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The Harpswell Lobster Boat Races raised a record $36,000 this year for the Harpswell Santa Fund, which distributes gifts, food, clothing and heating oil to residents in need.
The races, held this year on July 26, have donated their proceeds to the Santa Fund for many years. This is the second year in a row the event has raised a record amount for the fund; in 2025, the donation was $30,000.
Erin Scholomiti, a member of the committee that organizes the races, said more than 40 boats from across the Maine coast raced this year. The group estimated that another 100 boats came to watch, with 1,000 spectators on land.
The Santa Fund was started by the late Harpswell Neck lobsterman Roy Knight to help the wife and children of a young lobsterman, Lewis Ward, who drowned while fishing in 1991. Knight also helped to create the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races in 1993.