Most of Hampden's November happens on two Saturdays, in four buildings, and volunteers run nearly all of it. Nov. 7 is a full day with a used-goods sale in the morning and a bean supper at suppertime. On Nov. 21, three local organizations open their doors on the same day for what the town's Fall 2026 Hampden Highlights newsletter calls "a one-day shopping occasion."
Each building has its own crowd and its own feel. The Skehan Recreation Center belongs to Hampden Recreation. The Kiwanis Club of Hampden uses the VFW Hall on Canoe Club Road. The Hampden Historical Society hosts at Kinsley House, and Hampden Highlands United Methodist Church hosts on Kennebec Road. If you know which group runs what, you can plan your weekends around them.
The short version, by date
- Friday, Oct. 30, 4 to 6:30 p.m.: Halloween Open House, Skehan Recreation Center
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vendor reservation deadline for the Hand-Me-Down Sale
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Hand-Me-Down Sale, Skehan Recreation Center
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 4:30 to 6 p.m.: Kiwanis bean supper, VFW Hall
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.: three holiday sales at three addresses
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 4:30 to 6 p.m.: the next Kiwanis bean supper
Skehan Recreation Center starts it off this weekend
Hampden Recreation's season actually began earlier in the fall. The fifth annual Fall Festival filled the Lura Hoit Pool field on Oct. 4 with more than 50 vendors, food trucks, games and Anah Shrine clowns, according to WABI. For the rest of the season, the events move indoors to the Skehan Recreation Center at 1 Main Road North.
The first one is tomorrow. The free Halloween Open House runs Friday, Oct. 30, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. It has games, a bounce house, costume contests and candy, and it's for children ages 18 months to 10, according to the town's MyRec event calendar. Because it's on a Friday, families get the costumes out once before Halloween itself on Saturday.
The Hand-Me-Down Sale follows the next weekend, Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The listing caps it at 40 vendors and sets the reservation deadline at Oct. 31. If you've been meaning to clear out outgrown snow gear or toys, you have two days from this post to claim a table. If you're coming to shop, the sale is done by 1 p.m., which leaves the rest of the afternoon free before supper.
The first Saturday belongs to the Kiwanis
Supper on Nov. 7 is at the VFW Hall, 41 Canoe Club Road. The Kiwanis Club of Hampden holds a bean supper there on the first Saturday of every month from October through May, 4:30 to 6 p.m. The menu printed in the town newsletter is three kinds of beans, goulash, red hots, coleslaw and biscuits, followed by a dessert buffet. Carry-out is available.
Bring cash. Adults pay $10 and children $8, and a whole family pays no more than $25. That cap means a household of four or more eats for less than four separate tickets would cost.
The suppers also help pay for a lot of what the club does around town. The newsletter says supper proceeds fund the club's community activities, and it lists Children's Day, the Bangor Fourth of July, HHS scholarships, the Key Club and Scouts. The Kiwanis also run the town's annual tree lighting. The club meets on the second and fourth Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at the same VFW Hall.
The tree lighting is on the town's events calendar with a 4:30 p.m. start, but no 2026 date or location has been posted yet. Check back there for the details. The bean supper after this one is Dec. 5.
Nov. 21: three sales, three addresses, one morning
The Saturday before Thanksgiving week is the big one. All three sales were scheduled for the same day, so in one morning you can shop at a church fair, a recreation-center vendor market and a historical society bazaar. Here's what the town newsletter lists for each.
| Sale | Host | Address | Hours | What the newsletter lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Fair | Hampden Highlands United Methodist Church | 44 Kennebec Road | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Wreaths, knit goods, baked goods, homemade food, ornaments, silent auction |
| Old-Fashioned Christmas Bazaar | Hampden Historical Society | 83 Main Road South | 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Raffle baskets, fancy work, antiques, bake sale, vintage jewelry, gently used holiday décor, plants, Santa |
| Holiday Market | Hampden Recreation | Skehan Recreation Center, 1 Main Road North | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Local vendors with gifts, décor, food and art |
The Holiday Market also appears on the MyRec calendar for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that Saturday. The Historical Society's bazaar is held at Kinsley House, 83 Main Road South, as it was last year.
Since opening times are staggered, one sensible order looks like this:
- Start at 8 a.m. at Kennebec Road or Kinsley House. Both open first. Raffle baskets and silent auctions take entries for hours, so stopping there early gives you the most time to go back and check before they close.
- Go to the Skehan Recreation Center after 9 a.m., once the Holiday Market vendors are set up.
- Leave lunch for last. All three close at 2 p.m., so anything you came for, like a wreath or a particular ornament, is safest bought before lunch.
People who come for the food should know it's spread across all three. The church lists baked goods and homemade food, and Kinsley House has a bake sale. The Holiday Market lists food among its vendor goods.
Where to eat between stops
Two of the places to stop on a day like this are fairly new. Both are run by people who live in or near town.
Marsh Island Kitchen, 55 Main Road North. This is the same road as the Skehan Recreation Center, so it fits right into a Nov. 21 loop. Marsh Island Brewing started in Orono about ten years ago and had expanded to Hampden "last year" with a full kitchen, according to WABI's January 2026 report. General manager and co-owner Megan Swett told WABI that she and her family live in Hampden and saw a need for a restaurant big enough for large groups and families. Executive chef Joe Robbins told the station that the kitchen makes everything it can in-house, pickles and onions included. It goes through about 1,000 pounds of Maine-grown potatoes a week. In January it was closed Tuesdays and held trivia on Mondays. The current Hampden menu is on the Marsh Island Brewing website. Look there for current hours too before you go.
Baked by Joy, Western Avenue. Joy Dudley moved her cookie business out of her home and into a storefront this past winter. In late April, WABI reported the shop had opened about two months earlier. Its best seller is the ube cookie. The shop also makes Filipino-inspired and classic cookies, matcha and cookie sundaes, and it posts the current flavors on its Facebook page. Hours and seasonal flavors can change, so check that page before you plan a stop around it. A box of cookies also works as a hostess gift if you're headed somewhere for Thanksgiving the following week.
If your November includes late drives on I-95
Some November plans mean driving home late. Crews are painting the Cold Brook Road bridge over Interstate 95. The Bangor Daily News reported overnight one-lane traffic in both directions between mile markers 179 and 181, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Royal Bridge Inc. holds the nearly $1.2 million contract, and the work was expected to wrap up by December. If you head into Bangor for a show or dinner on one of these Saturday nights, plan for the lane restriction on the way home.
If you're setting a table at the Hand-Me-Down Sale or planning your route on Nov. 21 and want to talk about what's going on around town, Elisha J Hardy and our team would be glad to hear from you. We hope to see you at one of these Saturdays this November. Contact Us anytime.
