ST. AGATHA, Maine – The St. John Valley town of St. Agatha, which borders Long Lake and sits between Madawaska and Fort Kent, is preparing to celebrate its 125th anniversary this summer.
The three-day celebration, also known as Summerfest, will begin on Friday, July 12 and go until July 14.
Town Manager Michelle Bernier said the celebration will include parades, live music at the Lakeview Restaurant, bonfires, cornhole and soccer tournaments, food trucks, and fireworks.
Bernier said the three-day festivities will take place at various locations in town, but will generally happen between the Lakeview restaurant and the Ste. Agathe Historical Society on 477 Main Street.
“It’s going to be along the whole lower part of Main Street,” she said.
The historical society will also be holding a ribbon cutting for the Longfellow School, which was physically moved from its original site in 2020 to the historical society’s museum complex on Main Street.
Bernier said the school was previously in a state of disrepair and that the society could more effectively refurbish and renovate the building in the new location.
“They got some grant funding, and moved it down the road, literally on the back of a truck, so they could have a better place for it, and to refurbish it,” she said.
Dozens of people across several organizations are involved in organizing the upcoming celebration. In addition to the historical society, groups such as the local recreation department, and the athletic booster club are working behind the scenes to plan the three-day event.
St. Agatha holds a Summerfest event every five years, and organizers typically begin planning the next one as soon as the last one ends.
“This is our 125th, so it’s a little bit bigger,” Bernier said. “But we’ve been planning since the last one, and planning diligently over the last year.”
A schedule of events is not yet available, however Bernier said the town will release a pamphlet with a full schedule within the next two weeks.
“There’s something for everyone here,” she said. “There’s going to be a lot for the kids. We’re going to have a craft fair and quilting expo. There’s literally something for everyone, and it would be a great time to take a vacation here and enjoy everything that St. Agatha has to offer.”
