Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 20
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Burn! starring Marlon Brando
6PM: “Burn” is set in the 1840s on a fictional island in the Antilles where the Portuguese control the vital sugar cane industry and stars Marlon Brando. Brando plays Sir William Walker, a mercenary enlisted to wrest control of the island for the English government. For more information, call the Library, 244-7065

Thursday, February 21
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: February Tea
2:00 - 3:30 pm: Everyone is welcome to enjoy a cup of tea by the Library's fireplace, nibble on a homemade treat, and enjoy the company of others. Ruth Grierson and friends will provide live music. For more information please call the Library at 244-7065.

Thursday, February 21
Fogtown Brewing Presents: Knit & Sip (Back by Popular Demand!)
5-8PM: Pre-registration required - click here for info & link to register. Never learned to knit but always wanted to try? Does your beverage often get warm before you have a chance to drink the whole thing? Come on down to Fogtown Brewing and learn to knit your very own woolen koozie from Maine Outdoor School fiber artist Hazel Stark. Koozies will be specifically designed to fit Fogtown's glass.

Saturday, February 23
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Saturday Morning Games
9:30 - 11:30 am: People of all ages are invited to play games at the Library on Saturday morning. There will be a wide variety of interesting games. Something is bound to catch the interest of everyone. Come join the fun!!! For more information please call the Library at 244-7065.

Saturday, February 23
Seal Cove Auto Museum Presents: Beers and Gears
5-7:30PM: The museum is hosting a series of monthly Beers & Gears gatherings throughout the winter. Come in from the cold to hang out with us and your friends during the dark winter afternoons! BEER - SNACKS - GAMES - OPEN MIC

Monday, February 25
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Peace Crane Folding
3:30PM: The act of folding cranes brings community, respect, calmness, focus, storytelling, kindness, understanding, and togetherness. These current days are an appropriate moment to come together and spread this energy. Come and fold a crane. Come and fold many. Come one day, come every time. Spread the word! For more information please call the Library at 244-7065.

Wednesday, February 27
Sea Cove Auto Museum Presents: History Happy Hour
5-7PM: The “History Happy Hour” series is geared towards members of the Seal Cove Auto Museum and the MDI Historical Society. These events provide an opportunity for members to mingle with friends, neighbors, and fellow history buffs, imbibe local spirits, and learn a little something new. Nonmembers have the opportunity to join both the Museum and MDIHS at a special dual membership rate. 244-9242

Wednesday, February 27
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Scotland - A Wee Travelogue by Bob Clifford
5:30PM: Bob Clifford will show photos and tell stories from the trip he and his wife Janet took to Scotland last September. They spent three weeks exploring the islands, highlands and lowlands of the land where their grandmothers were born. An experienced traveler, hiker and photographer, Bob will also discuss different aspects of trip planning as well as gear recommendations. 277-7065

Thursday, February 28
Wendell Gilley Museum Presents: Birds in Books
5:3PM: Join us as we discuss some of our favorite bird themed books. For more information, call 244-7555.

Friday, March 1
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: AARP Tax-Aide Program
By appointment; pre-registration is required. 244-7065. This service is free to taxpayers with low and moderate income and is offered in cooperation with the IRS. These trained volunteers help taxpayers receive all applicable tax credits and deductions. All tax help is confidential. Click here for information on upcoming dates.

Saturday, March 2
Wendell Gilley Museum Presents: Arctic Tern Silhouette Family Program
10AM: We are looking for young artists, ages 10+, to create Arctic Tern Silhouettes in your own style! Come try the different stages of the art of bird carving, from initial carving and supervised wood burning to painting. Completed works can be entered in the Youth Division of the annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition, held at the Ward Museum in Maryland. Click for info!

Saturday, March 2
ArtWaves MDI Presents: The Art of Batik
1-4PM: Instructor: Kate Stitham. Batik is an ancient technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to cloth that originated in southeast Asia. Each week we will dive into the step-by-step process of wax manipulation and dyes in order to create our own beautiful fabrics. The classes are sequential and build on previous skills and techniques, but drop-ins are welcome! Click here for info and to register.

Saturday, March 2
Wendell Gilley Museum Presents: Bird Watercolor Painting Workshop with loacl artist Erika Rosso
5:30-8PM: We're excited to have local artist Erika Rosso teach here for the first time. A College of the Atlantic alumna, Rosso is a passionate watercolor artist and teacher, as well as Yoga instructor! All materials provided - no previous experience necessary. Contact us at info@wendellgileymuseum.org or 244-7555 for more information and to register.

Saturday, March 3
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Maine Humanities Council World in Your Library
1:30 - 3:00 pm: Historian, Candace Kanes is a former newspaper reporter and editor. She will be at the Library as part of the Maine Humanities Council Speakers Series, “World in Your Library.” The topic of her presentation is “Bias, Objectivity, and Newspaper History.” Stay tuned for more information. 244-7065

Saturday, March 9
Seal Cove Auto Museum Presents: Brass Club Speakeasy
7-11PM: It’s the most swinging party of the year! Get a wiggle on, don your glad rags, find yourself a floorflusher fly boy or choice bit of calico, and get yourself down to the Brass Club to wager your mazuma, enjoy the giggle water, and shake those bubs. It’ll be the caterpillar’s kimono! Click here for more info and to get your tickets!

