On The Agenda - Bar Harbor Town Meetings & Things to Do
ON THE AGENDA
Every week we document Bar Harbor town government, school, and other similar meetings that we know of. Please let us know if we’ve missed something. Also, sometimes things are on the town calendars and are cancelled or rescheduled, so make sure to double check before you head over!
All the meetings take place at the Bar Harbor Municipal Building at 93 Cottage Street unless otherwise noted. And they usually have a time for public comments. This is not true about executive sessions, which are closed to the public.
So, go! Be informed! Be part of the process. You deserve to be.
To see the town meeting calendar by month, click here.
To see the school board calendar by month, click here
MONDAY
Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting
August 7, 2023,
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Location: Council Chambers, Council Chambers, 93 Cottage Street
TUESDAY
Conservation Commission
August 8, 2023,
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
3rd Floor Meeting Room - Suite 301, 93 Cottage Street
WEDNESDAY
Comprehensive Planning Committee Meeting
No agenda online. You may want to check with the town’s planning office to see if this is occurring.
August 9, 2023,
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Council Chambers, Council Chambers, 93 Cottage Street
THURSDAY
Design Review Board Meeting
No agenda online. You may want to check with the town’s planning office to see if this is occurring.
August 10, 2023,
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location: Council Chambers, Council Chambers, 93 Cottage Street
Things to Do In Bar Harbor
Week of July 19
It’s our weekly round-up, and I may have missed some things so apologies!
To check out our news stories from the past week. Click on the archive section and you’ll see them in chronological order.
GET YOUR HERO ON!
BAR HARBOR FIRE DEPARTMENT
To check if Bar Harbor Fire Department is currently hiring, please go to the town’s jobs page.
But even if it isn’t, you can become a call member
Becoming a call force firefighter requires extensive training, hard work, and dedication to the community. We rely on call force firefighters to respond quickly to emergencies, to perform firefighting duties, and to provide assistance and support to career firefighters. To be a fall force firefighter is to have a chance to aid and serve the community, which is an extremely rewarding experience.
Get Your Luminaria On!
Get Your Designer Home On!
2023 Bar Harbor Designer Showhouse
Join Swan Hospitality Group, Mount Desert Island Hospital, and Décor Maine for the
2023 Bar Harbor Designer Showhouse at Hamilton Hill
Public tours will run from July 30 through August 19 10 AM – 4 PM daily
For public tour tickets, please click here
Tickets are now available and must be reserved in advance
Proceeds from the show benefit MDI Hospital
For more information, please visit: mdihospital.org/designer-showhouse
or contact events@mdihospital.org
Get Your Camp On!
Get Your Benefit On!
Get Your Gala On!
Join the Criterion in your best cocktail attire for an evening of music and magic by the sea!
Ticket proceeds will benefit the operations of its year-round programs and events that it organizes for the MDI community and are available on its website or at the link below.
Get Your Book (And Author) On!
VIRTUAL WRITE ON! WRITING GROUP
Want support for your craft? The Write On! writer’s group has been meeting at the Jesup since 2014, and remotely during the pandemic. Each meeting, members may bring in up to 1200 words to read for feedback, and in turn offer feedback to others. Although each member doesn’t get to read work every time, the group shares the time fairly. The group meets on Zoom, and hold in confidence what is shared. This group welcomes adults 18 and up writing in many genres. There’s no homework–the only commitment is two hours on Saturday mornings.
Date and Time
SATURDAYS
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Location
Zoom
How to Attend
Call the library, 207-288-4245, for more about us and how to join, or email info@jesuplibrary.org.
STORY TIMES AT THE JESUP!
Baby and Toddler Time
Join Abby for fingerplays, songs, and stories! Older siblings are welcome to join in.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2023
10:30 AM 11:15 AM
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY34 MT. DESERT STREET
Preschool Story Time
Preschoolers and their adults are invited to join us on Friday mornings for songs, stories, and a craft! Recommended for ages 3-5.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2023
10:30 AM 11:15 AM
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY, 34 MOUNT DESERT STREET
ANNE KOZAK
Please join us at the Jesup Memorial Library for an author talk with Anne Kozak who will be discussing her new book Images of America: Acadia National Park on
Thursday, August 10th at 7 pm.
