Bangor Metro photos of the Island Fisherman's Wives Auxiliary Annual Fisherman's Day
The Island Fisherman's Wives Auxiliary wants to keep fishermen safe. They'll even throw a party ro do it.
In Stonington/Deer Isle, there’s no bigger event on the calendar than the Annual Fisherman’s Day. For 17 years the Island Fisherman’s Wives Auxiliary (IFWA) has organized this wonderful event to give visitors a taste of island life, promote water safety awareness, and raise money for the community. This year’s Fisherman’s Day started with the annual induction of three fishermen into the Fisherman’s Hall of Fame, along with the blessing of the fleet. Soon the food came out: The IFWA, itself, served grilled shark and lobster and mussel dinners. The day featured a boatload of creative events, including a touch tank for kids, crabmeat picking, wacky rowboat races, cod fish relay, baiting pockets, and banding lobsters.
The Island Fisherman’s Wives Auxiliary was started in 1989 after losing two community fishermen to drowning in their bay, and works to promote water safety and raise public awareness of the challenges and difficulties of the fisherman’s life
. Sample projects that the day’s proceeds will help fund include development of a public pool on the island of Deer Isle to help with the ongoing teaching of water safety. The IFWA also gives one scholarship to a local graduating senior going on to college and awards $250 to each member from the same graduating class who is going into the fishing industry to help toward the purchase of safety gear. The group also gives money to families in need due to loss of life of a member of the fishing community and/or sinking of a fishing vessel.
