Coastal Quilters Upcoming Event

Camden, Maine - Coastal Quilters will meet at the Camden Lions’ Club on Lions’ Lane in Camden on Saturday, March 14, gathering at 9:30 a.m. for socializing and coffee, program at 10 a.m. This month’s program features Gabrielle Wicklow of Camden who will present a program on “Rug Hooking.”

Wicklow’s program will be a demonstration on traditional rug hooking done 250 years ago in the Maritimes. Those rugs were hooked on burlap and were made out of necessity to provide floor coverings for practicality and warmth. She’ll provide a narration of the wonderful, rich history of the craft to accompany her demonstration of rug hooking basics.

As well as demonstrating the historical art of traditional rug making, which has stayed pretty much

"Young Lives and the Civil War "Young Maine Boys Who Find Themselves, Directly & Indirectly, Involved in the Civil War

Skowhegan, Maine - The Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center has an upcoming event on April 24th, 2013 at the Skowhegan Free Public Library entitled "Young Lives and the Civil War "Young Maine Boys Who Find Themselves, Directly & Indirectly, Involved in the Civil War.

April 24th    "Young Lives and the Civil War "Young Maine Boys Who Find Themselves, Directly & Indirectly, Involved in the Civil War 7:00 PM at the Skowhegan Free Public Library- Jane Radcliffe, Speaker. Sponsored by the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center.  This is a free event open to the public.

KELT OFFERS CROSS COUNTRY SKI OUTING IN WOOLWICH

Join experienced Nordic skiers at Merrymeeting Fields Preserve for skiing tips and fun
Bath, Maine - Cross-country skiing is great ways to explore natural landscapes in winter. The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) invites the public on Saturday, January 19 to join local knowledgeable Nordic skiers at Merrymeeting Preserve in Woolwich. Skiing starts at 1:00 pm and includes instruction, hot cocoa, and adventure!

Chuck Mainville, who runs a Nordic ski program for area families, will be on hand to lead cross country skiers throughout the 125 acre preserve. Gentle slopes and a variety of trail lengths make the preserve a perfect spot to learn and to improve cross country ski skills.

Families, children, and novice to experienced skiers are welcome. To register for the event, please contact Becky Kolak at 442-8400 or bkolak@kennebecestuary.org by Wednesday, January 16.

There is a limited supply of Nordic equipment to loan for children and adults. Please contact Chuck Mainville at 207-389-2749 for more information on how to borrow gear.

The ski and hiking trails at Merrymeeting Fields Preserve are open for public use from dawn until dusk. Please refrain from walking on the ski tracks. Visit www.kennebecestuary.org for a map of the property. To reach the preserve take 127 at the Cumberland Farms on U.S. 1 in Woolwich, follow it to 128 and then take 128 4.9 miles to Chops Point Road on the left.  The preserve is on the right about a mile down Chops Point Road.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is a membership supported organization dedicated to protecting the land, water and wildlife of the Kennebec Estuary.  It holds easements on 2,000+ acres of private land and maintains eight preserves for public enjoyment.

Maine's 72nd Annual Agricultural Trades Show Set for Jan. 8-10

Augusta, Maine - More than 5,000 farmers, woodland owners, livestock breeders, equipment suppliers  and interested visitors will gather at the Augusta Civic Center next week for the 72nd annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show, one of the state's largest agricultural events.

Hosted by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF), the show runs from January 8-10 and is free to attend.

Governor Paul R. LePage will be on hand for the show's opening to meet Maine farmers and recognize agriculture's vital contribution to the state's economy.

"Food producers are some of our most valuable

The National Theatre brings “The Magistrate” to the Grand!

Ellsworth, Maine - The Grand brings the National Theatre of London’s “The Magistrate” as the next in a series of high-definition simulcast performances. Academy Award nominee and Tony Award-winner John Lithgow (“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Shrek”, “3rd Rock from the Sun”) takes the title role in Arthur Wing Pinero’s uproarious Victorian farce, directed by Olivier Award-winner Timothy Sheader on Thursday, January 17th at 2pm!

In a similar vein to the National Theatre’s smash-hit classic comedies, “She Stoops to Conquer” and “London Assurance”, The Magistrate is classic comic farce. When amiable magistrate Posket (John Lithgow) marries Agatha (Olivier Award-winner Nancy Carroll), little does he realize she’s dropped five years from her age – and her son’s. When her deception looks set to be revealed, it sparks a series of hilarious indignities and outrageous mishaps.

