Owls Head Transportation Museum is launching a Winter Education Lecture Series, a four-program lineup running from January through April that brings together Maine community voices, museum experts, and special guest speakers. Designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding, the series blends transportation history with hands-on learning and STEM exploration.

"Healthy Outdoor Lighting: The Benefits of Protecting Dark Skies and Reducing Light Pollution” will be presented Thursday, Jan. 29, at  2 p.m., at Rockland Public Library.

How does outdoor lighting impact our health, bird migratory patterns, and pollinator populations? This presentation will cover these issues, as well as what steps we all can take to save energy, improve health outcomes, and enhance our enjoyment of the night sky, according to the Library, in a news release.

The Belfast Free Library will be hosting the first meeting of the year for the Wawenoc Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m., in the Library’s Abbott Room. 

As the first meeting of 2026, the group will first take care of its annual administrative business, followed by a game show presented by Dana Murch called “Name That Town!” all about Maine places and the varied names they’ve been known by over the last couple centuries. 

Composer and pianist Ben Cosgrove returns to the Underground Lounge on Thursday, January 22, at 7 p.m. 

A traveling composer-performer based in northern New England, Cosgrove creates music inspired by landscape, place, geography, and environment, blending folk and classical influences into richly evocative compositions, according to the Underground, in a news release.

The Lincoln County Historical Association’s Online Winter Lecture Series returns Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., featuring author and historian Aimee Fogg. This free online lecture is open to the public, with advance registration required to receive the participation link.

Local Color Gallery welcomes back guest artist Sandra Huck, whose work will be displayed from January 21 through February 21. Huck will talk about her work, “Conversations with Found Objects” at this month’s Art Walk reception, Friday, Jan. 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. Huck will speak at 5 p.m. (weather permitting).

The Midcoast Community Chorus (MCC) will return to the stage with Poetry in Song, a concert celebrating choral music inspired by poetry. The performance will take place Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at 3 p.m., at the Strom Auditorium, Camden Hills Regional High School, 25 Keelson Drive in Rockport, Maine.

Carter Jones Meyer, a history professor and Native art collector who recently retired to Midcoast Maine from New Jersey, will present “Vessels of Dawnland: A Personal Exploration of Wabanaki Basketry” on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m., at the Cushing Public Library. This collaborative community event, co-sponsored by Cushing and Thomaston public libraries, is free and open to the public.

The Stockton Springs Community Library will be hosting Make and Take Lego’s Club on the third Wednesday in January, February, and March.

Make your own creations and take them home to share with family and friends. The club is open to all with a focus on 4 to 10 year olds.  

The program begins January 21, from 3:30 - 5 p.m.   

Poet/musician Dave Morrison is hosting a Poetry Happy Hour on Thursday, January 22, from 5 to 6 p.m. at 40 Paper restaurant (40 Washington Street, Camden).

Morrison will be performing his trademark poetry/looped guitar mash-up, including new poems from his upcoming collection Already Home (JukeBooks 2026).

Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Bay Chamber Concerts offers "Muddy Boots Series: Free concerts just for children." This free interactive series offers children the freedom to move and dance at concerts created just for them.

"From string quartets to rockin’ piano to a rare harp trio, children and their families will be exposed to the highest quality performances in a relaxed, fun atmosphere," said Bay Chamber, in a news release.

Submissions are now open for the second annual Maine Playwrights One Act Festival, celebrating the voices and visions of playwrights living throughout the state of Maine. The festival will be presented June 4 - 14, 2026, at the Basil Burwell Community Theater, 17 Court Street in Belfast, Maine.

The four to-be-selected plays will be directed by Maci Burgess, Tyler Johnstone, Ivy Lobato, and Gwen Sauvage, who will select casts from volunteer actors who will audition in the spring.

The auditioned mid-coast a cappella vocal ensemble VoXX: Voice of Twenty presents its winter concert series, "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion," led by Music Director John Mehrmann. The concerts will be in four venues around the Midcoast in January and on February 1.

This concert series takes its title from Francis Bacon’s essay, “Of Beauty.” In it, he wrote: “There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.”

"Winter in Maine is full of surprises," said CamdenCAN, in a news release. "Deep cold, lovely warmups, and everything in between." 

CamdenCAN, in association with the Anti-Poverty Work Group, is hosting a Winter Warmth Potluck, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, from 5:30 - 8 p.m., at Camden’s First Congregational Church in Camden. The event is free and open to the public.

Nora Willauer and Marlene McCarthy will perform "Strings Attached" during Bay Chamber Concerts' Midday Music Series, Friday, January 23, at 1 p.m., at Hammer Hall.

In this inventive program, cellist Nora Willauer and pianist Marlene McCarthy explore the sparks of creativity born from close artistic relationships in the 20th century.

Appleton Library's Annual Souper Supper and Cake Auction. Live music by Aidan K.Z.

Saturday, January 31, 5-7 p.m. at Appleton Village School.

$10 adults, $5 children, family cap $25.

Get involved with the library and earn volunteer credit for assisting with programs, art, and events that matter to you and your community. 

Join Miss Katie for a Teen Advisory Committe meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Upcoming meetings will be held Feb. 19 and March 10.

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m., renowned conservationist Michael Wojtech will give a Zoom presentation entitled “The Growth of Trees Through Time” at the Belfast Free Library’s Abbott Room. This program is co-sponsored by the library and the Belfast Garden Club.

"What’s all this fuss about fermented foods?" said Rockland Public Library, in a news release. "Why are fermented foods essential for gut health, and why are they so expensive?"

RPL will host "Vegetable Fermentation for Gut Health: A Class with Mo Katz-Christy," Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m.