LEWISTON, ME (August 17, 2022) — From farming and gardening lore, to the best times to stargaze and plant, to its uncanny weather forecasts, the Farmers’ Almanac has been informing and entertaining for over 200 years – from right here in Lewiston.   

At this next in the series of Made in Maine events at Museum L-A, publisher Peter Geiger and funnyman emcee Dennis Price will regale the crowd with the inside scoop on the history and evolution of this unique publication that keeps on spinning its brand of homegrown tips and Maine-based wisdom. This event will be held on Wednesday, September 7 at 5:30pm.    

Throughout the evening, attendees will have the chance to win gifts provided by an array of area gardening, farming, and agriculture-related businesses.

Come join us for a night celebrating a storied Maine publication and all the local farmers, gardeners, and businesses in Maine who are part of our farming and gardening tradition. The event is sponsored by Ann’s Flower Shop.

The evening is the second in the Made In Maine series offered by Museum L-A.  Made in Maine spotlights businesses making an impact locally, regionally, nationally and globally that continue the long tradition of exceptional craftsmanship and industry in our region. 

For more information about Museum L-A and its events and exhibits, visit www.museumla.org or call 207-333-3881. The museum is located at 35 Canal Street in Lewiston.

 WARREN, ME (August 1, 2022) — Imagine Nirvana and the Beatles had a kid together who became an acoustic rock singer-songwriter: that’s Bryan Bielanski!

Although he is inspired by some of the rock greats like Tom Petty and REM, he has a distinct musical style and lyrics that make you think deep thoughts and feel like you’re really alive! This critically acclaimed globetrotting singer-songwriter has been touring the US and the world for the last 10 years. During that time, Bryan Bielanski has performed in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Belgium, California, Canada, China, Colorado, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Italy, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Luxembourg, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Netherlands, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Poland, Russia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Switzerland, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, United Kingdom, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Bryan Bielanski is full of fun energy and catchy songs and he is ready to entertain you! He will be performing August 30th, 2022 at Saint George River Cafe in Warren, Maine.

See more information at https://bryanssuperhappyfuntime.bandcamp.com/ – singer

WISCASSET, ME (August 19, 2022) – Making music, learning to juggle, and watching hip-hop dancers are some of the sidewalk activities planned for Wiscasset Art Walk on August 25, 5-8pm. Galleries are offering new exhibits and visiting artists chat with visitors. Live music in the galleries and on the sidewalk makes this truly a multi-sensory evening!

A collection of hand-made percussion instruments – a raw log Amadinda and cajóns or box drums – will be set up on Wiscasset Village sidewalks with an invitation to visitors to tap out their own rhythms. The drums were constructed during the July WAW and now make their first public appearance on August 25. 

Liz Giles-Brown, principal of Learning on the Move in Boothbay Harbor, brings circus arts to the evening. Liz will be instructing visitors in the fun art of juggling. If the weather is calm, not even a breeze, she’ll use scarves. Otherwise, “anything you can toss and catch,” will work just fine; she’ll supply the bean bags. While juggling is fun, Liz’s instruction, especially in her work with children, has a greater purpose. She combines the science of learning and an understanding of how the brain creates new memory with learning to juggle. But in the end, she says, movement is the medium for having fun. 

Hip hop dancing, previously seen at WAW in August 2021, makes a return visit with Dancemaineia’s owner and instructor, Melanie Pagurko, and dancers Anna Stokes and Michaela LaCrosse to entertain WAW strollers. The dance company, based in Waldoboro, features “our own creative movement which pulls from everything out there. We create our own choreography,” Melanie explains. 

Although Melanie doesn’t refer to herself as having been a child prodigy, she did take her first dance class at three years old, crediting her mother’s wisdom in directing her energetic child into movement. Melanie started teaching break dancing at 13 when her brother turned down the job and then switched to jazz and added ballet. She’s passionate about her art and enjoys teaching all age groups. “I love teaching and getting people out of their day-to-day zone,” she says, and helping people, especially adults, have fun through dance.

 In the galleries, Wiscasset Bay Gallery is opening its new exhibition, Around the World in 22 Days, with a reception during WAW. The exhibit focuses on Impressionism from across the globe, including works from Egypt, Greece, and Russia, as well as France, Hungary, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. Accompanying the art will be the sublime music of Jonathan Waldo playing classical guitar. Visitors are invited to enjoy light refreshments and a sip or two in the gallery’s lovely courtyard. 