This is the best of British acting brought LIVE to the screen at The

Teaching the King of Jordan

A World Affairs Talk
Rockland, Maine - On Thursday January 17 at 6:30 PM in the Community Room of the Rockland Library, Maureen O’Keefe will give a talk titled:

The King & I: I Taught Him How to Serve
Co-Sponsored with Camden Conference Community Events

When her husband started his first USAID posting in Jordan in 1980, Maureen O’Keefe had no idea that within weeks she would be whisked off  to the Palace in a royal Mercedes for an astonishing experience as King Hussein’s personal tennis coach.  She taught him at his Amman palace as well as his weekend palace at Aqaba.  She organized doubles games with his friends—other Heads of State.  She also became the first national tennis coach for the Jordanian Tennis Federation, and developed a team which traveled to several Arab countries for competitions.

Special accommodations for persons with disabilities can be made with 48 hours notice. Please call the Library at 594-0310.

This event is Co-sponsored by the Camden Conference Community Events Series in anticipation of the 26th Annual Camden Conference: The Middle East: What Next?, February 22-24, 2013.

This evening is one in a continuing Thursday evening series of literary, film and musical offerings sponsored by the Rockland Public Library & The Friends of the Rockland Public Library. Admission is free.

Views expressed in public programs at the library are those of the presenters, and not necessarily those of the Rockland Public Library.

Arctic Slide-Talk at Rockland Library

A Slide-Talk on The Gates of the Arctic National Park
Rockland, Maine - On Thursday January 24 at 6:30 PM in the Community Room of the Rockland Library, Denise Anderson will speak and show slides about her Sierra Club sponsored trip to The Gates of the Arctic National Park. Her bush plane landed in Anaktuvuk Pass within the Arctic Circle in July, a time of year when the sun never sets. She and other Sierra Club members followed the Anaktuvuk river of the Brooks Range for 8 days.

Special accommodations for persons with disabilities can be made with 48 hours notice. Please call the Library at 594-0310.

This evening is one in a continuing Thursday evening series of literary, film and musical offerings sponsored by the Rockland Public Library & The Friends of the Rockland Public Library. Admission is free.

Views expressed in public programs at the library are those of the presenters, and not necessarily those of the Rockland Public Library.

Lithgow's "Live at the Library" returns on January 26‏

Augusta, Maine - Lithgow Public Library’s popular local music series, “Live and Local at the Library” returns this winter.  The first concert in the homegrown Saturday morning music series will feature the duo “Hurry Down Sunshine” on Saturday, January 26 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Reading Room.
      The Saturday morning concerts are free and open to the public.  The next dates in the series are February 9 and March 9 from 9:30 to 11 a.m..
      Hurry Down Sunshine is comprised of musicians Brian Kavanah and Stan Davis.  They play jazz standards, the blues, love songs and popular acoustic covers.  Kavanah’s singing, Davis’s storytelling, and their two guitars weave a tapestry of complex, ever-changing melodies.  They chose the name Hurry Down Sunshine in tribute to the Brownie McGhee song:  “Hurry Down Sunshine, see what tomorrow brings …. It may be sunshine; then again it may be rain.”
            Lithgow Library is located at 45 Winthrop Street in Augusta.  For more information, call the library at 626-2415 or visit the website at www.lithgow.lib.me.us.

Everyman Rep presents dark comedy The Eight: Reindeer Monologues

Rockport, Maine - Beginning Friday, January 4, the Everyman Repertory Theatre, midcoast Maine’s professional theatre company, will present The Eight: Reindeer Monologues – a dark, dark Christmas comedy by Jeff Goode. This play, geared towards adults, opens a window into the North Pole where, despite what the carols say, all is not well. Accusations of sexual harassment against St. Nick are placing The Eight— Santa’s famed reindeer team — under the spotlight in a hilarious and revelation-filled evening. Performances will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 4, 5 and 6 at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 162 Russell Avenue in Rockport.

The play, directed by David Troup and designed by Brandon Koons, has a cast that includes several familiar Everyman Rep faces, such as Paul and Jen Hodgson, Abby Norman, Ashley St. Pierre, David Troup and David Greenham who recently directed Freud’s Last Session and appeared in Everyman’s staged reading of ART. Joining the company for this run will also be two very experienced out-of-State performers with Maine connections: Lou Carbonneau and Joseph Ritsch.

Lou Carbonneau is originally from Lewiston, Maine. A graduate of Bates College, he has been working as an actor in New York City in both TV and Film for the past 18 years. His film work has included The Sitter starring Jonah Hill, Everybody’s Fine starring Robert De Niro, Noise starring Tim Robbins, Friends & Family starring Tony Lo Bianco, Let It Snow starring Bernadette Peters, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead with Jeremy Sisto. On TV, Lou spent two seasons on Law & Order SVU in a recurring role as CSU Tech Harry. He also recurred on JJ Abrams’ 6 Degrees and has appeared on NYPD Blue, Law and Order, Royal Pains, Damages, Cosby, Deadline, Rescue Me, The Onion Sportsdome, and The Big C.
Joseph Ritsch is a performer/playwright/director/choreographer from New York City who is now based in Baltimore. A graduate of The School of Performing Arts at The University of Maine, Joseph became a principal ensemble member with Jane Comfort And Company, one of the industry’s premiere movement theatre ensembles. He received critical acclaim for his work with Jane in both the Village Voice and the New York Times for his multiple roles in S/He and for the title role of Macbeth in Cliff Notes Macbeth. A co-founder and the Associate Artistic Director of Iron Crow Theatre in Baltimore, he has portrayed many roles there, such as Amanda Wingvalley in For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls and Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Joseph is on the faculty of Carver Center for The Arts, a Baltimore based high school for the arts, where he teaches directing, acting and devised theatre.

