THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 1, 1995 TAG: 9505270161
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
With attendance predicted at 250,000, 125-foot-tall masts waving along the sky line and nearly 100 non-stop events, it is safe to say that Harborfest 1995 will be Norfolk's most conspicuous party.
When the 100 ships and boats in the annual Parade of Sail arrive in downtown Norfolk at noon Friday, the three-day waterfront frenzy will have officially begun.
To say that the gala seems to get bigger every year is an understatement considering that eight kegs of beer were sold at the first Harborfest, compared to nearly 1,000 last year.
Like past Harborfests there will be all the traditional activities: an army of food and beverage vendors, the air show, U.S. Navy Seal team demonstrations, Coast Guard air/ sea rescue displays, Saturday night fireworks, kid's activities, and a gamut of nearly continuous live music. National acts the Guess Who, the Platters, Toby Keith, and the Drifters are among the musical highlights.
This year the festival will focus more than ever on the waterfront, offering coinciding events with Nauticus, the Spirit of Norfolk, Waterside and the Seawall Festival in Portsmouth.
``The cooperation is in the spirit of regionalism,'' said Don Walker, festival manager.
New for this year is Mariners Row by Nauticus. The lineup will feature exhibits by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the Mariner's Museum, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other nautical groups.
Physical changes include the moving of the Budweiser stage from the Town Point garage to a site just west of Waterside. The business of Harborfest also is new for this year. Norfolk Harborfest, Inc., is putting on the show. In the past, Festevents had run the operation. A separate company was needed to manage the growing scope of Harborfest, Walker said. ILLUSTRATION: HARBORFEST HIGHLIGHTS
[For a copy of the schedule of events, see microfilm for this
date.]
by CNB