Sylvan Gallery, featuring contemporary fine art, will be hosting award-winning plein air artists Neal Hughes and Crista Pisano. An exhibit of their work, Paintings Large or Small … We are Pleased to Have Them All!, is currently on display through September 4. Both artists are inspired by landscapes and Maine coastal views and are adept at talking about their creative inspirations and how they’re translated to the canvas. The soundtrack for the evening will be provided by Suki Flanagan playing harp, splendidly.  

More details about the evening’s offerings can be found on the touring map, which is available at participating shops identified by sparkling streamers at doorways.   

Wiscasset Art Walk 2022 is made possible by the generosity of Lead Sponsors Donna and Frank Barnako and Major Sponsors Ames True Value, Big Barn Coffee, BIRCH Home Furnishings & Gifts, Bradbury Art & Antiques, Carriage House Gardens, First National Bank, Fogg and Dalton Art Restoration, Industrial ME, J. Edward Knight Insurance, Newcastle Realty, Ozias, Peter Eaton at the Lilac Cottage, Red’s Eats, Rock Paper Scissors, and Sherri Dunbar/Tim Dunham Realty. Additional sponsor support comes from Cod Cove Inn. 

For more information about Wiscasset Art Walk, www.wiscassetartwalk.org or email to wiscassetartwalk@verizon.net. Wiscasset Art Walk is a program of Wiscasset Creative Alliance.

Below: Sylvan Gallery hosts award-winning plein air painters Neal Hughes and Crista Pisano during Wiscasset Art Walk on Thursday, August 25, 5-8pm. An exhibit of their work, Paintings Large or Small … We are Pleased to Have Them All!, is currently on view at the gallery. (Sylvan Gallery photo)

AUBURN, ME (August 12, 2022) — Auburn Business Association held its annual golf scramble on Thursday August 4th at Martindale Country Cub. A great turnout was had even in the extreme heat. 

Emerson Chevrolet and Rooper’s Beverage and Redemption were the event sponsors. Cote Corporation was the gold sponsor. 

Special thanks to the event sponsors and gold sponsor and the entire group of golfers who enjoyed the day. 

This is the primary fundraiser of the Auburn Business Association which uses the funds collected to partner with the city of Auburn to provide holiday decorations, hot chocolate, and mittens at the annual holiday parade. Auburn Business Association also holds the annual Citizen of the Year every May.

To learn more about the Auburn Business Association please reach out to any board member.

AUBURN, ME (August 10, 2022) – The City of Auburn has received confirmation that it is on the right track with proposed ordinance changes. The city can move one step forward towards goal of modernizing lake protection ordinances by limiting density and incorporating best practices in phosphorus control and subsurface wastewater disposal in the Lake Auburn Watershed.

This work follows up on a comprehensive analysis that FB Environmental conducted for the City of Auburn in 2021, with Horsley Witten Group and Dr. Adam Daigneault of the University of Maine, and peer review by David Rocque, a licensed state site evaluator and soil scientist.

 The full report and newest memo can be viewed online at auburnmaine.gov, as part of a staff presentation at a meeting of the Auburn Planning Board this evening, and as part of a presentation to the Auburn City Council during their August 15 meeting.

According to FBE, although the changes result in improvement in water quality over a “do nothing different” scenario, the city’s (and its partners’) work to protect Lake Auburn is not done.

According to the report, the City of Auburn has taken valuable action to protect Lake Auburn, however “the goal [to protect Lake Auburn] cannot be ultimately met without the cooperation of [other towns within the watershed] to implement similar development strategies controlling phosphorus in the watershed.”

Auburn staff look forward to working with the Auburn Water District and Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission during review of phosphorus control plans and updating of the watershed base plan through a public process.

LEWSTON, ME (August 11, 2022) —  Head downtown on August 26, 2022 for Art Walk L/A from 5-7 pm and the Music in the Park summer concert from 7-9 p.m. in Kennedy Park! 

Enjoy live, in-person arts experiences in more than a dozen locations, including a performance by Three Point Jazz at 5 p.m in Dufresne Plaza.*  

Arts Downtown

Join the Sketchy Friends from 5-6 pm in Dufresne Plaza for some fun, casual figure and portrait drawing. This free event is open to all ages, with no prior drawing experience required! Just bring a chair and your favorite drawing materials. Or get your groove on in a salsa dancing class with Danza Latina from 5-6 pm at Museum L-A. No experience needed to try this free class for ages 14+.

