LISBON — Three days of peace, love and Moxie proved to be a success as Moxie Festival draws thousands for Maine’s official soft beverage festivities.
Friday and Saturday events included Moxie Day Parade; fairground rides by Smokey’s Greater Shows; a 30-foot climbing wall from Evo Rock and Fitness; the Unicyclist Group Woodside One-Wheelers; annual favorites Moxie chugging, whoopie pie eating, chicken chucking and recipe contests; a 5K race; live mural painting; and the “Lobstah Feast.”
The festival had nearly 40 vendors with food, concessions, games, mementos and other wares. Live music included Sylvain Leduc’s Elvis tribute show, Skosh, The Smith Collaboration and Studio Two Beatles tribute band.
Onlookers were drawn Saturday afternoon to the famed Moxie Chugging Contest as Beau Bradstreet of Bridgewater claimed his 11th straight chugging championship. Bradstreet, who donned a Moxie T-shirt with “Bradstreet Chugging Company” printed on the back, downed seven cans of Maine’s official soft drink in under two minutes.
Asked how he felt, Bradstreet laughed, “Bloated … I’ve always liked Moxie. I try to drink it every night with dinner. It’s a unique drink. I pull antique tractors and I get three cans, poke the bottom out of them and stack them on my air cleaner. I like to call it my Moxie-injected tractor.”
Moxie is basically a tradition in the Bradstreet family, he said. His grandfather would drink it with his father when he was a kid, his father with him and now him with his sons. He said the festival is a great chance to take the family on a small vacation.
“We have a good time here and there’s something for everybody. The kids get to play games and walk around the fair. We’re having a great time here.”
Everly Cromwell watches a float pass Saturday during the Moxie Festival Parade in Lisbon. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Jenna and Ed Pfueller of Cape Elizabeth brought their young children Jack and Gus for the family’s first Moxie Festival experience. The kids were having a treat, the parents said, from soft pretzels to ice cream to lobster grilled cheese.
“And Moxie!” Gus interjected.
Moxie Chugging Contest emcee Jonathan Jones, a Moxie committee member, said he has come to or worked at the festival for 18 out of the 19 years he and his family have lived in Lisbon.
“In my opinion, it’s one of the best hometown festivals,” Jones said. “It’s so unique and not just because of Moxie, but these (events) are down here right now, the parade was uptown over there, last night the fireworks were at the high school, tomorrow everything’s at Beaver Park. We’re having a blast.”
Sunday events at Beaver Park include the Moxie Car Show, Moxie Bass Fishing Derby and musical performances by The Smith Collaboration, with a Janis Joplin tribute, and Tom Petty cover band Runnin’ Down a Dream.
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