The Great Trent River Raft Race 2025 is history and what a fun and exciting day it was! There were lots of vendors, great music and many boats on the Neuse River competing for prizes.
New Bern Puppets gave seven performances of “A Pirate’s Greed and Prehistoric Vengeance.” Despite the heat and humidity, we had a wonderful time giving children and adults a bit of puppet magic.
A map of Union Point Park showing where vendors and entertainment were to be found. For visitors, a handy schedule of events was prominently displayed at the entrance of Union Point Park.
Here Puppeteers Keith Phillips and Cyndi Papia pose by the tent with our marionette stages. New Bern Puppets were fortunate to be located beneath a big shady tree. A cool oasis on a hot day.
Cyndi and Dennis Listermann-Vierling posing next to the bear statue dedicated to Christoph von Graffenried, 1st Baron of Bernberg. The baron founded New Bern in 1710. Puppeteers Dennis and Keith stand next to the von Graffenried bear statue. New Bern’s mascot is the bear (Bern is German means “bear.”)
In the opening prologue, the Pirate Lone-Eyed Lonnie sings a little ballad. In Act I Royal Governor Josiah Martin learns that his daughter, Mary Elizabeth, has been captured by Lone-Eyed Lonnie and his crew of pirates! The governor sings a sad song (to the tune of Over the Rainbow) lamenting his daughter’s plight.
In Act II Mary Elizabeth Martin, in chains, is held prisoner by Lone Eyed Lonnie. The Pirate is holding her for ransom and sings a song about the joys of pirating. Mary Elizabeth notices the skull of a strange creature and wonders if similar creatures roam the deserted island.
Lone-Eyed Lonnie scoffs about that. Suddenly, after a fierce roar, a dinosaur emerges. The astonished Lone-Eyed Lonnie flees with the T-Rex in hot pursuit.
After sounds of a fight and chomping, another pirate, Sailor Sam, emerges. He announced that the strange creature has eaten Lone-Eyed Lonnie. Fearful kidnapping the girl has brought them bad luck, the pirates decide to give Mary Elizabeth the chest full of gold and jewels and return her home, least the new-found monster devours them!
In Act III Mary Elizabeth is reunited with her father. She sings a concluding song of thanksgiving and then she and Governor Martin thank the audience for attending.
After each show puppeteers emerged to demonstrate how marionettes operate, often letting children hold them. They also distributed candy to our younger guests.
Visitors were encouraged to sit on mats laid out on the ground to watch the show. Here we have onlookers waiting for show to begin.
New Bern Puppets were set up next to a BMX group. Their shows were scheduled so as not to conflict with our puppet performances. As the sun rose higher in the late afternoon we began to lose our shade. No worries, we set up a second tent to give out guests a bit of welcome shade.
The Great Trent River Raft Race is held annually in Union Point Park, which has stunning views of the Neuse and Trent Rivers.
