The Strand Theatre will screen the movie Left Behind on Tuesday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m. Left Behind tells the powerful story of a group of passionate mothers who unite to create the first public dyslexic school in New York City, the largest school district in the country. A discussion with director Anna Toomey and literacy specialist Alison Babb Brott will follow the screening.  

Camden/Rockport Community Climate Action Potluck will be held Thursday, June 26, from 5:45 - 8 p.m., at First Congregational Church (FCC), 55 Elm Street, Camden. The event is free and open to all.

Celebrate summer, meet neighbors, and share a meal.

The Strand Theatre and Room 310 Media co-present the world premiere of Rivers Edge, a new production from young local filmmaker Michael Russillo, on Saturday, July 5, at 5:30 p.m. Mostly shot in the greater Rockland/Knox County area, the film features some well-known local talent, according to the Strand, in a news release. The screening will be introduced by Russillo and assistant director/writer Piper Pavelich.

Wednesday at the Shores's 30th season of Picking on the Porch will be held June 18 - September 24.

Under the stars or in the garden kitchen, join others for an old-fashioned picking party and sing-a-long. Bring your instrument and take part in a guided jam session.

"This is a community celebration so please pack a picnic and invite friends and family along," said Searsport Shores Ocean Campground, in a news release. Food truck on hand June 18 will be Portable Pie.

The Camden Public Library will host its annual Songwriters Coffeehouse on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 6 p.m., in the Picker Room. The Songwriters Coffeehouse is a tradition at the library going back years, ever since the library began hosting and encouraging songwriting almost twenty years ago. The evening will feature live music from the musicians of the library’s Songwriters Sessions.

There is no charge for admission although donations will be accepted. Coffee, tea, and refreshments will be available.

People ages 18 and up are invited to practice using poetry as a starting point for works of art, Tuesday, June 24, at 5:30 p.m., in the Community Room at the Rockland Public Library, with Tara Morin from Center for Maine Contemporary Art. This informal gathering will introduce the concept of ekphrastic art and will consider poems by local figure Edna St. Vincent Millay as possible points of inspiration for drawing and collage. 

Readers can drop in, pick a book and pick a certified therapy dog and read.

"Reading to a dog has been proven to increase reading fluency and reduce reading anxiety," said Belfast Free Library, in a news release.

The first and second events of the series will be held Thursday, June 26, and July 3, from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., at Belfast Free Library, 106 High Street, Belfast. 

"Then and Now," an exhibition of sculpture and decorative and utilitarian work by metal artist Raymond Mathis, opens on Thursday, June 19, at Salt Pond Studio in Friendship with the Artist Reception on July 5, from 3 to 8 p.m.

"Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: 200 Years of the Murch Family in Belfast" will be the topic of the Belfast Historical Society’s meeting, Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m., in the Abbott Room at the Belfast Free Library.

Dana Murch, local genealogist and historical society member, will present the program will include stories about the Mayflower; the War of 1812, pump and block making, lawyers and judges and postmasters, Gettysburg, poetry, ice making, hydro-electric generation, weather keeping, shoe shops, the Pygmy Circus, and World War II.

On Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m., the Rockport Public Library will host the next program in their deliciously educational “foodie” series. Part-time commercial fisherman John Painter will discuss how the New England fishing industry is developing innovative strategies for addressing climate-change-related challenges — specifically, the proliferation of the invasive green crab.

Painter’s talk, entitled, “Turning the Tables on Green Crabs,” will be about green crabs; how they got here, what they’re doing here, and why it matters.

Ages 4 – 10 are invited to Rockland Public Library to engage their body, mind, and sense of play with Portland Stage's Play Me a Story, Wednesday, June 25, from 2:30 - 4 p.m.

Enjoy a performance of children’s stories followed by an interactive acting workshop with Portland Stage’s Education Artists. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams.

The event takes place in the Community Room, downstairs in Rockland Public Library, located at 80 Union Street.

This program is free. No sign up necessary.

ROCKLAND — The Strand Theatre presents the Strand Summer Bash, a “Roaring 20’s” cocktail party fundraiser, Thursday, June 26, from 5 - 7 p.m., at the theater.

Guests will enjoy cool jazz from the Shane Ellis Trio; cocktails, mocktails and hors d'oeuvres by Ada’s Kitchen; a silent auction full of experiences and Strand experiences and Strand ephemera; and more.

The auditioned Midoast a cappella vocal ensemble VoXX: Voice of Twenty, led by Music Director John Mehrmann, has set its summer concert series. Bright Mornings, Sweet Nights: A musical journey through the day, will be presented in four venues in late June. See below for dates, times and locations.

On Thursday, June 26, from 5 to 6 p.m., the Jackson Memorial Library, in Tenants Harbor, will host “Lightning, Meteors, and Marine Traffic: Citizen Science and Engineering.”

Islesboro Arts Collective will hold its Fourth Annual Open Studio Tour, Sunday, July 6, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Spend the day on Islesboro Island touring local artists' studios. This unique opportunity allows the public to meet the artists in their creative spaces as they share their passion and work. Work includes weaving, jewelry, oil paintings, water colors, fiber arts, felt and sea glass, photography, fairy houses, stained glass, encaustic wax painting, chocolate, and products for people and their homes.

Prospect Community Center will be hosting its monthly benefit supper on Saturday, June 14, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Prospect Community Center dining room – corner of Rte. 1A and Rte. 174, across from the Prospect Fire House.

Baked beans, hotdogs, pulled pork, lasagna, American chop suey, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, clam, and chicken casseroles, fresh salads, homemade pies, cakes, yeast rolls. 

Adults, $12; children under the age 12, $2.

Take out available.

Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to an evening of conversation with New York Times best-selling authors Thomas E. Ricks and Tess Gerritsen on Tuesday, June 24, at 6:30 p.m.

The free event, which celebrates the recent release of We Can’t Save You: A Tale of Politics, Murder, and Maine, Ricks’s latest installment in his mystery series featuring FBI agent Ryan Tapia, will take place at The First Church in Belfast, located across the street from the bookshop. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust’s Arts on the Hill 2025 program begins Thursday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m. Acoustic guitar player Jenn Schott livens up the hill with her special Nashville sound. 

Over the years, Schott’s songs have been recorded by famous country music artists including Bill Ray Cyrus and Lonestar. Country music is all about stories, according to CMLT, and singer/songwriter Schott will share some her favorites. 

The Rockland Public Library will present a lawn concert by The Sugar Snaps, Thursday, June 26, at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to all.

All ages are invited for a free concert on the library lawn outside the Union Street entrance.

The Sugar Snaps are a high-energy 8-piece R&B band from Midcoast Maine.