Summer has arrived and Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island are in full swing. Come and explore Acadia National Park and see all that we have to offer!
Upcoming Events
42nd Bar Harbor Music Festival - July 2-27, 2008
The Bar Harbor Music Festival, founded by violinist Francis Fortier in 1967, has gained national recognition for its unique work. It remains one of the few music festivals in the United States whose guiding mission is to provide essential performance opportunities for outstanding up-and-coming talent. During the past 41 years, the Bar Harbor Music Festival has advanced the careers of over 1,750 aspiring instrumentalists, singers, and composers. The Festival's outreach programs, such as the admission-free outdoor concerts in Acadia National Park and artist-in-residence programs in American schools and colleges, have provided a vital public cultural service, while winning new audiences for classical music and fostering music education. Its annual summer festival in Bar Harbor, coupled with its Touring Program, has reached audiences totaling over one million. For more information on each event or to purchase tickets, call 207-288-5744, visit www.barharbormusicfestival.org or email info@barharbormusicfestival.org.
Schedule of Events
July 2 8:15pm Opening Night with Brass Venture, Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 6 4:00pm Tea Concert: "Shades of Spain" featuring Adele Karam, soprano and Cara Chowning, pianist with guest bassist, Allan Santos. Tea served during intermission. Balance Rock Inn, 21 Albert Meadow.
July 11 8:15pm Igor Begelman, clarinetist and Tatiana Goncharova, pianist. Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 12 8:15pm Christopher Johnson, pianist. Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 13 8:15pm POPS Concert: "Passion's Prism" featuring Amy Mahoney, Soprano. Pre-concert dinner at 6pm, optional. Parkside Restaurant, 185 Main St.
July 15 5:30pm "New Composers" Forum: Reflections on 25 Years. Admission free (voluntary contribution.) Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 16 8:15pm 25th Anniversary "New Composers" Concert: Reflections on 25 Years. Featuring the New Piano Quartet. Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 18 8:15pm Opera Theatre: Carmen by Georges Bizet featuring Fenlon Lamb as Carmen. Criterion Theatre and Arts Center, 35 Cottage St.
July 20 8:15pm Jazz Night with the Wolverine Jazz Band, returning by popular demand. Pre-concert dinner at 6pm, optional. Jackson Laboratory Commons, 610 Main St.
July 23 8:00pm 36th Annual Acadia National Park Outdoor Concert with the Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra. Admission is free (voluntary contribution.) Blackwoods Campground Amphitheatre, Route 3, Otter Creek.
July 25 8:15pm 4th Annual Bob Noonan Memorial Concert with the Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra. Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mt Desert St.
July 27 8:15pm Festival Gala with the Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra. Pre-concert dinner at 6pm, optional. Bar Harbor Club, 111 West St.
33rd Annual Directions Maine Craft Guild Show - August 1-3, 2008
A carefully juried group of 70 leading Maine craft professionals will present their work for sale at this year's show. The entire spectrum of Maine made crafts will be represented including artist designed gold and silver jewelry, unique clothing in natural fibers, fine handmade furniture, blown glass, woodenware, wood engravings, metal work, leather bags, pottery, baskets and more. See these professional artisans demonstrate their craft. Free Craft Demonstrations each day in spinning wool, felt making, metal formed hollowware, forming clay vessels on the potters wheel, stone carving and so much more will take place throughout the weekend. DIRECTIONS: Maine Crafts Guild is a statewide craft organization that has served professional craftspeople of Maine since its beginnings in 1975. The group is devoted to the idea of "Crafts that Transcend the Ordinary." An annual board of jurors reviews the exhibitors. Each year a few new exhibitors meet the requirements to be recommended for membership in DIRECTIONS. Work exhibited must be totally designed and handmade by the artisan. These exhibitors are all Maine residents and are outstanding members of the crafts community who have dedicated themselves to understanding a specific medium as a form of expression, as well as, a way of life. Hours are Friday evening from 5-9pm, Sat and Sun from 10am-5pm. Location: MDI High School, Route 233, 5 miles from downtown Bar Harbor. Admission $5 - Children free. For more information visit www.mainecraftsguild.com or email feinarts@yahoo.com.