Most histories of Acadia National Park chronicle the contributions of men in acquiring land, and while these contributions were critical, women also played a pivotal role. Some funded memorial paths, others facilitated George Dorr's acquiring land, and still others donated land. For people to enjoy the park and to find respite required developing infrastructure that provided easy access—a goal of Dorr, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and National Park Service directors Stephen Mather and Arno Cammerer. This book examines the role of women, the activities that characterize people enjoying the park, and the development of infrastructure, particularly the bridges and motor roads. Having access to two private photograph collections—those of the van Heerden family and Harold MacQuinn Inc.—as well as the photograph collection of Leo Grossman, the engineer for the Cadillac Mountain Road, has allowed us to use many previously unpublished images.
In June 2022, Anne, after 45 years, retired as a faculty member and director of College of the Atlantic’s writing program. Her greatest accomplishment, she feels, was developing the Writing Center where trained peer tutors assist other students with a range of writing assignments. On her retirement, the college renamed it: the Anne Kozak Center for Excellence in Writing. For many years, Anne covered Bar Harbor and Mount Desert as well as Acadia National Park for the Bar Harbor Times and Mount Desert Islander. In 2016, she and Susan Leiter published The Wild Gardens of Acadia—a garden where Anne, who currently co-chairs the Wild Garden committee, has volunteered since 1972. In 2023, not only did Friends of Acadia honor Anne with the Acadia Inspiration award, but she was also named a Steward of History by the Bar Harbor Historical Society.
This event is a hybrid program and registration is required to attend either in person or on Zoom. Register at jesuplibrary.org/events/acadia or email eventsignup@jesuplibrary.org.
ROBERT KLOSE
Please join us at the Jesup Memorial Library for an author talk with Robert Klose who will be discussing his book Adopting Anton: A Single Man Seeks a Son in Ukraine. on Thursday, August 17th at 7 p.m.
Robert Klose’s book Adopting Anton: A Single Man Seeks a Son in Ukraine tells of his experiences as a single adoptive father attempting a second international adoption in the shadow of 9/11. Single women have a long and successful track record as adoptive parents, but single men seeking to adopt have had a tougher time of it. And yet the need for role models in this regard exists, if for no other reason than to offer hope to those men who want to adopt but aredaunted by the seeming immensity of the challenge. Available children tend to live in countries that are both traditional and conservative and think in terms of “mother and child” but rarely “father and child”
Presuming that his already being an adoptive parent (he had previously adopted a boy from a Russian orphanage) would make a second attempt easier, Robert Klose was nevertheless confronted by a Ukrainian bureaucracy hobbled by its Soviet origins, as well as the vagaries of personalities in whose hands his fate would rest. The result is a harrowing narrative full of characters both picaresque and sympathetic, with all the actors, including the author, playing their roles in the chaotic aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Adopting Anton is the story of a single man determined to bring a five-year-old boy to a new home in America, but not knowing, until the last moment, whether his efforts would result in failure or success.
Robert Klose teaches at the University of Maine. He is a regular contributor of essays to the
Christian Science Monitor. His work has also appeared in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and
various literary magazines. His books include Adopting Alyosha — A Single Man Finds a Son in
Russia, Small Worlds — Adopted Sons, Pet Piranhas, and Other Mortal Concerns, The Three-
Legged Woman & Other Excursions in Teaching, The Legend of the River Pumpkins, and the novel, Long Live Grover Cleveland, which won a 2016 Ben Franklin Literary Award and a USA BookNews Award, and Life on Mars, which was a finalist in the International Book Awards, American Fiction Awards, and American Book Fest. He is also a four-time winner of the Maine Press Association award for Opinion writing.
This event is a hybrid program and registration is required to attend either in person or on Zoom. Register at jesuplibrary.org/events/klose or email eventsignup@jesuplibrary.org
JESUP EVENTS
For a full list of Jesup Memorial Library events, click through to its calendar here.
GET YOUR ART ON!
OPEN STUDIO – MEMBER MONDAYS
Members can reserve a table in our studio for an hour or the whole session and have access to our non-consumable tools or use some materials from our stock!$10 for reserved space – participant brings supplies. OR $25 for reserved space plus access to consumable materials; felting, glass, paint, printmaking.Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Masking, vaccinated, and social distancing for staff and participant safety.
Date and Time
Mondays
2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. EDT
Location
ArtWaves, 1345A State Highway 102, Bar Harbor
Fees/Admission
$42.00
Website
https://www.artwavesmdi.org/event
Contact Information207-266-0010
Send Email
MONDAY & THURSDAY NIGHT FIGURE DRAWING
Please register, space is limited.
Artists will have a few quick warm-up poses then be able to spend time refining a long pose. Registration necessary- ArtWaves maintains distances for safety.The model is the star, no instruction, but plenty of easels, boards, horses, paper, charcoal and fellow friendly artists. Feel free to bring your paints and brushes as well!18 and over, under 18 allowed with parental attendance or prior signature.
