The 10-mile road race ends at Veterans Memorial Park on Ocean Road, next to The Towers.

Hail seafood. Run to it. Eat it. And bless the boats of those who catch it.

In Narragansett, this is the 37th annual Blessing of the Fleet weekend. It’s not one event, but three events over two days: a road race, a seafood festival and a parade of boats, better known as the Blessing of the Fleet.

Originally this meant the fleet of commercial fishing boats. Now it means virtually any watercraft.

“They bless everything,” says Ben Curtis, of the sponsoring Narragansett Lions Club. “If someone comes through in a canoe, they’ll bless the canoe.”

Richard Durfee, a Lions Club member, was one of the event’s four founders.

“The first year there wasn’t much to it. There were five boats and no speakers.”

Now it’s not unusual for 100 boats, some sporting bunting, banners and balloons, to pass near the shore in Galilee as officials and politicians address the crowd that gathers. Fr. Francis Kayatta, pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea church in Narragansett, will be performing the blessings.

“People come from all over,” Curtis says. “The whole sea wall is seated with people wanting to see the boats come in.”

The parade of boats, which is Saturday at noon, is a happening, event organizers say, but not as big a happening as it once was. Generally there are far fewer big commercial fishing boats involved.

The reason is money. “You won’t see any of the large boats wasting diesel fuel to go around a buoy and back,” Curtis says. “If the fishermen have to choose between going out fishing and having their boats blessed, they’ll go out fishing. They need to make a living.”

Only once in 37 years has Durfee missed a Blessing of the Fleet boat parade. And Durfee missed something memorable: a sinking. This was in 1980, he recalls. The vessel was a good-sized commercial dragger.

“I don’t know the reason [it sank]. But it didn’t look good for the blessing.”

The boats that do pass by the viewing area participate in a competition for best parade decorations, which are awarded by categories: sport fishing boat, off-shore dragger, in-shore dragger, off-shore lobster, in-shore lobster and party boat.

The late Bob Marr, who Durfee says grew up in Gloucester, Mass., which has a tradition of blessing fishing boats, is the one who brought the boat-blessing practice to Narragansett. The overriding reason for the practice, according to Curtis, is to show appreciation to the fishermen. “It is a big gift to have the fishermen down there at the port,” Curtis says, noting that the town still has an active fishing community. “We don’t want Narragansett to be like other places where people come and buy up all the land and put houses in and there’s no place left for fishing.”The boat parade takes place right across from George’s of Galilee restaurant, which Durfee owns, and which has been in his family since 1947.

“Some people say I arranged for it to be there. But there’s no better place. The ocean is there and there’s a parking lot there.”

Still, another place had to be found for other aspects of the festival.

For as long as there has been a parade of boats, there’s been a 10-mile road race, which used to end in Galilee. “I think it started as a competition among the lifeguards down there,” says Bob Cashmon, president of the Lions Club. “It just took off.” He says the first road race drew 80 participants. Last year it drew 3,300.

“It was a great little event that turned into a great big event,” says Ted Wright, a Lions Club member of 35 years. “It outgrew its place in Galilee.”

And so, more than a decade ago, the race was moved.

It begins at Narragansett High School, 245 South Pier Rd., tomorrow at 5 p.m. for walkers, 5:45 p.m. for wheelchair competitors, and 6 p.m. for runners. Registration is $27 if completed today, $30 thereafter. The race ends at Veterans Memorial Park on Ocean Road (next to The Towers), where you’ll find the Seafood Festival: 5 to 11 p.m. tomorrow, and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday.

At the Seafood Festival you’ll find seafood, of course: clam chowder, clam cakes, calamari, etc. You’ll also find beer and wine, children’s rides and live music: Roger Cerisi’s All Stars, a rhythm-and-blues band, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. tomorrow; the Newport Hibernian Bagpipers, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, and Steve Smith and the Nakeds, another rhythm-and-blues band, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Admission to the festival is free, though there’s a fee for food, which will be provided by 20 local vendors. The event typically brings in about $60,000 for the Lions Club.

“This weekend is so important for our club,” Cashmon says. “It’s our main fundraiser and provides for our finances for the year for work with our charities.”

For more information, visit www.narragansettri.com/lions or call (401) 783-7121.

brourke@projo.com