Groove to reggae in Lisbon
Positive Vibez Entertainment presents Culture Reggae Festival on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2 -10 p.m., at the Worumbo Riverfront Event Center in Lisbon Falls.
The lineup includes headliner Ginjah as well as Abby Dallas, Part One Tribe, Gorilla Finger Dub and DJ: Green Lion Crew.
The Culture Reggae Festival is an annual summer music gathering where lovers of reggae music come together to celebrate the culture of the Caribbean through music, food and good vibes. The festival features reggae artists from around the world, Caribbean food and a community of music lovers.
This is an all-ages event and kids under 12 are free. For tickets and more information, contact @culturereggaefestival; [email protected]; 207-407-4312; and www.culturereggaefestival.com.
Musicians, author bring stories, strings, and funk to Denmark
The Denmark Arts Center offers a three-fer this coming weekend through music and literature.
On Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m. the center will present the Al Hospers Birthday Band, a six-piece group playing in the New England area. Offering funk, jazz and blues, the band plays an eclectic mix of cover tunes, unique arrangements of instantly recognizable favorites and original songs.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m. the Palaver Strings Quartet — a Grammy-nominated, musician-led string ensemble based in Portland — will explore multiple outlooks on life and chamber music. The quartet will first play Paul Wiancko’s “Lift.” Described as a “fervent, celebratory investigation into joy itself,” the piece “explodes with adventurous textures that span the full sonic range of the string quartet.” The program will continue with two short pieces by Olafur Arnalds, and concludes with Schubert’s epic “Death and the Maiden,” a passionate dance with death that was published only after Schubert’s own death in 1828.
Tickets for these events are $15, which support the Music Series and Denmark Arts Center. For reservations and more information, go online at www.denmarkarts.org/calendar-of-events.
On Sunday, Aug. 3 at 5 p.m., Portland author Lewis Robinson, who teaches at the University of Maine at Farmington, will present his novel “The Islanders” as part of the center’s Authors Series. According to the publisher, “Shaken by problems at home, confused by the motives of a new love, and reeling from a public meltdown, high school hockey star Walt McNamara joins an exclusive new leadership program controlled by the ultra-wealthy summer residents of Whaleback Island, a granite and spruce oasis off the coast of Maine. But this is no paradise; secrets lurk in its murky waters.”
Tickets for Author Series events are pay-what-you-can with a suggestion of $10 to support the Author Series and Denmark Arts Center. For reservations and more information go online at www.denmarkarts.org/calendar-of-events. The Denmark Arts Center is located on 50 West Main St.
Be inspired and moved at the Franco Center
Maine’s own Amy Stacey Curtis will offer an inspiring musical performance from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 30 at the Franco Center in Lewiston. Curtis, the 2025 winner of Maine’s Got Talent, will take the stage to share her story of resilience and recovery through music.
After a debilitating brain injury caused by untreated Lyme disease in 2017, Curtis faced a long road to recovery. Though her mobility returned through intensive therapy, her speech remained impaired. Searching for a way to rebuild her neural pathways, she turned to music — specifically, the ukulele.
Through weekly practice and the challenge of learning five new cover songs every week, Curtis not only regained her ability to speak normally in calm settings, but also discovered a powerful way to connect and inspire others. She now has over 500 songs under her belt, and one ukulele performance garnered more than 600,000 views online.
The Franco Center is at 46 Cedar St.; $10 donation at door.
Eat, drink, dance and support the MILL
The Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor in Lewiston is holding its annual gala fundraiser this Friday, Aug. 1 with this year’s theme “Soirée en Blanc: Under Construction.” Funds raised from the event will support the museum and its new location now under construction at 1 Beech St., which is also the site of the event.
Going from 6-9 p.m., the event celebrates “Maine’s rich history, its people, and the exciting possibilities ahead, as we gather at the construction site for the future home of Maine MILL,” organizers said. The evening will include live music, local fare, a silent auction and dancing under the stars. Attendees are invited to “dress to impress in your finest white attire — an elegant touch to a night about building memories and celebrating what’s yet to come.”
It is a 21-plus event. A cash bar will be available. Purchase tickets by Wednesday, July 30, at www.eventbrite.com/e/soiree-en-blanc-under-construction-tickets-1317687842809.
Get refreshed by the Acadia Wind Ensemble in Auburn
The Acadia Wind Ensemble will perform Friday, Aug. 1, at Edward Little High School’s Donald M Gay Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.
The ensemble is a band consisting of about 100 music educators from across Maine. The group meets once a year to perform advanced repertoire for the band medium, including classics and contemporary compositions. For this year’s 14th season, the band will perform under the baton of maestro Trae Blanco from Butler University.
Admission to the concert is free; donations are accepted. The center is at 77 Harris St.
Mirth with Miclon in South Paris
Mikc Miclon will bring his Early Evening Show to the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
The Early Evening Show, a spoof of late-night talk shows, has been performed from New England to Switzerland. Twenty-three years and over 200 performances have made it the longest-running live variety show in Maine history.
The theater is at 190 Stock Farm Road. Tickets are pay-what-you-can starting at $5. For tickets and information go to celebrationbarn.com.
Read with best-selling Maine native Julie Cohen in Rumford
Author Julie Cohen will return to her hometown library in Rumford for a reading on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 6:30 p.m.
The Rumford native and best-selling author has been writing since she was 11 years old growing up in western Maine and aspired, she said, to have her book on the shelf of Rumford Library. Now she has many books there.
Her novels, including her feminist thrillers under the name Mae Cohen, have sold more than a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 17 languages.
Cohen lives in Berkshire, England, with her teenager and dog, and every year she brings a copy of her latest book for the shelves at Rumford Public Library.
The reading will be free and open to the public, and donations will support the library. For more information, contact the library at 207-364-3661, ext. 1, or follow the library on Facebook. The Rumford Public Library is at 56 Rumford Ave.
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