Tuesday, March 12
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Quietside's Unsung Civil Rights Heroines: LaRue Spiker and Louise Gilbert and the Wade House Bombing with Carolyn Gage
5:30PM: La Rue Spiker is celebrated in SWH as an activist, environmentalist, and editor for the Bar Harbor Times. Carolyn Gage will talk about what many people do not know -- that she and her partner Louise Gilbert courageously put their lives and their freedom on the line in one of the most violent landmark incidents in the Civil Rights Era: the Wade House Bombing. 244-7065

Friday, March 15
Harbor House Presents: Great Harbor House Shootout
Junior high and high school basketball players from all over Maine gather on Mount Desert Island,Trenton & Ellsworth to compete for the winner’s title in the Great Harbor House Shootout. This hugely popular event has grown from a small group of 7 local teams in 1992 to an exciting 3-day event with over 80 teams participating. Click here for more information!

Saturday, March 23
At Home Presents: MDI Pong-a-thon
11AM - 4PM: Bring your paddle! Come join us as we play ping-pong to raise funds for At Home! Where: MDI High School Gymnasium - Register by March 1, 2019! Prizes! Food available for sale! All levels welcome! Progressive Knock out Format, ITTF rules, including serve, will apply.

Sunday, March 24
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Paint & Sip
5:30PM at the American Legion Hall, SWH: Pre-registration required; call 244-7065. The Women's History Month Committee, the Southwest Harbor Public Library, and the Bass Harbor Memorial Library invite you to a Paint & Sip at the American Legion Hall with artist Jean Forbes. The Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Park is the inspiration for this acrylic painting activity. $10 donation requested.

Saturday, March 30
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: June Vail - The Passion of Perfection: Gertrude Hitz Burton's Modern Victorian Life
9:30AM: June Vail, professor of theater and dance at Bowdoin College, is great-granddaughter of Gertrude Burton (1861-1896) - a friend and colleague of Alexander Graham Bell, Robert E. Perry, and Clara Barton. Burton also confronted the Gilded Age's double standards by advocating sex education, marriage equality, and voluntary motherhood. 244-7065

Monday, April 1
Quilt N Fabric Invites you to the Annual State of Maine Quilt Shop Hop
For more than a decade, independently owned quilt shops of Maine have collaborated by inviting their customers to spend the month of April "hopping" from shop to shop. Customers print out passports and have them stamped at each of the shops they visit. At the end of the month, hoppers send in their completed passports and are entered for a number of wonderful prizes. 244-1233

Tuesday, April 2
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Talk About It! With Jill Goldthwait and Fred Benson
5:30PM: Fred Benson and Jill Goldthwait will discuss politics at the state and federal levels. Sessions are well under way in Washington and Augusta. There are new legislative majorities and a new Maine governor—what changes have they brought? What are the hot topics and where are they going? Let's talk about it! For more information, please call the Library at 244-7065.

Tuesday, April 9
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: National Poetry Month Open Mic With Poets Crow Suncloud and Diana Newman as MC's
5:30PM: Calling all poets and poetry lovers for an open mic night. Whether Haiku, free verse or sonnet, you are invited to share your work in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please call the Library at 244-7065.

Wednesday, April 10
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Medicare 101 @ the Library With Jo-Ann Neal
2-4PM: Space is limited, please re-register at 244-7065. Join Jo-Ann Neal of L.S. Robinson Co. for a free informational seminar. Jo- Ann specializes in Medicare and will help answer questions including: What does Medicare cover and what does it not cover? What is a Medicare Advantage Plan? and more! Q&A after the presentation.

Friday, April 19
Bass Harbor Memorial Library Presents: Vinegar Talk
6-8PM at Pacific Hall: Bob Sewall and his wife, Mia Mantello, of Sewall Orchards, will explain how vinegar is made and speak about the many uses for vinegar from cooking to using for its multiple medicinal benefits. There will be aged vinegar to sample and vinegar for sale. Please call 244-3798 or email librarian@bassharborlibrary.com to register for this talk.

Saturday, April 20
Fee Free Day in Acadia National Park
Fee Free Day at Acadia National Park! Explore the lesser-known Isle Au Haut and Schoodic Sections for a new adventure.

Tuesday, April 23
Southwest Harbor Public Library Presents: Maine Poet, Gary Rainford
5:30PM: Author of Salty Liquor and Liner Notes, Gary is polishing Seven Springs, a new collection poems that tell the story of his mother's first year living with Alzheimer's disease. Gary will discuss the poetry of Alzheimer's disease and read "Category Five," a short narrative poem. Gary lives on Swan's Island year-round with his wife and daughter. 244-7065

Saturday, April 27
Earth Day Roadside Cleanup
8:30 - 11:30AM: Keep an eye out for your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers as they turn out for the 19th annual Earth Day Roadside Cleanup, to collect a winter’s worth of trash from roadsides on MDI and Trenton. Always the last Saturday in April, it’s a great day to take pride in your community, get outside, and celebrate spring, FOA-style! 288-3934 to register.

