Brewer Days to kick off a day early

BREWER – This weekend’s fifth annual Brewer Days, “A Hometown Celebration,” will kick off a day early to accommodate the schedule of this year’s selected Brewer Citizen of the Year, even though the honoree is unaware of the award.

“There are co-winners for Citizen of the Year, and we found out that one person will not be there this weekend,” Ken Hanscom, director of the Brewer Parks and Recreation Department, which puts on the event, said Monday.

The Citizen of the Year announcement is a surprise, so Hanscom declined to release the name of the honoree, but he invited residents to City Hall at 3 p.m. Thursday for the announcement.

“Brewer Days has become a fun tradition for the city, and we look forward to this year’s program being bigger and better than ever,” City Manager Steve Bost said Tuesday.

A pig roast and barbecue at Doyle Field, hosted by Brewer Youth Hockey, is the official kickoff event for the two-day celebration. The Friday barbecue, which also will include chicken, is scheduled for just before the Homecoming football game against Waterville, which begins at 7 p.m.

Fireworks after the football game will end Friday’s events, and a pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Brewer Kiwanis Club, will start Saturday’s events. Breakfast will be served from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and is $3 for adults and $2 for children under age 12.

Hanscom said he expects the Brewer Fire Department to draw large crowds when firefighters demonstrate how the department’s newest piece of equipment – its hovercraft – works.

“We’re going to put it in the pool so people can watch how it maneuvers and operates,” he said. “Instead of just having it on display, we thought it would be unique putting it in the pool.”

Onlookers will be able to watch the hovercraft from outside of the Brewer municipal pool’s fencing, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, he said.

Rides in the hovercraft will not be given, Hanscom stressed.

Numerous activities have been added to the annual celebration to make the event as fun and family-oriented as possible, Hanscom said.

New to this year’s Brewer Days are an open house at the Brewer Historical Society, 199 Wilson St., and a dog agility course demonstration.

Returning events are the 3K family fun run-walk, the block party, the children’s money grab, and numerous other games and demonstrations as part of the children’s carnival.

The Maine 20th Regiment encampment also is making a return appearance and will be set up for the entire weekend between the auditorium and pool.

The run-walk begins at 8:15 a.m. at the course and ends at the outdoor basketball courts on Parkway South. The registration fee is $5 per person or $15 per family and pre-registration is encouraged, Hanscom said. The first 50 registered will receive a Brewer Days T-shirt.

Most events are being held at the Brewer Auditorium parking lot. In case of inclement weather, events will be moved inside, Hanscom said.

The presentation of the second Citizen of the Year and Brewer Business of the Year will take place at noon Saturday.

“Every event features Brewer,” Hanscom said.

The entire event schedule is available on Brewer’s Web site at www.brewerme.org and in Thursday’s Weekly.