JACKMAN – No rocks were thrown and no insults were hurled at law enforcement officials as a large group of demonstrators conducted a colorful, theatrical walk around the border crossing and held a 30-minute blockade of Route 201 Saturday to protest the proposed free trade zone of the Americas.

Unlike some of their counterparts who became violent in Quebec City on Friday and Saturday at the Summit of the Americas where trade talks were conducted, the approximately 75 protesters at the border crossing Saturday were courteous. The protesters left Sunday without any incidents.

Somerset County police did investigate a bomb threat called in to the Northland Hotel in Jackman at noon Saturday, but no device was found. Police refused to speculate whether the incident was connected to the protest.

To the beat of drums and the woeful tones of a bagpipe, young and old men and women chanted in unison, “This is what democracy looks like,” as they paraded Saturday by the border crossing. The wary eyes of about 50 stone-faced armed federal authorities, state police and Border Patrol agents watched as they maintained a vigil outside the customs building. Many of the protesters wore masks and waved banners that explained their positions on the proposed free trade zone.

The protesters in Quebec and those who gathered in Jackman on Saturday oppose the summit’s goal or portions of the plan to create a free trade zone among 34 Western Hemisphere nations.

President Bush was among the world leaders who attended the three-day summit that began Friday.

Hundreds of vehicles carrying protesters had been expected to travel Route 201 north through Jackman to use the United States’ closest border crossing to Quebec City. But by Saturday afternoon only about 120 vehicles had crossed the border here for the summit. About a dozen people en route to the summit were denied entry into Canada because of criminal records, according to a spokesman at the Canadian port of entry.

“That’s a far cry from the 1,000 or more they anticipated,” Joe Pelletier, United States port information officer, said Saturday afternoon.

Jackman business owners had been prepared for a large influx of travelers through the region, but the thousands expected never came.

“It’s very slow,” said Marilyn Hegarty, who along with her husband, Jim, owns the Jackman Trading Post. The couple had returned last week from Florida and opened their store earlier than usual to capture the anticipated trade. “We knew it would be just a chance,” she said Sunday.

“We haven’t had any problems here. In fact, they even took up a collection at their headquarters for a scholarship fund for the high school,” said Ray Levesque, owner of Bishop’s Store and Bishop’s Motel.

Cindy Gallant, cook at the Four Seasons Restaurant, said the weekend was a big disappointment. She said extra staff had been retained in anticipation of the influx of protesters, but basically, other than their local customers the only new business came from law enforcement officials.

Because throngs of protesters were expected, security was beefed up at the Jackman crossing in anticipation of trouble, but no violence occurred. “It’s been going great,” Pelletier said.

The state police had been informed a couple of months ago that a protest was planned in Jackman during the height of the Summit of the Americas. That information was relayed by Jim Freeman, a spokesman for the demonstrators, who on Saturday, praised the state police for their cooperation. “We’ve been open and honest with them and they’ve been open and honest with us,” he said, indicating that the cooperation played a key role in the peaceful early afternoon demonstration. “This shows a really cooperative effort,” he said.

Before the demonstration, the protesters gathered at a Department of Transportation weigh station on Route 201. Seated in a circle on the tar under sunny skies, the demonstrators discussed how they felt about the free trade zone and offered opinions on how best to conduct the protest to get their message across to the public. A backdrop of banners criticized corporate America and the exportation of Maine jobs.

“I think we’re all for the free trade but it’s just the terms behind it,” a young woman said. Another participant concurred and said, “This [the protest] is not to stop trade but to regulate it.”

Suggestions were made by some to block the port entry. “If everybody can’t go across then no one should – one or none,” a young man said. He, like many other protesters, wore a yellow band around his elbow as a show of solidarity. The young man and a couple of others said they had been refused entry into Canada to attend the bigger protest.

Still other demonstrators suggested Saturday that blocking the port of entry would not send the desired message.

“I have no intention of getting arrested today,” a man wearing overalls proclaimed. Most were interested in conducting a sit-in at some point in their march along the quarter-mile stretch from the weigh station to the border crossing. This information was delivered by Freeman to Detective Tom Pelletier and Sgt. James Urguhart of the Maine State Police, who were standing nearby the group and who served as the negotiators between law enforcement and the protesters.

Through negotiations, the police agreed to escort the marchers to the border crossing and back and allowed them to stage a 30-minute sit-in on Route 201. Only a few vehicles were delayed during the blockade.

After the march, Jim Freeman said, “We’re here in a peaceful manner and I think we got our message out.”

Another protester, Sean Donahue of Haverhill, Mass., also said the message was heard loud and clear. “I think we sent the message that people are not going to allow our democracy to be taken away by corporations – that we will take nonviolent, direct action to reclaim our democracy,” he said.