Art of Dining Art Collector Maine dinner with Chef Josh Hixon (in chef whites). Hilary Nangle photo

Here’s my hint for next year’s festival: Make plans and reserve early for Art of Dining events you want to attend. These dinners, prepared by some of Maine’s best-known chefs, take place in private homes and each also highlights an artist, whose work is shown. Tickets sell quickly and many events sell out weeks, if not months, prior to the actual shindig.

A plus  for out-of-towners attending the Art of Dining dinners: The opportunity to get insider tips from the locals. A plus for everyone: Proceeds from these dinners benefit Share Our Strength, which works to end childhood hunger in Maine and throughout the country.

I wasn’t able to attend the big ticket events, but I did enjoy a few of the early cocktail parties and dinners.

• Cocktails at one Dock at the Kennebunkport Inn

Live music with Emilia Dahlin at Cocktails at One Dock, opening event of the 2013 Kennebunkport Festival. Hilary Nangle photo

What better way to open a festival than with an outdoor cocktail party on a deck overlooking the river. Live music by Emilia Dahlin provided the perfect backdrop, and the weather cooperated, making for an especially enjoyable evening. And yes, the cocktail of the night was mighty tasty, almost dangerously so.

• Art of Dining, Art Collector Maine Dinner with Chef Josh Hixon of 40 Paper and artist Janis Sanders, Leonardi residence

Chef Josh Hixon shmoozing with guests at Art of Dining Art Collector Maine dinner at the Leonardi residence, 2013 Kennebunkport Festival. Hilary Nangle photo

The dinner paired Chef Josh Hixson of Camden’s 40 Paper (and Rockland’s Three Crow) with artist Janis Sanders.

During the pre-dinner cocktail hour, I had time to admire the Sanders’ paintings, which were displayed both indoors and on the back deck. I especially enjoyed the view of Monhegan light, not the usual angle for paintings of this icon.

Tabitha Blake of Crush Distributors, a small and new player in Portland, made the wine pairings. These featured French and Austrian wines from small producers.

Art of Dining Art Collector Maine dinner at the Leonardi Residence highlighting works by Janis Sanders. Hilary Nangle photo

We began with a salad of local pea tendrils, roasted baby beets, local goat cheese, and pickled rhubarb, paired with NV Hillinger Secco Sparkling Rose from Burgenland, Austria.

Next up: Wild mushroom raviolini with corn shoots, tomato raisins, basil and vermouth beurre blanc, paired with a 2011 Pfister Pinot Gris, from Alsace, France.

The third course comprised wild periwinkles, baby turnips, and Tasso ham on white polenta, paired with a 2012 Anton Bauer Gruner Veltliner, from Wagram, Austria.

Fourth course was local hake, wrapped in prosciutto on avocado, quinoa, and fava beans with arugula gremolata and buttermilk creme, paired with a 2011 Domaine Bernard Rouge, from Burgandy, France.

And the final kiss: ginger and rhubarb crostata with fresh mint creme.

Excellent meal, easy-going and friendly crowd, great art. What more could one want? One of the nice things about these events is that although many of the attendees know each other, the group is small enough to easily mix in and mingle.

• Cocktails at the Cape Arundel Inn

I was so busy enjoying the live music by Sara Hallie Richardson and the views, I neglected to take pics. You can’t beat this inn’s location, and despite chilly temperatures, I spent most of my time on the porch admiring the open Atlantic views. Chef Pierre Gignac (previously with 98 Provence, in Ogunquit) created excellent hors d’oeuvres, and even prepared a special plate for a gluten-sensitive guest.

• The Art of Dining dinner with Chef Leslie Oster of Aurora Provisions and artist Brad Maushart, Maushart residence

Aurora Provisions turned the table into the farm at the Kennebunkport Festival Art of Dining dinner in Brad Maushart’s f-8 gallery. Hilary Nangle photo

This dinner, in photographer Brad Maushart’s f-8 barn gallery, turned the table into a farm. Last year, Chef Leslie Oster of Portland’s Aurora Provisions had wowed guests with a raw dinner at the gallery.

This year, Aurora teamed with Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of Broadturn Farm, in Scarborough, on one of the most creative and fun dinners I’ve had in a state that specializes in farm-to-table dining.

