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! If you have something you’d like in here, please let me know.
We hope you have some great adventures this week!
To check out our news stories from the past week. Click on the archive section and you’ll see them in chronological order.
COME HELP!
THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, JUNE 24
What the Science Says About Endangered Right Whales
June 24, 2024 at 5 PM: MDI Science Café online and on campus at Maren Auditorium
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.
Monday events via the Bar Harbor Chamber:
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
OPEN TABLE MDI!
For more information, click here.
The History of Housing & Thoughts for the Future, Tue 6/25 5:30 at the SWH Public Library, hybrid
Speakers include Raney Bench from the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, and Susanne Paul and Noel Musson with the Housing Solutions Initiative.
Affordable and available housing has reached a crisis on MDI and difficult conversations are taking place in every community about possible solutions. How did we get here? Our history sheds light on how housing has kept pace with population growth and what changes brought about the current crises. Knowing the facts from our past adds context to the debates taking place today and provides models for community decision-making. Learn more about development and community growth over the past two centuries and explore how island residents and visitors resolved. challenges in the past, followed by a conversation about our community values and how we can come together to solve problems. This talk is inspired by Eliza Bryant Warrick's 2024 "Chebacco" article, 'The Influence of the Seasonal Economy on Mount Desert Island’s Year-Round Housing Patterns'. Registration encouraged.
Jun 25 at 5:30PM - 6:30PM
Southwest Harbor Public Library
338 Main Street
Southwest Harbor
04679
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
Tuesday events via the Chamber:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
Writing Workshop at Northeast Harbor Library
NYT bestseller Kevin Wilson will lead a writing workshop for adults on Wednesday, June 26 from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the Northeast Harbor Library. This workshop, focused on writing family stories, is open to writers of both fiction and non-fiction, regardless of their level of experience. Space is limited and registration is required.
These events are free and offered in-person or virtually via Zoom.
Register for the Writing Workshop with Kevin Wilson.
Registration Now Open for Weekly Save Our Summits Hikes
Do you want to be a #SoilHero by hiking up a mountain AND helping Acadia’s efforts to restore summit vegetation? Friends of Acadia is partnering with the park and Schoodic Institute to host a weekly Save Our Summits Volunteer Program, every Wednesday from June through September. This program invites tenacious hikers to bring bags of soil to the summits of Penobscot and Sargent Mountains to help with restoration efforts. Hikes run from 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., weather permitting. Advanced registration is required.
Register and learn more about how to prepare for the event her
Wednesday events via the Chamber:
THURSDAY, JUNE 27
SHAVING CREAM WIFFLE BALL
On June 27 at the Bar Harbor Congregational Chuch parking lot in Bar Harbor, off Mount Desert Street there will be free shaving cream wiffle ball. The fun begins at 6 p.m. It is free.
Acclaimed Author Kevin Wilson Visits Mount Desert Island for Special Events on June 26th and 27th, 2024
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Jesup Memorial Library and Northeast Harbor Library are excited to announce that celebrated author Kevin Wilson will be visiting Mount Desert Island for two special events as part of the NEA Big Read: MDI.
Author Talk at Jesup Memorial Library
On Thursday, June 27th at 7pm, Kevin Wilson will be at the Jesup Memorial Library for an author talk on his book Nothing to See Here. During this event, Wilson will delve into his writing process, share insights from his literary career, and take questions from the audience. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get their books signed by the author. Books will be for sale, courtesy of Sherman’s Maine Coast Books.
This event is free and can be virtual or in-person.
Register for the Author Talk: Kevin Wilson.
WRITING WORKSHOP
You can still register for a writing workshop with Kevin Wilson on Wednesday, June 26 from 5-7 p.m in Northeast Harbor.
https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/10802101
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!
Thursday events via the Chamber:
FRIDAY, JUNE 28
CONNECTING WITH HORSES CLINIC
Learn natural horsemanship skills with Chris Lombard at Willowind Therapeutic Riding Center. Registration is required, please text/contact David Folger: 207-479-0085 for questions or to register.
We are excited to announce that Chris Lombard will be bringing his expertise to the Willowind Therapeutic Riding Center this month! This clinic is open to 6 participants ($75 per person) and up to 25 observers/auditors ($40 per person). Event registration is required, please text David Folger - 207-479-0085 to register.
We expect this clinic to fill quickly, so please register ASAP. Clinic participants must have prior horse experience, while observers/auditors of all abilities are welcome. The 6 clinic participants will rotate into the riding ring for groundwork exercises, while observers/auditors will view from the outside of the riding ring. Horses and tack will be provided. The Connecting With Horses Clinic is a very unique experience where participants go in-depth in their understanding of themselves and their horses while also learning a very deep understanding of horsemanship. Some topics that may be covered during the clinic on the ground include:
A feel for energy, intention, and focus in both the human and the horse
Accessing our inner-guidance and intuition
Having safety and fun as the foundation
The guidance of a horse’s movement
Confidence for the human and the horse
Understanding a horse’s thoughts, feelings, and communication
What being with horses can help us to understand about ourselves and all of life
An easy transition to riding
Please visit chrislombard.com for more information on his clinics. Reach out to David Folger 207-479-0085 with questions and registration. We hope to see you!
