The sixth annual Maine Harvest Festival will be held November 19 and 20 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The event will be held Saturday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Admission is $8, children 12 and under admitted free. Sponsored, in part, by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the two-day festival will feature over 150 Maine farmers, food processors, brewers, fiber artisans and chefs presenting great local food, beverages, music, fiber and more.

"Maine agriculture has great potential to put more food on the table, provide jobs and create economic opportunities," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "The continued growth of the Maine Harvest Festival highlights the consumer demand for our locally produced products."

Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walt Whitcomb highlighted the continued growth and national recognition that the Festival has received.

"Last year, USA TODAY 10 Best readers voted the Maine Harvest Festival 5 in the category of "Best Fall Harvest Festival" in the country," said Whitcomb. "The Festival continues to grow along with consumer interest in locally produced food and Maine products. Many of Maine's next generation of entrepreneurs, farmers, bakers, brewers, vintners, chefs and other artisans that grow local food, create jobs and strengthen local economies, especially in the rural areas."

Maine Harvest Festival Organizer Judi Perkins is excited that this year's festival added a Celebration of Maine Farms & Homes by Page Museum and Friends, to be held in the ballroom both days of the festival. "It will not only celebrate Maine's rural past, but provide future generations with valuable and practical knowledge about Maine farms, communities and livelihoods," said Perkins. "The Page Museum, Partners' demonstrations and other programming will be interactive, diverse and engaging for all audiences."

Events entitled "Celebrating Maine's Farms & Homes" will feature everything from sheep shearing, a "hands on the loom experience" for the weaving of a "sheep to shawl" masterpiece, to learning to contra dance. Popular cooking demos return, along with a newly introduced potato picking competition and a workshop on how to raise backyard chickens.

There will be booths, demonstrations, seminars and multiple opportunities for festival goers to taste, sample and purchase offerings. The Festival has a wine, brewery and distillery sampling area. The State of Maine Fair Pie Contest Finale and Awards presentation will also take place on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Based on experiences from previous years, organizers stressed the importance of bringing a cooler or a thermal insulated bag/container for transporting temperature-sensitive purchases.

For more information about the Maine Harvest Festival: http://maineharvestfestival.com/

For more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, go to: http://www.maine.gov/dacf