THINGS TO DO ON MDI
Events this week and in the near future.
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.
To see town and school meetings, click here.
To read our past archive of stories, click here.
OUR EVENT
If you have a question that you’d like us to ask, send a message below.
THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, MAY 20
Square Roots Live at the Ivy Manor:
Stephen and Beau will be performing from 2-5 p.m. on the front lawn of the Ivy Manor in beautiful downtown Bar Harbor. Stop by and listen to some classic Americana tunes.
Family Climbing Night!
No experience necessary!
Bring the whole family and experience the thrill of climbing together in a fun and supportive environment.
$10 non-members (all needed rental gear is included) | FREE for members
SIGN UP: https://voltaclimbing.com/family (these events generate quite a bit of interest and we urge you to sign up ahead of time to ensure a spot and speed up your check-in process)
Our state-of-the-art facility offers something for climbers of all ages and experience levels. If you’ve ever been curious about climbing with your family, but aren’t sure where to start, we encourage you to join us for this event!
What to expect:
Knowledgable Staff: Our friendly and experienced staff will be on hand to belay you on ropes, provide guidance on where to start, and help with any questions you may have about gear, climbing, or the facilities.
Rental Gear Included: All rental gear (shoes & harness) are included!
Fun Climbing: You’ll have the chance to explore bouldering (climbing without a rope) and top-roping (climbing with a rope), push your boundaries, and most importantly have fun!
Questions?
email info@voltaclimbing.com or
call 207-412-0488
See less
Jennifer Booher, The Beachcombing Series.
April 1 - May 31.
Bar Harbor Savings & Loan Association, 103 Main Street, Bar Harbor.
This will continue all week and all month.
Acadia Senior College Art Show
Acadia Senior College’s art show is installed at Northeast Harbor Library and will be running throughout May.
TUESDAY, MAY 21
Events via the Chamber:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica plays live at COA
BAR HARBOR—Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica, the “Vallenato King,” brings his accordion-driven music to College of the Atlantic on Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. The free show takes place in the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center on COA campus.
Alberto “Beto” Jamaica’s music, infused with vibrant rhythms of cumbia, paseo, and porro, has captivated audiences worldwide. Acclaimed as the “Vallenato King” since winning the Leyenda Vallenata Festival in 2006, Beto Jamaica stands as a prominent figure in Colombia’s music scene.
Originating from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, vallenato blends Spanish juglares’ traditions with West African griot influences, historically serving as both entertainment and a means of communication. Beto Jamaica modernizes this rich tradition, integrating electric bass, congas, and timbales while preserving its authentic essence. His performances, spanning across prestigious festivals globally, showcase the enduring allure of vallenato’s rhythmic tapestry.
Events via the Chamber:
THURSDAY, MAY 23
Felted Geodes
Thursday, May 23rd, 5:30-6:30 pm at ArtWaves
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-4844185?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/14/2024
Learn step-by-step how to wet felt a geode with the added attraction of getting to 'slice' it open to see the colorful core. All materials included with ArtWaves' amazing array of colorful fleece and gear. Members get $10 off the class and can stay until 8pm as part of our Open Studio.
Fusion Flow Fitness
Thursdays in May and June, 5:30-6:30 pm at ArtWaves
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-5696289?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/2/2024
This class is a braid of yoga, pilates, barre, and the art of not caring what you look like, but how you feel. Move, sweat, breathe, and enjoy!
Events via the Chamber:
FRIDAY, MAY 24
SATURDAY, MAY 25
Stained Glass for Beginners
Saturday, May 25th, 9am-4pm
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-5634211?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/14/2024
In this beginner’s class, participants will learn all of the techniques used in a full-sized copper foiled stained glass panel, but in a smaller context. Steps include pattern cutting, glass selection and cutting, grinding, foiling, soldering, and finishing with patina and wax.
CONTRA DANCE
Monthly contra dance at Jesup Memorial Library on Saturday May 25, 7-10 p.m., 34 Mt Desert Street in downtown Bar Harbor.
Big Moose Band with caller Chris Ricciotti will entertain. This is a fun dance that has been part of Downeast Maine and Bar Harbor’s local tradition for over 20 years.
MUSIC AT THE FINBACK!
There’s live music every Saturday night all summer long at the Finback Alehouse in Bar Harbor. Music starts at 9:30!
Intermediate Cyanotypes
Saturday, May 25th, 12-2pm
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-5599503?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/14/2024
If you've got the basics down and want to push your materials further, here is the opportunity to try more complicated techniques like wet cyanotypes, bleaching, and toning. Jennifer Booher will have a variety of papers and prints for you to experiment with.
Events via the Chamber:
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.
GET YOUR MEMORIAL DAY POP-UP ON!
Zapapa Handmade, based in Kittery, is coming to Hulls Cove Schoolhouse for a two-day pop-up boutique on Memorial Day weekend:, Sat May 25-Sun May 26.
It will be from 10:00-5:00 both days
Zapapa’s clothing and home goods are all made by expert sewists in beautiful high end “dead stock” natural fabrics. Zapapa specializes in simple and elegant designs for everyday and special occasions.
