A professional 45-piece band ensemble has been booked to perform during the Town of Boothbay’s 250th anniversary celebration. The U.S.Navy Band Northeast will perform a variety of musical styles during the celebration. The 250th Anniversary takes place between Aug. 22-24, and the U.S. Navy Band will perform on the event’s final day.

The band is attached to the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. The band serves communities throughout the northeast, according to the group’s press release. The group performs traditional band music, concert band literature, popular standards, jazz and patriotic favorites. The band’s sample playlist includes “Buglers’ Holiday,” “Swanee,” “God Bless the USA,” and “America, the Beautiful.”

The BCA has set aside 150 of the 250 seats inside a tented area for local veterans. Event Chairman Dawn Gilbert said the BCA informed the local American Legion Hall about the available seating.

The town’s three-day celebration will come to a close with a fireworks display at Ocean Point Marina. The Boothbay Civic Association raised over $10,000 for the fireworks, according to Gilbert. The fireworks will be displayed from a barge in the Damariscotta River.

The final day’s entertainment begins at 1 p.m. on the Town Commons with a performance by a Native American tribe. The Passamaquoddy Tribe from Washington County will perform traditional native dances and drumming. The tribe will also display handcrafted birch bark canoes in the Commons during the day.

Sunday will also see a church service on the Commons. The Barter Island Baptist Church will hold its monthly “Church on the Common Service” beginning at 6 p.m.

The middle day, August 23, is the busiest day of the celebration.  The day begins at 11 a.m. with the parade. Participants include Gov. Paul LePage and his wife, Ann. The parade will have three marching bands: The Saint Andrews Pipe and Drum Corp from Brewer, Kora Temple Highlanders and the Boothbay Community Band. Twinkles the Clown will also march in the parade.

The parade will also have two sets of horse teams. A mother’s group known as “The Rocky Post Riders” will participate. Morning Stables will also have three horses marching in the parade. The Morning Stable horses (a mini-horse named Houligan, a mustang named Gem, and quarter horse named Morris) will be in the Commons after the parade. The three horses are often used as therapy for disabled children, according to Gilbert.

The celebration continues Saturday with a bounce house and face painting available on the Commons. In the afternoon, the music and food starts.The pig roast starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. The meal consists of roast pork, ribs, chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, corn bread, salad bar, and soup. The meal costs $20.

During the evening, Glidden Point Selects of Edgecomb will provide a “Raw Bar” for $2 per serving. A Kid’s Buffet will also be available.

Adult beverages will be served. The Boothbay Craft Brewery will serve pints of beer for $5. A full bar will also be available serving mixed drinks for $6 a piece.

The 250th Celebration begins on Friday with a Seafood Festival from 5 to 10 p.m. On Aug. 22, a  traditional clam bake will be served from 6-9 p.m. The clam bake includes lobsters, steamers, mussels, corn, potatoes, chowder and blueberry pie. The meal costs $30. Diners must purchase tickets prior to Friday, according to Gilbert. Tickets can be purchased at the Boothbay town office, Boothbay Region Information Center (Boothbay Chamber of Commerce), and the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce.

Gilbert credits the generosity of the three Boothbay Harbor restaurants for donating a large portion of the food. She said Ralph Smith of McSeagull’s, Mine Oyster, and Boathouse Bistro played a major role in assisting the BCA with the abundance of food.

“Ralph has always done a lot for the community,” Gilbert said. “And he’s done quite a lot for the 250th celebration with his businesses’ generous food donation.”

During both the clam bake and pig roast musical entertainment will be performed. On Friday, the four hour “rock block” begins at 6 p.m. with The Dave Gagne Band playing its first of two shows that evening. The band also closes the musical entertainment with a second show beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.The Fog Cutters, a 32-piece rock orchestra from Portland, will play from 8 to 9 p.m.

On Saturday, The Rustic Overtones, a Portland rock, soul and funk band, will play from 8-9 p.m.

The 250th Celebration begins on Friday with a Seafood Festival from 5 to 10 p.m.

The BCA will provide shuttle buses transporting people from the Boothbay Region schools to the Town Commons during each day of the celebration. The buses are provided by the local school district and the YMCA.