TOWN MEETINGS & COOL THINGS TO DO
On The Agenda - Bar Harbor Town Meetings and Events
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
BAR HARBOR GOVERNMENT MEETINGS!
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
MONDAY, MARCH 11
Harbor Committee
No agenda posted online, please check to make sure the meeting is happening before you go over.
March 11, 2024, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Council Chambers, Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
Task Force on the Climate Emergency
March 11, 2024, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Auditorium in Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
Conservation Commission Meeting
March 11, 2024, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
3rd Floor Meeting Room - Suite 301, Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Cottage Street
MDI High School Board of Directors
Monday, March 11,
5 p.m.
MDI High School Library
MDIRSS AOS 91 BOARD
March 11, 2024, 6 PM - 8:00 PM
MDI High School Library
TUESDAY, MARCH 12
Appeals Board Meeting
March 12, 2024, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Council Chambers,(third floor), Municipal Building, 93 Cottage Street
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
Comprehensive Plan
TIME: 6:00 PM
Location: Council Chambers, (third floor), Municipal Building, 93 Cottage Street
THURSDAY, MARCH 14
Design Review Board Meeting
March 14, 2024, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location: Council Chambers, (third floor), Municipal Building, 93 Cottage Street
Things to Do In Bar Harbor
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 THREE ON THREE TOURNEY ON!
GET YOUR SCIENCE ON!
MDI SCIENCE CAFÉ: Gene Therapy: A Potential Cure for Sickle Cell Disease
Mar 11 at 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Edward Benz Jr., M.D., directs the NIH's Cure Sickle Cell Initiative. and will speak about how the promise of gene therapies is being realized today. This is an online-only Zoom event.
In 2018, the National Institutes of Health launched an effort to speed the development of cures for sickle cell disease, naming Vice-Chair of the MDI Bio Lab Board of Trustees, Edward Benz Jr., M.D. as its Director.
In December 2023, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved the first cell-based CRISPR-Cas9 gene therapy, called CASGEVY, for the treatment of sickle-cell disease in patients 12 years and older.
This notable development heralds the long-sought use of CRISPR gene-editing technology in medical treatments or therapeutics. The FDA approval offers meaningful hope to patients afflicted with sickle-cell disease whose therapeutic options are otherwise limited. A heritable, life-long, and often lethal blood cell disorder, sickle-cell disease affects an estimated 100,000 individuals in the United States, most of whom are African Americans.
Dr. Benz will outline and explain how CRISPR can improve the drug development process by directly increasing or decreasing a specific gene’s activities, to determine which gene products are responsible for a given disease and targetable for therapy. With CASGEVY, genes that affect the function and shape of red blood cells are edited in a manner that appears to cure sickle cell disease for a year or more. The Cure Sickle Cell Initiative is a collaborative, patient-focused research effort designed to accelerate promising genetic therapies.
Online-only Zoom event. To register.
GET YOUR FROCK SWAP ON!
GET YOUR CHOWDAH ON!
Get ready…Get set…It’s the Mount Desert Nursing Association’s Chowah Fest and Silent Auction coming Monday, April 1 to the Neighborhood House!
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 OPEN MIC AND KARAOKE ON!
Open mic night is back at the Finback!! We are still working on kitchen projects until March, but we are going to open the door on Friday nights for music! We'll make a batch of chili or soup every Friday just in case you need something to warm up! Doors open at 7!
Karaoke is on Saturday nights!
GET YOUR NOR’EASTER ON!
GET YOUR VOLTA ON!
Volta, in Trenton, has a ton of things always going on. You can check that out here.
GET YOUR PRIDE ON!
GET YOUR TRAIL RUNNING FILM FESTIVAL ON!
The Trail Running Film Festival will once again include Bar Harbor as a stop on its Global Tour, coming to town on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m.
The Mount Desert Island YMCA and The 1932 Criterion Theatre, which is where the films will be shown, are co-sponsoring the event with proceeds from ticket sales supporting a number of important programs at the Y.
Curated by Outdoor Arts and Recreation, the festival features a collection of films that celebrate running as a universal practice to explore our collective and individual potential and pursue our wildest dreams. The organization hopes to accomplish this by documenting the culture of trail running, supporting filmmakers and creatives, and hosting events such as this one that bring our community together.
There will also be refreshments and door prizes raffled off at the showing on March 30.
More information on the films that will be shown, as well as prices for tickets, will be available soon on the Trail Running Film Festival's website: trailfilmfest.com
GET YOUR ICE QUILTING DERBY ON!
FREE MUSIC LESSONS AT THE CRITERION!
GET YOUR GREEN DRINKS ON!
GET YOUR BIRD ON!
"The Birds of Acadia: Changes in our Avian Population" presented by Richard MacDonald
Please register for this free event by emailing Barbara Amstutz at amstutzbarbara53@gmail.com or calling her at 215-764-0468. All are welcome!
Learn more about the bird population of Acadia and the changes the population is experiencing. Richard MacDonald is trained as an ornithologist and is a Registered Maine Guide, a Licensed New York Guide and a Wilderness First Responder. He and Natalie Springuel founded The Natural History Center in Bar Harbor in 2010 and offer nature and adventure tours. His expertise on the local bird population will enlighten those who are novice birders as well as the more experienced ones.
Mar 14 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Birch Bay Retirement Village, 25 Village Inn Road, Bar Harbor
GET YOUR MISS CHICKADEE ON!