SUNDAY, MAY 26
Events via the Chamber:
FUTURE EVENTS:
Acadia Birding Festival!
The Acadia Birding Festival is an annual four day festival on Mount Desert Island, MAINE,Thursday-Sunday after Memorial Day. Our mission is to bring birders together for birding field trips, talks, and camaraderie in a beautiful area with lots of birds.
The festival’s Facebook page.
The festival’s website.
MDI Photo Club Announces 11th Annual Exhibit
The MDI Photo Club is pleased to present its 12th annual photo exhibit, showcasing the talents of its members. The exhibit will be on display throughout June 2024 in the Mellon Room of the Northeast Harbor Library. This year's exhibit promises a diverse collection of photographs capturing the essence of Mount Desert Island and beyond. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 7th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the Mellon Room. The public is invited to meet the photographers, view the exhibit, and enjoy light refreshments.
The MDI Photo Club is a welcoming group of photographers of all skill levels dedicated to the enjoyment, mastery, and furtherance of the art of photography through cooperation, effort, and good fellowship. They meet monthly from September to May for presentations, photo sharing, and outings. In June, they culminate their year with this highly-anticipated member exhibit.
For more information:
Contact the MDI Photo Club: contact@mdiphotoclub.org
Contact the Northeast Harbor Library: talktous@nehlibrary.org
Resilience Hubs & Peer-to-Peer Check-in Networks: A Community Dialogue
Town of Mount Desert - Thursday, June 6th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
at the Northeast Harbor Public Library
Town of Tremont - Thursday, June 13th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
at the Bass Harbor Public Library
During these discussions, community members will learn about resilience hubs and how these hubs have been implemented around the country, as well as examples of how neighbors have united to implement localized emergency responses through peer-to-peer check-in networks. Participants will then provide feedback on how such projects might unfold within the local community to best serve residents. The Town of Mount Desert and the Town of Tremont currently have a joint-grant through the Maine Community Resilience Partnership that is funding planning for multiple possible projects, including resilience hubs and peer-to-peer check-in networks.
GET YOUR GOLF ON!
MDI Lion's Club Hosts Golf Tournament to Support Community and Vision-Related Needs
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—The MDI Lion's Club is thrilled to announce the MDI Lions Annual Golf Tournament is back and set to take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the Kebo Valley Golf Club. With a 12 P.M. start, this exciting event promises a day of camaraderie, competition, and most importantly, community support.
The MDI Lion's Club has long been a pillar of charitable work in the Mount Desert Island community, dedicated to serving those in need, particularly in the realm of vision-related issues. They aim to raise crucial funds to further their mission and support local community needs.
"Golf has always been a sport that brings people together, and we couldn't think of a better way to unite our community in support of a worthy cause," said Peter Gott, King Lion for the MDI Lion's Club. "This tournament is not only about enjoying a day on the green but about making a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most."
The tournament will feature a scramble format. Participants can look forward to exciting on-course contests, and a post-tournament awards ceremony. Additionally, sponsors will have the opportunity to showcase their support for the community through various sponsorship packages.
All proceeds from the tournament will directly benefit the community as the MDI Lion's Club continues its support of community needs, necessary programs, and their scholarship fund which awards 4 new and 4 returning students in the trades. Every dollar raised will make a meaningful impact on the lives of this community.
"We are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors, participants, and volunteers who are helping to make this event possible," added Gott. "Together, we can make a difference and continue to uphold the Lion's Club motto of 'We Serve.'"
Sponsorship packages and player registration for the MDI Lion's Annual Golf Tournament is now open. For more information on registration, sponsorship opportunities, or to get involved, please contact Heather Jones at Heather@Jones-Business.com or 207-266-0114.
GET YOUR ANNUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY ON!
To get tickets, click here.
GET YOUR CRITERION ON!
Howie Day - 20th Anniversary of "Stop All The World Now"
Saturday, July 20 | 7PM
https://criteriontheatre.fanlink.tv/072024
ARTWAVES CLASSES AND EVENTS
ArtWaves often has classes, a variety every week. For the updated selection, check out its website here
Lap Loom Weaving
Thursday, May 30th, 5:30-6:30pm
https://artwavesmdi.org/event-5684473?CalendarViewType=1&SelectedDate=5/14/2024
Explore the possibilities of designs, learn how to warp a loom with a heddle, and use the shuttle. ArtWaves has an incredibly colorful array of yarns to create a small tapestry or a simple monochromatic design for a coaster.
JESUP EVENTS
For a full list of Jesup Memorial Library events, click through to its calendar here.
QUESTIONS OF DEMOCRACY
The 2024 College of the Atlantic Summer Institute will examine democracy in the United States during one of the most consequential years of our times.
Struggles for democracy traverse our lives and society, from ballot boxes to inboxes, from the corridors of congress to the halls of schools, from kitchen tables to city streets. Questions of democracy confront us in our debates over freedom of the press, voting rights, and artistic freedom, in struggles of authoritarianism, and in conversations about how to effectively engage with disagreement and conflict across a range of topics.
