If you walk into Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML) on a Wednesday afternoon during the school year, you’ll smell the delicious scent of freshly popped popcorn in the air. It’s the unspoken signal that the “club kids” are coming!

The life and legacy of one of the world’s most recognizable and influential artists returns to the Lincoln Theater big screen in Exhibition on Screen’s Frida Kahlo encore. Instantly recognizable by her bold self-portraits, signature brows, and vibrant floral imagery, Kahlo is a phenomenon. She is arguably the world’s favorite female artist, beloved by young and old. Yet behind the iconic image lies a far more complex story, one that the film seeks to uncover with depth and sensitivity.

The art of more than 400 students was on display the past two weeks at Boothbay Region Art Foundation here in Boothbay Harbor. And, if you missed it, you can catch a glimpse of the incredible work from the show.

The imaginative work of students Pre-K to grade 12 from Boothbay Region High and Elementary schools, the Center For Teaching and Learning, Southport Central School and Edgecomb Eddy School filled the gallery like light through a prism!

“Setting the Table” is the first of nine classes planned for the summer at Maine Art Gallery (MAG). This class is themed to complement the current exhibit, “Art to Table: Visual Sustenance,” and will be held Tuesday, June 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

As instructor Elizabeth Reed explains, “the same rules of perspective of a well-set table lend themselves to landscapes, interiors, and imaginary settings.” In addition to learning perspective, students will learn to design an interesting composition that “pushes their imaginations with color and pattern…beyond representation.”

Boothbay Harbor is gearing up for one of the most colorful celebrations on the water, and this year’s Windjammer Days Decorated Boat Parade is shaping up to be the most exciting yet. After last year’s successful transformation from the traditional Lighted Boat Parade into a vibrant early‑evening spectacle, we are stepping it up to bring even more boats into the fun.

In a time when so many things can feel like they divide us, looking for connections can be difficult. Generational divides can be especially hard to overcome. Phrases like “OK, Boomer” and “Ugh, Millennials” have become part of mainstream vernacular. Seeing what you might have in common with someone decades older or younger than you can seem impossible.

"The Grand Tour in Thirty Days" will open on Saturday, May 23rd, at the Wiscasset Bay Gallery, which is celebrating its 42nd year.

One of Down East magazine’s favorite annual issues is the Best of Maine edition. This year, our local Harbor Theater has been nominated and is a finalist in the Best Movie Theater category. The winners will be published in the September 2026 issue of Down East. To get us there, you need to vote now!

Voting officially opens on May 12 and continues through June 12, and we would be incredibly grateful for your support as we celebrate community cinema here in Boothbay Harbor.

“This is such a fun and engaging show,”  said one enthusiastic visitor to the opening of Maine Art Gallery’s “Art to Table: Visual Sustenance” exhibition on Saturday. The rain and chill in the air didn’t keep folks away from coming to see the variety of 88 works in all mediums on the historic building’s two floors. 

Andrew Duhon has been called, “Another world-class voice from Louisiana, another soulful, mesmerizing singer who writes emotional songs with impact and heart,” and on Saturday, May 23, this blues and folk troubadour travels far and arrives in Maine to play at the historic Boothbay Harbor Opera House.

Imij Armstead, affectionately named by her parents after Jimi Hendrix (her first name is “Jimi” spelled backward), has become a vibrant force in the Boothbay Region’s thriving performing arts community. At just 18, she has already established herself as both a versatile performer and a dedicated instructor.

Lincoln County Community Theater (LCCT), resident theater company at Damariscotta’s historic Lincoln Theater, is set to delight audiences the weekend of May 15-17, with its live stage production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” a darkly comedic musical that has captivated theatergoers for decades. With music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, the celebrated duo behind Disney hits like “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Aladdin;” “Little Shop of Horrors” blends rock, doo-wop, and Motown-inspired sounds into a wildly entertaining theatrical experience.

"Time Adrift," a whimsical new musical adventure where the sea has a mind of its own and home is closer than it seems, was written by Emily and Nick Mirabile. The musical debuts at the Lincoln Theater June 18-20 for four performances.

For one weekend only, May 7 – 9, Heartwood Theater weaves together seven short plays, creating a delightful tapestry of comedy, farce, and drama, with Seven Shorts - five 10-minute plays and two longer one-acts.

Both comical and sweet, "Hearing Aid,: by Pete Barry, features Ellen Whalley and Peter Henderson as an aging couple, desperately seeking connection, due to their hearing loss. Love is the cure for their difficult problem. 

BRHS Drama staged three shows of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” May 1-2 in the school’s auditorium. A small cast of 13, determined to perform Broadway’s notoriously difficult classic, aligned with the vision of Director Dr. Mary Miller, to remind us that only those who aim for more, achieve it. Eighteen scenes, two and a half hour shows, rigorous stage cues, lavish sets, extravagant costuming, and technically demanding lights and sound, the show is known as a “character in itself” for its engineering aspects alone.

Your private party of up to six will enjoy a 2.5-hour scenic boat ride aboard the 37’ sportfisherman HAYVAL with Captain Bruce White. Explore the outer islands, marine wildlife, take a lighthouse tour, or just view the many lighthouses from the water, the choice is up to the winner. Bring along a lunch and have a picnic on Damariscove Island or on one of our picturesque coves.

Students in grades 5-8 at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb transformed themselves into students and teachers at a school for aspiring wizards during two packed performances of ‘Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a School of Magic and Magic’ on April 15. 

The Midcoast’s own jazz festival, Jazz in June Camden Maine, runs Friday to Sunday, June 12-14. Downtown Camden will be filled with live music all weekend, as Jazz in June presents multiple performances. In addition to the two ticketed feature concerts at the Camden Opera House (29 Elm Street), there will be indoor and outdoor concerts, cocktail-hour sets, a morning Java Jazz, an acoustic piano pre-show reception and a wharf-side performance to cap the festival Sunday afternoon.