Pittsfield Historical Society’s
History of Pittsfield

Current Pittsfield Community
Organizations & Clubs

This page is dedicated to the story of our current Organizations.
Click on thumbnail photos to enlarge.

HELP US! This page is a work in progress. If you know of any organization, or their email address or website that is not listed here, or the history of any organization, contact the historical society with the new information and we’ll add it to this list.

American Legion, Burns Knowlton Post 32. Our intent is to serve our veterans within our community and our local organizations with similar missions. The current eligibility period is Dec. 7, 1941, to the present, and includes the current war campaigns. Previously, there were seven declared war periods. Now there are two, the current war period dating back to World War II and another war era covering World War I. No other restrictions to American Legion membership changed. Post meetings are held currently held at the First Congregational Church, 132 Main St., Pittsfield, ME. From November-May meetings are on the third Saturday of the month @ 7:30am; from June-October meetings are on the third Thursday of the month @ 5:30pm.

Bicentennial Committee

In 2019 Pittsfield will celebrate its bicentennial. It will be a year filled with activities to mark this milestone. Facebook page.

Bossov Ballet Theater.

Bossov Ballet Theatre at Maine Central Institute is both a performing company and an international pre-professional ballet school.

The Bossov troupe includes dancers of many ages and levels of experience.  Dancers who attend MCI during the school day, and qualify for the program (after auditioning), are eligible to receive full academic credit for ballet training.  All BBT students, regardless of whether or not they attend MCI, train after school and with professional dancers who come to BBT to appear in guest roles. The experience of performing on stage with large casts of older and younger dancers is an invaluable opportunity for aspiring dancers.

Central Maine Egg Festival. 

The Central Maine Egg Festival has traditionally been a celebration of the brown egg industry and is held annually on the fourth Saturday of July in Manson Park. It is the event of the year in Pittsfield. Activities are held in and around the downtown area for the preceding five days, with a parade and the Kiwanis Karnival held on Saturday. For more info, visit the Central Maine Egg Festival page at the Town’s website, and the Egg Festival’s own website at centralmaineeggfestival.org.

What is the Central Maine Egg Festival? (from the 25th anniversary booklet, July, 1997.)
List of Past Egg Festival Themes.
The World’s Largest Frying Pan.

Community Christmas Project.
The Pittsfield Community Christmas Project was begun in the early 1980’s by a couple who dedicated their lives to helping those in need. The Project began as a collection of Christmas gifts for needy families and has grown to become a year-round source of food, clothing, and necessary items for those down on their fortune in the greater Pittsfield area. The Project is run by a board of directors. In late 1996, the Project was able to relocate from the basement of the founders’ home to a permanent and convenient downtown storefront on Connors Avenue by purchasing a tax-acquired property from the Town. Food is collected through a number of community drives; the food bank is open Tuesday and Friday morning each a week.

Community Watch.
A group of about 20 Pittsfield citizens has agreed to conduct a volunteer patrol of downtown streets on Friday and Saturday nights in order to promote a safe atmosphere and sense of security for residents and travelers. The Watch acts as a visible extension of the Pittsfield Police Department (external website), and has been very successful. There has been a tangible decrease in vandalism and other negative behaviors since the Watch began. Community Watch members meet on the first Thursday of the month and new members are desired. All applicant members are first screened by the Pittsfield Police Department.

Daughters of the American Revolution, Elizabeth Pierce Lancy Chapter page, with history, 1938 and 1961 photos.

Driftbusters Snowmobile Club. The Pittsfield Driftbusters have an open membership to anyone interested in snowmobiling. Its purpose is to promote safer snowmobiling and better trails. Current membership consists of 100 families, 5 singles, 5 students and 6-10 businesses from Pittsfield and Burnham. The Club utilizes the former Peltoma Fish and Game Association clubhouse as its headquarters, where meals and rest rooms are available to travelers. The Club maintains the area trail network, organizes rides and contributes substantial funds to the Pine Tree Camp for Handicapped Persons. Relationships with cooperating landowners are good. Funds are raised through dues, a portion of snowmobile registration funds returned via the Town, clubhouse rental fees and sale of lunches. Regular business meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. www.facebook.com/pittsfielddriftbusters/

Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Library is a non-profit group of individuals who care about libraries. They support and promote the Pittsfield Public Library. The friends offer author and lecture programs, book sales, Library open house. and other activities. There are 75 members who meet four to six times a year.

Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth. During the development of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan update, guidance staff at Warsaw Middle School initiated the formation of a Pittsfield area (SAD#53) chapter of this nationally-funded effort sponsored by the Search Institute. The overall objective is to foster a healthy community by emphasizing awareness of and program framework around the positive resource that youth represent as individuals and community members. This differs from the traditional outlook on youth as a challenge or even problem to be addressed. The Search Institute model being utilized as a guide for the group stems from an asset-building framework built upon forty internal and external assets that have proven to be reliable indicators for healthy youth development. These assets offer target behaviors and support systems which are likely to result in a well-adjusted human being. External assets include those related to support, empowerment, boundaries/expectations and constructive use of time. Internal assets are organized around the following categories: commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive identity. The initial local core group of approximately 15 students and adults meets monthly with a goal of creating a healthy community for the youth of Pittsfield, Burnham, and Detroit. Its first specific project is to assemble a book of resources for area youth. At this point the group’s financial needs have not out-stripped the level of support available through the guidance office.

