Schoonerfest, set to debut this summer, has landed a visit by the When and If. And the 1939, 63-foot vessel, which then-Col. George S. Patton had F.F. Pendleton of Wiscasset build, will give tours, Peter Wells told fellow Friends of Wiscasset Village members Friday.

“That’s a big one for us,” Wells said of the get. He does not expect Schoonerfest’s cut of When and If ’s ticket sales to cover the whole $8,500 it is costing to have the schooner come; but the vessel will be a draw, he said. “I think it’s going to bring in a lot of attention.”

Sailwhenandif.com states the schooner was the eventual general’s private yacht and stayed in the family until 1972, when it went into a sailing training program for children with dyslexia. A series of private owners relaunched the vessel after storm damage in 1990 and less, than a decade ago, restored it, according to the website.

Wells said planning for the inaugural Schoonerfest Aug. 18-22 is going well. The event is looking bigger, he said. This year’s turnout will show if shuttles and satellite parking should be added next time, Wells said.

Friends’ Will Truesdell suggested individual $100 donations might show prospective sponsors members’ commitment to the event, and give donors a sense of ownership in it. Participants noted any giving would be voluntary.

Members decided not to make a group statement about a proposed plaque in town for James Weldon Johnson. A downtown Wiscasset car-train crash killed the poet-civil rights advocate in 1938. Since Friends has 89 members, a statement might not reflect everyone’s view, members said.

Wiscasset Creative Alliance plans a 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 14 fundraiser tour of about five homes and studios, Lucia Droby announced.