CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

The charm and quality of life of the twin cities, Lewiston and Auburn, is partly due to their picturesque location along the Androscoggin River with a skyline of historic mills surrounded by small-town, neighborly communities. Another part of the charm is the year-long list of events and activities that take place in the area.

The Auburn Community Concert Band performs free concerts at a public venue all summer long. At the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray you can attend a Native American Pow Wow for two full days of dancing, drumming, and learning about the animals at the park. The Yarmouth Clam Festival is an annual event in July that features clams and other Maine foods, crafts, a carnival, entertainment, and lots of fun things to do and see.

The Washburn Norlands Living History Center hosts the annual Rally for Norlands! Civil War Reenactment Weekend in June complete with Confederate and Union infantry actors playing their parts in a mock scrimmage. The Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Music Festival is held in Litchfield twice each year and boasts performances by musicians on banjo and fiddle that you won’t want to miss.

The Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls is held in July and is all about the soda by the same name, plus entertainment, crafts, fireworks, and food. The Monmouth Fair is an agricultural fair held in August and celebrates rural life. The Great Falls Balloon Festival is held in August each year on the banks of the Androscoggin River and parks in the Twin Cities downtown areas and offers food booths, craft and trade booths, entertainment, live music, a carnival, demonstrations, contests, and hot air balloon rides.

The Franco Center in Lewiston is the former St. Mary’s Church which is now the venue for a diverse array of top entertainment.

Western Maine entices with its rugged, natural beauty, friendly residents, and many community events that tie everything together.

The Northern New England Home, Garden and Flower Show, is held at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds in May and brings together home and garden pros with the latest in services and products. The Wilton Blueberry Festival is just one of many annual events that celebrate one of Maine’s most delicious products.

Saddleback Mountain hosts many events year-round in addition to skiing, including a summertime Bluegrass Festival. Every year the Bethel area hosts a Harvestfest & Chowdah Cook-off in September. The Ossipee Valley Music Festival in Hiram usually has over 30 national touring and regional artists performing bluegrass, acoustic, Americana and roots music on multiple stages.

The annual Andover Old Home Days Celebration offers diverse attractions such as a parade, antique car displays, art and flower shows, crafts, firemen’s muster, a horse show, and plenty of food and music.

There’s even a festival that celebrates the moose — Moose Mainea’s month-long list of activities include Moose River Canoe Race, Moosterpiece Craft Fair, Kid’s Fun Day, Famous Moose Tales, a Quest Fest, and the Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Moose Photo Contest.

One of the prettiest festivals around celebrates the lilac — the McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival held in South Paris in May is a 4-day celebration with walks through the Garden, demonstrations, food and lilac items for sale. The Kingfield Pops Festival occurs in June and is the premier music event of the summer. 

ARTS & MUSEUMS

The beauty of the central Maine area may be an inspiration to the local artists and photographers whose work you will see in some of the local venues. Come and see their work and other artists’ work at local museums. The Androscoggin Historical Society in Auburn has a vast amount of historical information on this area. Museum L/A in Lewiston is a treasure of historical artefacts from local mills and factories and offers guided tours and educational programs.

The Atrium Gallery at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, the Bates College Museum of Art, and Lyceum Gallery, all in Lewiston, present fine exhibits and guided tours. The Maine Art Glass Studio in Lisbon Falls is a feast for the eyes where you will find gorgeous glass work on display and for sale.

The Shaker Museum and Library in New Gloucester is run by a small group of Quakers who offer many workshops and tours of their quaint Shaker village. The Poland Spring Preservation Society is worth the trip and is considered one of the many gems of the area.

In western Maine, the Bethel Art Fair held in July showcases fine art on exhibit and for sale; also music, theatrical performances, and food. Visit the Bethel Historical Society, Moses Mason House Museum, while you’re in Bethel and learn about the area’s history through documents and artefacts.

Other communities with historical societies that give a glimpse into the past include Bridgton, Canton, Dixfield, Farmington, Harrison, Mexico, Phillips, Parsonfield-Porter, Dead River Area in Stratton, and Weld.

There are many unique, themed museums in the area, including the Bryant Pond Telephone Museum, the Nordica Homestead Museum in Farmington, the Stanley Museum in Kingfield which is themed around the Stanley steam engine, the Wilhelm Reich Museum in Rangeley which focuses on the biological energy work of its namesake, the Acadian Heritage Society in Rumford, the Jones Museum of Glass & Ceramics in Sebago, the Finnish-American Heritage Society of Maine in West Paris, and the Wilton Farm and Home Museum.

THEATERS, CINEMANS & MUSIC VENUES

Community Little Theatre, Auburn, 783-0958

L/A Arts, Lewiston, 782-7228

Maine Music Society, Lewiston, 782-1403

Maine State Music Theater, Brunswick, 725-8769

Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, Lewiston, 371-2082

Schaffer Theatre, Bates College, Lewiston, 786-6161

The Public Theatre, Lewiston, 782-3200

The Theater At Monmouth, Monmouth, 933-9999, performances at Cumston Hall

Celebration Barn Theatre, South Paris, 743-8452, www.celebrationbarn.com

Deertrees Theater, Harrison 583-6747, www.deertreestheatre.org

Lakeside Youth Theater, Rangeley, 864-5000

Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan, 474-7176, www.lakewoodtheater.org

Rangeley Friends of the Arts, 864-3900, www.rangeleyarts.com

The Oddfellow Theater, Buckfield, 336-3306, www.oddfellow.com

Foothills Arts Center in Wilton brings together children and adults, artists and audiences to share the arts in an atmosphere that encourages learning, exploration and collaboration. The FAC brings curriculum-based arts programs into schools and involves people of all ages and walks of life in arts programs that build a sense of community. FMI, call 645-7117 or visit www.foothillsarts.org

Franklin County Arts is devoted to providing information about visual, traditional, literary and performing arts in Franklin County, home to hundreds of people, organizations and businesses involved in the fine arts, music, theater, writing & publishing, traditional crafts and other creative endeavors. FMI, visit www.franklincountyarts.org.

The Arts Institute of Western Maine is a non-profit organization which sponsors public performances of music — chamber, classical; vocal from folk to German lieder to opera arias to broadway show tunes. Occasionally jazz, dance, mime. Farmington. FMI, visit artsinstitute.org

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