Date and Time
Mondays and Thursdays
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Mondays 6-9 single pose and Thursdays multi poses
Location
ArtWaves Fine Arts Studio
Fees/Admission
$15 for 3-hour session
Members: $25 month fee
Contact Information
office @artwavesmdi.otrg
Send Email
KIDS CRAFTERNOONS
ArtWaves is devoting afternoons of studio (under the big tent) sessions for children to create. Most workshops use unique materials like fiber, ink, stained glass and wax. Weekly themes. Open to kids between 7-11. No skills required.Masks, vax’d (over 5), and distancing for staff and participant safety.
To Register:
Date and Time
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Location
ArtWaves, 1345A State Highway 102, Bar Harbor
Fees/Admission
$30 materials included or bring some of your own! ($20 for members)
Student membership is $36 a year!
Contact Informationoffice@artwavesmdi.org
Send Email
ARTWAVES CLASSES AND EVENTS
ArtWaves often has classes, a variety every week. For the updated selection, check out its website here.
GET YOUR COFFEE & CONVERSATION ON! *At COA
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 at 9:30 AM
Coffee & Conversation: Dinner with the President
Alex Prud’homme joins COA Trustee Beth Gardiner to discuss his new book, food, politics, and the history of breaking bread at the White House.
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden Street
Free, registration required: coa.edu/summerevents
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 at 9:30 AM
Coffee & Conversation: Mission Alignment in Investment Portfolios
Sandra Urie speaks with COA Trustee Joyce Cacho about opportunities for institutions of higher education to invest for an equitable, low-carbon, regenerative economy.
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden Street
Free, registration required: coa.edu/summerevents
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22 at 9:30 AM
Coffee & Conversation: Can Indigenous Culture Save Our Planet?
Darren Ranco joins COA President Darron Collins ‘92 to discuss the impacts of climate change
on Indigenous communities in Maine and the importance of engaging our youngest generations in responding to the climate crisis.
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden Street
Free, registration required: coa.edu/summerevents
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 at 9:30 AM
Coffee & Conversation: Building Acadia
COA professor emeritus Anne Kozak speaks with COA Trustee Cookie Horner about her new book, the development of Acadia’s infrastructure and roads, and the often-untold stories of the women involved in the founding of the park.
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden Street
Free, registration required: coa.edu/summereventsART INSTALLATION AT COA ALL SUMMER LONG
ANDY GOLDSWORTHY INSTALLATION AT COA
Acclaimed artist Andy Goldsworthy will be at College of the Atlantic this summer to install Road Line, his first permanent artwork in the State of Maine. Goldsworthy is renowned for his site-specific installations that span the globe, and the College is thrilled to provide the setting for a piece that speaks to both the history and geology of the region.
Comprised of a single continuous line of granite curbstones, Road Line will begin its journey through campus at Route 3 and draw its path to the coast of Frenchman Bay. Taking from the tradition of granite curbstones that edge many of the roads in East Coast towns and cities, Goldsworthy has actively worked in granite throughout the Northeast where there is still a lively granite industry.
“One would be hard pressed to name an artist who more emphatically lives the COA human-ecological ethos than Andy Goldsworthy,” says COA President Darron Collins ‘92. “Andy’s presence here and the permanence of the installation will have a tremendous impact on the campus and the region.”
Funded largely by two anonymous donors who are passionate about the piece’s potential to intersect the study of human ecology and to create a world-class work of public art in Downeast Maine, Road Line will be an expression of human and geological movement.
“Road Line would only become apparent as an artwork after it has left the ‘straight and narrow’ and goes its own way,” Goldsworthy said of the piece upon proposal. “I hope this will resonate with the students who will also pass through the college on their own journeys and that, wherever life takes them afterwards, they will always be reminded of their time in Maine whenever they see a curbstone. It would be the antithesis of the definition of curb, which is to control or limit.”
In addition to Goldsworthy’s time on campus for installation, he will take part in the COA Summer Institute: Reimagining Exploration, July 31-August 4, held in collaboration with The National Geographic Society. Goldsworthy will be in conversation with Courtney J. Martin, PhD, Paul Mellon Director of the Yale Center for British Art. For more information, visit coa.edu/summerinstitute.
GET YOUR MOVIE ON!
REEL PIZZA
Reel Pizza is here! Check below for movies running this week or for exact times and dates click here.
CRITERION THEATRE
The theater’s website is here, and click for the latest updates.