The barn setting was perfect, and Maushart’s photographs provided a nice backdrop.

Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, grew the table for the Art of Dining dinner with Aurora Provisions at the f-8 Gallery. Hilary Nangle photo

As you can see from my pics, the table was inlaid with flats of micro greens as well as lettuces and basil plants and seasoned with fresh tomatoes, fiddleheads, radishes, oyster mushrooms, chives, and nasturtiums. Table settings included mini scissors as well as little watering cans filled with dressing and flower pots with bread. We snipped at will, using the greens to dress the various courses as well as to prepare our own salads. It was fun, it was delicious, it was fresh.

Deviled quail eggs with pickled fiddleheads – pre dinner nibbles by Aurora Provisions. Hilary Nangle photo

Hors d’oeuvres served while we sipped Biutiful Rosé Cava NV and mingled: deviled quail eggs with pickled fiddleheads; parsnip & spring onion cakes with duck confit and dill aioli

Then the fun began:

First course: wild horseradish custards with cut-your-own micro greens and Amaranth flour crisps

My salad, picked from the table laden with Broadfarm greens along with plentiful other goodies (fiddleheads! radishes! nasturtiums!) at the Art of Dining dinner with Aurora Provisions, Kennebunkport Festival, 2013. Hilary Nangle photo

Second course: pick your salad, with all the goodies above and accompanied by cheese-ale flower pot bread and fresh butter, paire dwith Poggio Anima Demons & An Angel Series-Gabriel, Greco 2011

Third course: rhubarb, wild honey and jalapeno marinated duck with chevre bread pudding with pickled ramps, paired with Messmer, Spatburgunder, 2010

Intermezzo: pea & mint granita

How perfect! Dressing served in a watering can for the pick-your-own salad course at the Art of Dining dinner with Aurora Provisions. Hilary Nangle photo

Fourth course: Moxie BBQ pork belly with baked heirloom marfax beans, paired with Poggio Anima Belial, Sangiovese, 2011

Dessert: rhubarb galette with scented geranium ice cream paired with Samos Vin Doux Muscat, 2010

Now I’m wondering just what Chef Oster will come up with to top this next year. If you want a seat at the table, plan ahead. I know I will.

January

• Pies on Parade, Rockland

Sample sweet and savory pies at businesses throughout downtown Rockland at this annual event on the Sunday closest to National Pie Day; sponsored by the Historic Inns of Rockland, Maine, to benefit the area food pantry.

February

• Flavors of Freeport, Freeport

Chef’s signature tasting event with Maine wines and brews and ice bar.

March

• Maine Restaurant Week

Restaurants from throughout Maine (although most are in Greater Portland) participate in this annual 10-day event featuring set-price menus and special food/drink oriented events.

April

• Chocolate Lovers Fling, Portland

Nirvana for chocolate lovers.

• Smelt Fry Dinner, Columbia Falls

Never tried a smelt? Here’s your opportunity. The menu at this annual community supper might include Pleasant River smelts, Maine Potato Growers potato, salad, moose stew,coleslaw, Maine grown baked beans & DSF grown organic blueberry cobbler; hatchery tours, music, and more

• Fishermen’s Festival, Boothbay Harbor

What the hake? Small-town fun with a cod relay, lobster-crate race, oyster shucking and Miss Shrimp contest, fish fry, and more; always last weekend of April

May

• Taste of Bar Harbor, Bar Harbor

Just as it sounds, tastings from area restaurants followed by a dessert tour at night; mid May.

June

• The Festival, Portland

Artisan and small producers of beer, mead, cider from around the world.

• Taste of Brunswick, Brunswick

Nibble and taste during this one-day outdoor event featuring area restaurants; music, too. Benefits hunger prevention program.

• Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation

Maine chapter’s annual event highlights local chefs and restaurants; benefits efforts to fight childhood hunger.

• Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, Dover-Foxcroft

Make whoopie! No, that that. More than 20 bakers from throughout Maine offer their versions of the famed Maine sweet, also concerts, activities, and other whoopie-themed fun.

July

• Maine Lobster Festival, Rockland

The Jaws of claws when it comes to Maine’s lobster festivals (small ones in Winter Harbor and on Frenchboro Island, info).

