Community Calendar

Novel Jazz is returning to the Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta on Saturday, 20 December, 2025, 7-9:30 PM, for a jazz winter solstice celebration! They will be playing out of the Great American Songbook, but tunes will be befitting the longest night of the year. Proceeds will benefit Skidompha’s Little Food Pantry. This evening marks the last show of the band’s 21st year in which Novel Jazz has been playing straight-ahead jazz for audiences throughout Maine (and beyond). Collectively, they share over two centuries of experience in the jazz idiom. The musicians of Novel Jazz are Herb Maine (acoustic bass), Barney Balch (trombone), Bill Manning (drums), Michael Mitchell (trumpet), Mickey Felder (piano), David Clarke (guitar) and Nate Johengen (saxophone). There also will be a special guest artist for this show.

Novel Jazz events at Skidompha began in 2004 with the observation that lovers of books often are lovers of jazz. The superb acoustics of Skidompha’s atrium, plus the seating “in the round”, make it a superior place to see and hear jazz, all in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. It was while performing at Skidompha that the band began their unique focus on jazz giants, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. The band has released four CDs featuring a wide variety of compositions by these two jazz icons.

As is always the case, we encourage parents to bring their children, the future of this art form. The library is located at 184 Main Street in downtown Damariscotta. Call 207-887-0919 during business hours for more information or, point your web browser to http://www.skidompha.org/ or the band’s web site www.mainejazz.net.

This promises to be a special Skidompha/Novel Jazz evening with the solstice celebration! If you have never attended a Novel Jazz event at Skidompha, check them out on Saturday, 20 December, 2025 and see why the Novel Jazz evenings at the library have been so popular for over two decades. Join NJS for an evening of winter solstice music, music fitting for the longest night of the year, music to warm your soul, all to benefit Skidompha’s Little Food Pantry!

Billboard charting classical-crossover quartet, Sons of Serendip, won the hearts of fans and judges alike as finalists on America’s Got Talent with their ethereal and emotionally stirring interpretations of pop music, arranged with a unique blend of vocals, harp, piano, and cello. With 4 successful albums and soulful live performances, Sons of Serendip has lifted audiences both nationally and internationally. Notable performances include collaborations with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Cynthia Erivo. We can think of no finer way to celebrate the holiday, and to close out the 2025 concert season than with these 4 unforgettable talents.

“The hottest acoustic Irish band on the planet” (Irish Echo) makes its annual return to the Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St., to welcome the season with traditional Irish music. Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes and low whistle), Kevin Crawford (flute, whistles and bodhran), Trevor Hutchinson (standup bass), Colin Farrell (fiddle and whistle), Patrick Doocey (guitar) and special guest Dave Curley will fill the House in a concert sponsored by Camden Maine Stay Inn and 40 Paper. Choose-your-own-reserved-seat tickets are $48 in advance, $54 day-of-show via camdenoperahouse.com.

Don't be bored this holiday season. Come dance and have fun with us, the Downeast Dancers at the Ellsworth YMCA on 12/20/25, 7:30 PM til 9:30 PM. Our DJ will play a variety of music to get you on your feet. Feel free to wear your holiday attire. FMI 207-244-5286

This American Legion Post #36 Breakfast Buffet has been a tradition spanning many years now. Aside from a few minor unforeseen and unavoidable changes, most everything else remains the same. All who enter the Legion Hall doors on a Breakfast Buffet Sunday, will get a great meal for a fair price/donation, get to see old friends and/or family, or meet someone interesting for the first time. The menu items have satisfied many folks over the years, and I have no doubt that this year will be no different. So come and enjoy the Legion Buffet Breakfast this season, enjoy the food, enjoy the camaraderie, and learn how you (Yes, You) can play a key role in this year's breakfast season - or next year's season. There are a number of very important people who make these breakfasts a success each year, if you have any interest in becoming a volunteer or member of the breakfast crew - ask for the least important person in the mix (Christopher) when you arrive for breakfast. These breakfast buffets take place every other Sunday starting on April 2, 2025.

Falmouth Memorial Library is pleased to announce that Illustration Institute's The Great State of Illustration in Maine will be on display at the Library from November 8, 2025, through January 31, 2026. This exhibition celebrates the rich, diverse cultural heritage of over 80 Maine-connected illustrators such as Ashley Bryan, Barbara Cooney, Dahlov Ipcar, Melissa Sweet, Chris Van Dusen, N.C. Wyeth, and more. The Great State of Illustration in Maine will showcase illustration as an art form in the very place where books are easily and publicly accessed. "We are thrilled to welcome Illustration Institute to Falmouth Memorial Library and offer an exhibition of this depth and breadth to our community. We hope visitors from around our State will come enjoy this collection of incredible illustrations, and take advantage of exciting, related programming over the next three months," commented Jenna Mayotte, Library Director.

Join us in practicing gratitude this holiday season! Show kindness and gratitude in big and small ways in the community to be entered into a drawing for a Falmouth Memorial Library bookbag! Here's how it works: Pick up a Gratitude Challenge booklet at the library. Fill out your name and phone number, and use the inspiration ideas in the middle to show gratitude around your community. Return the booklet to the Falmouth Memorial Library by December 30. We will draw a winner on January 2 and contact them to pick up a free library bookbag!

Sunday, December 21st from 9:30AM-4:30PM

In this workshop students will make their own silver rings from start to finish. This class will cover basic metalsmithing skills, such as cutting, shaping, and joining metal. You will customize your ring bands with surface design techniques such as filing, stamping, and hammering.

$99 workshop fee does not include materials. The $30 materials kit can be purchased at the beginning of the workshop. (For safety, be sure to wear closed toe shoes and have long hair pulled back with clips or in a ponytail.)

We will have an hour break for lunch midday. The studio will be closed during this break, but there are nearby parks where you can eat lunch if you brought your own, or you can check out one of the local restaurants in the area.

Open to adults only.

About the instructor: Kim Round got her degree in art at Florida State University and taught jewelry workshops in Tallahassee, FL before making the move back home to Maine. She has been teaching Beginning Metalsmithing and other workshops at Artascope since 2016 and is thrilled to be part of a friendly & creative community. She is a member of the Maine Crafts Association and her work can be found at the Center for Maine Craft and Archipelago/The Island Institute store.

“Now and Then,” a show of paintings by Camden resident Nina Holland, will be on exhibit in the upper and lower levels of the Rockport Public Library Dec. 2, 2025 - Jan. 29, 2026. The display is a retrospective of Holland’s work, spanning her 65-year career as an artist.

Trained as a painter, Holland is also known as an accomplished weaver and craftsperson. Her work has been exhibited country-wide, including five venues in New York City. She has won several awards in juried shows including a purchase prize and alcove show at New Mexico State Art Museum in Santa Fe.

In the 1970s, she published numerous articles and three books – two about weaving and one about quilting. She taught at Evansville University and North Country Community College.

Nina Holland plans to donate all proceeds from the sales of her artwork in the Rockport Library show to International Rescue Committee, rated a four-star charity on Charity Navigator.

Owlbear’s Rest is usually an escape from adulting for grown-ups—except on Sunday mornings! Bring the whole crew for a game-filled adventure that’s perfect for adventurers of any age. Your little halflings can enjoy a warm steamer while you sip on a well-earned latte (oat milk available!).

Family gaming time starts here!

✨ Keep an eye on our social media—some sessions will feature special organized activities just for kiddos!