This class is from 12:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.
ANDREW PETERSON
June 28th - 7:00 P.M.
Friday events via the Chamber:
SATURDAY, JUNE 29
MDI COMMUNITY MARKET!
Come see us at Mother’s Kitchen from 9 to 1 and find plenty of fresh food from your local farmers & harvesters
We’ll have veggies, mushrooms, seedlings, fish, mussels, vegan baked goods and art! Live music from 11 with Gus La Casse and Mathias Kamin! Community tent! You can purchase fresh food to donate to Common Good Soup Kitchen in Southwest Harbor! Mother’s Kitchen and Salsbury’s will both be open. Plenty to do and to see! And we’re still accepting vendors, so if you’re interested in joining come chat with us
FINBACK ALEHOUSE LIVE MUSIC!
There’s live music every Saturday night all summer long at the Finback Alehouse in Bar Harbor. Music starts at 9:30!
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.
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.
Saturday events Via the Chamber:
SUNDAY, JUNE
6 p.m. start
Bar Harbor's Eden Farmer's Market
Maine grown, raised and value added delights in Bar Harbor.
Sundays, 9 am -12 noon, rain or shine, Park and Main Streets.
Sunday events via the Chamber:
FUTURE EVENTS:
BAR HARBOR MUSIC FESTIVAL!
2024 Tickets are on sale!! Concerts July 8- October 13. https://www.barharbormusicfestival.org/2024-season/
(Please call or text 212-222-1026 for subscriptions or orders by check)
New for 2024: lower priced rear section seating, Young Audience Concerts on Cranberry thanks to Ned Swain and Devenish Wines, a collab concert with Nimbus Dance, and FREE tickets for everyone 21 and under thanks to the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor!
Sunday, June 30
FREE Young Audience Concert on Great Cranberry Island. Sponsor Ned Swain and Devenish Wines. Stories, Poems, and Music. Willie was Different by Norman Rockwell and Seymour Barab, Sail Away by Langston Hughes and Ashley Bryan, Portraits of Langston by Valerie Coleman. Allison Kiger, flute, Eric Thomas, clarinet, Christina Spurling, piano.
Monday, July 8th at 7:30PM
FREE Isaac Bray with the Bar Harbor Town Band on the Village Green featuring Rossini’s most popular aria “Largo al factotum” from the Bar Harbor of Seville (and classic cartoons!)
Isaac Bray has performed numerous opera roles and other solo engagements with musical organizations around the United States including Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera San Antonio, Charlottesville Opera, the Bangor Symphony, and Opera in the Pines. Notable opera roles include Marcello in La Bohème, the title role in Don Giovanni, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, John Proctor in The Crucible, Le DancaÏre in Carmen, and Sam in Trouble in Tahiti. Bray has performed solo engagements in New England with Bar Harbor Music Festival, Bagaduce Chorale, Acadia Choral Society, and Blue Hill Bach. Bray was a member of the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio, the Bonfils-Stanton Apprentice Program with Central City Opera, and the apprentice artist program with Natchez Festival of Music. He is a graduate of the Boston University Opera Institute, The Boston Conservatory, and Abilene Christian University. Mr. Bray teaches on the voice faculty at the University of Maine and also serves on the board of the Maine chapter of NATS.
Veronica O’Brien
Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30PM
Pianist Veronica O’Brien (Festival debut) Music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Gershwin, and Scriabin – at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church.
Info and Purchase
Oceanview Tea Concert – Kelly Hill, mezzo-soprano and Steven Crawford, piano at the Bar Harbor Historical Society. With donated tea and pastries.
Friday, July 12 at 4PM
Info and Purchase
FRIENDS OF ACADIA SAVE THE DATES
ACADIA WILDLIFE CENTER
Open House & Silent Auction!
ACADIA WILDLIFE CENTER IS CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF REHABILITATING INJURED NATIVE WILDLIFE!
Join us for our ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE and SILENT AUCTION
When: Saturday July 6th
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where: Town Hill Community Hall 1328 ME-102, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Directions: Please park at Town Hill's Community Hall which has plenty of free parking. Our Silent Auction, Bake Sale and much more will be outside the community hall. We will be providing shuttle rides from the Town Hill's Community Hall, 5 minutes down the road to our Nature Center, and then back to the hall throughout the day.
Activities:
Town Hill's Community Center: Silent auction, raffle, baked goods, local restaurant participants, playground, and more! We have many gift items and gift certificates donated by local businesses and every dollar will support the ongoing work of Acadia Wildlife Center. We will be drawing 2 RAFFLE TICKETS at the end of the day, each winner + 3 of their guests will be invited to a release of wild animal that has been rehabilitated and is ready to go back to the wild!
