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!
MDI High School Board Meeting
5 p.m.
@ MDI High School Library
Comprehensive Plan 2023 - Parks & Recreation Committee / Planning / Code Enforcement Workshop
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Council Chambers, Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
Conservation Commission Meeting
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
3rd Floor Meeting Room - Suite 301 Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
TUESDAY!
Town Council
October 17, 2023, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
@ Council Chambers
Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
THURSDAY!
Lodging Amendment Listening Session
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
@ Council Chambers
Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
Marine Resources Committee (rescheduled from Oct. 18)
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
@ Hadley Point Beach or College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
Mt. Desert Island Regional High School Library
YouTube link to view live stream of meeting: https://youtube.com/live/SPg_N4d6dNw?feature=share
5:00 pm
MDI High School Library
Things to Do In Bar Harbor
Week of October 16 and a little beyond
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 DANCE PARTY ON!
GET YOUR KINDNESS ON!
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 HALLOWEEN ON!
Trail of Treats at Birch Bay Retirement Village
Birch Bay Retirement Village and Mount Desert Island Hospital are hosting a Trail of Treats on Friday, October 27th from 4:30 – 6:00 pm, at Birch Bay Retirement Village’s Inn, 25 Village Inn Road, Hulls Cove. This is a spook-tacular location with amazing views of Frenchman’s Bay. Twenty tables offering pre-packaged treats will be situated outside, on a paved pathway around the Birch Bay Inn building. Trick-or-treaters will travel in one direction. Parking is available, though guests are encouraged to carpool whenever possible as this has been an incredibly popular event in years past and parking fills up quickly.
This event is free and all community members are welcome!
For more information contact: Meredith Cyr, meredith.cyr@mdihospital.org 288-5082 extension 1415.
DANCE PARTY
TRUNK OR TREAT
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.
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.
10:30 AM 11:15 AM
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY, 34 MOUNT DESERT STREET
HOLLIE ADAMS, POET IN RESIDENCE AT ANP TO SPEAK AT JESUP
Please join us at the Jesup Memorial Library for a poetry reading with Hollie Adams, a Writer-In-Residence at Acadia National Park, on Thursday, October 19 at 7 p.m.
Adams is returning to the Jesup after leading a poetry workshop at the Jesup in September and will read from her current manuscript in-progress, a collection of poems about how we conceptualize space/place in the Anthropocene. These poems- many of which are about the place of Maine- engage with the effects of climate change and the symptoms of a world on fire. In a geological age in which human activity exerts the greatest influence on the land and our natural environment, how has the space of Maine changed? How has climate change affected our physical and mental relationship to the place we call home? What does the future look like for the land? A Q&A session will follow the reading.
Hollie Adams (she/her), of Bangor, ME, is the author of the novel Things You've Inherited from Your Mother (NeWest Press, 2015) and the hybrid prose-poetry chapbook Deliver Me from Swedish Furniture (Zed Press, 2018), which was a finalist for the BpNichol Chapbook Award. She is the current fiction editor of The Windsor Review, and her prose and poetry have appeared across Canada in publications including The Malahat Review, The Temz Review, Contemporary Verse 2, Room, Carousel, Prairie Fire, The Antigonish Review, and Grain. Her writing, often surrealist, dystopian, and fabulist in content, engages regularly with issues of climate change and environment, home and place, and gender and relationships. Originally from Windsor, Ontario, she now lives and works in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation, where she is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Maine.
This event is a hybrid program and registration is required to attend either in person or on Zoom. Register at jesuplibrary.org/events/reading or email eventsignup@jesuplibrary.org.
JESUP EVENTS
For a full list of Jesup Memorial Library events, click through to its calendar here.
CONTRA DANCE!
Calling all dancers, young and old(er) – experienced or not. C’mon out for some swinging in the stacks with the Big Moose Band, and caller Bill Schubeck in this classic venue. Don't know what a contra dance is all about? No worries. Bill will give lessons for each dance. You’ll learn a choreographed set of moves and you’ll be swinging your partner in no time! Don’t have a partner to attend with? No problem. Anyone can attend with or without a partner. Over the course of each dance, you'll interact not just with your own partner for that dance, but with everyone else in the set. Big Moose will play lively jigs and reels and mellow waltzes on fiddle, piano, banjo, guitar, whistle, bodhran, bass, mandolin, accordion and more.
What a fun way to do-si-do your way into Halloween. Halloween costumes welcome!
Come join the fun! Suggested donation $10/adults. No registration is required.
PAUL HAMMOND LECTURE
Paul Hammond Memorial Lecture: “The Thought of Paul Hammond” with Dr. Mary Beth Mader, PhD.
BAR HARBOR—Join us for an evening with Dr. Mary Beth Mader, PhD, for the 2023 Paul Hammond Memorial Lecture at the Jesup Memorial Library on Friday, October 27 at 7 p.m.
The Paul Hammond Memorial Lecture was established in 2016 and features an annual talk, in honor of the late Paul Hammond that explores philosophy for a lay audience. Hammond, the son of Debby and Scott Hammond of Bar Harbor was a graduate of Mount Desert Island High School and was a professor of philosophy who passed away in 2015. He was passionate about discussing ideas and current events, as well as promoting well-reasoned and logical arguments and debate.
Dr. Mary Beth Mader, PhD, is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Memphis and had the honor of directing Paul Hammond’s 2014 doctoral dissertation. She is a specialist in contemporary European philosophy.
