A symbol of hope for the coming year

Mt. Battie Star returns for the holidays

Fri, 11/25/2022 - 5:30pm

Story Location:
280 Belfast Road
Camden, ME 04843
United States

    CAMDEN — A small, but hearty crowd braved the November cold to watch the first lighting of the Mt. Battie Star for 2022. Always at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, the intimate ceremony is a longtime tradition of spreading cheer and goodwill over the region. 

    Members of the assembly crew erected the star on the World War I Memorial Tower this past week just as a group has for over 50 years. The star is lit from sunset till just before dawn every evening between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.  

    Chairman of the Friends of Mt. Battie Randy Stearns said that the Camden Lions Club, Rankin’s Hardware, and Village Variety are the ones to thank for keeping the star lit and in good working order.  

    Back in the 1960s, the star was affixed to the side of French and Brawn in downtown Camden. At that time, Bill Brawn’s wooden star was 12 feet tall, with 100 -25-watt bulbs. 

    The Camden Lions Club move the star to Mt. Battie, and eventually Raymond Drinkwater built a larger steel star. That star was replaced in the 1990s by another steel star. That star has remained in use today. 

    A hike up Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park, 280 Belfast Road, is a New Year's Day tradition for many Camden residents.