June Highlights
Garden tours, music festivals, and summer stock are all on the calendar this month.
Theater
The Amorous Ambassador
May 19 to 28. When the new American ambassador to Great Britain announces his plans to go on a "golfing" trip, his wife and daughter cook up plans of their own in this screwball comedy. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
The Cassandra Project
June 1 to 4. This second annual festival, presented by the folks behind the old Acorn Theatre, showcases Maine-based female performing artists from a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, dance, performance art, storytelling, stand-up comedy, movement theater, multimedia, and cabaret. Portland Performing Arts Center. 207-766-3386. www.acorn-productions.org
Around the Clock
June 2 to 8. The word glockenspiel is funny enough, so just imagine an entire comedy devoted to six frisky ladies who decide that what their small town needs more than anything is a giant German clock. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
I Hate Hamlet
June 3 to 12. A successful television actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage in Central Park. But, alas, he hates Hamlet! His dilemma deepens when he encounters the ghost of John Barrymore who arrives intoxicated and in full Shakespearean regalia. Barrymore, whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, engages the young actor in a wildly funny duel over women, art, and success. Lewiston-Auburn's Community Little Theatre. 207-783-0958. www.laCLT.com
Peter Pan
June 3 to 12. Try to remember the original Neverland, the one with Captain Hook, not Bubbles the chimp. Waterville Opera House. 207-873-7000. www.operahouse.com
Something's Afoot
June 16 to 25. Singing, slaying, and sleuthing. A musical satire of Agatha Christie's classic mystery Ten Little Indians. Whodunit? Elementary: the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
The Canterville Ghost
June 30 through July 9. Who's afraid of the big, bad ghost? Not the new owners of Canterville Castle. Based on Oscar Wilde's novella of a hardheaded American family (is there any other kind?) that buys a British manor - complete with an English ghost. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
Music and Dance
Monday Concert Series
June 6 through August 29. The Poland Spring Preservation Society presents its summer concert series held at the All Souls Chapel each Monday night (except July 4). Phil House and Kathy Haley are among the many performers scheduled to perform. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and concerts start at 7 p.m. 207-998-4142. www.polandspringps.org
Swing
June 8 to June 25. The Maine State Music Theatre kicks off its season with a Broadway song and dance fest, featuring more than thirty swinging dance numbers. Brunswick. 207-725-8769. www.msmt.org
Chamber Music Festival
June 9 to 11. Ogunquit Performing Arts presents a series of classical performances by major musicians at the Barn Gallery at Shore Road and Bourne Lane. Performances begin at 8 p.m. 207-646-6170 or 207-646-6170. www.ogunquit.org
Sisters of Swing: The Andrew Sisters Story
June 14 to June 25. See - and hear - how Patty, LaVerne, and Maxene revolutionized popular music and became the best-selling female vocal group of all time. Arundel Barn Playhouse. 207-985-5552. www.arundelbarnplayhouse.com
Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Music Festival
June 16 to 19. The Lewis Family, Michelle Nixon & Drive, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, and The Martins work their fingers raw, picking and grinning. Silver Spur Riding Club, Sidney. 207-873-6539. www.blisteredfingers.com
Artie Shaw Orchestra
June 18 at 7:30 p.m. Dust off those wingtips and take a journey back to the days of big bands, bebop, and boogie-woogie. Sponsored by Bay Chamber Concerts. Owls Head Transportation Museum. 207-236-2823. www.baychamberconcerts.org
Menopause — The Musical
June 20 to 25. An outrageous musical parody aimed squarely at baby boomers. Songs include "Puff, My God I'm Draggin" and "Stayin' Awake, Stayin' Awake." Ogunquit Playhouse. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
Forever Plaid
June 20 through July 2. This toe-tapping musical centers on four young male singers in the 1950s who are killed on the way to their first big concert. Miraculously, they are reunited and resurrected for one last concert. Ogunquit Playhouse. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
Kneisel Hall Festival Concerts
June 24 through August 28. On Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, classical music students and faculty from some of the finest musical institutions in the world delight Blue Hill audiences with Kneisel Hall's summertime concert series. 207-374-2203. www.kneisel.org
Bowdoin International Music Festival
June 25 through August 6. The Friday evening MusicFest series features the Aeolian Chamber Players, The Ying and Cassatt string quartets, distinguished guest artists, and members of the festival faculty in performances held each week during the festival. Bowdoin College, 6300 College Station, Brunswick. 207-373-1400. www.summermusic.org/concerts.htm
Hello Dolly!