This event is a hybrid program and registration is required to attend either in person or on Zoom. Register at jesuplibrary.org/events/hammondlecture or email eventsignup@jesuplibrary.org.
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 Information
207-266-0010
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.
FALL EXHIBIT!
The Artwaves Members Fall Exhibit is on display at the Northeast Harbor Library October 3 - 30, 2023.
The library's Mellon Room is filled with 73 paintings and drawings, 1 felted work, 2 concertina books, and 1 sculpture, all created by members of ArtWaves.
Exhibit co-coordinators Liz Cutler and Joan Vienot agree that the exhibit includes some of the best artwork that the area has to offer. Vienot said "This exhibit serves as a beautiful showcase for the culture of the community of MDI and the surrounding region. It has been a pleasure to work with other volunteers and artists who share a love for the area."
This exhibit gives the community an opportunity to engage with original artwork and the reception promises to be a festive evening. Please join exhibiting artists Laura Neal, Maggie Johnston, Leigh Culver, Katherine Noble Churchill, Vicky Smith, Brian Caine, Nikki Moser, Neil Ira Needleman, Rick Osann, Kelly Cutler, Joan Vienot, Rebecca St. John, Liz Cutler, Bonnie Chase Kathie Pratt, Mary Ternus, Kaitlyn Miller, Richard Huck, Mark Kandutsch, and Roger Brignell for the reception on Thursday October 12 from 4:30pm – 6:30pm. Meeting the artists and connecting with the backstories of the artwork is always a rewarding experience. All are welcome!
The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours for the month of October. Northeast Harbor Library is located at 1 Joy Road, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662. For information about ArtWaves Community Art Center, go to ArtWavesMDI.org.
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.
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 CLIMATE TO THRIVE ON!
On the ballot this November, Mainers have the opportunity to cast a vote on Question 3, a citizen ballot initiative to form a consumer-owned utility to serve the state of Maine. Along with the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Sierra Club Maine, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and many others, A Climate to Thrive has endorsed this initiative and will be hosting this educational event as an opportunity to learn more about Pine Tree Power, consumer-owned utilities, and the connection to climate solutions
We hope you will join us! Please also refer to the following two sources, both of which cast light on why Question 3 is an absolutely critical opportunity for Mainers.
Getting the Grid We Need, from the Maine Morning Star
Portland Press Herald Commentary submitted by Maine's first Public Advocate
Special Concert Event!
Saturday, October 21 at 4:00 p.m.
Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor
Tickets: $20 general admission, $18 students, 12 and under free, or select the "pay what you can" option when reserving.
Join us or a concert with the Halcyon String Quartet, a Maine-based artist collective and string quartet, for Tipping Points, a 60-minute multimedia performance combining live string quartet music with audio recordings of community voices and film. Through an exploration of the environmental, social, and economic drivers of climate change, audiences will reflect on the ways that the media, economy, and persistent messaging around sustainability, growth, and the future shape our everyday behavior. The performance embraces the opportunity to gather and reflect together on community-based climate action through music and the sounds of community voices reflecting on what a resilient future looks like in Maine. In addition to featuring film and recorded testimonies, Halcyon will perform music that is joyful, contemplative, and nostalgic - reminding us of the power of collective community and shared emotion.
All ages welcome! The performance will be followed by an optional brief facilitated discussion and Q&A.
When purchasing tickets, you can select a set ticket price or chose the "pay what you can" option. Thank you for helping to cover the cost of this exciting event!
About the Halcyon String Quartet
Halcyon is a Maine-based artist collective and string quartet that designs and presents multimedia performances that combine live music with science, film, art, and spoken word. Our performances celebrate Maine's ecosystems and reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face in a climate-changed world. They draw attention to the daily challenges, rewards, and realities facing our communities – acknowledging the need for creative and diverse communication that harnesses the power of cultural traditions, storytelling, music, and visual art to translate numbers and facts into something tangible and human. We partner with scientists, musicians, artists, and composers to present 4-5 multi-show performance projects throughout Maine each year. For more information about our upcoming programs visit halcyon string quartet.org.
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
DESTINATION HEALTH CLASSES
For a full listing, check out here
MDI YMCA CLASSSES
For a full listing, check out here.
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 Annex at Side Street Cafe in Bar Harbor from 8-10 p.m. Call 801-2591 for more information or directions.
THE FINBACK ALEHOUSE
The Finback has entertainment most nights. The schedule is posted every Tuesday.
THE LOMPOC
The Lompoc has DJ nights every other Friday and karaoke every Sunday night!!
BAR HARBOR BEERWORKS
Live Music Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Bar Harbor Beerworks
SAND BAR COTTAGE
The Sand Bar Cottage Inn (106 West Street) has a new outdoor patio where they serve drinks every afternoon. It’s open to the public, and on Sunday afternoons (weather permitting), they have live music. It’s local musicians, usually a singer and/or guitar player.
THE NOR’EASTER
The Nor’Easter has music every Saturday night from 8-10 in the summer and 7-9 in the winter.
ONE OFF PUB
The One Off Pub often has music and is often open until midnight. The location? 119 Main Street.
HAVANA
Every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m, you can come here the maestro Bob Lombardi. Maestro isn’t something we put out there for everyone. Havana is on lower Main Street.
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 and I truly do not know all that is going on.
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.
