October
Hands-On
Carry My Wife, Please
You don't have to be united in matrimony to take part in the North American Wife Carrying Championships, but it might help. Contestants in male-female pairs take on a challenging, 278-yard obstacle course complete with water hazard and log hurdles. The grand prize is the wife's weight in Redhook beer and five times the wife's weight in cash. Oct 7. Sunday River Ski Resort, Bethel. 207-824-3000. www.sundayriver.com/summer/wifecarry.html
Art
A Little Crafty
Looking for a little something to jazz up your décor? In Work of the Hand, fifty of Maine's finest crafters offer beautiful, functional works of exceptional quality in fiber, clay, wood, glass, and metal for sale, order, or commission. Oct. 6 - 15. Center for Maine Contemporary Art, 162 Russell Ave., Rockport. $5. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org
Music
Strum & Strummer
Yawn, another actor who thinks he's a rock star. But the thing about Jeff Daniels, who's starred in films as diverse as Dumb & Dumber and The Squid and the Whale, is that he's fully aware of the actor/rocker cliché. Want proof? How about "If William Shatner Can, I Can Too," a little ditty that pokes fun at everyone from Captain Kirk to Russell Crowe -- and exhibits some credible guitar work, too. Catch Daniels Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The Chocolate Church Arts Center, 798 Washington St., Bath. $30-$33. 207-442-8455. www.chocolatechurch.com
Before making plans to attend any of these events, call ahead to confirm, since dates and times may be subject to change. To submit event listings to Down East, send an e-mail to editorial@downeast.com
Music And Dance
Bay Chamber Concerts
Gala benefit with award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, whose smash hits include "A Chorus Line" and "The Way We Were." Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. $45. Strom Auditorium, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rte. 90, Rockport. 207-236-2823 or 888-707-2770. www.baychamberconcerts.org
Bo Diddley and Friends
Jammin' along with Bo are Youngblood Hart and Ruthie Foster. Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. $45-$52. Maine Center for the Arts, UMaine campus, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca
Celebration of Life Benefit Concert
Performers include Gordon Bok and Carol Rohl; Anne Dodson and Matt Szostak; Tess Gerritsen with "Mouse in the Cupboard"; Thomas Judge and Susan Groce; Ava Maris Stella Renaissance Singers; and CHRHS Women's Choir and Chamber Singers. All proceeds will benefit Kno-Wal-Lin's proposed Hospice and Palliative Care Unit. Oct. 6 from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. $25-$45. Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. 207-236-7963. www.camdenoperahouse.com
David Fickle and Wu Han
David Finckel and Wu Han have an advantage over other cello-piano duos: they're married, and thus have plenty of time to work on their repertoire (not to mention their significant side projects, including their own record label). As the New York Times put it, "It would be hard to think of a cello and piano duo that plays with greater precision, nuance, and fire." Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. $34-$38. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org
The Jordan/Perry Duo
This critically acclaimed piano-cello duo plays the music of Haydn, Mozart, and early Beethoven. Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. $5-$10. Jewett Hall Auditorium, University of Maine Augusta. 207-621-3551.
Leahy
Leahy is a group of talented brothers and sisters influenced by Celtic, country, and pop music, who have been performing together their entire lives. Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. $32-$35. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org
Portland Symphony Orchestra
The orchestra's Classical Tuesdays presents Bernstein's Three Dance Episodes from On the Town, Bruch's Violin Concerto no. 1, and Brahms' Symphony no. 2. Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. The orchestra's Pops! program presents Masters of Swing: Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, a celebration of two American masters. Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. & Oct. 22 at 2:30 p.m. And the symphony's Classical Sundays program presents Mozart's Horn Concerto no. 4, Dukas' Villanelle, and Brahms' Serenade no. 1. Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. $12-$57. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.portlandsymphony.com
Roy Haynes Quartet
Thelonious Monk once described Roy Haynes' drumming as "an eight ball right in the side pocket." No argument there. Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. $45-$52. Maine Center for the Arts, UMaine campus, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca
The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore
Portland Ballet once again joins forces with the Choral Art Society to present this madrigal fable by composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Oct. 27 & 28. $25-$28. John Ford Theatre, Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Ave. 207-772-9671. www.portlandballet.org
Vienna Piano Trio
Described as "one of the world's leading ensembles of violin, cello, and piano" by the Washington Post, the ensemble studied with the Trio di Trieste, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Haydn Trio Wien. Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. $45-$52. Maine Center for the Arts, UMaine campus, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca
Theater
Dracula
What would Elizabeth Kostova and Anne Rice have written without Stoker's diabolical count? Oct. 27 - Nov. 12. $15-$20. The Portland Players, 420 Cottage Rd., South Portland. 207-799-7337.
