OK, so at the moment it’s raining here in Gloucester (which isn’t so bad as it was 88-90 degrees much of the day, even by the water), but that shouldn’t stop you from heading down to the annual St. Peter’s Fiesta (official link here). This year, the Fiesta is from Wednesday night, June 23 to Sunday, June 27.

Besides the carnival atmosphere, the rides, the food that isn’t exactly the healthiest but tastes great, you shouldn’t miss out on the Greasy Pole competition (a 45-foot telephone pole heavy with grease and with a flag at the end) and the mile-long seine boat races (the old fishing boats once used for hauling fish to Gloucester’s schooners; there are three boats, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, each with a twelve-person crew).

Here’s the schedule:

• Friday at 4:45pm: Women’s Seine Races
• Saturday 10am: Special Seine Races ... USCG v. the US Navy and Gloucester Fire Dept. v. the Police Dept.
• Saturday 4:45pm: Seine Races (for qualifiers) and the Greasy Pole (non-champions)
• Sunday 3pm: The Blessing of the Fleet
• Sunday: 4:45: Seine Races (2 top qualifiers and last year’s champion) and Greasy Pole (Saturday’s winner, past winners, and those standing in for past winners)
• Sunday 10 pm: Fireworks (weather permitting)

Tags: Fiesta, Greasy Pole, Siene Boat races, Gloucester happenings