Head to Rockport Harbor, Sunday, Aug. 9 for an afternoon of live music, cardboard boat races and picnicking, as the community celebrates summer in low-key style. The grills will be hot if you want to take your own picnics, and students involved with the 2016 Camden-Rockport Middle School Japanese exchange will be selling food to raise funds for their trip.

Monarck Lisa, a multi-piece Portland-based band, will be playing their own arrangements during the afternoon, as paddle boarders with the annual Lobster SUP Cup competition return from their three-mile race on Penobscot Bay. 

Hang out on, or by the water, and play games, and participate in the first annual Rockport Cardboard Regatta, a build your own cardboard boat race starting at 1 p.m., from Goodie’s Beach (next to the harbor master’s building).

Any participants or spectators of last winter’s infamous cardboard sled race will be familiar with this racing format; however, this time, snow-covered Ragged Mountain will be replaced by picturesque Rockport Harbor.

For information about boat construction and participant rules stop by the Rockport Harbor Master’s office, see attached PDF, or see below.

Celebrate Rockport, get moving is the community's nod towards its 125th birthday, which officially takes place next winter. In 1891, the Rockport side of Camden (then one town) was split from Camden proper by the Maine Legislature, and became its own municipal entity.

There's a lot of history there, but we can talk about that over the next six months. First, we celebrate summer!

In addition to a cardboard boat race, there will be long games on the grass at Marine Park, a boat parade, fun with Crossfit (a few burpees never hurt anybody, so check out the Crossfit workout of the day).

Donations to help purchase an outdoor move screen for the harbor, and to help defray Rockport's birthday celebration costs, will be gladly accepted.

Monarck Lisa hails from the West Bayside neighborhood of Portland, and recently released their first album, Dusty Diamond. This summer, Monarck Lisa built a "traveling stage," that can be moved anywhere from parking lots to parks to grassy fields in an attempt to creatively share their music with different locations and people, including Rockport Harbor.

The female fronted group is led by its singer, composer and arranger, Deirdre Paul (DD Sweet), who is backed by a full band and horn section. Their sound carries elements of electronica with a heavy emphasis on rhythm and percussion, strong vocal harmonies and intricate horn lines. Combining pop with soul and funk, the music is designed to entertain on many levels.

Aug. 9, noon till dusk, Marine Park, Get moving, Celebrate Rockport. See you at the harbor!

Rockport Cardboard Regatta Rules

Come one, come all to the first annual Rockport Cardboard Regatta! Put your engineering, building, and seamanship skills to the test on Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. in Rockport Harbor. Each team will construct a cardboard boat to race through a course set up by the harbor master. Participants of all ages are encouraged to enter.

Construction Materials and Rules

The structure of the boat must be constructed from cardboard.

Pre-treated cardboard such as waxed cardboard is allowed.

Boat shall only be held together with tape.

Each boat is permitted one paddle per crewmember

No wood, plastic, rubber, inflatable devices, Styrofoam, fiberglass, or plastic.

No caulking compounds, two-part/mixed adhesives, glues, epoxy mixtures, or coatings.

No electrical, gasoline, benzene, propane or other chemical or electrical propulsion systems are permitted.

The crew compartment cannot be fully enclosed so as to prevent easy escape.

Each boat must have a floatation device attached to it. The floatation device must remain in the boat while racing, and can in no way aid in vessel floatation. The purpose of this floatation device is to easily locate and retrieve sunken boats.

Participant Rules

Every crewmember must wear a personal floatation device (PFD).

Every crewmember must fill out appropriate paper work prior to racing.

During competition, crew must be in the boat, not towing it, pushing it, or anything else weird.

No pets on the boats.

Awards

1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd place finish.

Best boat design.

The Titanic Award- given to the boat that sinks in the most spectacular fashion.