June 29 through July 16. It's so nice to have you back where you belong - at the Arundel Barn Playhouse. 207-985-5552. www.arundelbarnplayhouse.com
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
June 30 through July 9. The Paris Hilton story? Hardly! This irreverent satire of big business and all it holds sacred comes from the authors of Guys and Dolls. Gaslight Theater, Hallowell. 207-626-3698. www.gaslighttheater.org
Museums
Portland Museum of Art
Every other year, more than 800 artists submit applications to the Portland Museum of Art Biennial, with approximately sixty-five accepted for exhibition by a jury of three leading figures in the contemporary art world. This year's show runs through June 5. ? The graphic work of Maine's architectural colossus John Calvin Stevens is the focus of The Maine Perspective: Architectural Drawings Part II: The Shingle Style and the Colonial Revival, 1870-1920 along with renderings and drawings by such well-known practitioners as William Ralph Emerson of Boston, Bruce Price of New York, and Wilson Eyre of Philadelphia. Through June 12. ? Kelpra Studio and the Art of the Screenprint showcases thirty screenprints from the museum's permanent collection that demonstrate the wide range of the medium - though all employ the intensely bold, flat colors, and minimalist compositions typical of Pop and post-Pop art. Through June 26. ? Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and the Modern celebrates the 100th anniversary of Rockwell Kent's arrival on rugged Monhegan Island [see page 88] June 23 through October 16. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Envisioning New England: Treasures from Community Art Museums is a collaborative effort between fourteen small to medium-sized museums who make up the membership of the Consortium of New England Community Art Museums. Each has contributed several masterworks from their collection to the show, including paintings by such luminaries as Albert Bierstadt, Fitz Hugh Lane, George Inness, Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper, Frank Benson, Willard Metcalf, and others. Through June 20. ? The Maine master was once a gifted apprentice: Andrew Wyeth: Early Watercolors runs through September 18. Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
Bates Museum of Art
Tired of Hartley? Had enough Homer? Off the Coast: A Landscape Chronology explores innovations in contemporary Maine landscape art. Where once the Pine Tree State was defined by mostly male artists who glorified it with picturesque archetypes, today a growing and diversifying number of resident artists, such as the photographers Jocelyn Lee, Elke Morris, and Scott Peterman, are changing how people "from away" perceive Maine. June 12 through May 30, 2006. 75 Russell Street, Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
Colby College Museum of Art
The Player's Art is an exhibition of rare, vintage, and handmade guitars, including a nineteenth-century French guitar, a 1952 Gibson Les Paul "gold top" prototype, and a one-of-a-kind, twelve-string, left-handed 2004 Rickenbacker Model 350. The exhibit also includes vintage amplifiers, artwork, photographs, posters, and accessories to examine the guitar's impact on popular culture. Live performances in the museum galleries, too. Through July 10. 