It’s a great weekend to be a Mainer in every sense. Summer is starting, festivals are happening, pigs are being roasted in your honor and you’re getting a lot of free things thrown your way. Oh! And three day weekend. Bonus!

Steampunk Alice’s Quest for Queen

Friday, May 27 & Saturday, May 28—Camden

The Rockport Dance Conservatory’s spring performance is putting an alternative spin on an old tale. After the students perform several composition pieces, they’ll give a steampunk interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, titled “Alice’s Quest for Queen” Both shows start at 6:30 p.m., at Camden Opera House.  $15 adults/$10 seniors & students/free under 5. Tickets can be purchased at Midcoast Rec Center in Rockport. FMI: 557-5421

Wish You Were Here

Saturday, May 28—Searsport

This is the best time to be living in Maine. Everybody’s jealous of us and rightfully so. The Penobscot Marine Museum opens for the season celebrating a hundred years of unique Maine images used in postcards with its "Wish You Were Here: Communicating Maine" theme.  Bonus: if you happen to live in Lincolnville or Isleboro, you get to go for free for a week starting May 29, as part of the museum’s desire to give back to the communities. Check out other “free weeks” for residents of Waldo county on their website. For all others adults are $12 and kids are $8. Check the website for specific hours FMI: Penobscot Marine Museum

Public Pig Roast

Saturday, May 28—Rockport

Maine Street Meats is inviting the public to pig out with a special public pig roast done in a Caja China style (where the whole pig is roasted in a steel box and covered in embers) out in front of the State of Maine Cheese building in Rockport. Big Daddy Farms of Whitefield is supplying the pig, which will be served in sandwiches, along with charred spring onions on a house-made sesame semolina roll,  with arugula, house-made aioli and pickled chili peppers. Top that off with s’mores served on house-made graham crackers with chocolate ganache and marshmallows! Yum! The festivities start at noon; sandwiches sell for $12 and s’mores for $3.50 and when the pig is gone...it’s gone.

Damariscotta’s Fun Festival

Saturday May 28 & Sunday, May 29—Damariscotta

We tried to send you to Machias for a fish festival on April Fool’s Day, but this is no joke. Damariscotta hosts an annual festival dedicated to their return of the alewives. So they are dedicating an entire weekend to music, food and fun. You can find all of the bands here and the day’s events and activities here. Go for the oysters, lobster and crab rolls, homemade donuts and smoked alewives. And beer tent! A great day trip for the whole fam. There is no entry charge.

Killer Road Trip: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens-FREE

Saturday, May 28 through Monday, May 30—Boothbay

It seriously pays to have a 207 area code this weekend.  Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is offering their annual Maine Days all Memorial Day weekend, offering free admission to all Maine residents. just make sure to bring your ID. To search for what’s in bloom during a specific time period, please visit FloraFind, their online database of what is planted at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com