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The 2006 Yarmouth Clam Festival is here!
Features New Events and Old Favorites

On July 21, 22 and 23, nearly 120,000 visitors will descend upon this picturesque New England town to enjoy what has become one of Maine's most popular summer events, the Yarmouth Clam Festival. The 41st annual festival will delight audiences with several exciting new events, as well as ever-popular ones, such as the Friday night parade, Saturday night fireworks, the Clam Shucking contest, Firefighters' Muster, performances by noted musicians and entertainers and, of course, lots and lots of clams!
Highlights of this year's Yarmouth Clam Festival include:

"Fantastic Inventions"-The Friday evening parade (60 p.m. on Main Street) should be zanier than ever with local businesses and neighborhood groups creating floats to capture the essence of this year's theme. Other appearances to watch out for include Wally, the Red Sox mascot (weather permitting), as well as a 40-foot sea serpent balloon.

There will be a new evening of fun on Thursday evening, July 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. when It's Clamtastic! debuts. Avid shoppers can get an early start at the Craft Show on the North Yarmouth Academy lawn. Under the tent at NYA, the "epicurious" can sample and judge a variety of clam-based delicacies from area restaurants. The Clam Jam will entertain with performances by several local musicians.

Downeast Duck Adventures-One of Maine's only duck boats will visit the Clam Festival, providing tours on land and on Yarmouth's beautiful Royal River starting Saturday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday, July 22 at 10:00 a.m. Rides cost $15 for adults, $10 for children and $5 for children five and under.

The Yarmouth Historical Society presents an Antique Show and Sale at Railroad Park where people can also explore an antique train caboose and children can play old-fashioned games.

A team from the popular game show JEOPARDY! will be participating in several festival events. On Friday, July 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., under the WMTW tent at NYA, the JEOPARDY! Brain Bus will be on hand and the first 1,000 people to show up will be guaranteed the opportunity to take a 10-question qualifying test and possibly earn an actual contestant audition!* The JEOPARDY! Clue Crew will also participate in "It's Clamtastic!" on Thursday evening at NYA, the Friday evening parade, and Saturday's Celebrity Clam Shucking event.

Art, Photography and Crafts-three shows brimming with talent. This year, over 165 craftspeople, artists and photographers will be displaying and selling their work. The photography show will debut in the new courtyard at the NYA campus.

Music, Music and more Music-The festival features over 40 performances by remarkable musicians and entertainers. This year's artists include: Slaid Cleaves as the Saturday night headliner; The Clams, a madcap introduction to the famous Clam Shucking contest; Yarmouth's own Devin Gray returning from a world tour and so many more!

Food! -As always, clams will be the featured menu item at the food court, but there's much more choose from: lobster stew, lobster rolls, shore dinners, fried shrimp, pizza, chicken fajitas, home-baked desserts, the famous Lime Rickeys and more.

Admission to Yarmouth Clam Festival events is free. Proceeds from the food booths and parking lots help support over 35 non-profit groups in the town of Yarmouth. People can learn more about this year's Yarmouth Clam Festival at www.clamfestival.com or by calling the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce at 207-846-3984.

*Contestant auditions will be held at a different location. Full details will be given upon qualification.