60 Foot Lobster Roll

It's the time of year where communities all over Maine are having Lobster fests and Lobster Days and I confess to missing it a bit. There's something to be said for lobster rolls and corn on the cob, clams, potato salad, steamed lobsters, lobster chowder, stew and bisque, drawn butter, and endless servings of homemade pie. Though you mostly hear about Maine and lobster, I'm here to tell you that Mainers love their homemade pies, and of course the Whoopie Pie is a Maine delicacy.

This year, on June 7, part of the Old Port Festival in Portland, Maine, includes an attempt to make a sixty foot long lobster roll. Chef Margaret Salt McLellan, of Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll, will direct the attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest lobster roll. This is the sort of thing that requires almost military precision, since the work crew will be drawn from the community as well as from the restaurant's staff. Currently, the plan calls for a flatbed truck to deliver the custom-made 60-foot bread roll, which will be filled with four gallons of Miracle Whip seasoned with herbs and other ingredients carefully mixed with 45 pounds of fresh lobster meat. I'd love to be there to help remove the lobster roll.

Portland's Old Port has been rejuvenated with lots of small shops and restaurants, local artists and an area designed for easy walking. The Old Port Festival includes lots of super live music on multiple stages (one of which is devoted to Irish music), and all sorts of Down East food—did I mention fried clams?