Visitors celebrate agriculture and history at Shaker Village

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 26, 2026

On a normal day, New Gloucester’s Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village would be quiet and still, with the exception of sheep’s bleat or a bug’s buzz. But during Maine’s statewide Open Farm Day on Sunday, the farm welcomed an estimated 1,500 visitors. “We really like to use it as a big community event,” Shaker Village Office Manager Jamie Ribisi-Braley said. “We’ve seen so many families coming year after year, we could watch their kids grow up. It’s amazing.” The most popular activity is a wagon ride that takes visitors through the nearly 250-year-old village, and up through the herb gardens.