• Maine Potato Blossom Festival, Fort Fairfield

Celebrating the Maine spud since 1937 with farmer olympics, road races, arts & crafts, fireworks, river races, mashed potato wrestling, and more.

• Maine Brewers Craft Beer Festival, Portland

Annual Maine brewhaha; just as promised, craft beers from Maine

• Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth

Awe shucks, always the third Friday in July, always crowded, always worth it.

• The Kneading Conference & Artisan Bread Fair, Skowhegan

You knead to attend this: Promotes grain traditions from earth to hearth. A must for bread bakers and/or lovers.

August

• Ployes Festival, Fort Kent

Celebrating the traditional buckwheat pancake: world’s -largest, ploye-eating, and ploye-wrestling contests.

• Machias Wild Blueberry Festival, Machias

Feeling blue? This will cure ya. Wild times in Machias with blueberry-themed events including a musical, baking and eating contests, food vendors, public breakfasts and suppers, and blueberry everything.

• Outstanding in the Field

Annual Maine stop on national tour highlighting farm-to-table fare; highlights Maine farm and chef. Ticket (usually around $200) includes a reception with wine and passed appetizers, four seated courses with wine pairings, all gratuities, producer discussions, and a tour of the farm.

September

• Maine Salmon Festival, Eastport

Celebrating the salmon; always Labor Day weekend

• MDI Garlic Festival, Southwest Harbor

The stinking rose gets some love.

• Common Ground Fair, Unity

Agricultural fair sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association: Organic foods, progressive organizations, traditional fair fun without the carnival, side shows, or usual fried fare. Always the third weekend in September.

October

• Foliage Food & Wine Festival, Blue Hill

Week-long food-centric event with highlight being The Taste of the Peninsula

• Great Maine Apple Day, Unity

Keep the doctor away with apples, workshops, tastings, cider, and more; late October.

• Harvest on the Harbor, Portland

Maine’s biggest foodie event, with workshops, tastings, celebrity chefs, cook-offs, and more.

November

• Maine Brewers Festival, Portland

Another Maine brewhaha; sample Maine craft beers on tap

December

• Kingfield POPS!

The Saturday late afternoon concert featuring the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and guest artists caps two days of arts and entertainment that begins with an ArtWalk on Friday night and continues with an ArtsFestival, including displays and demonstrations on Saturday. The concert begins at 4:30and ends with fireworks

When: late June

Where: Kennedy Farm, Kingfield, Maine

• North Atlantic Blues Festival

Some of the nation’s top blues performers come to Rockland for this two-day harborfront festival. Expect great music complemented by the usual array of food, drink, and craft vendors. Complementing the day-long concerts are a Saturday night pub crawl, open to attendees and featuring music by top blues musicians, as well as bands performing on the street.

When: mid July,

Where: Public Landing, Rockland, Maine

• Ossipee Valley Music Festival,

Considered one of New England’s top family bluegrass festivals, the program includes top bluegrass bands, The New England Flatpicking Championship, the New England Songwriting Championship, and new in 2011 a band contest. In addition, there are workshops for all ages, dances, jam sessions, and a gospel sing.

When: mid/late July

Where: Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds, South Hiram, Maine

• East Benton Fiddlers Festival and Contest

Held every year since 1971, this family run festival lays claim to being the oldest music festival in Maine. It’s a low-key, inexpensive, family oriented day of great fiddle and bluegrass music from top Maine musicians. In addition to live concerts, there are a fiddler’s showcase, fiddle contests for adults and children, and field picking.

When: Always the last Sunday in July

Where: Littlefield Farm, East Benton

• Saltwater Celtic Music Festival

This young one-day event featuring internationally renowned performers promises to be one of the highlights of New England’s Celtic music calendar. May it grow and prosper!

When: late July

Where: Thomas Point Beach, Brunswick

• Sweet Chariot Music Festival

Singers, songwriters, musicians, and other performers gather on Swans Island each year for this annual music fest that includes a bit of this and a touch of that, all flavored by the sea. Not the easiest to get to, unless you have a boat, but spill-over performances and dances happen on Vinalhaven and the mainland, too. As the festival’s site states: “The Sweet Chariot Music Festival: not for the faint of heart. Bring your boat, your voice, your moxie, your mojo.”