5600 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Curated by Ken Keoughan, The Wood Show features the various artistic approaches utilizing the medium of wood. Through June 4. ? Maine's foremost architectural photographer and veteran Down East contributor Brian Vanden Brink receives long overdue attention. His first solo exhibition and thirty-year retrospective of black-and-white and color photographs emphasizes residential architecture of the Northeast, the Southwest, and beyond. Through June 4. ? Unreal Estate is an exhibition of mixed-media sculpture by Diana Cherbuliez and works on paper and canvas by Alison Hildreth. The artists share a fascination with literature, biology, and the nature of man's memory. June 11 through July 24. ? Cuban Connections showcases photographs taken by Mainers in Cuba and also features examples of significant contemporary Cuban art from private Maine collections. June 11 through July 24. ? In Transcribing Time, three artists - Grace DeGennaro, Gail Spaien, and Alice Spencer - present diverse works sharing the common theme of creating work in series. June 11 through July 24. 162 Russell Avenue, Rockport. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org
Maine Historical Society Museum
What was life like in the fabled North Woods in the early twentieth century? Umbazooksus and Beyond: The Maine Woods Remembered captures the ways of the backcountry from the turn of the century through the thirties, using the photographs and journals of visitors to the Allagash, Moosehead Lake, and Mount Katahdin. Also featured are a re-created early twentieth-century campsite, a canvas canoe and paddles, cameras, and fishing and camping equipment. You'll all but smell the pines. Through June 5. 489 Congress Street, Portland. 207-774-1822. www.mainehistory.org
Abbe Museum
An essential tool of Native Americans, the crooked knife has been developed into a work of art. Many crooked knife handles are carved with intricate designs that often reflect the influence of cultural exchange with Europeans. Mocotaugan: The Story and Art of the Crooked Knife includes historic examples from the Jalbert Collection as well as a selection of contemporary crooked knives and objects created with crooked knives. Through December 31. Bar Harbor. 207-288-3519. www.abbemuseum.org
Special Events
Moose Mainea
May 21 through June 18. Greenville makes the most of its many moose with a month of family-oriented activities including the Tour de Moose Bike Races, the Moosehead Fly-Casting Championship, and the Moosehead Rowing Regatta, plus moose safaris, craft fairs, a parade, educational exhibits, and more. 207-695-2702. www.mooseheadlake.org
Median Iris Spring Flower Show
May 28 to 30, from 1 to 5 p.m. Blooms aplenty. Oxford Hills Middle School, South Paris. www.irisgarden.org
Fiddleheads & Antique Aeroplane Show
May 29. Vintage vehicles of all types - from woody wagons to sports cars and motorbikes - are invited to kick off the Owls Head Transportation Museum's 2005 season. Events include fiddlehead cooking and free Model T rides on the museum's new demonstration track, engine demonstrations in the Engine Room, and more. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
Kitchen Tour
June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Children's Discovery Museum of Augusta presents its eighth annual house tour featuring ten kitchens in Manchester, Augusta, and Vassalboro. 207-622-2209.
Guided Walk of the Forest City Trail
June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Don't know how to celebrate National Trails Day (yes, there really is such a thing)? Portland Trails has the answer. Explore the little-known, ten-mile Forest City Trail with Tom Jewell as he leads you across Portland from the Stroudwater River to the Presumpscot River. Registration required. 207-775-2411.
