Marine museum celebrates the humble sardine

The Penobscot Marine Museum invites the community to SardineFest 2025—a free, all-day celebration of Maine’s rich sardine industry history—on Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m in downtown Searsport. SardineFest has been generously sponsored by Hamilton Marine.

Whether you’re a local, a history buff, or just looking for a fun fall outing, SardineFest offers a full day of live music, hands-on activities, tasty local food, and a chance to dive into one of Maine’s most iconic coastal industries.

Highlights include:

• live music by The Oystermen, Belfast Bay Fiddlers, and the Searsport Shores Jam Band
• a sea life touch tank from Herring Gut Coastal Science Center
• storytime with Carver Memorial Library
• sardine tastings for the adventurous eater
• family activities throughout the museum grounds—sponsored by Sprague Energy
• meet and greet with Rita Willey, a five-time sardine packing contest champion
• “Salty Tales,” real-life stories from those who lived the sardine life — sponsored by First National Bank
• demonstrations and Presentations about the sardine industry

SardineFest complements the museum’s latest exhibit, Sardineland, which explores the economic, social, and cultural impact of Maine’s sardine canneries and fisheries, once a major force along the coast. The festival brings those stories to life with music, flavor, and local voices.

You can find more information on SardineFest at penobscotmarinemuseum.org/sardinefest

Since 1936, Penobscot Marine Museum has been sharing an ever-expanding collection of stories and histories from Maine’s coastal communities spanning centuries. Located on Route 1 in Searsport, the museum has a campus of historical homes and buildings that display and share art, objects, photos, documents, and small boats.

In-person visitors explore Maine’s working waterfronts through hands-on exhibits, historical artifacts, fine art, and a research library. Online visitors join lectures and workshops broadcast free to the public, and search historical databases of the museum’s collection, which contains more than 500,000 photos, objects, and documents.

All of the Penobscot Marine Museum offerings serve to spread the stories of the tightly-knit communities of Mainers whose lives and livelihoods have long been sustained on or by the sea. More information is available online at penobscotmarinemuseum.org.

This packing table is a featured original artifact that is part of Penobscot Marine Museum’s Sardineland exhibit.