Join integrative wellness expert Jennifer Byer for a conversation about mindful holidays as YWCA MDI kicks off our new YW Empower Hour Series. Connect with neighbors and learn techniques for finding calm in the holiday chaos. This event is free, refreshments will be provided, and everyone is welcome. 36 Mount Desert St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Looking for a little sparkle this season? Stop by Conference Room B at MDI Hospital, 10 Wayman Lane in Bar Harbor, on December 9th from 9 AM to 2 PM for a beautiful selection of jewelry that is perfect for gifting or treating yourself!

All proceeds support patient care at MDI Hospital. We hope to see you there!

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Elly Andrews and Robin Strauss will lead a workshop in making your own table-top flower turkey arrangement, just in time for the holiday. Participants are encouraged to bring their own garden pruners and vase/container if able. Registration is required and space is limited: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/15538684

Join artist/illustrator Susannah Fisher for a free workshop teaching methods and techniques to sketch birds from observation. Participants will be guided through the use of simple shapes to get proportions before developing form and feather texture. No prior drawing experience is necessary, just the willingness to try something new. Pencils, kneaded erasers, and paper will be provided. Registration required: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/15085575

Please join us during Bar Harbor’s PJ Sale on November 8, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the YWCA in Bar Harbor! *Ticket sales conclude at 1:00 p.m.*

Raffle items include gift certificates, local restaurant vouchers, hotel stays, jewelry, and more! There are over $5,000 in local prizes, plus a special door prize entry just for stopping by!

All sales go directly toward enhancing patient care at MDI Hospital. Every ticket you purchase helps make a difference in our community.

For more questions or more information, please contact Victoria Mayer at Victoria.Mayer@mdihospital.org.

Join Sean Gaskell for an entertaining and educational performance of West African kora music. The kora is a 21-stringed West African harp, traditionally played by oral historians known as Jali or Griots. Many songs featured on the kora preserve an 800 year history dating back to the founding of the Mande Empire, and the instrument continues to see extensive use in contemporary music. Reserve a seat: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14341574

Join local poets and friends for a night of camaraderie and poetry sharing. An evening to celebrate each other, the Gathering will be an open-mic format with time to sign up at the start of the event. Presented in collaboration with the Southwest Harbor Public Library. Light refreshments will be served; registration is encouraged but not required: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/15271564

Join us for "Thrilling Tales of Adventure!" - true stories of daring, determination and endurance, told live! A collaboration of Volta Climbing Gym and the Northeast Harbor Library. Five speakers will share their exhilarating experiences from mountain climbing expeditions, living and working at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and swimming the 44 nautical miles around Mount Desert Island. Register to attend for free: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14519590

Join Maine mystery author Moe Claire at the Northeast Harbor Library for a discussion on the use of setting in mystery and a live reading from the newly revised edition of “A Fickle Tide”, the first of her Pyke Island Mysteries. Register: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14867771

Join author author Gail Cleveland to discuss her historical fiction novel, "Settlers by the Sea", and her ongoing work. "Settlers by the Sea" explores the imagined life of a real settler named Zelhpia Haynes, who arrived in Maine in 1760 at the age of 16. After finding Zelhpia’s gravestone, Cleveland was inspired to dive into the complex and fascinating story of survival on a rugged, unfamiliar coast.

A professional artist for over 40 years, Gail Cleveland owns and operates Smart Studio, the gallery her mother Wini Smart established in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Writing runs deep in her family, and her dream of becoming a writer too was realized with her debut novel in 2024.

