Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
LISBON FALLS — Moxie Festival coordinators were already elbow-deep in planning this year’s festival in February when an unexpected email landed in their inbox. A former Bowdoin resident, now a Vermont businessman, had a bold request: Could the festival host a Bass Fishing tournament this year?
There was a surprising reason. “My mother – who still lives in Bowdoinham – recently unearthed the attached letter. I must have written Mr. Anicetti to inquire about that year’s Moxie festival, and this was his response. My best guess is that the year was 1996,” he wrote.
A copy of a handwritten letter was attached to the email, with the letterhead “Kennebec’s House of MOXIE.” In this correspondence to the young man, Frank Anicetti, the third-generation owner of the Kennebec Fruit Co. and father of the festival – describes Sunday events. “On Sunday July 9 will be a car show at the High School,” he wrote. “This year will be a Bass Fishing Tournament on the shore of the Androscoggin River.”
This began the wheels turning – what happened to the tournament through the years, and why not bring it back? Along with the letter was an offer of sponsorship support and volunteer information to get the process rolling.
Moxie Festival coordinators were thrilled to accept, and the 2022 Moxie Festival will proudly feature the return of the Moxie Bass Fishing Tournament on Sunday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Fishermen and women can fish the shore of the Androscoggin anywhere in Lisbon, as well as use “cartopper” watercraft, such as canoes or kayaks. Registration is $10 and can be found on the Festival website. The tournament is open to children and adults with prizes for the top three catches in each category, including a cash prizes for first place.
For more information, call the Lisbon Parks and Recreation office at 207-353-2289. For more information on the Moxie Festival, visit moxiefestival.com.
