Maine News Thursday Jun 25

Maine Humanities Council - Our team here at Maine Humanities is taking the month of July to truly slow down.  We are taking the month as a time of rest, respite, and sabbatical. We work and live in a culture that often moves too fast for us to pause, reflect, and readjust. At Maine Humanities, we have realized that keeping this constant pace does not help us do our best work. We need space to reset our brains and our bodies so that we can return to our work and our partnerships with clearer minds and hearts.

To this end, our offices will be closed for the month of July. We are not the first non-profit to adopt a sabbatical month. We have learned from other non-profits we work with and are inspired by here in Maine.... How many of us have spent countless hours staring into our computers with back-to-back meetings, events, and obligations? Scheduling and rescheduling?  This type of stress gets trapped in our bodies and we need time to unplug and to just ‘be.’”

WCYY   -  Following the pandemic, many movie theaters throughout Maine closed their doors permanently. Many of those belonging to Cinemagic but other small theaters felt the pain as well.   That included the Nordica Theater in Freeport, Maine, which decided to permanently close. It looked to many in Freeport that the small theater would simply do what other vacant spaces do in Freeport, transform into something else.  

Instead, Patriot Cinemas decided to step up and reopen the movie theater after a six-year absence. Patriot Cinemas Opens New Location in Freeport, Maine | 

UPCOMING

Jun 26 
Free Coffee Friday! In-Person:  Curtis Memorial Library Library Lobby (below the mezzanine)  9:00 am

Color & Light: Annual Summer Show  - 10AM - 5PM at Meetinghouse Arts. 40 Main Street, Freeport, ME Our annual members’ Summer Show will feature paintings, drawings, encaustics, photography, ceramics, glass work, sculpture, fiber arts, and hand-pulled prints (monotype, lino, wood block).

Join us as we celebrate the official launch of Art Afloat, a one-of-a-kind public art exhibit featuring 36 artist-created lobster boats displayed at Meetinghouse Arts in downtown Freeport. Hosted by the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Art Afloat brings together artists, supported by local businesses and community in a celebration of creativity, Maine's maritime heritage, and Freeport spirit! The exhibit (and auction) includes works by professional artists as well as two boats created by students from Freeport High School (RSU 5). The evening will also feature the presentation of the 2026 Chamber Choice Awards, recognizing outstanding businesses and individuals who help make the Freeport community thrive.  Throughout the summer, the boats will remain on display in front of Meetinghouse Arts and will be available through an online auction benefiting future community initiatives, including the new Youth Philanthropy Project at Freeport High School. Art Afloat Launch Party & Chamber Choice Awards Meeting House Arts 40 Main Street Friday, June 26, 2026 4:00–6:00 PM RSVP   Jun 2 7 Coffee Cuppings and Tea Tastings at Tern   10AM - 11AM  141 Maine Street, Brunswick, ME Every Saturday at 10:00 AM, Tern hosts a coffee cupping or tea tasting. Follow their Instagram (@terncoffee) or check the sandwich board in front of the store to see which one it will be that week. They value community input to enhance their offerings. Jun 27-28 Freeport, Maine's Fifth Annual Oyster Festival June 27-28 (ultimatemaine.com) — Freeport is gearing up for the fifth annual Maine Oyster Festival June 27–28, bringing oyster farms from along the coast, food trucks, artisans, and live music into town. Expect new perks like a free shuttle, pre-order tasting tickets, farm tours, and a Friday “Meet the Farmers” kickoff party. It’s a chance to enjoy peak-season oysters while supporting Maine’s coastal aquaculture scene right in Freeport. Jun 28 Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport: Songwriters in the Round presented by Jud Caswell, 4, $30-$35, show also will be livestreamed on Cadenza’s Facebook page Jun 30  Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8 July 4 Cook’s Lobster & Ale House, 68 Garrison Cove Rd., Bailey Island: Travis James Humprey, 5-8 Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Don Campbell Band, 7 pm Freeport Fourth festivities kick off at 7 a.m. with a $10 pancake breakfast at the Harraseeket Grange. Also happening that morning is a 10K road race and 1-miler in support of the YMCA.  The Independence Day parade along Main Street steps off at 10 a.m.   July 5 Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: Richard Reichner, 2-4 Jim Sharkey,  Winslow Park | 6-7:30 PM