In this course you will be sketching/scribbling the park scenery. Yes, scribbling! We’ll be working from your own landscape photographs and using references provided by the instructor. This free workshop is open to all levels of experience and all ages; if you can write your name, you can learn to draw and have fun at the same time. There will be instructor-led exercises along with guidance for creating a more finished piece of art. Supplies will be provided, registration is required, and a sense of humor is a plus! Register: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/15178303

Photojournalist and TIME magazine photographer Robert Nickelsberg offers thoughtful insights on his previously unpublished images illuminating an important chapter in Latin American history. Books will available for sale and signing. Register: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14211769

Live Music: Solo Piano with Dr. Donna Coleman In

Internationally renowned concert pianist and recording artist Dr. Donna Coleman offers a program of American music that contrasts late Romantic and early Modern works: the powerful and Bluesy Piano Sonata (1933–36; rev. 1947–48) by North Carolina-born Hunter Johnson; sets of character pieces from the late Nineteenth Century by two composers closely associated with Blue Hill, Maine—Ethelbert Nevin and Horatio Parker; ending with the sublime Piano Sonata (1939–41) by one of the country's most celebrated composers, Aaron Copland. As always, Dr. Coleman will precede each work with illuminating commentary, for a concert experience that is both entertaining and enlightening.

Ellsworth Community Music Institute offers a free, interactive musical instrument demonstration inviting children to touch, play, and experience instruments in-person at the Northeast Harbor Library. ECMI Faculty and Student Ambassadors will introduce kids to string instruments and the piano. Children must be accompanied by an adult for the entire event; no registration is required. More information: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14478808

Join Lawrence Schulman for an inside look at his recent book "FREE: Words on Music by A Hi-Def Critic in an MP3 World." Schulman shares his vast knowledge of the Great American Songbook and beyond, incorporating archival footage of the most popular musical figures of the 20th century. Books will be available for sale and signing following the presentation. Reserve at seat: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14504731

Join marine geophysicist and international educator Mike Coffin, PhD for a lecture titled “Greenhouse & Icehouse Worlds”. Earth’s climate over the ~4.54 billion year history of the planet has fluctuated between two primary states: greenhouse and icehouse Earth. Greenhouse Earth is characterized by no permanent glaciers; icehouse Earth by permanent glaciers. Coffin investigates interactions between the oceanic environment and the solid Earth, and will discuss scientific evidence for the two states, focusing mainly on the current icehouse Earth. Register for free at: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14451329

Join us for a live reading from "North Woods at Night: Literary Reflections on Maine’s Largest Forest", a lyrical anthology exploring Maine’s iconic forest under the cover of darkness. With each story and poem, readers journey into a world both eerie and enchanting, as the writers reflect on the solitude and wonder of the North Woods after sunset. Register for free at: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14504682

Pianist and composer Laszlo Gardony performs his inspired original compositions and reimagined standards from a variety of genres. Gardony's music is described as a natural meeting of jazz, progressive rock, European classical and folk traditions, and blues. Register for free: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14216904

Mt Desert Festival of Chamber Music's 5 concert series is a delight for music lovers. World renowned musicians perform Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, from July 22 through August 19. Join us!

Live chamber music performance at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. Tickets and information at www.mtdesertfestival.org.

Mt Desert Festival of Chamber Music's 5 concert series is a delight for music lovers. World renowned musicians perform Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, from July 22 through August 19. Join us! Live chamber music performance at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. Tickets and information at www.mtdesertfestival.org.

Join internationally renowned hematologist Dr. Edward J. Benz Jr., President/CEO Emeritus of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, for an inside look at the latest advances in cancer prevention and treatment. Drawing on decades of clinical leadership and NIH-funded research, Dr. Benz will explore promising innovations that are shaping the future of cancer care.

This event is free and open to the public. Contact Robyn.Clark@mdihospital.org with any questions.
Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/ZNRxajKjRb

Event will be held at the Northeast Harbor Library on Joy Road in Northeast Harbor.

Join us for the 24th annual Luminaria Evening, a ceremony of hope and remembrance to honor cancer survivors and to those who lost their battle. This years beneficiary is Sarah's House of Maine. Luminaria cost $10 a piece and can be purchased here. They will also be available that evening on the Village Green. *Rain date: August 16th.

"The mission of Sarah’s House is to provide temporary lodging in a comfortable “home away from home” environment to cancer patients (and their caregivers) receiving treatments at Cancer Care. We serve a vast area for cancer treatment, and convenient lodging is essential for these people. At Sarah’s House, we provide not only an affordable place to stay, but a supportive and caring atmosphere centered around hope and healing. Referred guests are served with integrity and respect and without regard to financial resources."