Maine Canoe Symposium
June 10 to 12. For one weekend, Moose Pond becomes a paddler's paradise. Enjoy canoe lessons, demonstrations, slide presentations, and on-the-water fun. All ages and levels welcome. Camp Winona, Moose Pond, Bridgton. 207-892-3121. www.mainecanoesymposium.org
Oxford County Bicentennial
June 11. Maine's westernmost shire celebrates a big birthday. The picture-pretty village of Paris Hill plays host to the events, beginning with an equestrian procession at 10 a.m., followed by the official parade below the Country Club, Paris Hill Road, at about 10:45 a.m. What could be more festive? How about musketfire from an encampment of colonial re-enactors, from sunrise until 4 p.m. Lots more, too. 207-824-2908. www.bethelhistorical.org
Boat Auction
June 11 at 10 a.m. (registration begins at 8:30 a.m). How much for this Hobie? The Penobscot Bay Area YMCA holds its eighth auction of watercraft at Chater's Boat Yard, Camden. 207-236-3375. www.penbayymca.org
Plant Sale
June 11 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Perennials are the focus of the Bangor Garden Club's annual sale at the Gazebo, Paul Bunyan Park. Lower Main Street in Bangor. 207-469-1181. www.bangorgardenclub.org
Maine Iris Show
June 11 from 2 to 6 p.m. The society sponsors its 45th annual show with hundreds of colorful blossoms, flower arrangements, and awards. Auburn Middle School, Falcon Drive. Free admission. 207-946-5417. www.irisgarden.org
Maine Fiber Frolic
June 11 & 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy hookers and their friends. The frolic is a celebration of fiber animals and the fiber arts: spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Windsor Fairgrounds, Route 32. 207-935-4075. www.fiberfrolic.com
Portland Book, Print, and Paper Show
June 12. Ephemera isn't ephemeral at this antique show and sale, sponsored by the Maine Book Dealers and the Maine Historical Society. Doors open for a preview at 8:30 a.m. Portland Exposition Building, 239 Park Avenue. 207-874-8200. www.bookfairs.com
Deer Isle-Stonington Lupine Festival
June 17 to 19. This island-wide celebration includes a lupine loop drive as well as lupine-themed art and quilt exhibits, children's events, and performances. New this year is a "Lupine and Lighthouse" boat tour. 207-348-6124. www.deerislemaine.com
Boothbay Harbor Lobsterboat Race
June 18. Turbocharged lobsterboats muscle their way to the finish line at this annual kick-off to the summer stinkpot-racing season. 207-633-4004. www.lobsterboatracing.com
Waldoboro Days
June 18. This all-day festival starts with blueberry pancakes and ends with fireworks at the village ball field. 207-832-7405.
Summer Solstice Night
June 18. Rockland parties in the streets, celebrating the (not quite) longest day of the year with live music, dancing, food, and special events from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on temporarily car-free Main Street. 207-596-0376 or 800-562-2529. www.therealmaine.com
Midsommar Celebration
June 25 & 26. Maine's Swedish Colony in New Sweden celebrates with food, music, and dancing from the land of Abba. 207-896-5807. www.geocities.com/maineswedishcolony/
Ford Festival & Antique Aeroplane Show
June 26. From the Model T to the Mustang, the Fairlane to the F-150, the Thunderbird to the GT-40, the Ford Motor Company's long and storied history is the subject of celebration at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
Fairs and Festivals
Warblers and Wildflowers Festival
May 25 to 30. Six days of birds and blossoms in Bar Harbor. 888-369-8413. www.barharborinfo.com/warblers/index.htm
Down East Spring Birding Festival
May 27 to 30. Flocks of birdwatchers descend on Washington County for a weekend of self-guided explorations as well as guided hikes, boat tours, and presentations led by area experts. Whiting. 207-733-2201. www.downeastbirdfest.org
Old Port Festival
June 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maine's biggest one-day festival takes over downtown Portland. 207-772-6828. www.portlandmaine.com
Windjammer Days Festival
June 21 & 22. Two days of tall ships, harborside concerts, fireworks, and more. Boothbay Harbor. 207-633-2353. www.boothbayharbor.com
Acadian Festival
June 23 to 26. The proud culture of Maine's own Cajuns is the focus of this two-week fair in the heart of the St. John River Valley. Madawaska. 207-728-7000. www.townofmadawaska.com
La Kermesse
June 23 to 26. La Kermesse (translation: "village fair") is a carnival-like weekend celebrating Franco-American culture, entertainment, food, and heritage in Biddeford. 207-283-1889.
