A Month of Fun: Saturday, July 12
Down East Editors' picks for fun ways to celebrate every day this month.
Photo by John Smith
Sample Maine’s Official Soft Drink, Lisbon Falls
You might be able to take the Moxie out of the Mainer but you can’t take the Maine out of the Moxie (although for embarrassing full disclosure, we have to admit that the drink is now made in New Hampshire). The festival is very important to Frank Anicetti, the owner of Kennebec Fruit Company, a store that has nothing to do with fruit and everything to do with Moxie (complete with Moxie ice cream). The festival, notes Anicetti, represents “togetherness in sharing the mystique of the oldest carbonated beverage continuously on the market.” He explains that Moxie was a nerve tonic in 1876 but was converted to a carbonated beverage by 1884. The festival is a great place to try Maine’s official soft drink (it became so in 2005), and on Saturday you can participate in a Moxie recipe competition or a chugging competition, among other events. The chugging competition is not for the faint of heart. In fact, just sipping Moxie is not for the faint of heart. “Like I tell the newcomers, on the first taste you may want to spit it out,” concedes Anicetti. “Don’t. On the second taste, you may want to do the same, but don’t. Wait for that third taste to allow for the true flavor of it to tickle the taste buds.” We can’t promise you’ll love the stuff, but Anicetti thinks you will — provided that you give it three tastes. “It’s wicked good stuff.” For more information on the festival contact the Androscoggin Country Chamber of Commerce at 207-783-2249 or visit www.moxiefestival.com for the most up-to-date schedule of events.
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