[/caption]This morning, we awake to the Maine alarm clock...the sound of lobster boats leaving the harbor at 6 AM for the daily crusteacean harvest. Our exercise for the day is a three hour round trip hike to the opposite side of the harbor. It is a gorgeous day for a hike with sunny skies and a high temperature in the mid-seventies. Without exception, all of the motorists on the island wave to us. A woman in a Volvo station wagon stops to offer us a ride. In the harbor, even the lobstermen take time to wave. Swan Islanders are a friendly bunch.
[caption id="attachment_1092" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Cutter Loose anchored with the Windjammer fleet at Swan's Island"]
[/caption]Three anchored Windjammers surround Cutter Loose when we return from our hike. There is yet another roving afternoon serenade in the harbor. Everyone is eagerly anticipating tonight's concert.
[caption id="attachment_1093" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sweet Chariot Music Festival at the Oddfellow's Club on Swan's Island"]
[/caption]The 7:30 PM performance takes place at the Odd Fellow's Club, a rustic community center located one mile from the harbor. A room with a stage on the third floor of this building seats about 200 people. Everybody seems to know one another. This is clearly the social event of the season...not so much for the lobstermen but primarily for the summer folks.
Swan's Island has hosted the Sweet Chariot Music Festival for 20 years. The musicians arrive here from Ohio, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine. Local residents provide housing and meals for the performers. From outward appearances, many of these musicians and singers probably performed in coffee houses and rock and roll bands in the sixties. But to their credit, they are excellent entertainers. Some of the acts are duets and trios while others involve collaborations of performers. There is a heavy emphasis on folk songs and country music with acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, keyboard and percussion accompaniment...not unlike the type of music performed on the popular public radio show, A Prarie Home Companion hosted by Garrison Keillor. The audience is very enthusiastic and the music continues until 10:45 PM, well worth the price of admission and an unbelievable production given the remote location of this island.
The walk back to the dinghy dock is dark. Cloud cover conceals the moon and stars. It is 11:30 PM when we return by dinghy to Cutter Loose. For a place that lacks the basic amenities of a restaurant or a marina, Swan Islanders sure know how to stage a music festival. It has been an unforgettable evening.
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