Performances on Friday and Saturday, January 4 and 5 will begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday, January 6 performance will begin at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 with advance reservations and $25 at the door. Please note that this production contains foul-mouthed reindeer and is definitely not suitable for kids. For more information or to reserve a ticket, please call the Everyman Repertory Theatre at 207-236-0173 or visit www.everymanrep.org.

Theatre is not an exclusive art form. At the Everyman Rep we are committed to bringing live, professional theatre to as wide an audience as possible.

The Everyman Repertory Theatre, founded in 2008, is a registered 501(c)3, not-for-profit theatre company committed to bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Midcoast Maine.

“Hootenanny with Hank”

Blue Hill, Maine - Join an old fashioned hootenanny at the Blue Hill Public Library organized by local musician Henry  Elliott—guitars, ukuleles, fiddles, spoons, tambourines, washboards, autoharps, penny whistles, what-have-you—on Sundays, 2:00 to 5:00 PM starting January 13th.  “Hootenanny with Hank” will go for 8 weeks, through March 3rd. Everyone is welcome to bring an instrument to play, sing, or even just listen. Participants can also bring snacks to share. Like Pete Seeger says, “…you’ll find the magic made by the right song at the right place at the right time.” For more information contact the Library at 374-5515.

Film on the late RAVI SHANKAR at Rockland Library JAN. 10th

A Screening and Discussion of RAGA: A Journey Into the Soul of India on Thursday January 10 at 6:30 PM. Post-Film Discussion by Bill Halpin & Saskia Huising.

Rockland, Maine - Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) introduced Indian Classical Music to the west decades before “world music” became a popular genre. Raga: A Journey into the Soul of India, directed by Howard Worth, documents the life of sitar master Ravi Shankar in the late 1960s and early 1970s, following him on his return to India to visit his teacher and guru, Allauddin Khan. The film explores Shankar’s life as a musician and teacher in the United States and Europe, initiating those in the West into the world of Indian Classical Music and culture. Through rare footage shot in both India and the United States, Raga sheds light on

Opera Preview: Les Troyens

Blue Hill, Maine - Berlioz's opera Les Troyens comes to the Grand in Ellsworth on Saturday, January 5th, by live simulcast from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. To help music lovers prepare for this event, the Bagaduce Music Lending Library and Friends of the Blue Hill Public Library will join together to introduce and study this theatrical journey at 1:00 PM on Friday, January 4th, in the Blue Hill Public Library’s Howard Room.

This production offers a rare opportunity to witness Berlioz's vast epic, last performed at the Met in 2003. Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Marcello Giordani and Dyayne Croft lead the starry cast, portraying characters from the Trojan War. Met principal conductor Fabio Luisi marshals the large-scale musical forces.

Local opera enthusiasts Linda Lesko and David Porter will summarize the plot, introduce the music and offer some ideas of special ways to enjoy the Saturday simulcast. All are welcome, no previous opera knowledge is needed, and admission is free. For more information, call the library at 374-5515.

Room With A View at Dreamland Theater

Bath, Maine - Sagadahoc Preservation's Dreamland Theater will screen Room With A View on December 20th at 7pm at the Winter Street Center, in Bath. When Lucy Honeychurch (Helana Bonham Carter) and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith) find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George (Julian Sands) step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans to Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis)? This week's film is sponsored by the Inn at Bath.

Movies are shown every Thursday at 7pm at the Dreamland Theater at the Winter Street Center in Bath.

Live Jazz with Spike & Co.

An evening of Live Jazz with SPIKE & CO.
Rockland, Maine - On Thursday January 3rd at 6:30 PM in the Community Room of the Rockland Library there will be a live musical performance by Spike & Co., a jazz trio consisting of Spike Hyssong on upright-bass, Lincoln Blake on piano-keyboard and David Clark on guitar. These three musicians go back at least fifteen years, having worked with each other in various jazz groups all throughout the state of Maine, as well as leading their own groups.  This trio, assembled specially for this performance, will display both their sideman and their leadership qualities in creative musical expression.

