The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland is one of seven in the Maine Art Museum Trail, a loosely associated group of art museums in Maine located within an easy drive of each other. Winslow Homer’s studio has recently been renovated and is now open to the public for tours on Prout’s Neck, a bit south of Portland. The Farnsworth Museum right here in Rockland features “a nationally recognized collection of American art, including works by Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Henry Lane, Frank Benson, Childe Hassam, and Maurice Prendergast. Highlights include an extensive collection of Louise Nevelson sculpture. The Museum’s Wyeth Center exclusively features works by Andrew, N.C., and Jamie Wyeth. Two historic buildings—the Farnsworth Homestead and the Olson House—complete the museum complex.”

The museums are open year round.

While sometimes technology is a theme, it’s not what it’s all about. Rather, PopTech is about innovation. Here’s a great explanation of what PopTech hopes to achieve:

“We bring innovators together from many different fields—science, technology, design, corporate and civic leadership, public health, social and ecological innovation, and the arts and humanities, among others… …We convene this community in intimate, peer-level gatherings where participants can share their most provocative questions and their most promising new ideas, and begin to work together on new approaches to some of the world’s toughest challenges. In so doing, we constantly seek out the ‘genius in the white spaces,’—insights that can only be discovered when people from very diverse disciplines come together, and concepts from one field are ‘mashed up’ with those from another.” Read more about PopTech.

The PopTech conference takes place primarily in the beautiful Camden Opera House every October.

This annual event attracts pre-1991 foreign car enthusiasts from all over the state—from luxury sedans to the high-performance sports cars. The variety can be impressive: Austin Healey, MG, Triumph, Porsche, Ferrari, Citroen, Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and more. The meet draws a large number of Japanese models as well. Owners of pre-1991 cars and trucks are welcome to exhibit at this and all other Museum (non-auction) events at no charge. Visitors are encouraged to come early to guarantee seeing the highest concentration of exhibiting vehicles.

The antique aeroplane show will begin at 9:30 a.m., weather permitting. Aircraft conservator Karl Erickson and a team of volunteers have been working tirelessly on getting the Museum’s fleet of of World War I-era biplanes ready to take to the skies. Back on the flight line will be the 1917 Curtiss JN-4 or “Jenny” made popular by barnstormers of the 1920s. Also seeing action will be the 1917 Nieuport 28C.1 and 1917 Spad XIIIc.1, among others. An open flightline will allow visitors to get an up close look at the planes as well as talk to the pilots.

If you’re looking for a true Maine experience, consider “Betting The Farm” (showing at 7:30pm on Thursday), a modern documentary about local dairy farmers who formed Maine’s Own Organic (MOO) Milk cooperative.

“BETTING THE FARM is the story of a group of Maine dairy farmers who, dropped by their national milk company, are suddenly confronted with the real possibility of losing their farms. Banding together, the farmers launch their own milk company. Farmers Vaughn Chase, Richard Lary, and Aaron Bell, along with their families, struggle to make ends meet as they get the company off the ground. But faced with slow sales and mounting bills, can the farmers hang together long enough for the gamble to pay off? Or will they be left worse off than before?”

Check out this and other listings for the 4 day event at www.camdenfilmfest.org

http://www.camdenfilmfest.org Copyright 2012

“The tour showcases the highly refined skills of local craft designers and artists. It includes a wide variety of work, all carefully and thoughtfully handmade at our studios here in Midcoast Maine. Some of our work uses centuries-old techniques, while other work takes advantage of more modern processes.

Most of our studios are open all year. On the second full week-end in September, we invite you to enjoy our free open studio tour. For more information, call 207-236-9619.

Please note that all studios are open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the three days of the tour, but regular hours differ. You will find these listed on the back panel of the brochure.”

Lunch is served on the corner of Routes 235 and 105, across from Hope General Store, as a fundraiser for the Hope Elementary School.

Here’s your chance to visit those lighthouses which are only accessible by water!

The U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Maine and the American Lighthouse Foundation are pleased to announce the fourth annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34652102@N04/4838922298/sizes/m/

Participating Lighthouses

(all will be open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm unless otherwise noted)

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse – Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower only. The tower contains a Fresnel lens, a remarkable, 19th-century invention that allows lights to project their beams far out to sea.

