Marblehead to celebrate place in maritime history

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead will celebrate its maritime history this summer in what the Chamber of Commerce hopes will become an annual event.The first Marblehead Maritime Festival, running from Aug. 3-12, will take advantage of the town’s 100th anniversary of Marine Corps aviation, but other events will focus on Jeremiah Lee and the 21 schooners that made him a success, the Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta, maritime exhibits and daily sailing tours of the Lynx, a reproduction of a privateer vessel from the War of 1812.Chamber Executive Director Ann Marie Casey said in a letter that the goal of the event is to showcase Marblehead as a tourist destination and draw a large contingency of marine enthusiasts, families and Marblehead residents.”It will be an amazing 10 days,” Chamber Maritime Committee member Jack Attridge told selectmen last week, promising that the event will celebrate the town’s sea-going past, present and future.The Marine Corps is scheduled to celebrate the anniversary of its aviation program Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3 and 4. A highlight of the week’s events will be a talk on the life and achievements of W. Starling Burgess, the Marbleheader who built the first Marine Corps airplane in Marblehead. Llewellyn Howland III will discuss Burgess’ life at Abbot Hall Friday, Aug. 10 from 4-6 p.m.The Chamber is working with the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society and the Historical Commission to plan events and exhibits.One of Burgess’ maritime creations was a popular small boat design called the Brutal Beast. At one time the Brutal Beast was the boat most Marbleheaders learned to sail on, but few of those boats are left, Attridge said. However, one was located at Redd’s Pond and it will be on display at Abbot Hall during the festival.