New London — The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival returns to the New London waterfront next month with a celebration of “Rivers, Sound and Sea” and a special Sept. 11 memorial service.

The event, which runs Sept. 10-12, is expected to be a more hands-on experience for visitors than 2020’s festival, which was forced to go partially virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event will follow whatever state and local COVID-19 guidelines are in place. Eleanor Mariani, chair of OpSail Connecticut board of directors' events planning committee, said event organizers will be prepared to shift to some virtual events if the need arises.

With the festival spread across the city’s waterfront and downtown area, there will be opportunities to tour a number of vessels this year. Among the larger ships expected to arrive are the Coast Guard barque Eagle, Mystic Seaport Museum’s Eastern-rig dragger Roann, the 176-foot Kings Pointer from the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and the Ida Lewis, a 175-foot Coast Guard buoy tender. Some smaller Navy boats are planning to attend.

There will be booths celebrating maritime activities along with food, live music, kids' activities, a fishing clinic, Coast Guard helicopter search-and-rescue demonstration and Navy diving demonstration.

A kickoff ceremony for the event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Hygienic Art Park. Sept. 11 activities start at 8:30 a.m. with a Sept. 11 ceremony on City Pier led by the  Navy and Coast Guard.

Revolutionary War reenactors commemorate the 240th anniversary of the burning of New London with a British versus Continental Army skirmish at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the waterfront, where Benedict Arnold and his men will arrive by boat.

This board of the private nonprofit OpSail Connecticut voted earlier this month to cancel an appearance by the tall ship Peacemaker because of what it viewed as the controversial religious background of the boat owner Twelve Tribes. The ship, docked on the city’s waterfront this month and open to tours, was originally asked by OpSail to stay for the festival.

Former OpSail Board Chairman John Johnson, who is no longer associated with OpSail, said he was disappointed in the decision and met with members of Twelve Tribes because of his concern the group was being too harshly judged. OpSail Connecticut had cited among its concerns information about Twelve Tribes from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit organization that tracks hate groups and has referred to the group as a Christian fundamentalist cult.

“I was upset that the decision was made to disinvite the ship as a participant in this year’s Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival based on internet allegations,” Johnson said. “There seems to have been no attempt by the committee to meet and discuss those seemingly unsubstantiated allegations in person. Such a decision could have far-reaching implications both for the ship and the Port of New London.”

Twelve Tribes has been the target of child abuse allegations in the past, which it denies. A member of the group aboard the Peacemaker said its members live a simple, communal lifestyle and follow teachings of the Bible.

OpSail Connecticut Board Chairman Kevin Cavanagh has said he explained the group’s position to a leader of the Twelve Tribes and the board had voted the way it did because the group’s beliefs were “not consistent with our values and the values of the Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival.”

For more information, visit https://ctmaritimefest.com/