Brown’s Head Lighthouse – Vinalhaven Island (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower only. Contains a Fresnel lens. How to get there: Maine State Ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven 

Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse – Swan’s Island (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house. How to get there: Maine State Ferry from Bass Harbor to Swan’s Island.

Burnt Island Lighthouse – entrance to Boothbay Harbor (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (Living-history museum inside). How to get there: Balmy Days Cruises, Boothbay Harbor.

Curtis Island Lighthouse – entrance to Camden Harbor (offshore).  Historic buildings open: Light tower only. How to get there: Boat

Doubling Point Lighthouse – Arrowsic (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower only.

Dyce Head Lighthouse – Castine (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower only.

Fort Point Lighthouse – Cape Jellison near Stockton Springs (land-based).  Historic buildings open: Light tower (contains a Fresnel lens) and bell tower (exhibits inside).

Grindle Point Lighthouse – Islesboro (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (museum inside). How to get there: Maine State Ferry from Lincolnville to the island of Islesboro. 

Kennebec River Range Lights (two towers) – Arrowsic (land-based).  Historic buildings open: Front and Rear Range light towers only.

Little River Lighthouse – entrance to Cutler Harbor (offshore) 9 a.m. to noon. Live music at the site. Historic buildings open: Light tower, boathouse and keeper’s house (furnished for overnight stays). How to get there: Friends of Little River Lighthouse boats leave from Town of Cutler Boat Landing.

Marshall Point Lighthouse – Port Clyde (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (Museum inside)

Monhegan Island Lighthouse – Monhegan Island (offshore) 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (museum inside). How to get there: Boats from Port Clyde, New Harbor and Boothbay Harbor. Monhegan Boat Line. Hardy Boat Cruises. Balmy Days Cruises.

Owls Head Lighthouse – Owls Head (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower only. Contains a Fresnel lens.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse – Bristol (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower (contains a Fresnel lens) and keeper’s house (museum inside).

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse (Bug Light) – South Portland (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower only.

Portland Head Lighthouse – Cape Elizabeth (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (museum inside). Note: On Open Lighthouse Day, approximately 300 tickets will be made available to visitors on a first-come-first-served basis. A ticket will be required to climb the tower. You must be at least 48 inches tall to climb the tower. Visitors must be able to climb 85+ steps unassisted.

Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse – Rockland (land-based via a breakwater). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house.

Seguin Island Lighthouse – Off Popham Beach (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house (furnished for overnight member stays). How to get there: Seguin Island Ferry by Fish’N’Trip Charters.

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse – South Portland (land-based via a breakwater). Historic buildings open: Light tower.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse – Lubec (land-based). Historic buildings open: Light tower (contains a Fresnel lens) and keeper’s house (museum inside).

Whitehead Lighthouse – Entrance to Penobscot Bay, Whitehead Island (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower only. How to get there: Whitehead Light Station boat. Limited transportation available upon request; call (207) 200-7957.

Wood Island Lighthouse – Biddeford Pool (offshore). Historic buildings open: Light tower and keeper’s house. How to get there: Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse boats (reservations required). www.woodislandlighthouse.org For reservations, call (207) 200-4552, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

This one-day extravaganza is designed to connect consumers directly with producers, showcasing the wide variety and incredible quality of the products Maine entrepreneurs bring to market every day. This will be the largest showcase of Maine-made products in the Midcoast this year!

This event is sponsored by Down East, the Magazine of Maine and organized and promoted through the combined expertise of the Maine Food Producers Alliance and the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Learn how to prepare a four-course dinner while incorporating Maine lobster in unique and inspiring ways. Dinner and wine pairings to follow. $75 per person. Advance purchase is required. Please call 207-763-4478 to reserve your space.

And speaking of Lobster Lovers, I recently came across this article in Downeast Magazine about the lovers that lobster actually are. Fascinating read akin to “The Secret Life of Lobsters” by Maine native Trevor Corson.

From EnchantedLearning.com