revolution because it figured in the second most costly naval disaster in the history of the United States, according to Dana Mosher, president of the Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commmerce.

Those who are unfamiliar with the ship and its place in history may be in for a surprise when it docks in the Fort Knox Bay on July 29 in honor of the fourth annual Fort Knox Bay Festival.

The 110-foot ship, boasting square sails and a 50-foot bowsprit, was one of five ships commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1776 to fight for the Navy. The Chamber of Commerce has transformed the replica into a functional vessel, complete with working cannons that will be fired in honor of the event.

The ship will sail into Castine on Friday, July 28. Tours will be given from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. At 7:30 a.m. Saturday, July 29, the Providence will make its voyage to Bucksport and a fourth cruise will be offered from 3 to 6 p.m. in Bucksport.

“Historians will be on board and go the same course that the ship took in 1779,” Mosher said. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $30-$40.

But history won’t end after stepping off the ship. The Fort Knox Bay Festival will be in full swing July 28-30, transforming Castine and Bucksport into a hub of activity, with music, games and performers aplenty. Many aspects of the festival will incorporate the living history of Fort Knox.

Food booths and vendors will fill the streets over the course of three days, and the Royal Fencible American Regiment of Foot will don red coats in honor of British ancestors who fought during the Revolutionary War.

The 18-person group will host an encampment at Fort George in Castine and the 20th Maine Regiment Civil War Encampment will re-enact life in the Civil War while camping out in front of Fort Knox. Both groups will demonstrate life in their time periods.

“The whole idea of these people is to bring people back in time,” Mosher said.

In keeping with the theme of living history, a group imitating the Marvelettes will grace the stage in honor of the birth of Motown in the early 1960s.

Those who thought classic hits such as “Please Mr. Postman” were limited to oldies radio will be in for a treat when the trio hits the waterfront stage in Bucksport on July 29.

Music will delve into the past a second time with a performance by a Coasters tribute group, who will play in conjunction with the Marvelettes tribute group on the Bucksport waterfront. The black rhythm-and-blues group famous in the 1950s for the songs “Charlie Brown” and “Yakety Yak” will be imitated by vocal artists.

Other musical performances taking place over the three-day festival include a piano concert by Sheila Converse and Linda Maranis. The duo, which has performed at Carnegie Hall, will play a selection of Brahms and Mozart, among other pieces, at 8 p.m. Friday, July 28, at Delano Auditorium at Maine Maritime Academy. Tickets are available from the Castine Historical Society, or by calling Barry McMennamin at 326-8762.

Circus music will pour through the streets of Bucksport on Friday, July 28, when the Downeast Center Ring Circus Band performs on the waterfront stage.

“The group is a local band of professional musicians who put on musical programs to raise money for high school scholarships,” Mosher said.

Along with circus tunes, the group will play ragtime music, marches and waltzes. Shows taking place on the Bucksport waterfront stage are free, but donations will be accepted.

Daytime activities at the festival will range from petting zoos to Dixieland bands. A Kids’ Center will be set up in Bucksport through the weekend. Kids will have the chance to expend their energy in an inflatable bounce house, on inflatable slides and at a small petting zoo.

“Parents can buy 10 tickets for $1 and have their children play games until they drop from exhaustion,” Mosher said.

A parade titled “Where History Comes Alive,” will weave through Bucksport at 10 a.m. July 29, boasting floats made by local businesses and organizations. Following the parade will be a performance by a Dixieland band.

The Fort Knox Bay festival has a history of bringing in crowds of people; Mosher said last year they estimated 3,000 visitors.

“This year, there’s even more of an emphasis on history and growth. Being the year 2000, we wanted to build on that and bring in other communities,” Mosher said.

The festival, which originated as a celebration of the restoration of Fort Knox, takes a year and approximately 30 volunteers working on various committees to organize. The weekend festival uses about 100 volunteers, Mosher said.

This year, the newest attractions include the Providence, the parade and many of the musical performances.

One of the differences between the Fort Knox Bay Festival and other fairs is the amount of community effort involved, Mosher said. Most of the food and booths are donated, and the events and activities are sponsored by local businesses.

“It’s a regional effort,” Mosher said. “The whole area is not only growing economically, but there’s a huge community spirit out there.”

A goal of the festival is to display the community to visitors who normally wouldn’t visit Bucksport or Castine.

“We want this festival to be family-oriented and build community pride, but we also wanted to showcase this whole area,” Mosher said.

Fourth Annual Fort Knox Bay Festival

July 28

In Castine

2 p.m. Cruise on The Providence

6 p.m. Cruise on The Providence

8 p.m. Duo piano concert, Delano Auditorium

In Bucksport

7 p.m. Downeast Center Ring Circus Band, waterfront stage

July 29

In Castine

7:30 a.m. Cruise on The Providence to Bucksport

10 a.m. Tours of the State of Maine, Maine Maritime Academy’s 500-foot training vessel

In Bucksport

7 a.m. Fun Run registration, Seaboard Federal Credit Union

8 a.m. Fun Run

10 a.m. Festival parade, begins at International Paper parking lot

11 a.m. Antique car display, Main Street

Arrival of The Providence, cannonade salute from Fort Knox

“Bucksport Movie Queen 2000,” silent film

12 p.m. Dixieland Band performance, Main Street

Russian Brass performance, waterfront stage

“Bar Harbor Movie Queen,” silent film

1 p.m. “Lubec Movie Queen,” silent film

2 p.m. Willy Kelly performance, waterfront stage

Signing of “Handy to Home,” by Tom Hennessey, Bookstacks

“Shanghai Noon,” film

Pie Bake-Off contest

3 p.m. Cruise on The Providence

4 p.m. Live jazz on the waterfront stage

6:30 p.m. Performances by the Marvelettes and the Coasters, waterfront stage

9:30 p.m. Fireworks and the lighting of Fort Knox

July 30

Encampment and foo vendors continue