H.M.S. Pinafore
A tribute to the traditions of Gilbert and Sullivan. Sept. 29 - Oct. 8. $20-$26. The Theater at Monmouth, Main St. 207-933-9999. www.theateratmonmouth.org
Into the Woods
Several fairy tales, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Ridinghood, woven together. Joining them on their journey are the baker and his wife, who are trying to lift a spell cast by the witch. Oct. 19 - Nov. 12. $15-$23. Good Theater, St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. 207-885-5883. www.goodtheater.com
The King and I
Bald guy gets the girl? No, it's a clash of cultures and unrequited love for a widowed English teacher and the Siamese king. Sept. 15 - Oct. 1. $52-$66. Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland. 207-799-1421. www.lyricmusictheater.com
Metamorphoses
An inventive adaptation of Ovid's myth with the only set piece being a huge pool filled with water. Not suitable for children. Oct. 5 - 22. $7-$15. The Belfast Maskers, 43 Front St. 207-338-9668. www.belfastmaskerstheater.com
The Nerd
If an anonymous stranger saved your life, wouldn't you want to meet him? But what if he turned out to be a dork who won't take "Go!" for an answer? Oct. 20 - 29. $10-$16. The Public Theater, 31 Maple St., Lewiston. 207-782-3200. www.thepublictheatre.org
Over the Tavern
It's 1959, and the Pazinskis are trying to maintain a bit of normalcy in their boisterous Polish-Catholic household. Their son Rudy, an inquisitive, wisecracking twelve-year-old, has other ideas. A witty and sentimental look at love, religion, and family. Sept. 26 - Oct. 22. $24-$33. Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com
Two Rooms
Somewhere in the Middle East an American professor is held hostage, blindfolded and alone in a cell. His wife waits for him at home in a surreally empty room while her life comes apart at the seams. Oct. 31 - Nov. 19. $24-$33. Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com
Art Museums
Bates Museum of Art
Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale. Often considered a marginalized science or a farcical adventure, the practice of cryptozoology is the quest for unknown, rumored, or hidden animals. Its most notorious pursuits include the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Abominable Snowman, though it has also revealed animals that are now part of the classified natural world. Through Oct. 7. u Scrape, Cut, Gouge, Bite, Print. . . The Graphic Work of Charlie Hewitt 1976-2006. Born in Lewiston in 1946, Hewitt grew up in Auburn and Brunswick. A student of Philip Guston, David Hare, and Elaine DeKooning at the New York Studio School, Hewitt has played a significant role in printmaking in Maine since 1984, when he returned to the state to work at the Vinalhaven Press. As the repository for Hewitt's graphic work, the Bates College Museum of art has an extensive collection that will provide the material for this retrospective exhibition, including woodcuts, drypoints, etchings, and digital prints. Oct. 27 - March 18, 2007. Free. 75 Russell St., Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
Bowdoin College
Historic Moments in Maine Printmaking: A Print Conference Hosted by Bowdoin College is a lecture in conjunction with the statewide celebration of two hundred years of printmaking in Maine. Topics discussed are "Winslow Homer and the Etching Revival" by David Tatham, Syracuse University professor emeritus, American art; "The Zorachs and the Rise of the Modern Print" by Efram Burk, University of South Carolina at Beaufort, associate professor of art history; and "The Influx of New York Artists" by David Acton, Worcester Art Museum, curator of prints and drawings. Oct. 7 from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free. Searles Science Building, Room 315, Brunswick. 207-725-3064. www.bowdoin.edu
