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

The day includes a Meet and Greet with Rita Willey, five-time winner of the World Championship Sardine Packing Contest. She will be autographing commemorative SardineFest postcards and telling tales of working at a sardine cannery.

"....Rita Willey took the state, and to some extent the country, by storm, winning five sardine packing contests over a 12-year period between 1970-1982," said Penobscot Marine Museum. "She not only won cash prizes and respect from her fellow packers, she also became a bit of a national television star appearing on the Johnny Carson Show, What's My Line, and Real People. When Johnny Carson asked her how she did her job, she calmly replied 'With scissors. Snip. Snip.' The sponsor of the sardine packing contests, The Maine Sardine Council, had found its star. Even after her packing career ended, Rita made appearances at the Sardine Museum in Jonesport where people from near and far made a pilgrimage to meet her and have her sign a can of sardines."

Rita Willey donated her trophies and related memorabilia to the museum, and they are on display as part of the exhibit. Additionally, she donated some moving footage of a couple of the contests, which the museum just had digitized at Northeast Historic Film. You can see a clip of the film here. Meet Rita and see the entire film at our SardineFest on October 4th! 

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.

About Penobscot Marine Museum

Since 1936, Penobscot Marine Museum has been sharing an ever-expanding collection of stories and histories from Maine’s coastal communities spanning centuries. Located in Searsport, Maine, 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.