Main Street Skowhegan is coordinating the Skowhegan Moose Festival from June 8 – June 10 at Skowhegan State Fair grounds.

The festival is designed to enhance Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s Moose Permit Lottery, which Skowhegan will host at the fairgrounds from 2-6 p.m. June 9.

“We’re excited about this opportunity to showcase Skowhegan, which has a long heritage of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation,” said Kristina Cannon, Main Street’s executive director. “We expect to draw thousands of visitors from all over the Northeast who will stay in local lodging, eat in local restaurants and shop in local stores during the weekend-long festival.”

Sponsored by Cabela’s outdoor sports store and the Hight Family of dealerships, the Skowhegan Moose Festival is free to all with the exception of the Saturday evening musical performance.

The event will have many exhibits,demonstrations and activities, including Moose Maine-iah monster truck rides, a wild game and craft brew pairing and tasting, Axe Women Loggers of Maine shows, a K-9 field demo, an archery range, a moose calling competition, kids’ activities and raffles.

Following the moose permit lottery drawing on Saturday, country music stars Phil Vassar and Bryan White will perform on the fairgrounds stage at 7 p.m. Concert admission is $35 in advance and $45 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased online at SkowheganMooseFest.com/entertainment or at Skowhegan locations including Computer Improvements (101 Water St.), Hight Ford (242 Madison Ave.), and Main Street Skowhegan (48 Court St.).

For more information on the Skowhegan Moose Festival, including a tentative schedule of events, or to sign up as a sponsor, advertiser or vendor, visit SkowheganMooseFest.com.

For more information on the moose permit lottery or to apply for a Maine Moose Hunting Permit, visit Maine.gov/online/moose.

Cheese, Brews and Bread event June 24
The second annual Cheese, Brews and Bread event is slated for Sunday, June 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at Bigelow Brewing Co. in Skowhegan.

This delicious celebration of local products will feature samples from local cheese makers and bread makers, plus beer from Skowhegan’s own Bigelow Brewing Co.
Suggestions for cheese, bread, and beer pairings will occur throughout the day, as will bread-making demonstrations. Cheese, bread, and beer will all be available for purchase from a variety of Maine vendors.

Tickets, $12 in advance or $15 at the door can be purchased ahead of time at WesArts.org/cheese-brews-bread.

All proceeds benefit Somerset Cultural Planning, a project of the Wesserunsett Arts Council.

For more information visit WesArts.org/cheese-brews-bread.

Skowhegan Craft Brew Fest set for September 1
On Saturday, Sept. 1, a block in the heart of downtown Skowhegan will close to traffic from 2-7 p.m. as an anticipated 30 purveyors of Maine craft beer, wine, cider and spirits take to the streets at the third annual Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival.

The event will kick off with a VIP hour 2-3 p.m. featuring specialty brews not available during the general session 3-7 p.m. with free food samples from vendors specializing in local harvest. The general session will include an array of Maine-crafted libations, while merchants will offer farm-to-table fare such as wood-fired pizza, local chicken wings and poutine.

The Nikki Hunt Band will perform throughout the festival. A pop/rock group based in central Maine, Nikki Hunt covers artists Sheryl Crow, Joan Jett, Bruce Springsteen, Sublime, No Doubt, The Doors, U2 and others. Hunt is also known to show off her hula-hooping skills during performances.

Guided tours of Maine Grains at the Somerset Grist Mill will round out this Labor Day weekend event, one of the only festivals in the state featuring only Maine producers of beer, wine, cider and spirits. This will make for an unforgettable close to summer.

Tickets available at SkowheganCraftBrewFest.com

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