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Vinalhaven Press Prints from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art Collection. The Vinalhaven Press, founded and directed by Patricia Nick, attracted a renowned group of Maine, American, Cuban, and other international printmakers to the Vinalhaven studio, located in a former island schoolhouse. Oct. 22 - Dec. 16. u Maine Printmaking: 1980-2005. This exhibition will include works selected by invitation and from a statewide call to artists. Approximately 175 artists will be represented by an estimated two hundred works. Works will include editioned intaglio, relief, and planographic prints created over the past twenty-five years. Oct. 22 - Dec. 16. 162 Russell Ave., Rockport. $5. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org
Colby College Museum of Art
Alex Katz: Woodcuts and Linocuts. Alex Katz has been a regular summer resident in Maine since he first attended the Skowhegan School in the early 1950s, and the landscapes of Maine, along with his figural subjects, have been a prominent feature of his work for the last half century. Since the early 1950s, linoleum cuts and woodcuts have constituted an important part of his artistic activity, noteworthy because of the artist's direct hand in the carving of the blocks as well as the complex interrelationship played out between these prints and his painting. Oct. 12 - Jan. 28, 2007. Free. 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Charlie Hewitt at Work: Twenty Years of Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture. A student of Philip Guston, David Hare, and Elaine DeKooning at the New York Studio School, Hewitt has played a significant role in contemporary printmaking in the state. Through Oct. 15. u Andrew Wyeth: Selections. Works drawn from the Wyeth Study Center Collection, including several completed within the past few years as well as some of Wyeth's best-known works. Through Oct. 22. u James Wyeth: Portrait of an Artist. Considered one of the most significant and accomplished representational artists of the twentieth century, James Browning Wyeth puts his own unique spin on realism. This mid-career assessment of his work will provide an unparalleled opportunity to examine his work in the larger context of American art. Through Nov. 6 u N.C. Wyeth: Artist and Illustrator. Illustrations and paintings by Newell Convers Wyeth dating from 1911 to the early 1940s. Through Nov. 13. u Imprints of Maine: 1900-1950. Selected from the museum's permanent collection, the pieces include modernist works by Rockwell Kent, Carroll Thayer Berry, and Leo Meissner, as well as more traditional artists. Sept. 24 - March 24, 2007. u Jonathan Fisher: Pioneer Painter and Printmaker. While serving as a pastor of the First Congregational Church in Blue Hill, Fisher also carved woodblocks to print a series of more than a hundred insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals, all published in the 1834 book Scripture Animals. Oct. 15 - March 11, 2007. $8-$10. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art
From Baja to Bar Harbor: Transnational Contemporary Art presents new large-scale video and installation works by three emerging artists working in different corners of North America. The exhibition features work by Sam van Aken of Bangor, Michele O'Marah of Los Angeles, and Julio Cesar Morales of San Francisco. Through Oct. 22. Free. 522 Congress St., Portland. 207-879-5742, ext. 229. www.meca.edu/GalleriesExhibitions/ICA/Overview.aspx#2
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
The Prints of Peggy Bacon. Francis "Peggy" Bacon is a renowned printmaker, painter, illustrator, poet, novelist, and writer of short stories. In all her endeavors, her unique perception of the world was characterized by warmth, humor, and a love and understanding for the imperfections that make us human. Through Oct. 31. $3-$5. 543 Shore Rd., Ogunquit. 207-646-4909. www.ogunquitmuseum.org
Portland Museum of Art
