9,000 attend 2026 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival
DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Center Theatre and the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce announced that approximately 9,000 people attended the 2026 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds on June 13. The event, which celebrates Maine’s State Treat, is the largest single-day event in Piscataquis County.
Patrick Myers, executive director of the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, and organizer of the festival, thinks the event’s continued success is largely due to the support of a wide range of area businesses and organizations.
“I’d like to thank everyone who attended on Saturday!,” Myers said. “The festival truly is a community effort. The Piscataquis Valley Fair Association does so much to make it possible to hold the event at their beautiful venue and we couldn’t do it without the support of our local Shaw’s Supermarket and dozens of other businesses and nonprofits who help with different aspects of the festival.”
FAST AS THEY CAN — Entrants in the youth division of the Renewal by Anderson Whoopie Pie Eating Contest race to finish a single one of the treats during the 2026 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds in Dover-Foxcroft on June 13. Bodhi Bilyeu, 10 of Hermon, earned top honors with his time of 44 seconds.
Myers is proud of the effort that goes into the event and how it showcases the best of Dover-Foxcroft and the wider community, “I heard many people say that even though it’s a huge event, it feels like a small-town get-together. That’s a wonderful compliment and something we never want to lose.”
Last year was the festival’s first at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds, and organizers made several improvements that helped make this year a success.
“We were able to recruit two community organizations to help us park cars and direct traffic,” Myers said. “That meant traffic flow was much smoother, even with the Essex Street bridge being closed for repairs.”
Myers and the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce met many times with the Dover-Foxcroft Fire and Police Department to improve traffic plans for this year’s festival and he thinks it showed, “It’s wonderful to have such a good working relationship with the town government and EMS services.”
FATHER, DAUGHTER WINNERS — Alan and Ethella Dill of Lincoln won their respective classes at the Renewal by Anderson Whoopie Pie Eating Contest as part of the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. The younger Dill finished two whoopie pies in 58 seconds and her father ate three in 73 seconds.
The focus of the festival is, of course, whoopie pies. There were nearly 40 bakers who travelled from as far away as Hartford, Connecticut to share their love of whoopie pies with appreciative whoopie pie fans and compete in several contests.
Winning the coveted People’s Choice award, chosen by festival attendees, for the second year in a row was Husson University in Bangor.
Festival goers also voted for the best baker using Allen’s Coffee Brandy as an ingredient, that prize was won by Kindred Farms of Casco. Kindred Farms also won a third place in the judged Allen’s whoopie pie competition with Backyard Bakery from Dixmont winning second place and Husson University winning top honors.
Taking first place in the Best Traditional Whoopie Pie contest was Valley View Orchard Pies in Oxford, second place was won by Northport Campground Cafe and Bakery and third place went to Katherine’s Bakery and Cafe in Norway.
HUNGRY TEENAGERS — A dozen entrants in the teen division of the Renewal by Anderson Whoopie Pie Eating Contest tried to finish two of the desserts in the shortest amount of time. Ethella Dill, 13 of Lincoln, won in 58 seconds, a year after she earned top honors in the youth category.
Best Flavored Whoopie Pie was won by Governor’s Restaurant in Old Town for their banana bread whoopie pie. Shady Tree Farm in Livermore Falls took second place for their raspberry zinga whoopie and third-place honors belong to Northport Campground Cafe and Bakery for their rhubarb fluff.
The honor of being judged the Best New Baker at the festival went to Backyard Bakery, with second place awarded to Through the Tulips Bakery from Milo and third place going to Shady Tree Farm.
The festival’s Healthy Whoopie Prize was awarded to Governors for their carrot cake whoopie pie. Kindred Farms Market and Bakery’s blueberry lemon took second place and third place accolades were bestowed upon Valley View Orchard Pies’ orange cranberry whoopie pie.
Bakers were also judged on their creativity in naming their whoopie pies. Fire-n-Spice Vegan Restaurant, who traveled all the way from Hartford, Connecticut, went home with a first place for their “Sweetie Sandwich” whoopie pie. Second place winner was Elaine’s Basket Cafe in Milo, Maine for their whoopie pie named “The Loose Moose” and rounding out third place was Baked by Joy from Hermon with “Ube Goes to Maine.”
THREE FOR THE ADULTS — Adult entrants competed to scarf down three whoopie pies the fastest during the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival. Alan Dill of Lincoln won in 73 seconds to earn top honors for the second time in three years.
The Yankee Whoopie Prize was won by Katherine’s Bakery and Cafe for their Maine wild blueberry pie.
Winning the Renewal by Anderson Whoopie Pie Eating Contests and the respective $75 prizes were Bodhi Bilyeu from Hermon, age 10 (youth category). Ethella Dill, age 13 from Lincoln, won the teen category after graduating from the youth category which she won in 2025. The adult contest was won by Alan Dill (father of Ethella Dill).
The three winners ate one, two and three BC Sweets of Milo whoopie pies — with the cream filling dyed green match the Renewal by Anderson color — the quickest. Bilyeu scarfed down his whoopie pie in 44 seconds, the younger Dill finished a pair in 58 seconds and the elder Dill needed just 73 seconds to eat his three. He also earned top honors at the 2024 competition.
The three contests had 17, 12 and 14 respective entrants.
WHOOPIE PIE FESTIVAL — The Center Theatre has announced that 9,000 people attended the 2026 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. The festival is the largest annual fundraiser for the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, and several other community groups. The 2027 festival will be held at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds on June 12.
Full contest results are available at www.MaineWhoopiePieFestival.com.
The organizers of the Festival have also announced that the date for the 2027 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival will be June 12, 2027. Registration for bakers and vendors will open in January.
The festival is the largest annual fundraiser for the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts and supports the Theatre’s mission to engage and inspire by making art, education and entertainment accessible to our rural communities.