Midcoast Poetry Journal invites the community to "Words Before Winter," an afternoon of poetry, laughter, stories, and the sort of literary unpredictability that has become a hallmark of Midcoast poetry gatherings.

The Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop in downtown Damariscotta will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., its special summer hours, through the holiday weekend. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, it will resume its regular hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The shop is open every day all year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

A major source of funding for Skidompha Public Library, it is run entirely by volunteers, with donated books, records, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, and games. Donations are accepted whenever the shop is open.

McSeagull’s Restaurant, established in 1976 on Pier One, Boothbay Harbor, is partnering with the Community Resource Council to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary and to help CRC and its beneficiaries on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to close.

The event will feature “1976 Menu Specials,” including 76-cent hot dogs, 76-cent Budweiser bottles, $7.60 well drinks and $19.76 lobster rolls.

There will be live music during the day. The Maniacs will play from noon until 3 p.m. and Jackson and Company from 5 to 8 p.m.

In the third installment of the “Real Pirates” series, we learned that the Marianne was indeed the pirate ship reported at “Damerill’s Cove” (known today as Damariscove) in the 1717 Boston News-Letter. Captained by Paulsgrave Williams, the vessel successfully reached the chosen rendezvous destination off the coast of Boothbay Harbor – the place that he expected to reunite with his partner Samuel (“Black Sam”) Bellamy and the treasure accumulated from more than 50 vessels.

With temperatures peaking at 73F, it didn't feel much like a fall day in downtown Boothbay Harbor Oct. 2. However, businesses are beginning to show their Halloween spirit as storefronts transform into spooky scenes, and pumpkins appear in plant pots and window frames. It may be too early for leaf peeping, but visitors are enjoying the pleasant weather in the meanwhile.

Area artists are invited and encouraged to be considered for exhibiting during 2027 in the Hall Gallery at MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, visited by hundreds of patients and visitor each month. All artwork must be for sale, and a portion of sale proceeds benefits Miles Memorial Hospital League.

Midcoast Literacy is holding its seventh annual Readers Theater performance on Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 to 3:30 p.m., at Morse High School Auditorium, 826 Shipbuilder Drive, Bath.

Self-guided journeys ... led by an art lover’s imagination. Paintings ... sculpture ... mixed media ... assemblage art ... photography ... pottery ... weaving ... fiber art. Participating galleries feature new work, hold open houses with refreshments, studio tours, and more. Take a walk - on the creative side! 

BOOTHBAY HARBOR 

"The Artful Auction" at Kerr + Jones Gallery drew about 50 people eager to score a good find while supporting the work of the Community Resource Council (CRC). This year, the third biennial, benefit auction at the popular East Boothbay gallery owned by Diana Kerr and Kathleen Jones, raised $7,000.

Maine Craft Weekend, held on Oct. 3 and 4, features hundreds of participating artists and locations hosting open studios, workshops, pop-up markets, exhibitions, fairs, artist talks, special events, and activities, according to Maine Crafts Association, in a news release.  The weekend allows visitors to have a tailor-made experience, making it easy to explore nearby studios or create a weekend road trip

"Late Fame" - (NR; 1 hour, 36 minutes) - Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe), a forgotten New York poet, is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers, after a flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, who anoint him as a rediscovered genius. Final showing Thursday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.Presented in partnership with Maine Health - Lincoln Health School Based Health Centers.

Driving by the Opera House, you may have observed a burst of color along the back wall of the parking lot. Artist Dan Neilsen of Bayville and Hopkinton, New Hampshire began work on the wall, once the foundation of the Strand Theater, in July after it was smoothed out by Marden Construction.

His colorful imagery incorporates music and the Boothbay Harbor region history in acrylics and mosaic and porcelain tile after several months of design work early this year.

After months of researching, interviewing and editing, Boothbay Region High School's (BRHS) Adolescents Driving Environmental Progress through Teaching and Technology (ADEPTT) club presents its new documentary on the regional effects of climate change, "Spark." It premieres Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Harbor Theater. Runtime is 25 minutes. There will be a Q&A with students afterwards.

Le Café Français, a local French conversation group, resumes its lively in-person meetings on Oct. 5. Our discussions include a variety of themes, from French culture and news, useful expressions for travel and beyond, recipes and cooking experiences plus songs and topics of mutual interest. Our meetings offer participants a “mini French immersion” experience twice monthly.

Lincoln Theater is proud to present a special event broadcast from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, “Twenty Years of The Met in Cinemas.” The Met: Live in HD has been bringing the Metropolitan Opera’s world-class productions to audiences far beyond New York City for two decades and now the Met is celebrating this incredible achievement on the big screen, hosted by renowned soprano Renée Fleming, Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m.

Dark Sky Maine is celebrating Dark Sky Week across the state this week, highlighting Maine’s extraordinary night-sky heritage and the growing movement to protect it for generations to come.