Paris and the Countryside: Modern Life in Late 19th-Century France. It has long been observed that Impressionists and their followers heeded Baudelaire's call to paint "modern life." The exhibition uses purely visual means to explore what the very notion of a modern life, in its many facets, meant in the late nineteenth century. It includes paintings and works on paper by such artists as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Eugene Boudin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Theo van Rysselberghe, Emile Bernard, and Maximilien Luce. Through Oct. 15. u Maine: The Way Life Is, Contemporary Photographs from the Collection. The tourist sign at the beginning of the Maine Turnpike reads: "Maine. The Way Life Should Be." This exhibition of thirty-four contemporary photographs, drawn from the permanent collection and works on loan, takes a hard look at the way Maine really is. The work ranges from Melonie Bennett's humorous look at her family to the more serious examination of social issues that we face in the work of Paul D'Amato, David Stess, and Olive Pierce [see page 80]. Sept. 23 - Nov. 26. $4-$10, and free Fridays 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. 7 Congress Sq., Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Other Museums
Abbe Museum
Made of Thunder, Made of Glass: Native American Beadwork. In the early 1800s, Native women of northeastern North America created a new art form: delicate, intricately beaded hats and purses. In this exhibition the museum explores the principal symbols and images present in the beadwork. Through Nov. 18. $2-$6. 26 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor. 207-288-3519. www.abbemuseum.org
Maine State Museum
Rugs All Marked Out. The exhibit features some of the metal stencil plates created by Edward Sands Frost of Biddeford around 1870 and used for the next thirty years by E. S. Frost and Company to produce printed patterns on burlap, ready to be worked into hooked rugs. The exhibit traces the 135-year history of the plates, which were used to produce the first commercially manufactured hooked rug patterns. Through Dec. 31. $1-$2. 230 State St., Augusta. 207-287-2301. www.state.me.us/museum/
Owls Head Transportation Museum
Foreign Auto Festival and Antique Aeroplane Show. Enjoy oompah and polka music as you stroll among more than two hundred foreign cars, ranging from the exotic to the eccentric, at the museum's final outdoor event of the season. Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m. u The Annual Great Fall Auction. More than seven hundred items -- everything from auto parts to get-away weekends -- are on the block at the free Great Fall Auction. Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. Auction preview and museum yard sale Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $6-$8. Route 73, Owls Head. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
Portland Harbor Museum
Harbor Forts: A Look Behind the Walls. Exploring life within the forts in and around Portland Harbor, the exhibit demonstrates that as the military establishment focused on protecting the harbor, soldiers and other individuals who lived and worked within the forts succeeded in creating communities. Through Nov. 26. $4. Fort Road, South Portland. 207-799-6337. www.portlandharbormuseum.org
Tate House Museum
Setting a Fine Table: Dining in Colonial Maine celebrates dining and entertainment at the height of colonial Portland's prosperity, 1755-1775. Dinner, desserts, tea, and punch will be among the entertainments highlighted with fine imported glass, porcelain, and pottery from the eighteenth century. Through Oct. 15. $2-$7. 1270 Westbrook St., Portland. 207-774-6177. www.tatehouse.org
University of Southern Maine
Liberating Visions: Religion and the Challenge of Change in Maine, 1820 - Present. This exhibit examines religion's impact -- intellectually, socially, politically, and economically -- on the African American, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Jewish communities in Maine. Oct. 28 - Jan. 26, 2007. Free. Sixth floor of the Glickman Family Library, Forest Ave., Portland. 207-780-4275.
