March 28, 2024
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Ring it in Fun for the whole family at Belfast’s 10th annual By The Bay event

If you think the only way to mark the new year is by raising a drink amid loud revelry at a bar or party, you’ve never experienced Belfast’s New Year’s By The Bay.

The family-friendly, chemical-free event, which this year marks its 10th anniversary, offers a range of moods and modes, from the quiet contemplation of a traditional folk singer’s performance to the jumpin’ jive of a 1940s-style dance band.

And lots more: bluegrass, reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, brass band, traditional fiddling, blues, show tunes, poetry, storytelling and barbershop singing.

While other festivals and events have come and gone, New Year’s By The Bay has survived and remained true to its mission, executive director Mary Mortier said Wednesday, offering a range of culture at prices affordable for most families.

The atmosphere on the streets and in the performance venues of this pretty Penobscot Bay city’s red-brick downtown is magical: A horse-drawn carriage makes the rounds, while clusters of families, young adults and old-timers wander street to street, usually with grins on their faces, exclaiming the virtues of the performance they’ve just left, eager to see what’s next on the circuit.

The celebration comes to a warm and friendly crescendo at midnight, as hundreds gather around a waterfront bonfire.

And this year, for the first time, a ragtag percussion group calling itself the Belfast Drum & Rabble Marching Society will lead anyone who can bang on a bucket, pot or pan from the heart of the downtown to the bonfire.

In the midst of making last-minute schedule adjustments, Mortier reflected on the success of the event.

“Jennifer Hill was the passion that got the event created and born,” she said. “She pulled together some good people who believed and got on board.”

Hill had attended Portland’s First Night with her husband and preteen daughter and her daughter’s friend, Mortier said, and was impressed with the event. Why not in Belfast, she asked in letters to the editor.

The first event came off well, but weather was a factor.

“The first two years were so cold – just unbelievably cold, and that’s what people remember,” Mortier said. In the third year, she began to get involved in running the event, and became executive director in year six.

Mortier deflected credit for keeping the celebration vibrant.

“The community group that created the event created a firm foundation,” she said, establishing a nonprofit organization, bylaws, and subcommittees with specific charges.

But Mortier has been the heart and soul, putting in countless hours and working quietly behind the scenes to urge cooperation, generosity and commitment on the part of performers, businesses and city officials.

“The biggest rough spot was the year we had ice,” she recalled. Though downtown streets and sidewalks were passable, ice accumulated on cars and driveways a few miles inland, causing many to stay home.

“Our revenues were way off,” Mortier said. In January, she had to go, hat in hand, to seek donations to keep the event solvent. It also happened to be the year that credit card lender MBNA eliminated its annual $5,000 donation.

“That was the low of the low,” she said.

A high point had come the year before, when the Bangor Daily News featured a color photo of Maine folk singer David Mallett, one of the performers. The coverage drew people from the Bangor area, she recalled, who had never before attended.

But there was a downside, as well, as people were turned away from Mallett’s 10 p.m. performance.

Despite the financial ups and downs, admission has been maintained at an affordable scale, with student (K-12) buttons remaining at $5, and adult prices increasing from $10 to $15. Children under 5 are admitted free. Wearing a button gives admission to all events.

Mortier credits a careful and comprehensive survey each year with keeping the offerings fresh and popular.

“We read every survey,” she said, and learn to book popular acts early for the next year. Even so, performers typically have a three-year run and then are removed from the bill, so as many as 40 percent of performers are new each year.

A notable exception was American Indian flutist Hawk Henries, whose meditative music cast a contemplative mood for hushed audiences. Each year, he earned top ratings from audiences.

But this year, Boston’s First Night lured him away.

“They pay big bucks,” Mortier said.

Some years saw a fireworks display at midnight, but the hefty expense forced organizers to go with the bonfire instead.

“Mike [Hurley, the city’s mayor] came up with the idea,” she said, and it has been a winner, encouraging neighbors and friends to rub shoulders with one another and with newcomers. The nearby Weathervane restaurant provides free hot chocolate.

“Each year, the crowd is bigger,” she said.

Mortier offers these entertainment suggestions: Ameranouche!!! a “gypsy jazz,” Latin and bebop group in the tradition of legendary Django Reinhardt, and Three Button Deluxe, a “jumpin’ jive” swing band, complete with zoot suits and vintage instruments, performing at Waterfall Arts center (the former Anderson School) on High Street with room for dancing.

Admission buttons can be purchased in advance in Belfast at: All About Games, Belfast Co-op, Fertile Mind Bookshop, Belfast Harbour Inn, Comfort Inn Ocean’s Edge, Remarkable Realty, Mr. Paperback, Hannaford (at the service desk) and Union Trust Co. (and at its Ellsworth, Camden and Rockland branches).


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