Folklore and history celebrated at Maritime Heritage Festival
Sep. 11—NEW LONDON — Mermaids, sea monsters and pirates strolled down Bank Street and the City Pier on Saturday as people in costume celebrated the sea at the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival.
The weekend-long festival, which is led by OpSail Connecticut, Inc., aims to educate visitors about Connecticut's rich maritime history. Vendors, food trucks and partners such as Dime Bank, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and Thames Valley Council for Community Action lined the pier and waterfront downtown.
Eleanor Mariani, chair of the festival committee, said this was her third year helping out with the festival. This year the festival held its inaugural Mermaids and Sea Monsters Parade for people of all ages.
"How can we reach more people?" Mariani said the festival planners asked themselves. "We wanted to bring something more artistic, and maritime history is rich in folklore of the sea."
She said that as late as the 1900s there were reports of sea monsters and mermaids off Stratford in Long Island Sound.
Mariani said volunteers spent the morning providing free face painting and mermaid and pirate costumes. Apart from individuals in costume, some of the organizations that participated in the parade included Girl Scouts, Sky Casper Entertainment, Shoreline Roller Derby, General Dynamics, Eugene O'Neill Theater.
Dressed as a pirate in the parade, Mary Sawyer of Portland said she enjoys taking part in nautical celebrations in the city. She is part of a group called Free Men of the Sea that dresses up for parades and historical events. She said she is drawn to reenactment as a pirate because there were more women and people of color pirates than people think.
"It's fun to spark curiosity and talk to folks," Sawyer said.
Nicole Gallant, a volunteer for the parade, participated dressed as a siren. Gallant, who recently moved to New London from Philadelphia, said it was fun to engage with people.
"Maritime history is important because it includes all walks of life. It's great to have a connection with the past, even with the burning of Arnold," Gallant said, referring to Benedict Arnold, an American military officer who defected to the British side then led troops to burn down the city of New London during the Revolutionary War.
The festival holds a symbolic burning of Arnold near the waterfront in retaliation, and this year marked the return of that practice on Saturday night.
Sheryll Patrao attended the festival for the first time with her husband and three kids visiting from Mystic for the day.
"It's great to gather outside after COVID with the kids and learn about the culture and history here. And we get to see the ships," Patrao said.
Part of the Maritime Heritage Festival honors all those "who work on, under or with the sea in naval, marine and other maritime industries," according to their website. Vessels lined the City Pier and Fort Trumbull for visitors to tour.
At the pier, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offered tours of Ida Lewis, a 175-foot buoy tender. The vessel is named after Ida Lewis, who took over as keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse in Newport Harbor at the age of 16 when her father died. In the 1850s to 1890s, lighthouse keeping was a family affair. She served until her death at 69 and she saved 24 lives during her career.
"We work with the military to thank them for all they do," Mariani said.