Maine Antique Tractor Club Festival
June 24 to 26. Little boys (and many big ones) love nothing more than tractors. This weekend is for them: tractor pulls, demonstrations, a flea market, auction, children's area, and more at the Farmington Fairgrounds. 207-892-4946. www.maineantiquetractorclub.com
The Amorous Ambassador
May 19 to 28. When the new American ambassador to Great Britain announces his plans to go on a "golfing" trip, his wife and daughter cook up plans of their own in this screwball comedy. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
The Cassandra Project
June 1 to 4. This second annual festival, presented by the folks behind the old Acorn Theatre, showcases Maine-based female performing artists from a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, dance, performance art, storytelling, stand-up comedy, movement theater, multimedia, and cabaret. Portland Performing Arts Center. 207-766-3386. www.acorn-productions.org
Around the Clock
June 2 to 8. The word glockenspiel is funny enough, so just imagine an entire comedy devoted to six frisky ladies who decide that what their small town needs more than anything is a giant German clock. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
I Hate Hamlet
June 3 to 12. A successful television actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage in Central Park. But, alas, he hates Hamlet! His dilemma deepens when he encounters the ghost of John Barrymore who arrives intoxicated and in full Shakespearean regalia. Barrymore, whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, engages the young actor in a wildly funny duel over women, art, and success. Lewiston-Auburn's Community Little Theatre. 207-783-0958. www.laCLT.com
Peter Pan
June 3 to 12. Try to remember the original Neverland, the one with Captain Hook, not Bubbles the chimp. Waterville Opera House. 207-873-7000. www.operahouse.com
Something's Afoot
June 16 to 25. Singing, slaying, and sleuthing. A musical satire of Agatha Christie's classic mystery Ten Little Indians. Whodunit? Elementary: the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
The Canterville Ghost
June 30 through July 9. Who's afraid of the big, bad ghost? Not the new owners of Canterville Castle. Based on Oscar Wilde's novella of a hardheaded American family (is there any other kind?) that buys a British manor - complete with an English ghost. Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
Music and Dance
Monday Concert Series
June 6 through August 29. The Poland Spring Preservation Society presents its summer concert series held at the All Souls Chapel each Monday night (except July 4). Phil House and Kathy Haley are among the many performers scheduled to perform. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and concerts start at 7 p.m. 207-998-4142. www.polandspringps.org
Swing
June 8 to June 25. The Maine State Music Theatre kicks off its season with a Broadway song and dance fest, featuring more than thirty swinging dance numbers. Brunswick. 207-725-8769. www.msmt.org
Chamber Music Festival
June 9 to 11. Ogunquit Performing Arts presents a series of classical performances by major musicians at the Barn Gallery at Shore Road and Bourne Lane. Performances begin at 8 p.m. 207-646-6170 or 207-646-6170. www.ogunquit.org
Sisters of Swing: The Andrew Sisters Story
June 14 to June 25. See - and hear - how Patty, LaVerne, and Maxene revolutionized popular music and became the best-selling female vocal group of all time. Arundel Barn Playhouse. 207-985-5552. www.arundelbarnplayhouse.com
Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Music Festival
June 16 to 19. The Lewis Family, Michelle Nixon & Drive, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, and The Martins work their fingers raw, picking and grinning. Silver Spur Riding Club, Sidney. 207-873-6539. www.blisteredfingers.com
Artie Shaw Orchestra
June 18 at 7:30 p.m. Dust off those wingtips and take a journey back to the days of big bands, bebop, and boogie-woogie. Sponsored by Bay Chamber Concerts. Owls Head Transportation Museum. 207-236-2823. www.baychamberconcerts.org
Menopause — The Musical
June 20 to 25. An outrageous musical parody aimed squarely at baby boomers. Songs include "Puff, My God I'm Draggin" and "Stayin' Awake, Stayin' Awake." Ogunquit Playhouse. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
Forever Plaid
June 20 through July 2. This toe-tapping musical centers on four young male singers in the 1950s who are killed on the way to their first big concert. Miraculously, they are reunited and resurrected for one last concert. Ogunquit Playhouse. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
Kneisel Hall Festival Concerts
June 24 through August 28. On Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, classical music students and faculty from some of the finest musical institutions in the world delight Blue Hill audiences with Kneisel Hall's summertime concert series. 207-374-2203. www.kneisel.org
Bowdoin International Music Festival
June 25 through August 6. The Friday evening MusicFest series features the Aeolian Chamber Players, The Ying and Cassatt string quartets, distinguished guest artists, and members of the festival faculty in performances held each week during the festival. Bowdoin College, 6300 College Station, Brunswick. 207-373-1400. www.summermusic.org/concerts.htm
Hello Dolly!