2024 Miss Acadia & Miss Chickadee
�MARCH 16, 2024
� The Criterion Theater in Bar Harbor, ME
Doors Open to the Public at 1:30pm
Showtime 2:00 p.m.
Admission:
ADULTS: $10.00
CHILDREN: $5.00
(Current MASP Titleholders Free Admission)
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 on Mondays! Older siblings are welcome to join in.
10:30 AM 11:15 AM
JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY34 MT. DESERT STREET
JESUP EVENTS
Author Talk with “Kristie Billings, Sea Witch: Photographs and Poetry from a Mainer Growing Up”
Join us for an author talk, reading, and Q&A with Kristie Billings.
Kristie Billings comes from a long line of lovers of the sea: fishermen, clamdiggers, and sardine packers. The ocean is home. Her book, Sea Witch: Photographs and Poetry from a Mainer Growing Up, is comprised of images and words from the sea, nature, folk art, dolls, loss, grief, love, acceptance, rage, music, life. From punk rock to menopause to swimming with seals!
Kristie is a poet, a photographer, and a year-round swimmer. She is currently living in Ellsworth, Maine, and a native of Stonington, on Deer Isle. A great lover of music, of art, and life, Kristie is drawn to beauty, even in the most ordinary, mundane way. She is drawn to what others may pass by, unnoticed.
Free and open to the public. Books will be for sale, courtesy of Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop.
March 14 at 7 p.m.
Register at https://www.jesuplibrary.org/events/billings
For a full list of Jesup Memorial Library events, click through to its calendar here.
ONGOING:
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 Information office@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 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.
DESTINATION HEALTH!
For a full listing, check out here
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
MDI YMCA CLASSSES
For a full listing, check out here.
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.
GET YOUR FOOD ON!
The Somesville Union Meeting House will have second Sunday community suppers through April. The free event runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
OPEN TABLE MDI!
For more information, click here.
COOL THINGS IN OTHER TOWNS
The Art of Penobscot Bay with Carl Little, Online only
On Tuesday, March 12th at 5:30p.m. the Library will host “The Art of Penobscot Bay” co-author Carl Little for an in-person program.
In his slide talk, Carl will offer a choice sampling of paintings from Art of Penobscot Bay. He will share the process of assembling the images in the book, including the challenges and the rewards—and how he collaborated with his brother David on what is their fourth joint publishing adventure. Registration is encouraged. For Art of Penobscot Bay, brothers David and Carl Little, well-known stewards of Maine art, have selected art and artists, from history and today, that celebrate the myriad of inlets, islands, coves, and peninsulas—the “nooks and corners” of the region. Above all, they sought out art infused with a remarkable representation of place by more than 120 artists who have embraced the area and its people. Art of Penobscot Bay includes artists from the 19th century through the 21st century, including Fitz Henry Lane, Waldo Peirce, Edward Hopper, William Zorach, John Marin, Emily Muir, Greta Van Campen, Alex Katz, Eric Hopkins, and Amy Peters Wood. For questions or assistance registering, call 207-244-7065, or email programs@swhplibrary.org.
Mar 12 at 5:30PM - 6:30PM
Southwest Harbor Public Library
338 Main Street
Southwest Harbor
GET YOUR CHAMBER CALENDAR ON!
The Bar Harbor Chamber has an event page and a calendar here. It doesn’t reflect all the things in our piece, but it’s a great start and has a bunch of events throughout the region.
Which Stitch: A Circle of Needles
Which Stitch: A Circle of Needles
Nature Sitting of Downeast Maine
Nature Sitting of Downeast Maine
Nature sitting and wild church meeting in Surry, Maine
Dance Improvisation with Motion Colle...
Dance Improvisation with Motion Collective
Join us for an exploration of movement expression, dance creativity, and communication through the structure of improvisation.
Barre Mondays
Monday Night Figure Drawing
Life drawing, acadia, studio arts center, charcoal drawing , artwaves, art center,
All Levels Slow Flow Yoga
Baby and Toddler Time
Baby and Toddler Time
Join Abby for fingerplays, songs, and stories! Older siblings are welcome to join in.
Yin Yoga
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surr...
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surry
Yoga Flow
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surr...
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surry
Shinrin Yoku, Forest Bathing in Surry, Maine at Radiant Life Within
Zen Living, Zen Sitting
Federal Resume Writing Workshop
Federal Resume Writing Workshop
Yoga in the Forest
yoga in the forest in Surry, Maine
Figure Drawing
Therapy Trail Work Day
Trail work at the therapy trail in Surry at Radiant Life Within
Barre Thursdays
2-PART CLASS: PLANNING, DRAFTING AND ...
2-PART CLASS: PLANNING, DRAFTING AND PAINTING A WATERCOLOR
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surr...
Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in Surry
The Science, Magic, and Art of Color
The Science, Magic, and Art of Color
Yoga Dance for Families
Yoga Dance for Families
WINTER SURVIVAL ADAPTATIONS
Reconnecting With Your Muse
The Science, Magic and Color of Art
The Science, Magic and Color of Art
Reconnecting with your Muse
WINGSPAN GAME DAY AT THE GILLEY
WINGSPAN GAME DAY AT THE GILLEY
TOWN GOVERNMENT MEETINGS
SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Regular meeting schedule (meetings held at the Town Office unless otherwise noted). Calendar is here.
MOUNT DESERT
The regular meeting schedule 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.