Bar Harbor Jazz Festival - August 17-24, 2008
A 7 day festival of jazz with concerts and events happening all around town, from outdoor cafes to the grand old art-deco Criterion Theatre, from the public Village Green, to local pubs and restaurants. The Festival features modern jazz, classics, and great vocalists as well. Founded in 2004, the Bar Harbor Jazz Festival hopes to add another dimension to the great history of music here in Bar Harbor. For more information on each event visit www.barharborjazzfest.com or email info@barharborjazzfest.com.
Schedule of Events
August 17 3:00-8:00pm Noir: bringing their own brand of groove to jazz fusion classics and original tunes, Rupununi's, 119 Main St.
August 18 1:00-3:00pm Ned Ferm & Kim Cass on the Village Green, Main and Mt Desert Streets. Ned Ferm is an MDI native who has performed all over the US and Europe to critical acclaim.
August 18 6:30pm Jazz Duo at Guinness & Porcelli's, 191 Main St. Enjoy great jazz with dinner. Limited seating available at the bar.
August 19 1:00-3:30pm Wave on the Village Green, Main and Mt Desert Streets. Sweet, sultry and kicked-back, this popular duo continues to delight audiences all over Maine.
August 19 6:00pm Ryan Blotnick, solo guitar. Havana, 318 Main St.
August 20 1:00-3:30pm Wave: vocals by Mary Spence and guitar by Muk Dodge. Rupununi's, 119 Main St.
August 21 1:00-3:00pm Ryan Blotnick Quartet on the Village Green, Main and Mt Desert Streets. Featuring Sam Barsh and Ned Ferm.
August 21 6:30pm Ryan Blotnick, solo guitar. Quarterdeck, 1 Main St.
August 22 1:30pm McKay's Preview on the Village Green, Main and Mt Desert Streets.
August 22 8:00pm Kim Cass Trio featuring Kristin Slipp on vocals and Ned Ferm on sax. $10 at the door. McKay's Public House, 231 Main St.
August 23 7:00pm Steve Grover Quartet featuring Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, Tony Gaboury and Bruce Sanders. Also enjoy the Ned Ferm Trio. Tickets $12 downstairs, $15 balcony. Criterion Theatre, 35 Cottage St.
August 24 3:00-8:00pm Noir, Rupununi's, 119 Main St.
Bar Harbor Food & Wine Classic - September 5-14, 2008
A celebration of wine, food and song…Excite your senses and savor the experience at one of New England’s premier wine festivals. Events include:
Friday September 5: Kick-Off Grand Tasting Reception at the Bar Harbor Club 7-9:30pm
Join us for the last hurrah of summer with an elegant evening of wine, jazz and food on the grounds of the historic Bar Harbor Club to kick-off the opening of the 2nd annual Bar Harbor Food and Wine Classic. The Grand Tasting will feature celebrity Maine chefs at cooking stations, dozens of wines and winery representatives, cheese makers and local wine retailers, all along the banks of beautiful Frenchman's Bay. Originally built in the 1930's, the Bar Harbor Club was once a private playground for the town's wealthiest summer residents. Now meticulously restored, the Tudor-styled building and terraced lawns are more glamorous than ever providing a unique seaside venue. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are limited and will sell quickly. Avoid disappointment; order your tickets online today. $49.95 plus tax and gratuity.
Saturday September 6: Grand Vintner's Dinner of Italian Wine with Reception at 6pm featuring Passed Chef's Canapés and Four Course Dinner at 7pm
Join us for an amazing dinner, with the winemaker, as he leads us through each wine, in the intimate and luxurious setting of the historic Bar Harbor Club. Executive Chef Ryan Phillips will prepare four courses especially for the evening's wines to best bring out their flavors. A meet and greet wine reception with canapés precedes the dinner. Truly a most special evening for enjoying wines of distinction and the superb cuisine of the Bar Harbor Club $79.95 plus tax and gratuity.
September 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12: Flight Nights in the Enoteca Wine Bar Monday - Friday 5-7pm
Each night features a different flight of wine with complimentary chef's canapés prepared right in front of you, a guest wine professional to talk about the wines and live jazz. No reservations are taken; just join in the good wine, good food and good time in the Enoteca Wine Bar at the Bella Vita Restaurant at the Harborside Hotel. Flights range from $10-13 for 3 glasses of wine (2oz. each) Reservations not required.
For more information visit www.barharborfoodandwineclassic.com.