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Each season in Mid-Coast Maine has a number of festivals to celebrate our
Maine Heritage and way of life. From Arts and crafts, to antique
shows, musical concerts, antique and specialty transportation, house and
garden tours…there is something for everyone!
February
welcomes the
National Toboggan Championships. Here in Camden we celebrate a
unique tradition in Maine , and the only official traditional wooden
toboggan race in the country! Camden is also home to the
Camden Conference. Focusing on Global leadership and the U.S.
role in world affairs.
March
offers the Resonance Arts and the
2009 International Film Festival of the Spirit, “Illuminating cinema
in which our common humanity is revealed.” Held at our Camden opera
house featuring lectures and film clips and discussion. March 29th
Bay Chamber Concerts presents “Ancient Mariners Pub Sing,” at
Gilbert’s Publick House, you too can raise your voice and your glass with
the Ancient Mariners chantey-men. These songs will bring out the sea
dog in everyone!
April
brings in performance venues such as King Lear presented by the
Camden Civic Theater on April 3, 4, 10, & 11th, and “ABT
II” on April 19th, where you can experience the passion,
power and movement of one of the nation’s foremost ballet companies
presented at the Camden Hills Regional High School Strom Auditorium brought
to you by
Bay Chamber Concerts.
May
heralds thoughts of spring with a Warbler Weekend at
Merry Spring Nature Center. A talk and slide show presentation will be
followed by various nature walks for hands on identification.
Bay Chamber Concerts
will present Doo Wop & Oldies Spectacular where you can welcome back
the days of saddle shoes and poodle skirts with a doo wop supergroup.
The look, sound & feel will bring you back to the 50s & 60s when
music was fun!

June
begins our numerous fairs and festivals beginning with 19th up in
Stonington & Deer Isle the annual Lupine Festival featuring craft
fair, music concert, art & sculpture show, boat excursions, airplane rides,
quilt show, garden tours, children’s activities, and much more! On
June 21st, Rockland will host a Summer Solstice night
featuring live music, street dancing, food and special events. June 28th
the Big 3 Car Meet & Antique Aeroplane Show will be hosted by the
Owls Head Transportation Museum. The Show will celebrate America at its
best. Antique and classic autos from an era when Detroit was king!
Guided tours, demonstrations, biplane rides, free model-T rides, children’s
activities and more! During the week of June 30th, Rockland
will host the 31st Annual Great Schooner Race
(1-800-807-WIND) where more than 2 dozen tall ships will gather for an
all-day race in which guests may participate!
July
kicks off with “Camden Rotary Cares” benefit concert on July 5th
in our Harbor Park in Camden featuring live American March and Jazz music, a
local fundraiser for scholarships for local students. Two venues offer
festivals on July 11th. In Belfast , the
Arts in the Park festival will be going with over 80 artists
presenting their work for display and sale. In Rockland , you can
experience the Annual
North Atlantic Blues Festival a two-day even featuring world famous
blues musicians, street dancing, and a club crawl. July 18 & 19th
is Camden’s annual and very well attended
Harbor Arts, Juried Arts &
Craft Show where over 100 artists and crafts people
display and sell their work in the downtown amphitheater and harbor park
overlooking the harbor. Also on the 18 & 19th, is the
Annual Antique Show and Sale located at Camden Hills Regional High
School . July 25th hosts the 8th annual
Maine
Lobster Ride and Roll where the State’s tastiest bicycle ride, fully supported, includes 16-100
mile distance options. Cyclists look forward to a fresh lobster roll
lunch and live Tour de France coverage at the end. July 25 & 26th
also offers the
Wings & Wheels Spectacular & Aerobatics Aero show.
All Things Wings and Wheels! Show, tours, demonstrations, biplane
rides, model-T rides, and activities for the children abound! Not to
be missed is the annual
Lobster Festival in Rockland beginning July
29th to August 2nd featuring a parade, lobster crate
races, US Navy ship tours, Maine heritage, road races, kids events, carnival
rides, Sea Goddess Crowning, and over 20,000 pounds of Maine Lobster!
Lobster Festival
will give your all the details!
August
5th is the Mid-Coast’s
Kitchen Tour,
where you can visit 8 uniquely designed homes in Camden , Rockport, and
Lincolnville and watch demos and tastings from specialty growers and chefs.
August 7 & 8th brings a much anticipated
Maine Boats, Homes,
and Harbors Show. This is Maine ’s only in-water boat and home show
that will feature the finest state’s artists, architects, boat builders,
craftsmen, designers, furniture makers, marine gear vendors, and musicians.
August 7-9th also offers the annual
Maine Antiques Festival,
the largest in Maine featuring hundreds of dealers and a wide assortment of
antiques for sale. August 23-29th Union will host the
Union Fair & State of Maine Wild Blueberry Festival.
Experience a large agricultural fair, midway, crafts, animal pull events,
and harness racing. On August 26 & 27th Bay Chamber
Concerts presents the
1st Chair All-Stars
musical performance. A first class, and first chair evening of
Treasures and Masterworks. August 28-30th Bangor hosts the
American Folk Festival, featuring the traditional arts-music and
dance of many American cultures today and hosting exhibits, demonstrations,
and discussions of Maine Folk Art traditions.
September
4-6th Camden ’s celebratory
Windjammer Weekend. Members of Maine ’s windjammer fleet arrival
in Camden Harbor to celebrate! Enjoy live music, performances and
demonstrations, a boat parade, fireworks, and more! September 12th
Freeport offers the 11th annual
Fall in the Village Art
Festival. Over 100 artists from New England
will display and sell their wares in Discover Park of the LL Bean Campus.
September 25-27th is MOFGA’s annual
Common Ground Fair. This
fair is a celebration of rural life, hosting demonstrations, Maine organic
produced foods, locally made arts & crafts, farmer’s market, riveting
speakers on public policy, and livestock exhibition. September 24-27th
Camden hosts the
Camden International Film Festival. The annual festival presents a snapshot
of the cultural landscape through the year’s best non-fiction storytelling,
connecting filmmakers with eager audiences and industry representatives to
discuss documentary film as an art form, a catalyst for change and as an
outlet for the independent voice.
October
3rd offers the
Cellardoor Winery Vinfest,
www.mainewine.com.
Gourmet food samplings, tethered balloon rides, and much more at Cellardoor’s Vineyard in Lincolnville. October 3 & 4th also
presents the second Camden Harbor Arts, Juried Arts & Crafts Show of
the season featuring 100 plus artists and craftsmen displaying and selling
their wares in our harbor park & amphitheater overlooking Camden Harbor.
October 21-24th Camden will host
POP!Tech a one
of a kind conference, a community of remarkable people, and an ongoing
conversation about science, technology and the future of ideas.
November
6-8th Camden is proud to host the
Maine Authors Series &
Literary Festival. This year’s topic: Cross/Cultural
Experience: Literature of New Voices in America.
December
4-6th Camden will host it’s 23rd annual Christmas
by the Sea featuring shopping, music, a parade with Santa arriving by
boat, community tree lighting, horse drawn carriage rides, live Nativity and
a “Walk through Bethlehem,” visits from Santa and much more!
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