 Also check out arts happenings at these and other Art Walk LA venues:

The Studio, 291 Lisbon St. Artists Grayling Cunningham and friends

Munka Studio, 221 Lisbon St. Clean Water

Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St. Works by Lewiston Middle Schooler Nessa Sammuel 

Downtown Handmade, 182 Lisbon St., 2nd floor. Proprietor Sheri Withers Hollenbeck and friends 

Kimball Street Studios, 191 Lisbon St. Art Quilts Maine

Obscura Cafe, 108 Lisbon St. J Anthony Fiori live caricature drawings

Museum L-A, 36 Chestnut St., Lewiston Salsa dancing with Danza Latina 

Art Walkables 

Looking for to-go food items along the art walk route? Try these spots!

Sambusas and Somali tea at Mogadishu Store, 240 Lisbon St.

David-Made Pizza at Forage, 180 Lisbon St.

Blueberry Toasties at Obscura Cafe, 109 Lisbon St.

Spicy Tots at Boba, 97 Lisbon St.

Music in the Park summer concert series**

After the art walk, head to Kennedy Park, where this month’s concert features Draudiga and Adelyn Bell.

  Art Walk LA and all LA Arts programs would not be possible without the generous support of community partners including Community Arts Champion sponsors Austin Associates, P.A., Bates College, Baxter Brewing Co., Berman & Simmons, the City of Auburn, the City of Lewiston, DaVinci’s Eatery, Dirigo Federal Credit Union, Liberty Mutual, Munka Coworking, Payroll Management, the Sun Journal, the Szanton Company, as well as the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation,  Maine Arts Commission, the New England Foundation for the Arts, the Onion Foundation, and the Ladd Foundation. 

Since 1973, LA Arts, the arts agency for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn Maine, has pursued a mission to engage and inspire a vibrant community through arts and culture. The agency works with governments, businesses, schools and local arts and cultural organizations to create opportunities for community members across the generations to experience, learn, and participate in the arts. LA Arts organizes arts programs and initiatives, supports the work of local artists and arts organizations, and highlights the essential role the arts play in shaping an economically vital, socially integrated, and forward-looking future for its community. Learn more at www.laarts.org.

*Rain location: Callahan Hall, Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St., Lewiston

**Rain location: 1800 Club, 34 Court St, Auburn

GREENE, ME (August 6, 2022) — The Sawyer Memorial will host its first Food Truck Social with live music from the Pond Lilies and games on Saturday, August 20th from 12-3PM!

Stop by for an afternoon of great entertainment and fun! Local food trucks will descend on our large parking lot ready to share their cuisine with you. Come listen to live music as the Pond Lilies perform Celtic, Acadian and other enchanting melodies. There will be games, prizes and so much more! The first 100 people to attend will receive a $5 voucher to use at any of the food trucks for this event. Bring the family, bring yourself, but you do not want to miss this one! Seating will be provided. This event is rain or shine.

The event will be held at the Sawyer Memorial, 371 Sawyer Rd., Greene. FMI 207-946-5311 or visit sawyer-foundation.com

 The first impression that comes to mind when we see hot air balloons is the free spirit and grace of floating where ever the wind decides to take you. But there is much more to a hot air balloon launch and flight than just riding the wind.

Hot air balloons are considered aircraft and are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) just as fixed-wing aircraft are. Hot air balloon pilots must pass a yearly in-flight certification to maintain his or her license as a commercial pilot. The Great Falls Balloon only invites pilots who have met these qualifications.

The balloons themselves must pass a yearly safety inspection which includes testing the fabric of the balloon, fuel system, integrity of the basket, burners, and all other related equipment before the balloon receives its annual airworthiness certificate to fly.

Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, a hot air balloon is dependent upon fair weather. Ideal conditions are calm winds below 8 mph and cool temperatures. Since wind and heat come with the sun, the ideal time for a balloon to fly is early in the morning before the sun gets too high in the sky and in the early evening as the sun begins to descend. The exception to this rule would be wintertime flying when the sun is less intense.

To inflate the balloon, pilots use inflation fans to fill the balloon with outside air. This process is called cold packing. When the balloon is inflated enough the pilot uses his burner to heat the inside air to approximately one hundred degrees warmer than the outside temperature. This is when the balloon takes shape and is ready to fly on a new adventure.