SEASIDE CINEMA
Seaside Cinema sponsored by the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce begins Wednesday night and runs from mid-July through mid-August
Bring the whole family and a blanket to sit on to the chamber’s weekly outdoor movies under the stars. Movies are shown on a giant inflatable screen in Agamont Park, overlooking Frenchman Bay.
Free popcorn will be available! And watching the movies? Also free.
Movies will start at dusk each Wednesday once the sun has gone down enough to show on the screen. Dusk ranges from approximately 7:30 p.m. later in the season to 8:15 p.m. this week.
Agamont Park is located on the corner of West and Main Streets in Bar Harbor.
Wednesday August 9 - How to Train Your Dragon
Wednesday August 16 - Howl's Moving Castle
Wednesday August 23 - Silent Films with Musical Accompaniment
GET YOUR FITNESS ON!
THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE!
The Neighborhood House has a slew of classes to help you get your fitness on. Descriptions are at its website.
Yoga Flow- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 9 a.m.
Tai Chi - Monday at 10:45 a.m.
Can Do Yoga - Mondays at 4:30 p.m.
Active Older Adults - Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:45 a.m.
Yoga Flow and Tai Chi are also on Zoom!
MDI YMCA!
The MDI YMCA’s program guide is here.
DESTINATION HEALTH!
All Levels Slow Flow Yoga
Date and Time
Tuesdays
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM EDT
Location
Destination Health
124 Cottage Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
(207) 288-3121
Website
http://www.destinationhealthmdi.com
Pelvic Floor Workshop
Date and Time
Tuesdays
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT
Yin Yoga
Date and Time
Tuesdays
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM EDT
Adult Ballet Barre Fitness with David Lamon
Date and Time
Thursdays
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT
4 sessions Thursday April 6th to Thursday April 27 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Location
ArtWaves Dance Center 1345A Hwy 102 Town Hill Bar Harbor
Fees/Admission
$50.00 $40.00 ArtWaves Members SPRING SPECIAL: BUY ONE CLASS GET ONE CLASS AT 50% OFF
Website
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-5201808
Contact Information
2072660010
Send Email
GET YOUR VOLUNTEERISM ON!
GET YOUR DANCE AND WELLNESS ON!
ZUMBA!
It’s a dance party, no experience needed!
Come take care of yourself, shake, smile & sweat! Every class is different; the music, people and weather, and we always have a blast! Erin leads a workout that caters to all levels of fitness and ability. All you need is a love for music and movement (or come to class to fall in love with dancing), but no experience necessary. You can follow along and give it your own flair! Come join our classes throughout the week, in the gorgeous dance studio at ArtWaves! If you haven’t tried Zumba and want to talk with Erin, feel free to email anytime.
Date and Time
Thursdays
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EDT
Location
Dance Studio at ArtWaves, 1345A State Highway 102, Bar Harbor
Fees/Admission
$40-$50 per month ($10 per week paid monthly)
Website
DOWNEAST COMMUNITY DANCE
Downeast Community Dance meets every Sunday from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Moore Community Center in Ellsworth (first and third) and ArtWaves in Town Hill (second, fourth and fifth).
These free form dance gatherings are not facilitated, with music provided by volunteer DJs. Move to rhythms in your own way and have fun.
Admission is by donation.
For more information, contact Susan at 288-8103 or cloudnine@gwi.net.
Location
Dance Studio at ArtWaves, 1345A State Highway 102, Bar Harbor
STUDENT MASSAGE CLINIC
At Acadia School of Massage Student Massage Clinic, our students gain hands-on experience while our clients receive relaxation or therapeutic massage and bodywork treatments at discounted rates. Enjoy a soothing massage from one of our gifted student massage therapists. The Student Clinic is open to the public and we highly encourage anyone to try a massage!
Date and Time
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
1:30 PM – 6:30 PM EST
Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the end of April 2023 from 1:30 to 6:15pm.
Location
Hosted by Tree of Life Day Spa,
108 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor
Fees/Admission
$35 for 1 hour massage
Appointments highly recommended
Book online at
http://www.AcadiaSoM.com
Website
http://www.AcadiaSoM.com
Contact Information
Acadia School of Massage
Send Email
DANCE NIGHTS AT FOGTOWN BAR HARBOR WITH DJ POPTART
Come on out and dance away your cabin fever at Fogtown Bar Harbor! Every Friday from 8-10 p.m., DJ Poptart/Gary Allen will be spinning groovy tunes!
Date and Time
Fridays
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST
Location
33 Cottage St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Fees/Admission
No cover
Website
http://www.fogtownbrewing.com
GET YOUR MUSIC ON!
