BETHEL – The 30th annual Heritage Day will be held at the Bethel Historical Society’s Regional History Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.

During the afternoon, hot Indian pudding will be served from the hearth of the winter kitchen of the Dr. Moses Mason House. Special tours of the museum will also be available. At the Robinson House, there will be traditional craft demonstrations, historical videos, and an opportunity to visit the exhibits. The museum shop will be open as well.

The Bethel Historical Society’s Regional History Center attracts several thousand visitors each year. During 2003, visitors came from many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, Belize, the West Indies, Switzerland, Germany and Mexico. Visitors also came from 40 states in the United States.

The Dr. Moses Mason House, a period house museum with its Rufus Porter murals, continues to draw those who wish to learn how people lived in early 19th century Maine. The Eva M. Bean Research Library attracts those who wish to do historical and family research.

Courses this year included one on New England history and another on wood and woods in relation to one of the temporary exhibits. Special event offerings included the annual Heritage Day, the St. Never’s Day Sale, the Fourth of July, Community Picnic, Sudbury Canada Days, Christmas with the Masons, and New Year’s Bethel.

The 2003 series of lectures included ones on the history of Maine transportation (Cumberland and Oxford Canal, railroads, Maine-made automobiles, the steamer “Portland” and aviation in Bethel). Three more exhibits (historic Bethel area signs, 150 years of railroading from the Atlantic and St. Lawrence, and an introduction to Bethel’s past) helped inform visitors of the area’s past.

Plans are under way to develop new exhibits and programming to attract more visitors to the society’s Regional History Center when the summer begins. New courses will also be offered later in the year as well.

Further information about the society and its activities may be obtained by calling (207) 824-2908 or (800) 824-2910 or e-mailing: info@bethelhistorical.org. Additional information can also be obtained by checking its Web site: www.bethelhistorical.org. The mailing address is P.O. Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217-0012.