Darien's shrimp fleet `blessed' in annual event

DARIEN - Live music, fine arts and fireworks are part of this weekend&#39;s annual Blessing of the Fleet celebration along Darien&#39;s waterfront. <br> <br> The 34th annual event also includes the Darien River Run, a pirate invasion, and antique show. It concludes Sunday night after the local shrimp fleet and other watercraft will be blessed as they sail down the Darien River in a marine parade. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re going to have a great festival. We&#39;re expecting about 5,000 to 6,000 people, weather permitting,&#39;&#39; said Fred Stregles, chairman of Blessing of the Fleet committee. ``We&#39;ve got about 120 booths, which is three times what we had last year and we&#39;ll be spread out over six blocks with Darien Waterfront Park as our main staging area.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Twenty-five shrimp boats had signed up by mid-afternoon Friday to participate in the event, which is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Sunday.