BELFAST — The fifth annual Belfast Street Party drew hundreds to Main Street Monday night, Aug. 5. The event, which offered free admission and a wide array of activities and events – ranging from music to rides on a mechanical moose or polar bear – had something for everyone. Running from 5 – 11 p.m., Main Street from the traffic light to MacLeod Furniture was blocked off to provide ample room for all of the attractions.

The Street Party was sponsored by the City of Belfast, Camden National Bank and Front Street Shipyard and donations were accepted throughout the evening. A stage sat at the center of the festivities, where a number of musicians entertained the crowd for the duration of the party. The acts included Breakers Jazz, the University of Maine at Machias Ukulele Club, and Don Nickerson and Country Mist. After Nickerson left the stage there was a brief break for a Soul Train routine, choreographed and led by Courtney Porter, in which members of the crowd were invited to join in and break out their best moves. The last musical act of the night was reggae-band CatchaVibe.

Music wasn’t all the night offered though, there were free rides on mechanical animals – run by Cherri and Bob Meyer, who said the venture began after retiring from the restaurant industry. “I got an idea for a mechanism that would allow a leg to move, and it just snowballed from there,” Meyer said. While it was only Lucy the polar bear and Mr. Moose appearing at this year’s party, Bob and Cherri also have an elephant, panda, tiger, lion and reindeer – all of which they made themselves.

Other booths included offers of caricatures, face painting-which was provided free by Helping Hands Family School, balloon animals crafted by Kyle and Matthew Edgerly and a handful of bounce houses, sponsored by Rollies Bar and Grill. For those with a more adventurous spirit there was a 24-foot climbing wall and mechanical bull available.

While it was easy to get lost in the sea of people – some of which came from a cruise ship that landed in Belfast Harbor that evening, the joy of the evening could be found on every single face.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com