When: early August

Where: Swans Island, accessible via ferry from Bass Harbor, on Mount Desert Island (note: on-island lodging is very limited).

• KahBang

New England’s largest discovery and indie music festival; four days with art, films, and more than 65 bands; also camping and brew fest. Opening event is free.

When: early August

Where: Bangor waterfront

• Frantasia

The largest Out Music festival in Maine (and perhaps far beyond), Frantasia is an exploration in sound, music, movement, and visual arts. If you’re scratching your head on that, organizer Fran Szostak (Fran-tasia, get it?) describes Out Music as that which falls outside the boundaries of the usual genres. Drop any preconceived ideas of what a particular genre should be or how a specific instrument should sound, and be prepared for anything.

When: Usually third weekend in August.

Where: University of Maine, Farmington, and Treat Memorial Library, Livermore Falls.

• American Folk Festival

This isn’t folk as in Peter, Paul, and Mary, but rather a celebration of the multicultural folk traditions found in America today. Performers share their music, dance, and storytelling traditions on four stages complemented by displays and demonstrations  of traditional crafts, and much more.

When: late August

Where: Riverfront, downtown Bangor

• Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Special

Brought back by popular demand, this is one of the biggies on Maine’s extensive bluegrass festival scene. Expect top acts and a jam-packed weekend of bluegrass at this coastal Maine campground.

When: Labor Day Weekend

Where: Thomas Point Beach, Brunswick, Maine

• Maine lobster shacks

Now I think the best way to enjoy it is in the rough at a lobster shack. You can get down and dirty and dig in with abandon, savoring the succulent meat and enjoying the experience of eating outdoors on a wharf or seaside deck, while watching lobstermen unload their catches or bait and fuel their boats, and listening to seagulls beg. Even better, at many, you can bring all the necessary go-withs, from tablecloths and flowers to wine and cheese. Here are  my favorite Maine coast lobster shacks.

• Maine lobster festivals

Maine has three lobster festivals that are worth planning a visit around.

The big kahoona is the Maine Lobster Festival, in Rockland. This is isn’t just a chow-down but a full-blown festival, with crownings and parades, fun races and games, exhibits, arts and crafts, music, and, of course, more lobster than imaginable. Plan well ahead for this one, and don’t think you’re going to arrive in town and find an empty hotel/motel room or even a campsite. Always the first weekend in August.

Far smaller is the Winter Harbor Lobster Festival, in Winter Harbor, on the Schoodic Peninsula and near the Schoodic section of Acadia National Park. An event highlight is the annual lobsterboat races, with 13 classes rated by size and power. Other activities include a road race, large craft fair , parade, and, of course, a chow-down lobstah dinnah with all the trimmings. Festival is free; there’s a charge for dinner. Always the second Saturday in August.

Tiniest, but perhaps biggest in local pride, is the annual Frenchboro Lobster Festival, a one-day fund-raising shindig that requires a special ferry boat run from Bass Harbor, on Mount Desert Island. Frenchoboro, by the way, is great to visit anytime. Always the second Saturday in August.

• Maine lobsterboat races

NASCAR, schmasscar, in Maine real men and women race lobsterboats, replacing the chug-a-lug engines with souped up vroooommmers! Competitors take these races very seriously, and there are classes rated by size and power. Here’s the 2012 schedule, via the Maine Lobsterboat Association:

Here’s the 2013 schedule:

June 19: Strawberry Fields Forever
June 26: Mind Your Peas And Carrots
July 10:  One potato, Two Potato
July 26: Cool As A Cucumber
Aug. 7: Blueberries for Sal
Aug. 21: Wild And Crazy Mushrooms
Sept. 11: Indian Summer Maize At Graze
Sept. 25: Eat, Drink And Be Cranberry
Oct. 2: Back To Your Roots
Oct. 9 How Do You Like Them Apples?

Route 27 Arts, a new organization dedicated to bringing live music to Stratton and the Carrabassett Valley, has teamed with Skye Theatre to host a Celtic Concert Series. The six-concert summer series kicks off May 31 with Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection at 7 p.m. in the Stratton Community Center. Future concerts are: Ten Strings and A Goat Skin, July 5; Vishten, July 12; Isabeau et les Chercheurs D’or, Aug. 9; Samantha Robishaud, Aug. 29; and April Verch, Sept. 24. Tickets to all shows are $15.

Don McLean: American Troubadour at the Strand

Take your Chevy to the Levee: On Sunday, June 2, The Strand Theatre in Rockland will host a special screening of the film Don McLean: American Troubadour that will be attended by Don and Patrisha McLean. The singer-songwriter who gave America American Pie, Vincent, Crying, and Castles in the Air amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. The film is a behind-the-scenes look at his career. Patrisha McLean will introduce the film and the couple will host a Q&A session after it. Tickets are $8.50.

Historic New England Open House Weekend

This Saturday, you can tour many of Historic New England’s Maine properties for free. Castle Tucker and the Nickels-Sortwell House, both built in 1807 in Wiscasset; the 1785 Hamilton House and 1774 Sarah Orne Jewett House, both in South Berwick; the 1718 Sayward-Wheeler House, in York Harbor; and the 1789 Marrett House, in Standish, all will be open from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m., with free tours on the hour until 4 p.m.

New garden history lecture series debuts

The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport is kicking off its new Garden History lecture series on June 3 at 7 p.m. with Early American Garden Design: Popular Landscaping in Colonial and Victorian America. This talk, as all others in the series, will be given by horticulturalist Diana Chapin of The Heirloom Garden of Maine, in Montville. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Whittle a warbler in one day

Not content to simply watch and listen to birds? Why not create one of your own. The Wendell Gilley Museum, in Southwest Harbor, offers numerous workshops in bird carving. Some are series (an introductory carving class begins June 4 and continues through September); others are one day, such as the Whittle-a-Warbler workshop on June 1.

The Kennebunkport Festival

Although many events are sold out, it’s not too late to take part in the 2013 Kennebunkport Festival, June 4-9. From intimate dinners to grand galas, outdoor concerts to a fun 5K, art shows to sunset cocktail receptions, this year’s festival has something for everyone, but it’s especially appealing to those who appreciate food and drink. Get tickets now, before it’s too late.

Southern Coast

The Boathouse Hotel & Marina, Kennebunkport

The Grand Opening package for The Boathouse, a new, riverside 12-room boutique hotel and restaurant just steps from the port, includes two nights, a goodie bag, a one-hour golf cart tour of the town, and cocktails for two at David’s Kennebunkport, the latest restaurant from Portland chef and restaurateur David Turin. The $399/double package is valid for stays before July 15, 2013.

Cape Arundel Inn, Kennebunkport

Pierre Gignac, previously chef/owner of 90 Provence in Ogunquit, is now the chef at Ocean, the restaurant in the Cape Arundel Inn. The menu blends coastal Maine with French accents. On Monday evenings, a Provence Fisherman’s Stew is featured and during midweek happy hours (4-5:30 p.m.), signature cocktails are reduced by $2 and a tapas menu is offered.

Hidden Pond, Kennebunkport

Hidden Pond is offering two Garden Wellness Weekends, June 7-9 and Sept. 13-15, 2013, with Brenda Brock, a licensed holistic aesthtician and founder of Farmaesthetics skin care products. The package includes two nights lodging, opening cocktail reception, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and scheduled activities and workshops, along with a welcome basket featuring Farmaesthetics products. Rates begin at $1,358 per person.

The Lodge on the Cove, Kennebunkport

The Plunge opening special at the family-friendly Lodge on the Cove, slated to open June 15, offers two nights lodging, handcrafted breakfast bakery bag delivered to your room, lunch at the tiki bar, use of kayaks, and a goody bag. Rates begin at $359 based on double occupancy. Other activities at The Lodge include yoga programs for kids, poolside music on Sundays, frequent evening bonfires, and poolside ice cream socials with sundaes for kids and cocktails for adults.

Penobscot Bay

The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, Lincolnville

Get an insider’s view of wine making on the VIP Vineyard Package with The Inn at Ocean’s Edge. The two-night package includes a guided tour of the Cellardoor Winery & Vineyard, Cellardoor wineglasses to take home, six samples of Cellardoor wine, a complimentary glass of wine, an artisan cheese plate from Eat More Cheese in Belfast as well as lodging, daily breakfast, afternoon tea/coffee and sweets, and welcome gift. Rates start at $570.

Blue Hill/Deer Isle

Inn on the Harbor, Stonington

New this season, the Inn on the Harbor is offering three-hour tours of Stephen King’s Bangor with Stuart Tinker, an expert on King legend and lore. The tour takes is 30 locations, including homes where he’s lived, places that inspired stories, and filming locations. Cost is $80 for two plus $25 for each additional person.

Acadia

 Bass Cottage Inn, Bar Harbor

Save 33% on a three-night stay at the luxurious Bass Cottage Inn from now through June 20. Rates include breakfast and afternoon refreshments. (Read more about the inn, here).

Western Lakes & Mountains

Bethel Inn, Bethel

The Bethel Inn is celebrating its 100th anniversary this season with a $100 per person Centennial package that includes accommodations, full breakfast, and a four-course dinner. Reserve two nights, an even weekend, or a golf school vacation will receive $100 of resort spending money. The inn is just completing a $250,000 renovation that includes updating 30 rooms in the main inn; freshening the lobby, dining room, and Gibson room; enhancing Wifi; and adding new HD/flat screens to the Millbrook Tavern & Grille.

Maine Huts & Trails, Carrabassett Valley

Maine Huts & Trails is teaming with the Carrabassett Region New England Mountain Bike Association for Trail Fest, June 8-9, 2013, to work on new single-track mountain-biking trails. Volunteers will be breaking ground on a new trail that will connect the Narrow Gauge rail trail with the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center and Maine Huts’ Stratton Brook Hut. For your sweat equity, receive meals, lodging, and entertainment. Space is limited and reservations are required.

Migis Lodge, South Casco

Get in shape in style at a Family Wellness Retreat with Alison van Zandbergen (RN, BSN, CBP), June 23-28, 2013, at Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake. Migis’ rates normally include all meals and most activities, but during this week they also will include: daily guided meditation, family movement classes, nutrition classes, nature classes and activities, body talk cortices techniques, open free-style drumming with Rick Cormier, daily afternoon children’s camp, boat cruises, and bonfires. Rates begin at $299 per person, per day. (Read more about Migis, here).

Maine Highlands

 AMC’s Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins

Stay three consecutive nights, Sunday–Friday, through June at Gorman Chairback, located on Long Pond near Greenville, and save 30% off regular rates. Must mention promo code EVERY13 when booking.

Portland Museum of Art, Portland

What:  The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, featuring more than 60 treasures from The Museum of Modern Art.

“A master class in the key movements and figures that revolutionized art and culture of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the most important artists of the period, including Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti, and Francis Bacon, are among the 24 artists whose paintings, sculpture, and works on paper grace this exhibition. The Portland Museum of Art is the only New England venue for this important exhibition.”

Dates: Through Sept. 8

Details: Advance reservations recommended; $5 surcharge (total cost: $17)

Also of note: The Winslow Homer Studio will be open this June 23 through Sept. 4 for tours on Mondays and Fridays at 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. Tickets are $55, advance reservations are required.

Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland

What: American Treasures: Visions of the Land and Sea; New Visions, New Languages;  American Treasures: Family and Friends;  and Small Treasures, Other Voices, Maine Voices

“Exhibition celebrates Maine’s role in American art by displaying the very best among the over 13,000 works in the museum’s collection. On view, through a series of themed exhibitions, will be paintings, photographs and sculpture by many of America’s most important artists.”

Dates: June 1, 2013 – Feb. 2, 2014

What: Every Picture Tells a Story: N.C. Wyeth Illustrations from the Brandywine River Museum

“30 paintings by N. C. Wyeth, from early western pictures through Robert Louis Stevenson classics to Wyeth’s later illustrations in experimental styles. This exhibition is organized by Christine Podmaniczky, Associate Curator for the N.C. Wyeth collection at the Brandywine River Museum and author of the N.C. Wyeth catalogue raisonné.”

Dates:  through Feb. 2, 2014

Details: Admission is $12

Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit

What: 60 Works–60 Years

“Features 60 of the most important works from the Permanent Collection of the OMAA. From the earliest acquisitions through the most recent, the show illustrates the collecting trends of Henry Strater and the Museum.”

What: Andy Warhol: American Icon

“Every morning beginning in 1976, Warhol telephoned his longtime friend and writing collaborator Pat Hackett and related the events of his past 24 hours: where he’d gone, what he’d done, who he’d seen, and what he thought about it all. Pat Hackett accompanied Warhol on many of his daily routines and photographed him with the celebrities of the day, including Mick Jagger, Jackie Kennedy, and the famous artists with whom he hung out. This exhibition will feature 50-60 photographic images never before shown in public, and 12 original works of art by Warhol borrowed from other museums and the Hackett collection”

Dates: Through Oct. 31

Details: $10

Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville

What: The Lunder Collection: A Gift of Art to Colby College

Don’t miss this exhibition in Colby’s newly expanded museum. See more here.

Dates: June 13, 2013- June 8, 2014

Details: Museum admission is free

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick

What: Maurice Prendergast: By the Sea

This is the “first exhibition to present the seaside work of the Post-Impressionist painter Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924), whose sophisticated and sensitive renderings of beaches, coves, and bathers were often inspired by his visits to Maine. The exhibition brings together works with identifiable locations in Maine and elsewhere, with paintings whose ‘place’ is not defined by geography but by their context in the grand traditions of western art.”

Dates: June 29-Oct. 13

Details: Museum admission is free

Old York Garden Club Open Garden Tours

What: 10 Sundays in the garden

When: May 26-July 28, noon-4 p.m.

Cost: $4

Spring Garden Tour, WatersEdge

What: Tour of WatersEdge, the W.P. Stewart Estate in Northeast Harbor (read more about it here).

When: June 1 and 8, 2013

Cost: $15, benefits MDI YWMCA

Belfast Open Garden Days

What: One garden in greater Belfast (Belfast, Swanville, Brooks, Freedom, Searsmont and Lincolnville Center) will be open each Friday for touring and refreshments..

When: Fridays, June 7 – Sept. 6, 2013, 10 a.m.-4 pm.

Cost: $4 one garden or $15 for a five-visit ticket, benefits civic beautification projects

Bath House and Garden Tour

What: 12 historic properties on Bath’s South End, including several prominent gardens; departs from Hyde School.

When: June 15, 2013, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cost: $25 advance, $30 day of tour; benefits Sagadahoc Preservation’s Winter Street Center

Portland Secret Garden Tour

What: Self-guided tour of urban sanctuaries

When: June 15, 2013, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Cost:$17.50 advance, $20 day of tour; benefits The Opportunity Alliance

Scarborough Garden Club Tour

What: Tour 10 gardens in Scarborough

When: June 22, 2013, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $15 advance, $20 day of tour; benefits scholarship fund and community projects

Hidden Gardens of Munjoy Hill

What: 8th annual tour of gardens on Portland’s Munjoy Hill

When: June 23, 2013, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $15 advance, $20 day of tour; benefits Friends of the Eastern Promenade

English Garden Party & Home Tour

What: English garden party, tea, and home tour, Garrison Field, Cape Elizabeth. (VIP package includes workshops, reserved parking, English fare, and home and garden tours with the owners)

When: June 29, 2013, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cost: $25 ($50 VIP package); benefits The Arboretum at Fort Williams Park

Raymond Garden

What: Self-guided tour of gardens in the Sebago Lake region, including rural landscapes and waterfronts; garden talk by Judy Paolini, author of The Inspired Garden, follows with homemade strawberry shortcake($10 donation; 3:30 p.m.)

When: June 29, 2013, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cost: $15 advance, $20 day of tour; benefits Raymond Village Library

Open Days at Garland Farm, Bar Harbor

What: Garland Farm, the ancestral home of Lewis Garland, property manager for landscape architect Beatrix Farrand’s famed Reef Point property, and Farrand’s home and gardens. Farrand moved here after dismantling Reef Point in 1955, and worked with architect Robert Patterson to design the addition, where she lived, utilizing some of the architectural pieces and furnishings she saved. The house and garden are open to visitors.

When: Thursdays and Saturdays, July 4- Sept. 14, 2013 (excluding July 27), 1-5 p.m.

