Mollyockett Days
Just nine days to the 52nd Annual MollyOckett Days, scheduled for July 21 and 22. The Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce is happy to organize this event for the third year and to recognize and thank Northeast Bank for stepping up for the second year as Presenting Sponsor. Also, congratulations to Kallie Brown, this year’s Miss MollyOckett. Kallie will be riding in the parade and helping out on the Bethel common all day.
New this year – in keeping with this year’s theme “The Arts and Traditions of MollyOckett,” we have added vendors and events to showcase Native American culture and traditional ways of MollyOckett and her people – a Penobscot birch bark wigwam will grace the common; there will be displays and sales of native basketry, crafts, food items, and medicinal herbs; and hands-on activities and educational talks will be offered. You’ll enjoy traditional music on flute and drums and the “grand finale” will be a Penobscot drumming and dancing group from 7 to 9 p.m. It is our hope that the people of the Bethel area will embrace and enjoy these new events as well as the long-loved parade, frog-jumping contest, arts and crafts booths, food, community exhibits, fireworks, and more. We invite anyone who is interested in creating a parade float to call the chamber, 824-2282, for an application or stop in the chamber office. You may also find it at www.mollyockettdays.com, under “Schedule.”
More new this year – we are closing a portion of Main Street from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Chapman Street to the Common – to allow for the expansion of vendors and event festivities beyond the common and Broad Street areas. This will include some Main Street businesses in the event and make upper Main Street a pedestrian zone. For those residents who have limited mobility, a good drop-off zone to get to the common is the corner of Mason and Broad streets. There will be a free flow of traffic on High Street to get to the Bethel Shop N Save, the Post Office, and the Bethel House. We will barricade Main Street and the Common at the corner of Chapman and Main; Elm and Main; Church and Main; Broad Street and Mason, and Mill Hill Road in front of the Bethel Opera House. A traffic flow map will be published in next week’s Citizen. It is our intention to create as little inconvenience as possible – but please plan accordingly.
Sunday events include the traditional MollyOckett Day Classic foot races, sponsored this year by Stephens Memorial Hospital, and the third annual Diaper Dash for youngsters under age 3. Additionally, the 2nd Annual Tubing and Treasure Scavenger Hunt will be held at noon at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground. Race applications and a full schedule of events are available at www.mollyockettdays.com or by contacting the chamber office.
MollyOckett Days and Saturday night’s fireworks are made possible through the generosity of many businesses and individuals. A complete list of the sponsors and donors may be found on the website and will be listed in this newspaper the week following the event. Many thanks to all!
Robin Zinchuk
Executive Director, Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce