Community Events Calendar

Open to all, no charge. Potluck dinner, noon; copies of the song book will be available for loan and purchase; email singing@mainesacredharp.org

Bates Midsummer Concert Series. Jul 12 thru Aug 09, 2012. From bluegrass to 19th-century brass band music, from global sounds to high-tech traditional, the 2012 Midsummer Lakeside Concert Series offers sounds for every music lover. The series opens at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 12, in the Florence Keigwin Amphitheater by the college's scenic Lake Andrews. The series continues with four more concerts, all at 6 p.m.

Free.

Downtown Augusta has been transformed into an outdoor museum with the installation of 31 signs in "The Museum in the Streets" Program. The signs, years in the planning and making, are written in both French and English, and tell the history of the building of Augusta, the city from 1625 to the present. All 29 signs and two large maps are within walking distance of each other on both sides of the Kennebec river. Another 9 Museum in the Streets signs have been installed along Canal Street in Mill Park. They tell the story of Edwards Mill, Edwards dam and industrial Augusta. The tour begins at City Center, proceeds behind Old Fort Western, moves down to Willow Street's W.H.Gannett's Comfort magazine printing house. On to a 10th sign at the east end of Calumet Bridge, then cross to the west side of the river, the 11th panel as at the corner of Bridge and Water Street. It's called "Seeing the Elephants" and shows a parade of elephants marching down Water Street. Proceed south on Water Street to Panel 13 that recounts the Great Augusta Bank robbery of New Year's weekend in 1850. On to the Great Augusta Fire of 1865 that destroyed 81 buildings on both sides of Water Street. Continue on and follow the tour to the end at Canal Street in Mill Park! The signs will be removed each November and replaced each spring. Maps of Augusta's Musuem in the Streets will be availalbe at Augusta City Center. Patrick Cardon, originally of France and now of Cushing, originated the idea in France.

Tourists, history buffs or those looking for something to do can now enjoy the newest version of The Museum in the Streets. City Historian and others have put together 19 signs that are part of the tour. The tour, which takes about an hour, begins at the waterfront, heads up Winthrop Street. The bulk of the signs are in the heart of downtown along Water Street. The panels (signs) reveal stories, events and traditions that helped shape the area. Hall-Dale French students were part of the translation team that made French subtitles so the panels could be bilingual. Visitors to Hallowell can find maps of the city's Museum in the Streets at City Hall, KV Chamber of Commerce or the Hubbard Free Library. Other Maine communities with a Museum in the Streets include Augusta, Waterville, Thomaston, Biddeford, Belfast and Searsport.

Auction of local treasures, lobster-roll luncheon ($15), live music crafts, books, general store, white elephant table, children's items and entertainment, homemade pies and baked goods, raffle of a full-size handmade quilt and more. Auction 10 am - 12 pm.

The SunRun is a fundraiser designed to go towards raising funds for a local community project or organization. For this first year the committee has selected the Skowhegan Free Public Library to be the beneficiary of the funds raised! Each rider who wants to participate will get a card that will be marked as proof of arrival at the four selected stops throughout the participating business checkpoints within a 45 minute ride of Skowhegan. Tickets for the SunRun raffle will also be sold to the general audience at 2 p.m. with the drawing at 6 p.m. If you would like to donate an item contact the chamber at 474-3621. For more information call Downtown Skowhegan at 612-2571.