DAN LOREY TRIO!
The Dan Lorey Trio plays a wide variety of rock, pop, country, blues and reggae. They play every Tuesday night at the Side Street Cafe in Bar Harbor from 8-10 p.m. Call 801-2591 for more information or directions.
THE BAR HARBOR TOWN BAND
The Bar Harbor Band performs Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on the Village Green. All of the band's concerts are one hour in length. Concerts will be held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, concerts will be held at the neighboring Bar Harbor Congregational Church. For more information, visit www.barharborband.org.
Derf McKeeton
Starting July 6, there will be live music every Thursday night at the Otter Creek Hall from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Derf McKeeton, a resident of Otter Creek, will play the guitar and sing a variety of 20th century American music. His songs include rock, country, show tunes, jazz, and many of his own compositions. A portion of the donations will benefit the Otter Creek Aid Society. Performances will be held through the end of August. The hall is located at 82 Otter Creek Drive, 4.9 miles from the Village Green in Bar Harbor, 3 miles from Seal Harbor. For more information, call Derf at (617) 851-0387.
Summer Organ Recital Series
Julia Morris-Myers,
12:15 p.m.,
St. Saviour's Episcopal Church. 288-4215 or sspmusic@mdi-episcopal.org.
The Friends of Music at St. Saviour’s is proud to announce the 16th annual Summer Organ Recital Series for 2023. The recitals take place on the four Fridays of the month of August in St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor, each program beginning at 12:15 pm and lasting about an hour. The recital-series was founded in 2007 by Julia Morris-Myers, who was then the Organist/Music-director for St. Saviour’s. The impetus for founding the series came from the presence of one of the finest organs in Downeast Maine, and the Friends of Music was organized to support and promote musical performances at the church. Since then, a wide variety of performers have presented the great literature for the organ each summer. The range of performers encompasses those starting out their careers and others long-established, regional, nationwide, and international. This year the first recital will be played on Friday, August 4, by Bruce Fithian. Fithian is Professor emeritus at the USM School of Music, and was Choirmaster and organist at the Church of St. Mary, Falmouth for 15 years, as well as being the music director of the early music ensemble, The St Mary Schola. As a harpsichordist/organist he has been featured in the Friends of Kotzschmar Organ concerts, the Portland Bach Virtuosi Festival, the Portland Conservatory Noonday concerts, St. Alban’s Advent recital, and St Mary Schola concerts. He is also a singer of international reputation, and a composer. On August 11, Julia Morris-Myers will return. The third recital on August 18 will be performed by the new Director of Music Ministries at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Cape Elizabeth, Dr. Hentus van Rooyen. The series will close on August 25 with Dr. Daniel Pyle, music-director at St. Saviour’s and artistic-director of the Acadia Choral Society. Admission to the concerts is free, although donations in support of the concert-series are welcome. The church, located at 41 Mount Desert St. in Bar Harbor, is fully accessible. For further information, one can call the church at 288-4215 or email to sspmusic@mdi-episcopal.org.
GET YOUR FOOD ON!
OPEN TABLE MDI!
For more information, click here.
EDEN’S FARMERS’ MARKET
Sundays
9-12
Bar Harbor YMCA parking lot off Park Street
AMBROSIA COOKING SCHOOL
The real Maine experience to relive at home. Learn all about lobster and take home the knowledge to be able to cook lobster at home. If you ever had concerns about the long process of making a pie crust, then you will rejoice at the ease of making this blueberry crumble pie. Enjoy the restaurants in Maine but after the class you will leave with the knowledge to create your own Maine experience at home.
Date and Time
Sundays
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
Location
Ambrosia Cooking School
19 Rodick Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
19 Rodick Street Bar Harbor ME 04609
Fees/Admission
$85.00
Website
http://www.ambrosiacookingschool.com/
Contact Information
Sharon Joyce (207)288-4523
Send Email
TOWN GOVERNMENT MEETINGS
SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Regular Meeting Schedule (meetings held at the Town Office unless otherwise noted). Calendar is here.
TREMONT:
BAR HARBOR:
According to the town’s website, “Meetings that are broadcast live can be viewed at home by watching Cable Access Channel 7 or 1303 (Spectrum Cable only) and online at Town Hall Streams.”
“Things We Do in Bar Harbor” and “On the Agenda” is mostly curated by me looking for things happening in the upcoming week, which takes a lot of time. If there’s something in Bar Harbor (or MDI) that you’d like me to mention, please let me know, because I’m definitely always missing some events every week.