BETHEL — The MollyOckett Days festival will be held Saturday and Sunday on the Bethel Common and Main Street.

The festival is named after MollyOckett, a Pequawket Indian who lived among and befriended the early settlers of Western Maine.

MollyOckett Days kicks off at 10 a.m. July 19 with a parade from the parking lot of the Casablanca Theater, up Main Street to around the Bethel Common.

Bethel students Hunter Cline and Skye Fournier will sit in the lead car of the parade after being selected as the winners of the 2014 MollyOckett Days Essay Challenge. The writing contest that invites Telstar Regional High School and Gould Academy students to answer the question, “Why is it important that we still celebrate MollyOckett?”

Jessie Seymour Perkins of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce said that over the past few years, the chamber has been working on finding new music and entertainment to feature in the hours leading up to the Saturday-evening fireworks show.

“Years ago, there used to be a fiddling contest during the MollyOckett Days festival,” Seymour Perkins said. “This year, we found a fiddling group to perform. It’s not a contest, but we’re hoping it’ll remind people of the past.”

Seymour Perkins said the food and craft vendors have been “filling up pretty fast,” and there are more Main Street businesses signing up for the event than previous years.

“This is our third year that we’ve closed off Main Street for the festival, and we’re seeing a lot more participation from Main Street businesses, which is great,” Seymour Perkins said.

Other events scheduled for Saturday on the Town Common include:

* 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Craft, food, and community vendors.

* 7 to 10 a.m.: All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at the Bethel Inn Resort.

* 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Bethel Library Book Sale at 5 Broad St.

* 10 to 11 a.m.: Traditional Mi’kmaq basket-making demonstration with Richard Silliboy at Native American Culture and Craft tent.

* 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: North American Wildlife Encounter, sponsored by Nadeau Development and the Rotary Club of Bethel.

* 12:30 p.m.: Announcement of parade winners and winners of MollyOckett Days Essay Challenge presented.

* 1 to 1:45 p.m.: ARTirondack Chair Auction, with proceeds benefiting Mahoosuc Arts Council.

* 1 p.m.: Frog-jumping contest at Mason and Broad streets.

* 1 to 4 p.m.: Valentine Family Quilts exhibit at the Bethel Historical Society at 10 Broad St.

* 2 to 4 p.m.: Concert by The Burnurwurbskek Singers, an authentic traditional Penobscot Nation group.

* 3:45 to 4:30 p.m.: Concert by Northside Ramblers from Western Maine.

* 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Concert by Points North, a Northern New England fiddling group.

* 6 to 6:30 p.m.: Live music from Anna Sysko, Justin Bondesen and Jon Phillips.

* 7 to 9 p.m.: Concert by Crime Scene, a classic rock band.

* 9 p.m.: Fireworks over the golf course at the Bethel Inn Resort.

Events to take place on Main Street on Saturday include:

* 7 to 10 a.m.: Pancake breakfast at the Bethel Masonic Lodge to benefit Telstar Project Graduation.

* 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Comfort and rest station at the Bethel Methodist Church featuring free beverages, indoor flea market and a cookie walk.

* 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Book-signing with Steven, Robert and Thomas Remington at Maine Line Products.

* 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Gem sluice at Mountain Jewelers for $5.

* 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Energy Fair and Open House at Brooks Brothers.

* 1 to 7 p.m.: Lobster bake at Bethel Bait Tackle and More.

* 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Chain saw carving demonstration with Ron Carlson.

On Sunday, there will be a MollyOckett Days foot race starting at 8:30 a.m., followed by a tubing and treasure scavenger hunt at noon at the Bethel Outdoor Adventure.

For a complete schedule of events, visit mollyockettdays.com/schedule.html.

For more information, call 800-442-5826 or visit mollyockettdays.com.

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