An evening of original poetry read aloud by local author Paul Weiss, addressing the facts of growth, learning, aging, and facing our mortality. Paul's poems explore and celebrate the process of living – its dimensions, and its relationship to something larger. Register: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14672717

Join David Campbell, MD to discuss his new book (co-authored with Dave Aronberg) titled "Fighting the Florida Shuffle: The Inside Story of Corruption in the Drug Treatment Industry and How One Community Found the Solution." Books available for sale and signing. Register at https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/13946587

Mt Desert Festival of Chamber Music's 5 concert series is a delight for music lovers. World renowned musicians perform Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, from July 22 through August 19. Join us! Live chamber music performance at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. Tickets and information at www.mtdesertfestival.org.

The Acadia Dance Festival returns to Mount Desert Island for its sixth season, presenting acclaimed contemporary dance company Nimbus Dance in collaboration with musicians from the Bar Harbor Music Festival. This annual celebration of movement and music brings world-class performance and dance education to Downeast Maine.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., Nimbus presents a Family Matinee, a relaxed and engaging program suited for children ages 3 and up. This colorful performance features narrative dances and includes appearances by local youth from Camp Beech Cliff and the Acadia Dance Festival Intensive.

The Festival brings professional dance artists to Mount Desert Island each year and creates opportunities for local residents and young dancers to engage meaningfully with the world of contemporary dance. Local students ages 14–22 can take part in the Acadia Dance Festival Intensive, held at ArtWaves MDI from July 28 to August 2. Participants train with Nimbus faculty in ballet and contemporary dance and engage in workshops covering improvisation, injury prevention, and more. Younger dancers can join the Nimbus Dance Specialty Camp at Camp Beech Cliff. Students from both programs will perform at the Criterion Theatre alongside Nimbus’s professional company. Info at www.acadiadancefestival.org

More than a dozen restaurants are giving back by donating a portion of their day’s proceeds to

Island Connections, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free transportation for

seniors and people with disabilities across MDI and the surrounding islands. These rides make it

possible for many residents to live independently at home, providing a crucial lifeline to

vulnerable members of the community.

Whether you’re craving breakfast, lunch, dinner or a sweet treat, there’s a participating restaurant

to match your taste. For a full list of participating restaurants or to explore an interactive map,

visit islconnections.org/dine-around-day/.

The Acadia Dance Festival returns to Mount Desert Island for its sixth season, presenting acclaimed contemporary dance company Nimbus Dance in collaboration with musicians from the Bar Harbor Music Festival. This annual celebration of movement and music brings world-class performance and dance education to Downeast Maine.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., Nimbus presents a Family Matinee, a relaxed and engaging program suited for children ages 3 and up. This colorful performance features narrative dances and includes appearances by local youth from Camp Beech Cliff and the Acadia Dance Festival Intensive.

The Festival brings professional dance artists to Mount Desert Island each year and creates opportunities for local residents and young dancers to engage meaningfully with the world of contemporary dance. Local students ages 14–22 can take part in the Acadia Dance Festival Intensive, held at ArtWaves MDI from July 28 to August 2. Participants train with Nimbus faculty in ballet and contemporary dance and engage in workshops covering improvisation, injury prevention, and more. Younger dancers can join the Nimbus Dance Specialty Camp at Camp Beech Cliff. Students from both programs will perform at the Criterion Theatre alongside Nimbus’s professional company. Info at www.acadiadancefestival.org

Join representatives from the Farnsworth Museum for a summer update on the museum’s projects and exhibitions. Register: https://nehlibrary.libcal.com/event/14190222

Mt Desert Festival of Chamber Music's 5 concert series is a delight for music lovers. World renowned musicians perform Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, from July 22 through August 19. Join us! Live chamber music performance at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor. Tickets and information at www.mtdesertfestival.org.