TOWN MEETINGS THIS WEEK & 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!
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.”
All meetings are open to the public. If there is an executive session, that part of the meeting is not open.
MONDAY, APRIL 22
Long Term Rental Registration Task Force Meeting
Time:
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location:
Auditorium, Municipal Building
93 Cottage
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Marine Resources Committee (rescheduled from April 17)
Time:
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location:
Hadley Point Beach or Port Security Building, Bar Harbor
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Design Review Board Meeting
Time:
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location:
Council Chambers, Municipal Building
Address:
93 Cottage
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
OTHER TOWN GOVERNMENT MEETINGS AND SCHOOL MEETINGS
LEAGUE OF TOWNS
HANCOCK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
No meetings this week.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR
Regular meeting schedule (meetings held at the Town Office unless otherwise noted). Calendar is here.
Select Board: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of every month @6pm
Board of Appeals: 2nd Wednesday of every month (as needed) @6pm
Planning Board: 1st & 3rd Thursdays of every month @6pm at the Town Office & via Zoom
Conservation Commission: 1st Wednesday of every month @4:30pm via Zoom
Shellfish Committee: 2nd Monday of every month @5pm
Harbor Committee: 2nd Monday of every month @6pm
Historic Cemetery Committee: 3rd Wednesday of every month @2pm
Warrant Committee: as needed
MOUNT DESERT
TREMONT:
April 22 Select Board Meeting - 5 p.m.
April 22 PUBLIC HEARING - REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
April 23 Planning Board Meeting - 6 p.m.
April 25 Harbor Committee Meeting - 5 p.m.
TRENTON:
There is no calendar online.
Board of Appeals meets on an as needed basis, the second Thursday of the month.
Planning Board meets monthly on the second Wednesday.
School Committee
Harbor Committee meets on an as needed basis.
Solid Waste Committee meets on an as needed basis.
Broadband Committee meets every second Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Committee Meetings are currently held remotely via Zoom.
SCHOOL MEETINGS (ALL TOWNS)
MONDAY, APRIL 22
Mount Desert Island Regional High School Board of Trustees
Mt. Desert Island High School Library
5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23
FRENCHBORO - 4 p.m.
Swan's Island School Board Meeting
When: Tue, April 23, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Description: Swan's Island 04/23/24 Agenda - School Committee
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
Southwest Harbor School Committee Meeting
When: Wed, April 24, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Description: Southwest Harbor 04/24/24 Agenda - School Committee
THURSDAY, APRIL 23
Policy Committee
When: Thursday, April 25, 5 pm – 6 pm
Description: MDIRSS-AOS 91 04/25/24 Policy Committee Agenda
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 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 THEATER ON!
READ TO FEED
Read to Feed Your Community
The Hancock County Food Drive invites you to sign up for the 2024 Read-a-Thon, a month-long reading challenge that raises funds for 17 local food pantries, soup kitchens, and school food assistance programs. Register online and recruit donations for every minute you spend reading in April!
The Hancock County Food Drive is an annual month-long food collection and fundraising event that directly supports food pantries, free meal programs, and school backpack programs across Hancock County. With the help of volunteers, these organizations work together every spring to provide critical assistance to Mainers during a time of year when food insecurity rates are at their highest. Learn more at www.hcfooddrive.org
COOL EVENTS AT MDI HIGH SCHOOL!
GET YOUR ROADSIDE CLEANUP ON!
Earth Day Roadside Cleanup Registration Opens Soon!
Please join us on Saturday, April 27, for the 23rd annual island-wide Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. Local community members and visitors from around the state will gather to pick up a "winter's worth of trash" from the roadsides of Mount Desert Island and Trenton.
Registration for the 2024 Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup opens on April 1 on our website.
Please click here for more information or contact Stewardship Coordinator Nikki Burtis at nikki@friendsofacadia.org or 207-288-3934.
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 FESTIVAL ON!
The Cultural Fusion Fest will take place on Thursday, May 2, 2024, from 3:30-7 p.m. at the YWCA, located at 36 Mt. Desert St., Bar Harbor. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend! The event is designed to be a cultural exchange, primarily focusing on Caribbean and New England cultures in this first year. It will feature live music from Stream Reggae, a Maine-based Reggae band composed of members from Dominica and Jamaica, and the Big Moose Contra Dance Band, who will lead attendees in a traditional New England contradance. The event will also feature information tables with area nonprofits and businesses offering resources of use to seasonal workers who are new to the community. These resources will help connect workers with transportation, food access, health resources, and more.
Island Take Out, a Jamaican-owned business in Bar Harbor, will prepare traditional Jamaican foods for the event. The event will also feature traditional New England foods to extend the sense of cultural exchange. All food will be free for attendees.