It is the heat inside the balloon that makes the balloon rise. If the outside air temperature is too high, the pilot would need to add more heat to the balloon to compensate. High heat can cause damage to the fabric of the balloon. This is why balloons rarely fly in the heat of the day.

Hot air balloon pilots are always aware of the weather and the function of their equipment. The safety of the people in the basket is a top priority for the pilots always have the final say in whether the conditions are right for them to fly.

The experience that our visitors get at the Great Falls Balloon Festival is rare in the ballooning world. At most festivals, spectators are not allowed in the area where balloons are launching.

However, this up-close-and-personal venue also poses some challenges. Our main launch site is small. Our visiting balloons are huge. Our visitors are smitten. But our pilots and crews need space. A lot of it. They also need to be able to see and hear each other to keep themselves and everyone else on the field safe.

Maintaining a safe environment is a top priority, and it is crucial to the future of the festival.

Below are some things to keep in mind when visiting the festival:

THE BIG 4:

Don’t Smoke. Our visiting balloons carry tanks full of propane gas. Due to the obvious fire hazard created by the use of propane gas, as well as the risk of damage to the balloon envelopes, smoking is prohibited.

Don’t bring your dog. Or your cat, or bird, or snake. With the exception of service animals, NO PETS of any kind are allowed on festival grounds.

Don’t bring your wheels. This includes bikes, skateboards, scooters, roller skates, and unicycles. The level of foot traffic on the walkway around the park is very high, especially at launch time.

Don’t drink. No alcohol is allowed on festival grounds.

LAUNCH TIMES AND SITES

Launches are scheduled for 6 am and 6 pm throughout the weekend and are always weather permitting. This includes wind and clouds as well as more obvious conditions like rain and lightning.

In the event of questionable conditions, Our Balloonmeister will wait as long as they can in hopes of a turn for the better. However, a launch decision may be delayed by up to an hour if weather conditions are changing. Ideally, the balloons will launch by 6:45 p.m. This time frame provides a fair ride for our passengers and gets everyone back on the ground before we run out of daylight.

Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston is our main launch site. Additional launch sites may be added if needed.

SPECIAL SHAPE BALLOONS

Specials fly only in the morning. At our evening launches, the special shape balloons will inflate and stay at the field to glow for the crowd. They are large, complex, and hard to pack up in the dark.

MOONGLOW

This ground-level light show is a crowd favorite! Following the Friday evening launch, some of our visiting balloons will return to the field, inflate and light their burners for a ground-level light show, weather permitting.

ATM

There is an ATM available at Simard-Payne Memorial Park, near the Information/Souvenir Booth.

LEWISTON, ME (August 5, 2022) — The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston is proud to display the work of two artists, Jeanelle Demers and Michele Townsend for the month of August.

A well-known local artist from Lewiston-Auburn, Demers has recently branched out from painting pet portraits to experimenting with botanical illustrations. She has found a new love of photographing flowers and plants while traveling to different areas and drawing from those photos. The prints on display are giclee reproductions of ink drawings from her travel sketchbook combined digitally with acrylic underpaintings. She has been enjoying this new endeavor, combining her love of wild things from the natural world with color and linework. More information and artwork is available through her website www.200faces.com

Having an exhibit for the first time at CMMC, Townsend has been working with pastels for 40 years with a focus on nature and animals. “I enjoy working with my fingers close to the paper and seeing the pastels blend together to complete each piece”

The works on display may be purchased through the WHA Gift Shop located adjacent to the main lobby at Central Maine Medical Center. A percentage of sale proceeds benefits patients of CMMC. As a result of the hospital safety precautions due to the pandemic, the art gallery is only available for viewing for staff, patients, and their designated visitors at this time.

Below: Lighthouse – Michele Townsend

AUBURN, ME (August 5, 2022) — The Community Little Theatre production of School of Rock – The Musical opens this weekend. Based on the 2003 movie, the show features all the original songs from the movie, 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a band of some very talented local youth. School of Rock will warm your heart and blow you away in equal measure! 

School of Rock will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on August 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20; and at 2:00 p.m. on August 14 and 21. Tickets are general admission and may be purchased online at LACLT.com or by calling 783-0958. If space allows, tickets will also be available at the door. 

Below: Owen Hiltz, left, as “Freddie Hamilton” and Jeff Fairfield as “Mr. Hamilton” rehearse a scene from the Community Little Theatre production of School of Rock – The Musical. The hit musical opens Thursday, August 11.