Join us from July 29 - August 2 as elected officials, authors, analysts, and community organizers discuss what democracy means to them, the threats it faces, and how our individual and collective efforts can fortify democracy now and for future generations.
We will announce speakers over the next weeks. Please check the Summer Institute page for more details as they are announced. Registration is free, and opens May 1 for Champlain Society members, June 1 for the general public.
Upcoming Events at the MDI BIO LAB
Please register for MDI Bio Lab events by clicking on the title.
June 10, 2024 at 5 PM: MDI Science Café online and on campus at Maren auditorium - (Re)Building a Kidney: The NIH’s project to grow new kidneys for humans
MDI Bio Lab Scientific Director Iain Drummond, Ph.D., and Rogosin Institute Scientific Director Leif Oxburgh, D.V.M., Ph.D., will discuss their role as leaders in the National Institutes of Health's $100 million (Re)Building a Kidney (RBK) project to reduce dependence on donor organs.
June 24, 2024 at 5 PM: MDI Science Café online and on campus at Maren Auditorium - What the Science Says About Endangered Right Whales
New England Aquarium senior researcher Amy Knowlton, Ph.D., has worked on the Right Whale Research Program since 1983. Nick Record, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, is an expert ocean modeler and forecaster. They will share her latest findings on whale mortality, ecosystem shifts and potential solutions.
July 11, 2024 4-6 PM: Family Science Night at MDI Bio Lab
Family Science Night is an annual summer tradition where scientists, students, and members of the community come together to encourage learners of all ages to engage in hands-on science activities. We'll have more than a dozen activities and exhibits organized by MDI Bio Lab Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows and several community partners. Bring your friends and family and have fun with science!
ONGOING:
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 PRAYER SHAWL ON!
Welcoming all knitters and would be knitters…and crocheters! The Welcome and Care Team at the Bar Harbor Congregational Church UCC is hosting a weekly Prayer Shawl Mission Group every Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon at the Bar Harbor Congregational Church UCC. The intention of the group is to create a sense of community and a flow of Prayer Shawls for distribution to those in need of comfort due to illness, loneliness, or loss. Supplies and instruction will be provided to those with skills for knitting and/or crocheting and for those with a desire to learn.
There are no costs to the participants.
For more information contact Pat by calling (203) 770-0063 or email: pgdizazzo@yahoo.com.
GET YOUR VOLTA ON!
Volta, in Trenton, has a ton of things always going on. You can check that out here.
Get Your Knowledge On!
ASC Racial Justice Book Group
Are you interested in joining us? We are open to new members who want to share in the reading and the hard work that ensues as we examine the underpinnings of systemic racism and its effects on society and on each of us individually, in the ultimate hope that our studies can work toward change.
We have been meeting once a month on the second Tuesday of the month from 10:30- 12:15.
We started with the basic readings of How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. We then spent many months delving deeply into The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Since then, we’ve read some James Baldwin, Colon Whitehead, Zora Neale Hurston, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Clint Smith and many others. We look forward in the next few months to reading some James McBride and Bryan Stevenson. We also share articles of interest that deal with the issues we’re facing.
If the truly hard, but most meaningful, work we are doing to examine our society, culture and ourselves sounds like something that interests you, please contact me at rjbg2021@gmail.com or 207-664-9954.
Read more about the book group
STORY TIMES AT THE JESUP!
Baby and Toddler Time
Join Abby for fingerplays, songs, and stories on Mondays! Older siblings are welcome to join in.
10:30 AM 11:15 AM
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY34 MT. DESERT STREET
GET YOUR MOVIE ON!
REEL PIZZA
Reel Pizza is open! To check out what’s playing go here.
Tickets are on sale via its website.
Please note that for a while this winter, it will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
CRITERION THEATRE
The theater’s website is here, and click for the latest updates.
GET YOUR FITNESS, DANCE AND WELLNESS ON!
THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE!
The Neighborhood House has a slew of classes to help you get your fitness on. Descriptions are at its website.
MDI YMCA!
The MDI YMCA’s program guide is here.
DOWNEAST COMMUNITY DANCE
Downeast Community Dance
Free form dance, conscious or ecstatic, not facilitated. Come drop into your own joyful movement.
This is now held the first, third, and fifth Sunday of the month at 10 a.m. at ArtWaves Dance StudioFor more information, contact Susan at 288-8103 or cloudnine@gwi.net.
Location
Dance Studio at ArtWaves, 1345A State Highway 102, Bar Harbor
GET YOUR MUSIC ON!
THE FINBACK ALEHOUSE
The Finback has entertainment most nights. The schedule is posted every Tuesday.
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 its open, at 6:30 p.m, you can come hear the maestro Bob Lombardi. Maestro isn’t something we put out there for everyone. Havana is on lower Main Street.
IVY MANOR INN
Every day out on the lawn, weather permitting, the music begins at 2!
GET YOUR FOOD ON!
OPEN TABLE MDI!
For more information, click here.
“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 or Trenton or Ellsworth or even Bangor) that you’d like me to mention, please let me know, because I’m definitely always missing some events every week.