Thursday, May 30
21st Annual Acadia Birding Festival
Continues thru June 2. Acadia's birding community invites you and your family to celebrate the ecological wonders of the birds of the Gulf of Maine at the Acadia Birding Festival. Explore Mount Desert Island and its birds through numerous events and venues. Click here for more information and to register for events.

Saturday, June 15
At Home Presents: Rowing Regatta
8AM - 2PM: We will have our first annual Rowing Regatta fundraiser at Hinckley’s in Manset. All proceeds from the event will support the guaranteed nurse visits. There will also be a marine salvage sale from 9-2. For more information please call the main office at: (207)374-5852 or send us an email: at.home@downeastcommunitypartners.org. Sponsored by the First National Bank.

Thursday, July 4
Acadia Chamber Presents: Fourth of July Fireworks
9PM: This community sponsored event is hosted by the Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce. Join us for our annual fireworks, which will be shot off a barge in the middle of the harbor, viewable from several locations around the harbor. More details to come!

Tuesday, July 9
MDI Historical Society's Annual Strawberry Festival
1-3PM: Come by the Somesville Fire Station between 1-3 pm for strawberry shortcake topped with clouds of whipped cream - An MDI tradition for 44 years!

Friday, July 12
Annual Harbor House Flamingo Festival
The annual Harbor House Flamingo Festival is whimsical, lighthearted and decidedly pink, this fun filled family festival truly has something for everyone. Join us from July 12-15th, 2019. Click here for more information!

Friday, July 12
The 23rd Annual Hospice Regatta of Maine
July 12, 13 and, new this year: Cruising Class races on Sunday, July 14. Regatta Races, Race Viewing aboard the Maine Seacoast Mission’s Sunbeam with champagne lunch, Rendezvous cocktail party at Morris Yachts’ boatyard in Northeast Harbor, musical entertainment, fabulous hors d’oeuvres, specialty drinks, and Fun! Click here for more information.

Thursday, July 25
Charlotte Rhoades Garden's Annual Butterfly Release
3:30PM: This annual event is a wonderful family affair that is fun for everyone! Money raised at the event helps support the park by providing funds for plants, supplies, and equipment for maintaining the garden, and producing educational materials. Painted Lady butterflies boxed for release at 4:15 PM. Refreshments and Fun! Rain or Shine! Click here for tickets.

Tuesday, August 6
Harbor Houses' Annual Lobsters on the Sound
5:30PM: Lobsters on the Sound features a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres from many local restaurants, a lobster bake, live and silent auctions and music and dancing under the stars at the Hinckley Company in Southwest Harbor. Proceeds from Lobsters on the Sound support the many programs and services Harbor House provides to the communities of MDI. For tickets, call Diana Novella at 207-244-3713.

Sunday, August 25
Fee Free Day in Acadia National Park
Fee Free Day at Acadia National Park! Explore the lesser-known Isle Au Haut and Schoodic Sections for a new adventure.

Wednesday, September 25
11th Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival
Continues thru Sunday, Sept. 29. Join us for one of the premier night sky events on the eastern seaboard. With workshops, internationally recognized speakers and hands-on experiences, there truly is something for everyone from families to the serious amateur astronomer. Click here for the list of programs and to sign up.

Saturday, September 28
Fee Free Day in Acadia National Park
Fee Free Day at Acadia National Park! Explore the lesser-known Isle Au Haut and Schoodic Sections for a new adventure.

Friday, October 11 - Sunday, October 20
Southwest Harbor Week - Celebrate the Quietside of Acadia
Southwest Harbor Week kicks off with the 10th Annual Wine Tasting and 24th Annual Oktoberfest at Smuggler's Den Campground, and ends with the MDI Marathon. In between, we bring you a full week of exciting cruises, programs, walks, tours, special workshops and classes, and more! Details coming soon.

Friday, October 11
10th Annual Wine Tasting
4-6PM: Hosted by Sawyer's Specialties, we bring you more than 40 wines from around the world to taste. Hor d'ouerves provided by Sips of Southwest Harbor. This intimate evening is one you do not want to miss! Click here to learn more and to get tickets.

Saturday, October 12
24th Annual Acadia's Oktoberfest
Noon - 5PM: Join us for Maine's best beerfest! Over 75 craft beers to taste, great food, awesome music, games, crafts and more! Stay tuned for more details!

Sunday, October 20
Mount Desert Island Marathon
The Marathon begins at 8AM in Bar Harbor, and winds its way thru 26.2 miles of the best scenery in Maine! Finishing in Southwest Harbor, runners and visitors will enjoy the amenities of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Click here for more information.

Saturday, November 2
Take Pride in Acadia!
8AM - Noon: Join hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers descend upon Acadia’s historic carriage roads to rake leaves and clear drainage ditches from miles of carriage roads in preparation for winter. For more information contact Dana Petersen at dana@friendsofacadia.org or 207-288-3934.

Monday, November 11
Fee Free Day in Acadia National Park
Fee Free Day at Acadia National Park! Explore the lesser-known Isle Au Haut and Schoodic Sections for a new adventure.