Heart of Pittsfield. Founded in 2012, we are a group of inspired and enthusiastic individuals who came together with an idea to better our community. It is our vision to inspire others and to get everyone in the community involved to make our town a better place for all.
Our mission is to revitalize Pittsfield by serving as a key facilitator of local, regional and national relationships and resources to transform Pittsfield into a regional destination for commerce and culture.
The health and spirit of a town starts at its heart, in its downtown. When its downtown is strong and vibrant, this spreads out beyond the center and has a positive effect on other parts of town.
Together we can improve on businesses, curb side appeal, and community events to make our little town even more appealing!

Knights of Columbus. One of the larger organizations in Pittsfield, the Knights of Columbus (K of C) has approximately 70 members who are active Catholics over the age of 18. The group exists to offer non-profit service to Church, youth, family, and community. The K of C has a hall on Dobson Street, where it meets regularly on the 1st Wednesday of the month. The group holds socials, pot luck dinners, an all-you-can-eat breakfast, and a tootsie-roll campaign to help the handicapped. These fundraisers, together with membership dues, bring in the needed revenues. The K of C is a sponsor of My Brother’s Table.

MCI Key Club. Kiwanis sponsors the MCI Key Club, which offers younger people an opportunity to actively serve their community. Eligibility for membership relies upon an average academic standard above “C.” There are approximately 20 members in 1997. Activities sponsored by the Club include the Snow Ball, lemonade stand at the Egg Festival, participation in the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon and St. Jude Hospital Bike-a-thon, and serving diners at the Alumni Reunion and Foreign Student Dinner. The group meets bi-monthly on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.

Mid-Maine Community Forum
The focus of the forum is to create an opportunity to engage people in conversations and prompts participants to become informed and inspired to initiate positive change in themselves, their community, and the world. Held the first Thursday of the month, this free program runs September through November and February through May. The Forum began in the Spring of 2011 and has addressed a variety of topics from local farming, the arts, our environment to civil rights. The group also invites speakers such as Lisa Pohlman, Executive Director of the Natural Resource Council of Maine and Kate Breastrap, New York Times best selling author. The planning committee consists of Church members and community members and meets at the First Universalist Church.

PennyWise
PennyWise has been in existence since at least 1971. Volunteers from the United Church of Christ operate the thrift store. The store is generally open Thursday through Saturday. Many families have benefited from the over 3000 volunteer hours and numerous donations to PennyWise.

Pinnacle Ski Club. The Pinnacle Ski Club is a membership-based association whose objectives are to promote skiing and skiing instruction for adults and children, encourage friendship among skiers for the greater enjoyment of all phases of the sport, and to stimulate the solution of common problems such as those dealing with ski programs, techniques, and equipment. Other outdoor activities besides skiing may also be promoted by the Club if desired. Visit their website where you will find an extensive history of the Pinnacle.

Pittsfield ARTS Club
The Pittsfield Always Ready To Serve Club meets at the homes of members and local businesses on the second Monday of the month. There are 22 members who conduct fundraisers and then utilize the money helping others throughout the community.

Pittsfield Community Garden Club. The Community Garden Club exists to beautify the Town of Pittsfield and its visible efforts are well-appreciated. Anyone interested in gardening is encouraged to join. There are currently about 20 members who meet once a month in the municipal building, library, or at a member’s house. A plant sale is held in May to raise the funds necessary to purchase annuals to plant at the library, Depot House Museum, Stein Park, hospital, and in planters at the municipal building.

Pittsfield Community Youth Center. The Pittsfield Community Youth Center is an informal organization in business to promote baseball and softball for children ages 5-15 from Pittsfield, Detroit and Burnham. By amassing numerous volunteers as coaches, the Youth Center organizes teams, practices, and games in the following games/leagues: T-Ball (ages 5-6), Farm League (ages 7-8), Minor League (ages 9-12), Little League (ages 9-12), Girls’ Softball (ages 9-12) and Babe Ruth League (ages 13-15).

Photo of the Farmers’ Market early in the 2004 season, June 21.

Pittsfield Farmers’ Market

A farmers’ market organized in early 1997 by Tom Roberts of Snakeroot Organic Farm, with the support of the Town allowing the market to use the parking area at the Central and Somerset Ave corner of Hathorn Park. The founding members include area farmers, gardeners, cooks, and artisans, offering locally produced fruits, vegetables, herbs, home baked pies, garden seedlings and plants. It is hoped that additional local producers will join in to increase the offerings available to residents who wish to support fresh, local food, and home-made products. Open May Day until Hallowe’en each year.

