Moxie Festival

Moxie Festival

Second weekend in July

Moxie, originally a nerve tonic, was invented in 1876 by Dr. Augustine Thompson of Union, Maine. In 1884 it became a carbonated beverage whose main ingredient was gentian root. The Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine, began as an autograph session for Frank Potter, the author of The Moxie Mystique, in 1982. Within a few years the event had grown to include a pancake breakfast, parade, car show, craft fair, chicken barbecue, and firemen's muster.
Although Moxie is no longer widely available, those who remember it describe it as a kind of precursor to Coca Cola. The drink can still be found in Maine, where it is quite popular. About 10,000 people attend the festival each year.

CONTACTS:
Town of Lisbon
300 Lisbon St.
Lisbon, ME 04250
207-353-3000; fax: 207-353-3007
www.moxiefestival.com

Celebration days:
2011: Jul 9; Jul 10
2012: Jul 14; Jul 15
2013: Jul 13; Jul 14
2014: Jul 12; Jul 13
2015: Jul 11; Jul 12