To get the full effect of the Dirty Dan Days Seafood Festival in Fairhaven, you HAVE to taste the chowders & soups on Sunday afternoon, while listening to live music and watching people spontaneously dance in the sunshine. For only $10, you get a ticket to taste the creations of 20 different chefs. When you find your favorite, you trade your ticket for a bowl of goodness. I chose Whiskey Crab Soup made by the Shrimp Shack and is was FANTASTIC!!! I then sat and devoured it amid the happy crowd on the Fairhaven Village Green.
At 4:00 sharp, the Chowder Cook-Off was over, winners were announced (Skylark’s Hidden Cafe and Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse took the honors in 2010), and everyone moved to the corner of 10th Street and Harris Avenue for the hilarious uphill piano race, honoring the century-old legacy of the Fairhaven’s founder Dirty Dan Harris. It is said Harris was a sly business man. When he sold the Fairhaven Hotel and the new owner refused to pay extra for the piano inside, he pushed the piano out the door, down the street and into the bay at the bottom of the hill. Today the pianos move in the opposite direction. Four teams compete (because that’s how many old painted pianos Fairhaven happens to have), each sponsored by a local business. It’s all for bragging rights, and for fun. Each team runs down the hill, grabs their piano and pushes it back to the top. The crowd loved it – cheering on their favorites, then heading home with their tummies full and smiles on their faces!
