The Festival takes place in the height of summer, in the heart of the Maine Woods The Festival features inspiring presentations and authentic programs all about the region, all led by expert Maine people The Festival is a one-week journey, landing in a remote, spectacular landscape, learning the ways of the Wabanaki and the ways of the Woods The Festival helps to find the cultural thread and quiet solace that inspires harmony with Nature, for its many human benefits The Festival celebrates the balm of the Maine Woods, as seen through the eyes of Thoreau, learned from the traditions of the Wabanaki
Schedule of Events:
9:30 am - Thoreau Nature Walks
with Evolutionary Ecologist Amity Wilczek & Master Maine Wilderness Guide Alexandra Conover Bennett
Location: Meet at The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, at 9:30 am, for a short ride to a nearby trail. Note ~ Bring water and a snack to enjoy. Binoculars, a hand lens, and cameras if desired.
Maine Master Guide Alexandra Conover Bennett leads a group along a trail in 2024.
This July she is joined by Nature Ecologist Amity Wilzcek of the Thoreau Society.
Explore a nearby trail with guides especially tuned to whatever is found in the woods that morning. Guides for the walk will be responsive to what we see and to the interests of the group, with an emphasis on plants, birds, and trees. What was it that Thoreau remarked on from his trips into the Maine woods — what was he looking forward to seeing? What did he write about what he saw? What differences did he notice between Concord and Maine? As he moved from a landscape that he knew intimately and had walked daily over decades, how did he react to a new environment and try to understand it? What will we see today?
11 am - The Tonic of Wildness: Henry David Thoreau's Excursions to the Maine Woods
with Thoreau Society Historian Richard Smith
Location: Shaw Public Library, Greenville, Maine
Henry David Thoreau took three extended visits to Maine in 1849, 1853, and 1857. It was here that Thoreau experienced the true wildness of the North Woods: the moose, the rivers, the mountains, and – most importantly to him – the Penobscot people.
In 1857, Mt. Kineo on Moosehead Lake became an important stopping point for Thoreau. What changed for him? Come find out with Thoreau Historian Richard Smith, at Shaw Public Library, 11 am, July 25! Suzanne AuClair photo.
If you missed 19th-century American literature speaker Richard Smith on Thursday morning, join us at Shaw Public Library for the fascinating story of Thoreau's journey through these North Woods. Why did Thoreau come here? What was he hoping to find? And how did Maine affect his life and writings?
1 pm Moosehead's Henry Red Eagle
with Moosehead Lake Region Historian Suzanne M. AuClair
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
Who was Chief Henry Red Eagle? In part, Henry Perley, also known as Chief Henry Red Eagle, was valedictorian and class president of Greenville High School, Class of 1902, at a time when it was unusual for a Native person to lead in class. What did he do that made him so popular? What legacy did he leave behind here for his home town, and for the Moosehead Lake Region?
Join Historian Suzanne AuClair as she traces some of the traditions and early economic influences that were left behind by three well-known local Wabanaki residents – Henry "Red Eagle" Perley, Roland "Needabeh" Nelson, and Albert P. Faye, the long-time owner of the iconic tourist shop, The Indian Store, of downtown Greenville.
4 pm - Moosehead's Moose Population!
with Maine Moose Expert Lee Kantar, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
The first thing anyone asks when they come to Moosehead is "Where can I see a moose?!" Come and learn all there is to know about Moosehead's most popular forest resident during the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Fest. How healthy are they? Are they in danger of dwindling away due to tick cycles? Back by popular demand is internationally renowned Maine moose expert Lee Kantar of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Kathy Ballard photo.
7 pm - Wabanaki, Thoreau & The Power of Place
with Professors Darren J. Ranco and John Kucich. Dr. Ranco is Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. Dr. Kucich is a professor of English at Bridgewater State University and president of the Thoreau Society.
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine.
Canoeists are but a speck in the big world of water, woods, and sky on Moosehead Lake. Come explore the transformative power of place with Wabanaki and Thoreau scholars Darren J. Ranco and John Kucich.
Thoreau had a life-long fascination with Native people, but it was his engagement with Wabanaki people in Maine that transformed his understanding of the power of place. Join Dr. Kucich, author of "Unsettling Thoreau" (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024) and Dr. Ranco, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, as they discuss Thoreau's evolving relationship with Native America, how his time in the Wabanaki homeland shaped his work on environmental and social justice, and how Thoreau's time in Maine offers a new perspective on the Wabanaki revival today.
