ROCKLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Community members in Rockland demanded answers from the Maine Lobster Fair board Tuesday night, about why Taylor Hamlin was dismissed from her role as Sea Goddess at this year’s fair.
"A teenager was taken advantage of and denied due process," one community member said. "I'm sorry that this happened. Haven't heard that [phrase] from anyone," said another.
Last month, Hamlin was forced to resign her crown, after she was told that pictures from her private Instagram account were shown to the lobster festival leadership. In one photo, she was holding a vaping device called a Juul. In another picture, she was holding a joint.
Taylor Hamlin's parents attended the meeting. NEWS CENTER Maine caught up with them afterward. Cindi Hamlin says the coronation process needs to change, and fast. "This would be a good turning point to modernize because this could easily happen again," Hamlin said.
The board says they’ll take the lessons from this year and go full steam ahead into the next.
"We recognize that there are going to be members of our community who are going to be upset and concerned about this and we would like to try and work with them. But there is going to be a 72nd Maine Lobster Festival," one of the festival leaders said.