As many readers will fondly remember, for many years the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bethel Citizen teamed up to sponsor an annual medallion hunt with the search running for several weeks leading up to Molly Ockett Day.
It’s been several summers now since a medallion hunt competition took place, but this year, the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society has partnered with the Bethel Area Business Association (BABA) to bring the medallion hunt contest back with an extra-special Independence 250 medallion hunt in commemoration of the United States 250th anniversary!
If you’ve been following MBHS or BABA on social media or listening to WOXO, you may have seen or heard the first two clues, but for those who missed it, here they are:
Clue #1:
Everyone loves a good story;
We know one that could hold your attention.
Clue #2:
We’ll begin with the end:
A great separation, made official, at last.
(Six decades later, another—
This one a much less bloody affair!)
Stay tuned for Clue #3, which will be announced on the morning of Monday, July 20, on WOXO radio and posted to the BABA and MBHS Facebook pages on Wednesday, July 22. Happy hunting!
Please review the rules below before setting out, and especially take care to be safe and respect property.
Rules
The Medallion Hunt will help commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and bring back a beloved Bethel tradition. The Bethel Area Business Association and MBHS will be offering a $599.99 cash prize (generously donated by Western Maine Supply & Clean Cut Painting Company) to the person who finds the medallion.
The object of the hunt is to decipher a series of clues and locate the medallion hidden on public land within the town lines of Albany, Andover, Bethel, Gilead, Greenwood, Grafton, Hanover, Mason, Newry, Riley Plantation (Sunday River area), and Woodstock.
The finder of the medallion may claim the cash prize on Molly Ockett Day.
Clues:
Clues, each different and more revealing, will be published once a week for five weeks leading up to Molly Ockett Day on August 8, 2026.
The first clue will be revealed at MBHS’s July 4th Celebration.
All clues will be announced on WOXO radio on Monday mornings, starting July 6th, and then published on the Bethel Area Business Associations & Museums of the Bethel Historical Society Facebook pages on Wednesday mornings at 8:15am, starting on July 8th.
If the medallion is not found by the fireworks on Molly Ockett Day, the hunt will be terminated.
Treasure Hunt Rules
Anyone is eligible to join the thrilling hunt for $599.99 except for MBHS staff, trustees, Independence 250 committee members, and their immediate family, as well as Bethel Area Business Association Officers and immediate family members.
To claim the prize money, you must be 18 years or older or accompanied by a parent/guardian.
The finder of the Molly Ockett Treasure Hunt medallion must immediately return the medallion to Bethel Area Business Association by calling 207-890-3617.
The finder will receive the cash prize of $599.99 on Molly Ockett Day August 8th.
BABA reserves the right to discontinue the hunt if public property is destroyed, or if reports of private property trespassing are discovered.
The medallion will be in a clear container, and is generally hidden in or attached to something else. The medallion is not buried below ground and as the rules state, searchers do not need to destroy property to find it, this includes digging up the ground.
Searchers also do not need to risk personal injury to find the medallion.
All contestants agree that BABA, MBHS and WOXO will have no liability whatsoever and will be held harmless of any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from acceptance, possession, misuse, or use of the prize or participation in this contest.
The winner grants permission for Bethel Area Business Association (BABA) and Museums of the Bethel Historical Society (MBHS) to use his or her name and photograph.