BETHEL – Organizers of next month’s free Bethel Family Fishing Festival have already started praying for sunshine for the day-long event Saturday, June 2, along the Androscoggin River at the BIG Adventure Center.

Rain hampered attendance at last summer’s event and previous festivals, marketing spokeswoman Wende Gray said by phone Thursday evening.

“According to the law of averages, we’re due for a good weekend,” she said.

Rain or shine, the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and the Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited are preparing for 200 people of all ages.

“If more show up, we’ll be prepared for them, too,” she added.

The event, one of many nationwide that provides families an opportunity to have fun on the water, is timed to coincide with Maine’s waiving of resident and nonresident fishing licenses for June 2 and 3.

New this year, are:

• A Two-Fly Contest on June 2 and 3 for accomplished anglers, who may use only two flies to catch the three trout species in the upper Androscoggin River. Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m. June 2. Entry fees are $50 for adults, $25 for children 12 and under. Prizes will be awarded for largest fish and total catch.

• An Open Farm Day from noon to 4 p.m. on June 3 at Sunday River Alpacas in Bethel and rainbow trout feeding in their pond.

• The debut of the Bethel Historical Society’s summer exhibit, “Great Water Road: The Androscoggin Story,” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 2 in the Robinson House on Broad Street.

Festival registration is from 9 to 10 a.m. June 2. Free workshops on both spin casting and fly casting will be taught by chapter members during the morning using complimentary rods supplied by Maine’s Hooked on Fishing – Not Drugs program.

That will be followed by an opportunity for children to fish in the center’s covered-bridge pond. Kids may also learn to tie flies in the afternoon using materials provided by Trout Unlimited and alpaca fibers from Sunday River Alpacas.

Additionally, each young angler will receive a goodie bag provided by the Kids All-American Fishing Program and its sponsors.

For more information, phone 1-877-275-3363 or visit www.upperandro.com.