BETHEL — The 18th annual Fourth of July Community Picnic and Brass Band Concert, featuring a two-hour performance by the Portland Brass Quintet, will be held on Sunday, July 4, on the grounds of the Dr. Moses Mason House, 14 Broad St., beginning at 11:30 a.m.

The musicians have been a part of the event for the past 18 years, and once again, a sixth musician – a percussionist from the Portland Symphony – will join the quintet for its performance. The event hearkens back to the 1850s when Mason hosted a picnic with brass bands and patriotic orations on the Fourth of July. If the weather is inclement, the event will take place at the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse. The speaker for the event will be Bethel Town Manager Jim Doar, and the color guard from the Mundt-Allen American Legion will present the colors prior to the start of the concert with the national anthem.

After a five year hiatus, the Bethel Antiquarian Supper, a local tradition dating back to 1855, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 14, during the society’s annual Summer Heritage Festival.

Before the Civil War, citizens in many New England towns began holding so-called “antiquarian suppers,” during which people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, brought relics to exhibit, shared stories of days gone by and enjoyed a meal of unusual and old-time foods. In western Maine, the earliest antiquarian suppers were held by members of the Bethel Farmer’s Club (the first in Maine) between 1855 and 1857. The 2010 event will follow the older pattern, with some new “twists” thrown in.

In order to cover the expenses of the events, tax deductible contributions to the society are being solicited. The Portland Brass Quintet fee is $2,400, and the supper will cost about $300, so any contributions would be appreciated. Contributions in any amount can be sent to the society at P.O. Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217.

More information about the society’s programs, exhibits, educational activities and publications is available at www.bethelhistorical.org. Information also may be obtained by calling 824-2908, 800-824-2910 or e-mailing [email protected].