June 29 through July 16. It's so nice to have you back where you belong - at the Arundel Barn Playhouse. 207-985-5552. www.arundelbarnplayhouse.com
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
June 30 through July 9. The Paris Hilton story? Hardly! This irreverent satire of big business and all it holds sacred comes from the authors of Guys and Dolls. Gaslight Theater, Hallowell. 207-626-3698. www.gaslighttheater.org
Museums
Portland Museum of Art
Every other year, more than 800 artists submit applications to the Portland Museum of Art Biennial, with approximately sixty-five accepted for exhibition by a jury of three leading figures in the contemporary art world. This year's show runs through June 5. ? The graphic work of Maine's architectural colossus John Calvin Stevens is the focus of The Maine Perspective: Architectural Drawings Part II: The Shingle Style and the Colonial Revival, 1870-1920 along with renderings and drawings by such well-known practitioners as William Ralph Emerson of Boston, Bruce Price of New York, and Wilson Eyre of Philadelphia. Through June 12. ? Kelpra Studio and the Art of the Screenprint showcases thirty screenprints from the museum's permanent collection that demonstrate the wide range of the medium - though all employ the intensely bold, flat colors, and minimalist compositions typical of Pop and post-Pop art. Through June 26. ? Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and the Modern celebrates the 100th anniversary of Rockwell Kent's arrival on rugged Monhegan Island [see page 88] June 23 through October 16. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Envisioning New England: Treasures from Community Art Museums is a collaborative effort between fourteen small to medium-sized museums who make up the membership of the Consortium of New England Community Art Museums. Each has contributed several masterworks from their collection to the show, including paintings by such luminaries as Albert Bierstadt, Fitz Hugh Lane, George Inness, Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper, Frank Benson, Willard Metcalf, and others. Through June 20. ? The Maine master was once a gifted apprentice: Andrew Wyeth: Early Watercolors runs through September 18. Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
Bates Museum of Art
Tired of Hartley? Had enough Homer? Off the Coast: A Landscape Chronology explores innovations in contemporary Maine landscape art. Where once the Pine Tree State was defined by mostly male artists who glorified it with picturesque archetypes, today a growing and diversifying number of resident artists, such as the photographers Jocelyn Lee, Elke Morris, and Scott Peterman, are changing how people "from away" perceive Maine. June 12 through May 30, 2006. 75 Russell Street, Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
Colby College Museum of Art
The Player's Art is an exhibition of rare, vintage, and handmade guitars, including a nineteenth-century French guitar, a 1952 Gibson Les Paul "gold top" prototype, and a one-of-a-kind, twelve-string, left-handed 2004 Rickenbacker Model 350. The exhibit also includes vintage amplifiers, artwork, photographs, posters, and accessories to examine the guitar's impact on popular culture. Live performances in the museum galleries, too. Through July 10. 