OTISFIELD — The Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association will open the doors of the 1839 meetinghouse on Bell Hill for the 99th year in a row July 29 with a public service that organizers say will honor God, country and tradition.

The service, which was initiated 99 years ago to to keep religion and tradition alive on Bell Hill, will begin at 2:30 p.m. The public is invited to the event, which will feature a presentation of the Finnish in Otisfield, followed by an ice cream social outside on the same common where many years ago the town’s militia assembled to drill at least twice a year.

On the same day, the adjacent 1839 Bell Hill schoolhouse will be open after the service. Visitors will be able to examine dozens of items loaned by the Finnish-American Society of West Paris, including traditional clothing, toys and household items.

“There were a number of Finnish farms (in Otisfield),” said Barbara Nurmi Payne, daughter of two of the early Finnish immigrants who came to the area. She will present a program explaining why the Finns came to America and what happened once they came.

She also will talk about the history and customs of the Finnish immigrants in the area, particularly in Otisfield and Harrison, she said.

Jean Hankins of the Otisfield Historical Society said many of the Finns came to the area after 1910. During the decades preceding World War II, they bought many of the farms on Bell Hill that the earlier settlers had abandoned. In the process, they introduced novelties such as saunas and skis to the area, she said.

In addition to the speaker, the Community Choir, directed by Maria Clark and accompanied by Virginia Noble, will provide musical selections rooted in Finland. Also, a group of instrumentalists, “A’Cording to Kantele,” will perform on the Finnish kantele.

“These are important years on Bell Hill,” Hankins said in a statement announcing the event. “Last year a Civil War commemoration featured the poignant letters home of a Otisfield soldier, vocal music from the period, authentic military uniforms and a model encampment.”

Hankins said the 100th anniversary next year probably will look back at the year 1913 when the residents of Bell Hill and their friends initiated the first service after the Congregationalists moved their Sunday worship to a newer building at Spurr’s Corner, leaving the meetinghouse on Bell Hill vacant.

“The strong community spirit shown by these early folks was reinforced in 1927 when the Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association was incorporated, with the goals of maintaining the meetinghouse and continuing the tradition of worship on the hilltop,” Hankins said.

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