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 YARD AND TRUNK SALES FOR GOOD ON!
TRUNK SALE PLUS!!
Sell all your cool stuff from your car trunk! On Saturday, April 27, 2024, the Bar Harbor Congregational Church will host a Trunk Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the church parking lot.
Contact Kathy at woodsidekat@gmail.com or 207-266-4660 to reserve your spot for the Trunk Sale. A reservation fee of $25 will reserve your spot. Parking space is limited so reserve your space by April 24.
Your reservation fee will kick off fundraising for our World Vision 6K Walk for Water fundraiser scheduled for May 18th.
LEGEND CHEER ATHLETES’ YARD SALE!
SUPER BAR HARBOR BARTER AND SWAP YARD SALE OF AWESOME
Bar Harbor Barter and Swap is hosting a community event at the Atlantic Oceanside event center on May 5 from 10-2. They are “selling “ tables through BHB&S.
All of the table fees are donated to the Tremont School PTO. In addition, Katia Brophy, founder of the site, has donated tables to the MDI High School students raising money for their trip to Rome next year, MDI Hospital Auxiliary, and a couple of other nonprofits.
In addition, and to emphasize the community participation, Brophy invited the Mount Desert and Bar Harbor Police Departments to come to the event and have the community cookout that the departments had to cancel earlier.
“I was delighted that they accepted,” Brophy said. “I’m a firm believer in ‘community policing’ and having a positive experience with the human beings who do the job. So, I am in love with the vision of our beloved community coming together in this way!”
The Bar Harbor Story will have more about this event soon.
GET YOUR HEALTHY KIDS DAY ON!
GET YOUR BIO LAB EVENTS ON!
Upcoming Events
Please register for MDI Bio Lab events by clicking on the title to access the event page.
April 26-27, 2024: Maine Biological and Medical Sciences Symposium (MBMSS)
A statewide gathering of scientists and students eager to share research results, exchange ideas, collaborate and network with Maine scientists in various disciplines. Now in its 51st year!
GET YOUR TALKS ON!
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.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH FRED BENSON
Fred Benson
Friday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m.
Birch Bay Village, Bar Harbor and on Zoom
Proponents claim that Artificial Intelligence will produce results with a greater degree of precision, create a new standard for productivity and efficiency, can be used in situations where human intervention can be hazardous, and lead to massive improvements in medicine, education, and product production.
Naysayers argue that maybe so, but at what cost? AI is extremely expensive to build, could lead to massive unemployment as humans are replaced in repetitive jobs, and eventually lead to robots enslaving human beings as it becomes the dominant form of intelligence on earth.
In his presentation, Fred will define Artificial Intelligence, provide more detail on the general benefits and risks, and focus primarily on the threat AI brings to our national security.
Fred Benson retired as an Army full Colonel having served combat command tours in Vietnam and Korea, and Pentagon assignments in the offices of the Army Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the Army, and the Secretary of Defense.
Subsequently, he served as Vice President for National and International Affairs for the Weyerhaeuser Company and later was President of the US-New Zealand Business Council, a consortium of 31 US companies with an active business presence in New Zealand. Read more...
The lunch and talk will be held at Birch Bay Village in Hull’s Cove on Friday, April 26, 2024. The lunch begins at 11:30 and costs $15. The presentation begins at noon. The program will also be offered on Zoom.
Click for more information and to register
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, Colson 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
Beyond the Cortex: Causative Factors of Brain Deterioration
Our brains carry memory, identity and our understanding of the world around us. As the average human lifespan continues to increase, our awareness and concern about neurodegenerative disease is growing with it.
JAX’s “Scientifically Speaking” virtual discussion on May 7, 2024 features two postdoctoral associates pursuing neurodegenerative disease research. Join us to meet them and learn more about their work:
• Ashley Munie Gardner, Ph.D., studies the role of microglia (cells in the brain that help protect and support nerve cells) on the nervous system function to better understand neurodegenerative diseases.
• Michael Maclean, Ph.D., is working to better understand how common stressors, such as obesity and diabetes, influence the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.
They will be joined by Anna Lisa Lucido, Ph.D., senior director of research strategy and director of research program development, who will moderate the event.
When:
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
Where:
Zoom
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
For a full list of Jesup Memorial Library events, click through to its calendar here.
ONGOING:
GET YOUR ART ON!
Jennifer Booher, The Beachcombing Series.
April 1 - May 31.
Bar Harbor Savings & Loan Association, 103 Main Street, Bar Harbor
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.
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
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!
OPEN TABLE MDI!
For more information, click here.
COOL THINGS IN OTHER TOWNS
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. Events at both ArtWaves and the Wendall Gilley Museum are well represented and detailed there.
“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 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.