By Lynne Hendricks
Staff Writer
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NEWBURYPORT — Let the events begin!
Yankee Homecoming Chairman Don Walters has been planning for this 53rd Annual Yankee Homecoming celebration since last Labor Day, and on the eve of opening day, he and his team of 125 volunteers are rolling out the red carpet and issuing an enthusiastic welcome to all those planning to take part in the weeklong festival.
From today's revived Brew Fest at Waterfront Park to tomorrow's popular Old-Fashioned Sunday events on Bartlet Mall to end-of-week sidewalk sales, Walters wants locals and visitors to know that if they venture downtown, they will find some of the popular outdoor attractions that have stood the test of time and made the eight-day celebration what it is today.
There will be live outdoor concerts overlooking the river and Market Square, and food vendors from the city's finest restaurants, offering an eclectic mix of flavors daily from New England clam chowder bowls to Indian food to good old-fashioned carnival fried dough. The restaurants and ice cream shops will be hopping, the nightlife across the city will be more electric than usual, and each day there will be something interesting going on unique to the festival.
"I think everything is coming together," said Walters, who was out at 5:30 yesterday morning readying the Brew Fest Tent and putting the finishing touches on the bandstand at the Mall.
Back by popular request, the Brew Fest is not really associated with Yankee Homecoming, Walters said, but as it had every year for decades, the beer tent on Waterfront Park is expected to offer something fun for folks to do between 4 and 9 p.m. ahead of tomorrow's kickoff. And it's expected to be a huge hit with residents and visitors alike.
"Our goal is to have 800 people during that five-hour period," Walters said. "We're hoping to get that many."
Walters said organizer Libby McNeill has fashioned an event that starts with guests receiving a 5-ounce commemorative mug at the door, then sampling some of the finest craft brews available across the Northeast. Live music compliments of Ol' Brown Shoe will be a highlight of the soiree.
Tomorrow, those looking for some of the old favorite events for which Old-Fashioned Sunday is known are in luck — the muster hand pump race, canoe tipping contest, the Indian Powwow on the banks of the mall and a festival featuring some of the area's best local art will all be there.
"Opening ceremony is at noon," Walters said.
It will include short remarks by state Sen. Steve Baddour, state Rep. Michael Costello, Mayor Donna Holaday and a handful of other local dignitaries.
Looking over the week's list of events, which will be capped off by the Saturday night fireworks display over the Merrimack River and next Sunday's parade, Walters is predicting a very successful 53rd Yankee Homecoming.
"I'm really excited, and I'm sure everyone who comes to Yankee Homecoming will have a great time," Walters said. "I think it will be a great reflection on what is the best city I can find in all of New England, which I think is Newburyport."
