Why is The Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls?

The Firemen’s Muster on Main Street on Saturday afternoon that started in 1984 was one of the first Moxie Festival events.

  The official 2010 Moxie t-shirt logo was created by Jenna Clifford, a recent graduate of P.W. Sugg Middle School in Lisbon.

Why is the The Moxie Festival held in Lisbon Falls?  The answer is Frank Anicetti and The Kennebec Fruit Company located on Main Street and Route 196 in downtown Lisbon Falls, Maine.

Frank’s grandfather opened the Kennebec Fruit Company in 1914 to sell fruits and vegetables and in 1919 began selling his own special-recipe ice cream.  Over the years, the Anicetti family collected Moxie memorabilia.

By the time Frank took over the store in the 1970s, it was the place to drink Moxie, purchase Moxie memorabilia, sample Moxie ice cream, and spend an hour or two talking with Frank about his private Moxie collection.

When author Frank Potter from Newport News, Virginia, was researching his book, Moxie Mystique in the late 1970s, he naturally turned to Frank for facts, stories and legends.

 

After the book was published, Frank invited Mr. Potter to Lisbon Falls the second weekend in July for an autograph signing event at the store.  “I invited 13 people by postcard, planned for 50, and was surprised when 500 people showed, up” said Frank.

Another signing was planned the following year as more Moxie fans became aware of the unique Moxie heritage found in the large yellow building still known as the Kennebec Fruit Company.

The 1984 signing included a fireman’s muster on Main Street and the first Moxie parade in 1985 drew hundreds of Moxie fans. 

The Moxie Festival today includes a three day Pow Wow; Friday night firework show; a Saturday parade, 5K race, and family fun carnival; and on Sunday, the Chief Worumbo Androscoggin River canoe race.  Moxie was designated Maine’s official soft drink on May 20, 2005.

According to Lisbon Public Safety Officials, an estimated 40,000 people attend the three-day Moxie Festival.  The Town of Lisbon has approximately 9,300 residents.

You can still talk to Frank about anything Moxie.  And plenty of people from around the USA and the world stop by to get his take on Moxie.  Just ask to see one of his guest books that span over 30 years.  The Kennebec Fruit Company is open seven days a week unless Frank has something better to do.

 

For more information, visit the Moxie Festival website: www.moxiefestival.com