The South Bristol School's mascot does reflect the town's population.

After all, the school famous for its boatbuilding is surrounded by mariners.

But the town has a different nickname.

Although it will be South Bristol celebrating its centennial on July 17, 18 and 19, the town is usually called something else by those who call it home.

South Bristol has been called Cunner Town by natives and non-natives alike, after the small fish said to populate the coastal areas, especially around Rutherford Island.

But, while lobsters, pollock and mackerel surround the island in abundance, the town’s unofficial mascot is best known for stealing bait out of lobster traps.

The name has been affixed to the area for a long time, said Brian Eugley, who grew up in South Bristol and now owns the Damariscotta business, Cunnah Town Blues, which features handmade rope goods such as dog collars and leashes and “boot scuffahs” (door mats) to name a few.

Like with scuffahs versus scuffers, the correct pronunciation makes a difference, Eugley said.

“It's 'cunnah' with an 'ah,' not with an 'er,'” he said. “I really don't know where the nickname came from, or who started it, but I'm going to be 44, and I remember the old salts saying it when I was younger.”

Eugley said that when he went anywhere else and let slip that he lived in South Bristol, the nickname came out again.

“Anywhere you went, as soon as you said you were from South Bristol someone would say 'You're a cunnah,' or 'You're from cunnah town,'” he said. “Growing up, we all called it 'Cunnah town,' or 'Cunnah Village.' We were proud to be a Cunnah.”

That pride should be on full display on Saturday, Eugley said, as Cunnah Town Blues has sold more than 30 shirts that say “Proud to be a Cunnah” to commemorate the centennial. Eugley will be at the ball field behind the school on Saturday from approximately 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. where they will be selling Cunnah Town Blues goods, along with the shirts.

The festivities will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, July 17, at the Wawenock Golf Course with a tournament, then at 1 p.m. there will be a dedication of the veteran's memorial at the town office and a plaque unveiling at the Eugley Town Landing at 4 p.m., and a 5:30 p.m. bean supper before music at Coveside.

At 8:30 a.m. Saturday there will be a 5k race and 1k fun walk which begins at the school. Then, at 10 a.m., starting at the firehouse and continuing up to the school, there will be the parade, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be crafts, vendors and food at the school. At noon, there will be a tug-of-war between South Bristol and Bristol, and at 2 p.m. there will be a time capsule filled at the school. Gamage Shipyard will host a Coveside barbecue and beer tent and at 9 p.m. there will be fireworks over the Gut.

On Sunday, July 19, there will be a historical worship at the Union Church at 10 a.m., an 11 a.m. coffee hour at the parish hall and at noon there will be a lobster bake at the South Bristol Co-Op.

As for the fish itself, it can be quite lively, Aimee Hayden-Roderiques, Maine State Aquarium's Natural Science Educator said in an email. She said cunners are frequent guests at the aquarium in Boothbay Harbor, as they are often caught in lobster traps.

“They are quite an entertaining fish to watch — and they can even spend time resting on their sides,” she said. “They are pretty curious, and it is true that they are (seemingly) always hungry. They spend a lot of time in our tanks turning things over looking for food or picking food off structures in the tanks.”

The fish is also known as a bergall in other parts of the country, Hayden-Roderiques said, and they are often confused for their cousins called tautogs.

“They are 'wreck fish' meaning that they prefer to live around man-made structures or reefs, which keeps them close to shore,” Hayden-Roderiques said. “Both (cunners and tautogs) have good-sized teeth to eat with and are omnivores — including baby lobsters, shrimp, mussels, and crabs. Supposedly they can change color to match the bottom — but they tend to stay red/red-orange/red-brown here from what I have seen in our tanks.”