The Pittsfield Historical Society is a private non-profit organization which receives partial support from the Town to maintain the Depot House Museum, which it manages. The group’s purpose is to preserve the history and historical items of the Pittsfield region, and membership is open to anyone who shares that interest. Its activities include sponsoring an open house at the museum and conducting historical research, although keeping up with maintaining the depot and caboose are challenging the Society’s small membership. The group relies upon membership dues, donations and fundraisers such as bake sales to support its work. The Society meets monthly at the Depot House. For more information, visit the Pittsfield Historical Society web page at Pittsfield Historical Society. The Society’s website is at www.pittsfieldhistoricalsociety.org

Pittsfield Kiwanis. The Greater Pittsfield Area Kiwanis Club was organized in 1940. Kiwanis is a public service organization which strives to assist the community’s children and elderly. It has an open membership, with 25 currently participating, and meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. Kiwanis holds a carnival in conjunction with the Pittsfield Egg Festival, at which most of its fundraising takes place. Other activities include an Easter Egg Hunt and sponsorship of the MCI Key Club (see above). Kiwanis supports scholarships and is perhaps best known for having built and helped to maintain the Town’s outdoor swimming pool. Pittsfield Kiwanis, PO Box 254, Pittsfield, ME 04967. www.greaterpittsfieldareakiwanis.com

Pittsfield Little League page. Photos of teams from 1960 and 1970.

Elks lodge. 2005 photo.

Sebasticook Valley Elks Lodge #2713 Of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,

Instituted in 1986, the Sebasticook Valley Elks Lodge #2713 is a non-profit, fraternal and charitable organization consisting of nearly 400 members from the Pittsfield, Newport, and Dexter regional areas. The lodge is dedicated to fostering the virtues of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love, and Fidelity. Major charities supported by the lodge include the Maine Children’s Cancer Program of the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, the Elks National Foundation, and the Maine Elks Diabetes and Hypertension testing van. Local support is given to the Community Christmas Project, area youth athletics, area scholarships programs, area school programs, the Pittsfield Public Library, the Sebasticook Valley Hospital, area veterans, and many, many more deserving charities. The B.P.O.E. is the second largest scholarship donor in the country.

Lodge facilities include a social lounge restricted to members and their guests, a game room with dart boards, pool tables, video golf, and licensed gaming. The 180 person capacity function room, complete with a bar and kitchen, can be rented by contacting the Club Room Manager at 487-6300.

Various social functions held throughout the year for members and guests of the lodge include dances, card tournaments, dart tournaments, pool tournaments, chili cook-offs, sporting event parties, family picnics, and formal dinners. The lodge meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:30 pm and are restricted to members in good standing.

To become a member, men or women must be at least 21 years of age, American citizens of quality moral character and integrity, and be proposed by a current member in good standing.

To learn more about the B.P.O.E. visit www.elks.org or www.maineelks.org on the web. The lodge can be contacted at sve2713@dialmaine.com or by calling 207-487-6300. The Maine Elks website has a history of the Elks.

2005-2006 Lodge Officers:
Exalted Ruler – Don Dow
Esteemed Leading Knight – Kenneth Hennessy
Secretary – Arey Bryant

Pittsfield Senior Citizens
The purpose of the Senior Citizens group is to bring Seniors together, The group meets at the Sebasticook Valley Elks Lodge on Middle Street every Wednesday morning. The members play cards, have potluck dinners and go on field trips. For more information please feel free to drop by or contact Frances Kirk at 487-5686.

Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) Auxiliary. The Auxiliary is currently a group of about 35 area citizens who volunteer time to raise funds to support the hospital. The dues-supported group holds teas and operates a gift nook at SVH. A soda and snack machine are also managed by the Auxiliary to raise funds. The Auxiliary Board meets monthly, with the membership meeting tri-annually.

Meeting of the Tuesday Club in May, 2007.

Tuesday Club. The Pittsfield Tuesday Club was established in the 1893 as a federated literary club. It is a private, self-perpetuating regional organization which currently has 26 members, most of whom are from Pittsfield. The group meets 13 times per year at the Broken Putter. Activities include supporting the Community Christmas Project and parties at the Sebasticook Valley Health Facility. Some delegates travel to Augusta to participate in the Women’s Legislative Council, which hears presentations on both sides of legislation and reports back to delegates. More on the Tuesday Club on Page 37 of the 1994 PHS booklet Milestones and Memories. In 2007, the Waterville Morning Sentinel wrote an Meeting of the Tuesday Club in May, 2007.article about the Tuesday Club looking for new members.

The Welcome Table
The Welcome Table started in 2008.  A group of five organizers created this program to be “a locally staffed and funded service whose mission is to provide our neighbors with a place to gather, socialize and share a free meal.”  The Welcome Table is open every Friday in the basement of the First Universalist Church on Easy Street. Each week the meal is planned, paid for, prepared and served by a different local business or organization.