Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, helps Jim Washburn, Ann Johnstone, Noreen Edwards and Jean Pottle raise the American flag outside the Bell Hill Schoolhouse in Otisfield on Sunday. The one-room schoolhouse was built in 1839. 

OTISFIELD — Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, proved Sunday evening at the Bell Hill Meetinghouse in Otisfield that funny politicians do indeed exist. 

The Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association holds three summer events per year, with the last one being a comedy event. This year, Gary Crocker was scheduled to appear — and he happened to bring along some friends.

King and Crocker, along with retired chief justice of the Maine Judicial Court Dan Wathen, have departed on a three-day motorcycle trip every year since 1996, cruising around the state of Maine on their Harleys — and this year, the comedy skit fell smack in the middle of the trip.

Through humorous stories, King gave attendees a glimpse of life as a politician —and a Maine biker.

King, who is “the best cheerleader for the state we’ve ever had,” according to Crocker, told the audience how he enjoys finding people from out of state, welcoming them to Maine, and introducing himself as the governor.

One of these people was a woman from Maryland, whom he greeted while wearing soaked leather garments after a motorcycle ride in the rain.

“Welcome to Maine,” he said to the woman. “I’m the governor!”

“If you’re the governor, I’m Queen Elizabeth,” the woman replied.

King was kind enough to enlighten attendees on recent political accomplishments.

“Let me give you an update on what we’ve been accomplishing in Washington,” King said, and then dropped the microphone and hung his head.

The crowd roared with laughter and applauded.

King also educated the audience about the Greek origin of the word “politics.”

“’Poly’ meaning ‘many,’ and ‘ticks,’ meaning ‘blood-sucking insects,’” King said.

After being introduced by King, comedian Gary Crocker had the audience in stitches with his classic Mainer stories, including King — and his booming laughter rang throughout the historic meetinghouse.

The annual comedic summer event was once known as Joe Holden Days, who was known for firmly believing that the Earth is flat — even appearing at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1892 when he was 75 years old.

The proof of his theory was in a bucket of water he left outside his kitchen door. After filling it one night, he discovered in the morning that nothing had spilled. He concluded the Earth could not have rotated because the water would have spilled.

When Holden died in 1900, he left money in his will — approximately $3 a year — for the town to hold an annual strawberry festival in his name and provide strawberry ice cream and peanuts to the children in attendance.

emarquis@sunmediagroup.net

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, left, and Jim Washburn chat after visiting the Bell Hill Schoolhouse in Otisfield on Sunday. 

Retired chief justice of the Maine Judicial Court Dan Wathen laughs with crowd as Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, cracks a joke at the Bell Hill Meetinghouse in Otisfield on Sunday evening. 

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, humors the crowd at the Bell Hill Meetinghouse in Otisfield on Sunday evening. 

Maine humorist Gary Crocker gets the crowd rolling at the Bell Hill Meeting House in Otisfield on Sunday evening. 

Maine humorist Gary Crocker entertains Mike and Torry Eaton at the Bell Hill Meeting House in Otisfield on Sunday evening. 

The Bell Hill Meeting House in Otisfield was built in 1839. 

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, talks with Jim Howard, left, as the two enter the Bell Hill Meetinghouse in Otisfield on Sunday.