5600 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Curated by Ken Keoughan, The Wood Show features the various artistic approaches utilizing the medium of wood. Through June 4. ? Maine's foremost architectural photographer and veteran Down East contributor Brian Vanden Brink receives long overdue attention. His first solo exhibition and thirty-year retrospective of black-and-white and color photographs emphasizes residential architecture of the Northeast, the Southwest, and beyond. Through June 4. ? Unreal Estate is an exhibition of mixed-media sculpture by Diana Cherbuliez and works on paper and canvas by Alison Hildreth. The artists share a fascination with literature, biology, and the nature of man's memory. June 11 through July 24. ? Cuban Connections showcases photographs taken by Mainers in Cuba and also features examples of significant contemporary Cuban art from private Maine collections. June 11 through July 24. ? In Transcribing Time, three artists - Grace DeGennaro, Gail Spaien, and Alice Spencer - present diverse works sharing the common theme of creating work in series. June 11 through July 24. 162 Russell Avenue, Rockport. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org
Maine Historical Society Museum
What was life like in the fabled North Woods in the early twentieth century? Umbazooksus and Beyond: The Maine Woods Remembered captures the ways of the backcountry from the turn of the century through the thirties, using the photographs and journals of visitors to the Allagash, Moosehead Lake, and Mount Katahdin. Also featured are a re-created early twentieth-century campsite, a canvas canoe and paddles, cameras, and fishing and camping equipment. You'll all but smell the pines. Through June 5. 489 Congress Street, Portland. 207-774-1822. www.mainehistory.org
Abbe Museum
An essential tool of Native Americans, the crooked knife has been developed into a work of art. Many crooked knife handles are carved with intricate designs that often reflect the influence of cultural exchange with Europeans. Mocotaugan: The Story and Art of the Crooked Knife includes historic examples from the Jalbert Collection as well as a selection of contemporary crooked knives and objects created with crooked knives. Through December 31. Bar Harbor. 207-288-3519. www.abbemuseum.org
Special Events
Moose Mainea
May 21 through June 18. Greenville makes the most of its many moose with a month of family-oriented activities including the Tour de Moose Bike Races, the Moosehead Fly-Casting Championship, and the Moosehead Rowing Regatta, plus moose safaris, craft fairs, a parade, educational exhibits, and more. 207-695-2702. www.mooseheadlake.org
Median Iris Spring Flower Show
May 28 to 30, from 1 to 5 p.m. Blooms aplenty. Oxford Hills Middle School, South Paris. www.irisgarden.org
Fiddleheads & Antique Aeroplane Show
May 29. Vintage vehicles of all types - from woody wagons to sports cars and motorbikes - are invited to kick off the Owls Head Transportation Museum's 2005 season. Events include fiddlehead cooking and free Model T rides on the museum's new demonstration track, engine demonstrations in the Engine Room, and more. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
Kitchen Tour
June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Children's Discovery Museum of Augusta presents its eighth annual house tour featuring ten kitchens in Manchester, Augusta, and Vassalboro. 207-622-2209.
Guided Walk of the Forest City Trail
June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Don't know how to celebrate National Trails Day (yes, there really is such a thing)? Portland Trails has the answer. Explore the little-known, ten-mile Forest City Trail with Tom Jewell as he leads you across Portland from the Stroudwater River to the Presumpscot River. Registration required. 207-775-2411.
