Wilmington Downtown Nautical Celebration

The cannons will roar when The Pride of Baltimore II calls on downtown Wilmington in time to Kick-Off the Summer of 2009.   The ship will arrive up the Cape Fear River with cannons blazing Friday afternoon before the start of the Downtown Sundown Concert Series. Friday night's concert will go on as scheduled with the Breakfast Club playing classic 80's hits. The ship will open for tours Friday night during the concert.  Saturday morning, the ship will be open for tours during the Farmer's Market. After the market closes at 1:00pm, acoustic music will start around 3:00pm with a regional reggae band playing at 8:00pm. Beer and wine will be available, so no coolers please. The Pride II will be open for tours Sunday morning. At 1:00pm, when the downtown churches dismiss, the parishes will meet at Riverfront Park for "Shall We Gather at the River." The singing of spiritual songs will celebrate the river. The ship is expected to leave downtown at 3:00 with a large Parade of Sail as the ship heads down the river.

Sponsors of the Wilmington Downtown Nautical Celebration include: RA Jeffrey's - Proud Distributors of Budweiser, WHET - Wilmington Harbor Enhancement Trust (http://www.wilmington-docks.com) and Papa Johns.

Check this site often, the full schedule of events will be posted soon.