The Damariscotta River Pirate Rendezvous promises a host of pirates both large and small to invade the Twin Villages in search of lost treasure on Saturday, June 20.

“This is an event that is for and about children,” said Greg Latimer, event director of the Pirate Rendezvous. “The event raises funds with an emphasis on benefiting local children and their families, and during the event hundreds of costumed children join the pirates to help find the hidden treasure.”

This year the event will benefit more nonprofits than ever before.

The primary beneficiaries of the Pirate Rendezvous are the Ecumenical Food Pantry and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Secondary beneficiaries supported by the event include the Jefferson Village School Blessings in a Backpack program, Head Start, March of Dimes, Wiscasset Feed Our Scholars, In Along the Way, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and DB&T employees seeking to benefit an animal shelter.

Event highlights:

• Buccaneer Breakfast beginning 8 a.m. at the Damariscotta Baptist Church, $6/$4;
• Mexicali Blues will be offering free henna tattoos at its Newcastle store on Route 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Pirate Rendezvous opens at 10 a.m., with pirate action during the event spread throughout the in-town areas of Damariscotta and Newcastle.
• Kid’s Pirate Camp on Water St. will be open and filled with games and activities for young buccaneers.
• Pirate Bazaar located in the Schooner Landing parking lot off Main Street
• Boat rides aboard the River Tripper from Schooner Landing Marina; for more information pricing and tickets, call 888-635-4309.
• Beginning at 11 a.m. there will be a blacksmith demonstration with reenactor Jeff Miller at the historic Chapman-Hall House on Main St. across from The First Bank
• At high noon, when the pirates are expected to sail up-river and attack the Twin Villages, the first shot of the event will be fired from a working replica of a six-pound Naval gun.
• Activities continue with the pirates rampaging through town, followed by a Lil’ Pirates Costume Contest beginning at 2 p.m. in the Kid’s Pirate Camp; immediately followed by a Treasure Hunt beginning at the Pirate Bazaar.

There is no admission for the Pirate Rendezvous. All of the fundraising is accomplished through the games and activities. Generous sponsors help cover many of the Pirate Rendezvous expenses so that more of the money generated during the event can go to the event beneficiaries.

This year those sponsors include Renys, Ames Supply, Damariscotta Bank & Trust, Lincoln County Healthcare, Hagar Enterprises, Mexicali Blues and Colby & Gale.

Thanks to Lincoln Academy and their staff there will be plenty of parking at the Lincoln Academy student parking lot on Academy Hill Road, along with shuttles provided by the school and driven by school staff. The shuttle will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and the route has been refined to make waiting time an average of only 5 minutes.