Special accommodations for persons with disabilities can be made with 48 hours notice. Please call the Library at 594-0310.

This evening is one in a continuing Thursday evening series of literary, film and musical offerings sponsored by the Rockland Public Library & The Friends of the Rockland Public Library. Admission is free.

Views expressed in public programs at the library are those of the presenters, and not necessarily those of the Rockland Public Library.

Dreamland Theater to screen Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Bath, Maine - Sagadahoc Preservation's Dreamland Theater will screen Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on December 13th at 7pm at the Winter Street Center, in Bath. A group of British retirees decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. There is buzz that there may be Academy Award nominations for this film starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson. This week's film is sponsored by the Inn at Bath.

Movies are shown every Thursday at 7pm at the Dreamland Theater at the Winter Street Center in Bath. The suggested donation is $5. The 2012-2013 season is underwritten by Jorgensen Landscaping. Movies are generously donated by River Bottom Video in Bath. All proceeds go toward the maintenance of the Winter Street Center.

Feel free to bring supper. Soft drinks, popcorn and candies are available for $1 each.

The Winter Street Center is the home of Sagadahoc Preservation Inc. and serves, in part, as a community center and is located across from Library Park at 880 Washington Street in Bath. For more information or to get involved please email dreamland@sagadahocpreservation.org. The full schedule may be viewed at sagadahocpreservation.org or on the Dreamland Theater facebook page.

Blue Hill Public Library Play Reading

Blue Hill, Maine - The public is invited to participate in the Blue Hill Public Library Play Reading Group on Wednesday, December 19th from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Library, and every 3rd Wednesday of the month until next summer. The play selected for this month is David Lindsay-Abaire’s Fuddy Meers. The play is about a woman who is an amnesiac and every morning her family has to explain to her the facts of her life. One morning she is abducted by a man who claims that her husband wants to kill her and mayhem ensues.

The group welcomes inexperienced and experienced readers alike. The only criteria are the love of plays and the joy of reading them aloud

Land Trust Announces IT’S A WILD LIFE Winter Film Series

Rockland, Maine - The Georges River Land Trust and The Highlands Coffee House, are pleased to announce their IT’S A WILD LIFE Winter Film Series. This exciting series of films celebrate the wild and wonderful ways we live our life on the land and water here in Maine. Films screen at 7:00 pm on the second Friday of each month all winter at The Highlands Coffee House in Thomaston. The public is welcome and admission is free.

The first film to be screened is LIFE BY LOBSTER, directed by Iain McCray Martin, on December 14. Set against the stunning backdrop of coastal Maine, LIFE BY LOBSTER takes you inside the lives of five young lobstermen who have put everything on the line to pursue the Downeast dream:  own a business, raise a family, and stay true to a proud way of life.

This event is part of Georges River Land Trust’s annual Walks & Talks series, an effort to introduce the community to the wonderful resources

Film & Discussion; ILLUSION

ILLUSION to be Screened & Discussed on Dec. 27th

Rockland, Maine - On Thursday December 27 at 6:30 PM in the Community Room of the Rockland Library there will be a Screening & Discussion of ILLUSION.

Celebrated actor Kirk Douglas never expected to still be acting at the age of 88, especially after suffering a debilitating stroke, until he found Michael Goorjian’s script called ILLUSION. The award-winning ILLUSION tells the story of Donald Baines, a successful Hollywood director nearing death whose life was filled with fame and riches but devoid of love. Haunted by the memory of the son he abandoned and never knew, he is given the opportunity to see three views of his son s journey, each representing a different period in his life. Donald bears witness to the impact that his absence had in son s life and in his inability to find love. Ultimately he is

Nightlight: Artist Intervention and Copper Beech Tree Lighting at the Portland Museum of Art

Portland, Maine - On Friday, December 7, the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) will celebrate the season of light with the event Nightlight: Artist Intervention & Copper Beech Tree Lighting. This free First Friday event begins at 5 p.m. with four light-illuminated window displays, acoustic concerts, and mini installations throughout the PMA. This event, designed by local artist Kimberly Convery in collaboration with the PMA, is in the spirit of presenting new, interactive engagement in the PMA’s galleries. Outside the museum, a candlelit stroll will take place in the sculpture garden on High Street with holiday choral music by the members of the Vox Nova Chamber Choir. The evening will end with the grand lighting of the Copper

NETworks presents DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The smash hit Broadway musical plays Portland's Merrill Auditorium January 4th and 5th

Portland, Maine - Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Portland, ME for a premiere engagement as part of the Portland Ovations Broadway and Beyond Series. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Merrill Auditorium for three performances from January 4th through 5th. For information on the production, visit www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com.


Disney's Beauty and the Beast features the animated film's Academy Award®-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton.

The original creators of the Broadway production are together again for this new touring production! The play is directed by Rob Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward