OTISFIELD — The annual Joe Holden Picnic will be held after an 11 a.m. service on Sunday, Aug. 29, at the East Otisfield Free Baptist Church on Rayville Road.

The Sunday service is usually held at 10 a.m., but will be moved to 11 so people may go from the service directly to the picnic, which is held on church grounds.

The annual picnic was established in 1900 in memory of Joe Holden, the Otisfield astronomer who believed that the world was flat. As stipulated in Holden’s will, the interest from the $3 he left to the church was to be used to buy treats for the picnic.

William Spurr, another former Otisfield resident who wrote “A History of Otisfield, Maine,” left additional funds to be used to “buy strawberry ice cream, popcorn and peanuts” for the picnic. Both men’s stories have become part of the folklore of Otisfield.

All are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and join the event. Of course, there will be strawberry ice cream, popcorn and peanuts for all.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.