Phillip Dow of the Albion Historical Society answers questions Saturday from visitors at the former train station during the town’s bicentennial celebration. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

ALBION — Phillip Dow stood in the kitchen of the former train conductor’s living quarters, dressed as a train engineer from the 1920s.

“I was born about 75 feet from this station,” he said.

Nine generations of Dow’s family have lived in the town of Albion, which celebrated its 200th birthday Saturday with a parade, live music, food, games, a book sale and historical displays.

Dow, a charter member of the Albion Historical Society, chatted with visitors who flocked to the former Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway train station, which transported freight and passengers from 1895 to 1933. Dow and Historical Society member Bob Wallace started restoring the station in 1988 after they approached building owners John and Ora Rand. Money was raised for the restoration and the station was transferred to the Historical Society, which continued work on it.

Dow and others were determined to preserve the building, located on Benton Road. Various historic buildings in town had been torn down and they didn’t want to see another one destroyed, according to Dow.

“This was on private property and we wouldn’t let it fall down, too,” he said.

A giant paper 200th birthday cake was hauled by a Albion Fire & Rescue pickup truck in Saturday’s parade to celebrate the town’s bicentennial. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

Dow’s wife, Janet, and granddaughter, Marissa, also greeted visitors on the second story of the old station, which housed conductors’ families many years ago. Marissa was dressed as a woman from the 1920s and was in character as the wife of a former train conductor.

On the first floor, Wallace explained the station was built in 1895 as a single-story building and the second floor was added sometime after 1900. On June 15 last year, a celebration was held to mark 90 years since the last train left Albion, he said.

Hundreds of people of all ages gathered downtown for Saturday’s 10 a.m. parade, which included several area fire departments, the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, veterans and the 195th Maine Army National Guard Band with a Color Guard from Albion, according to Jeanie Doore, the town clerk who also co-chairs the Albion Bicentennial Committee with her husband, Joseph.

“The parade was amazing, Doore said. “I don’t think we were expecting it to be as big. I think it was about 50 participants. Our theme was ‘yesterday and today’ and our entire parade was very patriotic. We picked our veterans to be grand marshals.”

The train station in Albion where freight and passengers could be transported on the former Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway from 1895 to 1933. The town celebrated its bicentennial on Saturday.  Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

Doore said the town previously held annual Field Days where people could come together and take part in activities, but that stopped when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The bicentennial, which was two years in the planning, helped restore a sense of community, according to Doore.

“I think COVID kind of took away the feel of community and the town didn’t really do too many events after that,” she said.

Aaron Weeks, 2, plays Saturday in a corn kernel sandbox activity hosted by the Albion Lions Club during the town’s bicentennial celebration. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

Events to help celebrate the bicentennial have been held each month this year, including a birthday celebration in February, according to Doore.

It was sunny and warm Saturday — a perfect 77 degrees — as people gathered at a large field next to the fire station for food, music, games and other activities.

Phillip Dow of the Albion Historical Society answers questions Saturday from visitors at the former train station during the town’s bicentennial celebration. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

The Albion Fire-Rescue hosted a chicken barbecue that drew a long line of people. Waiting in line was Rick Bryant of China, who described the crowd as huge and said people who hadn’t seen each other in a long time were greeting each other and catching up.

“It’s like a big family reunion,” Bryant said.

The Albion Maine Lions Club hosted a children’s bounce house, bingo game and children’s activities, including a plastic wading pool filled with corn kernels, buckets, shovels and other toys.

Aaron Hawes, 2, was shoveling kernels into a bucket and then dumping it out as his mother, Merry, held her 7-week-old son, Mickey, and watched. Her other son, Sam, also played with the corn kernels.

“It’s fun,” Merry Hawes said of Saturday’s event. “It’s fun for the kids.”

Cindy Drake, Lions Club events coordinator, said her club hosted the 27th annual fun run earlier which included more than 170 participants who ran more than a mile. Drake herself has run in the event for 27 years, she said.

Photo contest entries were displayed in the Besse Building. Photos, old newspapers and other items from a time capsule created 50 years ago were placed on tables. Videos about town history also were shown.

A cornhole tournament, women’s skillet toss and other activities were held on the large field. Dancers, live music and other offerings were expected to be held in the evening. A blacksmith demonstration in a building near the train station also was held Saturday.