RICHMOND — Jim Granger was the perfect first passenger Saturday on the seaplane at Richmond Days, said pilot Kevin Dauphinee.

Granger pointed out the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, Swan Island and even his home in Bowdoinham as Dauphinee took him on a ride over Merrymeeting Bay.

As a part of Richmond Days, Dauphinee and his wife, Katie Dauphinee, flew people around the bay in their yellow seven-passenger seaplane.

“We are boaters. We keep the boat in the marina over there. But to see the waterway in a way we don’t in our boat was awesome,” said Granger.

Richmond Days is an annual two-day event in town that features a parade, games, music and special activities, like the seaplane.

Town Manager Laurisa Loon organizes the event each year to a theme. This year’s is “Richmond Enchanted,” which was the most popular response in a poll Loon posted to Facebook. Loon said the first night of Richmond Days, on Friday, was well attended.

Katie Dauphinee of North Country Flying Service smiles Saturday before flying a seaplane that was giving aerial tours of Merrymeeting Bay during Richmond Days in Richmond. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

She heard about the seaplane and Dauphinee’s company, North Country Flying Service, through a resident in town.

The flying company is out of Bingham and takes people on tours around Skowhegan and the area lakes to sightsee and spot animals.

“I had wanted to (get the plane) before for the bicentennial, but we were able to get it this time,” she said.

The yellow plane, a de Havilland Beaver, is from Alaska and Dauphinee flew it six days home to Bingham. Flights went on all day and cost $99 for a 15-to-20-minute tour of the bay. The pilot used the Kennebec River as a launch pad and took off under the bridge that connects Richmond and Dresden.

The plane attracted many people who stopped to point it out, like Granger did when he decided to “walk on” the plane without reservations.

Granger said the flight was exhilarating and he had confidence in his pilot, Dauphinee.

“He’s been flying longer than he has driven a car,” said Dauphinee’s wife.

As Granger’s flight ended, the parade started on Main Street and featured Shriners on their tiny motorcycles, members of the Fire Department and their trucks, and then floats that people in town made on their own.

Kids grab candy Saturday during the parade at Richmond Days in Richmond. The theme this year was “Richmond Enchanted.” Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Amanda and Jeremy McDaniel walked in the parade representing the Friends of Swan Island and outfitted the back of their truck’s trailer with miniature model houses like those on Swan Island. The couple helped contract a boat service for weekends in August to bring people over to the island.

The boat service was supposed to run during Richmond Days to bring people to a guided tour of the island, but the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife closed the Swan Island pier that would have been used to drop people off at the island.

With that and a short period of scheduled time, the tours were canceled. However, the seaplane filled the void.

Richmond Days continues all day Saturday and features live music from The High Road at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. at the waterfront.