Fairs and Festivals
Acadia Oktoberfest & Food Festival
Acadia goes Bavarian with lots of brews, food, crafts, music, and entertainment -- and you get Acadia's fall colors as an added bonus. Oct. 7 from noon - 6 p.m. $5. Smugglers Den Campground, Rte. 102, Southwest Harbor. 207-244-9264. www.acadiachamber.com/oktoberfest.html
Fryeburg Fair
This is the largest fair in Maine, and it couldn't come at a better time -- at the peak of foliage season in the White Mountains. A Maine tradition as colorful as the leaves, the fair dominates the town of Fryeburg with a Ferris wheel, a racetrack, and agricultural displays so extensive that fairgoers can spend days touring the exhibits without seeing them all. Oct. 1 - 8. $6-$8. 207-935-3268. www.fryeburgfair.com
Waterville Harvest Fest
A day of family fun with hayrides, pumpkin carving, live music, farmer's market, and more. Oct. 21. Free. Castonguay Sq. 207-680-2055. www.watervillemainstreet.org
York Village Harvest fest
This colonial-themed festival includes live bands, an ox roast, bean-hole beans, and crafters from all over the country. Oct. 13 - 15. Free.York Village Green. 207-363-4422. www.gatewaytomaine.org
Special Events
All Things Wood Expo
Join Forests for Maine's Future and a host of Maine forest-based companies and service providers at a free public expo that aims to bring attention to all aspects of Maine's forests -- from jobs, clean water, and rural economies to unique habitats, recreational opportunities, and wood-product industries. Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Portland Exposition Building, 239 Park Ave. 207-321-2527. www.forestsformainesfuture.org
Autumn Harbor Arts
More than a hundred artists and craftspeople display and sell their work in scenic Camden for this thirtieth annual show that features arts events throughout the village. Sept. 30 - Oct. 1. Harbor Park, the Amphitheater, Atlantic Ave. 207-236-4404. www.camdenharborarts.com
Bob Marley
Comedian Bob Marley at the Camden Opera House. Oct. 14 at 7 & 9 p.m. 29 Elm St. $20. 207-236-7963. www.camdenoperahouse.com
Brown Bag Lectures
Jacqueline Winspear, author of Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Mystery, speaks at the Portland Public Library. In the third novel of Winspear's bestselling series, London investigator Maisie Dobbs faces grave danger as she returns to the site of her most painful World War I memories to resolve the mystery of a pilot's death. Sept. 27 from noon - 1 p.m. Free. Rines Auditorium, 5 Monument Sq., Portland. 207-871-1700. www.portlandlibrary.com
Coastal Kitchen Tour
Visit several kitchens in some of the loveliest homes in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and taste popular recipes from The Center Cooks cookbook. Benefits the Senior Center at Lower Village, Kennebunk. Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. $15-$20. 207-967-8514. www.seniorcenterkennebunk.org
David Sedaris
The Christmas elf at Macy's department store in New York City comes to Portland's Merrill Auditorium -- and he really does talk pretty. Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. $38. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.pcagreatperformances.org
Great Maine Apple Day
Celebrate the fruit of fall with a day for the whole family, including apple tasting, cider-making, and a pie contest. Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. $2-$4. Exhibition Hall, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's Common Ground Education Center, Crosby Brook Rd., Unity. 207-287-3491. www.getrealmaine.com/visit/great_maine_apple_day.html
Living History Days
Enjoy life in a 1790s Colonial village. Take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage, see a blacksmith and spinner demonstrate their craft, and drink some fresh-pressed cider. Oct. 7 & 8, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Leonard's Mills, Rte. 178, Bradley.207-581-2871.leonardsmills.com
Peninsula Potters' Sale and Studio/Gallery Tour
A four day, self-guided tour of thirteen studios and galleries in Blue Hill, Deer Isle, Brooksville, Sedgwick, Stonington, and Sunset, featuring a wide range of the functional and sculptural work of twenty-one clay artists. Oct. 6 - 9 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free. 207-348-5681.
Upcountry Artists' Art and Craft Show
Paintings, photography, fine furniture, baskets, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, and fabric items go on sale at Sugarloaf. Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free. Sugarloaf Mountain Base Lodge, 5092 Access Rd., Carrabassett Valley. 207-778-4764.
Waldoboro Antiques Show
Sixty dealers display furniture, hooked rugs, textiles, toys, silver, books, and art. This event is sponsored by the Medomak Valley Land Trust. Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Medomak Valley High School, 320 Manktown Rd., Waldoboro. $5. 207-443-8983.
Woodcarving and Wildlife Art Show and Sale
Woodcarvers from all over Maine, New England, and Canada display for sale carvings that range from working decoys to songbirds to mammals, fish, and game birds. Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. $3. Augusta Armory, Western Ave. 207-873-3370. www.mainewoodcarver.org