Nature Center: (via shuttle back and forth from Town Hill's Community Hall) Explore our Nature Center, meet our Animal Ambassadors, learn about Wildlife Rehabilitation & Environmental Conservation! You will learn about each species and observe wildlife you only ever see from a distance. The Ambassador Non-Releasable Education Animals currently in the Center are: A Red Fox, Bald Eagle, Porcupine, Skunk, Vulture, Great Horned Owl, Bats, Red-Tailed Hawk, and others.
BAR HARBOR FOURTH OF JULY PARADE
Acadia Wildlife will be marching in the Bar Harbor July 4th Parade/
OPEN HOUSE CELEBRATION FOR ITS 30th YEAR ON JULY 6!
To celebrate tits 30th year on July 6th, Acadia Wildlife will be having a silent auction, raffle, merchandise, bake sale, and possibly an ice cream truck at the Town Hill Community Hall.
The organization will be having people park at the ball field and transporting them down the road to visit the center. More details to come, but save the date!
Open Garden Day 2024
Saturday, July 27, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Seal Harbor, Maine
Six private gardens—details here.
$50 per guest. Stay as long as you like, just let us know if you plan to arrive morning or afternoon. Tickets are non-refundable. Event is held rain or shine.
Proceeds benefit dozens of local horticultural and conservation projects.
Note this is a shuttle-only tour, no private car access. Signs and volunteers will direct you to parking on east Cooksey Drive. Free bus access to Seal Harbor from Northeast Harbor and Bar Harbor via Island Explorer. Most gardens have uneven terrain, stairs or narrow paths so are not handicap or stroller accessible. Houses are NOT open. Restroom available at Seal Harbor Village Green. No video cameras, dogs, or smoking. Cell phone photography only.
GET YOUR ANNUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY ON!
To get tickets, click here.
INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCES
Years ago Bar Harbor had monthly international folk dances with live music in the Municipal Building "ballroom". The live band that played was The Bar Harbor Folk Orchestra with Tom Crikelair, Jon Archer, Carl Karush and Joe Niemczura. But in the 1990s, the dances were discontinued. International folk dances in Ellsworth were suspended in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. But now an enthusiastic group of dancers and musicians from both on and off the Island, have assembled to relaunch this community activity. "We want to share our love for other cultures and the joy of dancing to live ethnic music" noted one of the group members of the newly-formed Downeast Folk Dancers. "We hope everyone will come to join in the fun!"
International Folk Dancing with the Kotwica Band, featuring dances from the Baltic, to the Black Sea, and beyond, will be held on the first Saturday of the month this summer: July 6, August 3, 7:00-9:00pm, at the MDI-YWCA, 36 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor. Dances will be taught by Carolyn Rapkievian - no experience and no partner is needed. This new series is sponsored by the Downeast Folk Dancers. Admission is $10 at the door. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559917761571
CRITERION EVENTS
MEADOWS, WALSH & FRIENDS-CHICAGO STYLE IMPROV AT THE CRITERION
BAR HARBOR—Tim Meadows, Matt Walsh, Brad Morris and Joe Canale make up the fantastically funny improv show: Meadows, Walsh & Friends. Their fully improvised performances are inspired by a short chat at the top of the show with the audience. The chats launch them into a fast-moving act that features irreverent characters and heightened spins on recognizable situations, all the while building shape and theme. Each unique show is entertaining, funny, and thought provoking.
Meadows, a longtime Saturday Night Live cast member and has appeared in Mean Girls, and has guest starred on countless TV programs including: The Office, The Goldbergs and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Matt Walsh is best known for his role as Mike McLintock in HBO’s Veep and was a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy theater. Brad Morris is known for his roles in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Cougar Town, and Bajillion Dollar Propertie$. Joe Canale has been in Kay Valentine’s Day Commercial Parody, Life of Brad and Douchebag Assassins
All four improvisers have strong ties to The Second City. Matt Walsh toured with The Second City Touring Company based in Chicago, and Tim, Brad and Joe are Alums of The Second City resident stage in Chicago. Together, they have influenced generations of improvisers.
July 30th - 7:30pm
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
A FEW OF THE FUTURE 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.
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!
Making Democracy Work Series
The Jesup Memorial Library, Acadia Senior College, and the League of Women Voters - Downeast are pleased to announce a short series of programs under the theme "Making Democracy Work." This series will feature prominent speakers addressing the challenges facing modern governance and proposing ways to enhance the democratic process.
Tuesday, July 2nd, 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld
Senior Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Tuesday, July 16th, 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Steven Levitsky
The David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government at Harvard University
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.
La Rochelle Mansion + Museum
Join the Bar Harbor Historical Society at Bar Harbor's Summer Cottage, La Rochelle, this season! See the exhibits and artifacts that helped shaped this storied town!
May 28 at 10:00 A.M. - Oct 26 at 2:00 P.M.
Bar Harbor Historical Society, 127 West Street
$15.00
GET YOUR VOLTA ON!
Volta, in Trenton, has a ton of things always going on. You can check that out here.
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!
“Things To Do” 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.