Estimated 120,000 People Attend Seafood Festival

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By Patrick Cronin

Hampton Union, Tuesday, September 13, 2005

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online]

Hampton firefighter Bill Paine ladles out a large helping of clam chowder at this weekend’s Seafood Festival.
[Photo by Jamie Cohen]

HAMPTON -- Plunging 14,000 feet from a plane at more than 100 miles per hour, skydivers had all eyes looking up Sunday afternoon at the 16th annual Seafood Festival.

The demonstration by Skydive New England was the grand finale of the three-day festival, which concluded Sunday night.

Anticipation began to build for the show when Hampton police officers and state employees began to clear a section of the beach, preparing a land site for the skydivers.

Jack Knox, who was performing on the Seashell Stage with his band the Continentals, told the crowd that he would let it know when the show started.

Yvan Houde and his wife Susan, from Palmer, Mass., stroll along Ocean Boulevard with Bob and Diane Cygan of Chicopee, Mass.
[Photo by Jamie Cohen]

Knox recalled that last year he forgot about the show and at one point half of his audience walked away.

"I thought it was me," said Knox.

This year the show opened with two skydivers free falling at about 125 mph, opening their chutes at an altitude of 5,500 feet.

One carried a Canadian flag and the other the American flag as the "Star-Spangled Banner" played in the background.

They were followed by a four-person canopy formation stacking one skydiver on top of another.

8-year-old Kelsey Bode takes a bite out of a cookie ice cream sundae. She was visiting Hampton Beach with her family from Groveland, Mass.
[Photo by Jamie Cohen]

"I don’t know how they can do that," said Mike McHugh, who was one of thousands lined up at the beach watching the show.

Others added their own commentary during the show.

"Oh, God," said another. "He’s coming down too fast. I can’t look."

"He was just showing off," said Stacy Wayland of Braintree, Mass.

She attended the festivities with her 5-year-old son, Jacob.

"He wants to be a skydiver now," said Wayland. "I told him I don’t think so."

The grand finale included 10 skydivers, with two of them using smoke.

After the show, the crowds flocked back to the food tents.

Clam chowder, lobster rolls, shrimp jambalaya and clam fritters were just a few of the most popular food booths.

Non-seafood favorites included sausages, pizza, steak and cheese subs and hot dogs.

"I can’t eat another thing," said Anne Avallon, who attended the festival with her husband, Jeff. "Thank God summer is over because I don’t think I’ll be able to fit into my bathing suit again this year."

La Bec Rouge, Stacey Janes and McGuirk’s Ocean View were just a few of 50 food booths at the festival.

TNT Subs also had a booth at the festival, letting everyone know that its establishment is back open after a fire in the store’s attic on Lafayette Road closed it down for a few days.

Greg MacGlashing, above, of York, Maine, buys a bread bowl filled with chowder.
[Photo by Jamie Cohen]

Owners Ann Marie and Joe Gaudreault were offering seafood pasta and whoopie pie cookies.

Selectman Cliff Pratt had the toughest job at the festival. As chief judge, he had to determine who won best seafood, non-seafood and dessert.

Jason Folly said he comes to the festival each year because of the food. But this year, he said he was most impressed by the entertainment, especially the music group Yarina, composed of four brothers and their father from Ecuador.

The group performed at the festival’s north entrance all three days of the festival.

"They are unbelievable," said Folly. "I actually had to buy their CD."

Chamber of Commerce president Doc Noel said the festival was a success.

He estimated 120,000 people joined in the festivities.

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