Forest Heritage Days Returns to the Lake, the Woods, and Lily Bay

On one of the hottest days of the summer, a yellow school bus and the Steamship Katahdin arrived at the Lily Bay Storehouse almost at the same time.

One came by land. One came by water.

And on Friday, August 7, Forest Heritage Days felt exactly like what it was meant to be: a gathering of people at the place where Moosehead Lake and the working woods meet.

Forest Heritage Days was held August 6–8 in Greenville, with three days of programs, tours, demonstrations, food, and community tradition.

But the heart of this year’s event may have been Friday’s “By Water and By Land” trip to Lily Bay.

The day began in Greenville, where about 75 people gathered in the Katahdin parking lot. Some boarded the Katahdin for the trip north on Moosehead Lake. Others climbed onto a school bus for a ride into the working forest.

The bus group traveled to an active commercial harvest site on Weyerhaeuser land, where Weyerhaeuser’s Drew Wopat and Chris Fife explained what was happening on the ground. The harvesting work itself was being done by E.J. Carrier Company, a contractor working on the site. The day was hot, and the sun at the harvest site made it feel even hotter, but people listened closely, asked questions, and had a rare chance to stand inside an active woods operation and hear from the people involved in today’s working forest.

That stop was a reminder that Forest Heritage Days is not only about the past. It is also about the forest that is still being managed, harvested, protected, and cared for.

From there, the bus made its way to the Lily Bay Storehouse. As it pulled in, the Katahdin was docking.

That moment alone was worth the trip.

The Lily Bay Storehouse has been part of the Moosehead landscape for well over a century — a reminder of a time when the lake was not just scenery but a highway, carrying supplies, equipment, workers, and passengers north by steamer into the woods.

This year’s trip marked the first public Katahdin ride into Lily Bay in more than 20 years.

That would not have happened without Steve Cole.

Steve made the historic Lily Bay Storehouse available for the day. It is one thing to talk about the old connection between the lake and the woods. It is another thing to stand at Lily Bay and watch the Katahdin tied up beside the storehouse, with people arriving by both boat and bus.

That is history you can feel.

Lunch was held at the storehouse — chicken barbecue from local Lily Bay residents, with the rest of the meal handled by the Katahdin crew. Everyone did a wonderful job, and on a hot day at a historic place, the food tasted even better.

A short program followed. Steve Cole and I welcomed everyone to the storehouse, and brief remarks came from Ben Greenwood of American Forest Management, Chris Fife of Weyerhaeuser, and Chelsea Daniels of the Appalachian Mountain Club, marking AMC’s 150th anniversary.

AMC also brought three birthday cakes to Lily Bay to mark that anniversary, and they were a hit.

The featured speaker was Jim Ferrante of the Maine Forest Service, who spoke on the history of white pine in Maine and how that story connects to Moosehead Lake. His talk drew close attention, and afterward several people sought him out with follow-up questions.

By early afternoon, people were boarding the Katahdin for the return to Greenville. After the heat of the morning, the trip down the lake was hard to beat. The breeze came up, the mountains came into view, and Lily Bay slipped behind us.

For many people, it was the kind of day they will remember. None of it would have been possible without support from the Davis Family Foundation, whose grant helped make this year’s Forest Heritage Days possible.

Forest Heritage Days began Thursday afternoon at the Center for Moosehead History with AMC’s presentation, “Working Forests, Thriving Communities,” given by Chelsea Daniels and Carolyn Ziegra, who spoke about AMC’s role in the region.

Saturday brought the weekend back into town.

The day began with the American Legion’s Lumbermen’s Breakfast on Pritham Avenue. The Legion has supported Forest Heritage Days weekend for many years, and the breakfast remains one of those local traditions that helps give the weekend its character.

At the Greenville Consolidated School front lawn, AMC helped lead Saturday’s public activities, and the Colby College Woodsmen demonstration drew a strong crowd. Photos from the event showed at least 75 people watching at one point, and with people coming and going, more than 100 likely saw the demonstration during the day.

The Colby Woodsmen brought energy, skill, and tradition to the lawn. Chopping, sawing, and woodsmen skills have long been part of Maine’s logging story, and the demonstration gave families and visitors a chance to see those skills up close.

Columbia-Doric Masonic Lodge also helped keep an old Forest Heritage Days tradition alive. For years, the Lodge held its bean hole bean supper on Friday night of Forest Heritage Days. This year, after the Lodge building was badly damaged by fire in December, the Masons could not hold the supper in the usual way. But they still took part. They offered a chicken barbecue at the school site and sold bean hole beans at the Lodge.

That mattered.

The Masons have been part of this community for generations, and their willingness to continue the tradition, even in a difficult year, deserves recognition and support.

Forest Heritage Days has changed over time. It is not exactly the same event it was 35 years ago, and it probably should not be. The Moosehead region has changed. The forest industry has changed. The way people travel, gather, and spend their time has changed.

But the reason for the event still holds.

The Moosehead region was shaped by the forest and the lake — by loggers, guides, boat captains, foresters, camp owners, and generations of families who made their lives here.

This year’s Forest Heritage Days told that story in a way that felt both old and new.

It was in the sound of the Katahdin docking at Lily Bay. It was in the voices of Weyerhaeuser staff explaining a modern harvest. It was in Jim Ferrante talking about white pine. It was in Steve Cole opening the storehouse. It was in AMC celebrating 150 years. It was in the Colby Woodsmen swinging axes on the school lawn. It was in the Legion breakfast and the Masons keeping their bean tradition going.

And it was in the people who came out, listened, asked questions, shared lunch, rode the lake, stood in the woods, and helped keep the weekend alive.

Thank you to everyone who made Forest Heritage Days 2026 possible — the partners, sponsors, volunteers, presenters, cooks, crews, hosts, and participants.

Forest Heritage Days is still worth doing. This year showed why.

Participants arrive at the historic Lily Bay Storehouse during Forest Heritage Days’ “By Water and By Land” tour. The Friday program brought people to Lily Bay by both bus and the Steamship Katahdin.

The Colby College Woodsmen demonstrate traditional woods skills on the Greenville Consolidated School front lawn during Forest Heritage Days. More than 100 people likely watched the demonstration over the course of the day.

Participants visit an active commercial harvest site on Weyerhaeuser land during the Forest Heritage Days woods tour. Weyerhaeuser staff led the working forest demonstration, with E.J. Carrier Company working at the site.

Participants visit an active commercial harvest site on Weyerhaeuser land during the Forest Heritage Days woods tour. Weyerhaeuser staff led the working forest demonstration, with E.J. Carrier Company working at the site.