Cost: Free, donations welcomed

Private Gardens of the Kennebunks

What: Self-guided tour of private gardens in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport

When: July 13, 2013, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: TBD; benefits Kids Free to Grow

Bar Harbor Garden Tour

What: Island Gardens, eight gardens will be featured

When: July 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Cost: $20 advance, $25 day of tour

Gardens in the Watershed

What: The 2013 Gardens in the Watershed (of the St. George River) features seven private gardens in the river’s upper watershed, as well as a working arm, nursery, sunflowers business, and geranium mail-order biz.

When: July 14, 2013, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cost $25; benefits Georges River Land Trust (day of tour $28); lunch available for $10.

Camden House and Garden Tour

What: The 66th annual tour presented by the Camden Garden Club includes homes and gardens in Camden and Rockport

When: July 18, 2013, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $25 or $27.50 online

Garden Conservancy Open Days: Bar Harbor

What: The Garden Conservancy has teamed with the Beatrix Farrand Society to open three Bar Harbor gardens: Kanarden (Italianate garden, restored rose garden, service area); The Farm House (only surviving garden in its original state in Bar Harbor designed by Beatrix Farrand); Garland Farm (Farrand’s last home and garden). Note: seminar on July 27, Preserving Beatrix Farrand’s Gardens, is separate but related event

When: July 28, 2013, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Cost: $5 per garden

Seacoast Water Garden Club Pond Tour

What: Annual tour of water gardens in Southern Maine and New Hampshire

When: 2013 dates TBA

Cost: TBA

MDI Garden Tour

What:

When: Held in even years, next one is 2013

Cost:

Salt Water Farm Café & Market launches Guest Chef Dinner series

On June 7, Kathy Gunst, author of Notes from a Maine Kitchen, will collaborate with Chef Justin at the new Salt Water Farm at Union Hall in Rockport, to launch the café’s new guest chef dinner series. Seating is at a communal table and limited. Cost is $75, and reservations are required.

The tentative menu draws from Gunst’s book and may include:

Late Spring Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

First Harvest Pea and Lettuce Soup with Many Herbs

Ramp, Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Tart

Grilled Pork with Rhubarb Chutney

Strawberry Shortcakes with Mead Whipped Cream

Maine Farmland Trust Early Summer Harvest Dinner at Four Season Farm

Join the Maine Farmland Trust on Sat., June 15, 2013, at Four Season Farm, on Cape Rosier, for a farm tour with Eliot Coleman, followed by remarks and dinner, prepared by Chef David Levi. The program benefits the Maine Farmland Trust. The fee is $300, and reservations are required by June 5.

Full Moon Dinners at Sunday River

Here’s something to howl about: From June through September, on the Friday closest to a full moon, Sunday River is hosting a Full Moon Dinner at its Peak Lodge, complete with a round-trip ride on its Chondola lift and live entertainment. Cocktail receptions for each dinner start at 6 p.m. with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $39 per adult; $14 per child (ages 6-12); and kids five and younger eat for free. 
Reservations are required.

• June 21, 2013 – Strawberry Moon. Live entertainment by Poke Chop and the Other White Meat. Menu.

•  July 19, 2013 – Buck Moon ~ Fais do do. Live entertainment by a traditional Cajun band, name TBA. Menu.

• Aug.  23 – Red / Sturgeon Moon. Live entertainment by the Dave Mello Band. Menu.

• Sept. 20, 2013 — Harvest Moon. Live entertainment by the Eric Green Party. Menu.

Flanagan’s Table, monthly guest chef dinners

Maine Farmland Trust benefits from this monthly guest chef series offered in The Barn at Flanagan Farm in Buxton. The five-course dinners feature local produce, cheese, meats, and pantry staples, along with wine and Maine brews. Cost is $100, including alcohol and gratuity. Upcoming dinners:

• June 23: Chefs Andrew Taylor and Michael Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co. and Hugo’s (reservations open May 26)

• July 14: Chef Cara Stadler, Tao (reservations open June 16)

• Sept. 23: Chef Brain Hill of Francine’s Bistro and Shepherd’s Pie

• Oct. 7: Chef Rob Evans of Duckfat

• Nov. 10: Chef Krista Kern Desjarlais of Bresca

• Dec. 8: Chef Melissa Kelly of Primo