Community Calendar

Spark your holiday spirit with a visit to Historic New England’s 1807 Nickels-Sortwell House, December 5 – December 7, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, part of Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest.. Experience the house’s stunning interiors in a whole new way from vintage Christmas and New Years celebrations to a fantasy solarium. Tours are self-paced with. guides on hand to share the stories of the people and lives lived here. Advance ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets are good for entrance anytime during open hours that day. Tickets are $5 Historic New England members and Wiscasset residents, $10 general admission. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are free. After the tour, come into the original kitchen (not included on regular tours) and enjoy a warm drink and snack. Then visit the Holiday Shop in the Nickels-Sortwell House Barn featuring a curated collection of unique craft and artisan creations, holiday greens and gifts. A portion of sales goes to Historic New England for the preservation of this historic Wiscasset landmark. FMI, visit http://wiscassetholidaymarketfest.com. Come share the fun and Happy Holidays!

The Cary Memorial Library Book Sale at the Williams House will be open 10:30 to 2:30 on December 7th, the Sunday of the Wayne Stroll. There are five rooms full of books, alphabetized by author (fiction) or organized by subject (nonfiction). We have a selection of holiday themed books and many “like new” books that would make great gifts. Most books are a dollar each. Small (mass market) paperbacks and selected hardcover fiction are on sale for a dollar a bag. Young readers' paperbacks are 25 cents each or five for a dollar. In addition, you will find DVDs, Audio Books and puzzles; the boutique will be open too. Proceeds from the book sale fund Cary Memorial Library scholarships awarded to Maranacook High School seniors.

A SPECTACULAR FEEL GOOD EVENT!
Packed to the brim with delectable things to eat & libations by Wild Oats - CARAVAN is popping up in this great new location for it's 8TH HOLIDAZE Sale! Featuring 25 local talents selling top notch gifting!

Shop original art & sculpture, illustrations, woodworking, cutting boards, pottery, ornaments, stained glass, jewelry, bead work, leather, hand stitched apparel, printmaking, artisan chocolates, skin care, felting, housewares, stationary, bookmaking, tarot, toys, games, tools, & more!
SATURDAY 12/6 & SUNDAY 12/7 11AM-4PM! Located on the base in Brunswick, ME!

Poster design by www.KateBurgau.com

Drop-in to Lay Lines' cozy shop with family & friends to make paper ornaments during this years Wiscasset Holiday Marketfest. Come create with Joelle for 15 minutes of kid friendly, paper making joy! Her $10 kits are created with handmade decorative papers from Mermaid Bindery. Tools will be provided for instruction. She hopes you will try one or more of the different ornament styles. Extra kits will also be available for purchase, to share the handmade fun at home!

Guests will enjoy the freshest Allagash White while walking through our world-class brewery. If you're looking for a more in-depth experience with more info on our wild and sour barrel room and coolship program, check out our Signature Tour & Tasting.

The highlights:
16 oz of beer (or N/A option)
30 minutes
$18 before tax/fees
21+

Please read on before booking:

Tour-goers must be 21 or older. Infant-wearing is welcome - the tour path through our manufacturing plant is not suitable for young children or strollers.

Guests who are not drinking beer can purchase a Designated Driver ticket and will have a choice of NA beverage.

Dogs are not allowed on this manufacturing plant tour.

Introduction to Birch Bark Baskets

This class will cover all the steps in making a birch bark basket. We will head out into the woods and learn how to identify the trees, how to collect the bark from downed trees, how to process the bark, and finally, how to make a basket.

The course fee will cover all materials and instruction.

Testimonies draws from personal stories, historical documents, and academic revival, inviting the listener to engage with themes of heritage, home, and remembrance. Charlton Singleton’s Testimony evokes Gullah traditions and the music of the African Methodist Church, while Derrick Skye’s American Mirror reflects on American multiculturalism more broadly. Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate’s Pisachi (Reveal) draws on Pueblo and Hopi traditional music, and Shelly Washington’s Middleground meditates on home as both physical and emotional refuge. Testimonies encourages reflection on identity and cultural legacy.

Palaver Strings is a musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, ME. Their mission is to strengthen and inspire community through music. In their musician-led model, Palaver’s musicians share artistic and administrative leadership, guided by a passion for engaging new audiences, addressing social justice issues, and amplifying underrepresented voices. Equally committed to performance and education, Palaver presents a full season of live concerts and serves hundreds of students each year at the Palaver Music Center in Portland.

Musicians
Violin: Maïthéna Girault, Grant Houston
Viola: Elizabeth Moore
Cello: Matthew Smith

Join us for Stories of Resilience & Connection, a free community event on Sunday, December 7 from 2:00–3:30 PM at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, featuring live storytelling, music by Putnam Smith, light refreshments, and the Letters to Ukraine initiative. Sponsored by the University of Maine Mental Health Advisory Council, this gathering celebrates human connection, active care and resilience.

Putnam Smith is a rootsy, multi-instrumentalist songwriter who writes and performs on guitar, mandolin, fretless banjo, and piano. Steeped in Appalachian traditions, he is also very much a storyteller for the modern age.

In collaboration with ELIA, a European network of art schools, we’ve launched Letters to Ukraine—an initiative to send handwritten letters of support to students, staff, and faculty at 16 Ukrainian universities.

Please join us for our annual Christmas party for the community!

Walking into Rural Hall, you”ll feel like you’ve stepped into a preserved 19th‐century community space: a high-ceilinged rectangular hall with wood floors and benches, brightened by tall windows and heated by a wood stove — simple, functional, communal, and rooted in rural Maine social life.

During the one-day Festival of Trees, we’ll be raffling decorated trees with their gifts and oodles of additional prizes. There’s definitely something for everyone!

Santa will stop bye with goodies for every child and light refreshments will be served.

These generous business and organizations will be decorating trees and adding gifts underneath to be raffled the day of the festival:

THE Salon & Spa
Uncle Buggy's Hotel for Dogs
Wesmac Custom Boats
Rural Hall Association

Join the Queer Makers Market at Mechanics’ Hall for a cozy afternoon of shopping for homemade goods.

The Queer Makers’ Market is a regularly occurring market made up of local makers, artists, and peddlers of the weird and wonderful who identify as a part of the lgbtqia+ community.

The market is free to enter and runs from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. No registration required.

The market will take place on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Mechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step or use a modular wheelchair ramp. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator to the third-floor ballroom.

If you have a particular accessibility question or request please contact us at programming@mainemechanics.org.