Maine Canoe Symposium
June 10 to 12. For one weekend, Moose Pond becomes a paddler's paradise. Enjoy canoe lessons, demonstrations, slide presentations, and on-the-water fun. All ages and levels welcome. Camp Winona, Moose Pond, Bridgton. 207-892-3121. www.mainecanoesymposium.org
Oxford County Bicentennial
June 11. Maine's westernmost shire celebrates a big birthday. The picture-pretty village of Paris Hill plays host to the events, beginning with an equestrian procession at 10 a.m., followed by the official parade below the Country Club, Paris Hill Road, at about 10:45 a.m. What could be more festive? How about musketfire from an encampment of colonial re-enactors, from sunrise until 4 p.m. Lots more, too. 207-824-2908. www.bethelhistorical.org
Boat Auction
June 11 at 10 a.m. (registration begins at 8:30 a.m). How much for this Hobie? The Penobscot Bay Area YMCA holds its eighth auction of watercraft at Chater's Boat Yard, Camden. 207-236-3375. www.penbayymca.org
Plant Sale
June 11 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Perennials are the focus of the Bangor Garden Club's annual sale at the Gazebo, Paul Bunyan Park. Lower Main Street in Bangor. 207-469-1181. www.bangorgardenclub.org
Maine Iris Show
June 11 from 2 to 6 p.m. The society sponsors its 45th annual show with hundreds of colorful blossoms, flower arrangements, and awards. Auburn Middle School, Falcon Drive. Free admission. 207-946-5417. www.irisgarden.org
Maine Fiber Frolic
June 11 & 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Happy hookers and their friends. The frolic is a celebration of fiber animals and the fiber arts: spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Windsor Fairgrounds, Route 32. 207-935-4075. www.fiberfrolic.com
Portland Book, Print, and Paper Show
June 12. Ephemera isn't ephemeral at this antique show and sale, sponsored by the Maine Book Dealers and the Maine Historical Society. Doors open for a preview at 8:30 a.m. Portland Exposition Building, 239 Park Avenue. 207-874-8200. www.bookfairs.com
Deer Isle-Stonington Lupine Festival
June 17 to 19. This island-wide celebration includes a lupine loop drive as well as lupine-themed art and quilt exhibits, children's events, and performances. New this year is a "Lupine and Lighthouse" boat tour. 207-348-6124. www.deerislemaine.com
Boothbay Harbor Lobsterboat Race
June 18. Turbocharged lobsterboats muscle their way to the finish line at this annual kick-off to the summer stinkpot-racing season. 207-633-4004. www.lobsterboatracing.com
Waldoboro Days
June 18. This all-day festival starts with blueberry pancakes and ends with fireworks at the village ball field. 207-832-7405.
Summer Solstice Night
June 18. Rockland parties in the streets, celebrating the (not quite) longest day of the year with live music, dancing, food, and special events from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on temporarily car-free Main Street. 207-596-0376 or 800-562-2529. www.therealmaine.com
Midsommar Celebration
June 25 & 26. Maine's Swedish Colony in New Sweden celebrates with food, music, and dancing from the land of Abba. 207-896-5807. www.geocities.com/maineswedishcolony/
Ford Festival & Antique Aeroplane Show
June 26. From the Model T to the Mustang, the Fairlane to the F-150, the Thunderbird to the GT-40, the Ford Motor Company's long and storied history is the subject of celebration at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
Fairs and Festivals
Warblers and Wildflowers Festival
May 25 to 30. Six days of birds and blossoms in Bar Harbor. 888-369-8413. www.barharborinfo.com/warblers/index.htm
Down East Spring Birding Festival
May 27 to 30. Flocks of birdwatchers descend on Washington County for a weekend of self-guided explorations as well as guided hikes, boat tours, and presentations led by area experts. Whiting. 207-733-2201. www.downeastbirdfest.org
Old Port Festival
June 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maine's biggest one-day festival takes over downtown Portland. 207-772-6828. www.portlandmaine.com
Windjammer Days Festival
June 21 & 22. Two days of tall ships, harborside concerts, fireworks, and more. Boothbay Harbor. 207-633-2353. www.boothbayharbor.com
Acadian Festival
June 23 to 26. The proud culture of Maine's own Cajuns is the focus of this two-week fair in the heart of the St. John River Valley. Madawaska. 207-728-7000. www.townofmadawaska.com
La Kermesse
June 23 to 26. La Kermesse (translation: "village fair") is a carnival-like weekend celebrating Franco-American culture, entertainment, food, and heritage in Biddeford. 207-283-1889.
Maine Antique Tractor Club Festival
June 24 to 26. Little boys (and many big ones) love nothing more than tractors. This weekend is for them: tractor pulls, demonstrations, a flea market, auction, children's area, and more at the Farmington Fairgrounds. 207-892-4946. www.maineantiquetractorclub.com
