Michael “Mr. Mike” Langley juggles fire balls Friday during the first day of the Moxie Festival in Lisbon. He is a coach for the Woodside One Wheelers. The event celebrating all things Moxie soda is in its 42nd year and runs through Sunday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

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LISBON FALLS — Reidar Carlson wasn’t wearing orange Friday night for the Moxie Festival, but surely we can give him a pass.

“This is my first time here,” said Carlson, who just moved to the area a year ago with his wife, Vanessa. “I’d never heard about the festival but I love the local vibe of it. I love whatever can bring a community together like this.”

And the shirt: a light blue athletic get up that clashed with the orange around him?

“I didn’t know,” Carlson said a little warily, “that you’re supposed to wear Moxie orange.”

The festival kicked off at about 4 p.m. Friday night and it took no time for people to get into the swing of things. Within minutes, there were already lines at the vendor booths and a band was playing jamming songs in the field next to Lisbon High School. The festival runs through Sunday.

Warren Bailey drove all the way from Wells to check out the festival with his dog.

At 85, Bailey had heard of the festival but made the 75 mile trip for the first time for one reason and one reason only.

“I love Moxie,” said Bailey.

Now, Bailey was wearing the traditional Moxie orange shirt and said it had never occurred to him to wear anything else. He has several of the shirts to cycle through and when he needs to, he’ll get more.

His first taste of the festival was everything he thought it would be.

“There are a lot of vendors and every one I’ve talked to so far has, in one way or another, been very nice,” Bailey said. “One of them gave me a bottle of water and some for my dog.”

Of course, that’s no surprise to the locals. The festival is known in particular for its down home charms. Friendliness comes built-in.

The Pierucki family, including mom Carlee, dad Elijah and son Ezra, pose for an open-air photo booth shot during the first day of the Moxie Festival on Friday in Lisbon. The event celebrating all things Moxie soda is in its 42nd year and runs through Sunday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

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In its 42nd year, the festival was themed this time around with the birth of the nation. “Moments in History with Moxie,” and it in part will celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.

Hung high for this year’s event is a banner with Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all centered around Maine’s favorite drink.

Many of the events this year will be tied to Moxie, but festival co-chair Eric Metivier said the festival’s annual parade always ties into the yearly theme and will be full of historic elements.

Friday night started off with some familiar fare — the First Taste of Moxie event, a photo booth, a touch-a-truck affair and all the usual music and eats.

Not to mention a unicycle demonstration that wasn’t even listed on the official Moxie Festival calendar. And some juggling and plate spinning on top of that, all of it with that distinct orange tinge.

The Woodside One Wheelers perform Friday during the first day of the Moxie Festival in Lisbon. The event celebrating all things Moxie soda is in its 42nd year and runs through Sunday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

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Amanda Maloy? She was wearing her Moxie shirt, of course. She bought an additional shirt to wear on Saturday, so you know the lady is a festival veteran.

Asked for her thoughts about the people showing up without the standard Moxie orange attire, Maloy was forgiving.

“I think they can do whatever they want,” she said. “But my daughter, she’d be really mad that some people are not wearing orange. She’s all about that. She says that Moxie shirts have to have blue on them because the cans have that blue.”

Moxie was created in 1884 by Maine native Dr. Augustin Thompson, and originally marketed as a medicinal drink that was claimed to fix a variety of ailments.

Known for its sweet and bitter taste, Moxie was designated as the state’s official drink in 2005 by Gov. John Baldacci. But long before that, the town of Lisbon had become known as the center of the Moxie universe.

I mean, there is such a thing as the New England Moxie Congress and they were plenty represented Friday night at the festival.

Leeiah Johnson poses for a photo to show her Moxie-orange hair and branded shirt Friday during the first day of the Moxie Festival in Lisbon. The event celebrating all things Moxie soda is in its 42nd year and runs through Sunday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

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Eric Cressey, president of the group, was there selling T-shirts and other garb, with all proceeds going to the — yes, there is such a thing — Moxie Museum.

“Sales are way up today,” Cressey said, and that was only minutes after the official start of the festival.

Asked about the curious fascination so many people have with Moxie itself, Cressey seemed a little confused by the question.

“It’s the oldest, continuous bottled drink in the U.S.,” he said.

Saturday’s parade starts at 10 a.m. It will line up behind Walgreens on Route 196 and end at Crafts Cars at 711 Lisbon St. It will feature its traditional “two-hour traffic jam” full of floats, vintage cars and bands.

Following the parade, awards will be given to parade participants, including for most appealing, most creative, best Moxie commercial-based and noncommercial based, and best overall.

Also on tap for Saturday is the Moxie Chugging Contest, with returning champion, Eric “Badlands” Booker coming back to take on those who want to take his crown.

There’s also a Moxie cornhole tournament, a Moxie 5K and Kids Run, a whoopie pie eating contest, a cheer competition and a whole bunch of other events, all of which will find a way to bring Moxie to the center of attention.

Maloy, with one Moxie shirt on her back and another tucked under her arm, doesn’t feel the need to provide any long or complex explanation for why the festival is so successful or why fans of the drink are so arduous about it.

“It’s Moxie,” she said.

And as far as Maloy is concerned, that explains everything.

Find out more at moxiefestival.com.